"She, she she she, shine on." - The House of Love.
Administrative Note: The laptop here at the command center has gone down, which means for the foreseeable future there will be little or no posting, and my Tuesday night webcasts will be dutifully manned by RTH mastermind Logie. Watch this space for details on the restoration of your Clicky Clicky services. (This transmission is being executed via Lopez' work laptop).
With the laptop down I have been rocking a lot of things on the wireless headphones at home, including the final Elliot Smith record, the last discs of the Cure and Nirvana box sets, The Cure's Japanese Dreams, the Amelie soundtrack, a little-heard concept set composed by The Good Doctor, and the Tosca record I think I mentioned back in November. Observation: Listening to records on headphones is good. I am always amazed when I hear something new in a song I thought I knew frontwards and backwards. Good old headphones.
That is all.
January 8, 2005
January 2, 2005
"Go find someone who wants you, someone to pray to." - The Wrens.
Aloha Earthlings. The holiday odyssey is complete, and Lopez and I are settled back in here in the Port. We had a grand if subdued time in PA with The Murph [pictures to come] mostly hanging with family, though we did visit with the Monkey and other Central PA luminaries, as well as with former Small Hours skin beater Dino and his consort. We kicked in the New Year in Williamstown with Logie, WHM, H-Dawg from Accounts Receivable and everyone's counterparts, and other kool kats. Billiards were played, rock was rocked, and homemade beer was consumed by the lucky. Word.
Not a lot else to report. I am currently rocking to the collected demos of Kill The Carrier, the recorded output of WHM -- seemingly equal parts Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins and Bad Religion, very listenable stuff. I also received a motherlode of other media items from Sinter Klaas, including The Cure b-sides box set Join The Dots..., the Nirvana box set With The Lights Out, the Wrens' Meadowlands, The Jayhawks' Rainy Day Music, Tom Waits' Real Gone, the expanded reissue of The Ramones' eponymous debut, a burn of the forthcoming Low record, the soundtrack to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the Galaxie 500 DVD and the DVD release of the They Might Be Giants documentary Gigantic. Truly an embarrassment of riches for which I am hardly worthy, but it will be a glorious month or so to digest it all. It should make for a particularly fertile two hours this coming Tuesday evening when I return to my regularly scheduled Radio Teapothill webcast (Tuesdays from 9PM to 11PM at http://radio.teapothill.org).
Clearly the tsunami is something we should all be thinking about. I caught the first headline when the losses were at an already incomprehensible 13,000 lives lost. I suppose it isn't too much of a surprise that our commander-in-chief botched the response, what with his track record at handling calamity, but even so, I feel it may be his lowest low point. It is one thing to act like an insensitive dick when it corresponds with your own obviously nefarious agenda (Iraq, etc.), but it is another thing to rest on your laurels for a few days while inconceivable suffering and agony is enveloping millions until you are shamed into action. I am broadcasting Channel 11 to the White House in high definition, Laronga-style.
Happy New Year.
That is all.
Aloha Earthlings. The holiday odyssey is complete, and Lopez and I are settled back in here in the Port. We had a grand if subdued time in PA with The Murph [pictures to come] mostly hanging with family, though we did visit with the Monkey and other Central PA luminaries, as well as with former Small Hours skin beater Dino and his consort. We kicked in the New Year in Williamstown with Logie, WHM, H-Dawg from Accounts Receivable and everyone's counterparts, and other kool kats. Billiards were played, rock was rocked, and homemade beer was consumed by the lucky. Word.
Not a lot else to report. I am currently rocking to the collected demos of Kill The Carrier, the recorded output of WHM -- seemingly equal parts Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins and Bad Religion, very listenable stuff. I also received a motherlode of other media items from Sinter Klaas, including The Cure b-sides box set Join The Dots..., the Nirvana box set With The Lights Out, the Wrens' Meadowlands, The Jayhawks' Rainy Day Music, Tom Waits' Real Gone, the expanded reissue of The Ramones' eponymous debut, a burn of the forthcoming Low record, the soundtrack to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the Galaxie 500 DVD and the DVD release of the They Might Be Giants documentary Gigantic. Truly an embarrassment of riches for which I am hardly worthy, but it will be a glorious month or so to digest it all. It should make for a particularly fertile two hours this coming Tuesday evening when I return to my regularly scheduled Radio Teapothill webcast (Tuesdays from 9PM to 11PM at http://radio.teapothill.org).
Clearly the tsunami is something we should all be thinking about. I caught the first headline when the losses were at an already incomprehensible 13,000 lives lost. I suppose it isn't too much of a surprise that our commander-in-chief botched the response, what with his track record at handling calamity, but even so, I feel it may be his lowest low point. It is one thing to act like an insensitive dick when it corresponds with your own obviously nefarious agenda (Iraq, etc.), but it is another thing to rest on your laurels for a few days while inconceivable suffering and agony is enveloping millions until you are shamed into action. I am broadcasting Channel 11 to the White House in high definition, Laronga-style.
Happy New Year.
That is all.
December 22, 2004
"I sit around and think about it all the time." - Flop.
This is likely my last post of the year, so in order to be just like everybody else, I'd like to share my favorite 10 releases of 2004 (as already submitted to Junkmedia, who have their own very attractive omnibus Best of 2004 list here, and Crazy Earley, who is also collecting lists for some reason). While my list is numbered, the numbers don't really mean anything. I subscribe to the same attitudes and opinions on comparing apples and oranges as John Darnielle does on this very good Last Plane To Jakarta post. Without further ado, my list:
From the "It's an awesome record but event I think that price is too high" files: someone is hocking a CD version of the stellar Acetone "I Guess I Would" EP on Ebay for $30. I've got this on vinyl -- it was a promo from my WESU days. The B-side is a MONSTER jam on some Kris Kristofferson song which is somewhat akin to Mogwai reworking CCR's take on "I Heard It Through The Grapevine." Anyway, if you can find this for $9.99 or less, you will really enjoy the record. I am still holding out for a copy of "If You Only Knew" to replace my cassette dub of it. Found it for $1 last week, but then the dumbass wanted to charge me $3.50 in shipping. That's just gouging.
Another from the ridiculously priced CD file. Some jackass wants $80 for the posthumous Archers of Loaf live record. Duh.
To co-opt an anti-tobacco slogan, where is the outrage? The torture of prisoners at Gitmo detailed in this report by the NYT makes my stomach turn. Everything right is wrong again. Or something.
Finally, here is the playlist from my radio show this prior Tuesday. Another good night, two whole listeners, including the mysterious listener with the IP address that suggests they are from Malibu, CA. Rest assured I'll be back with more rock in 2005.
1. Ad Council - WESU PSA "Ridiculous."
2. Recorded Outside John Cage's Apartment - New York City.
3. Manta Ray - Prelude.
4. Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Heard It Through The Grape Vine.
5. Richard Buckner - Here (Live at Schuba's Tavern).
6. Jane's Addiction - Chip Away (Live).
7. The Lemonheads - Paint.
8. Flop - Anne.
9. Recorded Outside John Cage's Apartment - New York City.
10. Lefty's Deceiver - H to Hg.
11. The Walkmen - The Rat.
12. Wendyfix - Pillowhead (1993).
13. Iris - The New Jersey Song.
14. The Sea and Cake - Jacking the Ball.
15. The Stone Roses - Ten Storey Love Song.
16. Yo La Tengo - Today Is The Day (Rock Version).
17. Yo La Tengo - Let's Be Still.
18. Recorded Outside John Cage's Apartment - New York City.
19. Lou Reed and John Cale - Waiting for My Man (Live 1972).
20. Small Factory - Keep On Smiling.
21. R.E.M. - Find the River.
22. Yung Wu - Powderfinger.
23. Recorded Outside John Cage's Apartment - New York City.
24. Prefuse 73 - Trains on Top of the Game (Interlude).
25. Poole - There You Go.
26. Polvo - Missing Receipts.
27. Neu! - Liever Honig.
28. Sonic Youth - Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style.
29. Drive Like Jehu - Here Come The Rome Plows!
30. Shellac - Wingwalker.
31. The Dambuilders - Kill Haole Day.
32. The Clash - White Man in Hammersmith Palais.
That is all. Happy Ramadan, Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year.
This is likely my last post of the year, so in order to be just like everybody else, I'd like to share my favorite 10 releases of 2004 (as already submitted to Junkmedia, who have their own very attractive omnibus Best of 2004 list here, and Crazy Earley, who is also collecting lists for some reason). While my list is numbered, the numbers don't really mean anything. I subscribe to the same attitudes and opinions on comparing apples and oranges as John Darnielle does on this very good Last Plane To Jakarta post. Without further ado, my list:
1.. Arcade Fire – Funeral
2.. Lali Puna – Faking The Books
3.. Sonic Youth – Sonic Nurse
4.. The Unicorns – Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone
5.. Deadbeat – Something Borrowed, Something Blue
6.. Nels Cline Singers – The Giant Pin
7.. Dizzee Rascal – Boy in da Corner (domestic Matador release)
8.. Volcano I’m Still Excited!! – Volcano I’m Still Excited!!
9.. Wilco – A Ghost Is Born
10.. Modest Mouse – Good News for People Who Love Bad News
From the "It's an awesome record but event I think that price is too high" files: someone is hocking a CD version of the stellar Acetone "I Guess I Would" EP on Ebay for $30. I've got this on vinyl -- it was a promo from my WESU days. The B-side is a MONSTER jam on some Kris Kristofferson song which is somewhat akin to Mogwai reworking CCR's take on "I Heard It Through The Grapevine." Anyway, if you can find this for $9.99 or less, you will really enjoy the record. I am still holding out for a copy of "If You Only Knew" to replace my cassette dub of it. Found it for $1 last week, but then the dumbass wanted to charge me $3.50 in shipping. That's just gouging.
Another from the ridiculously priced CD file. Some jackass wants $80 for the posthumous Archers of Loaf live record. Duh.
To co-opt an anti-tobacco slogan, where is the outrage? The torture of prisoners at Gitmo detailed in this report by the NYT makes my stomach turn. Everything right is wrong again. Or something.
Finally, here is the playlist from my radio show this prior Tuesday. Another good night, two whole listeners, including the mysterious listener with the IP address that suggests they are from Malibu, CA. Rest assured I'll be back with more rock in 2005.
1. Ad Council - WESU PSA "Ridiculous."
2. Recorded Outside John Cage's Apartment - New York City.
3. Manta Ray - Prelude.
4. Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Heard It Through The Grape Vine.
5. Richard Buckner - Here (Live at Schuba's Tavern).
6. Jane's Addiction - Chip Away (Live).
7. The Lemonheads - Paint.
8. Flop - Anne.
9. Recorded Outside John Cage's Apartment - New York City.
10. Lefty's Deceiver - H to Hg.
11. The Walkmen - The Rat.
12. Wendyfix - Pillowhead (1993).
13. Iris - The New Jersey Song.
14. The Sea and Cake - Jacking the Ball.
15. The Stone Roses - Ten Storey Love Song.
16. Yo La Tengo - Today Is The Day (Rock Version).
17. Yo La Tengo - Let's Be Still.
18. Recorded Outside John Cage's Apartment - New York City.
19. Lou Reed and John Cale - Waiting for My Man (Live 1972).
20. Small Factory - Keep On Smiling.
21. R.E.M. - Find the River.
22. Yung Wu - Powderfinger.
23. Recorded Outside John Cage's Apartment - New York City.
24. Prefuse 73 - Trains on Top of the Game (Interlude).
25. Poole - There You Go.
26. Polvo - Missing Receipts.
27. Neu! - Liever Honig.
28. Sonic Youth - Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style.
29. Drive Like Jehu - Here Come The Rome Plows!
30. Shellac - Wingwalker.
31. The Dambuilders - Kill Haole Day.
32. The Clash - White Man in Hammersmith Palais.
That is all. Happy Ramadan, Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year.
December 14, 2004
"I am the pawn, I am the King." - J Church.
NYT has a nice happy profile of a Philadelphia band I knew nothing about until now. I just like the optimistic smily-ness of the profile.
Scenestars does a fair enough job summing up The Stones Roses, or at least where things went wrong for them. I've been thinking about re-assessing "Second Coming," and the two tracks posted here will give me the chance.
The coolest thing I've heard all week is Brendan Canty of Fugazi fame is doing a DVD series where he goes to a city and films the bands touring through the city or residing in that city playing music in front of a structure that is about to be destroyed. Crazy, but true. Billboard has the skinny.
Okay, here is the playlist from last night's webcast. A hot show in my opinion. At least, I enjoyed listening to it. There will be one more show this year, 12/21 at 9PM. Then I'll be back on the InterWeb the first Tuesday after New Year's, which I beleive is the 4th.
1. Ad Council - WESU PSA "Ridiculous."
2. Reverend J.M. Gates and Congregation - Death May Be Your Santa Claus.
3. Robert Fripp & David Byrne - Under Heavy Manners.
4. The Beastie Boys - EGGMAN.
5. M.I.A. - Uraqt (Diplo Remix).
6. Yoko Ono - Georgia Stone (Excerpt).
7. They Might Be Giants - Hey Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had A Deal.
8. Sugar - Gift.
9. J Church - Band You Love To Hate.
10. J Church - Nostalgic For Nothing.
11. Superchunk - Hello Hawk.
12. Jim O'Rourke - Get a Room.
13. Royal City - Spacey Basement.
14. Bright Eyes - Hit the Switch.
15. Jane's Addiction - My Time (Live).
16. Yoko Ono - Georgia Stone (Excerpt).
17. C.O.C.O. - Move On.
18. KC Accidental - Them (Pop Song #3333).
19. Sam Prekop - A Cloud to the Back.
20. American Football - Never Meant.
21. Haywood - No Way Back to Now.
22. Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress.
23. Karl Hendricks Trio - The Scoffer's Reply.
24. MRC Trio - Act Three Scene Three.
25. Kronos Quartet - Rachell's Weepinge.
26. Keren Ann - Chelsea Burns.
27. Pavement - Dark Ages.
28. The Mendoza Line - Small Town Napoleons.
29. Neutral Milk Hotel - Holland 1945.
30. Lali Puna - Nincompoop (Two Lone Swordsmen Remix).
31. The Smiths - Death of a Disco Dancer.
32. The Mobius Band - Frozen Lake in Unison.
33. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - Another Morning Stoner.
34. The 6ths - Falling Out of Love (With You).
35. Pink Floyd - Dramatic Theme.
That is all.
NYT has a nice happy profile of a Philadelphia band I knew nothing about until now. I just like the optimistic smily-ness of the profile.
Scenestars does a fair enough job summing up The Stones Roses, or at least where things went wrong for them. I've been thinking about re-assessing "Second Coming," and the two tracks posted here will give me the chance.
The coolest thing I've heard all week is Brendan Canty of Fugazi fame is doing a DVD series where he goes to a city and films the bands touring through the city or residing in that city playing music in front of a structure that is about to be destroyed. Crazy, but true. Billboard has the skinny.
Okay, here is the playlist from last night's webcast. A hot show in my opinion. At least, I enjoyed listening to it. There will be one more show this year, 12/21 at 9PM. Then I'll be back on the InterWeb the first Tuesday after New Year's, which I beleive is the 4th.
1. Ad Council - WESU PSA "Ridiculous."
2. Reverend J.M. Gates and Congregation - Death May Be Your Santa Claus.
3. Robert Fripp & David Byrne - Under Heavy Manners.
4. The Beastie Boys - EGGMAN.
5. M.I.A. - Uraqt (Diplo Remix).
6. Yoko Ono - Georgia Stone (Excerpt).
7. They Might Be Giants - Hey Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had A Deal.
8. Sugar - Gift.
9. J Church - Band You Love To Hate.
10. J Church - Nostalgic For Nothing.
11. Superchunk - Hello Hawk.
12. Jim O'Rourke - Get a Room.
13. Royal City - Spacey Basement.
14. Bright Eyes - Hit the Switch.
15. Jane's Addiction - My Time (Live).
16. Yoko Ono - Georgia Stone (Excerpt).
17. C.O.C.O. - Move On.
18. KC Accidental - Them (Pop Song #3333).
19. Sam Prekop - A Cloud to the Back.
20. American Football - Never Meant.
21. Haywood - No Way Back to Now.
22. Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress.
23. Karl Hendricks Trio - The Scoffer's Reply.
24. MRC Trio - Act Three Scene Three.
25. Kronos Quartet - Rachell's Weepinge.
26. Keren Ann - Chelsea Burns.
27. Pavement - Dark Ages.
28. The Mendoza Line - Small Town Napoleons.
29. Neutral Milk Hotel - Holland 1945.
30. Lali Puna - Nincompoop (Two Lone Swordsmen Remix).
31. The Smiths - Death of a Disco Dancer.
32. The Mobius Band - Frozen Lake in Unison.
33. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - Another Morning Stoner.
34. The 6ths - Falling Out of Love (With You).
35. Pink Floyd - Dramatic Theme.
That is all.
December 13, 2004
"Give me my time, and let me be outside." - Jane's Addiction.
Tune in to Radio TeapotHill tomorrow night for my penultimate 2004 webcast. It will rock.
That is all.
Tune in to Radio TeapotHill tomorrow night for my penultimate 2004 webcast. It will rock.
That is all.
December 12, 2004
"Kind of hoped you wouldn't blame me, I can't wake up." - Lemonheads
Eagle-eyed (and admitted to practice in PA) reader MLE points us to a pretty great acoustic performance by Evan Dando (backed up ably and probably necessarily by Come/The New Year's/Consonant's Chris Brokaw) in Australia that you can stream here. The first six numbers are "Drug Buddy," "Paid to Smile," "All My Life," "The Turnpike Down," "$1000 Wedding" and "Great Big No." All in all Dando performs pretty well -- his voice exhibits signs of the hard living that Dando has gained notoriety for, certainly, but he is not as fat and grubby here as I have read he has been in the last couple years. Anyway, if you have a chunk of time to spend with it, it is time fairly well spent.
Chromewaves drops knowledge regarding the oft overlooked UK guitar band The House of Love, whose work that I've heard I've liked very much. Chromewaves makes the point that the band filled that gap in time between the end of the Smiths and the rise of the Stone Roses, though I remember them overlapping the Stone Roses or even coming a little bit after. Their career arc, at least in my mind, followed closely that of the also oft overlooked Sundays. Anyway, check it out (the posting also has a direct link to that Stars video I was raving about a couple weeks ago).
Parasol's favorite records of 2004. I don't shop there, but I've seen the Good Doctor blow a week's wages over the phone with them in about eight minutes.
That is all.
Eagle-eyed (and admitted to practice in PA) reader MLE points us to a pretty great acoustic performance by Evan Dando (backed up ably and probably necessarily by Come/The New Year's/Consonant's Chris Brokaw) in Australia that you can stream here. The first six numbers are "Drug Buddy," "Paid to Smile," "All My Life," "The Turnpike Down," "$1000 Wedding" and "Great Big No." All in all Dando performs pretty well -- his voice exhibits signs of the hard living that Dando has gained notoriety for, certainly, but he is not as fat and grubby here as I have read he has been in the last couple years. Anyway, if you have a chunk of time to spend with it, it is time fairly well spent.
Chromewaves drops knowledge regarding the oft overlooked UK guitar band The House of Love, whose work that I've heard I've liked very much. Chromewaves makes the point that the band filled that gap in time between the end of the Smiths and the rise of the Stone Roses, though I remember them overlapping the Stone Roses or even coming a little bit after. Their career arc, at least in my mind, followed closely that of the also oft overlooked Sundays. Anyway, check it out (the posting also has a direct link to that Stars video I was raving about a couple weeks ago).
Parasol's favorite records of 2004. I don't shop there, but I've seen the Good Doctor blow a week's wages over the phone with them in about eight minutes.
That is all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)