Ukulele pajama jam

I've been slowly working my way through doing a cover song of a band for each letter of the alphabet. Here's my K entry (despite the fact that this is actually a Leonard Cohen song, but...)

Please enjoy me in my pajamas playing you music.

Goddamn! I need a stranger to hold my hand

A Silver Mt. Zion -"Fuck Off Get Free (For the Island of Montreal)" (Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything)

I got to see this band for the third time last night and was reminded that they really encapsulate so many things I value not only in music, but life.  Their music continues to incresingly encapsulate a dark worldview over a well of from-the-heart, passionate hope. On "Austerity Blues" (the subject of which shouldn't be too difficult to discern), the band collectively repeats "Lord let my son live long enough to see that mountain torn down." And that's the band in the nutshell. "Things are currently terrible, but we hope that together we can make the world a better place for the future." This is our punk rock.

Playlist for 4-24-14 (Fund drive 1/2)

Hey guys!

Thanks to everyone who called and donated during week 1 of fund drive. We were able to raise $285 during my show. It'd be fantastic if we were able to do that again this Thursday. So pleeeaaassee set aside $5 (or more, if you'd like) between then and now. Never underestimate a large group of people doing something small to help. It adds up incredibly fast. And if you donate $35, you can get cool stuff (check here for list of cool stuff).

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go be exhausted all day after not getting home til 130 due to seeing A Silver Mt Zion last night, and then waking up at 630 to bike 13 miles to work. Sleepy kitten OUT.

Things that Are Square 4-24-14 (Fund drive edition!)

(*) = New release

Songs: Ohia - Just Be Simple - The Magnolia Electric Co.

(*) Sigur Rós - The Rains of Castamere - The Rains of Castamere

Final Fantasy - Adventure.exe - Has a Good Home

Emperor X - Addison Aceh - Nineteen Live Recordings

Waxahatchee - Swan Dive - Cerulean Salt

(*) A Silver Mt. Zion - What We Loved Was Not Enough - Fuck Off, Get Free, We Pour Light on Everything

Mississippi John Hurt - Frankie - Anthology of American Folk Music

The Haxan Cloak - Excavation (Part 1) - Excavation

Forest Swords - Thor's Stone - Engravings

(*) Nmesh - Climbing the Corporate Ladder - Dream Sequins®

(*) Man Forever - The Clear Realization - Ryonen (with So Percussion)

Four Tet - PD 124 (PP Drums) - Ltd Edition Rare Sendspace Mastered Edit Audiophile Mix Deluxe 100k Edition

(*) EMA - Neuromancer - The Future's Void

Drive Like Jehu - Here Come the Rome Plows - Yank Crime

Bikini Kill - Rebel Girl - The Singles

(*) Cloud Nothings - Now Here In - Here and Nowhere Else

Junior Senior - Shake Your Coconuts (DFA Remix) - The DFA Remixes: Chapter Two

Genre research project 39/1359: South Asian Music

This category expresses close musical connections between India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The case of Afghanistan has to be handled carefully because the Hindustani classical music of Afghanistan is clearly in the same musical category, but this music was a result of Indian hegemony that displaced native Afghani musical forms more closely related to Persian music.

This category reflects the shared cultural histories of these countries, not the arbitrary political divisions. For musical purposes, the political concept of "India" should be avoided because of the diversity of cultures within this political entity. The category captures both the distinctions and close relationship between Hindustani, Carnatic, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Sri Lankan cultures.

Genre research project 38/1359: Bikutsi

Bikutsi is characterized by an intense 6/8 rhythm, though it is occasionally 9/8 and its tempo is usually quarternote. It is played at all sorts of Beti gatherings, including parties, funerals and weddings.

Beti gatherings fall into two major categories:

• Ekang phase: the time when imaginary, mythological and spiritual issues are discussed
• Bikutsi phase: when real-life issues are discussed

A double sided harp with calabash amplification called the mvet is used during these ceremonies, by Beti storytellers, who are viewed as using the mvet as an instrument of God to educate the people. The Ekang phase is intensely musical, and usually lasts all night. There are poetic recitations accompanied by clapping and dancing, with interludes for improvised and sometimes obscene performances on the balafon (a type of xylophone). These interludes signal the shift to the bikutsi phase, which is much less strictly structured than Ekang. During bikutsi, women dance and sing along with the balafon, and lyrics focus on relationships, sexuality and the lives of famous people. These female choruses are an integral part of bikutsi, and their intense dancing and screams are characteristic of the genre. Traditional bikutsi was often ironic in its content, as many modern bikutsi songs still are.

And you'll quit having dreams about a swan dive to the hard asphalt

Waxahatchee -"Swan Dive" (Cerulean Salt)

I've kind of slept on this album for a few months, but I have rectified that error and am here to tell you that this is the realest shit I've heard in a good long while. Every song on this album is a stripped-naked, diary entry tableau  of some incredibly vivid probably-less-than-stellar moment in the life of singer Katie Crutchfield. I often shy away from "relationship-y" albums because they sort of make me feel weird because I have had bad luck in that arena. But these songs are good enough to overcome all your fears that you're gonna die alone. That's high praise.

Genre research project 37/1359: Ghettotech

Ghettotech or Detroit club music is a form of electronic music originating from Detroit. It combines elements of Chicago's ghetto house with electro, glitch, hip hop and techno. It is usually faster than most other dance music genres, at roughly 145 to 170 bpm, and sometimes features pornographic lyrics. As DJ Godfather puts it, "the beats are really gritty, really raw, nothing polished."



Ghettotech is an integral part of the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, an annual event. A Detroit ghettotech style of dancing is called the jit. It is an improvisational dance that mainly centers around the fast movement of the feet. Chicago's equivalent dance style is Juke, where the focus is on the footwork dating back to the late 1980s.

Genre research project 36/1359: Zeuhl

Zeuhl means celestial in Kobaïan, the constructed language created by Christian Vander of the band Magma. Originally solely applied to the music of Magma, the term zeuhl was eventually used to describe the similar music produced by French bands, beginning in the mid-1970s. Although primarily a French phenomenon, zeuhl has influenced recent avant-garde Japanese bands.



Zeuhl typically blends progressive rock, symphonic rock, fusion, neoclassicism, avant-rock, and vocal elements of African-American spirituals and Western military call and response. Common aspects include dissonance, marching themes, throbbing bass, keyboards including piano, Rhodes piano, or organ, and brass instruments.

Genre research project 35/1359: Vietnamese Classical

Nhã nhạc is the most popular form of imperial court music, specifically referring to the court music played from the Trần Dynasty to the very last Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam, being synthesized and most highly developed by the Nguyễn emperors. Along with nhã nhạc, the imperial court of Vietnam in the 19th century also had many royal dances which still exist to this day. The theme of most of these dances is to wish the kings longevity and the country wealth.

Classical music is also performed in honour of gods and scholars such as Confucius in temples. These categories are defined as Nhã Nhạc ("elegant music", ritual and ceremonial music), Đại nhạc ("great music"), and Tiểu nhạc ("small music") that was chamber music for the entertainment of the king. In Vietnamese traditional dance court dances were defined as either van vu (civil servant dance) or vo vu (military dance).


Vietnamese Court Music, called Nac Dai Noi, or "music of the palace," can be performed by a twelve-instrument ensemble (for Dai Nhac music) or a fourteen-instrument ensemble (for Nha Nhac music). Nha Nhac corresponds to Chinese Yayue and Japanese Gagaku traditions.

[Editor's note: I am unsure if the Khac Chi Ensemble (above) classifies as Vietnamese Classical/Court Music, but that is how they were labeled on rateyourmusic.com, so...]

I ain't looking for that easy way out

Songs: Ohia - "Just Be Simple" (Magnolia Electric Company Co.)

How the heck do people listen to super sad music when they're feeling down? That's too much sad.

(This album is absolutely incredible, by the way.)

Playlist for 4-10-14

You guys,

Will you do me a favor? Between now and April 21st, try to save $2.50 a week, and set it aside. That way, when our fund drive begins, you can call in to my show, pledge $5, and know that you helped fund non-profit radio in Orange County. You are more than welcome to donate MORE than $5, but if every person that listens donated $5 to the station, we'd be doing pretty well, I'd say.

And I can continue playing songs like these:

Things that Are Square 4-10-14

(*) = New release

Roy Acuff - Night Train to Memphis - The Essential Roy Acuff

Red Allen - Are You Washed in the Blood? - Classic Southern Gospel

Neko Case - Deep Red Bells - Blacklisted

Songs: Ohia - Lioness - The Lioness

Hasil Adkins - Blue Suede Shoes - Peanut Butter Rock and Roll

The Cramps - Rock on the Moon - Songs the Lord Taught Us

Hunx and His Punx - Lovers Lane - Too Young to Be In Love

Heathers - Wedding Song - Unreleased

(*) Cloud Nothings - Now Here In - Here and Nowhere Else

(*) Media Jeweler - No Exit - No Exit

Ponytail - Celebrate the Body Electric (It Came from an Angel) - Ice Cream Spiritual

Guerilla Toss - Pink Elephant - Gay Disco

(*) Babymetal - Catch Me If You Can - Babymetal

Deafheaven - Punk Rock/Cody - Deafheaven/Bosse de Nage Split EP

John Hodgman - Aliens, Love -- Where Are They? - TED 2008

(*) EMA - Neuromancer - The Future's Void

Chelsea Wolfe - I Let Love In - Unreleased

Schneider TM - The Light 3000 - 6 Peace EP

John Maus - Cop Killer - We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves

The Lucksmiths - Adolescent Song of Mindless Devotion - First Tape

The Diskettes - Art - The Diskettes

Allo Darlin' - Henry Rollins Don't Dance - Henry Rollins Don't Dance

Genre research project 34/1359: Hip Hop

Emerging mainly on the eastern coast of the United States in the late 1970s, hip hop is a form of music emphasizing rhythmic beat patterns and spoken delivery rather than harmonic melodies and sung vocals. Much of hip hop's roots can be traced to Deejay, a form of Reggae music that an immigrant DJ Kool Herc hoped to emulate in the Bronx borough of New York City. The style quickly took over in uptown neighborhoods such as Harlem and Queens, where many enjoyed the loose, afro-centric nature of the parties Kool Herc would put on. Adapting the format to Disco and Funk breaks rather than the reggae Herc was used to further enhanced the genre's appeal in urban communities.

The music quickly took over in New York and Connecticut while expanding across the United States and eventually other countries through the 1980s and 1990s. Eventually incorporating Soul and Jazz breaks into its musical lexicon, hip hop as it is known today continues to incorporate sampling of both popular and obscure tracks from the past and present that one or more MCs rap lyrics over in a stylized, rhythmic response or addition to the beat.

BABYMETAL

Babymetal - "Doki Doki☆Morning" (Babymetal)

Perhaps you've also been aware of Babymetal's only-in-Japan mix of idol pop and metal, as they've been putting out singles with incredible (see above) videos for the last couple years. But only recently have they actually put out a full-length album. In fact, I became aware of this album while in Tokyo last month and saw it advertised/played over Shibuya Crossing (Tokyo's analogue to Times Square). Because Japan will not only make something that sounds like this, they are marketing it not just to college radio weirdos, but the ENTIRE POPULATION. Japan is a different country, you guys.

Playlist for 4-3-14

Did you guys tune in for my birthday radio show? God, you better have.

I played these songs:

Things that Are Square 4-3-14

(*) = New release

Édith Piaf - La Vie en Rose - The Very Best of Édith Piaf

Kid Koala - Moon River - Unreleased (For Renee in Santa Monica, CA)

James Chadwick - The Wooden Floor - Worried Noodles

Yo La Tengo - Last Days of Disco - And then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out

Parenthetical Girls - Be Careful Who You Dance With - Privilege

(*) Frankie Cosmos - Birthday Song - Zentropy

Iji - About a Girl - Soup/Salad

The Metasciences - Four-Color Love Story - Pencils Down

Watercolor Paintings - Telephone Wires - Open Your Mouth

The Unicorns - Tuff Ghost - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?

Pavement - The Killing Moon - Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Ed.

Frank Black - Freedom Rock - Teenager of the Year

(*) The Men - Another Night - Tomorrow's Hits

(*) Cloud Nothings - Psychic Trauma - Here and Nowhere Else

(*) The Body - Alone All the Way - I Shall Die Here

(*) Indian - Rhetoric of No - From All Purity

Liturgy - Generation - Aesthethica

Pig Destroyer - The Octagonal Stairway - Adult Swim Singles Program 2013

Yvette - Pure Pleasure - Process

The Mummies - Stronger than Dirt - Death by Unga Bunga!!

The King Khan & BBQ Show - Shake Real Low - The King Khan & BBQ Show

The Muslims - Walking with Jesus - Parasites/Walking with Jesus 7"

(*) A Silver Mt. Zion - What We Loved Is Not Enough - Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything

(*) Nmesh - If I Tell You That I'm Happy - Dream Sequins®

(*) Marissa Nadler - Dead City Emily - July

Genre research project 33/1359: Pashto Folk Music

Pashto folk music is the traditional music of the Pashtun people of Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Traditional forms include the epic songs of dastan and chaharbeita, and the folk genres loba and tappa. Common instruments include the harmonium and tabla, and the stringed tanbur, dambura and robab.

15 shuffled iTunes songs for April

1. Easter Egg - Pump That... [close enough]
2. Sufjan Stevens - In the Devil's Territory
3. Girl Talk - No Pause
4. Jonathan Richman - Con el Merengue
5. Brian Eno & David Byrne - Number 8 Mix
6. Isis + Aerogramme - Delial
7. Twin Steps - Pitch Black Forest
8. Slowdive - 40 Days
9. Viking Moses - Fingernail Moon
10. The Blow - Fists Up
11. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Nevermind Me
12. Astronautilis - Mr. Blessington's Imperialist Plot
13. Rocketship - Heather, Tell Me Why
14. Frightened Rabbit - Living in Colour
15. The Cure - Lullaby

Playlist for 3-27-14

Hey folks,

Thanks to the folks who tuned in last week. Extra double thanks to the folks who decided to hang out while I subbed another two hour radio show with 20-minute superjamz since the next DJ didn't show up. No thanks at all to the nerd who called complaining about my playing Built to Spill's "Cortez the Killer" who knew enough to know that KUCI can't play Neil Young (which was their complaint) but not enough to know that a 20 minute guitar-heroics version of the song with a different singer is probably NOT Neil Young.

Four hours of music:

Things that Are Square 3-27-14

(*) = New release

Miles Davis - Miles Runs the Voodoo Down - Bitches Brew

Blood Orange - No Right Thing - Cupid Deluxe

Jónsi - Go Do - Go

Belle and Sebastian - Marx and Engels - Push Barman to Open Old Wounds

(*) Frankie Cosmos - Owen - Zentropy

(*) Nmesh - Climbing the Corporate Ladder - Dream Sequins®

 Boards of Canada - An Eagle in Your Mind - Music Has the Right to Children

(*) Four Tet - Druid 3 - Ltd Edition Rare Sendspace Mastered Edit Audophile Mix Deluxe 100k Edition

Holy Fuck - Echo Sam - LP

(*) Container - Slush - Adhesive

Black Lips - Bad Kids - Good Bad Not Evil (For Derek in Irvine, CA)

Jawbreaker - Jet Black - Dear You

The Walkmen - The Rat - Bows + Arrows (For Renee in Santa Monica, CA)

(*) Cloud Nothings - I'm Not Part of Me - Here and Nowhere Else

(*) Sun Kil Moon - Pray for Newtown - Benji

The Angels of Light - Sometimes I Dream I'm Hurting You - We Are Him

Jesu - Lifeline - Lifeline

(*) Thou - Feral Faun - Heathen

Lightning Bolt - On Fire - Peel Session

Yo La Tengo - Tears Are In Your Eyes - And then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out

****8pm radio show doesn't show up and 20 MINUTE LONG SUPERJAMS BEGIN!******

Electric Masada - Tekufah - At the Mountains of Madness

SubRosa - The Usher - More Constant than the Gods

Built to Spill - Cortez the Killer - Live

Glenn Branca - Symphony #3 Second Movement (Exerpt) - Selections from the Symphonies (For Daniel in Irvine, CA)

Matmos - The West - The West

Boredoms - Seadrum - Seadrum/House of Sun