j's indie/rock mayhem - 18th october 2006

[and we're back. my first fully fledged show since my return, seeing as how i had a good chunk of the show last week devoted to discussion. but tonight's show was three hours long, thanks to temporary scheduling for fall break. the podcast only covers the conventional 2 hour show, but i've tacked on an abbreviated list of the music from the 8 o'clock hour as well, so keep yer pants on.

i neglected to talk about the lexington barbecue festival on tonight's show. here's a hint: if you wander down to lexington barbecue this saturday, october 21st at about oh, 12:30 or 1:00 pm, you're most likely to find myself and fellow QFS dj Mad Dog chowing down on our pre-festival lunch. just look for the VW van and a QFS sticker or shirt or something. that's most likely us. the festival is always a great time and great eats, so you should check it out. i look forward to this every year.

lots of great music tonight, so saddle up and here we go. onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 18th October 2006 Show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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the Lemonheads - "Become the Enemy" [from the excellent self-titled album. i have to give nods to vagrant records for upping the ante in recent years and defying my expectations of them as a lable. signing paul westerberg didn't hurt and neither has releasing this fine album.]
Television - "See No Evil" [a caller called in and requested some CBGBs related music as a tribute to the landmark venue's closing this week. so i dug back to the era the club was always famous for - the 70s NYC punk explosion. television is probably my favorite group to have come out of that period. from marquee moon.]
the Ramones - "Blitzkreig Bop" [from their self-titled debut. i recently gave this album a re-listen and despite its near ubiquitous presence in commercial culture, this song is still just as mind-numbingly brilliant as it's always been.]
Talking Heads - "Pulled Up" [from their debut, talking heads '77. it's so interesting to reach back to the heads' first two albums (this and more songs about buildings and food) after listening to their later, much fuller work. their stripped, fractious white-boy funk is truly in shambles early on.]
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the Hold Steady - "Chips Ahoy!" [so, my friends, the race is on. after ruminating on the fairly slim pickings for 'best album' of 2006, another horse blows out of the gate and it's a doozy. boys and girls in america is the real deal. i can't praise this record enough, so i'm going to let the music do the talking. what else to expect from a band from minneapolis? click here to download. then click here to watch the video for this song.]
the Beastie Boys - "Shadrach" [definitely my favorite beasties' song with a biblical title reference. from the classic paul's boutique. i know i link this almost every time i play something off this album, but i've gotten requests for it before, so if you're looking for a web site that breaks down all the samples and lyrical allusions on this album, look no further.]
the Afghan Whigs - "John the Baptist" [from 1965. greg dulli's latest band, the twilight singers, are touring currently with mark lannegan as a member and will be at the cat's cradle on saturday, november 10th. i'll be there.]
Gary Numan - "Metal" [from the pleasure principle. if you've never bothered with any of numan's early albums (up through and including the sometimes overlooked telekon), you are missing out. there is no synthesizer music like this and his early albums are sheer masterpieces of the genre.]
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Yo La Tengo - "Beanbag Chair" [from their latest, i am not afraid of you and i will beat your ass.]
Brian Eno - "Burning Airlines Gives You So Much More" [from taking tiger mountain (by strategy) which is often my favorite eno album. the ambient stuff is great and everything, but god, his early solo albums are just sinisterly cool.]
Toad the Wet Sprocket - "Rings" [from 1997's coil. i was going to nominate this for my class song in high school. tree rings as metaphor for measuring time spent, yadda, yadda. i'm a little ashamed of our choice for song given the year i graduated. regardless, great song.]
Gift of Gab - "The Writz" [from 4th dimensional rocket ships going up. this was a weak album all in all, despite gift's unreal talent with lyrics. this is the only truly memorable song on the album, so i go to it from time to time.]
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Daniel Hutchens - "Haunting Montezuma" [from lovesongs for losers, the new solo record from former bloodkin frontman hutchens. it's also the first release for autumn tone records, owned by my fellow dynamite mp3 blogger, aquarium drunkard. hutchens is a sharp songwriter and the record is really solid. click here to download.]
the B-52s - "Rock Lobster" [by request. although this is an edited version of the song from the time capsule best-of collection. it's about a minute and some change shorter than the original from their self-titled debut.]
Alejandro Escovedo - "Sex Beat" [a cover of the gun club's classic, from bourbonitis blues. i love his take on this song, already a favorite of mine by the gun club. escovedo layers it with a brooding, malicious melancholy that is hinted at, but never surfaces, in the original. click here to download.]
Son Volt - "Sometimes" [a cover of an escovedo song from the por vida: a tribute to the songs of alejandro escovedo. this would be the last new, released material recorded by the original incarnation of son volt. this song was enough to get me all hot and bothered though, until i heard farrar replaced everyone for the new album. oh well.]
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Sparklehorse - "Some Sweet Day" [from dreamt for lightyears in the belly of a mountain, mark linkous' first new album in 5 years. created in a cabin up in the mountains here in NC, you can't go wrong with that.]
Track a Tiger - "Glad to be Scattered" [i can't get enough of this song. it's possibly my favorite single of this year, but i'd have to think on it. from woke up early on the day i died. click here to check some more of their music out.]
Sigur Ros - "Di Do" [by request. from a three song EP that, much like the rest of sigur ros' output, doesn't seem to have a proper name. not always my cup of tea, and definitely not for radio play, but it's interesting stuff.]
Little Brother - "Beautiful Morning"/"The Becoming" [the great one two punch that leads off the minstrel show. little brother will be at the flying anvil tomorrow night, so get on that. i'll most likely be there as they put on a hellaciously great live show.]
Califone - "The Orchids" [from roots and crowns. this is a gorgeous song and part of the really skewed sense of beauty that imbues so much of califone's work. click here to download.]
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Citified - "Weddings" [as i mentioned last week, chris jackson of citified was kind enough to send me an advance copy of some of the songs off their forthcoming album due out next year. i'm going to hold off on posting this song, so that i can re-play "read like a number" and post that one instead, but all four tracks are uniformly strong and this song has a very distinct sound to it. citified will be on my show on nov. 1st so i know we'll talk about it then.]
the Del Fuegos - "Night on the Town" [from boston, mass. a really great record and band that isn't talked about much anymore.]
Tom Waits - "Blue Valentines" [from the album blue valentine. i used to go to sleep to this album a lot, but this closing song still just kills me. some of tom's most emotionally despairing work.]
the Replacements - "Bastards of Young" [from tim. speaking of reasons why you can trust a band from minneapolis..]
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Jolie Holland - "Moonshiner" [by request. last week a caller wanted to hear this song, but i didn't have my copy of springtime can kill you with me, so i went with some older holland. so this week, i make amends. plus, a bonus: click here to download.]

At this point the podcast ends, but the show keeps on going so here's a briefly annotated list of what went down the rest of the night.

Brendan Benson - "Spit It Out" [from the alternative to love. great power pop.]
Guided by Voices - "Chasing Heather Crazy" [from isolation drills. by request.]
Pavement - "Rattled by the Rush" [from wowee zowee which is being reissued next month with the usual tons of extra material.]
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49 Admiral - "The Art of Giving Up" [myspace band from boston. check 'em out and let me know what you think.]
Blur - "Tracy Jacks" [from parklife. classic blur.]
Two Gallants - "Las Cruces Jail" [from what the toll tells. after the news of the big donnybrook that broke out involving cops, tasers and such at a recent show of theirs, i thought i'd give 'em a spin.]
Tripping Daisy - "Sonic Bloom" [from jesus hits like the atom bomb.]
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Sebadoh - "Gimme Indie Rock" [from the recently reissued III.]
Mary Lou Lord - "His Indie World" [one can only assume this was written as a response to "gimme indie rock." from her self-titled EP.]
Smashing Pumpkins - "Landslide" [from pisces iascariot. and yes, i think they do this song great justice.]
the Mountain Goats - "This Year" [from last year's the sunset tree.]
the Duhks - "Down to the River" [by request. from migrations.]
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Oakley Hall - "Lazy Susan" [from gypsum strings. i'll be interviewing them later this month.]
Patti Smith - "Radio Baghdad" [from trampin'. i like this song a. lot.]

That's it for this week. If I don't see you at the barbecue festival, I'll be back next Wednesday night in the usual spot for the usual time. Until then, c'mon, Cardinals! Take game 7! And go Panthers! Take care.