I’ve been in a weird place musically of late. I’m a bit scattered, all over the map. My affinity for light, soft and playful folk has returned, but I’m also crushing on slacker pop and dream pop at the moment. Pretty hard, thank to bands like Darlings and Indians. I shouldn’t be surprised at this disjointedness; I have always had diverse desires when it comes to music and varied playlists like this one are a common occurrence. (more…)
November 18 was the second vinyl only show, featuring an array of tunes from the likes of Sambassadeur, The Mary Onettes, Holiday Shores, Devon Williams, Le Jonathan Reilly, Christmas Island and many more. Included within were several from Sweden’s Labrador Records thanks to a recent package from the label, and I also played several tracks from artists who have released singles and LPs on Captured Tracks after receiving an order placed from eBay. Lots of good tunes this week! (more…)
Brett and I met up a little before 9:30pm at KSVR, spent a few minutes catching up, then organized the selection of records we would play that night. It was a first for me — having a co-host — and it turned out to be a blast. Friday nights from 10pm to midnight can be lonely and I don’t get many calls, so having someone else in the studio to talk to was definitely an enjoyable experience. (more…)
This show ended up being a bit of a favorites show; we began with a few favorite tracks from the past few years by bands hailing from Sweden including Acid House Kings and their track “Do What You Wanna Do” (which remains one of my all-time favorites). And we continued with several favorites from 2012 thus far — the phenomenal “Ivory Coast” by Pure Bathing Culture; tracks by Cloud Nothings, Exlovers and Gap Dream; and from last year A Classic Education. Also making an appearance were some newbies: a pair of great WOODS tracks off their new album Bend Beyond and a brand new track off the forthcoming Pinback LP Information Received. (more…)
Visiting the parents is often a stressful time. Despite their incessantly busy schedules, they have actually learned to relax in retirement despite their hectic lifestyle. I visited them two weekends ago now. Hence the absence of an August 17 radio show recap; there was none. Instead, I participated in my brother’s wedding. (more…)
I’m in a reflective mood. Thinking back on my youth, there’s so much that, at the time, I wished I could do. Looking at my life now, I think I’m right where I want to be in terms of who I am and what I am doing with my life. (more…)
It is happening again. After two dormant weeks of doing virtually nothing (OK, very little is more like it), evenings this week were spent spinning vinyl by The Smiths and painting Andi’s sewing room in preparation for putting in the bamboo flooring this weekend. (more…)
Stuarto and I talked a lot just before my show began and in the minutes after it started about the radio station he’s been building at his house. He’s dubbing it 1020Radio, and you can check out the (right now) super minimalist site he’s running over at 1020Radio.net. You can also find it on Facebook. (more…)
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
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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
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