I am becoming more and more confident in talking on the radio. I am slowly developing my voice — my on-air personality. There is still room for improvement; namely in the transition from Stuarto’s show to mine, but I’ll get there eventually. Last Friday’s show was centered around indie-folk again, with plenty of psychedelic folk, orchestral folk, and folk-pop as well.

As started last week, two songs will be featured at bottom.

“Notorious Lightning” by Destroyer off Your Blues

“Shanty for the Arethusa” by The Decemberists off Her Majesty
“Share” by Meg Baird off Seasons on Earth
“Miriam’s Cake” by Robin Grey off The Nearest Door

“Flaming Telepaths” by Espers off The Weed Tree
“Red Light Bulb” by Madeline off Black Velvet

“Run From The Gun” by Dead Confederate off Sugar
“Swim Club” by The Cave Singers off No Witch
“Weight Of The World (Under Construction Mix) by The Explorers Club off The Californian Suite

“Leather Belt” by Bombadil off All That The Rain Promises
“Golden” by The Devil Whale off Teeth

“God Bless Our Dead Marines” by The Silver Mt. Zion & Tra La La Band off Horses In The Sky

“Own Stunts” by Breathe Owl Breathe off Magic Central
“Hungry Like A Tiger” by Jared Mees & The Grown Children off Only Good Thoughts Can Stay
“The End” by The Lower 48 off Where All Maps End

“Big Men In The Sky” by Mandolin Orange off Hard Hearted Stranger [Disc 2]
“The Silver Lining” by Gold Leaves off The Ornament
“Silver Hands” by Alameda off Seasons/Spectres

The first feature song is by Chapel Hill, NC band Mandolin Orange. Duo Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz create folk-country songs featuring acoustic guitar, electric guitar, fiddle, and (no surprise here) mandolin. Their new album, Haste Make/Hard Hearted Stranger, came out last week and is a double-LP filled with 18 songs. Check out “Big Men in the Sky” below.

Listen: “Big Men In The Sky” by Mandolin Orange

The second song is one I simply cannot get enough of these days. It’s the opening track off the new album by Minneapolis band The Lower 48, and it’s called “The End”. What does it for me is the vocal harmonies. They are intricate and interesting; the clash of male and female dual leads create unique patters, pleasant and endearing. “The End” is off the band’s new LP, Where All Maps End.

Download: “The End” by The Lower 48

Friday evening was a mad house. Getting into the station wasn’t the issue, as I expect it will be in the coming weeks now that winter is upon us; it was the transition. Transitioning from one on-air personality to another is a bit nerve-wracking. The quarters are cramped, the mic is hot, and you have to do your best not to step on their toes as they wrap their show and you begin yours. And when it’s time to fly, you have to remember which buttons should be lit and which ones shouldn’t.

After the first song, things are fine. It’s just that initial track that likes to pose issue. It did it in late October, and it did it again on Friday. The song eventually hit the airwaves, and we were rolling.

November 4 was all about pop music. Some loud, some soft, some orchestral, some experimental. All good. No surprise, many songs came from overseas — Sweden (an obvious favorite) and Denmark being the most prevalent.

Here’s something a little new for these features. At bottom, I’ll make note of a few tracks, bands and albums from the playlist and include an mp3 for your enjoyment, when available. Typically these will be ones not yet covered on the site.

On to last Friday’s playlist:

“Do What You Wanna Do” by Acid House Kings off Sing Along With The Acid House Kings

“Reaching Through To The Other Side” by My Brightest Diamond off All Things Will Unwind
“The Strangers” by St. Vincent off Actor
“Adelai” by Lohio off Family Tree

“New Colors” by Figurines off Figurines
“Time Stretcher” by Treefight For Sunlight off A Collection of Vibrations for Your Skull
“We Were Wild” by Today The Moon, Tomorrow The Sun off W I L D F I R E

“Wake Up” by Arcade Fire off Funeral
“Echoes” by I Was A King off Old Friends
“Ran Into A Coroner” by Built Like Alaska off Autumnland

“By The Sea” by Summer Fiction off By The Sea (Digital Single)
“Worry A Lot” by The Zebras off Worry A Lot

“Where Have We Been?” by Acid House Kings off Music Sounds Better With You
“Slippery Slope” by The Dø off Both Ways Open Jaws

“To Depart” by Suturee off Among Friends EP
“Welcome Here” by Jeff Hanson off Jeff Hanson

“All This World” by Arco off Driving At Night (7-inch Single)
“The Images We Get” by Sugarplum Fairies off The Images We Get
“Lazy Line Painter Jane” by Belle & Sebastian off Lazy Line Painter Jain (Single)

“A Good Thing” by Saint Etienne off Boxette (Disc 4: Eric Random)
“Western Hospitality” by Club 8 off The People’s Record

“How Come” by Avi Buffalo off How Come (7-inch Single)

End playlist. On to a few feature tracks. The first is from Suturee, a male-female bedroom pop duo out of New York. “To Depart” is off their recent five-song EP Among Friends and it features a little more volume than I remember from their earlier work. It still fits the bedroom pop mold; though, if you have a chance, check out the final track on the EP, “Name Remains”, as it employs a volume more in tune with shoegaze than bedroom pop. Listen to “To Depart” below…

Listen: “To Depart” by Suturee

The second and last song I’ll feature this week is a brand new one by up-and-coming French band The Dø. “Slippery Slope” is off the band’s second release to hit the states, Both Ways Open Jaws. While not all songs are as punchy and, well, almost indicative of the over-blasted pop side of mainstream music as that of “Slippery Slope”, they’re all very good. This song reminds me of the realm MGMT fit into upon their release of Oracular Spectacular (or maybe The Ting Tings’ 2008 track “That’s Not My Name”). This song could make The Dø blow up. It’s that good, and it’s that accessible to the greater population.

Download: “Slippery Slope” by The Dø

I didn’t begin this show well. Stuarto had a pre-recorded spot and, given it was only my fourth show, I didn’t realize the little button up top where it said “iPod” needed to be on. This led to a little stumbling in the beginning on my part; I mumbled a few words then played several promos. After I realized the error of my ways (kudos to Stuarto), the show went off without a hitch. And it was a good one.

Lots of great tunes, many from Sweden, most with an electronic vibe. I launched into everything with a few songs that I dubbed as “haunting.” Here we go.

“Silent Shout” by The Knife off Silent Shout
“Concrete Walls” by Fever Ray off Fever Ray

“The Dwarf and the Horse” by Sleep Party People off Regnsky
“Fail Forever (Nicolas Jaar Remix)” by When Saints Go Machine of Fail Forever
“Running Out Of You” by Keep Shelly in Athens off In Love With Dusk EP

“Cannons” by Youth Lagoon off The Year of Hibernation
“Black Hills” by Gardens & Villa off Gardens & Villa
“Arena” by Suuns off Zeroes QC
“Moon Child” by M83 off Before The Dawn Heals Us

“Unessa” by Regina off Soita Mulle
“Bad Street” by Twin Sister off In Heaven
“You And I” by Washed Out off Within And Without

“Round The Moon” by Summer Camp off Young
“Show Me Your Plans (Le Sport Remix)” by Unarmed Enemies off Show Me Your Plans
“Forget Me Not” by Thieves Like Us off Immersed In Waves

“Castles In The Snow” by Twin Shadows off Forget
“It’s Not The End Of The World” by Le Sport off It’s Not The End Of The World
“Come Rain, Come Sunshine” by Pallers off Come Rain, Come Sunshine

“Give You Everything” by Blackbird Blackbird off Give You Everything (7-inch)
“Mouth Cancer” by Daycare
“Heart” by The Legends off Facts And Figures
“In The Water” by Beat Connection off Surf Noir

I figured with my previous show being devoted to songs that remind me of sleep, this one would be the opposite. After a few bouts of standard indie rock, things got thick and loud.

A shout out to my buddy Brett, for tuning in from Sedro-Woolley. Next time I’ll have to add Tullycraft to the list in honor of how we met.

The show began with a song off one of my desert island top 5 albums, and ended with a track that’s nearly thirty years old. In between was great indie rock and garage rock from the past decade or so.

Click bold playlist entries to visit related content.

“Call It Ours” by The Legends off Up Against The Legends

“Rotten Hell” by Menomena off Friend And Foe
“Melectric” by Ramona Falls off Intuit
“Cold Feet” by Lost Lander off DRRT

“Vomit” by Girls off Father, Son, Holy Ghost
“Collector” by PAPA off A Good Woman Is Hard To Find
“Hoop Of Love” by Dominant Legs off Invitation

“The Concept (Teenage Fanclub Cover)” by Blue Skies For Black Hearts
“I’m A Thief” by Fresh & Onlys off Play It Strange
“Hey Friend” by JEFF The Brotherhood off We Are The Champions
“Summer Solstice” by Crystal Antlers off Two-Way Mirror

“Burden” by The Mantles off The Mantles

“After The Call” by Electrelane off No Shouts No Calls
“Big Girl” by Darlings off Warma
“Weekends” by Teenage Reverb off Isolation Tape Night

“Punks In The Beerlight” by Silver Jews off Tanglewood Numbers
“Firedrill” by Sam Humans off Live Free & Let Loose
“Nerve Jamming” by Bass Drum Of Death off GB City

“I Don’t Wanna Know” by Shimmering Stars off Violent Hearts
“You Don’t Want Kids To Be Dead” by The Beets off Let The Poison Out
“Bring Your Love” by The Cave Weddings off Bring Your Love (7″ Single)

“When I’m With You” by Best Coast off Crazy For You
“Into The Sea” by Seapony off Go With Me
“I Will Be” by Dum Dum Girls off I Will Be
“Dead Man’s Sister” by Tea Cozies

“You Make The Sun Fry” by Ty Segall off Goodbye Bread
“You Should Close The Door” by Craft Spells off Idle Labor

“No Doctor” by Virgin Islands off Ernie Chambers Vs. God
“Brave Dumb Face” by Unnatural Helpers off Cracked Love & Other Drugs

“Smile” by The Fall off Perverted By Language

Being that my typical night consists of hitting the sack at around 10pm, and that my new radio show is Friday nights from 10pm to midnight, I figured that my second show would center around the theme of sleep. So I pieced together a playlist of bedroom pop, chill wave, dreamy shoegaze and what I’ve dubbed as psychedelic ambiance.

I took over for Stuarto just after 10 with a brief description of my first track, which I don’t believe made it on air. The switch-over was a bit rushed and I don’t believe I hit the “on” button allowing my voice to hit the airwaves. But Blood started and I was off; I gave the rundown after the song and continued on my way.

45 minutes before the show, I was in downtown Mount Vernon, stopping by Ristretto for an Americano. A show about sleep, starting at my bed-time; coffee was a necessity.

Below is the playlist. Click any bold track to listen to the song, and right-click it to download.

“The Ghost in our House” by Erik Blood off Music from the film Center of Gravity

“Happy Holiday” by Anois off Tree House Whispers
“White Fawn” by Pomegranates off One of Us
“To the Lighthouse” by Memoryhouse off The Years EP

“Stars” by Warpaint off Exquisite Corpse
“Velveteen” by Still Corners off Creatures of an Hour
“The Sea” by Exitmusic off From Silence
“Hands in the Sky” by Here We Go Magic off The January EP
“One Hundred” by Cock & Swan off Unrecognize

“Older Brother” by Pepper Rabbit off Beauregard
“All Apologies And Smiles, Yours Truely, Ugly Valentine” by Carissa’s Wierd off They’ll Only Miss You When You Leave: Songs 1996-2003
“Okay” by Venice Is Sinking off AZAR

“Secrets” by Silver Swans off Secrets
“Swim” by Oh No Ono off Eggs
“Ghosts in the Machine” by Death And Vanilla off Death And Vanilla
“Breakers” by Gem Club off Breakers

“Tunnels” by Port St. Willow off Even // Wasteland
“Marie Says You’ve Changed” by Papercuts off Fading Parade
“Beach Baby” by Bon Iver off Blood Bank

“So Long” by Fruit Bats off Tripper
“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” by Gabriel Miller Phillips off One For The Crow
“Shed Like An Hour” by Snails off Shed Like An Hour / Daylight Ends 7″ Single
“Reaching Out” by German Error Message off After the Warmth

“The Ballad of the Broken Birdie Records” by Mum off Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Is Okay

I entered the studio at about 9:35pm, meeting up with Stuarto, who has the time slot before mine. A quick interview about 15 minutes before my show, another few songs, and I was up. It was requested that I attempt a transition, and as indie music is my theme, and world music is his, I figured I’d kick things off with an oldie, but goodie: “The Gulag Orkestar” by Beirut.

The theme of the evening, loosely, centered around folk. Indie folk, folk pop, folk rock, orchestral folk, experimental folk… you name it. Below is the playlist from the night. Look for the bold track names to grab an mp3 of select songs from the show, including a personal favorite, “Golden Friends” by Leopold And His Fiction…

“The Gulag Orkestar” by Beirut off Gulag Orkestar
“Louise” by Norwegian Arms off Louise EP
“Chesser” by Ramona Córdova off The Boy Who Floated Freely

“The Birds” by Folklore off Home Church Road
“Bullfrog Blues” by Donkeys off Born With Stripes
“Love The Way You Walk Away” by Blitzen Trapper off American Goldwing

“The Shrine / An Argument” by Fleet Foxes off Helplessness Blues
“The Hurricane” by The Migrant off Amerika
“Free’s” by Bill Callahan off Apocalypse

“The Honest Truth” by Typhoon off A New Kind of House
“Gasworks” by Hey Marseilles off To Travels & Trunks
“Falling Down” by David Karsten Daniels off Fear of Flying

“Wraith” by The Lovely Sparrows off Bury the Cynics
“Bugs” by O’Death off Outside
“It’s A Shame, It’s A Pity” by The Moondoggies off Tidelands

“While You Were Sleeping” by Elvis Perkins off Ash Wednesday
“Favourite Colour Blue” by Tom Brosseau off Posthumous Success
“Meal of Dreams” by Book Club off Ghost

“Slowdown” by Vanish Valley off Get Good
“Cave Country” by Quiet Life off Big Green
“Moon See, Day See” by The Heligoats off Live Free & Let Loose

“Bad Luck” by Royal City off 1999-2004
“Golden Friends” by Leopold & His Fiction off Golden Friends / Throne 7″
“Too Afraid to Love You” by The Black Keys off Brothers

“Teach My Heart” by Charles Leo Gebhardt IV off Begin Again

The HHBTM team has sent me two lovely little packages in the past few months, the second of which arrived just last week. I figured it was high time to give them coverage… in list form! HHBTM, if you’re not familiar with the label, is short from Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records, and they’ve released several favorites over the years; bands like Patience Please, Fishboy, The Superions, Bunnygrunt, Casper And The Cookies, Velcro Stars and Eux Autres. Their singles club even includes the likes of Apples in Stereo and Of Montreal. Not to mention, the crew plays a major part in Athens Popfest.

In visiting the release page for Orca Team’s Vancouver B.C., I couldn’t help but smile at the words on the page: 500 copies pressed with download code with a one color silkscreen sleeve printed on strathmore cotton rag paper. Not only are these releases limited print, great thought has gone into packaging to the extent of paper selection. Now that’s quality!

Before we get on with it, a quick FYI. Other than the great singles listed below, HHBTM also has two new full-lengths ready to enjoy: Classic Creeps by Fishboy and Seniors And Juniors Strikes Back by Marshmallow Coast.

So, now on to the new singles, in no particular order…

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Vancouver B.C. by Orca Team

Portland’s Orca Team takes Interpol-like vocals down the lo-fi road and backs it with twee pop melodies. “Vancouver B.C.” sets up the single nicely with catchy vocals that leads straight into my favorite on the seven-inch, “No Fun”. It and the final track, “Take My Hand”, are from the band’s Fever Session. The guitars jangle and ring with the fervor of 60s pop while the bass-lines often carry just as much melody with the feel of the surf. This is the same sound you’d expect from a K release; yes, Orca Team is a band you simply must check out!

Download: “Vancouver B.C.” by Orca Team

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Modern Times by Eureka California

I love the title “Baby, I’m Your Garbage Man”. It’s the first song on the Eureka California single’s B-side. The heavy guitar strums span the EP, from the acoustic (sounds like it might be a 12-string) on “Modern Times” to the louder, more distorted favorite noted above.

Download: “Baby, I’m Your Garbage Man” by Eureka California

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Summer Gang by Afternoon Naps

Seeing Afternoon Naps in the most recent package got me really excited. I absolutely fell in love with this band when they released the Parade LP back in (I believe) 2009. So how do these new songs stack up? Quite nicely, I’m happy to report. The keyboards stand out a bit more here, or at least the unique sound of them does. Vocals and lyrics follow the path set by Parade; they’re super poppy and have a hint of moodiness to them. But it doesn’t get too emotive, just contemplative. After a few listens to “Summer Gang” (A-side) and “Shortsleeves” (B-side), I’m really struggling to pick a favorite — I like them both. A lot!

Download: “Summer Gang” by Afternoon Naps

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Pretty When You Smile by Sweater Girls

This single by Sweater Girls made my Valentines Day list. “Pretty When You Smile” is such a great song, just as perfect for that summer fling as it is for the love of your life. It’s playful, bouncy, and insanely lovable. This is the second single we’ve seen from Sweater Girls, and it’s all a tease. Can’t wait ’til they give us an LP!!!

Download: “Pretty When You Smile” by Sweater Girls

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Mira Mija EP by Sourpatch

Four songs in just under seven and a half minutes, I’m finding this Sourpatch single a bit more memorable than their previous LP, Crushin’. That’s not because the LP wasn’t good — it most certainly was — I’m just absolutely loving the vocal hooks in “Deli Dream”, the rapid Boyracer-esque percussion in “Funny Inside”, and the opening guitar riff in “Sky Is Falling”.

Download: “Deli Dream” by Sourpatch

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Lead Balloon by Flash To Bang Time

Flash To Bang Time was the surprise in the first batch. I was expecting something a bit harder, a bit harsher. But no, these songs are wild fun and totally enjoyable. The harmonies in title track “Lead Balloon” are stellar and with that backing bass and jangly guitar, it’s just superb! Then it launches into the slow “Lemon Meringue” which, for some reason, reminds me a bit of the husband-wife duo The Seaworthies (who I’ve been dying to hear more from). “Shapeshifter” picks it up again and drops in just a hint of synth; the song increases in volume and power toward the end for a brilliant finish.

Download: “Lead Balloon” by Flash To Bang Time

I’m not much one for putting together a news item. I prefer writing features and reviews than pushing out the latest bit of news, but with a few new signings from Sub Pop, I figured I’d do a one-part introductory list, one-part news bit. Yes, in the last week or so, Sub Pop has signed a few new bands. They are as follows: Niki And The Dove, Still Corners, and Memoryhouse. All three write hauntingly beautiful songs, some of which you can hear/see below.

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Niki and the Dove – Mother Protect from The Line Of Best Fit on Vimeo.

Niki And The Dove

Sub Pop announced this one last Thursday. Niki And The Dove is a duo (despite three in the video above), Malin Dahlström and Gustaf Karlöf, from Stockholm, Sweden. And if you know me, you know I’m a sucker for Swedish music. The press release states that “their songs are full of magic and light but with an unsettling darkness hidden beneath the surface.” This initially makes me think of The Knife and Wildbirds Peacedrums, but listening to “DJ Ease My Mind” (off the band’s first single) we hear more pop and less eerie beats. But like these artists, Niki And The Dove can be described as dark electronic pop. It’s not necessarily what you’d expect from Sub Pop, but it certainly does follow the label’s signature for signing great acts.

While there is no news yet as to when we can expect this band’s Sub Pop debut, the band will be hitting Seattle’s Crocodile venue on April 6.

Check out “Mother Protector” above, done for The Line Of Best Fit Sessions; the song has an experimental tinge to it that reminds me a bit of experimental psych-pop outfit Celebration. Then listen to “Winterheart” below and visit Niki And The Dove’s website to download “Winterheart” in exchange for an email address.

Listen: “Winterheart” by Niki And The Dove

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Memoryhouse

Of the three new bands on Sub Pop’s roster, Toronto’s Memoryhouse is the one I was familiar with before receiving the news. My introduction to the band came from their cover of My Bloody Valentine’s haunting track “When You Sleep”, and the plan was to post this video of them playing the song. That song caused one YouTube user to comment:

“Once in awhile, there’s a song that makes me lonely because I feel that no one else seems to hear it like I do, but it’s not a bad thing. Part of me wants to talk about it with someone else, but at the same time I want to grasp onto it as if the song was written for me.”

But then I discovered “Lately”, which loops that beautiful melody from Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, one of my all-time favorite movies. I get that same reaction with this song. And I am extremely excited to hear what this band has in store for Sub Pop; they say it may be ready as early as end-of-year 2011.

Download: “Lately (Troisieme)” by Memoryhouse

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Still Corners

Like the previous two bands, Still Corners creates colorful, haunting pop music that is soft and eerily pleasant. Where Niki And The Dove drops in electronic elements and Memoryhouse employs the use of loops, Still Corners’ music is more along the lines of bedroom pop. At least, that’s the impression we get with their song “Wish”, the video for which you can see above. The London-based band includes five members, fronted by the whispery vocals of Tessa Murray. Sub Pop says they’re hoping to have the band’s sophomore release ready by summer. Let’s hope so!

Watch “Wish” above and check out “Endless Summer”, one of Still Corners’ two 2010 singles, below.

The above image is of Still Corners.

Download: “Endless Summer” by Still Corners

When Shabazz Palaces played their first ever live show on the 8th day of 2010 it was too early in the year to know how special it would be for live music, but by mid-April I had a pretty good idea 2010 was to be truly great for live music in my life (non-live music was also quite good – click here to see a list of my favorite albums of 2010. Here are 12 of my favorite live concerts from last year (and one of my favorite dvd packages ever):

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1. Jonsi @ The Showbox SoDo, 4/10

The production design of the Sigur Rós frontman’s solo show combined with the intensely emotional music of his debut album is unbeatable. A theatrical multi-projector/lighting setup perfectly complimented the beautifully executed tunes.

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2. Rush @ White River Amphitheater (8/7) / Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage documentary @ Big Picture Redmond

The Time Machine Tour is the popular Canadian power trio playing the entirety of their most popular album, 1981’s Moving Pictures. That was the second set, though. And they also did an encore. Their precision, stamina, musicianship, sense of humor, and overall goodness were on display that night (highlight: “The Camera Eye”), and in the multi-platinum Grammy award-nominated documentary “Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage”. For their immense popularity/impressive sales history, Rush has an oddly inconsistent image. I cannot imagine anyone disliking this band after watching this doc – I challenge you! (The Time Machine Tour is coming back to Washington: on July 2nd 2011 it’ll hit The [best concert venue ever] Gorge.)

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3. Gorillaz @ Key Arena (11/2)

This show was awesome. Damon Albarn and friends – including Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash, as well as appearances by Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Bobby Womak, De La Soul, Bashy, Kano, Yukimi Nagano, and others – pumped out songs from each of the three Gorillaz studio albums, including several from one of my favorite albums ever, “Demon Days”. This show was awesome.

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4. Earshot Jazz Festival @ various venues (10/15 – 11/7)

For musical diversity and discovery, there’s no better place than the annual Earshot Jazz Festival, which is almost five weeks of jazz (and world, blues, electronic, avant garde, film, etc.), spread over more than a dozen venues in Seattle (and one in Kirkland). Highlights this year were Steve Lehman Octet’s high-energy, masterful take on his unusually-metered originals (at Seattle Art Museum), Chicago Underground Duo’s special blend of electro/avant garde jazz (at EMP), and the muscular funk of Heaven On Earth Band featuring James Carter, John Medeski, and Adam Rogers (at The Triple Door). Many jazz festivals are more than jazz, but the Earshot Jazz Festival is even more than those.

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5. Beach House @ Neumos (4/12)

Up until this point I had been listening to Teen Dream, the new Beach House album at the time, a lot – probably a few times a week or so. When it wasn’t actually playing at work, at home, or in the car, one song or another would be spinning in my mental media player. Along with typical enjoyment of their exceptionally crafted dream pop, I tried to picture Victoria Legrand singing these songs, and for some reason it wasn’t adding up…I was enchanted. But seeing the duo (plus a drummer makes three) broke the spell; afterward I didn’t put Teen Dream on as much, and songs from other artists would occasionally lodge themselves in my head. The most liberating concert of the year.

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6. Béla Fleck and the Flecktones featuring Alash @ Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley (12/10)

This quartet of jazz/fusion/newgrass virtuosos tore it up with a set heavy with music from Jingle All The Way, their Grammy Award-winning album of holiday music from 2008. Happily they also played my favorite tune, “Big Country”. Also featured was Alash, an exceptional quartet of Tuvan throat singers. (The above photo is from this show, taken by Amos Prudhon.)

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7. High On Fire @ Chop Suey (5/4)

The metal trio brought it hard. Songs from their latest album Snakes for the Divine (title track, “Frost Hammer”, “Bastard Samurai”) highlighted the show. As on the album, Lemmy-voiced frontman Matt Pike (formerly of stoner metal luminaries Sleep) sometimes guitar solos on the edge of his ability, which adds an element of wheels-about-to-fly-off-the-machine to the event, but the exceptional rhythm section provides a solid and brutal foundation for him to land.

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8. Shabazz Palaces @ Neumos (1/8)

It’s not often anything lives up to the hype, let alone thoroughly surpasses it, but that’s what happened at Shabazz Palaces’ first public concert, held barely a week into 2010. Actually, “hype” isn’t really the right word – “mysterious anti-hype” may be more appropriate: practices included two excellent albums in 2009, attempted anonymity, no MySpace page, etc. Somehow people began to take notice and anticipate their live debut. More than any other gathering I’ve ever experienced, even before the show, energy saturated the air – heightened awareness something special was about to happen, and it continued to escalate as the show progressed and proved those electrical feelings true.

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9. Soundgarden (billed as NudeDragons) @ The Showbox At The Market (4/16)

Stellar metaphor time: If expectations leading up to Shabazz Palaces’ January concert was a red dwarf’s slow burn, the Soundgraden show was a supernova (if you thought I was going to say black hole sun: for shame!). Just days before the show rumors surfaced of the reunion that would be the first Soundgarden show since 1997. Hours before the show I heard from someone who heard from someone watching the sound check that Eddie Vedder was singing, which escalated rumors of a possible Temple of the Dog reunion – but that was not to be, we only got Soundgarden. Turns out they’re still really good at playing music. The set included lots of early songs, several from my favorite – Badmotorfinger (highlight: “Outshined” right into “Slaves & Bulldozers”, just like on the album) – a cover of The Doors’ “Waiting For The Sun”, and my joy multiplied by seeing Soundgarden’s own happiness of being back on the stage together. There was a bit of rust (not on the cage, thanks muchly), but there’s nothing like seeing Chris Cornell and Ben Shepard exchange knowing glances of awesome.

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10. Blonde Redhead @ The Showbox At The Market (11/24)

I’m always stoked to see this New York City trio. This time it went down as more of a Kazu Makino-fronted dream pop situation, which makes sense as the dream-poppy Penny Sparkle, released only a couple months earlier, was largely her project. The heartbreaking “Spain” is as great live as on the album, and fortunately they also touched on some earlier material, highlighted by the first three tracks of 2000’s Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons: “Equally Damaged” segueing into ”In Particular”, and the most rockin’ part of the set, “Melody of Certain Three”.

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11. Jazzsteppa @ Neumos (4/27)

Dance music’s good, and live music is good, so why don’t more performing/recording artists play live dance music? I don’t have a comprehensive treatise on the subject, but Jazzsteppa was all like, “Well we don’t exactly know either [they heard my response, apparently, in the fictionalized town hall in my head], but here’s some sweet live dubstep for your ear- and eyeholes.” Honestly, I originally just wanted to hear “Big Swing SounD”, but watching quality dubstep performed with actual instruments is a treat. Plus, it’s difficult to get enough trombone these days, let alone wobbly-hypnotic deep-droning bass and those infectious beats I love so good. Jazzsteppa live brings the dub and the jazz and the dance together in the best possible way.

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12. Roger Waters @ Tacoma Dome (12/11)

I try to make a point to see musical legends whenever possible, and Pink Floyd has a special place in my heart – Dark Side of the Moon is my favorite album – so I jumped at the opportunity to score tix to Roger Waters now that he’s touring The Wall again. I cannot imagine a larger rock production, from the obligatory building of the wall to the famous flying inflatable pig to menacing 50-foot marionettes. It was a great and awesome spectacle. The highlight was “Comfortably Numb”, which served as another reminder the best music Waters and David Gilmour ever made was with one other.

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Nate is the traffic coordinator and a DJ for KEXP.

I’ve been contemplating doing something for Valentine’s Day for years, and I finally settled on something good — a massive post packed with great singles from the past. Seems fitting, being the romantic holiday can be a bit alienating for the single person. Or that the seemingly comfy nature of the 7-inch single, with two (well, typically, with an occasional three or four) great songs placed back to back and stuffed in a typically well-designed sleeve, is a bit romantic in and of itself.

So for the past few weeks, I’ve been burying myself in my collection of singles, digging through to find a few rare (or at least little known) ones to share and others more familiar, some from long ago and others from fairly recently. Today I present them to you, my avid reader. One for almost every letter of the alphabet (with exception to a few of the more obscure letters). There’s a good chance you haven’t heard of several of these bands before, and others you may know well and love — all are, in my opinion, worth checking out.

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Alaska’s Kings Of The Class

I discovered Alaska’s Kings Of The Class thanks to Jigsaw Records. The band originated in Hamburg, Germany, and Chris over at Jigsaw recommends them to anyone who digs Belle & Sebastian and Felt. I’d agree, although I’d slap an “early” in front of Belle & Sebastian. And possibly add in an early Acid House Kings name drop as well.

Listen: “Kings Of The Class” by Alaska

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Busytoby’s The Unlonely Songwriter & A Piano Ablumbler b/w The Sun Is A Very Magic Fellow

Bouncy twee pop (with hints of lo-fi psychedelic pop) in the vein of a stripped down Beulah or super early Of Montreal, Busytoby consists of Jennifer Mangun and Joseph Ziemba, both members of the band Wolfie. I do not recall how this single came into my possession, but it is one of those hidden favorites you don’t expect. Every so often this Japanese import 7″ pops up and stuns, only to fade back into the collection to be rediscovered months or more down the road. All songs are worthy, but my favorite is the B-side, “The Sun Is A Very Magic Fellow”.

Listen: “The Sun Is A Very Magic Fellow” by Busytoby

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The Cave Weddings’ Bring Your Love b/w Let’s Drive

The Cave Weddings find an excellent middle ground between raucous garage and gritty rockabilly. Both “Bring Your Love” and “Let’s Drive” are wild and fun. These are songs you’d expect to hear sitting around a campfire, as long as it was dry and there was a way to plug in. Yes, these songs get loud.

Listen: “Bring Your Love” by The Cave Weddings

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Diee Soc’s’ Ready Steady Soc’s

When I lived in Seattle, I would visit the record store weekly and drop an average of about $60 with each visit. This was a bad habit, but it’s how I built a big part of my vinyl collection. There were plenty of times where I’d peruse the used section and pull out a bunch of random singles. This was snagged during one of those binges. No, it wasn’t the near naked woman on the cover did it — this had a “GERMAN INDIE POP/ROCK” label and it was pressed on clear green vinyl. I couldn’t resist. To tell you the truth, I’m kind of in love with “The Numbers Of Love”.

Download: “Numbers Of Love” by Diee Soc’s

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Ego’s The Question Mark EP

This delightful three-song EP from 1998 was the debut release from this French jangle pop band. All three songs surround the topic of love; all are posed as questions. It’s enough to make you feel like a teenager all over again (that is, unless you are a teenager, in which then I’d assume it feels homely). “Will You Love Me ‘Till 1998″ is the A-side at 45 RPM and the track hints of Morrissey and Field Mice with piano and violin and, of course, highly lovable jangly guitars. The two B-sides require a drop to 33 RPM, but I don’t mind.

Download: “Do You Want To Be My Love ‘Till 1998?” by Ego

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Fireflies’ Cherry Blossom Girl

I’ve been into Fireflies’ whisper-y bedroom-style pop since, I believe, Lisle Mitnik’s earliest releases under the moniker. I snagged this 7″ from Disque Paillons Noirs like I did the rest of the Fireflies release — as quickly as I could — not even realizing the title track was actually something I’d heard many times before. “Cherry Blossom Girl” is originally a song by Air and Lisle remakes it as a bedroom pop song, then backs it with a pleasant near-lullaby, music-box-like instrumental.

Listen: “Cherry Blossom Girl” by Fireflies

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Gamma Rays’ Lovely b/w Forbidden on Teen Beat

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from this used 99-cent Teen Beat single from the early 90s (in fact, further digging revealed it was the first single the label dropped!), but it turned out to be a pretty solid twee-pop girl group with lovable light pop hooks in the vein of, oh, say The Organ and Amelia Fletcher’s Tender Trap. Although primarily Fletcher’s work. Not a bad list of bands to join in a list, if you ask me!

Listen: “Lovely” by Gamma Rays

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Heartworms’ Thanks For The Headache b/w Little Hands Of Concrete

This little single on bright white vinyl was the third release by the now famed Darla Records, released way back in ’95. My favorite is the A-side; it reminds me of those mopey jangle-pop songs by artists that would follow, like The Lucksmiths and The Lodger. Not only do you get two great (and very different) songs on white vinyl, the sleeve is a cool text-weight paper stock.

Listen: “Thanks For The Headache” by Heartworms

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Javelins’ We Paid A Lot For Our Style

You may recognize this band’s sound, and if you do you get mad props. Swedish band Javelins bailed on their name years ago — possibly something to do with another band from the states with the same name, or not — and donned the moniker The Faintest Ideas. They released a record on Magic Marker Records, which was pretty damn good. This was a split release between Yellow Mica Recordings and Zenith Recordings — with their signature rapid percussion and European-style punk, this 7″ was well worth it!

Listen: “All Stars” by Javelins

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Karate’s Operation: Sand/Empty There

I have a friend that swears by this band, and though I’ve collected a few of their records over the years (including this single) I haven’t really given them a good listen. Count me self-scolded. With a solid 90′s indie rock sound, thick with distorted guitar riffs and heavy drums, all of it precise and measured, they fit the era’s post-rock sensibilities perfectly. You can hear this sound on both tracks here, but my favorite has to be “Operation: Sand”.

Listen: “Operation: Sand” by Karate

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The Legends’ Call It Ours on Little Teddy Recordings

If you know my music tastes, you’ll know that Up Against The Legends, the debut LP by Sweden’s The Legends, is one of my desert island top 5s. “Call It Ours” comes from that album and appears here as the lead single. Backed by three exclusive tracks, this single is to die for. “The Ballad Of The Band” is full-on fuzz more in line with the band’s 4th LP, Over And Over, while closing track “Change” may very well be my favorite non-LP song from the band thus far.

Download: “Call It Ours” by The Legends

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The Make-Up’s U R My Intended b/w The Choice

If you’ve never listened to The Make-Up, you’re missing out. Don’t be dissuaded by their inclusion in the post-punk genre, or the fact that their vocals are more “spoken groans” than actually “sung.” These are the elements (along with lewdity, which is not really present in The Make-Up) that drew me to Seattle’s Partman Parthorse. This single appears to be an OOP one from K. Snag it if you find it! (That seems to be the trend in this post, eh?)

Listen: “U R My Intended” by The Make-Up

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No Kids’ Cherry Trees b/w An Afternoon With The Pendleton’s

I’ve been into No Kids for quite some time. Krgovich, the main man behind the band, and his K cohort Rose Melberg join voices for both these songs, which match the rest of No Kids’ impressive library of unique pop music. This picture disc is on Aagoo Records and there are still copies available!

Listen: “Cherry Tree” by No Kids

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The Organ’s Let The Bells Ring

“Let The Bells Ring” was given away as a freebie when the band released its posthumous EP of singles and rarities, Thieves. The song is pretty solid, and should have made it onto their solo LP, Grab That Gun. It was, however, released after that album dropped. The B-Side is a remix by Dustin Hawthorne of the Grab That Gun track “Memorize The City” and while I’m not the biggest fan of remixes, this one complements the track beautifully.

Download: “Let The Bells Ring” by The Organ

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Poprace’s Clear

Poprace is from Sweden and features members of Acid House Kings (one of my all-time favorites), Club 8, the Legends (who we heard earlier) and Starlet. Four songs on clean white vinyl, I snagged this single a few years back and still get giddy about putting it on the record player. Poprace creates indie pop music in the vein of early AHK, but a little more lo-fi and twee. According to the Elefant Records shop, it’s still in print!

Listen: “All I Wanted” by Poprace

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Red Letter Day’s Hibernation

Sarah Records and Go-Betweens-inspired indie-pop from Germany, Red Letter Day creates indie-pop using thumpy bass-lines, a violin, a jangly guitar and softly-sung vocals. The words “German Indie Pop” caught my eye when I snagged this single a few years back, and I was even more delighted to see it was released on Marsh-Marigold Records all the way back in 1989. An obvious nod to the twee movement!

Download: “Hibernation” by Red Letter Day

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Sweater Girls’ Pretty When You Smile

I really enjoyed the first single by Sweater Girls, but I’m absolutely in love with this one. The guitars seem heavier without dropping any of the pop sensibilities; the drums have an increased playfulness. And the vocals and lyrics are just as light and twee. It’s like that first one times three. Grab a copy of Pretty When You Smile from HHBTM, and while you’re at it, pick up Sweater Girls’ other one!

Download: “Pretty When You Smile” by Sweater Girls

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Tender Trap’s Face Of ’73

Amelia Fletcher’s deep, dark vocals have haunted the twee-pop world for decades and Face of ’73 is one of my favorites from her work under the Tender Trap guise. The A-side is an electro-infused twee-pop song that’s catchy as all hell, and it’s backed by “Fin (Downfall Mix)” which ends up being the dreamy, soft song. This particular single is on K, but you can find my favorite LP of hers on Matinee Recordings (6 Billion People).

Listen: “Face of ’73″ by Tender Trap

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Unnatural Helpers’ Sunshine / Pretty Girls

One of the best songs out of Seattle last year was “Sunshine / Pretty Girls” by Unnatural Helpers. Here is the single, with three additional exclusive tracks including “Did the Lawn Get Mowed?”, “Shakes” and “Waiting Such A Long Time”. Hand numbered and limited to 500 copies, you can’t pick this one up in physical form anymore, but it’s still available digitally.

Download: “Sunshine / Pretty Girls” by Unnatural Helpers

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Versus’s Bright Light b/w Forest Fire

Ringing with those enormous mid-90s distorted guitar riffs and fronted by dual male/female vocals, this Versus single was the band’s second release and dates back to ’92. It is gritty with occasional harmony and dissonance, sweet with epic chord progressions, and upbeat as you’d expect from a much lighter indie pop band. The combination is that only Versus could master. This is a truly great single — a simply must-have — for the lover of 90s indie rock and indie pop.

Listen: “Bright Light” by Versus

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Wolfie’s Mockhouse

Look back to 1998 and you’ll find this little single by Champaign, Illinois band Wolfie. Their second single and third release overall, Wolfie included Joe and Amanda Ziemba who we heard from before under the name Busytoby (although Amanda apparently was not involved in that single). The duo also went on to record under the name The Like Young. This single on Mud Records is a wonderful little gem with three super poppy sings that blend that late 90s indie rock sound with the playfulness the duo has become known for creating.

Download: “Mockhouse” by Wolfie