J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 23rd January 2008

[And it's another great week here on J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. I had a blast with tonight's show, despite some of the heavier undertones of some of the song choices. All the same it was more great music this week than you could shake a whole bunch of sticks at.

Congratulations to Leonard who won this week's $15 gift certificate to BB's New and Used CDs and DVDs. He correctly identified Neil Finn as a member of Crowded House. We give away the gift certificate every week at the beginning of the third set, right around 6:30, so tune in for your chance to win.

Now, great music, let's go. Onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 23rd January 2008 Show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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the Broken West - "Down in the Valley" [from i can't go on, i'll go on. this was my # 2 single of 2007 and for good reason. good, catchy, winning power pop. i couldn't get this out of my head for days after my first time hearing it. it'll probably never really go away.]
Wilco - "A Shot in the Arm" [from summerteeth. apparently it's what america's economy needs! har!]
Jim James and Calexico - "Goin' to Acapulco" [from the i'm not there soundtrack. i decided to play this for two reasons: first, aquarium drunkard has a great feature that has artists talking about things they love about where they live and my morning jacket's jim james is featured in the most recent installment. second, the sadly late heath ledger was one of the actors who played dylan in this recent biopic. this version is one of the best songs on the soundtrack.]
the Jim Carroll Band - "People Who Died" [from 1980's catholic boy. heath ledger's death is pretty tragic, especially considering the phenomenal actor he was becoming. i can imagine him easily fitting into carroll's cast of tragic suicides and ODs.]
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Drive-By Truckers - "A Ghost to Most" [from brighter than creation's dark which i reviewed this week. if you want some good insight into the new album, check out this interview over at pitchfork. it's a really good album and i have a feeling it's just going to continue to grow on me in the coming weeks and months.]
Leon Russell - "Dixie Lullaby" [by request. from his 1970 self-titled album. leon was up at the arts center in carborro last weekend and the caller said it was fantastic. he's not the type of music that i pull out on a regular basis, but i liked this song and it felt like a natural follow-up to the truckers.]
Black Mountain - "Angels" [from in the future. admittedly, i only got this album yesterday, its release date, so i haven't given it a full listen. but this song is top notch and any band that shares a name with one of the meth capitals of north carolina deserves an ear or two.]
Sugar - "Gee Angel" [from file under easy listening. bob mould has a new solo album out and we'll hear something off that next week. i don't know why precisely, but not long after i started this song up, i got a call from a woman telling me she really enjoyed the show. sugar can inspire those sort of feelings, i know. heady power pop.]
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Liam Finn - "Lead Balloon" [from i'll be lightning. liam is, as mentioned, neil finn's son and a finer pop pedigree you'd be hard pressed to have. he cut his teeth on his former band, betchadupa, and now has released his first solo album. we'll be hearing more.]
Suede - "The Power" [from dog man star, one of those records that really are of a certain time. i can't imagine a band like suede succeeding today, at least not without seeming completely tongue-in-cheek. but brett anderson was and is a pretty dynamic performer and he and bernard butler created quite a masterpiece with this album.]
the Whigs - "I Never Want to Go Home" [from mission control. listen - you remember that great hooky, guitar rock record you've been lamenting you haven't heard in awhile? go buy mission control and now. it is, to say the least, genuinely really fantastic. this kind of stuff ought to be all over radio, but who knows. bottom line, mission control trumps give 'em all a big fat lip in spades. go get it.]
Citified - "Weddings" [from the forthcoming the meeting after the meeting. this is the song, more than anything, that has led me to try to describe citified as a more organic depeche mode. it's one of my favorites of theirs. great greensboro, nc rock.]
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Big Ditch Road - "Waiting to Destroy" [from the jackson whites EP. my interview with darin wald of big ditch road will be broadcast on next week's show. my review of the EP will also be up next monday. the interview was really interesting and i hope you guys enjoy it.]
Glen Phillips - "Darkest Hour" [from abulum. glen wrote this song about sitting next to his father and holding his hand as he died. it's one of the most moving things he's written in his post-toad the wet sprocket career and with my uncle charles with his father at the hospital today when he died, it felt like a fitting song. rest in peace, john.]
the Twilight Singers - "Too Tough to Die" [from she loves you. their version of a martina topley-bird song, originally from her album, quixotic. she was a singer on a few of tricky's albums and the twilight singers' version is a dark, brooding success. greg dulli can snarl-sing his way through just about anything and make it sound amazing.]
Swirlies - "Vigilant Always" [from blonder tongue audio baton which i reviewed this week. a real masterpiece of the 90s lo-fi indie-rock movement. swirlies are not everybody's cup of tea, but if it is, it's an eye-opening listen.]
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Times New Viking - "The Wait" [from rip it off. first off, fantastic name, this band. second, speaking of lo-fi, this is ridiculously so. this band has some pretty great melodies buried under waves and waves of static, distortion and un-level recordings, which makes the haze that is this record all the more engaging. this song in particular, if cleaned up, would be gorgeous. but just because it's covered in dirt doesn't make it any less smart.]
British Sea Power - "Waving Flags" [from do you like rock music? i had a friend try to get me to give these guys a listen when their debut came out, but i passed and this song is pretty likable. would i buy a whole album of this? good question. jury's still out.]
Bjork - "Earth Intruders" [by request. from volta. the guy who requested this is the exact type of listener i try to reach out to. he called up and requested (i kid you not) that i play at least one of the following: napalm death, otep, bjork and the white stripes. sir, i salute your obviously broad and wacky tastes. a man after my own heart.]
Jim White - "Diamonds to Coal" [from the forthcoming transnormal skiperoo. i reviewed this the other week and my opinion has really only been bolstered by the time. this is an amazing album.]
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Super Furry Animals - "Run-Away" [from hey, venus! released in the u.k. last year, it finally got an american release this week. i've yet to pour through the rest of the album, but if this song is any indication, it's quite a heady listen.]
American Music Club - "Decibels and Little Pills" [from the golden age. the resurrected american music club is back again. the album is due out on february 19th, and i like this song a lot. we'll have to hear more. honestly, i've never listened to their highly revered 90s records. any AMC fans in the house? where should i start?]
Generation X - "Night of the Cadillacs" [from valley of the dolls. billy idol's band before he went the solo route. pretty great snotty, brash and enjoyable punk. like a more glammed up dead boys with better commercial potential. or something.]
Lucinda Williams - "I Lost It" [from car wheels on a gravel road. i love this whole album, stem to stern, but this song is especially a favorite. this album was my introduction to the world of lucinda williams and i've never turned back.]
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Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Effigy" [from willie and the poor boys. not a band i would've ever expected to hear myself play, but there you have it. i don't know how long EMusic has had a huge chunk of CCR's catalogue up on their site, but they're there. this song was covered very, very well by uncle tupelo on the no alternative compilation. i never knew it was a cover, honestly, until i started rooting around these CCR albums. pretty good stuff.]

That'll do it for this week. I'll be back this Friday with Notes From Underground and next week with new and classic album reviews. Until then, Go Heels! and take care.