J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 29th December 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. Sadly, there was, again, an issue with the podcast recording, so there is no podcast for this week's show. I'm hoping things will be fixed for next week, but always remember you can tune in live at the WQFS website and listen to me and all the other great shows on WQFS Greensboro.

Now, here's the setlist at the very least, so you can see what went down. A great show filled with a lot of throw-back stuff. I hate it didn't record, but here we go.

Onward.]

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Megafaun - "Heretofore" [the title track from their latest. my second best record of this year. and yes, i promise the best-of post and podcast is coming soon.]
Ash - "Girl from Mars" [from 1977. i used to have a caller nearly every week who requested this song repeatedly. thankfully, it's good.]
Teenage Fanclub - "When I Still Have Thee" [from shadows. this is the sleeper records of sleeper records from this year and it continues to grow on me.]
M.I.A. - "Hussel" [from kala. classic. hussel hussel hussel. grind grind grind.]
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Adam Thorn and the Top Buttons - "Life's a Bummer" [from their self-titled second record. one of my favorite songs of this year. look for the album review at aquarium drunkard after the first of the year.]
the Smashing Pumpkins - "I Am One" [from gish. been listening to a lot of smashing pumpkins lately and the head drunkard and i discussed this particular record over dinner the other night. i'm still more partial to siamese dream, but hey, this is quite good all the same.]
Superchunk - "Detroit Has a Skyline" [from here's where the strings come in. in a year that saw the resurgence of a legend, it's good to dig back as well.]
Yeasayer - "Madder Red" [from oddblood. this song is another grower. the more i hear it, the more i love it. seriously.]
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the Old Ceremony - "Tender Age" [the title track from their latest. pretty good stuff, even if we are late on this - came out in late september/early october. still, great NC music.]
Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf - "Here's a Smirk" [from big ideas. i owe the av club a huge thank you for introducing me to this record via this piece from a few years ago. i downloaded this album based on that piece and was wonderfully rewarded with a classic record that has been buried by time and a sad set of circumstances.]
Free Electric State - "Six is One" [from caress. if you play rock band at all, this song is available on there and is well worth getting as it's very fun to play. you'll be doing your extra part for a great north carolina band as well.]
XTC - "Respectable Street" [from black seas. a record i've long adored, but don't play nearly often enough on the show. the same can be said for XTC in general. a resolution for 2011? i think so.]
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Joanna Newsome - "Good Intentions Paving Co." [from have one on me. i had a discussion over christmas with a friend who loves joanna newsome. i'm still iffy about her, but i do like this track and maybe the unwieldy 3 CD album is actually a decent entry point for me with her.]
Oneida - "Happy New Year" [the title track from their 2007 album. saw them on this tour as well. great, great music.]
Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal" [from their self-titled album. seemed appropriate after the white christmas we received this year.]
Japancakes - "This Year's Beat" [from sleepy strange. a band i definitely don't play very often on the show, but sleepy strange is an album well worth hearing in all its, well, sleepy and strange, soft and gorgeous glory.]
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the Corin Tucker Band - "Pulling Pieces" [from 1,000 years. i really enjoyed this album quite a bit and it makes me lick my chops (for no good reason, really) for the release of the wild flag album next spring. here's hoping it's as solid as this.]
Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter - "Drinking With Strangers" [from reckless burning. where, oh, where have you gone, jesse? no new record from here for a few years now. it's time for something new. lay it on us. please.]
Vic Chesnutt - "Panic Pure" [from west of rome. a previous dj left his copy of this album in the MCR, so how could i resist playing something from it? yes, vic chesnutt is amazing. just sayin'.]
Travel by Sea - "Let It All Lie Down" [from days of my escape. i really enjoyed their new album from this year, but they're not new to being good. so here's something from their equally fine previous record.]
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Glasser - "Plane Temp" [from ring. did this album get much press this year? i guess my resolution for 2011 is to read more music blogs, because surely someone talked the hell out of this record. it's marvelous.]
Mojo Nixon and the Toad Liquors - "Disney is the Enemy" [by request. from Sock Ray Blue! north carolina native, if you didn't know already.]
Helium - "Pat's Trick" [from the dirt of luck. more helium on the show this year, too. or at least, more mary timony, considering the wild flag record that will be out.]
the Replacements - "Within Your Reach" [by request from hootenanny. i used to not be as high on this song as i am now. life changes things, eh? now i love it.]
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Decoration Ghost - "Repay the Spark" [from the haze of wine and age. just a seriously great song from a seriously great band. that's all.]
that dog. - "Old Timer" [from their self-titled debut. i don't play a lot off of that dog's self-titled record - i'm a much bigger fan of the two that followed - but this song was also my introduction to that dog via beavis and butt-head watching the video during one episode. i owe that show so much, really. wow, and youtube to the rescue. here's the actual clip from beavis and butt-head.]
Ned's Atomic Dustbin - "All I Ask of Myself Is That I Hold Together" [from brainbloodvolume. you know what - i'm fairly sure the first time i heard ned's atomic dustbin was on beavis and butt-head as well. man. i need to go sacrifice a goat to mike judge or something.]

That'll do it for this week. Thanks for your patience with the podcast, keep an eye out for the best of 2010 podcast and post and I'll see you next week for another edition of the show. Until then, be safe and take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 22nd December 2010Christmas Holiday Spectacular!

[Welcome to the J's Indie/Rock Mayhem Christmas Holiday Spectacular! Just in time to celebrate the holidays with family, it's two hours of Christmas and holiday season related music that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you run for the liquor. My thanks to all the people I've talked with in the last week who submitted ideas for this to flesh out my traditional songs. If you're a long-time listener to the show, you'll recognize a good chunk of these as annual participants, but there's a good bit of new performers as well, so settle in, bring the family around the computer speakers and/or mp3 player, snuggle up and listen. I'll be back next week with a totally normal version of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem.

Now, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 22nd December 2010 show

Them Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Run-DMC - "Christmas in Hollis" [from a very special christmas, a 1989 compilation to raise money for the special olympics. this song is stupidly fun. always has been. always will be.]
Elastica - "I Wanna Be a King of Orient Aah" [from bbc sessions. a cheeky little bend on the classic christmas tune.]
Roadside Graves - "Holiday Road" [from the aquarium drunkard session from earlier this year. a cover of the lindsey buckingham classic.]
Black on White Affair - "Auld Lang Syne" [from in the christmas groove from 2009, a great funk and soul compilation. funky.]
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Darlene Love - "White Christmas" [from a christmas gift for you from phil spector. one of the two artists in this set who are going to be inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 2011.]
Tom Waits - "Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis" [from blue valentines. and here's the other one. very excited that the tom is getting his due.]
the Housemartins - "I Smell Winter" [from now that's what i call quite good. a favorite seasonal song of mine.]
Slade - "Merry Xmas Everybody" [from slade smashes. a huge band in england and a huge song there as well; i first heard it in a commercial when i was studying there in college. pretty fantastic.]
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the Ramones - "Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight Tonight)" [from brain drain. one of only three decent songs on an otherwise pretty turgid record, this is still a certifiable christmas classic in my book. i think that this is the commercial i refer to in the podcast. not quite what i remember, but that's it.]
James Brown - "Soulful Christmas" [from funky christmas. there's a wealth of james brown christmas stuff out there, so here's one of 'em.]
Big Star - "Jesus Chris" (demo) [from keep an eye on the sky. i've played this every year for the past few years as a christmas thing, but it took on special meaning this year with all the big star related sadness that happened.]
the Beatles - "Christmas Single 1967" [another rip from aquarium drunkard, this time of the beatles' christmas singles club recordings. if you head over there, you can grab all of them from '63 - '69. this particular one had the most entertainment for radio value, i believe.]
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John Denver - "Please, Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)" [from denver's 1975 rocky mountain christmas. i love this song, i don't care what bryan says.]
the Pogues - "Fairytale of New York" [from if i should fall from grace with god. several people on twitter commented that this was their favorite christmas song of all time and i really can't disagree with them. it's just note perfect.]
Patton Oswalt - "My Christmas Memory" [from feelin' kinda patton. this would be my favorite christmas stand-up bit of all time.]
Jim White - "Christmas Day" [from no such place. perhaps this song stretches the boundaries of 'christmas' just a bit, despite its title, but it fits the loneliness theme of this set.]
Joni Mitchell - "River" [from blue. i love songs that use small interpolations of classic songs within their structure. (see my occasional rants about preferring the demo version of dwight yoakam's "i sang dixie" to the eventual album version.) and "river" is one of those songs that just makes my heart ache every time because of it.]
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David Bowie and Bing Crosby - "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth" [from the final bing crosby christmas special recorded before he died. the original video is, of course, a classic, and i have to play the dialogue along with the song itself. but this reinterpretation by will ferrell and john c. reilly is creepy in its accuracy and small changes. i dig it.]
Vince Guaraldi - "My Little Drum" [from a charlie brown christmas. this is, of course, a classic of the christmas music genre and i decided to put together a whole set of versions of "little drummer boy." every one in this set is decently different from one another, i believe.]
Low - "Little Drummer Boy" [from merry christmas. i heard this on a gap commercial years ago and was pretty blown away by it. i'm still really fond of low's christmas record in general.]
Beck - "The Little Drum Machine Boy" [from just say noel. hat-tip to jay ewing for mentioning this to me the other night. i always laugh when i have to edit holiday songs for lyrical content and this was no exception.]
the Flaming Lips - "Little Drummer Boy" (live) [from providing needles for your balloons. a good chunk of this EP is a live show from the transmissions from the satellite heart era of the band and it's an interesting take on some original and cover songs.]
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the Kinks - "Father Christmas" [from come dancing with the kinks. there's hardly a rockier christmas song out there. i love it.]
the Didjits - "Under the Christmas Fish" [from hey judester. sacrilege seems important this time of year, so yeah, the didjits.]
the Pretenders - "2,000 Miles" [by request. from learning to crawl. sweet without being sappy. perfect.]
Type O Negative - "Red Water (Christmas Mourning)" [from october rust. the death of peter steele earlier this year was pretty sad, even if i hadn't spent a lot of time listening to type o negative in recent years. this song is still a staple of my christmas shows and, really, shows the band at its overly-dramatic best.]
Vince Guaraldi - "Christmastime is Here" [and why not some more guaraldi? from the same a charlie brown christmas, it's one of those songs i truly couldn't get away with not playing.]

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you all. I'll be back next week with the regular edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. Until then, be safe, have a wonderful holiday, Go Panthers!, and take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 8th December 2010The Top Singles of 2010

[Welcome to the Best Singles of 2010 here on J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. This podcast very nearly didn't make it.

I got home last night and put the flash drive in my computer to upload when a sudden power surge knocked the computer off and back on. Irritated, but not really caring, I proceeded to reboot everything and then go look at the drive to get the show.

It was empty.

I panicked. Had I forgotten to record? I had gone through all the proper steps and everything, including the proper removal procedure from the recording board and all that. Yet, no show seemed to exist. I was crestfallen. Thankfully, I could tell that there was something on the drive, even if it wasn't showing up. After doing some digging, I was able to recover the show from the hidden depths of the drive and get it up. I was not about to let one of my two favorite shows of the year slip away into the ether.

These are my absolute favorite songs of the year and next week, we'll take a look at my favorite albums of this year. I put a lot of thought and work into these shows, I think it shows, and I know you'll enjoy it.

Now, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 8th December 2010 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Decoration Ghost - "Father's Fists" [from the haze of wine and age. one of my favorite songs of this year due to the excellent use of the drum fill behind the phrase "pounding like the drums of the Cold War." just fantastic.]
the Gaslight Anthem - "American Slang" [the title track from this year's album. i was really won over by this song from the very first time i heard it. not quite as much as i was "the '59 sound" the other year, but man, all the same. good stuff.]
Blonde Readhead - "Here Sometimes" [from penny sparkle. the album, on the whole, felt a little weak in spots, but overall it was buoyed by songs like this lead track. really good.]
Portugal the Man - "The Dead Dog" [from american ghetto. i really enjoy this entire album quite a bit, but this song really caught me from the beginning also.]
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the Black Keys - "Everlasting Light" [from brothers. another one of the songs in this year that got me with its chugging beat. love the way this song opens.]
the Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Say No to Love" [i want to celebrate this song because a) it's good and b) it's a band releasing a true single. it was this, a b-side song and that's it. no new LP (not 'til next year at least) and i think that deserves some attention as well.]
Lake Inferior - "Johnny B" [from pegasaur. it's sad that this band called it a day earlier this year after just two fantastic EPs, but that's the nature of bands and working with other people. still, thanks for the music, guys.]
Antoine Dodson and the Gregory Brothers - "Bed Intruder Song" [one of the feel good stories of the year is also one of the great singles..]
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the Posies - "She's Coming Down Again!" [from blood/candy. i was initially underwhelmed by this album (not by this song though), but when i saw the posies live, the whole record came to powerful life. it's made me appreciate it a lot more sense.]
Adam Thorn and the Top Buttons - "Life's a Bummer" [from the self-titled sophomore record. i'm really impressed with this genre exercise of a record and this song especially. adam is a complex and engaging songwriter when his songs are seen put together - they have this engaging, snotty snark that occasionally reveal their maudlin truth, but this song hits all those notes just perfectly.]
the Tallest Man on Earth - "King of Spain" [from the wild hunt. this was the first leaked song off of this record and there's a reason - it's engaging and rowdy and uplifting and it's just one guy and a guitar. fantastic.]
Caribou - "Odessa" [from the excellent swim. this song grew and grew and grew on me. i'd forgotten how much i really liked it when i played it tonight since it'd been awhile since i'd played it.]
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Vampire Weekend - "Horchata" [from contra. this is a band that has slowly grown on me as well, but it was a hype backlash that initially had me not paying attention to them. well, this record fixed that.]
the Soft Pack - "Cmon" [from their self-titled album. just a great rock song. don't you agree? the whole record is like that. we need those.]
Clem Snide - "Denver" [from the meat of life. a person i follow on twitter was talking about this song earlier this year, so i grabbed it just to see, and man. it's one of the most haunting and beautiful songs of 2010.]
Conrad Plymouth - "Here to There" [from their self-titled EP. and then this band and this record i just can't get enough of. seriously. if you haven't heard them, do it.]
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Superchunk - "Digging for Something" [from majesty shredding. superchunk return, guns blazing; this album is utterly killer and this song is it's lead arsenal.]
Delta Spirit - "Golden State" [from history from below. another great album from a truly fantastic band. last new album they had landed a single in my top 5 singles, but that's not to say this song isn't as good. the album, on the whole, is better.]
Josh Ritter - "The Curse" [from so runs the world away. another of the great ballads. ritter flexes some serious storytelling chops in this song and it's mesmerizing in a way few things were this year.]
Gorillaz - "Stylo" [from plastic beach. fantastic song from a pretty good record, though the definitive performance of this, for me, was on the colbert report. i think you'd agree.]
Jens Lekman - "The End of the World is Bigger Than Love" [a single released this year on its own. a great single, only released earlier this year, not attached to any album. pretty awesome. hopefully heralding a new album next year. it's good.]

[Now it's time for the top ten singles of 2010! Here we go.]

10. Yeasayer - "Madder Red" : I discovered this song because of its video and its odd and somewhat disconcerting imagery. But something about the song was absorbing - drawing somewhere between the echoey drums of 80s dark synth pop and the modern day. By the end of the song, you're lost in its mist, kind of hoping not to find your way out. From Oddblood.

9. the New Pornographers - "Crash Years" : I had been so disappointed in the last New Pornographers album that when this single first leaked, I was hesitant to embrace it. But though it might not be my favorite song on this album, it is, in my opinion, the best single song and that is a talent all its own. From Together.

8. Frightened Rabbit - "Nothing Like You" : This was a tough choice because this record also contains "Swim Until You Can't See Land," undoubtedly one of this year's best single songs, but the anthemic "Nothing Like You" is just slightly its better. On a record that sometimes seems unfortunately thin in overall sound, the boisterous heart rending of this song is a welcome explosion.

7. the Hold Steady - "Hurricane J" : The opening of this song still throws me off with its odd musical meter, but when it settles into its mid-tempo, chugging and brilliant chorus, this year's second best women-compared-to-storms song becomes something very unique. From Heaven is Whenever.

6. the National - "England" : Things about London and England always hit a soft spot in me because of the time I spent there in college, but not only does this song hit lyrical spots for me, it creates a musical environment that puts me there as well. On an album that is still sneaking up on me, it's an obvious highlight. From High Violet.

5. the Love Language - "Heart to Tell" : The best North Carolina song this year is something the Love Language is perfect for - delicious, dancey sing-a-long songs that also contain some wicked guitar work. The rest of this album is gorgeous and amazing, but this song just overshadows everything around it. From Libraries.

4. Best Coast - "Boyfriend" : Like a stoned girl group, this song is anything if original - cloying lyrics pining over a boy - but the way it's accomplished is infectious beyond all measure. There is a reason I managed to see this band twice this year, mainly on the strength of this song. From Crazy for You.

3. M.I.A. - "Born Free" : My jaw hit the floor when I first heard this song and it hasn't fully reattached itself still. This was one of the most abrasive and blistering M.I.A. songs I've ever heard, and even if the rest of this album didn't live up to the maelstrom on this song, this was more than enough for me to still have utter faith in her fantastic work. From Maya

2. the Drive-by Truckers - "Birthday Boy" : I'm going to let the lyrics speak for themselves here. "The pretty girls from the smallest towns / get remembered like storms and droughts / that old men talk about for years to come / I guess that's why they give us names / So a few old men can say they saw us rain when we were young." Yeah. That's why I love this band. From The Big To-Do.

1. Twin Sister - "Lady Daydream" : The only reason "Birthday Boy" isn't the best single of the year has to do with seeing this band live in Chicago this summer and just having one of the most amazing concert experiences I've ever had. This song is everything that a sultry, smoky, haunting song should be and it never, ever seems to get old. It is, without question for me, the best track of 2010. From Color Your Life.

That'll do it for this week. Join me back here next week for the 9th Annual Top 25 Albums of 2010. Until then, Go Panthers!, and take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 1st December 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. Tonight combined a 'best of the rest' mentality along with some stone cold classics and a few other things worked in - some of the best live performances from this year on the show, for instance - to make a really fantastic show. In the coming weeks we have the annual Best Singles of the Year show (Dec. 8th) and the 9th annual Top 25 Albums of the Year (Dec. 15th) and the Christmas Spectacular (Dec. 22nd), so lots to look forward to in the coming weeks here on the show.

Now, while the gettin's good, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 1st December 2010 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Bad Religion - "Cyanide" [from the dissent of man. 'best of the rest' was a quasi theme of this show and this is certainly one of my favorite songs of this year, but not quite bound for the 'best singles' show next week.]
Matthew Sweet - "Where You Get Love" [from blue sky on mars. in addition, this is the last show of the year (well, until the 29th) where i'll be playing what i want rather than doing year-end or holiday-related stuff, so i piled on the classics.]
the Joy Formidable - "Austere" [from a balloon called moaning. it was announced this week that this welsh band's new album will be out in march of next year on atlantic here in the states. pretty exciting. can't wait to hear it.]
Cold Water Shave - "One Horse Blues" [from grand old uproar. more new music from this great greensboro band whose new album was produced by the delightful and talented snuzz. we'll hear more and hopefully have them up on the show in a few weeks.]
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Dom - "Burn Bridges" [from sun bronzed greek gods. a record i was just sent yesterday - self-released earlier this year, but bound for a label re-release next year. really good. we'll hear more.]
P.O.S. - "Low Light Low Life" [from never better. one of my favorite singles of last year - in fact, my favorite single of last year. never gets old. "lean to the left / call me 'terrorist' / rock wit it."]
Wavves - "Mickey Mouse" [from king of the beach. one of the wqfs sponsored shows from this year and one of my favorite songs as well. great stuff.]
the Replacements - "Nobody" [by request. from all shook down. had this stuck in my head earlier this week from some writing i was doing and needed to exercise it. so thanks for the request, frank.]
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the Twilight Singers - "Blackbird and the Fox" [from the forthcoming dynamite steps. also thanks to frank for hipping me to the newly leaked first single off the forthcoming twilight singers album. i'm terribly excited for this record in february.]
Velocity Girl - "Tripping Wires" [from simpatico! if you've never heard this album, shame on you. go fix that. now. and then check out the clever thing i did here..]
Primal Scream - "Velocity Girl" [from the c-86 compilation. see? the song the band was named after right after a song by the band. hah! by the way, the upcoming 20th anniversary reissue of primal scream's screamadelica is looking ridiculously cool. i want one.]
the Alcazar Hotel - "In Between the In Between" (live) [recorded live on the show in september of this year. one of my favorite live interviews of this year and certainly one of the best live performances, too.]
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James - "Crazy" [from the morning after the night before. i'll be honest. i think i knew that james was still releasing things, but i'll be damned if i could name you anything beyond "laid." but that's being american for you. that said, this song makes me really interested in the new album.]
Toad the Wet Sprocket - "Don't Go Away" [from pale. i think i'm going to have to do a write-up about this album at some point - it rivals their dulcinea as my favorite toad album and, seriously, it's really good.]
Delta Spirit - "Bushwick Blues" [from history from below. this is one of the bands that accidentally got on this week that you'll almost certainly hear next week on the best singles show as well. can't help it. it's too good.]
Caleb Caudle - "Red Bank Road" (live) [recorded live on the show in april of this year. caleb and the bayonets will be playing at the garage in winston-salem on friday, december 10th along with lake isle. ought to be a great show.]
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Belle and Sebastian - "Write About Love" [the title track from their latest. i'm enjoying this record the more i hear it, but the life pursuit set a really high standard for me and i haven't really felt this one living up to it yet. alas.]
Tricky - "Christiansands" [from pre-millennial tension. picked this up this week. i think this is the first tricky song i consciously remember hearing and it's stuck with me for quite some time. i still love it.]
Lake Isle - "Anodyne" [from wake up. great greensboro shoe gaze rock and roll.]
Romancer - "The World is Exploding" (live) [recorded live on the show in september of this year. i love jonathan moore's songwriting and this is another great example of it.]
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Steve Wynn and Miracle 3 - "Resolution" [from northern aggression. this new album came out on november 30th and i'm really digging it still. a definite must for any old dream syndicate fans who haven't delved into wynn's solo work.]
Justin Currie - "A Man With Nothing to Do" [from the great war. the former del amitri frontman's second solo record is full of some great songs like this.]
Burnt Ones - "Gonna Listen to T. Rex (All Night Long)" [from black teeth, golden tongues. i probably should have saved this for next week - it really is an amazing song from a really solid record.]
Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands - "Corpus Callosum" (live) [recorded live on the show in october of this year. one of the most unique live performances from this year, no question.]
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North Elementary - "Hilcrest 101" [from southern rescue trails. saw them play this live a week or so ago at CFBGs here in greensboro and it was fantastic. great chapel hill rock from a very reliable band.]
the Housemartins - "Bow Down" [by request. from now that's what i call quite good. "loyal listener" brooke called this one in and i was only too happy to fulfill it. thanks for calling.]
Glasser - "Glad" [from ring. more great stuff from this really fantastic record. we'll, undoubtedly, be hearing more.]
Josh Ritter - "When I Paint My Masterpiece" (live) [recorded live on the show in july of 2007. i was reminded of my live interview with josh from back in 2007 earlier this week and i thought i'd break out this great cover he did of this dylan song. he would play this occasionally on his subsequent live tours, though i never heard it again. and as he says in the intro, he'd never played it before. so maybe this is a recording of the first time he covered it live? maybe. awesome all the same.]

That'll do it for this week. Next week will be the Best Singles of 2010 show, so make sure you tune in for all the great, pop song glory. Until then, Go Panthers!, and take care.