Playlist for 6-14-12

Hey!

Happy Thursday, folks. Just got back from the gym, drinking a beer, watching some DS9, and unwinding from a long day of work and radio. I got a ton of crap left do to tonight, so let's get down to business. Here are some rock and roll songs I played tonight (and you can download the show for a limited time here:
Download the show!) Enjoy! 

Things that Are Square 6-14-12

(*) = New release

The Finches - Follow Me/I Loved You As a Child - On Golden Hill

(*) Sigur Rós - Rembihnútur - Valtari
John Cale - Paris 1919 - Paris 1919
The Mountain Goats & Kaki King - Thank You Mario But Our Princess Is In Another Castle - Black Pear Tree
Jonathan Richman - That Summer Feeling - I, Jonathan

(*) Advance Base - Summer Music - A Shut-In's Prayer
Another Sunny Day - I'm in Love with a Girl Who Doesn't Know I Exist - London Weekend
The Crabs - Private Eye - What Were Flames Now Smolder
(*) The Hive Dwellers - Sitting Alone at the Movies - Hewn from the Wilderness

(*) Allo Darlin' - Europe - Europe
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Crow Jane - Murder Ballads
(*) Spiritualized - I Am What I Am - Sweet Heart, Sweet Light

Ghost Mice - Please Quit Smoking Mom - Andrew Jackson Jihad/Ghost Mice Split
Defiance, Ohio - Oh, Susquehanna! - The Great Depression
Pere Ubu - Humor Me - The Modern Dance
The Fall - Couldn't Get Ahead - This Nation's Saving Grace

Drive Like Jehu - Golden Brown - Yank Crime
Fugazi - Cashout - The Argument
Big Black - Passing Complexion - The Rich Man's Eight Track Tape
The Angels of Light - My True Body - How I Loved You

Arab Strap - Cherubs - Elephant Shoe
Black Moth Super Rainbow - Twin of Myself - Eating Us
Can - Moonshake - Future Days
(*) Zammuto - Weird Ceiling - Zammuto
Aphex Twin - Windowlicker - Windowlicker (For Elana in Irvine, CA)

(*) Japandroids - The Nights of Wine and Roses - Celebration Rock

Suck the meat from the bones leave the corpse on the floor

At first listen, I was unsure what Fucked Up's 18-minute "hardcore" epic "Year of the Pig" was about. My initial assumption was that it was, perhaps, an anti-meat eating screed. Lyrics like "suck the meat from the bones leave the corpse on the floor" and "ashamed of what we do to them" paint a Jungle-esque portrait from its generous use of extremely visceral lyrics and imagery. But Fucked Up's lead singer, Damian Abraham, does not have the body of a militant vegetarian/vegan (though, my admiration of a heavy dude replete with backhair who gives no fucks and exudes buckets-full of confidence is an entirely separate issue). So, perhaps it's a song about demonizing political leaders/authority. Lord knows there's been a hardcore song or two written about that subject matter. And lyrics like "they poison our crops in our name" certainly would suggest such a thing. But, this is Fucked Up. I am listening to a nearly-20-minute track. This is not standard hardcore. Some research led me to the information that this track is actually about the plight of sex workers, combined with the trial of Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton (convicted of killing multiple prostitutes). And at that point, the grisly imagery and socially critical lyrics came together on a central issue in a really interesting and distrubing way.

Oh. And the song rules, too.

Playlist for 6-7-12

Happy friday, folks!

Thanks to everyone who tuned in yesterday. That was the most-listened-to episode of TtAS we've had in a while, and it's all thanks to you! Unless you didn't listen. Then I really can't thank you for that. But maybe you wanted to? You did? OK. It's the thought that counts. I can thank you again. 

Here are the songs I played (you can download the show to listen along here):


Things that Are Square 6-7-12

(*) = New release

(*) The Tallest Man On Earth - 1904 - There's No Leaving Now

(*) Allo Darlin' - Tallulah - Europe
Paul Baribeau - Better than Anything Ever - Grand Ledge
Emperor X - Allahu Akbar - Western Teleport
French Quarter - Bold with Fire Pt.2 - It's Not Just Kissing

Viking Moses - Crosses - Crosses
(*) Advance Base - Riot Grrrls - A Shut-In's Prayer
Safety Scissors - Your Beautiful Feet - Parts Water
(*) Chromatics - Kill for Love - Kill for Love

(*) Liars - No. 1 Against the Rush - WIXIW
The Psychic Paramount - RW - II
(*) Japandroids - For the Love of Ivy - Celebration Rock

(*) King Tuff - Bad Thing - King Tuff (For Alex in Irvine, CA)
(*) Jaill - Waste a Lot of Things - Traps
The Mummies - The Ballad of Iron Eyes Cody - Never Been Caught
Pangea - Hold My Hand - Living Dummy (For Angela in Irvine, CA)

The King Khan & BBQ Show - Shake Real Low - The King Khan & BBQ Show
Thee Oh Sees - Ruby Go Home - Help
Cosmonauts - Emerald Green - Emerald Green/Motorcycle $1
Boyracer - I've Got It and It's Not Worth Having - Punker than You Since '92

Descendents - Marriage - Milo Goes to College
Void - Ask them Why - Faith/Void/Faith
Misfits - Skulls - Walk Among Us
Fucked Up - Year of the Pig [Japan Edit] - Year of the Pig

(*) Sigur Rós - Ég Anda - Valtari 

(*) Spiritualized - Hey Jane - Sweet Heart, Sweet Light

How come it's me that's always hurt?/I'll stain the world with your blood

In my previously mentioned "quest to be more punk," I picked up Dischord Records' old Faith/Void split on a friend's recommendation. She is a big Void fan, and recommended the split. I'd have to say I definitely prefer the Void half, as well. Faith is a fine example of DC hardcore, but you hear it and think, "man...this sounds like what would happen if Ian MacKaye's little brother started a band." And then you realize that Faith IS Ian MacKaye's little brother's band. Very much influenced by Minor Threat both stylistically (minute-long bursts of barre chords and yelping) and thematically (lots of vitriol expressed at an undisclosed "you," at least one song talking shit on those who aren't straightedge, etc). Void, however, feels like it's own thing. The music DOES contain many of the tropes of hardcore, both musically and lyrically, but you can tell they've also listened to a metal album or two, and are much more willing to experiment a bit. Guitar effects that aren't just distortion, weird effects on group vocals in the middle of a song, a definite sludgier/heavier sound with lyrics that range from the standard hardcore to the above track, "Time to Die," which takes the Misfits' horror penchant to darker, more metal territories. The track immediately following that one is about Nazi atroicity (but then it goes right back to a punk-by-numbers song called "Ignorant People"). The split is pretty solid overall, but the Void tracks are the ones that will probably spend more time in my headphones.

You can pick the album up at the Dischord site, or on Amazon.

Do you know what I think about you?

So, a couple months ago, I decided that I owned too many twee/cutesy pop albums, and I needed more punk in my life. My DGAFQ (don't give a fuck quotient) could stand to be much higher, and a healthy dollop of punk rock energy in my life would add that. But it turns out that even when I try to get more punk albums, I end up with stuff like the Descendents' "Milo Goes to College" which is still all about girls and such.

I am not a good punk.

Playlist for 5-30-12

Hey dudes and dudettes,

Summer is fast approaching, and I'm already making plans for Saturday bike rides to get paletas and train rides to San Clemente to get responsibly wasted at Pizza Port. But, as a university employee, I have two really shitty weeks between me and that beautiful, relaxing heaven. Keep tuning in to my show every Thursday, and we'll keep each other's hopes up until Summer can whisk us away to a magical world of lower workloads and stayin' cool and refreshed. I will soundtrack our camaraderie with songs like these:

Things that Are Square 5-30-12

(*) = New release

Yo La Tengo - I Wanna Be Your Lover - I'm Not There

Bill Monroe & Doc Watson - What Would You Give in Exchange for Your Soul? - Classic Southern Gospel
Silver Jews - Slow Education - Bright Flight
Bill Callahan - One Fine Morning - Apocalypse

(*) Allo Darlin' - My Sweet Friend - Europe
The Finches - How to Keep Your Heart Hate-Free - On Golden Hill
Sebadoh - The Freed Pig - III
(*) Advance Base - New Gospel - A Shut-In's Prayer

(*) Grass Widow - Goldilocks Zone - Internal Logic
The Clean - Tally Ho - Anthology
(*) King Tuff - Hit & Run - King Tuff

(*) Spiritualized - So Long You Pretty Thing - Sweet Heart, Sweet Light
Sunn O))) & Boris - The Sinking Belle (Blue Sheep) - Altar
Blut Aus Nord - Epitome VI - 777 Sect(s)

Fugazi - Instrument - In on the Killtaker
The Jesus Lizard - Monkey Trick - Goat
Mission of Burma - That's When I Reach for My Revolver - Signals, Calls, and Marches
Black Eyes - Someone Gets His Fingers Broken - Black Eyes

(*) Part Time - She's Playing with Your Mind - What Would You Say
No Age - Everybody's Down - Weirdo Rippers

Cloud Nothings - Wasted Days - Attack on Memory