j's indie/rock mayhem - 19th april 2006

[if there's one thing that has a tendency to irritate me, it's coming into the station and finding that my theme song has been lifted from the stacks. this has happened once before, mind you. and it reappeared the next week. i made a point then (and i'm thankful that i did) to borrow the cd and make a digital copy should the same thing happen again. unfortunately, my copy was sitting at home on my computer, not in my cd collection where it was needed tonight. so i threw on a jaunty power-pop number to give me time to set up instead.

this saturday night is the wqfs consensus compilation cd release party and show. as you can see above, four bands, all for free, playing at guilford college's underground starting at 8pm. they are all on the new 20-track compilation of bands that all have ties to the radio station you know and love. i'll be there, so i do hope you'll come join us if possible. celebrating 36 years of free-format radio is no small shakes.

i won't be here next week due to a prior engagement, so super b and his band of gold will be filling in for me. he has a great show that is linked in spirit, if not style, to mine, so i hope you'll tune in. now, onward.]

the Emergency - "Breakdown A Go-Go" [from how do you move? a favorite of mine from 2003.]
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Placebo - "Infra-red" [the lead single off their latest, meds. classic placebo in many ways. then again, they've certainly forged their own style over the course of 5 albums. brian molko's voice is unique enough without their charged-up indie-glam music. click here to download.]
the Happy Mondays - "Kinky Afro" [from pills 'n' thrills 'n' bellyaches. i heard something about a mondays reunion happening this year sometime. does anyone know if shaun ryder's lost enough weight to do that again? we'll see i reckon.]
Verbena - "Baby Got Shot" [the first verbena i ever heard, from their excellent album into the pink. it took them a good bit of time to follow-up this album.]
Tubeway Army - "My Shadow in Vain" [from the self-titled album. this is, of course, gary numan before he decided the ditch the pretense of a band and put his name above the title. i recently downloaded the excellent living ornaments '81 which is the complete live "final" numan concert in '81. he went into retirement from live performing which didn't last that long, but the show is amazing and you'll be hearing parts of it in the coming weeks. he plays this song at the show.]
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the Flaming Lips - "Free Radicals" [by request. from the new at war with the mystics. i don't know that i would've selected this to play tonight, but the callers have more guts than i do sometimes, so this odd prince-channeling song was on. really pretty decent. click here to download.]
the Gossip - "Yr Mangled Heart" [by request. from standing in the way of control. the gossip are okay. i honestly have never been that hot on them and i think playing them tonight just kind of drove that home. oh well.]
the Advantage - "Mega Man II - Stage Selection + Metal Man" [yes, this is what you think it is. a full band reproduction of the stage selection and metal man level music from the greatest mega man game of all time. that's a fact, by the way, not my opinion. from their second album, elf titled.]
Wilco - "Casino Queen" [from their debut, a.m. i've only seen them perform this once, but man, when they do it, awesome. in fact, i think the best three songs in a row i've ever seen at a wilco show was "monday" into "outtasight (outtamind)" into "casino queen." amazing.]
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Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - "Deus Ibi Est" [isobel, formerly of belle and sebastian, and mark, formerly of screaming trees and queens of the stone age, get together to record a tremendous album of smokey, soaked gothic stuff. think lou reed, or maybe leonard cohen. but it's a gorgeous record. click here to download. again, a tip o' the hat to satisfied '75.]
Blackalicious - "The Fabulous Ones" [from nia. they were truly tremendous last week at ziggy's. gift of gab is an odd presence on stage. as my friend michael pointed out, when he's on the mic, the whole stage revolves around him and his words. when he stops rapping, it's almost as if he disappears.]
Let's Active - "Every Word Means No" [from the afoot EP. not to name drop, but when you're still a starry-eyed music fan, you can't help it. i found myself at a party saturday night with none other than mitch easter of let's active. i ended up talking with him about krautrock. a super nice guy, yet still somewhat surreal to just 'be' somewhere with a famous musician as opposed to being there to meet them.]
the Avett Brothers - "Colorshow" [from their excellent four thieves gone. they'll be playing the 2nd grand opening night at the flying anvil and yours truly will definitely be there.]
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Mission of Burma - "Nancy Reagan's Head" [okay, so i got lambasted by the fine folks at matador. (see previous post.) but that's okay. the new tracks are still great and this record is going to be really sharp. from the forthcoming album the obliterati.]
Kraftwerk - "Pocket Calculator" [from computer world. i have been exploring krautrock a bit more over the past year, though my first exposure was through former kraftwerk members, specifically neu! then i heard this album. at first, it sounds dated and clunky. then the melody and the orchestration becomes obvious to even the most devoted luddite. long live great music. click here to download.]
Destroyer - "European Oils" [from the ever-increasingly-wonderful destroyer's rubies. album of the year contender? could be.]
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Adam Thorn and the Top Buttons - "Speak, Imagination" [one of 20 different bands appearing on consensus: celebrating 36 years of college radio at wqfs greensboro. this saturday night, april 22nd, four of the bands from the compilation will be playing a free show in the guilford underground starting at 8pm. these are the four bands. adam thorn is ex-kudzu wish and ex-warbomb and is quite good.]
Health - "Hey Hey" [health is a collective that has rotated members over the past several years, but now with a pretty solid lineup, has gone and recorded their first album. i'm going to assume this song on the compilation is from that forthcoming album. it's really good to say the least.]
Feces for Warpaint - "Reduced Lunch" [the name says it all really. blitzkreig shouty punk. it's good for you.]
Samuel Robison and the Sweet RB - "FNORDS" [a member of the nein lives it up. you've heard the nein on the show before and this stuff isn't too far removed from that work, though with enough to certainly paint a separation. all four of these bands will be playing for free saturday night. i'll be there. hope you are too.]
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Drive-by Truckers - "Goodbye" [from the now, finally, released a blessing and a curse. this somewhat lengthy number is definitely one of the high points of the album and really highlights tucker's bass playing for the first real time on record. click here to download.]
Devin Davis - "Cannons at the Courthouse" [from the wonderful lonely people of the world unite! if you haven't heard it...i pity you.]
His Name is Alive - "I'll Send My Face to Your Funeral" [from the itunes released raindrops rainbow EP. they are coming to local 506 in chapel hill on monday may 22nd. i am thrilled to say the least. click here to download.]
the Streets - "When You Wasn't Famous" [from the forthcoming the hardest way to make an easy living which is due out next tuesday here in the states. this is the lead single and if you can find the "professor green remix" video, it's worth checking out as it's very amusing.]
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the Church - "Unified Field" [until yesterday, the most recent church album i owned was 1992's priest = aura, a really great record. and so when i saw a) that they had a new album out called uninvited, like the clouds and b) that allmusic gave it four stars, calling it their best album since that '92 record, i thought i'd give it a shot. and wow. i have only gotten through half the record so far, but that half is amazing. it's not going to win the church any new fans, but if you like the church (and i love the church) then you will love this album. click here to download.]
Portastatic - "Truckstop Cassettes" [by request. from bright ideas, their most recent album.]
Track a Tiger - "Glad to Be Scattered" [one of the most blog-talked about bands this year, from their excellent woke up early the day i died.]
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Failure - "Stuck on You" [from fantastic planet. i thought i'd leave you for a couple of weeks on a high note with this wonderful song from failure's final album.]

That'll do it for this week. Again, I won't be here next week, though check the blog as I have a few ideas for posts in the meantime. I'll see you Saturday night at the WQFS Consensus release party. Until then, take care.