j's indie/rock mayhem - 17th august 2005

[so a really lovely show with a whole plethora of new music, but yet again denied the denison witmer, bob mould and nickle creek releases. i should've known better. next time i'm just bringing my own copies. sheesh.

i will be filling in for mad dog on the friday night rock party tomorrow, august 19th from 6pm - 8pm so tune in if you can.

in better spirits, sunday marks my birthday and as such i did a little bit of symbolic celebrating toward the end of the show. plus, when the fall semester starts, i will be celebrating the 2 year anniversary of the start of this blog and the 6 year anniversary of the start of this radio show. albeit back in 1999 it was called "J and J's Indie/Punk Mayhem," but subtle stylistic changes aside and despite the loss of the other original J (hope you're doing well, messr. fischer, wherever you're at currently), the show has been spending 6 years doing its best to play its part in WQFS' mission of giving real music fans their only alternative to the commerical claptrap of common radio. with all that sentimental nonsense in mind, onward.]

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Surfjan Stevens - "Chicago" [i had a request for this track last week, a lovely song from his new album come on feel the illinoise. sadly, i don't know where the album was last week. suffice it to say that it has returned. and thank goodness. a great pop tragedy avoided.]
Bloodkin - "Tennessee Williams" [more from this lovely georgia band, this time in ode to one of the great southern, and indeed american, playwrights of the 20th century by comparing women and their sassy mouths to "somethin' out of tennessee williams." indeed.]
the Minutemen - "Viet Nam" [punk. funk. politco-soul. god bless the minutemen. from their landmark double nickles on the dime.]
Mclusky - "To Hell With Good Intentions" [i was severely upset when it was announced that mclusky were calling it a day earlier this year. their last two albums especially are perfect examples of what can happen when mental patients with a knack for big black-esque noise and post-punk genius get behind the steering wheel of a couple of early 00s records. alas. from the excellent mclusky do dallas.]
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Andrew Bird - "A Nervous Tic Motion to the Left" [from the mysterious production of eggs. andrew bird, most known to some as a violinist for the squirrel nut zippers, has been crafting some amazing solo work over the course of 6 or so albums. his latest is just further proof that he only keeps improving.]
the Velvet Underground - "White Light/White Heat" [ode to amphetamines, anyone? from the album of the same name.]
Autopassion - "Tim is Dead" [by request. lovely nc band with a knack for good rock. from their latest is a tedious disguise.]
Jesse Malin - "Downliner" [i hadn't played much by mister malin recently until my mp3 player at home, while in random mode, landed on this song from his debut solo album the fine art of self-destruction. i usually always play "wendy" off of that album but this song is a plaintive wail of city-fied heartache.]
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Idlewild - "I Understand It" [more from the new album promises/warnings. this could be the scots' finest hour, honestly. it's a damn good album.]
the Breeders - "Shocker in Gloomtown" [by request. the request was for a song off the breeders' last splash LP, but failing to have it, i turned up with the head to toe EP and found this gem, a cover of the guided by voices' song originally from the grand hour EP.]
the Replacements - "Rock and Roll Ghost" [by request. the back-up request in case the breeders fell through was the 'mats. so i pulled this off of 1989's don't tell a soul. one of two songs that, apparently, made paul westerberg cry during the recording process.]
the Streets - "Dry Your Eyes" [the crowning achievement to the absolutely amazing a grand don't come for free album. this song has never gotten old for me. especially within the context of the album's story arc.]
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Michael Penn - "Room 712, the Apache" [another from the new album mr. hollywood jr., 1947. to be honest, i'm a bit nonplussed with the record. i really love michael penn and he's never made a bad record. it's just that this one falls a bit flat compared to the near perfection of his previous album.]
Common - "The Food" (live) [from the latest common album be. listen. i'm not complaining exactly 'cos this version of the song is amazing. but why on earth do people slap down live tracks in the middle of an otherwise entirely studio LP? and why did they leave dave chappelle's introduction on the front end? why? all that said, wow, what a great song.]
Neko Case - "Buckets of Rain" [a random cover i picked up earlier this week off of a starbucks coffee compilation of artists covering their favorite love songs. her reading is nice although not terribly revelatory. but then, how do you reveal anything about the bob anymore? hendrix might've been the last to really give him a makeover worth hearing again and again. any thoughts?]
Hüsker Dü - "I Apologize" [fitting. since the new bob mould wasn't in rotation, one of bob's best compositions from the excellent new day rising.]
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Devin Davis - "Iron Woman" [i gave this song a good two minute intro at least. and for good reason. devin davis is the real power-pop deal. how i missed his album, lonely people of the world, unite!, upon its release back in march, i'll never know. all i know is i'm very grateful to know it now. i hyped the hell out of this song, wondering if i was being too hyperbolic for my own good, but a caller after the song confirmed it. this song will slay you in the right context at the right moment. i listened to it two more times driving home from the show. wanna hear more? go check out cokemachineglow.com's review of the best records of 2005 thus far. scan down to davis' entry and there are 5 mp3s to download. every one of them a winner.]
Blanche - "The Hopeless Waltz" [i didn't give blanche's if we can't trust the doctors enough of a listen when i got it originally. my mp3 random selector must know what i haven't been listening to. this song popped up on it as well. this is a really spooky chunk of gothic-americana music that should not be missed.]
the Cure - "Friday I'm In Love" [ah, this song has been in my head since june. no lie. it got in there when i was in japan and hasn't had an escape hatch until now. one of the cure's finest pop moments from the album wish.]
Tiger Bear Wolf - "Wrong Lens Wrong Film" [greensboro rock and roll like no other. tbw's self-titled album also ended up on cokemachineglow.com's best albums of the year thus far. that's not by accident. they are the real deal.]
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Iron and Wine/Calexico - "16, Maybe Less" [one of the real treats of this week's show. the new in the reins EP from iron and wine and calexico doesn't see release until mid-september, but we've wrangled a song away in advance. if the rest of the EP is as good as this song, we may be looking at two iron and wine related EPs on the j's indie/rock top 25 of 2005.]
Josh Rouse - "It's the Nighttime" [one of the many lovely songs off of his latest record nashville. josh rouse is a national songwriting treasure and should not be missed if you're late getting on his bandwagon.]
the Stooges - "I Wanna Be Your Dog" [from their self-titled debut. both this album and (my personal favorite) their 2nd album, fun house, have gotten the royal reissue treatment this week. it's about time for both.]
the Damnwells - "I'll Be Around" [off of their j's indie/rock best of 2004 album bastards of the beat. the damnwells will be in carborro on tuesday september 27th opening for blue rodeo.]
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My Morning Jacket - "Off the Record" [from their forthcoming album Z comes this..reggae tinged track? do not be put off by thoughts of a white-boy slaughtering. this track is good and proper. exciting to hear.]
the Emergency - "Church of the Chix Denomination" [another of the best of 2004 albums. how do you move is one of those pure power-pop records made by three guys out of west virginia who obviously know their trade. you don't get those much.]
Johnny Cash/Joe Strummer - "Redemption Song" [a beautiful and heart-rendering reading of the bob marley classic from the 3rd disc of the unearthed johnny cash box set. to hear these now both late souls give this song the reverential treatment it deserves is tear-enducing to say the least.]
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[here was my very short birthday set. the first song was #1 on the u.k. charts the day i was born, august 21st, 1981. the second song is from one of my favorite bands of all time who i saw play for the first time on the day before my 15th birthday, august 20th, 1996. both hold special memories for my birthday, so here they are.]
Shakin' Stevens - "Green Door" [i told my mom about this song and she immediately began singing it. mostly because she had heard the original when it was recorded back in the 50s. but this is from stevens' 1981 album shakey.]
Toad the Wet Sprocket - "Don't Go Away" (live) [my favorite live version of this song and it's one of my favorite songs of theirs, period. with lines like "age is heavier it seems than years alone" and a wicked keyboard line that runs through the bridge, this version is amazing. the song is originally from their album pale.]

[that was the end of the official show, but i was up for another half hour, so here's a quick rundown of what i played.]

Brendan Benson - "Spit It Out" [from the alternative to love.]
Josh Ritter - "Snow is Gone" [from hello, starling.]
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Sleater-Kinney - "Jumpers" [from the woods.]
the Jim Yoshii Pile-Up - "Jailhouse Rock" [from picks you apart.]
Four Tet - "A Joy" [from everything ecstatic.]
the Mountaingoats - "This Year" [from the sunset tree.]
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Stephen Malkmus - "Post-Paint Boy" [from face the truth.]

We will be on temporary scheduling for the next three weeks. I will be doing my best to keep my time slot for those three weeks, but unfortunately I can't promise you anything. Keep your eye here on the blog for schedule updates. Next week's show will be announced by Sunday evening. Don't forget to tune in tomorrow night on the Friday Night Rock Party for your's truly as special guest host. Take care.