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Davey
02-19-2008, 11:34 AM
Spinning this morning was the really nice 2001 CD from the now sadly defunct Court & Spark, Bless You. One of those records that I come back to over and over again, as the years pass and the memories of all those new records fade away, the ones with real quality and depth eventually shine through. And this is one for me. Nice sounding too, even if mastered a trifle too loud to preserve the naturalness of the music. Anyway, I've been meaning to score the vinyl copy for awhile, but haven't seen it in my record store yet. Guess I'll have to order one. Looks like it's only about $9 online. Probably less than Swish Daddy spends on beer during lunch each day. Don't know if it's much different as far as mastering, but usually they sound better, though like I said, the CD does sound good.

So what's rockin' the horses in your barn lately.

http://www.epitonic.com/index.jsp?refer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.epitonic.com%2Far tists%2Fthecourtandspark.html

ForeverAutumn
02-19-2008, 11:51 AM
I've been spinning some older stuff today. I received my order from Amazon on Friday which included The Beatles White Album and some older Al Stewart stuff that I had on vinyl and needed to be replaced with CDs.

As many here know I only started listening to The Beatles last year and was surprised at how much I liked them once I got over the overplayed tedium of songs like Hey Jude and Strawberry Fields. The White Album was a bit of a splurge since it was kinda pricey and I couldn't find it used. But some great stuff on it makes it a worthwhile purchase. But what's with Revolution 9? Obviously some serious drugs happening...not just to record it but to think that it should be released. This is the kind of thing better left on a master tape buried in an archive somewhere. Just MHO.

The Al Stewart stuff is nice to hear again. I ordered three of my favourite Al disks, 24 (P)Carrots; Famous Last Words; and Modern Times. I just finished listening to Modern Times and am on to FLW. Listening to these disks again is like finding a long lost friend. You know that you miss them, but you don't realize just how much until you're back in touch. It's a nice feeling.

3-LockBox
02-19-2008, 02:57 PM
<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" width="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">Been hittin the old stuff...

Brand X - Unorthadox Behavior
Dixie Dregs - What If
Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow
Bill Bruford - Feels Good To Me

and not so old stuff:

Beardfish - Sleeping In Traffic Pt 1
Circa: - (s/t) (Billy Sherwood)
Conspiracy - The Unknown
Built To Spill - Keep It Like A Secret
Teenage Fanclub - Man-made
PFR - Disappear
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Blackfield 2 - (s/t)
Marillion - Marbles
Dead Soul Tribe - Lullaby For The Devil
Radiohead - In Rainbows
The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
Enchant - Juggling 9 or Dropping 10

Made a couple of comps to listen to in the car; all instrumental stuff for driving at night.
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Been listening to a few others older comps as well (remember those days?).

3-LockBox
02-19-2008, 03:01 PM
But what's with Revolution 9?



Beatles, eh? I hear they're pretty good or something...






Number 9

Number 9

Number 9

Number 9

Number 9

Number 9

Number 9

Number 9

Number 9

Number 9

Number 9

Number 9

Number 9

Number 9

Number 9

Number 9

bobsticks
02-19-2008, 03:11 PM
A great day for spinning tunes with a few old favorites and seldom-played fare including Interpol's Turn On The Bright Lights, the new Burial,Untrue, Surfer Rosa on SACD, and a great lo-fi comp find The Trojan Dancehall Box Set.

I too have a lil comp action goin' on, The Urban Drive Mix, a juxtaposition of hardcore rap and techno which would not gather raves in these circles...keeps the subs moving though.

I'm getting ready to head out to the local to check out the new releases, although nothing I've read about has struck me. We'll see. I feel a jazz evening coming on...maybe some Paquito D'Rivera...but Chutes Too Narrow sounds mighty good as well.

Finch Platte
02-19-2008, 03:27 PM
Brand X - Unorthadox Behavior

Love these guys. I'll have to play some when I get home.

fp

3-LockBox
02-19-2008, 04:17 PM
<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" width="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">Forgot to mention that I was completely digging on the new (old) Journey (thx Finchy).

Here's one of the comps I made for road trippin:

Take It Off The Top -- Dixie Dregs
Nuclear Burn -- Brand X
Chord Change -- Camel
Pegasus -- Allman Bros Band
You Know What I Mean -- Jeff Beck
Clap -- Yes (Steve Howe solo)
Ice Cakes -- Dixie Dregs
Running Of The Three -- Brand X
Scatterbrain -- Jeff Beck
Topaz -- Journey
Lunar Sea -- Camel
Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Pt II -- King Crimson
La Villa Strangiata -- Rush


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jonnyhambone
02-19-2008, 04:54 PM
picked up the reissued Bobb Trimble albums this last week - Harvest of Dreams and Iron Curtain Innocence from 1980 and '81 I think. Really diggin' these both. Has a late night feel but is still super catchy pop at its heart with Bobb's soft, high voice. Reminds me of a lost Big Star album but not as heartwrenching. Nice vinyl from Secretly Canadian.
Second listen through the Bon Iver cd right now. Pretty sweet...I'll have to live with it but I've been humming 'Skinny Love' all day.

Hyfi
02-19-2008, 05:53 PM
old stuff...

Brand X - Unorthadox Behavior
Dixie Dregs - What If
Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow
Bill Bruford - Feels Good To Me



Looks like my daily standards. I recently re-purchased both Livestock and Unorthodox Behavior, and we know where I stand when it comes to Bruford.

Anyway, from an old comp Razz by none other than 3LB, I was always curious about the Harry Connick track, She. Released in '94, I think it's out of print now. The first several places I tried to purchase it had it Back ordered or Out of Stock. Ordered from a place that said they had it in only to get a cancellation email a week later. Luckily I found an online seller that had 1 copy left and I got it last week.

This disk is a real sleeper that fell way under the radar while Harry cranked out better than Frank himself tunes. The title track She is real catchy and there is a slower funky reprise later on the disk. There is no less than 5 genres mixed up on this cd from jazz to ragtime piano to funk to some slow dreamy guitar jams. Of course, I could stand a little less vocals with my music but Connick has a great voice along with a damn good band on this cd.

I'm guessing by the straight up jazz track on the other Razz comp he has a standard jazz disk I'll be checking out too.

MindGoneHaywire
02-19-2008, 06:27 PM
I was still playing the Jam's Direction Reaction Creation box after seeing "From The Jam" last weekend. I taped the Grammys because I wanted to see the Amy Winehouse performance, but I haven't been able to stomach going anywhere near that, though I watched part of her Live In London DVD for the first time in a few months. I like. Although the Frank album didn't grab me like Back To Black, though that would be expecting quite a bit.

Outside of that, Rosalia de Souza's Garota Moderna album, which is a recent favorite. It's from a few years ago, I heard her first on the Les Hommes album. Bossa Nova + Electronica, sort of like the remix version of the first Bebel Gilberto record, but better. And, the Harry Smith Anthology...also, Tuvan throat singing. Can't remember if they're from Siberia or someplace like Mongolia. I've heard about it for a long time but never actually heard it. Interesting stuff, sounds sort of like a Jew's harp, but done entirely with voice. Gives new meaning to 'vocal gymnastics.' Can't say it's the sort of thing I'd listen to for hours, but certainly interesting enough to listen to a couple of tracks of from time to time.

Also, the Velvet Underground VU record & the Hives' Black And White album.

MindGoneHaywire
02-19-2008, 07:22 PM
Davey, you may have heard this...apparently No Depression is folding. Don't know if you read it or not, but I would presume that anyone into Americana would find this to be sad on some level...

3-LockBox
02-19-2008, 08:36 PM
I'm guessing by the straight up jazz track on the other Razz comp he has a standard jazz disk I'll be checking out too.





The album is Lofty's Roach Suffle - a genuine, old fashioned jazz-trio album (piano,stand-up bass, drums) and its better, IMO, than She - and no vocals.

The problem with Connick Jr is the same with all cross-over performers. He had a reoccuring role on a TV show, he was in a few popular movies; he's actually a decent actor. But his original fame came from music, albeit, an old fashioned style of music, which made him a novelty. Then came the acting career. He's got charisma to spare, but by the time She came out (even Loafty's Roach Suffle as well), he fell into that singer-turned-actor who occasionally puts out albums and acts, but isn't taken seriously on either front. He isn't a must see actor, nor is he a must hear musical artist, which is a shame, cuz his trio project was as good as anyone has put out in the genre. He's kinda like Jennifer Lopez in that regards, without the great ass.

Ex Lion Tamer
02-20-2008, 06:15 AM
A friend of mine introduced me to a Toronto band that has been dominating my CD player for the last couple of weeks - Metric, they sound a little like a favorite of mine from the '80s - The Darling Buds at time, but I also hear a little Siouxsie & the Banshees too. I did a search for them here and see a couple of mentions from Audiobill, but that's all. I think a few of you guys who are simpatico with my tastes, like Jim, Slosh (maybe too '80s for you though), Grampa, Stone, just might.

Had a couple of distracted listens to BSP's newest, and one more focused listen and I like what I've heard so far. Seems like a nice mix between the controlled-mayhem on The Decline and fall..., and the, maybe a little too mellow, Open Season, to paraphrase Goldilocks; this one may be "juuuuusssssttt right".

a few other albums that passed through my speakers...

Lucinda Williams
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat
Camper Van Beethoven - Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart
Silver Jews - American Water
Lyle Lovett - Pontiac

Mike
02-20-2008, 07:01 AM
Spinning this morning was the really nice 2001 CD from the now sadly defunct Court & Spark, Bless You.

Hey forgot about them I picked it up Witch Season a while ago after you raved about them, that's a nice album too one you can come back to in 10 years and still enjoy, how many albums can we say that about.

I don't think I've bought one album this year, nothing has really grabbed me so far - must be getting old, although the new Goldfrapp sounds interesting, and I've heard snatches of British Sea Power. I’m still spinning last years sounds like Radiohead and Iron and Wine which have been my recent faves. Anybody got any 2008 recommendations let’s hear them.

I did finish my 2007 comps on CDR's remember them? Sent a couple out at the weekend so if anybody else wants one pm me. It’s a 2 disc affair all over the place, tracks as follows…

Cheers
Mike

Disc 1
1. Maccabees - All In Your Rows (3:15)
2. The Enemy - You’re Not Alone (3:39)
3. Booka Shade - In White Rooms (5:20)
4. The Klaxons - It’s Not Over Yet (3:31)
5. Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks (4:36)
6. Maximo Park - Our Velocity (3:17)
7. Modest Mouse - Little Motel (4:41)
8. LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great (6:21)
9. Radiohead - Weird Fish/Arpeggio (5:12)
10. Tunng - Bricks (4:14)
11. Blonde Redhead - Spring And By Summer (4:10)
12. Spoon - Don’t Make Me A Target (3:51)
13. The Editors - The Racing Rats (4:16)
14. Kings Of Leon - The Love Way (4:00)
15. Babyshambles - Unstookie (4:27)
16. Iron And Wine - Lovesong Of The Buzzard (4:22)
17. Go Find - New Year (3:08)
18. Arctic Monkeys - D Is For Dangerous (2:13)
19. Biffy Clyro - Machines (3:55)

Disc 2
1. Bjork - My Juvenile (3:57)
2. Fujiya & Miyagi - Ankle Injuries (4:58)
3. Wilco - Impossible Germany (5:53)
4. Newton Faulkner - I Need Something (2:52)
5. Bedouin Soundclash - Bells Of 59 (3:54)
6. The Shins - Red Rabbits (4:24)
7. Rilo Kiley - Silver Lining (3:30)
8. The Twang - Wide Awake (4:45)
9. Idlewild - Make Another World (4:00)
10. The National - Slow Show (4:01)
11. Richmond Fontaine - $87 And A Guilty Conscience…(3:30)
12. The Earlies - The Bad Is As Bad Does (4:28)
13. Tori Amos - Bouncing Off Clouds (4:03)
14. Laura Veirs - Wandering Kind (3:27)
15. Porcupine Tree - My Ashes (4:59)
16. Lucinda Williams - Come On (4:44)
17. Feist - My Moon My Man (3:40)
18. Air - Spacemaker (3:53)
19. Arcade Fire - Ocean Of Noise (4:49)

ForeverAutumn
02-20-2008, 08:05 AM
Hey Mike. It's nice to see Bedouin Soundclash on your list. I love them, but I hadn't realized that they'd made their way over the pond. A lot of Canadian bands who make waves here only do so because of Canadian Content laws for radio play. I think that Metric, mentioned by Lion Man above, is a good example of that. So it's nice to see some of these bands getting the attention that they deserve elsewhere.

While we're on the subject, I'd like a copy of that comp if it's not too much trouble. You've made a lot of great recs to me in the past and I'm sure that there's lots on this comp that I haven't heard that I'll like.

Cheers!

nobody
02-20-2008, 08:54 AM
A day late and a dollar short...been listening to a couple thigns the last couple days...

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drj100/j118/j11883tjfdt.jpg
The Raveonettes: Lust Lust Lust
This was waiting for me last night in my mailbox when I got home. I think it's their best yet, and I'm already a fan. It kinda takes the heavy Jesus & Mary Chain feedback sound of their first stuff and couples it with a bit more breadth they first opened up to on Pretty in Black. The opening track is another one with a great Duane Eddy style guitar twang cutting through the fuzz and kicks things off right. The whole thing looses a bit of momentum as it winds down, but I'm gonna be listening to it a ton. Sure, they're not the most original band in the world, but I've got no problem with a band shamelessly wearing their influences on their sleeve if I like those influences. And, white noise guitar squall meets wall of sound meets old style rock 'n' roll melodies ain't gonna rub me the wrong way.


http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drj000/j054/j05494zb24v.jpg
Working For A Nuclear Free City: Businessmen & Ghosts
I just stumbled across this one, but I believe it came out last year in England and then was issued with a whole second disc of material late in the year in the US. This one's a jumble of all kinds of stuff. They'd be one of those bands impossible to get a taste of in a singe song as they run from slow electronic instrumentals to all out rock songs and quite a bit in between over the course of 2 discs. From Manchester, I've heard them compared to Stone Roses, which makes sense, but they also throw a heaping healping of electronics into the mix. This thing is all over the place, but manages to stick together. The sprawl kinda reminds me of Spiritualized in parts, but with more drive and energy and less lazy hazy moments. Rampant excess and hard to pin down, and so far I'm quite fond of it.

And, by the way, looking forward to that comp Mike.

Ex Lion Tamer
02-20-2008, 09:09 AM
Hey Mike. It's nice to see Bedouin Soundclash on your list. I love them, but I hadn't realized that they'd made their way over the pond. A lot of Canadian bands who make waves here only do so because of Canadian Content laws for radio play.
Cheers!

I think that was much more true - the concept of un-deserving bands getting air-play because of Canadian content rules, that is - through the '80s when midling acts like Saga and Honeymoon Suite and Glass Tiger and Platinum Blonde etc... were littering the Canadian airwaves, than it is today. I don't see it as a big a factror with the resurgence in Canadian music that is going on today.

Now granted I listen to really no terrestrial radio, (or sattelite for that matter) , mostly because the radio in Montreal is incredibly bad, so I don't really know if bands like Metric and the Constantines and the Weakerthans and Broken Social Scene and The Stars and The New Pornographers, (I'll leave Feist and The Arcade Fire out of the discussion for now); are getting played on the radio. I am pretty confident in saying that they don't get played in Montreal nor Ottawa. Are they beeing played in Toronto?

To me, I see Canada today the way Britain was in the early '80s, -- a country that is producing way more high quality music than it's population size would have you think possible, and content rules have little to do with it.

Davey
02-20-2008, 09:26 AM
Davey, you may have heard this...apparently No Depression is folding. Don't know if you read it or not, but I would presume that anyone into Americana would find this to be sad on some level...

Yea, that is too bad, though kind of surprised they have been able to keep going so long. I've honestly only bought a couple issues over the years cause it seemed kind of a dry read with lots of good information, but not much entertainment value. Probably the only music mag that eschewed the glitter and glamor approach to music writing. But I think they are expanding their website and continuing it online. I've always been a fan of the americana.uk site which is contributor driven, so maybe they can do something like that with occasional sample discs to subscribers.

On another note, Wednesday is Cardinal day here. Playing the one and only full length that came out of the early teaming of Richard Davies and Eric Matthews in 1994, expanded and reissued in 2005 on Empyrean Records. Only $10 postpaid and they throw in the latest EP from Eric Matthews. Nice. Makes me hope that Davies finds a deal and a label to master and release his latest recording.

http://www.empyreanrecords.com/albumDetail.php?catalog_id=11

Davey
02-20-2008, 09:56 AM
Had a couple of distracted listens to BSP's newest, and one more focused listen and I like what I've heard so far.

"Atom" is my current fixation. Love that song. Played it two or three times on the way home from work last night. My car changer has been kind of stuck on that early Three Mile Pilot "Chief Assassin to the Sinister" for so long, especially the amazing "Midgaard Serpent", that I play over and over at high levels like a teenage idiot, singing the changing "shalom, feed the fire" refrain, so it's nice to have a new car distraction, though like most modern recordings (at least on CD) the BSP recording doesn't hold together very well at high volumes.

Also been listening some to the latest from Six By Seven, very much in a Spiritualized vein. Made nicer because they have responded to the idiotic modern mastering practices by making a record that is intentionally mastered quieter, with some dynamics left, and even talk about it at their site. The band 65daysofstatic made a very cool record last year called "The Destruction of Small Ideas" that I also just got and love, but they recorded it in that same "vintage" style, preserving much of the nuances in the music that has been lost in modern times. Quiet and dynamic, real instruments, real players, just like real music. Still has the electronic effects and found sounds like in most instrumental post-rock, but humanized, this is a pretty special one, the one where they found themselves as a band, and a big part of that was the realization that loud mastering with no dynamic range is wrecking music. Still hope, I guess. Of course, they released it on double gatefold vinyl too, but I haven't heard that ... yet :)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/610gjB4wpzL._AA240_.jpg

from their Rough Trade label site ...

65DAYSOFSTATIC
the destruction of small ideas

as the album title might suggest, 65daysofstaic are not afraid to aim high - with their previous two studio albums grandly realised journeys into the post-rock night sky that look to mogwai, autechre and steve reich for inspiration as electronic elements are incorporated into the mix for added texture. harking from the seven hills of sheffield, 65daysofstaic prove that there's more to the city of steel than arctic monkey wannabes, with 'the destruction of small things' further enhancing their claim to wall-of-guitar grandeur and scarred sky solipsism. opening with 'when we were younger & better', 65daysofstatic don't sound unlike muse at their most unbridled - albeit washed clean of the faux-yorke wailing and replaced with some truly thundering rhythms that propel the whole composition down the asphalt at break-neck speed. able to do the whole 'quiet-loud-pretty-loud' thing whilst avoiding the numerous clichés that often blight such excursions, 65daysofstatic take their music very seriously and throughout 'the destruction of small ideas' you're well aware of the accomplished individuals who are raising sonic hell. moving on, the next post-rock enema comes via 'failsafe' and its clever use of rhythm and piano interludes - with the whole thing flailing around in a digital straight-jacket that finally breaks to unleash a tsunami of sound. elsewhere, 'wax futures' matches a skittering electronic beat to broiling riffs, 'music is music...' introduces the notion of classical elements through some baroque flourishes, whilst 'these things you can't unlearn' will take your head off through sheer sonic might after its tender introduction. closing with the 'the conspiracy of seeds', 65daysofstatic hint at possible things to come - incorporating strepsil vocals and a sweet female voice to balance the ruptured rock universe spewing forth behind.

in their own words: we tried to make it in a way that would retain it's dynamic and make it listenable at many different volumes, like records used to be made before it became fashionable to compress the **** out of them, until they're so loud they sound like a brick wall, but can capture the attention of the average radio listener faced with hours and hours of rubbish, by being that much louder than everything else. instead we made this so the quiet bits are quiet and the loud bits are loud, and if you turn it up on your stereo you can hear everything in it's own place. couldn't have said it better myself.

Mike
02-20-2008, 10:00 AM
Hey Mike. It's nice to see Bedouin Soundclash on your list. I love them, but I hadn't realized that they'd made their way over the pond. A lot of Canadian bands who make waves here only do so because of Canadian Content laws for radio play. I think that Metric, mentioned by Lion Man above, is a good example of that. So it's nice to see some of these bands getting the attention that they deserve elsewhere.

While we're on the subject, I'd like a copy of that comp if it's not too much trouble. You've made a lot of great recs to me in the past and I'm sure that there's lots on this comp that I haven't heard that I'll like.

Cheers!

I can't remember if you introduced me to them or I introduced them to you. But I forgot they are Canadian, either way I love their sound. The latest has more of a ska feel to it don't you think.

No problem with the comp I'll send one asap, you still at Norris Way, Ontario?

Cheers
Mike

Davey
02-20-2008, 10:22 AM
Second listen through the Bon Iver cd right now. Pretty sweet...I'll have to live with it but I've been humming 'Skinny Love' all day.

Just got my copy and haven't even listened yet, although I've heard some of it already and know I'll really like it. Also just got in the mail last night the debut from the big buzz band of the moment, Vampire Weekend. Just started to listen, but a very fun record for those that still love that English Beat sound (and yeah, I'm very guilty on that score, one of the best bands of that era). Unfortunately, mastered way too loud, so nowhere as good sounding as those records by the Talking Heads and the Beat and Paul Simon and Oingo Boingo and all the rest, and of course musicheads of my generation have heard it all before, and probably heard it done better, but still loads of monkey fun, so no apologies from me, and don't be peeing in my pool :)

A friend of mine saw them locally a week or so ago and was raving about the show too.

ForeverAutumn
02-20-2008, 10:33 AM
I can't remember if you introduced me to them or I introduced them to you. But I forgot they are Canadian, either way I love their sound. The latest has more of a ska feel to it don't you think.

No problem with the comp I'll send one asap, you still at Norris Way, Ontario?

Cheers
Mike

Maybe I introduced them to you, although I don't remember doing so. Or coulda been Audiobill who introduced you. I know that he digs them too. I know it wasn't the other way around. Yeah, I like the new album better than the first although both are very good.

You've got the address right. Thanks!

ForeverAutumn
02-20-2008, 10:42 AM
I think that was much more true - the concept of un-deserving bands getting air-play because of Canadian content rules, that is - through the '80s when midling acts like Saga and Honeymoon Suite and Glass Tiger and Platinum Blonde etc... were littering the Canadian airwaves, than it is today. I don't see it as a big a factror with the resurgence in Canadian music that is going on today.

Now granted I listen to really no terrestrial radio, (or sattelite for that matter) , mostly because the radio in Montreal is incredibly bad, so I don't really know if bands like Metric and the Constantines and the Weakerthans and Broken Social Scene and The Stars and The New Pornographers, (I'll leave Feist and The Arcade Fire out of the discussion for now); are getting played on the radio. I am pretty confident in saying that they don't get played in Montreal nor Ottawa. Are they beeing played in Toronto?

To me, I see Canada today the way Britain was in the early '80s, -- a country that is producing way more high quality music than it's population size would have you think possible, and content rules have little to do with it.

I didn't mean to imply that Metric was undeserving. I hope that you didn't take it that way. What I meant was that there are lots of wonderful Canadian artists that wouldn't get any radio play if not for CanCon rules. And I think that this applies even more now than in the 80's. In the 80's bands had to sign a big record deal to get on the radio. It was more about marketability than music. But today, so many bands are on independant labels or even just promoting themselves that they wouldn't have got the time of day in the past. But radio stations are forced to find good Canadian content and if the big record labels don't have an Avril Lavigne or Alanis Morisette to push, then they have to find alternative music to fill the requirement. I think it's a good thing.

I haven't heard The Weakerthans or The Constantines on the radio here. But I have heard Metric, The Stars, BSS, and The New Pornogrophers on 102.1 which is the closest thing to a mainstream alternative station that we have here. Unfortunately, to get to those bands you have to put up with Nickelback, Billy Talent and Fall Out Boy in high doses. (where's the little barfy emoticon when you need it?).

And I never heard Fiest on the radio until Apple picked her up.

Ex Lion Tamer
02-20-2008, 11:46 AM
I haven't heard The Weakerthans or The Constantines on the radio here. But I have heard Metric, The Stars, BSS, and The New Pornogrophers on 102.1 which is the closest thing to a mainstream alternative station that we have here. Unfortunately, to get to those bands you have to put up with Nickelback, Billy Talent and Fall Out Boy in high doses. (where's the little barfy emoticon when you need it?).

And I never heard Fiest on the radio until Apple picked her up.

Well you guys are doing way better than us in MTL, (at least in radio if not in hockey - had to get a Leafs dig in there:)), independent music and radio are mutually exclusive concepts here.

Not sure I agree with your now versus '80s comparison, the rules are the same now as then (I think) yet 90% of the Cdn. content then was dreck - so the music was (and is) getting on the radio whether good or not, it just happens that now the music is of a much higher quality, IMO. I think the major record labels point is a bit of a red herring because in the '80s there really were no indie-labels, at least not to the extent there is now, so it was major label or nothing, now, thankfully there are lots of alternatives for talented young bands.

BradH
02-20-2008, 03:21 PM
I'm always hitting the old stuff it seems...

Weather Report - I Sing The Body Electric. I still think the live tracks are the keepers on this.
Robyn Hitchcock - NHK 505 Studio, Tokyo - Oct 6, 2005. This acoustic performance is not as fun as his Heavy Friends recreation of Piper At The Gates Of Dawn but, hey, bootlegs are free! I think this came from the Digital Archives.
The Selecter - Too Much Pressure. Speaking of the Two-Tone stuff.
King Crimson - In The Wake of Poseidon. I still think most of the material between Court and Lark's Tongues is second tier stuff but now my 70's KC collection is complete. That's what matters, y'see.
Roxy Music - Stranded. Brilliant, of course.
The Police - Paradiso, Amsterdam - June 22, 1979. The best Paradiso radio recording I've heard out of that new wave era. Blistering performance.
Hawkwind - Live Seventy-Nine. If you've never heard Hawkwind just imagine if The Ramones were a pothead British jam-band singing about space & stuff. And I mean that in a good way. Like Roxy, these guys didn't have to do much in '79 to fit in with what was current. But they kept the synths and the long jams and made the punks come to them - which they did in a big way. This was the year they toured without a label deal which was fairly ballsy at the time.

Slosh
02-20-2008, 05:22 PM
NP (first spin) :

Spancticles
02-20-2008, 07:46 PM
a fine frenzy-one cell in the sea
radiohead-in rainbows
my brightest diamond-bring me the workhorse
katie melua-pictures

nobody
02-21-2008, 07:58 AM
The Selecter - Too Much Pressure. Speaking of the Two-Tone stuff.


I actually gave this one a listen a couple days ago as well. Every now and then gotta grab this one and the first albums by Madness, the Specials and English Beat. Although, more often, I just throw on that This Are Two Tone compilation that's got stuff by all of 'em on it and more.

BradH
02-21-2008, 08:50 AM
I actually gave this one a listen a couple days ago as well. Every now and then gotta grab this one and the first albums by Madness, the Specials and English Beat. Although, more often, I just throw on that This Are Two Tone compilation that's got stuff by all of 'em on it and more.

Nice. This is the new re-mastered version of Too Much Pressure so I'm guessing they'll release the second album if they haven't already. I've got all that stuff you mentioned, great stuff. The Specials discs have also been remastered but I haven't heard those.

Davey
02-21-2008, 11:38 AM
A friend of mine introduced me to a Toronto band that has been dominating my CD player for the last couple of weeks - Metric, they sound a little like a favorite of mine from the '80s - The Darling Buds at time, but I also hear a little Siouxsie & the Banshees too.

You probably know them, but Islands is another band right in your backyard that morphed out of one of Sloshy's faves a few years ago in the Unicorns. A bit more accomplished and not quite as...er...weird, shall we say. Cool debut last year. But you should really get your hands on that Vampire Weekend I mentioned above, if you haven't already. Way too much buzz, you know how it is when those NY critics get behind a band of rich white kids, but the record is really way beyond all of my expectations. Channels lots of good things about the English Beat and the Feelies and Paul Simon and some other favorites, but wraps it all up in a very tight set of very entertaining tunes, with a nice album flow too. Been playing it tons, it's almost like an exercise machine with my feet tapping and legs shaking and head bobbing and arms drumming. Fun stuff, and they're still just fresh out of college. How can you go to college and have a band this good and still graduate? Don't you just hate em?

:)

Stone
02-21-2008, 01:16 PM
I've been making a database/inventory of my music collection the past few weeks, so it's got me interested in listening to things that I haven't listened to in a long time or I have never listened to much. Here are a few from the past week or so:

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf600/f600/f60065sbej0.jpg
Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime

I like his first EP and first two albums better (primarily because of the lack of instrumentation and production those records have), but this one has a few gems. "Waiting for the Great Leap Forward" is one of my favorites of his, and he did a fine version (sans backing band) when he appeared on the Henry Rollins Show recently.


http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drj000/j089/j08928sbvn7.jpg
Devo - SmoothNoodleMaps

This is much better than I remember. Don't get me wrong; it's nowhere near as good as their first three records, but this has some enjoyable stuff on it. However, if you have an aversion to synthy, danceable music, this isn't for you.


http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd600/d652/d652216c7be.jpg
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Spanish Dance Troupe

What a nice album. This is one that never got the attention it deserved from me. Sure, there are a couple duds (mainly the shorter interludes), but the tunes, arrangements, and overall feeling of these songs really catches my ear and keeps my attention. "Faraway Eyes" to me is a standout, and is a country tune at that.

SlumpBuster
02-21-2008, 02:26 PM
A lot of Canadian bands who make waves here only do so because of Canadian Content laws for radio play.


I don't know what Canadians think about that law, but I'll tell you that as an American living 10 miles from the Canadian border, I thank the gods in the Great White North every day for that law. A little variety on the radio never hurt anyone.

Troy
02-21-2008, 02:46 PM
This is today's shuffle. Sweet Painted Lady just ended.

http://designshed.com/temporary/tuesday.jpg

Swish
02-21-2008, 03:10 PM
Looks like it's only about $9 online. Probably less than Swish Daddy spends on beer during lunch each day.
http://www.epitonic.com/index.jsp?refer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.epitonic.com%2Far tists%2Fthecourtandspark.html

It's basically true, but I resemble it anyway. Those Pale Ales run about $3.50 or more a pop, so what's a guy to do?

Was 'music starved' on vacation, save a few tunes on the wife's tiny iPod. Mostly female stuff but she did have the new Pinback on there, so I had some salvation.

This week has been filled with work, so not a lot to talk about...until after the Wilco show Saturday night.

Swish

Ex Lion Tamer
02-25-2008, 05:57 AM
You probably know them, but Islands is another band right in your backyard that morphed out of one of Sloshy's faves a few years ago in the Unicorns. A bit more accomplished and not quite as...er...weird, shall we say. Cool debut last year. But you should really get your hands on that Vampire Weekend I mentioned above, if you haven't already. Way too much buzz, you know how it is when those NY critics get behind a band of rich white kids, but the record is really way beyond all of my expectations. Channels lots of good things about the English Beat and the Feelies and Paul Simon and some other favorites, but wraps it all up in a very tight set of very entertaining tunes, with a nice album flow too. Been playing it tons, it's almost like an exercise machine with my feet tapping and legs shaking and head bobbing and arms drumming. Fun stuff, and they're still just fresh out of college. How can you go to college and have a band this good and still graduate? Don't you just hate em?

:)
Sounds like Vampre Weekend is a must buy, so I did just that yesterday - couldn't find it on vinyl (did find the new Iron & Wine - which I was already familiar with via download as well as the Raveonettes that Nobody's been raveonetting about). Only a quick preview in the car on the way home - but I liked what I heard, which wasn't really what I expected - I guess I read more into the Feelies comparison and was expecting more jangly guitars than I heard at first blush - but all that is not necessarily a bad thing. Did seem like a herky-jerky good time along the lines of Talking Heads.

Davey
02-25-2008, 08:30 AM
Only a quick preview in the car on the way home - but I liked what I heard, which wasn't really what I expected - I guess I read more into the Feelies comparison and was expecting more jangly guitars than I heard at first blush - but all that is not necessarily a bad thing. Did seem like a herky-jerky good time along the lines of Talking Heads.

Yea, I tend to be a little quick on the Feelies references, but it is there, just doesn't surface right away. At times they sound a bit like the Strokes, and the Strokes did initially sound a little like the Feelies to me. But this mostly hits me as a mix of pop, ska, punk, and reggae. Kind of like the English Beat and Police, but with more than a nod and wink to Paul Simon. Many others do seem to hear Talking Heads, but guess I don't hear much of that. Fun lyrics and fun music. Love the "who gives a **** about an oxford comma" song, pretty clever lyric turns (and I think I just used one of those commas up above :)). Anyhow, cranked up loud in the car, can't help but make your day go better. But for the last few days, this Bon Iver CD has gotten seriously into my brainwaves. And that one is available on vinyl. Pretty good sounding on the CD, mostly recorded at his dad's cabin, way out in Nowhere, Wisconsin. Not a speck of similarity to Vampire Weekend, other than it is destined to be one of my favorites of the year.

nobody
02-26-2008, 07:59 AM
this mostly hits me as a mix of pop, ska, punk, and reggae.

OK, now I'm interested.

Davey
02-26-2008, 09:07 AM
OK, now I'm interested.

There are lots of people dismissing it as derivative, and like I said, it is, but to me it's all in a good way. They mix in some of that calypso guitar sound to really good effect, kind of a nod to Orchestra Baobab I guess. But I think you have to take it as what it is, just made for fun. Like when the Police and Clash were having fun with reggae, it wasn't intended to be the "real" thing. And these kids don't have any roots in Soweto or Jamaica either, but they still know how to make a fun mix of styles.

nobody
02-26-2008, 09:14 AM
Hey, I always liked when the Clash did their reggae thing...loved the two-toe stuff that was just great fun...and I even really enjoyed the Tim Armstrong reggae/ska record last year. So, if it's just some punky white kids having fun with reggae, I'll probably dig it. I think people get too caught up worrying about things being "authentic" or having to be all wild originality. That stuff's fine and dandy, but I just wanna listen and enjoy what I hear. I'll come back after I've had a chance to actually hear this one.

ForeverAutumn
02-26-2008, 10:19 AM
Hey, I always liked when the Clash did their reggae thing...loved the two-toe stuff that was just great fun...and I even really enjoyed the Tim Armstrong reggae/ska record last year. So, if it's just some punky white kids having fun with reggae, I'll probably dig it. I think people get too caught up worrying about things being "authentic" or having to be all wild originality. That stuff's fine and dandy, but I just wanna listen and enjoy what I hear. I'll come back after I've had a chance to actually hear this one.

Check out Bedouin Soundclash too. http://www.myspace.com/bedouinsoundclash

bobsticks
02-26-2008, 05:57 PM
For those of you that don't escape the confines of RR, my main system has been down for a bit...mostly because of my refusal to hop onto the hdmi-of-the-week express. I'd decided to go two-channel until the dust settles and am currently awaiting a second preamp (to replace the one the UPS guys played soccer with). Lately it's been computer music or nothing.

Today I dug out the old Pioneer P someting-something-something cdp for a breath of fresh air and whoa...mighty nice. Forgotten how the old warhorse can sing.
Ye old Pioneer is a disc changer and, as such, the playlist today was:

Neutral Milk Hotel~NMH
Lee Ritenour~World Of Brazil
The Dismemberment Plan~Emergency & I
Tom Waits~Blood Money
Feist~The Reminder
and
Wilco~Being There

Chez Sticks she is a rawkin'.

nobody
02-26-2008, 07:33 PM
Yeah, I do enjoy that Bedouin Soundclash disc as well.

And, ya know, I used to complain that my wife always exclusively played everything in the changer on random while I often want to hear the whole album. But, there are absolutely times that I miss being able to load up 5 CDs and let the machine mix 'em up. Sometimes it really is a great way to listen.