Wednesday, September 10, 2008

A: "Ageless Beauty," Stars

From the album Set Yourself On Fire

Stars:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Of the Arts & Crafts set, I probably like these guys the best. — cwc

B: "Blue-Hearted Fool," The Violettes

From the album The Violettes

The Violettes:   MySpace

DJ comments: It pays to have been my college roommate for a semester, as it means I'll occasionally play your band's music on KRUI. — cwc

C: "Cigarette In Your Bed," My Bloody Valentine

From the EP You Made Me Realise

My Bloody Valentine:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Shoegazer music is sexy. This song especially. — cwc

D: "Deutschland (Has Gotta Die!)," Atari Teenage Riot

From the album Burn, Berlin, Burn!

Atari Teenage Riot:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Something from my "digital hardcore" phase. — cwc

E: "Empty," Metric

From the album Live It Out

Metric:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: This is the lead-off track on my favorite Metric album, Live It Out. I'm always thrown off because it sounds like it transitions into new songs two times during the song -- Broken Social Scene (another Emily Haines and James Shaw band) has a tendency to transition into their next song on albums (i.e. You Forgot It In People).

I guess I'm just saying you should check out Broken Social Scene and Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton. Since the bands are Canadian, don't expect too many shows coming up around here. — BJ

F: "Flash Light," Parliament Funkadelic

From the album The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Parliament

Parliament Funkadelic:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: George Clinton seems to be aging a little better than Simon and Garfunkel. Thank God someone from those Old People eras still looks good! I had a bad enough experience trying to watch Bob Dylan a couple summers ago. Despite being super old (like Chris's age), Parliament has a pretty interesting history; check it -- Wiki. — BJ

G: "Goin Home," The Pines

From the album Sparrows In The Bell

The Pines:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: All I really know about these guys is that they're a Minneapolis band that tours the Midwest a lot. They have a few shows in Iowa/Minnesota/Wisconsin with Pieta Brown (a foxy lady from "middle of nowhere, IA"). In fact, Christopher, they will be playing the Decorah Opera House pretty soon. Hopefully no Young Kids burn the place down before then. — BJ

H: "Hospital Beds," Cold War Kids

From the album Robbers & Cowards

Cold War Kids:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: CWK have a much anticipated album coming out on September 22nd. If you hit their MySpace page you can hear some of the news tracks in their songs "Sounds Like" sections. This also means two October Midwest shows (Minneapolis on the 10th and Chicago on the 11th) for your viewing pleasure. Dig. — BJ

I: "Insinuation," The Folk Implosion

From the album Dare to Be Surprised

Folk Implosion:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Lou rules. — cwc

J: "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver," Primus

From the album Sailing the Seas of Cheese

Primus:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I knew this dude way back when who always claimed to be the biggest Primus fan. Anyway, he saw U2 back in 1992 and Primus was opening (sounds weird, I know). So a bunch of Primus fans were there with a huge sheet with "Primus Sucks" spray-painted in huge letters. It's a bit of an inside joke, as the band used "Primus Sucks" almost as a marketing slogan. Anyway, this dude marches right up to them and unwinds a big ol' middle finger for them; according to witnesses, he went through a motion similar to a baseball pitcher's windup to deliver the gesture. The Primus fans were bewildered, and that dude was forever known as the Primus poseur on our floor. (Great story, huh?!) — cwc

Embedding disabled for the vid, so click here to go to the YouTube page.

K: "Keep the Car Running," Arcade Fire

From the album Neon Bible

Arcade Fire:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Arcade Fire is pretty cool, but I think the band could use a few more members... — cwc

L: "Love Me Already," Black Kids

From the album Partie Traumatic

Black Kids:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I will play this entire album before the semester is over. — cwc

M: "Messages," Xavier Rudd

From the album Food In The Belly

Xavier Rudd:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Found this one on Weeds, my favorite music source (well, up until the new season when they stopped focusing on music). This is an Aussie whom everyone should familiarize themselves.

As you can see in the video -- the man has quite the setup. I can only imagine what his shows are like. — BJ

N: "Nobody But You," Joe Price

From the album Designated Driver

Joe Price:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: That's just an Iowa boy playin' some good ol' blues. — BJ

O: "Over And Over Again (Lost And Found)" Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!

From the album Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I love the Clap. It makes my privates tingle. — BJ

P: "Pop Lie," Okkervil River

From the album The Stand-Ins

Okkervil River:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I haven't had a chance to listen to the whole album, which was released on September 9. Some of my friends who are huge OR fans claim it's "too poppy" and disconnects "from their original sound." "Pop Lie" seemed like an appropriate title for such claims.

If you're skeptical, check out one of the Pitchfork articles discussing this release or go to the album's Amazon page. If you like it, there are a TON of opportunities to see OR in the Midwest this fall. — BJ

Video for "For Real"

Q: "Questions and Answers," The Apples in Stereo

From the album Her Wallpaper Reverie

Apples in Stereo:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: They put on a great show in the I.C. not too long ago. I still prefer the album that contains this song to the New Magnetic Wonder disc, but it's all good. — cwc

The song accompanies this skate vid:

R: "Red Friends," Airiel

From the album The Battle of Sealand

Airiel:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: We interviewed these guys and Film School in the KRUI studio last spring. Brittany made crap out of me for being so nervous but I really admire this sort of music so I was a bit nervous. Sue me. This song sounds like it has Neil Tennant from Pet Shop Boys on lead vocals. — cwc

S: "Sleep When I'm Dead," The Cure

From the EP Sleep When I'm Dead

The Cure:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: New album comes out Oct. 13. Even as a longtime fan, I face any new releases with a bit of trepidation, but I'm kinda liking the direction they've taken on the four singles they released this summer, including this one. — cwc

T: "Threads," Portishead

From the album Third

Portishead:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: These guys are devastating. Beautiful and powerful. I wish they were slightly more prolific, but I'll take quality over quantity. — cwc

U: "Uptight (Everything's Alright)," Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder:   Web site   Wikipedia

DJ comments: Stevie NEVER does wrong! If you're reading this you have to watch the video. I will say this -- probably my favorite thing about my current living situation is when my roommate, Foxy Vauxy, and I put on some Stevie and sing while cleaning or getting ready.

*Like the corners of my mind; Misty water-colored memories*— BJ

V: "Voodoo Lady," Ween

From the album Chocolate and Cheese

Ween:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: You know, in life there are three things: God, Ween and Satan. With that in mind, I've been surprised in talking to people about the band that few have ever listened -- most have heard the name, but few have actually heard the good word. If you're unfamiliar with this hit from the Nineties, you should check out their Wikipedia article (whether or not the information be properly cited). — BJ

W: "Where Has Sally Gone?," Caroline Smith And The Good Night Sleeps

From the album Backyard Tent Set

Caroline Smith And The Good Night Sleeps:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: My co-worker Sarah Mannix! is friends with the band, which is how I found out about their music. We've probably listened to this album one hundred times in the past several months -- hopefully our customers aren't getting sick of it. — BJ

Apparently a lot of Caroline Smiths have talent...

X: "X/Y," Pinback

From the album Blue Screen Life

Pinback:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: This always seems to be my "X" song... you could call it desperation, but I'll call it a damn good "X" song.

You'll probably hear a lot of Pinback from me over the course of this show -- Blue Screen Life is one of my favorite albums. — BJ