J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 26th May 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. As always, when I skip a week, I come back fiending from being away. I think tonight's show reflects a stockpile of great new music, and I also had a lot of fun with trainee, Shane, who was a DJ with us back in the 90s as well. He'll have his own show coming up in a couple of weeks.

Now, let's go. Onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 26th May 2010 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Portugal the Man - "The Dead Dog" [from american ghetto. this song is dark and sinewy and has a wonderful beat and i'm not quite sure how to compare it with stuff i've seen of this band live doing acoustic things. still, the album is superb.]
Sixteen Horsepower - "Brimstone Rock" [from low estate. there are so many times where i wish i'd seen this band before they called it a day. something tells me that the live experience was without compare. anyone catch them when they existed?]
the Happy Hollows - "Faces" [the lead track from the excellent spells and at the bare minimum this is bound for my best singles of the year show. great, raucous rock.]
the Lemonheads - "Alison's Starting to Happen" [from it's a shame about ray. this got stuck in my head the other day (as great songs are wont to do) and it needed exercision. 'she's the puzzle piece behind the couch / that makes the sky complete.' that there's poetry.]
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the New Pornographers - "Moves" [the lead track from together which is holding up to repeat listens quite well, thank you very much. we'll see if i feel the same come december.]
Richard Hell and the Voidoids - "Love Comes in Spurts" [from blank generation. boy, if there was a punk album i bought as a teen that really changed my thoughts about punk - well, it'd be a tossup between this and television's marquee moon. but robert quine's guitar work on this is so acidic - it's amazing.]
Drive-by Truckers - "Birthday Boy" [from the big to-do. i know i only played this a few weeks ago, but man, is it ever good. one of my favorites from their latest.]
Teenage Fanclub - "Don't Look Back" [from grand prix. they're due out with a new album later this year on merge records. i truly hope that means they'll be coming back to carolina on tour again. please, oh, please.]
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Frightened Rabbit - "Nothing Like You" [from the winter of mixed drinks and perhaps one of my favorite overall songs of this year so far. the chorus just kills me.]
the Stone Roses - "She Bangs the Drums" [from their self-titled record. i don't know that there's much to say about this album at this point. unless you've never heard it. then we'll talk after you go buy it and save your soul.]
Kendal Johansson - "Blue Moon" [from the "blue moon" 7" comes this cover of big star's song from third/sister lovers. pitchfork has this track and it's a pretty interesting take on the original. there's a big star tribute show this friday, may 28th, at the cat's cradle in carborro. lots of big NC artists paying tribute to the late alex chilton. ought to be awesome.]
Tallest Man on Earth - "King of Spain" [from the wild hunt. the first song ever played on my show through our new computer system. we'll be slowly moving our back catalogue over to our new server as part of our tech upgrades. exciting times.]
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Nada Surf - "Electrocution" [from if i had a hi-fi, their new covers album. the lead single is their cover of this bill fox song and there's a pretty righteous video for it as well. i'm a little disappointed that this isn't a new album of originals - seems like it's been forever since the weight is a gift. still, sounds great.]
Soul Asylum - "Cartoon" [from hang time. picked up a copy of this for a buck the other day and, well, it's awesome. the band was always underrated just because they weren't quite the equals of their minneapolis peers, but they were great in their own right.]
the Black Keys - "She's Long Gone" [from brothers. i haven't always followed the black keys, but my initial listens to their new album is pretty sharp. we'll hear more.]
the Strugglers - "Limerence" [from the latest rights. love this record from the other year - really one of the most solid north carolina records in recent years.]
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the Love Language - "Brittany's Back" [from their forthcoming album libraries. saw these cats last friday at the blind tiger and wow, what a show. this new album is really fantastic also.]
Grandpaboy - "Lush and Green" [from the self-titled EP. this was paul westerberg's first release under his separate moniker and this song remains among my favorite all-time westerberg songs.]
Josh Ritter - "Rattling Locks" [from so runs the world away. it's still taking me time to get into the new josh ritter - his tendency to shift styles with each record makes it take a minute to readjust, but his songwriting is still strong.]
Toad the Wet Sprocket - "All In All" [from in light syrup. chris jackson of citified and i did a duet of this song last week as part of the latest often awesome benefit show raising money to help former WQFS general manager tim lafollette fight lou gerigh's disease. i had a ball doing that and want to say thanks again to chris for playing along with my idea and adding so much to it.]
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the Mynabirds - "Numbers Don't Lie" [from what we lost in the fire we gained in the flood, a really fantastic new album from former georgie james member laura burhann. we'll be hearing a lot more.]
the Church - "Russian Autumn Heart" [from gold afternoon fix. one of my favorite marty wilson-piper songs from the church's catalogue.]
the Dum Dum Girls - "I Will Be" [the title track from their newest. lump them in with this fantastic neo-garage movement that takes these dynamic pop songs disguised in fuzz. i'm loving this movement. in fact, one of my favorites of the movement is surfer blood who will be at the cats cradle on tuesday, june 15th.]
Vic Chesnutt - "Giant Sands" [from about to choke, vic's lone major label release from 1996 which is getting a reissue on CD and vinyl in mid-june. you can read my look back at the album over at aquarium drunkard.]
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Blitzen Trapper - "Laughing Lover" [from destroyer of the void, their forthcoming album. this song has a lot of the classic trappings of a blitzen trapper song from their last few albums. looking forward to the whole thing.]
Whiskeytown - "Everything I Do" [from stranger's almanac, without question my favorite whiskeytown album. this song ranks among my favorite all time ryan adams songs as well.]
Super Deluxe - "She Came On" [from famous, another of the 90s one-hitters i've been covering over at aquarium drunkard. one of my favorite power-pop gems of the decade.]
Sonic Youth - "Drunken Butterfly" [from dirty. the muddled audio before the song is an old cart recording of the band doing a rock the vote promotion. i didn't know it would come out sounding so inaudible. oh, well.]
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Benji Hughes - "Country Love" [from a new sargeant records single with charlotte, north carolina's benji being backed up by the band willoughby. it's a nice little tune and makes me wonder when benji's follow-up album will finally drop.]
Jay Bennett - "The Engines Are Idle" [from his whatever happened i apologize. jay's final album, kicking the perfumed air, will be released in june on a pay-what-you-want price with all proceeds going to the jay bennett foundation to help support music education. you know it'll be worth hearing, so when it comes out, go pitch some money to a very worthy cause in jay's memory.]

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

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 12th May 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. A pretty great set of songs tonight, both new and old.

I'll be elsewhere next week because Blair will be playing at the Cave in Chapel Hill next Wednesday, May 19th at 7:30 PM. Come up and check out what will undoubtedly be a fantastic show.

Also, come out this Friday and Saturday to see me MC'ing shows at the Blind Tiger. Friday features the Goodbye House, Stephaniesid and the Alcazar Hotel. Saturday is Joe G's Cover Band Explosion to raise money for the Guilford County Humane Society. It'll feature cover bands of REM, Shocking Blue, Bauhaus, Rick Springfield, the Cars, ZZ Top and more. Both will be a great time.

Now, while we can, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 12th May 2010

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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the Hold Steady - "The Smidge" [from heaven is whenever. this track has been getting a lot of props from people talking up this album, so i thought it was about time we took a listen. i'm more partial to other tracks on the album, but it's still good.]
the Stooges - "Loose" [from fun house. i got "loose fit" by the happy mondays in my head this afternoon, but i'd played black grape last week, so i went with this song instead. nothing alike aside from the title.]
Jews and Catholics - "Who Are? We Think We Are!" [the title track from their excellent new album. they're playing this sunday, may 16th at local 506 in chapel hill opening for art brut's eddie argos' side project, everyone was in the french resistance..now! ought to be an awesome show.]
Vic Chesnutt - "Philip Guston" [from at the cut. my favorite record of last year and it really, really still is as amazing as it was the first time i listened to it. time goes on and it doesn't get an easier to realize there won't be any more new music from vic.]
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the New Pornographers - "Up in the Dark" [from together, easily one of my favorite records of this year so far. that's so nice to feel considering how long it took me to warm up to challengers, ultimately only to have it be my least favorite of their albums.]
Jay Farrar - "Hanging on to You" [from terroir blues, my favorite farrar solo album. it didn't seem to trigger a ton of devotion among people, but i'd imagine if i found some fellow lovers of it, they'd be as all about it as me. just sayin'.]
Pavement - "Cut Your Hair" [originally from wowee zowee but also on the new quarantine the past best of collection. can't wait to see them this summer.]
Daisy Chainsaw - "Love Your Money" [from 1992's eleventeen which got the sevens treatment over at aquarium drunkard today. this 90s one-hit wonders series is pretty fun so far. looking forward to writing the others.]
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Josh Ritter - "Lantern" [from so runs the world away. i'll give this to josh ritter. he hasn't made two records in a row alike yet. that's great, but it also makes digging into new records a bit of a longer process as it's guaranteed to be something different. this new one's no different and i'm trying to figure it out. good stuff, though.]
Telekinesis - "Tokyo" [from their self-titled debut. michael lerner is one of the most genuinely nice folks i've met over the years in music and he's such a great power-pop writer to boot.]
Futurebirds - "Red Top Girl" [from their self-titled EP. they killed at local 506 last night and this song was a good part of the reason. if you get a chance to see these guys live, do yourself a favor and do it. a seriously great time.]
Jim White - "A Perfect Day to Chase Tornadoes" [from ..wrong-eyed jesus. jim used to sell bumper stickers with the title phrase of this song on them. wish i'd gotten one back in the day.]
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Kurt Vile - "Ocean City" [from square shells EP. new music from his forthcoming EP. vile is one of those people i've heard tons about, but am way late getting a proper listen to.]
M.I.A. - "Born Free" [from the forthcoming album with a title i'm not sure how to say. i didn't really dig the other song leaked from the album, "xxxo," but this song is still killer.]
Bob Dylan - "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" [from highway 61 revisited. all the news lately about juarez, mexico and the violence there has had me thinking of this song and its majestic opening line. so there you go.]
Drive-by Truckers - "Santa Fe" [from the big to-do. it's the best song on the record. i think anyway. a fellow trucker's fan who loves this album also very much disagrees with me, but, you know, that's how it goes.]
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Blair - "Die Young" [the title track from her excellent album. she's going to be playing at the cave in chapel hill next wednesday night at 7:30. an early show, but obviously very worth it.]
the Mekons - "Memphis, Egypt" [from mekons rock 'n' roll. a record i got into from the deep stacks here at WQFS some years ago. i really need to expand further into the mekons' catalogue, but this album still kills me.]
Sage Francis - "Slow Man" [from li(f)e. the new album features califone as his backing band and this particular track also has members of calexico. not as awesome as i'd hope, but still pretty solid.]
Kathleen Edwards - "Hockey Skates" [from failer. i tweeted tonight about how mesmerizing this song is - it's always been a favorite of mine.]
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the National - "Afraid of Everyone" [from high violet. from the newly released album by the national. it's been getting an interesting set of mostly positive reviews. m. garner at aquarium drunkard had a positive, but reserved, view of things.]
Liz Phair - "Cinco De Mayo" [by request from whipsmart. sure, the request was from last week and i'm late, but hey, it was appropriate for last week. a lovely deep track from a great album.]
Roky Erickson and Okkervil River - "True Love Cast Out All Evil" [the title track from their excellent new album. the lyrics get a bit repetitive, but it really works in the context of this song.]
the Goodbye House - "Life Remains" [from their little EP. they're playing along with asheville's stephanie's ID this friday at the blind tiger. i'll be mc'ing, so come on down and say howdy.]
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Caribou - "Found Out" [from swim. more from this unique and excellent record.]
Television - "The Dream's Dream" [from adventure. this song lept into my head yesterday and i made sure to bring my copy. 'the elevator called me up / she said "you better start making sense."' such a gorgeous and under-discussed album.]

That'll do it for this week. I'll be back in two weeks with more new music. Until then, take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 5th May 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. The music season is really getting ramped up as new release after new release has been dropping in the past few weeks - it's going to be an interesting year when we get to the end for the Top 25 Albums show. I think this week's show is pretty chock full of winners.

I'd also like to quickly thank all of you who voted for me in Yes! Weekly's Triad's Best awards for Best Broadcast DJ. I finished as runner-up which is amazing. I beat out plenty of competition over at other commercial stations and since I'm only on the air two hours a week, that's an awesome showing. It really made me feel amazing and I can't thank y'all enough for voting for me.

Now, before my head gets any bigger, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 5th May 2010 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - "The Game Gets Old" [the lead track from their newest, i learned the hard way. they're playing next tuesday night, may 11th, at the cat's cradle in carborro, north carolina. guaranteed to be a dance party and a half. you'll probably get laid. it's that kind of music. just sayin'.]
the Minutemen - "Corona" [from double nickles on the dime. it seemed rather obvious i needed to play this for cinco de mayo. though later on a caller rightfully called me out for not playing liz phair's "cinco de mayo" and i'll have to make it up next week.]
the Love Language - "Heart to Tell" [from the forthcoming libraries. is this band ridiculously good or what? if they keep writing songs like this, there won't be an end to how great their music is.]
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - "Let It Ride" [from the second disc of cold roses, a close second behind heartbreaker as my favorite adams solo album. this song got stuck in my head earlier this week, as songs often do, so it nestled its way into the playlist.]
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the New Pornographers - "Silver Jenny Dollar" [from the excellent new album together. you can read my review of the album over at aquarium drunkard. this is probably my favorite dan bejar song on the album and it's full of some awesome tunes.]
For Squirrels - "8:02 PM" [from example. i'm doing a series of posts at aquarium drunkard this month about 90s one-hit wonders and the first piece is about for squirrel's "mighty k.c." it's a tragic story and well worth reading about if you don't know it. not to mention hearing their great music.]
Broken Social Scene - "World Sick" [from the new forgiveness rock record. i'm not a huge broken social scene fan. more of a fan of the offshoot bands than the main group, but i'm digging this song from the new album. looks like i'll have to give the new album a run through.]
the Breeders - "The She" [from title t.k. kind of by request as i had a caller ask for some breeders, though i already had this on the agenda. i'll give him half credit. there you go, danger dan.]
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Josh Ritter - "The Curse" [from so runs the world away. i'll give half credit for the request to @sarae on twitter as i already had this one cued up as well. josh will be at the carolina theatre in durham, north carolina on tuesday, may 11th. more great music.]
the Velvet Crush - "Time Wraps Around You" [if you've never heard teenage symphonies to god, you're missing out on a classic, classic album. so go fix that right now if you can even easily find a copy. sad.]
Caribou - "Odessa" [from the new swim. i was unsure what to make of this song when i first heard it, but i'm digging it more and more as i listen to it.]
Midnight Oil - "My Country" [from earth and sun and moon. this song lept into my head on the way to the car after work today. now if that's not a last minute addition to the show, i don't know what is. great, great australian rock.]
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the Hold Steady - "We Can Get Together" [from heaven is whenever. the title of the album comes from this song and this ignited a whole minneapolis themed set as this song also references the following song..]
Husker Du - "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill" [from new day rising. one of my favorites from this, one of the husker's best albums as well. minneapolis rock and roll, y'all.]
Atmosphere - "Painting" [from when life gives you lemons, you paint that shit gold. one of the many amazing hip-hop groups emerging from a vibrant twin cities hip-hop scene over the past five plus years.]
Tommy Womack - "The Replacements" [from circus town. over at aquarium drunkard i talked about this song while linking to my podcast interview about the 'mats that went up last week. probably as good a summary of the band's work as jim walsh's full-length book. both great in their own ways.]
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the Radio Dept. - "A Token of Gratitude" [from clinging to a scheme. the more i listen to the songs on this record, the deeper i'm getting into it. pitchfork was right, it seems. good call, guys.]
Health - "Morning Sigh" [from where ya been? this is the now-defunct greensboro band health - not the noisy california band. of the two, i prefer this health. miss these guys.]
Jews and Catholics - "Fevers" [from who are? we think we are! if you didn't catch last week's show, then you missed the live interview and performance by jews and catholics here on the show. the live tracks are well worth hearing, so go check it out.]
the Germs - "Lexicon Devil" [from (gi). the west coast punk scenes of the early 80s were never my cup of tea. i got into bad religion when i was a teenager, but i was always way more into the outliers - bands like X - that bucked the sound of the scene in general. so i finally downloaded the germs' debut album this week - my first real listen to them. it's a pretty amazing record. i kind of enjoy 'discovering' well known bands for myself long after i should have in the first place. it's a fun exercise.]
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Futurebirds - "Megachills" [from their self-titled EP. they'll be at local 506 in chapel hill next tuesday, may 11th, opening for jessica lea mayfield. can't wait to see these guys in action.]
Black Grape - "Reverend Black Grape" [from it's great when you're straight. yeah! though it caused nowhere near the same ruckus as the record i'm about to compare it to, this album is every bit the equal to the happy mondays' pills 'n' thrills and bellyaches. shaun ryder really did have a second coming (that just as quickly evaporated), but every artist should be so lucky as to create two equally classic, fun, thrilling records.]
the Mynabirds - "What We Gained in the Fire" [from what we lost in the fire, we gained in the flood. we're going to be pulling our way through this record week by week, i imagine, the same way i did georgie james' debut LP. this is immaculate pop.]
Teenage Fanclub - "Star Sign" [from bandwagonesque. i heard that teenage fanclub has a new album (finally) dropping. it's been a bit of a wait, so here's some classic stuff to whet the appetite.]
John Prine - "Long Monday" (live) [from in person & on stage. another track from the forthcoming live release. this guy is a certifiable legend for good reason.]

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