J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 18th August 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. This is my annual birthday show. My birthday is this Saturday, August 21st, so since this will be the show closest to my birthday, I'll celebrate by being a bit more self-indulgent than normal with my playlist, though there are some things that I really wanted to play that I didn't get to - they'll be on the show next week, no doubt.

Let's keep it short and sweet. Onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 18th August 2010

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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the Vaselines - "Sex with an X" [the title track from their forthcoming second LP. it's been a long time, and this song bodes very well. can't wait to catch them on tour either. they're going to be in chapel hill in october.]
Big Star - "When My Baby's Beside Me" [from #1 record. since i'm playing indulgent birthday boy, i had to play some big star. this music just never gets old. ever.]
Yeasayer - "Madder Red" [from odd blood. i tweeted about the incredibly odd and weirdly moving video for this song earlier this week. well worth seeing and this song is stellar. seriously.]
Verbena - "White Grrls" [from la musica negra. this was their final album before lead singer a.a. bondy went off on his solo career. there's no guarantee that bondy fans would love verbena or vice versa, but i certainly do and this is my favorite album of theirs.]
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Superchunk - "Digging for Something" [from the forthcoming majesty shredding, their first new LP in nine years! i'm so ridiculously excited and this song sounds so stupidly good. ahhh, north cackalack!]
the National - "Lit Up" [from alligator. probably in my top three favorite national songs (and usually number one, honestly). still haven't seen them play it live though. frustrating.]
Versus - "Invincible Hero" [from on the ones and threes which is quite a solid album, no joke. i've heard of these guys quite a bit, but this is my first listen to them with this album. good stuff.]
Shakin' Stevens - "Green Door" [i think i play this ever year, but this is the song that was #1 on the singles charts in the UK on the day I was born in 1981. it's a fun cover of an old classic.]
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Menomena - "TAOS" [from mines. need to get my hands on the rest of this album, but this song is a winner through and through. good job, guys.]
Art Brut - "Pump Up the Volume" [from it's a bit complicated. next week, hopefully i'll play a song from art brut front-man eddie argos' new side project, spoiler alert. they have a new EP with 3 songs, each one about a different comic book character. i love the one about batman, so that's what i'm going to try and play. meanwhile, this stone cold classic.]
Bear in Heaven - "Wholehearted Mess" [from beast rest forth mouth. going to be at hopscotch festival in a few weeks and i'm so excited to see them again. one of the best live shows i've seen this year.]
Rachel Bloom - "Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury" [i don't rightly know who this lady is, but the video for this song is so full of awesomeness, i'm just really not sure what to say. i do agree with her thoughts about bradbury's writing skills though. not so much about the sex.]
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the Love Language - "This Blood is Our Own" [from libraries. i did an interview with the love language's stu mclamb and it's up at aquarium drunkard. they'll be playing at hopscotch as well and it'll be a grand time, no doubt.]
the Velvet Crush - "One Hundred Years From Now" [from the hold me up 12" single. this is a vinyl single i bought the last time i was in london - one of the band's creation records singles. love this b-side cover of the gram parsons classic.]
Arcade Fire - "Empty Room" [from the suburbs. last week it was the number one album in the land - this week number two. the hot streak keeps running for the arcade fire.]
R.E.M. - "E-Bow the Letter" [by request via twitter. from new adventures in hi-fi. @chubbyjogger wanted to hear something from automatic for the people, but sadly, my copy wasn't around and neither was one in the station. so i went with later period REM and one of my favorite albums and songs.]
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Autolux - "Supertoys" [from transit transit. their first new album since their 2004 debut is about to drop and from the sound of this single, it's going to be every bit as good as their first album.]
The The - "The Beat(en) Generation" [from mind bomb. this song leaped into my head today. i know why - mentioned the beat generation in class. so immediately this song starts playing in my head. so had to drag it out.]
Jens Lekman - "The End of the World is Bigger Than Love" [i normally don't play a new song, the same song, on back to back weeks like this, but this song has gotten deeper and deeper into my head. if his new album is as strong as this song, i'm done for.]
Flesh for Lulu - "Postcards from Paradise" [from long live the new flesh. i first heard this song via paul westerberg's cover, but i do so enjoy the original as well.]
the Morning Benders - "I Won't Share You" [a cover of a song by the smith's. picked this up by request from the internets.]
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Conrad Plymouth - "Metamora" [from their self-titled EP. this awesome band is having the release show for the vinyl version of this EP this week. it's being put out by the new label run by the awesome muzzle of bees blog.]
X-Ray Spex - "Oh Bondage! Up Yours!" [from anthology. my friend sarah woodward put this song on a .wav file for me back in the BBS days of my internet existence and sent it to me. needless to see, it got stuck in my head.]
Robert Earl Keen - "Corpus Christi Bay" [from a bigger piece of sky. one of my all time favorite songs. it's sad and ridiculously lonely. especially in the final verse's final line. "he says he finally gave up drinking / and then he ordered me a beer" belongs in some sort of pantheon of great, solitary final lines in songs. just amazing.]
the Replacements - "Gimme Noise" [from stink. one of the 'mats' best pedal-to-the-metal songs. just blisteringly great.]
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Delta Spirit - "Golden State" [from history from below. one of my favorite singles of the year so far.]
Swirlies - "Jeremy Parker" [from blonder tongue audio baton. and what's a celebration of my birthday without some swirlies? this band is so like a secret handshake. if you run into someone who knows them, prepare to have a new musical brother or sister.]
Vic Chesnutt - "Degenerate" [from about to choke. this song also randomly landed in my head this week, so onto the show it went. vic's one of my all time favorite song writers, so he belongs on the show frequently.]
Lyle Lovett - "Flyswatter / Ice Water Blues (Monty Trenckmann's Blues)" [from joshua judges ruth. and this is from my favorite lyle lovett album and is one of his most simple and beautiful moments. a great close for the show.]

That'll do it for this week. I'll be back next week with more new music and a new age. Until then, take care.