New Show and Current Favorites

Ok, so first off, I've decided to stop posting my track listings from each show on this site. To be honest, it's sort of a pain in the ass, and they're already easily available on WMUC's site. I've added a link on the sidebar for that page, though, so the playlists are still easily available if you want them.

So, what purpose does that leave this blog? I guess for the most part, it's now mostly an outlet to talk about the music I'm listening to at the moment. Naturally, this will still tie into Full Frontal Radio, as my playlists for that show are pretty much music I think deserves to be shared that week. Of course, I can't get to everything in a two-hour span (or less, if I keep getting stuck in traffic and showing up late), so I'll also be posting other thoughts and musings here that I didn't have time to get to on the show (or just overlooked).

Moving on, there's three acts I want to talk about right now: Weezer, Them Crooked Vultures, and Billy Brag & Wilco.

In regards to Weezer, I have one simple question: has Rivers Cuomo lost his fucking mind? Is he actively trying to destroy the musical legacy he and the rest of Weezer so successfully crafted? I haven't really been a huge fan of anything they've put out since Maladroit, but up until now I looked on all of their recent works as mediocre background noise. Looking at the interviews and collaborations leading up to the newest album, Radditude, though, I'm really wondering what could possibly be going through Cuomo's mind. Weezer was such an amazing band because they were the anti-rock star band. Their earlier work, especially the Blue Album and Pinkerton, were so identifiable because they spoke from an outcast perspective. This was a band that wasn't cool enough to get a date or go out partying with the cool kids, and they knew it. Songs like "El Scorcho" and "In The Garage" were great because they were just so blunt and honest. Now what does Weezer stand for? Pretty much the exact opposite of everything we came to know and love them for. I'm mostly writing this as a response to reading Pitchfork's interview with Rivers as well as having just heard "Can't Stop Partying", the song where Rivers commissions the help of Lil' Wayne to try to make an Andrew WK-esque anthem to partying, and succeeds only in making me never want to even think of partying again. Seriously, it's just such an awful song. I realize I'm ranting at this point, so I'll stop. In summation, though: Weezer has totally lost the awkwardness that made their music great in the first place.

Ok, so onto Them Crooked Vultures. If you haven't heard of these guys by now, get ready to have your mind blown: TCV is a band fronted by Josh Homme (of Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal fame) and has John Paul Jones (of Led Zeppelin) on bass and Dave Grohl (of...oh come on, you know who Dave Grohl is) on drums. The result is nothing short of spectacular:

Listening to this after Can't Stop Partying, I have way more faith in the future of mainstream music.

Finally, there's Billy Brag & Wilco. This collaboration is by no means new, but is something I'm just now getting around to listening to. Bottom line, it's amazing. Check it out:

Import Only Playlist (part 2):

Sweden:

1 Jens Lekman - A Postcard to Nina
2 The Tallest Man On Earth - I Won't Be Found
3 Sahara Hotnights - Stupid Tricks
4 I'm From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona
5 Movits! - Fel Del Av Garden
6 Peter Bjorn and John - Up Against the Wall
7 Teddybears - Hey Boy!

Denmark:

8 Junior Senior - Hip Hop A Lula
9 The Raveonettes - Do You Believe Her

France:

10 Superbus - Tchi-cum-bah
11 Daft Punk - Da Funk
12 Air - All I Need
13 Justice - D.A.N.C.E.
14 Manu Chao - Desaparecido
15 Manu Chao - Bongo Bong
16 Manu Chao - Je Ne T'Aime Plus

New Zealand:

17 Flight of the Choncords - Foux Du Fafa
18 Midnight Juggernauts - Into the Galaxy

Austrailia:

19 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Where The Wild Roses Grow
20 John Butler Trio - Used To Get High
21 the Living End - Tabloid Magazine
22 the Cat Empire - the Chariot
23 the Avalanches - Frontier Psychiatrist

New Zealand (again):

24 the Datsuns - Harmonic Generator

Brazil:

25 Seu Jorge - Five Years

Jamaica:

26 Jimmy Cliff - Roots Radical

Cuba:

27 Buena Vista Social Club - Chan Chan

Mexico:

28 Rodrigo y Gabriella - Diablo Rojo

Import Only Playlist (part 1):

So, here's this week's playlist, along with mentions of where each set hails from:

Africa:
1 Mali Music - Bamako City
2 Fela Kuti - Lady
3 MIA - Pull Up The People

England:

4 Jamie Lidell - Multiply
5 Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
6 Lily Allen - LDN
7 The Smiths - Frankly Mr Shankly
8 Badly Drawn Boy - The Shining
9 the Coral - Dreaming of You
10 the Pipettes - ABC
11 The Streets - Has It Come To This?
12 Lemon Jelly - Space Walk
13 the Magic Numbers - Undecided
14 the Libertines - What Katie Did
15 Radiohead - Idioteque
16 Muse - Newborn

Wales:

17 Super Furry Animals - God! Show Me Magic
18 Los Campesinos! - Death To Los Campesinos!

Scotland:

19 the Beta Band - Dry The Rain
20 Belle & Sebastian - Wrapped Up In Books
21 Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses

Ireland:

22 Simple Kid - Staring At The Sun
23 the Thrills - Big Sur

Iceland:

24 Sigur Ros - Staralfur

Next week we'll finish up the Import Only set with music from France, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, New Zeland, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, and Jamaica.

Stay tuned!

Import Only Radio

So I've been kicking some theme ideas around in my head, and I think this week I'm going to go with a very general "Import Only" theme. That is, a set of exclusively bands and artists from outside the US. And Canada. Because lets face it, it's pretty much the same thing, right?

Ok ok, I'm kidding. But the point's to sample more diverse sounds, and since Canadian acts such as Feist and Broken Social Scene (two very linked examples, I know) both draw on and influence the American music scene, it seems only right to spend what little time I have on-air looking to more distant shores.

And this time, I swear I'll start the show on time. Seriously.

Tune in!