Names, A: Aly

"Aly, Walk With Me," The Raveonettes

From the album Lust Lust Lust

Raveonettes:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: We're off to a loud, fuzzy start today. This is fitting, as UI alum Sam Paxton has helped curate this show. Wait until you see some of the testosterone tunes he picked! Joanna Newsom fans, run and hide! (Can someone please explain to me why she is sooooooo great, yet a band like Vampire Weekend supposedly sucks? She sounds like a giraffe dying while Edward Scissorhands runs his blades along a chalkboard. Seriously.) — cwc

Check their performance of this song on “Letterman.” Cool stuff. The robotic drummer rocked my world. — sp

Names, B: Bryn

"Bryn," Vampire Weekend

From the album Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Hey, haters: Sam hates these guys too! You all suck farts, though! (OK, maybe he doesn't hate them...) — cwc

Personally, not a fan of these guys … a little overhyped in my book. But they’re still better than most of the crap on the radio and MTV these days. — sp

Names, C: Candy

"Candy," Iggy Pop (with Kate Pierson)

From the album Brick by Brick

Iggy Pop:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Back before I’d ever heard of the Stooges, or really ever paid any attention to punk rock, I heard this song. I always thought the Kate Pierson hooks were incendiary (thank you, William Miller). Plus, it has a sentimental value … it reminds me of a ginormous basketball player named Candy (well, Khandi) in my days of covering college hoops. — sp

Names, D: Detlef

"Detlef Schrempf," Band of Horses

From the album Cease to Begin

Band of Horses:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Detlef Schrempf. Easily a starter on my all-time NBA All-Ugly team, alongside dudes like Rik Smits (alongside Larry Bird in linked pic), Sam Cassell, and Dwayne Schnitzius. — cwc

What about Paul Mokeski and Scot Pollard? — sp

Detlef in action:

Names, E: Elise

"A Letter to Elise," The Cure

From the album Wish

The Cure:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: This was toward the end of the Cure's great run from 1987 to 1993, before Porl Thompson left to play guitar for Page/Plant and drummer Boris Williams left to do whatever former Cure/Thompson Twins drummers do in their free time. Thompson is back, and the band's new singles (second one came out yesterday) have an invigorated sound. — cwc

June 2000, St. Louis. One of the best concerts I ever saw. If you ever get a chance, check out the Cure live. You won’t regret it. — sp

Names, F: Floyd

"Floyd the Barber," Nirvana

From the album Bleach

Nirvana:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I’m one of the few people outside Seattle who actually OWNED “Bleach” before I owned “Nevermind.” A technicality, for sure, since I opened “Bleach” on Christmas Eve and got “Nevermind” the very next day. Still, I love to tell that story to any music snob that will listen. — sp

Names, G: Glynis

"Glynis," Smashing Pumpkins

From the album No Alternative

Smashing Pumpkins:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Man, me and Sam probably both freaked out when this compilation came out. (I know I did.) This was before the days of file sharing, mp3s, CD burning by the masses. This was like finding a sweet mix tape in a CD rack: Pumpkins, Breeders, Beastie Boys, Pavement, Nirvana, Bob Mould, Buffalo Tom, Uncle Tupelo, Soundgarden ... — cwc

Once upon a time, I thought the Smashing Pumpkins were the greatest band of all time, and if they had died in a plane crash or something in 1994, nothing would’ve changed my opinion. But then, Billy Corgan had to shave his head for an appearance on “Saturday Night Live” and the band jumped the shark. They never recovered from his “Mellon Collie” egomania and it still breaks my heart after all these years (almost as much as the new “Indiana Jones” raped my youth). So I try to remember him as the driving force behind “Gish,” “Siamese Dream,” a solid B-sides compilation (“Pisces Iscariot”), plus a handful of other compilation tracks, like this gem. — sp

Names, H: Heather

"Bull in the Heather," Sonic Youth

From the album Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star

Sonic Youth:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Finally, some love for an SY original. — cwc

Names, I: Isabel

"Isabel," The Sleeping Planes

From the album I Could

The Sleeping Planes:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Who says I don't love the local crews? A shout-out to Marty Carpenter! — cwc

Names, J: Jimmy

"Jimmy James," Beastie Boys

From the album Check Your Head

Beastie Boys:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I was pushing for the White Stripes in this spot … “Jolene” or “Jimmy the Exploder” would’ve worked. But it’s hard to argue with this one. One of the best “Side 1, Track 1” choices of all time. — sp

Names, K: Kelly

"The Kelly Affair," Be Your Own Pet

From the album Get Awkward

Be Your Own Pet:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I think this song is inspired by a dream Sam had about running off with Kelly Kapowski. — cwc

Nah, I was all about Stacy Carosi. Or Tori. Or Violet … when she screeched “Samuel,” I felt like she was talking to me. — sp

Names, L: Linus, Lucy

"Linus and Lucy," Vince Guaraldi Trio

From the album A Charlie Brown Christmas

Vince Guaraldi Trio:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Sure, it's June, but anytime is a good time for Charlie Brown Christmas music. — cwc

A Charlie Brown Christmas is the Mount Everest of Christmas specials. My friends believes it is Emmitt Otter’s Jugband Christmas, but I digress. The jazzy hooks never fail to make me smile.

Names, M: Michelle

"My Michelle," Guns N' Roses

From the album Appetite for Destruction

GNR:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: We've played "Xanadu." Twice. And we're still here. Will this be the song that loses us our show? — cwc

Appetite For Destruction is one of those albums that reaches a new level of awesome with each passing year. Those guys showed the world that violent degenerates can succeed, too. — sp

Names, N: Nikki

"Darling Nikki," Foo Fighters

From the single Have It All

Foo Fighters:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: The song that got Tipper Gore all in a huff. Wonder what she thinks of today's lyrics and/or videos. — cwc

Hey, I love Prince as much as the next child of the ‘80s, and I think he’s one of the most underrated guitarists of all time. Sit back and enjoy this cover, which undoubtedly prompted the Purple God to cover the Foos’ “Best of You” at the Super Bowl a couple of years back. — sp

(wanted to add a vid, but Prince is kinda going all Lars Ulrich on the YouTubers, even when he’s covering someone else, as he is blocking his version of a Radiohead song...)

Names, O: Oliver

"Oliver Twisted," The Vaselines

From the album The Way of the Vaselines

Vaselines:   Wikipedia entry

DJ comments: I think this song is based on that Brady Bunch episode where Cousin Oliver visited a pretzel factory, a mishap occurred, and hilarity ensured. — cwc

Names, P: Peter

"Peter Piper," Run-D.M.C.

From the album Raising Hell

Run-D.M.C.:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: God, I miss good rap. Tribe, NWA, Public Enemy. These guys started it. Forget the crap on MTV. The rap and hip hop of the 2000s is the new hair bands of the ‘80s. Overkill. — sp

Hey look, it's Run-Dweeb-M.C.!

Names, Q: Quincy

"Quincy Punk Episode," Spoon

From the album A Series of Sneaks

Spoon:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: It was a bummer that these guys played in the Quad Cities during Mission Creek, so I'm glad we ended up with the Iron & Wine show. (Not that I have the cash to go or anything...) — cwc

Names, R: Ruby

"Ruby Soho," Rancid

From the album And Out Come the Wolves...

Rancid:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: If my boys T-Dub and Ryno are listening, this one is definitely for you. — sp

I worked in a pizza joint in high school, and one of the waitresses was named Ruby. We always joked with her that she had a mean right jab, so we knew better than to fuck with her. She always laughed, but I think deep down she wanted to kill us. I still look over my shoulder every once in a while, just to be safe. — cwc

Names, S: Sally

"Sally Cinnamon," The Stone Roses

From the album The Complete Stone Roses

Stone Roses:   Web site

DJ comments: And my love affair with the Stone Roses continues on the Soup... — cwc

Names, T: Tom

"The Ghost of Tom Joad," Rage Against the Machine

From the single The Ghost of Tom Joad

RATM:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: With all apologies to Springsteen, this version is boss. — cwc

You may have a copy of “Renegades” with this song on it, a version enhanced with lots of studio effects and trickery. But this is the raw promo version. Never fails to get the blood pumping. — sp

Names, U: "Uncle"

"Uncle Jonny," The Killers

From the album Sam's Town

The Killers:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: OK, so Uncle isn't really a name. But there isn't much out there to choose from in the U column. It was either stretch the rules to include this Killers tune, or go with something lame by Mos Def. We were simply thinking of you this time. — cwc

Yeah, we cheated a little here, but I bet you can’t find a cool song with a name that starts with U. — sp

Names, V: Valencia

"O Valencia!," The Decemberists

From the album The Crane Wife

Decemberists:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: This is an epic fuckin' vid. — cwc

Names, W: Wilma

"Wilma's Rainbow," Helmet

From the album Betty

Helmet:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: There’s never been a better snare drum sound than that of one John Stanier. One of my underrated drum heroes. — sp

A video from the old Jon Stewart show!

Names, X: Xerces

"Xerces," Deftones

From the album Saturday Night Wrist

Deftones:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: This is still no White Pony kind of dominance, but this song is pretty good. — cwc

I’ve always thought the Deftones were like a heavy-metal Cure (check out any of their covers sometime). A great song named after the god from “300” … well, it’s spelled different, but still. There are better songs off this album (“Saturday Night Wrist”), like “Cherry Waves,” but that’s not a name. And if your name is Cherry Waves, how’s that career in porn treating you? — sp

Names, Y: Yoko

"The Ballad of John and Yoko," The Beatles

From the album Past Masters, Vol. 2

Beatles:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Christ, you know it ain't easy! — cwc

Yoko didn’t break up the Beatles. Paul did. Give her a break! Tell C and BJ to play “Kiss Kiss Kiss” sometime. — sp

Names, Z: Ziggy

"Ziggy Stardust," David Bowie

From the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust

David Bowie:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: This one was easy. No other comment necessary. — sp

Thanks to Sam for joining us for some Soup this week!

The S Episode: Smashing Pumpkins, "1979"

From the album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Smashing Pumpkins:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I have mixed emotions about this song. I really like the groove found here, but it also seems to mark the band's transition into eventual suckdom. When they lost the fuzz guitar, they lost me. But again, this song somehow still works for me. — cwc

The S Episode: Paul Simon, "You Can Call Me Al"

From the album The Paul Simon Collection: On My Way, Don't Know Where I'm Goin'

Paul Simon:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Way back in 1992, I was hanging out with my buddy Jason Kolsrud in his dorm room. We had just started college at UNI. We were looking at his roommate's idea of a good mix tape and laughed in particular at this song's inclusion. And now, 16 years later, here I am playing it on the radio. I'm not sure what's funnier: that I now fit my young self's definition of lame, or that I didn't realize how lame I was then, as I probably went back to my own dorm room to listen to Kris Kross or Jesus Jones. — cwc

The S Episode: Elliott Smith, "Needle in the Hay"

From the album Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith:   MySpace

DJ comments: Can't disassociate this song from Richie Tenenbaum's suicide attempt. It doesn't help that Smith is a tragic figure in his own right. — cwc

The S Episode: The Shins, "So Says I"

From the album Chutes Too Narrow

The Shins:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: You know, if Natalie Portman had introduced me to the Shins in a manner similar to that scene in Garden State, they'd probably be my favorite band. 'Cos, you know, she's kinda delicious. — cwc

The S Episode: Spoon, "Back to the Life"

From the album Kill the Moonlight

Spoon:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: We haven't played these guys since Week 1 of the Soup? What's wrong with us? — cwc

The S Episode: Sublime, "Scarlet Begonias"

From the album 40 Oz. to Freedom

Sublime:   MySpace

DJ comments: The sample leading into "Smoke Two Joints" on this album is often miscredited to the movie Reefer Madness. Not true. It comes from a hilarious movie called Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, which was scripted by Roger Ebert and lampooned a bit in the first Austin Powers movie (the scene near the beginning in the Pussycat Lounge or whatever it was called). Go rent/Netflix it, and you'll find yourself wondering how Ebert maintained any credibility in the movie biz. — cwc

The S Episode: Sleater-Kinney, "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone"

From the album Call the Doctor

Sleater-Kinney:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: While some drool over The Woods, I'll take the earlier stuff of Call the Doctor and especially Dig Me Out. I also was known to drool over drummer Janet Weiss from time to time as well. (shrug) — cwc

The S Episode: She & Him, "I Should Have Known Better"

From the album Volume One

She & Him:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: An interesting turn on a Beatles song. Zooey rules. — cwc

The S Episode: The Sugarcubes, "Water"

From the album Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week!

Sugarcubes:   MySpace

DJ comments: I had no idea the Sugarcubes did a reunion thing, but the video below shows a snippet of such a gig. I'm not foolish enough to think that Bjork wasn't carrying that group on her mighty voice, but I found the dynamic of the quirky Sugarcubes music and her voice to be satisfying more often than not. But I think she's doing OK for herself without the 'Cubes. (Says Captain Obvious.) — cwc

The S Episode: The Stone Roses, "Elephant Stone"

From the album The Stone Roses

Stone Roses:   Web site

DJ comments: As much as I love these guys, I had to laugh when they put out their second album, five years after their incredible debut, and made predictions of selling 10 million units of the new disc. I think it might be safe to say that I am the only UI-affiliated person — student, staff, faculty, whatever — who owns a copy of Second Coming. If you are part of the UI community and you have that album, take consolation in the fact that you are (possibly) just as cool as me. — cwc

The S Episode: Sebadoh, "Spoiled"

From the album III

Sebadoh:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I've always been more of a Folk Implosion fan when it comes to Lou Barlow, but this Sebadoh song really stands out among myriad FI songs on the Kids soundtrack. That's a soundtrack you should own, and Sebadoh's III is fantastic too. — cwc

"Spoiled" bookends the trailer below.

The S Episode: Sufjan Stevens, "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!"

From the album Illinois

Sufjan Stevens:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: You could honestly play two-thirds of this album on the radio and be accused of playing nothing but gems. I might be underselling it, too. — cwc

The S Episode: Sonic Youth, "Into the Groove(y)"

From the album The Whitey Album

Sonic Youth:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Long live Sonic Youth! The weird thing is, both SY songs we've played on the Soup thus far have been covers (the Carpenters' "Superstar" being the other). They even went under the name Ciccone Youth for this song (and album). We need to show them some proper love soon. — cwc

The S Episode: "Scissor Paper Rock," Architecture in Helsinki

From the album Fingers Crossed

Architecture in Helsinki:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Do you remember that really hilarious beer commercial where the two dudes were going for the last beer at the same time, and they decided to play Rock Paper Scissors for it, and the dude literally threw a rock and hit the other guy in the face with it, and then he walked away with the last beer? If you do, and you actually thought it was funny, um, you're a douche. — cwc

The S Episode: "Scenic World," Beirut

From the album Gulag Orkestar

Beirut:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: One of the few Beirut titles I can pronounce! I think that's why I used to play "A Sunday Smile" so often, to avoid tripping over the other difficult ones... — cwc

The S Episode: "Suddenly," Black Rebel Motorcyle Club

From the album Take Them On, On Your Own

BRMC:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: This song is far superior to Billy Ocean's "Suddenly." I don't care what you say, Beast! — cwc

The S Episode: "Sandy," Caribou

From the album Andorra

Caribou:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Jeez, I think Brittany is giving our listeners a sneak peek at next week's theme: we'll go A-Z with names in song titles. "Sandy," "Sadie," "Sascha"... — cwc

The S Episode: "Sadie," Joanna Newsom

From the album The Milk-Eyed Mender

Joanna Newsom:   Web site

DJ comments: Um, not sure what to say here, so, um... (This is one of Brittany's picks that doesn't overlap into my jukebox. We don't agree on everything, believe it or not. But unlike some people who gush about Newsom online, either in mainstream media or in blogs, I can spell her name right!) — cwc

The S Episode: "Sascha," Jolie Holland

From the album Escondida

Jolie Holland:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: When your advocates are as varied as Tom Waits, Sage Francis, and Bad Religion's Greg Graffin, you know you're good. Jolie Holland, you're good. — cwc

The S Episode: "Succexxy," Metric

From the album Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?

Metric:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: You know a band is cool if they can use "ilovemetric.com" as their Internet domain and you don't think they're assholes for it. — cwc

The S Episode: "The Sons of Cain," Ted Leo + the Pharmacists

From the album Living with the Living

Ted Leo + the Pharmacists:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Ted Leo was the best show in Iowa City in 2007. Just admit it... — cwc

The S Episode: "Softhand," For Love Not Lisa

From the album Merge

For Love Not Lisa:   MySpace

DJ comments: I saw these guys live back in 1995 or 1996 with about 20 other people at 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. I felt bad for them, as they were the headliners, but some local teenage band was on before them and all their teenage friends went home before FLNL played. Kids. — cwc

The S Episode: "Scenario," A Tribe Called Quest

From the album The Low End Theory

A Tribe Called Quest:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I started thinking about what five rap albums I would want if I could only have five in my collection. I know this much: Tribe's Anthology makes the cut... — cwc

The S Episode: "Shadrach," Beastie Boys

From the album Paul's Boutique

Beastie Boys:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Paul's Boutique STILL sounds ahead of its time, 19 years later. Of course, with all the legal pitfalls/ungodly expenses that go with sampling these days, there's no wonder it still sounds fresh. — cwc

This video is hot.

The S Episode: "Sassafras Roots," Green Day

From the album Dookie

Green Day:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I still say that if you don't like these guys (or the Dookie stuff anyway), you are with the terrorists. — cwc

The S Episode: "Summer Babe (Winter Version)," Pavement

From the album Slanted and Enchanted

Pavement:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Stephen Malkmus, man. This dude makes Steven Wright sound high-strung. — cwc

The S Episode: "Suburban Home," Descendents

From the album Milo Goes to College

Descendents:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: "I want to be stereotyped! I want to be classified!" One of my favorite song intros of all time. And the line "I don't want no hippie pad! I want a house just like Mom and Dad!" is great too. — cwc