Tuesday, January 31, 2006
random bits of franceterica
A Bunch of Beatniks Riding a Rocket, the mp3 label disguised as a weblog, has released a compilation featuring some stray France-related nonsense. We did a second take on "Working Overtime to Kill You" that didn't quite pan out, and you can find that over at BoB. Also new stuff from Forever Dudes, "Dollywood Nights", and the rediscovered (and previously unknown to most everybody) Masters of the Hemisphere almost-classic "Canal Styles". There's also some France involvement in that Ivan Allen VI track, too. Anyway, some good stuff, for free, so maybe lend it your ear.
A Bunch of Beatniks Riding a Rocket, the mp3 label disguised as a weblog, has released a compilation featuring some stray France-related nonsense. We did a second take on "Working Overtime to Kill You" that didn't quite pan out, and you can find that over at BoB. Also new stuff from Forever Dudes, "Dollywood Nights", and the rediscovered (and previously unknown to most everybody) Masters of the Hemisphere almost-classic "Canal Styles". There's also some France involvement in that Ivan Allen VI track, too. Anyway, some good stuff, for free, so maybe lend it your ear.
Monday, January 30, 2006
new time for the radio show
Friends, the Mesmerization Eclipse radio program, your only source for crop reports, public affairs debate, and the best unpopular music of yesteryear and today, moves to a new timeslot this Friday, February 3rd. It's still on from 3 to 5 pm, but one day later. So instead of tuning in to WZBC this Thursday at three, wait 24 hours or so and log in on Friday. It'll suit you well.
Friends, the Mesmerization Eclipse radio program, your only source for crop reports, public affairs debate, and the best unpopular music of yesteryear and today, moves to a new timeslot this Friday, February 3rd. It's still on from 3 to 5 pm, but one day later. So instead of tuning in to WZBC this Thursday at three, wait 24 hours or so and log in on Friday. It'll suit you well.
Friday, January 27, 2006
these headphones are destroying my ears
Good thing I just realized how to listen to this iPod on my work computer. They ban the iTunes, and I didn't think the pc's speakers would be feasible. But yes, they will hook into the iPod's headphone jack, so now I can blast Young Jeezy all day without carving up my eardrums. And good timing, too, as yesterday I was able to acquire a few new records that are quite excellent, or at least highly listenable for the time being.
The new Oakley Hall record, Second Guessing, while not as good as the debut on first (and thus far only) listen, remains a mighty fine foray into country-rock with an ever-so-slight psychedelic veneer. This one makes me feel less paranoid than the first, which actually may not be a good thing. It doesn't feel like anything's creeping up around me, as with the debut, but there's still a pleasing amount of repetition and folksy, homespun drone on some of the longer songs.
Dins, the new album from Psychic Ills, was recommended to me by the new music director at the station. I didn't rate his taste so highly, though, as the kid's like 18, and a near total stranger; thus, I was in no real hurry to play it on my show. I'm glad I did, though, as it's actually really great. I've listened through a few times now, and it's yet to get old. It's some good, blurry, washed-out space-rock, with delay and reverb and shit all over the place, like some old Kraut rock jams with Tower Recordings style atmospherics and production like a minor league Loveless. The two longer pieces near the end, "I Knew My Name" and, especially, "Another Day Another Night", are future MezEclipse staples, for sure. This is on Social Registry, which might be the best label going right now.
I also bought a copy of the new-ish Excepter ep, Sunbomber, yesterday, but I haven't had a chance to listen to it. I don't doubt that it's top-notch, though.
Good thing I just realized how to listen to this iPod on my work computer. They ban the iTunes, and I didn't think the pc's speakers would be feasible. But yes, they will hook into the iPod's headphone jack, so now I can blast Young Jeezy all day without carving up my eardrums. And good timing, too, as yesterday I was able to acquire a few new records that are quite excellent, or at least highly listenable for the time being.
The new Oakley Hall record, Second Guessing, while not as good as the debut on first (and thus far only) listen, remains a mighty fine foray into country-rock with an ever-so-slight psychedelic veneer. This one makes me feel less paranoid than the first, which actually may not be a good thing. It doesn't feel like anything's creeping up around me, as with the debut, but there's still a pleasing amount of repetition and folksy, homespun drone on some of the longer songs.
Dins, the new album from Psychic Ills, was recommended to me by the new music director at the station. I didn't rate his taste so highly, though, as the kid's like 18, and a near total stranger; thus, I was in no real hurry to play it on my show. I'm glad I did, though, as it's actually really great. I've listened through a few times now, and it's yet to get old. It's some good, blurry, washed-out space-rock, with delay and reverb and shit all over the place, like some old Kraut rock jams with Tower Recordings style atmospherics and production like a minor league Loveless. The two longer pieces near the end, "I Knew My Name" and, especially, "Another Day Another Night", are future MezEclipse staples, for sure. This is on Social Registry, which might be the best label going right now.
I also bought a copy of the new-ish Excepter ep, Sunbomber, yesterday, but I haven't had a chance to listen to it. I don't doubt that it's top-notch, though.
yesterday's playlist
Deep Purple “Spacetruckin'”
Oakley Hall “Volume Rambler”
Oneida “Antibiotics”
Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band “Sue Egypt”
Olivia Tremor Control “excerpt from Green Typewriters”
Kemialliset Ystavat “Etanapolku”
Excepter “The Sun Bomber”
Psychic Ills “I Knew My Name”
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti “Flying Circles”
Galaxie 500 “Submission”
Growing “track two”
Ropers “You Have a Light”
Crystalized Movements “This Dimming Today”
The Cannanes & Steward “Savage”
Robert Pollard “Conqueror of the Moon”
Fursaxa “Rheine”
Deep Purple “Spacetruckin'”
Oakley Hall “Volume Rambler”
Oneida “Antibiotics”
Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band “Sue Egypt”
Olivia Tremor Control “excerpt from Green Typewriters”
Kemialliset Ystavat “Etanapolku”
Excepter “The Sun Bomber”
Psychic Ills “I Knew My Name”
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti “Flying Circles”
Galaxie 500 “Submission”
Growing “track two”
Ropers “You Have a Light”
Crystalized Movements “This Dimming Today”
The Cannanes & Steward “Savage”
Robert Pollard “Conqueror of the Moon”
Fursaxa “Rheine”
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Brian Crews' finest hour
So shit, does anybody know who has that copy of the Brian Crews Show that used to float around? Sean, Crews, Crog, anybody? I'm pretty sure it was Bren's copy, with like a Tigger sticker or something on it. I want to take another gander at that shit, it's been way too long.
So shit, does anybody know who has that copy of the Brian Crews Show that used to float around? Sean, Crews, Crog, anybody? I'm pretty sure it was Bren's copy, with like a Tigger sticker or something on it. I want to take another gander at that shit, it's been way too long.
Monday, January 23, 2006
last week's playlist
Haven't done this in a while. I've grown bored with the cutting and the pasting.
Boris “Theme”
Captain Beyond “Distant Sun”
Black Mountain “Modern Music”
Sunn O))) “It Took the Night to Believe”
Extra Glenns “I Hear the Planets”
Circle “Berserk”
The Fall “Shoulder Pds 1”
Devo “Girl U Want”
Comets on Fire “Wind God of the Ice Age”
Heavenly “Wrap My Arms Around Him”
Colin Newman “And Jury”
Urdog “Paths of the Meridians”
Strapping Fieldhands “Scuttled Kayak Odyssey”
Lula Cortes E Ze Ramalho “Culto A Terra”
Axolotl / Yellow Swans / Gerritt second track from untitled cd-r
Pentagram “Everything's Turning to Night”
Styrenes “Jaguar Ride”
Raccoo-oo-oon “On the Roof”
Barry Black “Golden Throat”
Can “Oh Yeah”
Big Star “Stroke It Noel”
Brothers of The Occult Sisterhood “The Flesh Shall Hang From Your Bones”
The Peppermint Rainbow “And I'll Be There”
Beatnik Filmstars “Wing Off a Plane”
King Crimson “21st Century Schizoid Man”
Kinski “Floundering & Fluctuating”
Hawkwind “Master of the Universe”
Haven't done this in a while. I've grown bored with the cutting and the pasting.
Boris “Theme”
Captain Beyond “Distant Sun”
Black Mountain “Modern Music”
Sunn O))) “It Took the Night to Believe”
Extra Glenns “I Hear the Planets”
Circle “Berserk”
The Fall “Shoulder Pds 1”
Devo “Girl U Want”
Comets on Fire “Wind God of the Ice Age”
Heavenly “Wrap My Arms Around Him”
Colin Newman “And Jury”
Urdog “Paths of the Meridians”
Strapping Fieldhands “Scuttled Kayak Odyssey”
Lula Cortes E Ze Ramalho “Culto A Terra”
Axolotl / Yellow Swans / Gerritt second track from untitled cd-r
Pentagram “Everything's Turning to Night”
Styrenes “Jaguar Ride”
Raccoo-oo-oon “On the Roof”
Barry Black “Golden Throat”
Can “Oh Yeah”
Big Star “Stroke It Noel”
Brothers of The Occult Sisterhood “The Flesh Shall Hang From Your Bones”
The Peppermint Rainbow “And I'll Be There”
Beatnik Filmstars “Wing Off a Plane”
King Crimson “21st Century Schizoid Man”
Kinski “Floundering & Fluctuating”
Hawkwind “Master of the Universe”
Sunday, January 22, 2006
And just like that it's over
So I found out a few minutes ago that they are bringing in former 790 the Zone morning show dude and Dave FM sports director to do sports and traffic here at the station temporarily. I also found out that he suffers from veritgo. HUH? Who has vertigo? So now our morning show is riddled with obscure diseases. One of the other dudes that works on it has Colitis. Man I need to go to the doctor. Yikes. Anyway that one week of sports was fun, but I certainly won't miss waking up at 4:30. Thanks for listening to those mp3's and all the support it was very nice. Like my man Pac says "you are appreciated."
So I found out a few minutes ago that they are bringing in former 790 the Zone morning show dude and Dave FM sports director to do sports and traffic here at the station temporarily. I also found out that he suffers from veritgo. HUH? Who has vertigo? So now our morning show is riddled with obscure diseases. One of the other dudes that works on it has Colitis. Man I need to go to the doctor. Yikes. Anyway that one week of sports was fun, but I certainly won't miss waking up at 4:30. Thanks for listening to those mp3's and all the support it was very nice. Like my man Pac says "you are appreciated."
Friday, January 20, 2006
interview assistance
Okay, so in like four hours I'm supposed to interview Orthrelm, and I have absolutely no idea what to talk about. Total blank. Any chance any of you folks out there like these guys? If so, any thing you want to know? Any questions you can think of? 'Cuz I've got a list of six, and it took me an hour to come up with those. I'm not purposefully looking to create the least informative, most boring interview ever, so I'd greatly appreciate any input from anybody who might give a shit. Thanks!
Okay, so in like four hours I'm supposed to interview Orthrelm, and I have absolutely no idea what to talk about. Total blank. Any chance any of you folks out there like these guys? If so, any thing you want to know? Any questions you can think of? 'Cuz I've got a list of six, and it took me an hour to come up with those. I'm not purposefully looking to create the least informative, most boring interview ever, so I'd greatly appreciate any input from anybody who might give a shit. Thanks!
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Thursday, January 12, 2006
unprofessional radio
The weekly radio thing is on WZBC right now. I'm sick as hell. Ugh. This Circle song is pretty great. And it's got 21 minutes left.
The weekly radio thing is on WZBC right now. I'm sick as hell. Ugh. This Circle song is pretty great. And it's got 21 minutes left.
Brokeback Companion Piece
HAHAHAHAHAHA.
One of the best concerts of all time?* Possibly. OJ called me last night after a "dude's night out" viewing of Brokeback Mountain, asking me about Just Be Friends lyrics. For those who don't know, Just Be Friends is Je Suis France's alter ego where we turn into gay, fucked up on drugs, dirty as hell cowboys and sing cowboy songs. Six dudes, one acoustic guitar, two bales of hay, one fake campfire, one big bottle of whiskey, and lots of beer.
I found a video tape of it last night and laughed my ass off. Probably the funniest part was OJ's botched guitar solo during Ice's song. Here's the setlist:
1. Theme Song
2. Crog's Banker Song into Every Rose Has It's Thorn
3. OJ's When You're Alone You Got a Bone It Needs a Home
4. Ice's Song
5. Blue Shadows
6. OJ's Covered In Drugs/Bugs
7. Dark's I Ain't Drank Whiskey Since Baby Jesus Pissed In My Eye
8. Jeff's the Only Arabic Cowboy
9. Theme Reprise
*Our 2nd show was so bad that we never played again. Part of the blame goes to the sound and another part goes to Robbie Beers' negativity and the rest falls on us.
HAHAHAHAHAHA.
One of the best concerts of all time?* Possibly. OJ called me last night after a "dude's night out" viewing of Brokeback Mountain, asking me about Just Be Friends lyrics. For those who don't know, Just Be Friends is Je Suis France's alter ego where we turn into gay, fucked up on drugs, dirty as hell cowboys and sing cowboy songs. Six dudes, one acoustic guitar, two bales of hay, one fake campfire, one big bottle of whiskey, and lots of beer.
I found a video tape of it last night and laughed my ass off. Probably the funniest part was OJ's botched guitar solo during Ice's song. Here's the setlist:
1. Theme Song
2. Crog's Banker Song into Every Rose Has It's Thorn
3. OJ's When You're Alone You Got a Bone It Needs a Home
4. Ice's Song
5. Blue Shadows
6. OJ's Covered In Drugs/Bugs
7. Dark's I Ain't Drank Whiskey Since Baby Jesus Pissed In My Eye
8. Jeff's the Only Arabic Cowboy
9. Theme Reprise
*Our 2nd show was so bad that we never played again. Part of the blame goes to the sound and another part goes to Robbie Beers' negativity and the rest falls on us.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
more murphy
LD has a good post about Murphy and the Hall up over at his place. Everybody should go check it out.
LD has a good post about Murphy and the Hall up over at his place. Everybody should go check it out.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
any Hall of Fame without Dale Murphy ain't no Hall of Fame at all
Another year, another 340 or so votes short for Murphy. I believe he did pick a few up since last year, but it's still pretty much hopeless. Mattingly finishing higher in the voting than Murphy is a beautiful crystalization of sportswriters' Northeastern bias.
Another year, another 340 or so votes short for Murphy. I believe he did pick a few up since last year, but it's still pretty much hopeless. Mattingly finishing higher in the voting than Murphy is a beautiful crystalization of sportswriters' Northeastern bias.
Monday, January 09, 2006
a million little pieces of bullshit
Huh, on top of being an egomaniacal prick, James Frey is also a liar. Awesome.
Huh, on top of being an egomaniacal prick, James Frey is also a liar. Awesome.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
double-shot of ex-Athenians in popular regional periodical
Two slightly semi-Athens related notes in this week's New Yorker:
1. A mention of Pioneer Bar-B-Q, owned by former Athenian and old chum Alan Corey, in an article about some architectural blog's birthday party.
2. A piece on former UGA history professor Bryant Simon and his research for a Fast Food Nation-style book on Starbucks. With his focus on labor and cultural history, his papers on Springsteen, and his long locks, greying slightly, prematurely, Simon was considered the "cool" professor. He wasn't too cool with me skipping class in order to stay home and play banjo, though, which was probably the second or third step in my slow stumble out of graduate school. (Actually, he was really nice, and fairly cool, and a great teacher for the five weeks I took his class.)
Two slightly semi-Athens related notes in this week's New Yorker:
1. A mention of Pioneer Bar-B-Q, owned by former Athenian and old chum Alan Corey, in an article about some architectural blog's birthday party.
2. A piece on former UGA history professor Bryant Simon and his research for a Fast Food Nation-style book on Starbucks. With his focus on labor and cultural history, his papers on Springsteen, and his long locks, greying slightly, prematurely, Simon was considered the "cool" professor. He wasn't too cool with me skipping class in order to stay home and play banjo, though, which was probably the second or third step in my slow stumble out of graduate school. (Actually, he was really nice, and fairly cool, and a great teacher for the five weeks I took his class.)
a nice article on the Fall
In which the writer hunts down former Fall members.
A telling excerpt:
In which the writer hunts down former Fall members.
A telling excerpt:
"'This drunk man [guitarist Neville Wilding] came backstage asking if anyone played drums,' [Chemical Brothers manager Nick Dewey] says. 'The band had had a fight and left the drummer at motorway services.' Dewey hadn't played for 10 years, but once a Chemical Brother put his name forward, Wilding refused to take no for an answer. Dewey was led to a darkened tour bus to meet Smith, 'passed out with his shirt off. The guitarist had to punch him in the face to wake him up. Then they began fighting over whether or not they should teach me the songs. Mark said no!' With a blood-covered Smith offering occasional prompts, Dewey pulled it off."
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
2005: A Remembrance
Okay. DOA is up and running again, after a four-month hiatus; this list appeared there a couple days ago, but with less comments and a few spelling errors and just generally in a slightly shabbier fashion. There's also been one addition and one subtraction; I bought the new Fall album the day I had to submit my list to DOA, and thus hadn't really listened to it enough to tell whether it merited inclusion or not. I swapped it out with Deerhoof's The Runners Four instead of pushing everything down a notch and dropping number ten; after listening to the new Deerhoof a few times on the way to work the last few days, I've decided it isn't quite as good as I thought it was. It's actually a little boring, and definitely no match for their last few records.
Okay, enough jabbering. Here's the list thing.
1) Excepter - Throne
Throne is like thrusting your head headfirst into an infinite-degree vat of pure future Biblicalism. It's beauty and power and minimalism and poetry and God and maximilism, and shit.
2) Animal Collective - Feels
Their third straight excellent album, and a close second in 2005. Slightly more formless and thus less pop-oriented than Sung Tongs, it's still catchy and memorable enough to appeal to those who can't stand drone or noise stuff. So yeah, good for them.
3) Oneida - The Wedding
We like strings, and Oneida, and feeling. The Wedding contains all three. We like The Wedding.
4) Gang Gang Dance - God's Money
So I'd avoided this band in the past, due almost exclusively to the awful name. I'd also read they were insufferably pretentious and obnoxious and shit. I was pretty much shocked, then, when I first heard God's Money. It's genuinely staggering in spots, particularly "Glory In Itself / Egyptian", which is some good experimental art-pop you could probably dance to, were you so inclined.
5) The Fall - Fall Heads Roll
This didn't make the list on DOA because I didn't get around to giving it a full, thorough listen until this past weekend. I feel safe in calling this the best Fall record since 1986's Bend Sinister. Maybe a bold assertion, but I felt the same way about last year's The Real New Fall LP, and this one's even better than that. Not to say they haven't been good in the interim - four of the five albums released between '97 and 2002 were actually very good, with 2002's Are You Are Missing Winner being something of a minor stinker. Anyhow, Fall Heads Roll is basically an instant classic, at least for Fall fans.
6) Still Flyin' - unreleased demos
The debut album by Still Flyin' shall be the cultural event of the epoch, whenever some right-thinking and financially stable record concern gets around to releasing it. Reggae makes indie-pop better.
7) Kanye West - Late Registration
(I wrote this last Monday night, the day I bought both this and the Fall album mentioned above)
I just bought this record today. I like it!
8) Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth
So here is the man's best full work since probably Wowee Zowee, which is more a comment on how inconsistent he's been since then than any strong commendation of this album. Face the Truth is a resolutely fine record that occasionally reaches peaks commensurate to mid-level Pavement. So it's mostly really damn good, and occasionally great. "Baby C'Mon" might be the song that got played the most on my radio show this year.
9) Crooked Fingers - Dignity and Shame
With each passing year, Eric Bachmann comes closer and closer to being a complete Springsteen simulacrum. As such, "Twilight Creeps" is the best Boss song since "I'm on Fire".
10) The Skaters - Rippling Whispers
So maybe this came out in 2004. Who the hell knows, or cares, other than two guys in the Mission, and some other guys elsewhere who like the two guys in the Mission? The Skaters make resolutely anti-pop noise that somehow contains the best and most touching elements of popular music.
Okay. DOA is up and running again, after a four-month hiatus; this list appeared there a couple days ago, but with less comments and a few spelling errors and just generally in a slightly shabbier fashion. There's also been one addition and one subtraction; I bought the new Fall album the day I had to submit my list to DOA, and thus hadn't really listened to it enough to tell whether it merited inclusion or not. I swapped it out with Deerhoof's The Runners Four instead of pushing everything down a notch and dropping number ten; after listening to the new Deerhoof a few times on the way to work the last few days, I've decided it isn't quite as good as I thought it was. It's actually a little boring, and definitely no match for their last few records.
Okay, enough jabbering. Here's the list thing.
1) Excepter - Throne
Throne is like thrusting your head headfirst into an infinite-degree vat of pure future Biblicalism. It's beauty and power and minimalism and poetry and God and maximilism, and shit.
2) Animal Collective - Feels
Their third straight excellent album, and a close second in 2005. Slightly more formless and thus less pop-oriented than Sung Tongs, it's still catchy and memorable enough to appeal to those who can't stand drone or noise stuff. So yeah, good for them.
3) Oneida - The Wedding
We like strings, and Oneida, and feeling. The Wedding contains all three. We like The Wedding.
4) Gang Gang Dance - God's Money
So I'd avoided this band in the past, due almost exclusively to the awful name. I'd also read they were insufferably pretentious and obnoxious and shit. I was pretty much shocked, then, when I first heard God's Money. It's genuinely staggering in spots, particularly "Glory In Itself / Egyptian", which is some good experimental art-pop you could probably dance to, were you so inclined.
5) The Fall - Fall Heads Roll
This didn't make the list on DOA because I didn't get around to giving it a full, thorough listen until this past weekend. I feel safe in calling this the best Fall record since 1986's Bend Sinister. Maybe a bold assertion, but I felt the same way about last year's The Real New Fall LP, and this one's even better than that. Not to say they haven't been good in the interim - four of the five albums released between '97 and 2002 were actually very good, with 2002's Are You Are Missing Winner being something of a minor stinker. Anyhow, Fall Heads Roll is basically an instant classic, at least for Fall fans.
6) Still Flyin' - unreleased demos
The debut album by Still Flyin' shall be the cultural event of the epoch, whenever some right-thinking and financially stable record concern gets around to releasing it. Reggae makes indie-pop better.
7) Kanye West - Late Registration
(I wrote this last Monday night, the day I bought both this and the Fall album mentioned above)
I just bought this record today. I like it!
8) Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth
So here is the man's best full work since probably Wowee Zowee, which is more a comment on how inconsistent he's been since then than any strong commendation of this album. Face the Truth is a resolutely fine record that occasionally reaches peaks commensurate to mid-level Pavement. So it's mostly really damn good, and occasionally great. "Baby C'Mon" might be the song that got played the most on my radio show this year.
9) Crooked Fingers - Dignity and Shame
With each passing year, Eric Bachmann comes closer and closer to being a complete Springsteen simulacrum. As such, "Twilight Creeps" is the best Boss song since "I'm on Fire".
10) The Skaters - Rippling Whispers
So maybe this came out in 2004. Who the hell knows, or cares, other than two guys in the Mission, and some other guys elsewhere who like the two guys in the Mission? The Skaters make resolutely anti-pop noise that somehow contains the best and most touching elements of popular music.
