J's Indie/Rock Mayhem

Playlists, podcasts and music from WQFS Greensboro's J's Indie/Rock Mayhem

Thursday, March 02, 2006

j's indie/rock mayhem - 1st March 2006

[a week so chock full of new music that i actually was unable to get to some of it, but believe you me, it was worth it. i'll be covering the friday night rock party this week for mad dog who is out of town. so tune in friday night from 6pm - 8pm where i will attempt to fill mad dog's formidable audio-shoes. there's also not much up on it yet, but if you wish, check out the myspace page for the show. you can see some pictures of yours truly with some famous folk, pictures of me with my mouth open, etc. inspiring, i hope. most of all, peruse my friends list as all of them (so far at least) have some sort of musical tie in and several really stellar bands are already listed as friends of mine. now. onward.]

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Arctic Monkeys - "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" [the british sensation is here. from their excellent debut LP whatever people say i am, that's what i am not. this thing is tearing up the charts in england, garnering more sales in its first week than the rest of the top 20 albums combined. crazy. click here to see what the fuss is about.]
Mansun - "Negative" [from their blistering british-psychadelia-meets-prog-rock album six. if you haven't heard mansun, both this album and attack of the grey lantern, in their original, british-release running order, are brilliant albums.]
Whale - "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe" [i'm not sure what a slobo babe is. neither am i sure why she would hump a hobo. nevertheless, this song is fantastic. from the wonderful we care. click here to remind yourself of this song, cos i bet you've heard it before.]
the Gossip - "Standing in the Way of Control" [by request. the title track off their latest album. i saw the gossip open for sleater-kinney many a year ago, and honestly, i wasn't that blown away. this song isn't bad, but while beth ditto's voice is a force of nature all its own, their music just doesn't move me. not bad on the whole, just didn't connect with me.]
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Neko Case - "Hold On, Hold On" [and here we go with more new stuff. from the forthcoming fox confessor brings the flood it's miss neko case herself. this song is quite good and lands squarely in case's traditional sound. click here to give it a spin.]
Sonic Youth - "100%" [from 1992's fantastic dirty. i still have not purchased the expansive dirty 2cd reissue that came out, but i've heard it's got some great stuff on it. the original album, of course, is a monster all its own.]
the Minus 5 - "Twilight Distillery" [my favorite song from the latest, self-titled album from the minus 5. there's a ridiculous bevy of musicians on this record who ought to tickle your fancy. it certainly does mine.]
the Damnwells - "What You Get" [from the excellent bastards of the beat. easily my biggest 'surprise' record of 2004. it landed about #13 or so on my top 25 of that year and for very good reasons.]
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We Are Scientists - "Can't Lose" [from their debut with love and squalor. i can see this band getting (and already have gotten) quite a bit of hype. it's not a bad album. the songs kind run together by the end, but each track they're aiming for the fences. big verses, bigger and louder choruses, hooky rock and roll. click here to download.]
Lou Reed - "Vicious" [it's been stuck in my head for weeks, and i don't care what bryan says, "vicious - you hit me with a flower" is a great line. from transformer.]
Soul Asylum - "Misery" [was a pretty sizeable hit at the time, but who cares. it's soul asylum. they're actually ramping up to release a new album later this year (their first without founding bass player karl mueller who died last summer) and i picked up a cheap copy of let your dim light shine on tuesday night, so why not? there.]
Blackalicious - "First in Flight" [from the electrifying blazing arrow. they will be coming to ziggy's in winston-salem on wednesday april 12th, so get ready. i'll be there. listen to my show on the way in.]
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Track a Tiger - "Glad to Be Scattered" [maybe this is setting a precedent i don't want to have to deal with, but the record label for these guys sent me some random mp3s in the email because they saw this blog. all i know is i was floored by what i heard. this is off their new album i woke up early the day i died and the full length will be in the station in a couple of weeks. until then, click here and download this song. jangly, country tinged, beautiful male/female vocals. a joy to discover.]
Drive-by Truckers - "Outfit" [from 2003's decoration day. a staple of their live shows, this song is the ultimate big sing along moment for most of the crowd at truckers' shows. their forthcoming album a blessing and a curse will be out in april.]
Mclusky - "She Will Only Bring You Happiness" [from their swan-song, the difference between you and me is that i'm not on fire. probably the most sentimental and melancholy song of their entire, jerky career. until they do the round at the end of the song at least. "our old singer is a sex criminal" indeed. there's also the new 3-cd mcluskyism. 1 cd of singles, 1 cd of b-sides, and 1 cd of 'c-sides' (rarities and live versions) that is in stores now.]
Ryan Adams - "Firecracker" (Suicide Handbook version) [this is from one of ryan adam's many, fabled 'unreleased' albums. this was originally going to be the follow up to heartbreaker and if you compare the sound of this version to the sound of the "firecracker" that ended up on gold, you can see how closely linked to heartbreaker it is. unfortunately i noticed that the site that i got these songs from had to take them down due to RIAA complaints, so i cannot post the song for download. hope you heard it.]
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Josh Rouse - "Jersey Clowns" [hot diggity damn! the full length of subtítulo is finally here. and it is quite an endearing record. i started off with this slow number as the lyrics just thrill me. we'll hear one of the more upbeat numbers this friday and next week. but check it. click here to download.]
3rd Bass - "The Gas Face" [this was the crowning achievement of the night. originally from their legendary debut the cactus album, this came off of the tommy boy records' hip hop essentials: 1979 - 1991 vol. 8. this box set is one of the most amazing collections of golden-age hip-hop i have ever seen, this song being one of the reasons. each volume (and there are 12 of them!) is chock full of hot hits. birthday or christmas present anyone?]
Geometry - "Zero" [more from this local greensboro artist. don't forget you can hear more of her work at her myspace site. very good stuff. click here to download.]
10,000 Maniacs - "Scorpio Rising" [from the wishing chair which is one of my very favorite 10,000 maniacs' albums. for sentimental reasons, of course. for you, charlie.]
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Oakley Hall - "Second Guessing" [the title track from their new album. this stuff is amazing. grateful dead, allman brothers, gram parsons, roll it all up with some great male/female entertwining vocals and you have one of my favorite records of the year so far. strap on your dancing shoes and let's go. click here to download.]
Devin Davis - "Iron Woman" [it's been awhile since i pulled out my favorite single of 2005, so here it is. from the amazing loney people of the world, unite!. sheer, power pop genius.]
Fugazi - "Waiting Room" [from 13 songs. a post-punk classic if their ever was one. and there are.]
Sixteen Horsepower - "Bad Moon Rising" (live) [from the riveting hoarse live album. this take on the creedance classic is quite stunning in its own right.]
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Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3 - "Killing Me" [steve wynn is, of course, an ex-founding member of the dream syndicate. if you've never heard them, go do so. then come check out this new album ...tick...tick...tick. just as visceral, loud and surging as his early work with that old band. fans of the paisley underground take note. and anyone who appreciates someone who obviously took lessons at the school of the velvet underground should definitely come to listen. click here to download.]
Guided By Voices - "Bulldog Skin" [from mag earwhig! this was the first GBV song i ever heard. saw the video on 120 minutes. god bless that show.]
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[it's been a week and ten years since the sad passing of one of the guitar greats of independent/college rock: bob stinson. as a founding member of one of the greatest american rock bands of the past 30 years (and my personal, sentimental and critical favorites and heroes), the replacements, he helped light a fire under rock that burns to this day. gutsy, sloppy, hilarious, ragged, heart-on-your-sleeve rock and roll that still feels just as vital now as it did then. bob was given the boot from the band in 1986 for various reasons that different parties don't always agree on and he never returned to do any work as memorable or well-known as the band he helped start. a recent release of a post-replacements band called static taxi is available in a somewhat limited and hard to find way. but for those albums: sorry ma, forgot to take out the trash, stink, hootenanny, let it be, the now infamous live recording, the shit hits the fans, and tim, he was a part of history. you're sorely missed, bob. they don't make men like you very often. we're richer for having had you but we're definitely sadder for having lost you too soon. afterall, as paul westerberg would later write in a song so perfect, "a good day is any day that you're alive."]

the Replacements - "Hangin' Downtown" [by request. from the sorry ma... debut LP. a hot slice of bob's guitar work laces the entire bit. great sloppy adolescent punk.]
the Replacements - "Hayday" [from 1983's hootenanny. another hot guitar blast across one of their finest albums.]
the Replacements - "Hey Good Lookin'" (live) [a b-side of the "i will dare" 12" single. there is a gloriously tone deaf solo that marches through the middle of the song, every bit of it coming from bob's fingers. there were nights when they were kings. there were nights that they were bums. both made them great.]
the Replacements - "Left of the Dial" [from 1985's tim. not to jinx myself, but this is the song i would play as my last song as a QFS dj, whenever/if ever that occurs. there's no more fitting tribute to college radio and independent music in general. i'm serious when i say i get kinda choked up when i listen to this song. especially when all but the guitars fall out at the end to hear paul sing "if i don't seen you then / well i'll know why / and i'll try to find you / left of the dial." haunting.]

That's it for this week. Don't forget I'll be filling in for Mad Dog this Friday night from 6pm - 8pm on the Friday Night Rock Party. And of course I'll be back next week. Until then, take care.

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