Extra Mayhem - 6th June 2009

[Tonight's Extra Mayhem is a labor of love that I spent most of this week planning. I abandoned the more direct sense of 'current events' theme for the theme hour, though it is summertime and the sun is definitely prevalent, so tonight's theme is "Here comes the sun." I had to whittle down several hours of music in order to get to tonight's final collection which comes in at about one hour and twenty minutes, so another extra-long theme hour podcast for y'all.

Due to podcast hosting storage limitations, and a couple of extra-long theme sets, this week's Indie/Rock Mayhem Podcast may not go up until Friday, July 10th. Apologies in advance for the inconvenience in reception.

I don't have anything else to add, so before I do, onward.]

J's Extra Podcast: 6th June 2009 Show

the Jayhawks - "Waiting for the Sun" [from hollywood town hall. i planned these songs out to, more or less, track the rise of the sun to the set of the sun. feel free to criticize my placement, but i figured this was about as good a song as any to open with. plus the new jayhawks' best-of hits stores this week.]
the Beatles - "Here Comes the Sun" [from abbey road. see? get it? waiting..here comes...brilliant.]
Belle and Sebastian - "Another Sunny Day" [from the life pursuit. this was the song that officially won me over as a fan of belle and sebastian. i liked the much fuller sound of this album and it made me go back and re-listen to their more classic material with a different and more appreciative ear.]
Primal Scream - "Deep Hit of Morning Sun" [from evil heat. first off, what a great song title. second, this, is an album i've rarely given any time to. when it comes to primal scream, it's either screamadelica or it's vanishing point or its, well, nothing. but this, and its predecessor, the loud and agressive XTRMNTR, are things i've long been meaning to explore further.]
the Clientele - "These Days Nothing But Sunshine" [from god save the clientele. are these guys capable of making anything other than the most gorgeous music you've ever heard?]
Beck - "Sweet Sunshine" [from mellow gold. this was one of the tracks i was most excited about playing this week. would beck, as an artist, take off now like he did in the 90s if he dropped an album like this? timing is everything.]
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Buffalo Tom - "Sundress" [from sleepy eyed. this song didn't have as big of a 'sun' theme presence, but, i love buffalo tom and this song is simply fantastic. so i played it anyway.]
Matthew Sweet - "Looking at the Sun" [from girlfriend. i like this next little sequence of songs, but thematically and sonically.]
Catherine Wheel - "Judy Staring at the Sun" [from happy days. i've always enjoyed this song a lot, even if the album it's from is pretty middling.]
the Seahorses - "Blinded by the Sun" [from do it yourself. you know, this album gets slagged a lot, but it's got some right good songs on it. yeah, it's no stone roses, but hey, not bad.]
Ray Charles - "That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)" [from modern sounds in country and western music. this is a bonus track from the expanded edition released in 1988.]
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Archer Prewitt - "Way of the Sun" [from wilderness. a lovely little tune from a gorgeous record. if you were never quite sure what to do with the sea and cake, well, here's an easier entryway.]
Chester, Sifl and Olly - "Seasons in the Sun" [so, yes, this is from the defunct mtv show sifl and olly which, upon watching again on youtube, is obviously much more funny to teenagers. that crescent freshness just hasn't held up. well, i still quote it to people.]
the Ramones - "California Sun" [from leave home. ah, the ramones. live this song is even better.]
the Close - "Sun, Shine" [from sun, burn. the close are a band i saw a handful of years ago and they really impressed me. and this album, too, was really solid. they kind of dropped off the planet though. this album came out in late 2006 and it's been silence since.]
the Godz - "Lay in the Sun" [from contact high with the godz. deranged folk music is the best way to describe this. these guys sound like they can barely play their instruments and it's so bizarre and addictive.]
Johnny Cash - "You Are My Sunshine" [from the third disc of the unearthed box set. it makes sense to have someone playing this song, right?]
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the Velvet Underground - "Who Loves the Sun" [from loaded. this song was the inspiration for this week's theme and it's a humdinger. i have to admit that i only finally bought loaded this week. i've owned the other three velvets records for years, but finally bought the final piece of the puzzle.]
Giant Sand - "Flying Around the Sun with Remarkable Speed" [from giant sand is all over the map. a pretty underated late-period giant sand record and a really sharp song as well.]
Jim White - "Crash Into the Sun" [from transnormal skiperoo. the song is funky as hell - especially the "woooo"'s that follow the word "crash" in the chorus. infectious.]
M.I.A. - "Sunshowers" [from arular. this is what a pop song should sound like, folks. do you salt and pepper your mango?]
that dog. - "Retreat from the Sun" [the title track from their final album. now that's a reunion i could stand to see.]
the Kinks - "Waterloo Sunset" [from something else by the kinks. when i knew i wanted to wrap these songs around a theme of sunrise/sunset, i knew this would be my final song. gorgeous.]

[Tonight's Wholesale album is by a band that has had an odd trajectory through American indie music. Their 1983 debut album was a huge hit and spun off several hit singles, one of which is a certifiable legend of a song. They then did what any genuinely unique band would do - turned right around the next year and put out an alienating, dark and claustrophobic follow-up that signed their commercial death warrant.

1984's Hallowed Ground is a stark, darkly raging and slightly humorous trip through Gordon Gano's dealings with religion. And when I say that this album signed the Violent Femmes' death warrant commercially - seriously, name me one radio single that still gets any amount of play that isn't off of their self-titled debut. But commercial success (arguably - and boy, there's a topic for you) doesn't determine artistic quality and while there is a similar feel to most of the Femmes' music, there's something very unique about this album. Having the country and folk musical influences channeled through the unique voice of Gano and the airy structure of the Femmes' music is certainly a boon for the album.

Hallowed Ground is not a record that is widely known outside of more dedicated fans of the band. Certainly anyone who has heard their music casually is more likely to pick up their self-titled debut or what-college-student-in-the-90s-didn't-own-a-copy-of-the Add It Up best-of collection, which does feature songs from this album. But really, these songs most likely slipped by between the drunken party shouts of 'why can't i get just one screw?!' Now, without further ado, tonight's Wholesale album of the week is...]

Track Listing

1. Country Death Song
2. I Hear the Rain [click to download.]
3. Never Tell [click to download.]
4. Jesus Walking on the Water
5. I Know It's True But I'm Sorry to Say
6. Hallowed Ground
7. Sweet Misery Blues
8. Black Girls
9. It's Gonna Rain

Violent Femmes - "I Hear the Rain" (live) [from a bootleg of a triple j radio broadcast of a show in melbourne in 1990. you can download the entire performance over here for a limited time. if you're a fan of the band, it's a top notch boot with australian fans going nuts for the band. really fun.]
Violent Femmes - "Hallowed Ground" (live) [this is from the same concert recording. enjoy.]

That'll do it for this week. I'll be back on Wednesday night with J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. Until then, take care.