playlist : september 28

**cale parks - wet paint - illuminated manuscript
**tv on the radio - tonight - return to cookie mountain
**the changes - her, you and i - today is tonight
**the black neon - shoot me into space - arts and crafts
*four tet - no more mosquitoes (boom bip remix) - remixes
massive attack - name taken - 100th window (by request!)
**pilot scott tracy - there is a light that never goes out (smiths cover) - we cut loose!
**wire - blessed state - 154
**sparklehorse - shade and honey - dreamt for the light years in the belly of a mountain

sounds of the week:
**mojave 3 - to hold your tiny toes - puzzles like you
ed harcourt - all of your days will be blessed - from every sphere
the muffs - i wish that i could be you - alert today alive tomorrow

**ad astra per aspera - a fish would much rather swim - catapult calypso
**scissors for lefty - mama your boys will find a home - scissors for lefty
**goldenboy - underneath the radio - underneath the radio
**amy millan - he brings out the whiskey in me - honey from the tombs
the cramps - route 66 (get your kicks on) - flamejob (by request!)
**geisha girls - this is novelty - geisha girls
**cities - writing on the wall (isan's brutal folly mix)
**junior boys - court souvenirs - so this is goodbye
**cut copy - whomadewho - out the door (superdiscount mix) - fabriclive.29
**pinback - byzantine - nautical antiques
**lovely public - game of opposites - burning tape at the mystery dinner
**please step out of the vehicle - we will go everywhere (part 2) - sleeping right and the best in homeopathic magic


congrats to the yeah yeah yeahs ticket winner. more tickets to come in the near future (i hope)!

playlist : september 21

**adem - these lights are meaningful - love and other planets
**pinback - concrete seconds (demo) - nautical antiques
**paper route - only words - paper route
**forget cassettes - lonely does it - salt
**hot snakes - plenty for all - live at abc 5/10/05
**ivy league - london bridges - london bridges ep
broken social scene - fire eye'd boy - broken social scene
the get up kids - the worst idea - on a wire
**benni hemm hemm - sweaty in the sunshine - benni hemm hemm
**junior boys - like a child - so this is goodbye
**electronicat - non - voodoo man
**tiga - you gonna want me - sexor
**mstrkrft - neon knights - the looks
venus infers - broken clocks - share

sounds of the week:
**ratatat - montanita - classics
**sonic youth - lights out - rather ripped
the gossip - standing in the way of control - standing in the way of control
**tv on the radio - hours - return to cookie mountain
magic bullets - heatstroke - magic bullets
deathray davies - chinese checkers and devo records - return of the drunk ventriliquist
mission of burma - fame and fortune - signals, calls and marches

mum - don't be afraid, you have just got your eyes closed - finally we are no one (by request!)
grant lee phillips - under the milky way (the church cover) - nineteeneightes (by request!)
sendaero - sendentary life - sendaero demo
shannon hurley - sunrise - sunrise
kissing cousins - deadline - ep2

playlist: september 14

**goldenboy - motorbike - underneath the radio
**page france - junkyard - hello, dear wind
**tv on the radio - wolf like me - return to cookie mountain
**over the atlantic - i cannot believe - junica
**cursive - hymns for the heathen - happy hollow
**jay bennett - 5th grade - the magnificent defeat
**snowden - black eyes - anti-anti
**now it's overhead - dark light daybreak - dark light daybreak
**nouvelle vague - human fly (the cramps cover) - bande a part
**[the] caseworker - the kick - when i was a young king
**sybarite - cut out shape - cut out shape
**the brother kite - waiting for the time to be right - waiting for the time to be right
**persephone's bees - home - notes from the underground
**peaches - boys want to be her - impeach my bush
caribou - barnowl - the milk of human kindness (by request!)

sounds of the week:
metric - dead disco - old world underground, where are you now?
**ratatat - loud pipes - classics
slings - hello there - slings [ep]
**anavan - freeidea - anavan
**tortoise - madison area - a lazarus taxon

jon brion - so now then - magnolia soundtrack (dedicated to francesca!)
jon brion - knock yourself out - i heart huckabees soundtrack
jon brion - here we go - punch drunk love soundtrack
**yo la tengo - pass the hatchet, i think i'm goodkind - i am not afraid of you and i will beat your ass
irving - i want to love you in my room - death in the garden, blood on the flowers
am radio - hush - radioactive (by request!)
the faint - how could i forget - wet from birth

thanks to mark (once again) for making me laugh!

playlist : september 7

ivy - let's go to bed (cure cover) - guestroom
**pinback - messenger - nautical antiques
**cursive - big bang - happy hollow
**wire - a mutual friend - 154
**nouvelle vague - dancing with myself (billy idol cover) - bande a part
**tv on the radio - wash the day - return to cookie mountain
**hot snakes - hi lites - thunder down under
**forget cassettes - quiero, quieres - salt
venus infers - vanilla is (the absense of chocolate) - share (by request!)
**persephone's bees - even though i'm fooling around - notes from the underground
**persephone's bees - on the earth - notes from the underground
enon - genie's got her bag - lost marbles and exploded evidence
stereolab - french disco - jenny ondioline
baxendale - the future... - you will have your revenge
**paper route - tearing the house down - paper route
**electronicat - rock and shuffle all over you - voodoo man
**peaches (ft joan jett) - you love it - impeach my bush
**delia gonzalez / gavin russom - relevee (alternate version) - revelee remixes
**mstrkrft - bodywork - us against the world
the gossip - ain't that the truth - arkansas heat
**mon frere - you don't mind - blood, sweat and swords
koufax - why bother at all - hard times are in fashion
**geisha girls - traced lines - geisha girls
**sigur ros - refur - saeglopur
devandra banhart - inaniel - cripple cow (by request!)
**benni hemm hemm - beygia og beygia - benni hemm hemm
**the oohlahs - tv dinner - best stop pop
beat happening - knick knack - black candy

the minor canon

the minor canon requested the songs in green...

french kicks - when you heard you - one time bells
rilo kiley - my slumbering heart - the execution of all things
sleater kinney - heart factory - dig me out
**tv on the radio - province - return to cookie mountain
**nouvelle vague - pride in the name of love (u2 cover) - bande a part
nick cave and the bad seeds - the weeping song - the weeping song [single]
**ratatat - nostrand - classics
**pinback - anti hu - nautical antiques
idc - my friend treason (kasabian vs vitalic) - www.idcmusic.com
ladytron - nothing to hide - extended play
john coltrane/johnny hartman - they say it's wonderful - john coltrane/johnny hartman
sufjan stevens - vito's ordination song - greetings from michigan
wolf parade - i'll believe in anything - apologies to the queen mary
spiritualized - the straight and narrow - let it come down

***live performance by the minor canon***

**sigur ros - saeglopur - saeglopur
**paper airplanes - julius - boyhood
**yo la tengo - sometimes i don't get you - i am not afraid of you and i will beat your ass
**camera obscura - lloyd, i'm ready to be heartbroken - let's get out of this country

playlist : august 24

**one ring zero - here come the mannequins - wake them up
**yo la tengo - beanbag chair - i am not afraid of you and i will beat your ass
**tapes n tapes - omaha - the loon
**ratatat - lex - classics
**jed and lucia - off the ground - candles in daylight
**the thermals - test pattern - the body the blood the machine
the thrills - our wasted lives - let's bottle bohemia
ben lee - begin - awake is the new sleep
**nouvelle vague - bela lugosi's dead (bauhaus cover) - bande a part
**mstrkrft - paris - the looks
**oh no! oh my! - on the town - oh no! oh my!
**oh no! oh my! - i love you all the time - oh no! oh my!
**oh no! oh my! - jane is fat - oh no! oh my!
**teenage harlets - feelin fine - up the fixx
**paper airplanes - boyhood - boyhood
**wire - single k.o. - 154

sounds of the week: august 25 to august 31
rainer maria - artificial light - a better version of me
the tyde - best intentions - twice
matt costa - wash away - songs we sing
the elected - greetings in braille - me first
black rebel motorcycle club - in like the rose - take them on, on their own
the minor canon - killing spiders - the minor canon [demo]

electrelane - film music - electrelane
**cursive - opening the hymannl / babies - happy hollow
**forget cassettes - the catch - salt
**pajo - we get along, mostly - 1968
**junior boys - the equalizer - in the morning
air - brakes on - premier symptomes
**hot chip - over and over - the warning

zm radio : 8.19.06

**anavan - eel air camera - anavan
**tapes n tapes - crazy eights - the loon
pretty girls make graves - pictures of a night scene - elan vital
**cursive - bad science - happy hollow
**[the] caseworker - state - when i was a young king
**ratatat - gettysburg - classics
**hot chip - and i was a boy from school - the warning
**sufjan stevens - dear mr supercomputer - the avalanche
**french kicks - no mean time - two thousand
tussle - windmill (soft pink truth disco hijack) - don't stop [ep]
the faint - paranoiattack (dave p and adam sparkles mix) - thefaint.com
**radio 4 - enemies like this (idc remix) - enemies like this remixes
**nouvelle vague - heart of glass (blondie cover) - bande a part
dealership - anarchy in the uk (sex pistols cover) - action/adventure
these bones - toxic (brittney spears cover) - the sounds of young new york and canada
broadcast - arc of a journey - tender buttons

intern john's picks:
yo la tengo - moby octopad - i can hear the heart beating as one
the incredible moses leroy - zap - growing up clean in america
metric - handshakes - live it out
mates of state - middle is gold - team boo
american analog set - hard to find - promise of love
**the thermals - returning to the fold - the body, the blood, the machine
four tet - as serious as your life - rounds

glass candy and the shattered theatre - bitter woman - love love love [ep]
the rolling blackouts - hung up on the hang ups - black is beautiful
manda and the marbles - fast cars - more seduction
**love is all - talk talk talk talk - nine times that same song
the rapture - house of jealous lovers - echoes

playlist : august 17

**headlights - put us back together right - kill them with kindness
**my brightest diamond - freak out - bring me the workhouse
**matt friedberger - bet you don't - winter woman
**winter flowers - winter bird - winter flowers
**sonic youth - do you believe in rapture? - rather ripped
**cursive - so-so gigolo - happy hollow
**the thermals - i hold the sound - the body the blood the machine
**the minders - saturday morning - it's a bright guilty world
**paper airplanes - suburban sprawls - boyhood
paper airplanes - live at kuci, july 2005
**[the] caseworker - a rough parade - when i was a young king
**nouvelle vague - the killing moon (echo and the bunnyman cover) - bande a part
**nouvelle vague - ever fallen in love? (buzzcocks cover) - bande a part
**ratatat - tropicana - classics
**james figurine - ruining the sundays - mistakesx4

sounds of the week : august 18 - august 24...
the clientele - north school drive - lost weekend [ep]
the minor canon - the present time - the minor canon demo
the winston giles orchestra - welcome to the hotel

**hot chip - colours - the warning

intern tara took over at this point with fun pop music:
the stratford 4 - she married the birds - love and distortion
**pretty girls make graves - parade - elan vital
poundsign - slc - underneath the marquee
yo la tengo - little eyes - summer sun
the rondelles - tuesday rock city - fox
sub debs - don't mess with us - she's so control
stereo total - vive le weekend - do the bambi
the lucksmiths - t shirt weather - where were we?
the busy signals - the freeway (ft. robert schneider of apples in stereo!) - pretend hits
**dirty on purpose - no radio - hallelujah sirens

don't forget -- tune in to zm radio on saturday from 4-6pm. i'll be subbing for ziba!

playlist : august 10

**junior boys - so sleep - in the morning [ep]
**james figurine - pretend it's a race and i'm on your side - mistake x 4
**electronicat - flesh & accessories - voodoo man
**hot chip - (just like we) breakdown - the warning
**tiga - burning down the house (talking heads cover) - sexor
**delia gonzalez and gavin russom - relevee (dfa remix) - relevee remixes
**ratatat - wildcat - classics
**caribou - james' second haircut - start breaking my heart
**say hi to your mom - sad, but endearingly so - impeccable blahs
**m.ward - to go home - post war
camera obscura - eighties fan - biggest bluest hi fi


sounds.of.the.week...

grandaddy - now it's on - sampler
mates of state - fraud in the 80s - bring it back
midnight movies - blue babies - midnight movies
darker my love - summer is here - www.myspace.com/darkermylove
the black heart procession - tropics of love - amore del tropico


and you will know us by the trail of dead - caterwaul - worlds apart
**the changes - no one needs to know - the changes
group sounds - belly up - group sounds
**sonic youth - sleepin around - rather ripped
**sufjan stevens - chicago (adult contemporary easy listening version) - the avalanche
**oh no! oh my! - i love you all the time - oh no! oh my!
scanners - low life - violence is golden
**the walkmen - this job is killing me - a hundred miles off
tokyo police club - nature of the experiment - a lesson in crime
**erase errata - dust - nightlife
**the north atlantic - drunk under electrics
**the french kicks - knee high - two thousand
gertie fox - natural woman - www.myspace.com/gertiefox
**the minders - accidental joy - it's a bright guilty world
**the futureheads - fallout - news and tributes
**anavan - notoriety - anavan
**epsilons - come on - epsilons
**epsilons - pantyhose - epsilons
q and not u - x polynation - power
the rapture - out of the races and onto the tracks - out of the races and onto the tracks
radio 4 - enemies like this - enemies like this
dance disaster movement - i want your sass - we are from nowhere
**css - let's make love and listen to death from above - cansei de ser sexy
**mstrkrft - work on you - mstrkrft
**goldfrapp - fly me away (c2 rmx 2) - fly me away remixes

playlist : august 3

**mew - special - and the glass-handed kites
**cursive - dorothy at forty - dorothy at forty
**the minders - 357 - it's a bright guilty world
**oh no oh my - walk in the park - oh no oh my
**sufjan stevens - the avalanche - the avalanche
**sonic youth - turquoise boy - rather ripped
**the futureheads - skip to the end - news and tributes
**joan of arc - you (single) - the intelligent design of...
**say hi to your mom - these fangs - impeccable blahs
**french kicks - so far we are - two thousand
**hot chip - careful - the warning
**goldfrapp - fly me away (ladytron remix) - club promo
ladytron - high rise (club mix) - extended play
**caribou - crayon - up in flames

sounds of the week: international pop overthrow!
satisfaction - nothing oh nothing - 4 song [ep]
fielding - indigo - fielding

**tapes n tapes - manitoba - the loon
**the delgados - i've only just started to breathe - complete bbc peel sessions
**archie bronson outfit - cherry lips - derdang derdang
**jason trachtenburg - doctor worm (tmbg cover) - hello radio: the songs of they might be giants
**electronicat - wap doowap - voodoo man
**matt friedberger - theme from never going home again - winter woman
rainer maria - hell and high water - hell and high water 7"
the winston giles orchestra - a little song - soundtracks for sunrise
**erase errata - cruising - nightlife
**anavan - waiting list - anavan



special thanks to kaylene, my great cohost and intern of the evening! her picks included limbeck and the format.

playlist : july 27

filter magazine "pssst! summer 2006"

sonic youth - incinerate - rather ripped
silversun pickups - well thought out twinkles - carnavas
anathallo - genessaret - floating world
mew - the zookeeper's boy - the glass handed kites
boy kill boy - suzie - civilian
guster - one man wrecking machine - ganging up on the sun
shane bartell - crashlanding - too soon to say
lisa papineau - shuckin, jiving - night moves
la rocca - this life - the truth
murder by death - brother - in bocca al lupo
the zutons - valerie - tired of hanging around
the purrs - get on with your life - the purrs

...

ladytron - destroy everything you touch (catholic version) - extended play

...

sounds of the week : july 28 - august 3
**say hi to your mom - sweet sweet heartkiller - impeccable blahs
coto normal - paths - coto normal [ep]
irving - white hot - i hope you're feeling better now [ep]
the velvet teen - counting backwards - great beast february [ep]

...

**french kicks - also ran - two thousand
**cursive - the bitter end - dorothy at forty
**m ward - post war - post war
ariel pink's haunted graffiti - want me - homemade hits v1
**the spores - heat seeker - imagine the future
**james figurine - stop - mistake mistake mistake mistake
mates of state - quit doin' it - our constant concern
stars - on peak hill (live) - a lot of little lies for the sake of one big truth
the decemberists - 16 military wives - picaresque

betweenthelines vs. thesoundsession

the sound session was left in very good hands last week, as i hope you can tell by reviewing james' (betweenthelines) awesome playlist:


the sound session playlist : 07/20/06

artist - song :: album

air - modular mix :: premiers symptoms
american analog set - weather report :: the golden band
tuung - code breaker :: mothers daughter & other songs

ink - carroll park :: reagent specs
function - the wind itself :: the secret miracle fountain
solagget - the discovery :: the delivery

electrelane - gone under sea :: the power out
orange juice - blue boy :: the glasgow school
matmos - steam & sequins for larry levan :: the rose has teeth...

the books - smells like content :: lost & safe
mogwai - new paths to helicon pt 2 :: government commissions
windsor for the derby - the hammer :: confianza ep
brian jonestown massacre - let me stand next to your flower :: bravery repetition & noise

brad mehldau trio - august ending :: house on hill
jon brion - punch-drunk melody :: punch drunk love sndtrk
mojave 3 - most days :: puzzles like you
kaki king - ingots :: legs to make us longer

the caseworker - scene in the viewfinder :: whan I was a young king
languis - i forgot i forgot :: other desert cities ep
unrest - june :: imperial f.f.r.r.
delaney - la nuit on a toujours tort :: s/t

tindersticks - piano song :: tindersticks
sigur ros - hafsol :: hoppipolla ep
david grubbs - hurricane season :: a guess at the riddle

the cinematic orchestra - durian :: motion

end

playlist : july 13

**boat - elephant ears - songs that you might not like
**say hi to your mom - angels and darlas - impeccable blahs
**luna - california (all the way) - best of luna
stars - soft revolution - set yourself on fire
hexes and ohs - alive until saturday night - goodbye friend, welcome lover
**the futureheads - decent days and nights (shy child remix) - news and tributes
**the spores - yum yum - imagine the future
**css - let's make love and listen to death from above - cansei de ser sexy
**epsilons - dressed up - epsilons
**prototypes - 06 60 92 92 - prototypes
**james figurine - leftovers - mistake mistake mistake mistake
figurine - so futuristic - the heartfelt
polysics - super sonic - now is the time!
**archie bronson outfit - dart for my sweetheart - derdang derdang
**starlight mints - rosemarie - drowaton

sounds of the week...
midnight movies - strange design - midnight movies
**camera obscura - the false contender - let's get out of this country
matt costa - behind the moon - songs we sing
the rakes - open book - capture/release
the minor canon - a false start - the minor canon [demo]

**the coral sea - ancient modern people - volcano and heart
**the hylozoists - hearts and harps - la fin du monde
**regina spektor - better - begin to hope
**lady and bird - stephanie says (lou reed cover) - lady and bird
**psapp - needle and thread - the only thing i ever wanted
manikin - face the wall - still
**the north atlantic - the lotus eater - wires in the walls
**ms. john soda - no.one - notes and the like
broken spindles - downtown venues - broken spindles
solvent - hello pop - solvently one listens


the sound session is on vacation next week, but tune in for a special edition of betweenthelines with james!

playlist : july 6

pinback - fortress - summer in abaddon
**psapp - the words - the only thing i ever wanted
**dirty on purpose - your summer dress - hallelujah sirens
**spoon - all the negatives have been destroyed - telephono
**spoon - loss leaders - soft effects [ep]
**be your own pet - ouch - be your own pet
**sonic youth - jams run free - rather ripped
**love is all - spinning and scratching - nine times that same song
**radio 4 - as far as the eye can see - enemies like this
**wire - pink flag - pink flag
**epsilons - the train - epsilons
**css - off the hook - cansei de ser sexy
**irving - situation - death in the garden, blood on the flowers
**james figurine - all the way to china - mistake mistake mistake mistake
**small sins - small sins big within - small sins

sounds of the week...
**human television - i laughed - look at who you're talking to
matt costa - acting like a fool - matt costa [ep]
**tilly and the wall - bad education - bottoms of barrels
kissing tigers - thefishhookisfineprint - trebuchet [ep]

**lady and bird - walk real slow - lady and bird
**regina spektor - field below - begin to hope
curly wurly - spiderman - tv sucks
tiki tones - night of the tikis - suburban savage
5678s - guitar date - bomb the twist
**prototypes - who's gonna sing - prototypes
**second story man - catalyst - red glows brighter
**the walkmen - emma, get me a lemon -a hundred miles off
**the hylozoists - strait is the gate - la fin du monde
**midlake - it covers the hillsides - the trials of van occupanther
**camera obscura - razzle dazzle rose - let's get out of this country



thanks to db for the laughs and tiki tones album!

playlist : june 29

**mates of state - fraud in the 80s - bring it back
**smoosh - find a way - free to stay
**regina spektor - lady - begin to hope
**smoosh - i would go - free to stay
**camera obscura - if looks could kill - let's get out of this country
**dirty on purpose - light pollution - hallelujah sirens
**midlake - roscoe - the trials of van occupanther
**epsilons - fever to kill - epsilons
**james figurine - 55566688833 - mistake mistake mistake mistake
**four tet - pockets - dj kicks
**css - let's make love and listen to death from above
death from above 1979 - romantic rights - you're a woman, i'm a machine
**supercreep - soft summer breakdown - supercreep
my morning jacket - west end girls - chapter 2: learning: early recordings (request!)

sounds of the week:
**built to spill - just a habit - you in reverse
belle and sebastian - you're just a baby - tigermilk
now it's overhead - hold your spin - now it's overhead
**tilly and the wall - urgency - bottoms of barrels

sleater kinney - night light - the woods
sleater kinney - jenny - dig me out
jason faulkner - she's not the enemy - ipo vol 2
jon brion - didn't think it would turn out bad - i heart huckabees (request!)
**the ditty bops - get up n go - moon over the freeway
**irving - i want to love you in my room - death in the garden, blood in the flowers
**psapp - tricycle - the only think i ever wanted
**the hylozoists - if only your heart was a major sixth - la fin du monde
**the walkmen - don't get me down (come on over here) - a hundred miles off


thanks to mark for his the behind-the-scenes help tonight...

playlist : june 22

**phoenix - one time too many - it's never been like that
**candy bars - lovesong lake - on cutting ti-gers in half and understanding narravation
lali puna - antena trash - tridecorder
**be your own PET - we will vacation, you can be my parasol - be your own PET
the thermals - how we know - fuckin a
erase errata - marathon (adult remix) - dancing machine: erase errata remix record
erase errata - other animals (matmos remix) - dancing machine: erase errata remix record (request!)
say hi to your mom - the forest scares the hell out of me - ferocious mopes
**grandaddy - where i'm anymore - just like the fambly cat
broadcast - michael a grammer - tender buttons (request!)
**irving - she's not shy - death in the garden, blood on the flowers
black box recorder - andrew ridgely - passionoia

sounds of the week:
cat power - he war -you are free
the minor canon - killing spiders - the minor canon [demo]
the like - what i say and what i mean - like it or not
built to spill - linus and lucy (live) - sabonis tracks

**sonic youth - lights out - rather ripped
**wire - three girl rhumba - pink flag
**epsilons - snap crackle pop - epsilons
**love is all - make out fall out make up - nine times that same song
**starlight mints - rhino stomp - drowaton
**awesome color - free man - awesome color
**small sins - threw it all away - small sins
**the futureheads - yes/no - news and tributes
**regina spektor - apres moi - begin to hope
**dirty on purpose - always looking - hallelujah sirens
**smoosh - this is not what we've become -free to stay

playlist : june 15

**be your own PET - adventure - be your own PET
**grandaddy - the animal world - just like the fambly cat
**love is all - used goods - nine times that same song
**tilly and the wall - brave day - bottoms of barrels
**pretty girls make graves - domino - elan vital
azure ray - don't make a sound - azure ray
**candy bars - a family photo taken at an aquarium - on cutting ti-gers in half and understanding narravation
**the walkmen - tenleytown - a hundred miles off
**the marked men - a little lesson - fix my brain
**prototypes - dis moi - prototypes
**prototypes - ici ou peut-etre demain - prototypes
tahiti 80 - get yourself together - wallpaper for the soul
saint etienne - heart failed (in the back of a taxi) - travel edition 1990-2005
**jamie lidell - multiply (in a minor key) - multiply additions
the minor canon - a false start - the minor canon [demo]

sounds of the week:
radio 4 - start a fire - gotham
solvent - my radio - disco nouveau
run run run - 2am - drizzle [ep]
the twilight singers - the killer - blackberry belle
**the fiery furnaces - teach me sweetheart - bitter tea
**the duke spirit - fades the sun - cuts across the land
**small sins - stay - small sins
**the futureheads - skip to the end - news and tributes

**dirty on purpose - no radio - hallelujah sirens
**the ditty bops - waking up in the city - moon over the freeway
**regina spektor - fidelity - begin to hope
**camera obscura - come back margaret - let's get out of this country
**phoenix - consollation prizes - it's never been like that

album reviews

some recent album reviews...


Pretty Girls Make Graves - Élan Vital

The band’s second album on Matador Records loses the loud screams, replacing them for focused, lyrically biting vocals. They concentrate on diversifying their sound on each track: from the pop sing-song rally cry “Parade”, to the subtle dance-punk undertones of “Domino”, to the accordion tinged sea shanty “Selling the Wind” (punk Decemberists, anyone?). Early fans will find of moments of force/strength in “The Magic Hour” or “Wildcat”, but nothing as rowdy as can be found on their first LP Good Health. They even make way for calm-yet-anxious male vocals on “Pictures of a Night Scene”, a slow-building tune complete with moody drums and horns. With the addition of keyboardist Leona Marrs (who doubles as a complimentary second vocalist to singer Andrea Zollo), Pretty Girls Make Graves experiment with a range of sound that prevents them from becoming one of those “just boring and old acts”. Their new mature and refined outlook suits them well.



The Walkmen - A Hundred Miles Off

A Hundred Miles Off finds The Walkmen going for a faster tempo in comparison to their earlier intermittent bursts of energy. Hamilton Leithauser still carries his raw, raspy voice well (when you can actually decipher his slurred lyrics), as his bandmates help to test out some exotic rhythms (mariachi stylings on the opener “Louisiana”; steel drum or bongos pounding on “Brandy Alexander”). Highlights include “Lost In Boston” which sounds polished in stereo (as opposed to the lo-fi garage flair the Walkmen are known for) and the rollicking drum heavy “Tenleytown”. They also present a successful closer, a cover of Mazarin’s “Another One Goes By”. The most surprising element to the album is that the band stays upbeat while still maintaining a laid back vibe. A promising effort.



Irving - Death In The Garden, Blood On The Flowers

I’ve been following this band since their first album and this is by far their most sophisticated release. Starting as a modest Los Angeles pop band with songs that placed them into the same category as those in the Elephant 6 collective, Irving have unleashed smart, sassy lyrics and engaging harmonies to boot. Is this the same band that released Good Morning Beautiful? They haven’t abandoned their pop sensibilities but instead have created a blossoming sound incorporating indie rock (heavier guitars on “She’s Not Shy” and pounding drums with faint background screaming on “Situation”) and electronic influences (keyboards on “Jen, Nothing Matters to Me”, “I’ll Write the Song, You Sing for Me”, and “If You Say Jump, I Will Say No”). The lyrics deal more explicitly with sex and relationships than their previous releases – yet, remember kids, they’re foremost a POP band, they keep it clean! With these changes, it’s clear that Irving are trying to appeal to a wider audience, while still keeping their original (and local) fan base satisfied.

playlist : june 8

**pretty girls make graves - pictures of a night scene - elan vital
**irving - care, i don't care - death in the garden, blood on the flowers
**the walkmen - lost in boston - a hundred miles off
my bloody valentine - to here knows when - loveless
my bloody valentine - the love gang - this is my bloody valentine
**mojave 3 - kill the lights - puzzles like you
**camera obscura - lloyd, i'm ready to be heartbroken - let's get out of this country
**the black heart procession - places - the spell
**the starlight mints - eyes of the night - drownaton
cursive - shallow means, deep ends - domestica
blonde redhead - odiata per le sue virtu - melodie citronique
**love is all - trying too hard - nine times that same song
dressy bessy - there's a girl - sound go round
**phoenix - rally - it's never been like that
**the rakes - just a man with a job - selections from monsieur gainsbourg (request!)
**asobi seksu - new years - citrus
**smoosh - rock song - free to stay
clinic - walking with thee -
tortoise - seneca - standards
animal collective - the softest voice - sung tongs (request!)
ladytron - high rise- witching hour (request!)
**the ditty bops - fish to fry - moon over the freeway
**candy bars - works cited - on cutting ti-gers in half and understanding narravation
the velvet teen - we were bound (to bend the rules) - elysium (request!)
**sia - paranoid android - exit music: songs with radio heads

playlist : june 1

**crystal skulls - heavy sleeper - outgoing behavior
**languis - citi of lights - other desert cities
**gotye - the only way - like drawing blood
autoclave - i'll take you down - autoclave
mary timony - musik and charming melodee - the golden dove
helium - superball - superball+
**grandaddy - rear view mirror - just like the fambly cat
**tilly and the wall - sing songs along - bottoms of barrels
**the fiery furances - nevers - bitter tea
the 5678s - pinball party - can't help it
**radio 4 - this is not a test - enemies like this
**the walkmen - another one goes by - a hundred miles off
the mountain goats - this year - the sunset tree (request!)
joanna newsom - this side of the blue - the milk-eyed mender (request!)
bonfire madigan - 7 mile lane - saddle the bridge (request!)

sounds of the week:
**murder by death - brother - in bocca al lupo
**liars - let's not wrestle mt heart attack - drum's not dead
charlatans uk - a house is not a home - us and us only
**pretty girls make graves - parade - elan vital

**venice is sinking - pulaski heights - sorry about the flowers
**candy bars - landscape - on cutting ti-gers in half and understanding narravation
**rose melberg - irene - cast away the clouds
**the ditty bops - moon over the freeway - moon over the freeway
**love is all - turn the radio off - nine times that same song
**pony up! - only feelgood - make love to the judges with your eyes