manly men

This is about the past few days, mostly my weekend. Turns out that it is all men! Strange? I think so. It's also a little sad, so look out.

00:00-01:31...The Mae Shi - You Can't Do That To An Axe
How much fun one band have? Is this even fair? The Mae Shi are an AWESOME band on one of my favorite record labels, Kill Rock Stars. Based in Los Angeles, their music can only be described as "noise rock" and none of the tracks on their albums would resemble "songs" if you're looking for verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus layout. These songs just exist, and it's amazing. This one in particular can be found on the EP To Hit Armor Class Zero. Their website opens with a huge header reading, "We're the best the same way you're the best" and offers some cool free MP3s such as "Summer in Gommorah" and, one of my personal favorites, "Vampire Beats."

01:32-05:33...The Faint - Let the Posion Spill From Your Throat
One of the group favorites among my friends. We always love dancing to the Faint, whether hanging out in William Faulkner's cabin or hotboxing in a college parking lot, as with this weekend. What can I say? This great Saddlecreek band has jumped around the musical spectrum, but Danse Macabre has got to be their greatest album. The violent imagery versus the manic dance music is perfect at any (weird) party. Don't diss them until you've listened to the whole album a few times through, and you will understand its magic.

05:34-09:01...The Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
After being stuck out in the rain for half an hour, you too would take retreat in any nearby car playing The Arcade Fire. This genius Canadian band is compromised of about eight great musicians who create a very weird breed of rock and roll. The strange combination of instruments (guitar, drums, bass, plus violins and xylophone) help create the whimsy of this band. The lyrics to each song create a dark fairy tale, as in this one, "Our older brother / Bit by a vampire / For a year we caught his tears in a cup / And now we're gonna make him drink it!" The neighborhood motif and family imagery are prevalent on the album Funeral, named thus after all the band member's have family members die during the recording of the album. "Our mother shoulda just named you Laika." If it helps to know, Laika was the first dog in space... but I still don't really get it.

09:02-11:15...Of Montreal - The Repudiated Immortals
Go out right now and buy The Sunlandic Twins because that is one hell of a great album. It's one of those that you can listen to over and over and be completely fascinated by something new every time. The lyrics will knock you are because they are surprisingly well-written. I have one of those horrible biases that the more poppy the song, the worse the lyrics. Of Montreal proves me wrong, and thank god for that. Much of the album is sadder than it sounds, and that is one of my favorite kinds of musical irony. I've been thinking about this song in particular lately. "I don’t cry not ’cause I don’t care / It’s very hard to feel the way we used to feel up there." Also highly recommended are the tracks "Oslo in the Summertime" and "So Begins Our Alabee." What a great band!

11:16-15:35...Modest Mouse - Doin' the Cockroach
"Ride on the Greyhound..." I listened to this yesterday on the way to the Conway bus stop (a Citgo) that would take me back to Memphis. Classic Modest Mouse -- the lisping voice, the weeping guitar, juxtaposing screams and whispers; what's not to love? This song is from The Lonesome Crowded West, which I think I can safely say is my favorite Modest Mouse album. The variety of songs is simply astounding. Sometimes you want to dance, and sometimes you want to get into bed and never come out. Both are fine as long as the album keeps playing. I couldn't get into this band for a while because they sounded so much like Pixies, but I definitely see where the tribute stops and the originality begins. I can't say I have listened to the entirety of their new album, but who would want to listen to that when this exists? Fucking beautiful music.

15:36-19:56...The Walkmen - The Rat
I saw this band on Tuesday night, and it was awesome. Unfortunately, I had a wretched headache so I couldn't enjoy the show as much as I would've liked, but I could still appreciate it. It was the only show I've ever been to where I was really alone, and this song hit me way too hard. It was the last song they played, and the energy from the band and the audience was just awesome. Everyone in the room was screaming, "When I used to go out, I'd know everyone I saw; now I go out alone, if I go out at all." Crazy community. "Can't you hear me? I'm calling out your name!" That's how this month feels. You can find this song on the album Bows and Arrows.

19:57-24:23...Aesop Rock - Daylight
"All I ever wanted was to pick apart the day, put the pieces back together my way." This is the most revealing, sensitive song I've ever heard by Aesop Rock. I love his music, but it's usually just insane and totally drugged out. His voice, style, and rhythms are all completely weird and I have never heard another rapper like him. I heard that he does one different drug for each album he records, but I don't know whether or not that is true. This song can be found on the album Labor Days as well as the Daylight EP which features a song called "Night Light," a different, darker take on the same song. In "Daylight," Aesop raps that "Life's not a bitch, life is a beautiful woman" while in "Night Light" he says "Life's not a bitch, life is a biyatch." I like this one better. It moves me. Plus, I'm sad.

MP3 version

half step

When I was making my first podcast at the beginning of the week, I accidentally made it wayyyy longer than most podcasts are, and thus, I couldn't get it to upload to the server because it was so massive. So I just split it down the middle, and the first half is what you heard on Monday. Still, I think of the two halves as belonging together so I decided to post them both this week, partly as a celebration of my newly birthed podcast. Here it is.

00:00-04:48...Regina Spektor - Us
Brittany, trying to help me out in my musicless situation (my CD collection is sitting in New Orleans), sent me a bunch of MP3s by this woman Regina Spektor. I'd never heard of her before, but she's one of the artists from New York's Antifolk scene. Of all the music scenes that have been around, I think this is one of the coolest because it's so much about ideas rather than achieving a specific sound. Every band I've heard that calls itself antifolk sounds completely different, and that is just awesome. Anyway, pianist Regina Spektor was born in Moscow and moved to the Bronx when she was 9. This song is from her album Soviet Kitsch which is way more singer-songwriter-y than I've been into lately, but it's lovely, fun, and quite good. Spektor's sweet voice combined with her intospective lyrics provide a nice breezy feeling that is captivating.

04:49-06:52...Katherine Dohan - Morphine Sister
Ahem. In fact, this song is about my own dear sister Morgan. In fact, I wrote most of these lyrics and the lovely Katherine just recently tweaked them about and put them to music. This was recorded in her dorm room at Oberlin in Ohio where she is having a lovely time taking all kinds of religion and music technology classes. What a gal! If you recognize her voice, you are obviously a Scandaliz Vandalistz fan. You can count on seeing some of the songs from the new album on this podcast in the coming weeks, I can guarantee it. I know I'm tooting my own horn, but how else is anybody gonna hear this stuff? Come on.

06:53-08:25...Hamn - What I'm Doing
Ahem. Again. What's the point in being a DJ (sort of) if I don't play my boyfriend's band? For those of you who haven't heard, Hamn is Action! They are a crazy party band who like to wear costumes, throw ham sandwiches at their fans, and break things. Only two of the band members (the bassist and the drummer) really know how to play. Everyone else just picks a couple chords to play over and over while Brandon screams crazy lyrics. As in this song, you can kind of make out the words, "I'm not angry! I'm just screaming! I don't know how to sing! I don't know what I'm doing! Why am I in this band? Why am I in Hamn?" This is the first song on the EP Hamn the Man, which was recorded in somebody's bedroom, and if I may say so, it's wonderfully sexy.

08:26-09:47...The Thermals - Everything Thermals
I believe this was the first song I ever heard by The Thermals, a lovely little band on Sub Pop Records. The line up features members of All Girl Summer Fun Band, Operacycle, Kind of Like Spitting, and both members of Hutch and Kathy. This song specifically can only be found on the "No Culture Icons" single, The Thermals' first release. The first full length album, More Parts Per Million, was recorded in a kitchen, and this song has that same blasting lo-fi sound. The Thermals' latest release, Fuckin A, was actually recorded in a studio and is a bit clearer, but it's still amazing. Luckily, this is not just a band that loses all their energy when put into a more professional setting, thank god. We need more bands like The Thermals, who are ready to sing those classic four-word lines until the cows come home. Somehow, they manage to say everything in under two minutes. Utterly perfect.

09:48-12:08...The Breeders - Hellbound
I bought Last Splash as soon as I heard Kim Deal had her own band, which, of course, was a decade late. I was probably in the ninth grade, four years ago, as opposed to 12 years ago when the album was first released. Although I liked the album, I never really looked into Pod, the band's first release, until this summer. I was fucking blown away. Throwing Muses's Tanya Donnelly was in the band before she moved on to start Belly, and her presence is definitely felt. Although she only sings once on the entire album, I believe, her guitar parts and Muses mentality can be heard throughout. The Breeders were, in part, a coming together of two underdogs, who felt they weren't given enough vocal parts or chances to write, and unfortunately, Tanya's Breeders experience seems to be another of the same. Still, we're lucky to have this one perfect album (yes, I said it) before she finally went to find her own place in the sun. This song is a good example of one of the album's most rock and roll moments, and I definitely recommend that you hear the rest.

12:09-14:36...The Beatles - Got To Get You Into My Life
I can't help it. Who doesn't love The Beatles? I'm sure you've all heard this song, so I don't really know what to say about it. It's a McCartney song from Revolver, which I can pretty safely say is my favorite Beatles album, at least in theory. Of course my favorite usually becomes whichever one I'm listening to at the time, but this one holds a special place in my heart because it's the first one I heard and really loved. On those opening chords of "Taxman," my mouth sort of dropped open, at the age of 8, and I just went, "What IS this?!?!?!" Anyway, hopefully hearing a Beatles song amongst these others will sort of put it into perspective everything they have done for rock and roll. Amazing.

14:37-20:11...Throwing Muses - City of the Dead
I've been listening to this song kind of nonstop lately because it kind of reminds me of Hurricane Katrina. If you don't see it, you should maybe read the lyrics to the demo version because they're a lot more fleshed out. Kristin Hersh, lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist for Throwing Muses, for some reason always removes some of her lyrics in the final versions of songs, so it's a real treat to hear the demos (I think) to see what the original thoughts were behind the song. I can't say enough times that this is one of my favorite bands of all time, and that they don't get half the respect they deserve. You'll definitely be hearing a lot more of Hersh and her bands in the future, and I hope you see what I mean. I think a lot of music fans dismiss her because her style is usually pretty difficult, but just because it's thinking music doesn't mean it's bad for you! Anyway, this song has only been released on the first Firepile EP in 1992 and the demo was on Works in Progress 1. It's sort of eerie that something written over ten years ago reminds me so much of what's happening today. "I think of all the dead girls..."

20:12-23:23...Kansas Joe & Memphis Minnie - When the Levee Breaks
If this sounds familiar, you have probably heard the Led Zeppelin tribute to it. I wouldn't necessarily call it a cover since they change the music itself and only keep a few of the lyrics, but it's definitely very similar. Again, this is has been stuck in my head a lot lately because of the recent situation with the hurricanes. It was originally written about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. Isn't it strange how happy the blues sound? Southerners are so weird. Even with lines like "Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan," there's something playful about the music itself. That's Memphis Minnie on guitar, by the way, one of the greatest female blues artists of all time. She and Kansas Joe were married and played music together until they broke up in 1935.

MP3 version

first foot

00:00-03:50...The Mountain Goats - This Year
I couldn't resist starting out with this one. "I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me." Ain't it the truth. The new album, The Sunset Tree is great, and apparently this is the first album on which John Darnielle has written about his own personal experiences. He has a cast of characters about which he usually writes, but he has temporarily thrown them out the window. I'm kind of wondering if that's part of the reason why this is possibly his best album yet. P.S. If you get a chance, SEE THIS BAND LIVE because it is amazing. I saw them a few months ago on the tour supporting the new album and it was mindblowing. Recommended.

03:51-07:23...Lady Sovereign - 9 to 5
I want to say that I relate, but I'm not really overworked. I'm just depressed about having to get up in the morning and do what I do, so I'm sort of pretending. Mouse introduced me to this British rapper, and she is brand fuckin new. She doesn't even have a full length album out yet, so this is a treat. I think she's fun and will definitely look for a release in the coming year.

07:24-11:14...The White Stripes - Red Rain
Leroy's favorite song on Get Behind Me, Satan, if I am not mistaken. And a fine choice. It sounds a little fuzzier than it should on my 128kbps podcast, but you can get the jist of it. Genius. Unfortunately, not all the songs on the album are this good, but they are definitely all very different. The Whites are headed in a great direction, if you ask me, and I can't wait to see where they go.

11:15-13:35...Pixies - Bailey's Walk
This is a weird one that can be found on the Complete B-Sides CD if you are a big Pixies fan. I have been doing a lot of walking and for some reason think about this song a lot. Charles Thompson, as always, switches from screams to manic desperation as he simply describes the way Bailey walks. No one else, my friends. I could spend days describing my love of Pixies, but oh oh oh I don't have the time... Simply put, I love the band (mostly, the man). But you know that already. Another must-see performance.

13:36-18:14...Interpol - Public Pervert
I can't help it, I love this band. I saw them in a Seventeen article at my orthodontist's office recently and was stupefied. I had no idea they were well-known in pop culture! Well, obviously I'm out of it. I'm 18 and already an old bag lady, behind on the times. But seriously, I know Paul Banks is gorgeous, but his lyrics are just as stunning. I am surprised every time I listen to them. Antics was a huge step for them, I am always impressed when a band's second album is that good. Lots of growth. Very rock and roll.

18:15-21:27...M.I.A/Diplo - Pop
If you haven't heard Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A., I apologize for introducing you to her with this song, partly because it's a little slow and partly because of its strange origin. Before her album Arular was released in the US, she and dj Diplo Hollertronix put together Piracy Funds Terrorism, a mixtape of M.I.A.'s voice over beats of American rap songs. Slightly unfortunately, I heard Piracy first and am still a little disappointed when listening to the official release. But whichever one you like better, M.I.A. is definitely worth your time. While photographing Elastica on a US tour, opening act Peaches first introduced M.I.A. to the sequencer, and with a teacher like that, how can you not be great? M.I.A. fuses a fierce political voice with crazy sex fun. There is no turning her down.

21:28-25:46...Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek
Admittedly, I have only heard this song because I own a leaked copy (thanks, John Tom) of Imogen's soon to be released Speak for Yourself, but isn't it amazing? You may recognize her voice as the lead singer of Frou Frou, but Miss Heap has been making solo albums since before the band existed. This is probably the weirdest song on the album, so sorry if I'm being misleading. Usually she has more of a singer-songwriter style, which is good, but this song is simply breathtaking. Hope you agree.


MP3 version