j's indie/rock mayhem - 11th april 2007

[a rainy, but fantastic night. tons of callers and some great requests that i was happy to fulfill. i really enjoyed myself tonight. i always do, but more so than usual.

congrats to david horne, tonight's winner of the $15 gift certificate to B.B.'s new and used CDs and DVDs. he correctly named a streetcar named desire as an example of a play by tennessee williams. we'll talk about how that's relevant in a minute. i give away gift certificates every week around the 6:30 PM mark, so tune in and try your trivia luck.

this week kicked off the new content here on the blog with a bang and a bust. friday launched the notes from underground commentary post with, well, one comment in response. i want people to pitch in their two cents, so please leave comments with your thoughts. monday was supposed to mark the first album review, but the internet went kaput at my house and subsequent delays led me to just hold off 'til next week. this friday, however, will continue either with notes from underground or a concert review.

let's get going. onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 11th April 2007

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Georgie James - "Need Your Needs" [title track from the 3 song single released earlier this year. looks like they're still working either on finishing their debut LP or still label shopping, so keep your fingers crossed for them.]
Richard Hell and the Voidoids - "Love Comes in Spurts" [okay - so to clarify, yes, this is the 30th anniversary year of the release of blank generation. there are a handful of records in rock and roll that continuously defy sounding dated or at least, achieve a certain timelessness that no subsequent genres blaze past. this record is certainly one of them. who would have the balls to sound like richard hell anyway?]
Destroyer - "European Oils" [from the j's indie/rock # 1 album of 2006 - destroyer's rubies. this song still floors me. i never turn it up all the way - until it hits that fuzzed out guitar solo in the bridge. it's that point, without fail, that i always turn it up to eleven and let everything in my mind get blown away.]
White Whale - "Nine Good Fingers" [from their debut, WWI. i wish i'd taken the chance to catch them live last year, but alas. i'm still really enjoying this record.]
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Dinosaur Jr. - "Almost Ready" [from the forthcoming beyond which is due out may 2nd. i like dinosaur jr., but i've never been really that gung ho about them, but everything i've heard off this new album is making me really excited.]
Sloan - "Before the End of the Race" [from the massive (read: 30 songs) never hear the end of it. one of many, many great power-pop songs on sloan's 8th album. they're going to be at the cat's cradle in chapel hill on monday, may 14th. a choice chance to catch the canucks at the cradle.]
the Pixies - "Here Comes Your Man" [i haven't regularly played the pixies in awhile and i don't think i've played anything off of doolittle in even longer, but something called to me and "here comes your man" was just the answer i was looking for.]
Crooked Fingers - "Twilight Creeps" [from the wonderful dignity and shame. ain't it time for a new crooked fingers record? yes, i know bachman released a solo album last year. i just want a chance to see these guys live again.]
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Daniel Hutchens - "Underground Cafe, 1923" [from the wonderful lovesongs for losers which came out late last year. hutchens also fronts the fantastic band bloodkin which will be playing at the pour house in raleigh on saturday, april 21st. i'll be interviewing hutchens that night for re-broadcast the next week or week after, so keep your ears peeled for that. oh, and how does tennessee williams tie in? if you're a frequent listener, you've probably heard bloodkin's "tennessee williams" on the show before. so there you go.]
the Damnwells - "Golden Days" [one of many fantastic songs on the damnwells' latest, air stereo. it's hard to pin down what they do so right. lyrically they're warm and inviting, musically they're nothing innovative, yet they still stand out in a field of would-bes. am i alone in really loving this band?]
Son Volt - "The Search" [the title track from their latest, and really quite good, album. they're paying a trio of dates here in NC - tuesday, may 15th at the orange peel in asheville, wednesday, may 16th at the visulite theatre in charlotte and saturday, may 19th at the lincoln theatre in raleigh. the date in asheville is with the fantastic the high strung, although whether they're on the other NC dates is unclear.]
Rev. Glasseye and His Wooden Legs - "Midnight Cabaret" [by request. from black river falls. fans of gogol bordello, slim cessna's auto club, and sixteen horsepower if they had a sense of humor, take notice. a great album.]
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Jarvis - "Black Magic" [from the wonderful jarvis. so cocker is making a killing off of 'sampling,' or just wholesale nicking riffs from other songs. "crimson and clover" for this one. "gloria" for "disco 2000." "tracks of my tears" for "a little soul." but man, the things he does with the music. unbelievable.]
Josh Rouse - "Nothing Gives Me Pleasure" [from, for my money, josh's breakthrough album, under cold blue stars. caller wanted to hear a song off of his 2005 album nashville, but i'll have to get it next week instead.]
the Pharcyde - "Otha Fish" [from their brilliant debut, bizarre ride II the pharcyde. that this record is itself 15 years old is unbelievable in its own right. the early 90s really were a wonderful time for hip-hop.]
Jesse Malin - "In the Modern World" [from his latest, glitter in the gutter.]
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Fountains of Wayne - "Yolanda Hayes" [from their new album, traffic and weather. i was a bit torn on this record at first - but repeated listenings of let it grow on me quite a bit. look for a full review of it next monday here on the blog.]
Devin Davis - "Iron Woman" [from 2005's lonely people of the world, unite! my favorite song of that year, no contest. he's working on a new record, hopefully due out sometime this year. speaking of people on my list of 'man-i-wanna-interview-you.']
Ryan Adams - "Firecracker" [by request. from gold. i've never given this album the follow-up listen it deserves. the songs that crackle, sparkle like nobody's business. this is one of them. but i've always remembered a feeling of 'half-great/half-meh' about this record and to me it signified the beginning of a bit of a lull in his recording. maybe i'm needing to reconsider. it's been 6 years. i should give it a chance.]
Health - "In Dutch" [from where you from? i can't hear enough of these greensboro locals. really breathtaking stuff.]
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the Rosebuds - "My Punishment for Fighting" [from their new one, night of the furies, which just came out this week. the reviews have been pretty uniformly positive - the rosebuds directional gambit seems to have paid off. i'm warming to it a lot more than i thought i would after my first listen.]
Beastie Boys - "So What'cha Want" [by request. callers want to hear some beasties? you got it. from check your head. the beasties are planning on releasing a new album later this year (their shortest turn-around between albums in some time) that apparently is going to feature them on instruments pretty heavily - hearkening back to the days of this album and ill communication.]
Killing Joke - "This Tribal Antidote" [from 2006's hosannas from the basements of hell. if you're a fan of killing joke's early work, this album from last year is a remarkable re-examination of that sound. really quite amazing.]
Drive-by Truckers - "Outfit" [from decoration day. it was announced late last week that jason isbell has left the drive-by truckers. a sad day for fans of the truckers, but they'll keep on going and jason's solo debut, sirens of the ditch, is due out july 10th on new west records. so, the sing-along song most DBT fans will probably miss the most at the live shows.]
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Wilco - "Please Be Patient With Me" [from the forthcoming sky blue sky which is due out may 15th. i've heard the entire record now and it's soft. it's more subtle than just about any wilco record i've heard. we'll see how it sounds in a few weeks.]
Brian Eno - "You Don't Miss Your Water" [originally only available on the married to the mob soundtrack, this song was eventually rescued as a bonus track on the eno/john cale collaboration, wrong way up, when it was remastered for reissue on CD. this is one of my favorite country standards and it's gives the byrds version a run for its money.]

That'll do it for this week. Don't forget to check back in on Friday for updated content and next Monday as well. Until then, take care.