Play List: Mar. 31, 2009

"So all those pedophelia accusations finally caught up to you"

The Velvet Underground – What Goes On (The Velvet Underground)

Serge Gainsbourg – Cargo Culte (Histoire de Melody Nelson)
Storsveit Nix Noltes – Wedding Rachenitsa (Royal Family Divorce)
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – I Am Goodbye (Beware)
Tara Watts – Sunlight (About Love)

Dan Deacon – Get Older (Bromst)
Dan Deacon – Wet Wings (Bromst)

Mastodon – Oblivion (Crack the Skye)
Tim Heckler – Currents of Electrostasy (An Imaginary Country)
Modulok – Timewalker (Cities and Years)
The Veils – Three Sisters (Sun Gangs)

DM Stith – Fire of Birds (Heavy Ghost)
The Condofucks – The Boy with the Replaceable Head (Fuck Book)
DOOM – Cellz (Born Like This)
Junior Boys –Bits & Pieces (Begone Dull Care)

Swan Lake – Spider (Enemy Mine)
The Decemberists – The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid (The Hazards of Love)

Album of the Week: Dan Deacon - Bromst

After considering a number of terms that could be used to describe Dan Deacon’s unique take on electro-infused avant pop, I have decided the best word to use probably “out-there.” Hell, this is the guy who named his 2007 album The Spiderman of the Rings and who performs live sets from inside the audience while getting the crowd to engage with games and performances like an elementary-school gym class. His latest release, Bromst, is the musical equivalent of a sugar-rush from an OCD victim who’s singing over the soundtrack to an old Atari game. The album is all over the place, with tracks going from straight up electronica (“Get Older”) to psychedelic freak outs (“Build Voice”). It is hyperactive, fractured, angular, and most importantly fun. Taking out a page from the Animal Collective, Dan Deacon has found a way to make the far-out experimental mesh with pop-accessibility, resulting in a work that is as unique as it is enjoyable. Unlike most contemporary indie-electronic albums, Bromst is not a work seeded in angst or heart-break, but in a child-like wonder and naivety which holds a certain charm in its almost adolescent enthusiasm. Not recommended for cynical hipsters, this is definitely an original album made for those who don’t mind music that aims to make the listener smile.

Listen To: “Get Older”, “Red F”, “Wet Wings”

RIYL: Torngat, Battles, Animal Collective

Album Pick of the Week: Tara Watts - About Love

At home amongst fellow indie folksters the likes of Sam Beam or Leslie Feist, Windsor’s own soul-bearing singer-song writer Tara Watts has carved a niche for herself in the local scene these past few years, playing to hushed and loyal crowd across the city. The title for Tara’s CD debut, About Love, is not ironic or misleading: over the span of its eleven tracks the album details the highs and lows of romantic relationships, and all of those things that get stirred up in the tumult of love: “Over-Eager Heart” is a lament which ends with narrator praying to God to give her the strength not to punch her former lover’s new flame “in the fucking face”, “Hail Outside” reiterates the pain of heartbreak, while “Sunlight” has the narrator pulled through the torrent of romantic-introspection to finally question, “when does this get better?”. Indeed, when does it ever?

A lot has been made of Watt’s choice to add a backing band on this album, a clear deviation from the solo-acoustic performances she was known for. However, the contributions made by local musicians Johnny West (yeah!), Sally Zori, and her brother Brendan Watts never over power Tara’s intimate delivery of the material but add flourishes and depth to the songs. The song to best benefit from this collaboration is the album’s centre-piece, “In the Backyard”: its faux-cabaret swing and ghostly piano evokes a sound more akin to a restrained Dresdon Dolls than any other material from Watts’ canon, a great indication of where the places Watts could progress to given such musical collaboration. Kudos should also be given to the recordings made by Eric Welton, resulting in an sound as subtle and intimate that Watt’s song writing required it to be.

The result is a consistent listen that both compliments the style Watts had worked on during her coffee-house gigs, but is forward looking to her progression as a song-writer and collaborator. About Love is a truly outstanding and enjoyable debut from one of Windsor’s greatest talents.

Listen To: “In the Backyard”, “Sunlight”, “Hail Outside”

RIYL: Twilight Hotel, Feist, Iron & Wine

Playlist: Mar. 23, 2009

Two great shows to go to this week: Smash the Glass and the CD release party for Tara Watts.

Patti Smith – Kimberly (Horses)

Le Tigre – Deceptacon (Le Tigre)
Fever Ray – When I Grow Up (Fever Ray)
Lioness - Haunted Magick (Lioness EP)
Perilelle – Old Notes (Fog Like This)

Tara Watts – In the Backyard (About Love)
Tara Watts – Camels in Canada (About Love)
E.S.L. – The Secretarist (Eye Contact)
Julie Dorian – When Brakes Get Wet (I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day)
Poe – Haunted (Haunted)
Neko Case – Red Tide (Middle Cyclone)

M.I.A. – Shells (Kala, 2008 Reissue)
Masia One - Return of the Bgirl (Pulau)
Missy Elliott – Don’t Be Commin’ (In My Face) (Supa Dupa Fly)

PJ Harvey – Man-Sized (Rid of Me)
The Slits – New Town (Cut)
Santogold – Starstruck (Santogold)
E.S.L. – Side by Side (Eye Contact)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll (It’s Blitz!)

Album of the Week: Lotus Plaza - The Floodlight Collective

Given the critical success of Atlas Sound, the solo work of Deerhunter front man/androgynine Bradford Cox, many have been anticipating the upcoming release of another Deerhunter side project. From Lotus Plaza (a.ka. guitarist Lockett Pundt) comes The Floodlight Collective. While Atlas Sound’s 2008 release Let the Blind Lead Those Who Cannot Feel utilized enough unique ambient, found sound, and electronic elements to justify its own existence (the material on the album just seemed unfit to place on a Deerhunter release), the question must be begged what is the main difference between Pundt’s Lotus Plaza and his main group? Not a lot really. There is little deviance between the two outfits: The Floodlight Collective delves into the same mixture of ambiance, R’n’B, and shoegaze found on Deerhunter’s 2008 release Microcastle/New Weird Era. Hell, Bradford Cox even guest drums on "Different Mirrors", solidifying this thing as a Deerhunter appendix. This would be disappointing if it weren’t for the fact that the album itself was such a great listen. Sure, Pundt may as well have called the album Microcastle Pt. 2, but The Floodlight Collective churns out amazing lo-fi rock soaked with haunting atmospheres. It plays like a soundtrack to contacting the ghost of a deceased lover, or at very least, a Richard Kelly film. "Quicksand" and snaps like a Motown song from some parallel dimension, "What Frows?" possesses feedback bursts and ghostly vocals which evoke a jam between the Jesus and Mary Chain and the Pale Saints, while the seven minute long "Antoine" exudes an ambient beauty reminiscent of Eno’s Discreet Music. Then there is "Whiteout", the standout track of the album, the song that sees Pundt's song craft at its most care-free and chilled out (this song is sure to appeal to fans of the Durutti Column or those who enjoy the less experimental outings from the Animal Collective). This album may not be the extraordinary surprise that Atlas Sound was, or an instant classic like Microcastle, but this album is still a worth while listen for those who enjoy ethereal music that’s both a bit sad and a bit scary to listen alone to in the dark.

Listen To: "White Out", "Quicksand", "What Frows?"

RIYL: Deerhunter, Animal Collective, Ariel Pink

Playlist: Mar. 17, 2009

A big thank you to Nicole of The Washing Machine for helping me out with the program.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Contender (The Pains of Being Pure at Heart)

The Music Tapes – Tornado Longing for Freedom (Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornados)
Wavvves – So Bored (Wavvves)
Lotus Plaza – Different Mirrors (The Floodlight Collective)
Lotus Plaza – Whiteout (The Floodlight Collective)

De La Soul – Plug Tunin’ (3 Feet High and Rising)
Prefuse ’73 – Uprock and Invigorate (One Word Extinguisher)
The Animal Collective – Taste (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
Devendra Banhart – I Feel Just Like a Child (Cripple Crow)

Music for Money – Redemption (Music for Money)
Blah Blah 666 – Dogs (It’s Only Life)
Bran Flakes – I Comb My Hair Sideways (I Have Hands)

Fuck Buttons – Sweet Love for Planet Earth (Street Horrsing)

Alex Cuba – Tu Boca Lo Quita (Agua Del Pozo)
Marisa One – Montreal in the Fall (Pulau)
Soso and DJ Kutdown – All Ties Cast Off (All They Found At the Bottom of the Sea was Water)
The Creeping Nobodies – Concrete (Sound of Joy)

Album of the Week: The Antlers - Hospice

Concept albums get a bad rap. Though a lot of these are song-as-narrative crapfests with predictable stories and cheesy thematic connections, there are still quite a number of great releases in this genre. For every prog-rock sci-fi excursion and metal rendering of Norse gods battling each other for a golden ipod or some nonsense or other, there are albums like Kid A, Zen Arcade, or The Soft Bulletin that not only deliver strong story-lines but stunning songs. The new release Brooklyn's the Antlers, entitled Hospice, thankfully falls into the later category, detailing the story of two young lovers beginning their lives together when one is hospitalized by a life-threatening illness. Yeah, such a canned premise holds the potential to produce an emo cheese-fest of magnificent proportions, but the Antlers handle the topic tastefully by relying less on maudlin exposition and more on exploring the fragility and preciousness of human life. It is an invigorating and life-assuring listen. But the concept itself is second teer to the pure talent of the group performing the music. The compositions evoke the orchestral thrall of groups like Arcade Fire or Final Fantasy, but uses the instrumentation wisely to avoid bombast; the dynamics heard in songs like "Two" where the track builds from a simple guitar-vocal melody to a squall of beautiful white noise. The outcome is awe-inspiring and sublime. Vocally, the album holds hints of Jeff Buckley's Grace as an influence. especially on "Kettering" where singer Peter Silberman lets out a soul-shattering falsetto that evokes not only Mr. Buckley, but Thom Yorke, Tom Verlaine's warble, and the throes of a captive siren. It is tranquil, operatic, and inspiring music, and a sure sign that as the decade nears its end, there are still new bands arriving that promise great listening for the next. NPR is already contending Hospice as one of the best albums of the year, and I couldn't agree more.

Listen To: "Two", "Kettering" "Atrophy"

RIYL: Arcade Fire, Jeff Buckley, Neutral Milk Hotel

Playlist: Mar. 10, 2009

"Sure, they're having fun now, but their mothers are going to give them hell when doing their laundry."

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Soft Shock (It's Blitz!)

The Stone Roses –Water Fall (The Stone Roses)
BLK JKS – Lakeside (Mystery)
Zu – Beata Viscera (Carboniferous)
PJ Harvey - This is Love (Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea)
Daft Punk – Short Circuit (Discovery)
Handsome Furs – Legal Tender (Face Control)
TMPD – Montage (TMPD)
Montag – Labrador Encore (Hibernation)
The Antlers – Two (Hospice)
The Antlers – Kettering (Hospice)
Wintersleep - Drunk on Aluminum (Welcome to the Night Sky)
Julie Dorion – Consolation Prize (I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day)
Deerhoof - Dummy Discards a Heart (Apple O')
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Beware Your Only Friend (Beware)
Justin Townes Earle – Mama’s Eyes (Midnight at the Movies)
Great Lakes Swimmers – Pulling on a Line (Lost Channels)
United States of Mind – Distortion (Kill the Bullsh!t)

Play List: March 03, 2009

"The theme of today's program is awesome scarfs!"

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti Among Dreams (The Doldrums)
Johnny West Revenge is Sweet (An Absence of Sway)
Neko Case This Tornado Loves You (Middle Cyclone)
Neko Case People Got a Lotta of Nerve (Middle Cyclone)
John Prine The Other Side of Town (Fair and Square)
Portishead We Carry On (Third)
Clinic The Equalizer (Walking with Thee)
Soso & DJ Kutdown For Anything I Know (All they Found Was Water and the Bottom of the Sea)
Pylon No Clocks (Chomp)
Jesus Lizard Puss (Liar)
Captain Beefheart Ella Guru (Trout Mask Replica)
Gang of Four Outside the Trains Don't Run on Time (Solid Gold)
Virgin Prunes The Moon Looked Down and Laughed (The Moon Looked Down and Laughed)
Kelly Joe Phelps American Exchange Hotel (Western Bell)
Dala Out of Time (Angels and Thieves)
Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Cotonou Mi Ni Non Kpo (The Vodoun Effect)
Picoby Band D'Abomey Mi Ma Kpe Dji (African Scream Contest)
P.O.S. Drum Roll (Never Better)

Album of the Week: Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

Exchanging intimacy for power is a move that can be potentially alienating to many music fans. The penultimate example of this can be seen in Bob Dylan’s forgoing of the topical acoustic singer-songwriter material of his early years for a transformation into an electric guitar-wielding Rimbaud, a move which caused more than a few alienated fans to call him ‘Judas.’ Yet these transitions also often mark a highpoint in the artist’s career. Sometimes this move even begets some of their greatest work (for the Dylan example, this case is obvious). Middle Cyclone, the newest solo release by New Pornographers/Sadies/Corn Sisters member and Neko Case also engages with this transition.

Case goes from acoustic songstress to a full-band leading alt-country front woman, featuring members of her other groups and those of Giant Sand, the Lilys, and Los Lobos…yes, seriously, Los Lobos. The result is an album that may turn away many established fans, but will also entice new listeners into her fan base. Instead of the affinities to the likes of Joni Mitchell and Lucinda Williams presented on her previous albums Fox Confessor Brings the Flood and Blacklisted, Middle Cyclone is an album taut and fun, reeling in the type of country-tinged indie mastery that had resonated on R.E.M.’s early albums (the sound of Middle Cyclone is highly reminiscent of Reckoning) and contemporaries like the Handsome Family.

Neko’s voice is never drowned out by the extra volume added to the affair –her already heralded vocal ability is as strong and commanding as ever, taking on the role of army leader in charge of the brigade of musicians behind her. This is not to say the album itself is perfect – the cover of Harry Nilsson’s “Don’t Forget Me” is a bit too obvious for my ears (odd, considering the album’s other cover song, a rendition of the Spark’s “Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth” out does the original), while there is no need to explain how “Marais la Nuit”, a track consisting of 31 minutes worth of field recording noise, is a strain to the ears. Yet the rest of the album is an incredible pop gem, and perhaps a stepping-stone towards a new direction for Case that may reveal her best work yet.

Listen To: “People Got a Lotta Nerve”, “This Tornado Loves You”, “Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth”

RIYL: (early) R.E.M., Sarah Hammer, the Handsome Family