Toonsday Tuesday in Tunesville ... and Bless You

[Slosh]

NP (first spin) :

[Spancticles]

a fine frenzy-one cell in the sea
radiohead-in rainbows
my brightest diamond-bring me the workhorse
katie melua-pictures

[nobody]

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]

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]

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]

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:


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.



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.



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]

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]

This is today's shuffle. Sweet Painted Lady just ended.

[Swish]

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?re...tandspark.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]

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]

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 fuck 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]

this mostly hits me as a mix of pop, ska, punk, and reggae.

OK, now I'm interested.

[Davey]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.