J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 24th February 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. I had a tough time tonight with so much great stuff - no way I was going to get to all the good music I wanted to, so if I say I'm going to play something at the top of the podcast, take it with a grain of salt. I may end up not even getting to it. Oh, well.

So, a bit of a fun announcement - the podcast had its best month ever in the three years and four months of its existence in terms of downloads. More people downloaded the podcast this month than in any single month prior. It's a great achievement and I'm super excited. I'm fairly sure that tweeting the podcasts and getting those tweets re-tweeted by artists and followers is helping a lot, so if you're re-tweeting my podcast, thanks a lot. I really appreciate your enthusiasm about the show and wanting to share it with others. It means a lot.

Now, while I'm still misty-eyed, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 24th February 2010 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
>
the Clientele - "I Wonder Who We Are" [from bonfires on the heath. they're playing tonight at the cat's cradle in carborro along with vetiver. a great show, no doubt.]
the Heartbreakers - "Born to Lose" [from L.A.M.F. a classic punk record that doesn't always get mentioned in surface conversations of the 70s new york punk scene. well worth hearing if that's your thing, man.]
Vampire Weekend - "Horchata" [from contra. have i mentioned that i love drinking horchata? that stuff is amazing. this song is pretty great as well.]
Liz Phair - "Polyester Bride" [from whitechocolatespaceegg. the last good liz phair album. i hope she changes that, but, well, we'll see.]
>
the New Pornographers - "Your Hands (Together)" [from the forthcoming together album which will be out in early may. pretty exciting to have yet another album from the excellent super group coming out. grab this song for yourself at the band's site.]
the Velvet Underground - "Who Loves the Sun" [from loaded. after the gorgeous day we had on sunday - temperatures in the 60s, beautiful sun - i decided that i was actually ready for spring. then this snow today reminded me that i actually do really enjoy the winter. i'll take a bit more.]
Decoration Ghost - "Horizon" [from the excellent the haze of wine and age. they put on a masterful show at the blind tiger here in town last saturday night. catch them while you can.]
Clem Snide - "End of Love" [by request. the title track from their 2005 album. their latest, the meat of life, we will definitely hear something from next week.]
>
Drive-by Truckers - "Birthday Boy" [from the big to-do. i do so love me some mike cooly songs. this is no exception. add this to some phantom mix of "songs involving strippers as major characters."]
the Stranglers - "Peaches" [from rattus norvegicus. one of the crazier stranglers songs. and certainly one of the most disturbing on many levels. great stuff.]
Surfer Blood - "Take It Easy" [from astro coast which is, well, just a tremendous record. anyone go catch them at snug harbor in charlotte on monday night? or has anyone seen them live at all? what's the verdict there?]
Phoenix - "Lasso" [by request. from wolfgang amadeus phoenix. these guys are blowing up and deservedly so. hard to hate on that.]
>
the Morning Benders - "Excuses" [from the forthcoming big echo. a pretty great album so far. i'll be doing the review for aquarium drunkard next week.]
Kathleen Edwards - "I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory" [from asking for flowers. i do love this song quite a bit and the video is hilarious. a great song - love all those metaphors.]
Harlem - "Be Your Baby" [from the excellent hippies which is out shortly. this is a punchy, great throwback song from an album full of great moments like this.]
the Gutter Twins - "All Misery/Flowers" [by request. from saturnalia. i wasn't hugely sold on this album, but it has some good moments. i think it just failed on the scale of really high expectations on something involving greg dulli and mark lanegan.]
>
Johnny Cash - "Ain't No Grave" [from the forthcoming american VI: ain't no grave, the last of the american recordings records that johnny cash did with rick rubin. amazing opening track.]
Pavement - "Date with IKEA" [originally from brighten the corners, but also on the forthcoming quarantine the past best-of collection. a great choice for such a thing.]
Jesse Malin - "Wendy" [from the fine art of self-destruction, his debut. my friend lis, @lastyearsgirl_ over on twitter, is a big fan of jesse and has been indirectly reminding me of the fact that i like him as well. he has a new record on slate for later this year.]
Tom Waits - "Tom Traubert's Blues" (live) [from a 1974 radio broadcast on WNEW in new york. originally i got a hold of this through aquarium drunkard and it's a doozy of a live waits set. some solo and sparsely backed pieces. amazing.]
>
the Happy Hollows - "We Will Find You" [from the excellent spells. please to be coming out to north carolina and playing!]
Gene Clark - "Elevator Operator" [from his debut solo album after leaving the byrds, gene clark with the gosdin brothers. gene's songs were some of my favorites on those early byrds records and this record is no slouch either.]
Best Coast - "In My Room" [from the make you mine EP. i'll be honest, the name of this band seemed obnoxious to me at first. but then i listened to them and, well, add them into the stack of amazing scratchy, noisy lo-fi bands making winning pop music.]
Gil Scott-Heron - "Me and the Devil" [from i'm new here. if you still haven't seen the video for this, well, take the time already.]
the Replacements - "Learn How to Fail" [a demo of a song from their early time on sire records. i've had this song on a cassette bootleg for years, but it recently surfaced, along with a bunch of other demos, on the captains dead blog. check it out.]
>
Vic Chesnutt - "Degenerate" [from about to choke. this song is simply stunning. that is all.]

That'll do it for this week! I'll see you back here next week for another great episode. Until then, take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 17th February 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. Another great show chock full of great new music tonight. 2010 is already off to an amazing start, new music wise, and there's already tons more slated for release in the coming months. Amazing.

I completely blanked on mentioning the Decoration Ghost/Citified/A Rooster for the Masses show coming up this Saturday night, February 20th at the Blind Tiger here in Greensboro. Make sure you come out and catch this hellaciously awesome show.

Now, before I forget anything else, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 17th February 2010 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
>
A.C. Newman - "The Heartbreak Rides" [from get guilty. with the new pornographers new album, together, due for a release in april, i thought i'd get us salivating in anticipation. yum.]
Drive-by Truckers - "Do It Yourself" [from decoration day. i missed both of their shows in raleigh last week, but the new album, the big to-do, is due out very soon. so let's get excited, shall we?]
Gil Scott-Heron - "New York Is Killing Me" [from i'm new here, the second single from the record. a bare-bones, skeletal blues-rap that is punctuated by banging bass drum and cymbals. it's a haunting song and wow, this record just gets better and better.]
Tubeway Army - "Listen to the Sirens" [from their self-titled debut. the first track of a long, fruitful career for gary numan. i love his first four or five records. awesome stuff.]
>
Dr. Dog - "Shadow People" [from the forthcoming shame, shame which will be out in april on anti records. grab a copy of the song from aquarium drunkard over here.]
Bob Dylan - "I Want You" [from blonde on blonde. i got this song stuck in my head earlier today and, well, there you go. don't tell anyone you don't own this record. it'll be okay.]
Lucero - "The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo" [from 1372 overton park. sneaking in the back door at the relatively new aquarius music hall in high point, north carolina, lucero will be there this friday, february 19th. check out the venue and get there, folks.]
Dilated Peoples - "Work the Angles" [from the platform, their debut. this song tore the house down the first time i ever saw these guys - one of the most raucous and fun shows i've ever been to.]
>
Harlem - "Friendly Ghost" [from their forthcoming hippies. aquarium drunkard's chief writer has pimped the hell out of these guys for some time and i can see why. great rock and roll.]
the Ladybug Transistor - "Always on the Telephone" [from can't wait another day, their most recent. got to see these folks at the merge XX anniversary this past summer and it was a divine treat.]
the Lemonheads - "No Backbone" [from their self-titled 2007 album. one of the highlights of evan dando's solo set a couple of weeks ago also.]
Akron/Family - "Everyone is Guilty" [from last year's excellent set 'em wild, set 'em free. they're playing tonight at artistika here in greensboro, though by the time this goes up, the show will probably be close to over. so, yeah, hope you're there.]
>
Surfer Blood - "Swim" [from the outstanding astro coast. they're playing monday night, february 22nd, at snug harbor in charlotte. i really want to go. who's going?]
Buffalo Tom - "You'll Never Catch Him" [from their 2007 reunion album three easy pieces. this is one of my all time favorite buffalo tom songs and considering what a huge fan i am, and how many great records they did in the 90s, that is no small statement. i hate that they seem to have been lost in the wake of the 90s alt-rock surge.]
Lissie - "Wedding Bells" [from the excellent why you runnin' EP. more great neo-classic country sounding work from this california artist.]
Pavement - "Grounded" [from wowee zowee, but also from the forthcoming quarantine the past best of collection that is due out in march. all this as a ramp up for the big reunion this year. i really hope i get to go to pitchfork and catch them.]
>
the Morning Benders - "Promises" [from the forthcoming big echo. i hadn't give these guys much of my time on the albums past, but people are getting amped up for this one. it's a solid record, definitely.]
the Reigning Sound - "You're Not As Pretty" [from time bomb high school. i saw a band from charlotte last night, the temperance league, who reminded me in spirit and style of the reigning sound even if their singer didn't have the power of reigning sound's front man. still, a band to watch out for if they come around your way here in NC. either of them, really.]
Lee Wallace - "All the World Is Green" [from the sea, the sea. this is lee's take on a tom waits classic and he does it justice, for real. get this album. support greensboro music.]
the Happy Hollows - "Death to Vivek Kemp" [from spells which is a wicked good album. check out the awesome video as well.]
>
the Whigs - "Hundred/Million" [from their forthcoming in the dark. really awesome song and you can stream the new album if you become their fan on facebook.]
Blair - "Candy in the Kitchen" [from the excellent die young. i'll continue to gush about this album for awhile. don't worry. keep enjoying it.]
Go Home Productions - "Mick 'n' Carly" [from spliced krispies. first of all, if you've never heard this mash-up record, go download it. next, you can read about how carly simon is soliciting people to make videos for "you're so vain" and then you can check out the awesome one made for this mash-up. you're welcome.]
Bear in Heaven - "Wholehearted Mess" [from beast rest forth mouth, the title so abusrd it becomes surprisingly easy to remember. they're at local 506 in chapel hill along with cymbals eat guitars on sunday, march 7th. i'll be there.]
>
Susu - "Calling" [from the excellent r and r and r. i can't say much more about this record - saving it for the review. just awesome.]
Midlake - "Small Mountain" [from the courage of others. this is a slow burn of a record and i'm still wrapping my head around it, but it's an interesting listen at the very least. gorgeous stuff.]
Bobb Trimble - "One Mile From Heaven" [from iron curtain innocence which is an amazing independent self-released record that is amazing neo-psychedelia at its best. check out this post at aquarium drunkard about his albums and enjoy.]

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

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 10th February 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. I'm going to keep it short and simple. Obviously I'm back at the usual Wednesday 6pm timeslot for what is now my sixth straight year. I love this spot and it's thanks to being able to be here week in and week out that a good community of listeners and music has sprung up around the show. Great stuff.

Now, before the gas hits the fire, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 10th February 2010 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
>
the Whigs - "In the Dark" [the title track from their forthcoming album. oh, my goodness i'm excited for this album. i love the whigs. a power-house live if you can catch them. you should do that.]
the Dead Boys - "Sonic Reducer" [from young loud and snotty. the dead boys don't get much talk outside of music-nerds when it comes to the punk scene of the late 70s, but they put out a pretty awesome debut - its connections to rocket from the tomb is, of course, important as well.]
Fucked Up - "Carried Out to Sea" [from the new couple tracks: singles 2002-2009. the best name i can't actually say on the air. this is a collection of singles as it says, and it documents the band's progress over their first seven years of existence pretty well. great post-hardcore.]
Fall on Your Sword - "Captain Kirk Is Climbing a Mountain" [i'm crediting this to the site that developed this video and, thus, this song. it's brilliant. bonus footage from the stark trek V DVD?]
>
Vampire Weekend - "Cousins" [from contra. i'm totally won over. okay? i take back any snide looks i ever made in the direction of an article about vampire weekend. fine.]
the Lemonheads - "Stove" [by twitter request! from 1990's lovey. went and saw evan dando at tremont music hall in charlotte last night - my first show there in 8 years. dando did a great job speeding through a whole clutch of classic lemonheads tunes. this was one of them and i was super excited to hear it.]
Akron/Family - "River" [from set 'em wild, set 'em free. they'll be playing at artistika here in greensboro next wednesday, february 17th, sponsored by WUAG. definitely a show to see.]
Fever Ray - "If I Had a Heart" [by twitter request! the lead track from her 2009's debut. i guess this is where i ought to link to the best awards acceptance speech ever. yeah. there it is.]
>
Jason Falkner - "This Time" [from the forthcoming i'm okay, you're okay. this is falkner's fourth solo record post-jellyfish. great power pop.]
Warren Zevon - "Carmelita" (demo) [from the reissue of his self-titled debut. a nice demo version that in certain ways outclasses the more glossy studio cut. love this song.]
Tallest Man on Earth - "King of Spain" [from the forthcoming the wild hunt which will be released on the dead oceans label. this song is everything that one man and a guitar needs to be. awesome, that is.]
Arab Strap - "Haunt Me" [by twitter request! from the red thread. glad to finally get this up there for you, lis. not a bad song. i've honestly never really listened to them.]
>
Happy Hollows - "Faces" [from the new spells which is a dynamite album. expect to hear these guys pretty regularly for awhile.]
Placebo - "36 Degrees" [from their self-titled debut. i got this song stuck in my head a few days ago - maybe flashbacks based on the fact i was going to tremont music hall last night, the only time i've ever seen placebo live - and now it is exorcised. i have given up on following them, but those first few records are pretty dynamite. they're spottier after that.]
the Soft Pack - "C'mon" [from their self-titled debut. if you want to grab this song (and you do - it's killer), then head on over to aquarium drunkard and grab it.]
R.E.M. - "Wendell Gee" [by e-mail request. from fables of the reconstruction. this record often gets a bit overlooked in the early REM catalogue, but i like it. just sayin'.]
>
Gil Scott-Heron - "I'll Take Care of You" [from i'm new here which i reviewed last week for aquarium drunkard. this cover of the bobby bland song is one of three covers on the album, all of them an excellent contribution to the album's cohesive feel.]
the Afghan Whigs - "Honky's Ladder" [from black love. i've been listening to this album off and on for most of the week. i've never gotten allmusic's 2 1/2 star rating for this record. to me it's right up there with gentlemen. it's a dark, noir-laden masterwork. anyone with me here?]
Blair - "Wolfboy" [from die young. i'll have played this entire record on the show by the time i get done probably. yeah, it's that good.]
Kindness - "Swinging Party" [from their "swinging party"/"gee up" 7" single. this is the only thing the band has put out and it's a really intriguing cover of the replacements' classic. give it a listen.]
>
the Ruby Suns - "Cinco" [from the forthcoming fight softly. i haven't given these guys a listen before, so perhaps we'll hear more. if i'm being reductive, it reminds me of passion pit only less twee.]
Velocity Girl - "Forgotten Favorite" [from their self-titled EP. going to be writing a piece on slumberland records for aquarium drunkard soon and this band will be involved. obviously.]
Decoration Ghost - "Father's Fists" [from the haze of wine and age. they'll be playing at the blind tiger in greensboro on saturday, february 20th along with citified and a rooster for the masses. get there.]
Bear in Heaven - "Wholehearted Mess" [from beast rest forth mouth. playing at local 506 on sunday, march 7th along with cymbals eat guitars. in other words: awesome playing with awesome.]
>
Beach House - "Zebra" [from the new teen dream which has gotten rave reviews. we'll be hearing more.]
Charlotte Gainsbourg - "In the End" [from the new IRM record produced by beck. lovely and amazing stuff from what i've heard so far.]
Lissie - "Little Lovin'" [from the why you runnin' EP. wow - this is some straight up classic sounding country music right here. we will be hearing a lot, lot more of this. meanwhile, go grab this song over at aquarium drunkard.]
A.A. Bondy - "Mightiest of Guns" [from when the devil's loose. bondy played a daytrotter session recently and it's well worth checking out.]

That'll do it for this week. Until next week, take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 3rd February 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. A stellar cavalcade of cavorting rock choruses and canoodling tonight. We're finishing up temp schedule for training this week and will be in our fixed spring timeslots by next Monday. I should be in my usual spot, so just check out the blog and the Twitter feed to make sure it's the case.

Now, before the shine is off the shoe, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 3rd February 2010 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
>
Vampire Weekend - "Holiday" [from contra. perhaps i should put together a vacation/holiday themed podcast at some point. i'll be doing another j's indie/rock theme podcast before the end of the month, so stay tuned for that.]
Spacehog - "Cruel to be Kind" [from resident alien. haters, step away. i've got muzzle of bees on my side regarding this one. love this record.]
Chuck Prophet - "Sonny Liston's Blues" [from let freedom ring! i loved this track when i played it a couple of weeks ago, so thought i'd let it repeat.]
King Khan and the Shrines - "Torture" [from the supreme genius of.. they'll be at the cat's cradle on monday, march 29th. i've heard nothing but amazing things about this live show, so get on it.]
>
Charlotte Gainsbourg - "Heaven Can Wait" [from IRM, her new album produced by beck. beck also plays a heavy vocal role in this song. as if you couldn't tell. great record and check out the video for this track.]
Stevie Wonder - "Higher Ground" [from innervisions. someone was asking me about playing stevie wonder the other week and, well, here you go. the man himself.]
Califone - "Polish Girls" [from the fantastic all my friends are funeral singers. i really can't say enough good things about this album.]
Okkervil River - "Plus Ones" [from the stage names. the cleverness here never gets olds - neither does playing 'name the allusion' with the lyrics, either.]
>
Los Campesinos! - "Romance is Boring" [the title track from their latest. thanks to podcast listener and twitter follower, lis, i was corrected in my statement last week that these folks were scottish. they are, in fact, welsh. thanks, lis!]
Rilo Kiley - "The Moneymaker" [by request. so, caller wanted to hear a track from the execution of all things, but our copy is long gone. so, the best i could do. he later called back to tell me i'd broken his heart. fragile, man.]
Twilight Singers - "When Doves Cry" [from the purplish rain tribute album put out by spin magazine - artists covering songs from the purple rain album. this twilight singers cover of "when doves cry" is, put simply, amazing. seriously.]
Dr. Dog - "The Ark" [by twitter request! from fate. @sarae is pondering going to see dr. dog live and i told her i'd heard fantastic things about their live show. good records, too.]
>
Surfer Blood - "Floating Vibes" [another winner from the awesome astro coast. they'll be playing at snug harbor in charlotte on monday, february 22nd. i'm pondering going, definitely.]
the Lemonheads - "Rudderless" [from it's a shame about ray. evan dando is playing a solo show in charlotte at tremont music hall on tuesday, february 9th. the head lemon himself.]
Decoration Ghost - "Thick Tan Rope" [from the haze of wine and age, the excellent new album from one of greensboro's own. they're playing saturday, february 20th along with citified at the blind tiger here in greensboro.]
Mary Lou Lord - "Lights Are Changing" [from her self-titled album - an earlier more raw take on the nick solomon song she would do again on got no shadow. very, very good stuff.]
>
Midlake - "Rulers, Ruling All Things" [from the courage of others. listen. i'll be honest. i was underwhelmed by the trials of van occupanther, even though "roscoe" was a pretty winning song. but everyone and their mother (hi, moms) have been raving about this new one and...it is good, so far. we'll hear more.]
Wilco - "Impossible Germany" [by request. from sky blue sky. another failed request as caller wanted to hear something from another wilco record we didn't have either. theft, kids. it kills requests. still, love this song.]
Phoenix - "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" [yup - it's phoenix covering bob dylan and the results are lovely. got hipped to this through georgia's blog. thanks, gal!]
Wire - "Outdoor Miner" [from chairs missing. there are times where i'm fairly sure this is my favorite wire album. i think it reaches a lovely balance between the arty punk of the first record and the art post-punk of the third.]
>
Gil Scott-Heron - "Me and the Devil" [from i'm new here. the man himself will be at the carolina theatre in durham this friday, february 5th. and weather permitting, so will i. super excited.]
Noahjohn - "Ballad of William Roy" [from water hymns. ever since i wrote about this album for the aquarium drunkard decade series, i'd been meaning to pull this one out for the show. a slow-burning, haunting song.]
Blair - "Die Young" [the title track from her new album. seriously great stuff. i like this title track - it's an insidious song, slowly working its way into your brain. or at least, that's how it has treated me.]
the Monks - "Monk Time" [from black monk time. blair and i had a small discussion via twitter about the monks a couple of weeks back, so i thought it appropriate to follow her up with the lead track from, essentially, their only album. protean punk.]
>
Happy Hollows - "Death to Vivek Kamp" [from the new spells. awesome song. check out the video for it as well. come to NC!]
the Mamas and the Papas - "California Dreamin'" [from if you can believe your eyes and ears. i have talked a lot about how amazing i think this song was and still is - it's really one of the songs that truly shows how deep pop music can be while still painting an amazing aesthetic canvas. these songs are rare.]
Garfunkel and Oates - "Sex with Ducks" [this is one of my favorite songs by the comedy song duo of riki lindhome and kate micucci. they have a number of great songs, but this one tops my list if only for its fantastic video.]
Vic Chesnutt - "Everything I Say" [from north star deserter. this was the record that really got me into vic a few years back and i'd become a pretty devoted listener from that point on and it was songs like this one (and the equally amazing "debriefing" from that album) that did it to me.]

That'll do it for this week. I'll be back next week with more great music, so until then, take care.