J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 14th May 2008

[Another great episode of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem tonight - some really good new stuff and some old favorites, as always. I'll mention it again in a bit, but I wanted to give you a head's up that my interview with Patterson Hood of the Drive-by Truckers will air on the show next week, so make sure you pay attention for that. It will be appearing, in transcript form, on Aquarium Drunkard later this week and before the broadcast, so check there if you can't wait 'til next Wednesday.

Congratulations to Barry who knew that the Roots hail from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He won this week's $15 gift certificate to BB's New and Used CDs and DVDs over in the Quaker Village shopping center. We give that certificate away every week at the beginning of the third set, right around 6:30, so tune in for your chance to win.

In the meantime, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 14th May 2008 Show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Drive-by Truckers - "The Righteous Path" [from brighter than creation's dark. i got to catch the truckers on both tuesday and wednesday night this week at the cat's cradle in carrboro, north carolina. those made my ninth and tenth times, respectively, of seeing the truckers live and it never gets old. had a great interview with patterson hood on tuesday - and a nice dinner conversation as well. as i said, that interview will broadcast next week here on the show.]
Buffalo Tom - "Soda Jerk" [from big red letter day. one of my favorite songs by this band that i've only recently begun to 'discover' after hearing their name for years. this is the kind of stuff that used to be a mainstay of even commercial 'alternative'/'modern rock' radio, but has disappeared over time. what happened to good, literate pop rock's place in the commercial mainstream?]
Dizzee Rascal - "Sirens" [from maths + english. i do love this song. one of my favorite singles of 2007.]
the Buzzcocks - "Harmony in my Head" [from singles going steady. of all the sugary, poppy songs of the buzzcocks, this song always stood out a touch more. i love its dark tones and anthemic type chorus.]
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Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - "Gardenia" [from real emotional trash. this is the forthcoming single from the album and one of the album's shortest tracks. one of these weeks i'm going to throw caution to the wind and play the amazing title track from this album - all ten minutes of it.]
the Happy Mondays - "Loose Fit" [from pills 'n' thrills and bellyaches. probably my favorite song from this album. did anyone ever actually get a listen to the monday's reunion album from last year? considering their recorded reputation is built on this masterpiece and the pretty good album before it (and some mediocre and awful stuff surrounding them), i wouldn't be surprised if it were a disaster. but god, black grape's first album was really brilliant - i think shaun ryder still has something awesome buried in him.]
Clinic - "Mary and Eddie" [from do it! i had been hearing a lot about clinic, but this is my first listen. i like it - we may have to hear more. but i was greatly amused by the posters for their upcoming show in chapel hill, as the opening band is called BBQ. so the posters read: "Clinic - Do It! w/ BBQ." i'm sure there are websites for that fetish, guys.]
Bombadil - "Get to Gettin On" [from a buzz, a buzz which i reviewed last week. this the last song on the album and a brilliant closer.]
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the Roots - "Get Busy" [from rising down which, thankfully, is really good. maybe i've been overly hard on the tipping point in the ensuing years, but i really didn't like it that much and game theory was such a breath of fresh air. i was worried they would lose whatever they had going there - not to worry. rising down is fantastic and we'll be hearing more.]
Arctic Monkeys - "The Bad Thing" [from favourite worst nightmare. in the wake of the libertines' demise (and babyshambles' meh-ness), the arctic monkeys are actually one of the best bands in britain at the moment. album one to album two was a great step - so here's hoping three isn't a letdown.]
Ladyhawk - "Corpse Paint" [from shots. they played at local 506 in chapel hill on tuesday night. couldn't catch them, unfortunately, because of the truckers.]
the Stone Roses - "(Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister" [by request. from their self-titled debut. the previous happy monday track had inspired a caller to get his madchester fix. another caller later complained that he would've preferred "she bangs the drum." listen, i'd play the whole album if i could. in fact, i have.]
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Hayden - "More Than Alive" [from in field & town which i reviewed this week. i'm really enjoying this album, even though the title (and opening) track originally threw me for a bit - not the hayden i was used to at first. then i recognized him. he was there all the time.]
Jim White - "Diamonds to Coal" [from transnormal skiperoo. still knocking on wood that an interview with jim will be coming up next week for later broadcast. he's playing at the berkely cafe in raleigh, north carolina, this sunday, may 18th.]
White Hinterland - "Dreaming of the Plum Tree" [from phylactery factory. this is the new project from casey dienel, whose solo work you might have heard, and i'm in love with this song somethin' fierce. it's got this great vince guaraldi type vibe to it.]
Lucas - "Lucas With the Lid Off" [from lucacentric. i've loved this song since i saw the video on MTV back in the day. and wow, i just learned something. the director of that video? michel gondry - director of eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. how's that for connections in art?]
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the Replacements - "Raised in the City" (demo) [from the new remastered/bonus tracked edition of their 1981 debut, sorry ma, forgot to take out the trash. this is one of the four songs from the demo tape that paul westerberg originally gave peter jesperson back in the day. these songs are legendary as it they are the ones that jesperson allegedly flipped out over and started the whole ball rolling for the band. this version of "raised in the city," which of course would end up on their first album proper, is different but still holds the obvious power of the band. these re-issues are so, so sweet.]
Marah - "Wild West Love Song" [from angels of destruction! this was a natural single off this record, i thought. marah is a gifted band.]
Kathleen Edwards - "Asking for Flowers" [the title track from her latest. you can still read the transcript of my interview with her or listen to the podcast of it as well.]
the New Pornographers - "All the Old Showstoppers" [from challengers. probably my favorite from that record.]
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Birds of Avalon - "Measure of the Same" [from the outer upper inner EP. i saw this come out back in the spring, but hadn't heard much. i liked this song though. we'll hear more.]
the B-52's - "52 Girls" [from their self-titled debut. isn't this scheduled for a big remaster/deluxe edition this year?]
the Breeders - "Spark" [from mountain battles. i like this album and this song especially. the best moments on the new breeders records are the dark, insular, minimalist moments, a stark contrast to the giddy, noisy anthems they were cranking out earlier in the career.]
Dwight Yoakam - "I Sang Dixie" (demo) [from the 2-CD remastered/expanded edition of guitars, cadillacs, etc. this song would eventually see release on yoakam's third album, buenas noches from a lonely room, but i prefer this earlier version. i love the interpolation of the melody of "dixie" in order to underscore the song - it's something he would remove for its proper album recording.]
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the Constantines - "Shower of Stones" [from their latest, kensington gardens. noisy and propulsive. i like. we'll have to hear more.]
Swirlies - "Pancake" [from blonder tongue audio baton. my love for this record is pretty intense. one of those discoveries you make for yourself well after you've become immersed in art so much that you don't think anything will surprise you anymore.]
Robert Earl Keen - "Corpus Christi Bay" [from a bigger piece of sky. the last line of this song, "he says he finally gave up drinking / and then he ordered me a beer" is as heartbreaking as it gets in music. i love this song.]

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