j's indie/rock mayhem - 24th october 2007

[a really fantastic show this week, and excitement in the air as next week i'll get to actually do my halloween show...on halloween! this'll be the first time i've gotten to do my show like that - very thrilling.

congratulations to roger hartsell for winning this week's $15 gift certificate to BB's new and used CDs and DVDs. he named lebanon as the country in which you can find the city of beirut. we give away a gift certificate every week at the beginning of the third block, right around 6:30pm, so tune in for your chance to win.

i totally got set up with a pair of tickets to see the colts/panthers game this sunday, so i'm really, really jazzed. as big a panthers fan as i am, and growing up outside charlotte, i've never been to a game. so get excited for me. in the meantime, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 24th October 2007 Show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Art Brut - "Pump Up the Volume" [from the fantastic it's a bit complicated. yes, by virtue of me doing the show tonight i was passing up a chance to see art brut and the hold steady up in raleigh, but god, school night shows tire me out anymore. i just wasn't feeling up to it - a shame, as who knows when i'll have a chance to see art brut.]
Crooked Fingers - "Call to Love" [from the gorgeous dignity and shame. the fingers' main man, eric bachmann, will be opening for josh ritter at the cat's cradle on monday, november 5th. quite a lovely tandem to see live, i'm sure.]
His Name is Alive - "Come to Me" [from xmmer. this may just be his name is alive's second album in a row to land on my top 25 albums of the year list. detrola was on there last year, and for very good reason. they've been making some remarkable music of late.]
Midnight Oil - "U.S. Forces" [by request. i can't say i've ever gotten a request for midnight oil, but i'm glad. caller saw them in raleigh back in the late 80s and said they packed a wallop of a live show. i don't doubt it - i've heard their live recordings. from their 1983 album 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.]
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Future of the Left - "Real Men Hunt in Packs" [from the blisteringly fun curses. future of the left sounds like the natural next step for the voice of mclusky and i like it a lot. some of that steamroller-power is missing though - but not in a bad way.]
Brother Reade - "Man of Steel" [from the quite infectious rap music. brother reade's two members are originally from winston salem, but they now operate out of los angeles. some catchy hip-hop, to be sure.]
Kula Shaker - "Tattva" [from the quite good album k. you can read my review of it from earlier this week. certainly, from america's perspective, an also-ran of the britpop era, but a noteable one to be sure. this song especially.]
Georgie James - "You Can Have It" [the singles you could peel off of places are numerous. this is out and out one of the best pop records of this year - commercial notions be damned. if guitar-pop was half this smart anymore, we'd have a revolution on our hands.]
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Beirut - "Nantes" [from the new album the flying club cup. i'm still trying to figure out what i think about this record compared to the debut. it seems more troubling than the first - the instrumentation more lush, yet, more sparse at the same time. i just don't know yet.]
Oakley Hall - "No Dreams" [from i'll follow you. it may be about time to retire this record until the year end show, as this song will without a doubt end up on my best-singles show, and the album might possibly be nestled in my top 25. we'll see.]
Nuci Phillips - "You're Not Perfect Like I Thought" [from the album only when the right side glows. nuci phillips' story is a sad one - a quite gifted musician from athens, georgia who, after years of struggling with depression, killed himself at the age of 22. nuci's space was founded in his memory in order to give support (both financial and emotional) to working musicians who often can't afford simple things for themselves or their families. i'd love to do an interview with some people from there sometime and maybe will try to set that up soon.]
the Shins - "Spilt Needles" [by request. from wincing the night away. there are good things about the shins, but man, i just don't dig them that much.]
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Little Brother - "Good Clothes" [from their new album, get back. you can read my review of the album and check out some extra tracks as well. this song has had me laughing quietly to myself all week - mostly because of the r&b-style sung lines when phonte delivers his mini-lecture to the poorly dressed people in the middle of the song.]
Rogue Wave - "Fantasies" [from asleep at heaven's gate. this album has been getting middling reviews, but i'll tell you this much: this song is gorgeous and i like it about as much as i have anything i've heard from rogue wave's first two albums.[
Killing Joke - "This Tribal Antidote" [this week saw the passing of two musicians: paul vincent raven, a member of killing joke since 1983, died of a heart attack in his sleep at the age of 46. he co-wrote all of the songs on the album this song is from, hosannas from the basement of hell from 2006. he will be missed.]
J Church - "Overconfident" [this week also saw the passing of j church frontman lance hahn. he died of complications from kidney disease at the age of 40. incredibly prolific and dedicated to his art, lance was an inspiration to a lot of people over the years. you don't see the likes of him anymore. rest in peace.]
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Robert Pollard - "Rud Fins" [another from coast to coast carpet of love, one of two new albums by robert pollard. the consensus seems to be that this is the better record of the two, and being that i'm a fan of his cleaned up, focused rock and roll (ala isolation drills), i think i prefer it as well. it's not as clean or as laser-honed the way that album was, but it's catchy. to be sure.]
the Clientele - "Step Into the Light" [from strange geometry. this is part of a routine feature i want to do every week - theme sets of some sort. this one is obvious. back-to-back-to-back songs all titled "step into the light." i laughed when i started thinking about playing these together, so i knew it was a good idea.]
Archers of Loaf - "Step Into the Light" [and here i broke my general rule about not repeating artists - since i played crooked fingers earlier and bachmann resides at the head of both. but this largely instrumental song from the archers' vee vee album is essential to the theme.]
the Afghan Whigs - "Step Into the Light" [from black love. i like this song a lot, but wouldn't normally play it on air. it's an amazing album track and resides perfectly as an introduction to the incendiary "going to town," but it fit even better into my theme.]
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A.A. Bondy - "Black Rain, Black Rain" [from the lovely american hearts. you can find my review of it off to the side under recent now departing reviews. it's a stellar record and easily one of my favorites of this year.]
Suede - "The Power" [from their 1994 sophomore album dog man star. suede is not for everyone - people who hate pretentious music should stay as far away as possible - but this album is incredibly seductive, dark and triumphant for that very reason also. guitarist, and architect of easily 50% of what suede was, bernard butler, left before the album was done recording. what should have been an utter mess is completely the opposite.]
the Damnwells - "You Don't Have to Like Me to Love Me (Tonight)" [from 2006's air stereo - probably the biggest omission from my top 25 albums list last year. i'm a big fan of this band and think they write just gorgeous pop music. i saw them 3 times within about a 6 month period a few years ago - when're you coming back to NC?]
Okkervil River - "Plus Ones" [from the stage names. clever and catchy. what else can you ask for?]
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Pylon - "Cool" [the lead track from their debut album gyrate which was just recently revamped and reissued with bonus tracks. they'll be playing at local 506 in chapel hill on monday, november 5th. reunion tours! woo!]
the Hold Steady - "You Can Make Him Like You" [from boys and girls in america. guess i'll catch you guys next time you're in town. 'you can wear his old sweatshirt / you can cover yourself like a bruise' is a brilliant line.]
Richard Buckner - "Kingdom" [from last year's meadow. i really, really like this song. i haven't listened to/played any buckner in awhile. the author of one of the most devastating songs of all time: "boys, the night will bury you."]
Talking Heads - "Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town" [the lead track from talking heads '77. clever, quirky and art-punky. what more can you ask for? oh, yeah. different sounding summaries.]

That'll do it for this week. Look for me high up on the lower level in the endzone on the Colts/Panthers game this week. And tune back in next week for my always rambunctious and really fun J's Indie/Rock Mayhem Spook-tacular! Yeah, it's poorly named, but it's always a hoot. Come back Friday for a Halloween related Notes From Underground. Until then, Go Panthers, and take care.