KCRW Playlist from 5/23

By the time I fell into bed this past Sunday morning, I was feeling my exhaustion so severely it was all that I could do to see straight. In every moment leading up to that time, I was having a blast. I'd been pretty excited all week about starting this show on a particularly dance-y note with Fosca's It's All Going to End in Tears going right into a current over the top pop addiction of the moment Lindstrom & Christabelle (it really is so much fun). There is actually quite a bit of new music out there now to get kind of excited about. New York band Beach Fossils have been a big favorite of mine lately. Sure there are plenty of existing bands that they could be compared to, but what a satisfying sound they have fallen into, every song is like walking through a pretty, hazy dream.

French band The Liminanas came onto my radar a few weeks ago. after a good deal of review in that relatively brief time span, I've pretty much come to the conclusion that they've made the coolest damn single of the year in "Je Ne Suis Pas Tres Drogue." I challenge anyone to listen to that song all the way through and not feel any desire to get down.

And the overpowering need I felt for a last minute addition of Beat Happening to this program was taken care of in the form of "Look Around." Always a favorite of mine, and as right for this particular program as I had hoped.

It's also worth mentioning that our guests at Hungry Beat! this forthcoming Saturday (May 29th) are Cats on Fire. They are from Finland and put on a highly fun live show. Observe...




I fully expect to see all of you at La Cita on Saturday night...




You can listen to this radio show here.


And here's the playlist:

Fosca - It's All Going To End In Tears

Lindstrom & Christabelle - So Much Fun

Stereo Total - Baby Ouh!

The Liminanas - Je Ne Suis Pas Tres Drogue

Cats On Fire - Your Woman

Quadron - Pressure

Club 8 - Shape Up!

Beat Happening - Look Around

Lali Puna - Our Inventions

Codeine Velvet Club - Hollywood

Strawberry Switchblade - Since Yesterday

The School - Is He Really Coming Home?

Razorcuts - Big Pink Cake

Herr Jazz - Hey Merlin Thanks For The Free Coffee

Altafini - Eu Lutarei Pela Paz

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Bright Lit Blue Skies

The Fall - Cowboy George

LCD Soundsystem - Somebody's Calling Me

Poison Control Center - Pacific Sunrise

Orchestre Bella Bella - Sola

The House Of Love - Destroy The Heart

Serena Maneesh - D.I.W.S.W.T.T.D

Math & Physics Club - Jimmy Had A Polaroid

Tracey Thorn - Swimming

The Pastels - Worlds Of Possibilities

Flying Lotus - MMMHMMM Feat. Thundercat

UNKLE - Joy Factory (Feat. Autolux)

Black Tambourine - Drown

The Splinters - Sea Salt Skin

The Beatles - She's Leaving Home

Male Bonding - Worse To Come W/ Vivian Girls

Suzi Quatro - Brain Confusion (For All The Lonely People)

Dangermouse & Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul W/ David Lynch

Toro Y Moi - Leave Everywhere

Beach Fossils - Daydream

Foxes In Fiction - Flashing Lights Have Ended Now

Nada Surf - Janine

Twin Sister - The Other Side Of Your Face

Four Tet - Love Cry

Listening Too Long to One Song: "Sea Salt Skin"

There's a certain feeling that takes over when song and state of mind converge. Of course life is always a bit nicer with the right soundtrack, but this feeling takes that idea a step further.

Yesterday my soundtrack (or more accurately my entire atmosphere) was hours upon hours of the series Twin Peaks. It was the kind of lazy day that's almost embarrassing. No one was awake before two PM, no one was out of bed until at least an hour after that point, and almost no words were spoken save for the ones that determined which one of us would make the trip to the store for the much needed soda and coffee. Very little energy was expended beyond pressing play, fast forward, and pause on the remote. Therefore when today arrived, I was ready to rejoin society, and ready for a new soundtrack.

"Sea Salt Skin" was my personal highlight of The Splinters debut record Kick upon first listen. With each successive listen I've liked it more and more, but somehow listening to it in the state that I'm in today just heightened my adoration that much more. Though I woke this morning at a perfectly respectable time, and went back to work on everything that needs to be worked on this week, I could retain the best part of that lazy day feeling in the form of this lazy three minute pop song. The whole thing feels spontaneous as if the girls in the band actually did roll out of bed and churn out this lovely, lacksidasical track. It feels like a sound from the 90s that isn't being spotlighted nearly enough right now, but should be revisited way more. The sound of the guitars is simultaneously gritty and crisp, and the vocals are very very clean. The harmonies are very subtle, but essential, and layers of echo exist under the surface to give you more to discover every time. Descriptions like "deceptively simple" must exist because of songs like this one. Add to all of that the the lyrics actually do seem to be describing a lazy day, "So we didn't talk we just put records on," and "The sea salt skin never crossed my mind, and I never felt like I was wasting time..."

Nothing could be better for walking around on a cloudy, slightly chilly day watching pockets of sun trying to emerge and thinking of how nice it is to be able to ease your way back into productivity.

KCRW Playlist from 5/9 - Filling in for NIc Harcourt!

This past Sunday I had the privilege of sitting in for Nic Harcourt at KCRW. The guest host slots are always particularly fun to plan as you want to take the taste of the person whose show you are hosting into great consideration, but you also want to put your own spin on the thing. Filling in for Nic to my mind meant that the Beatles and Morrisey were a must, and from there I thought about Creation records, "Ooh wouldn't Biff Bang Pow be perfect?" I was happy to be able to work in some newer favorites like Male Bonding, the Liminanas, and the ultra cool Brazilian garage/psych band Garotas Suecas (quite possibly my favorite discovery of the year so far). Throw in some Sonic Youth (September 30th at the Hollwood Bowl with Pavement!!!), a little Muslims (or Soft Pack, or whatever) covering Spacemen 3, and I feel like I'm looking back on what has so far been the funnest radio show to put together during my time at KCRW.

You can take a listen for yourself, here...


... And here is the full Playlist:

Codeine Velvet Club - Hollywood

The School - Let It Slip

The What Four - I'm Gonna Destroy That Boy

Morrissey - Cosmic Dancer

T Rex - I Love To Boogie

Karen Elson - The Ghost Who Walks

The Dead Weather - Jawbreaker

The Muslims - Walking With Jesus

The New Pornographers - If You Can't See My Mirrors

Bamboos - Keep Me In Mind

Catwalk - One By Words

Band Of Horses - Evening Kitchen

The Beatles - If I Needed Someone

Biff Bang Pow - She's Got Diamonds In Her Hair

Sonic Youth - Malibu Gas Staion

Dum Dum Girls - Bhang Bhang I'm A Burnout

Iggy Pop - Search And Destroy

Ana Tijoux - 1977

Massive Attack - Teardrop

Angelique Kidjo - Move On Up

Little Francesco Greaves - Moving-Grooving

Garotas Suecas - Codinome Dinomite

The Liminanas - I'm Dead

Black Tambourine - Dream Baby, Dream

Nada Surf - Love Goes On

Male Bonding - Weird Feelings

The National - Anyone's Ghost

Mavis - Feeling Lucky (Feat. Edwyn Collins)

The Pastels w/ Tenniscoats - Vivid Youth

Turin Brakes - Outbursts

Gorillaz - To Binge

Avi Buffalo - Can't I Know

Kisses - Bermuda (Active Child Remix)

Monaco - What Do You Want From Me?

Best Coast - Far Away

Holly Miranda - Sweet Dreams

Jacques Dutronc - Les Cactus

Big Star - For You

Painted Hills - Nighttime

John Cale - Charlemagne

Tracey Thorn - Why Does The Wind

Caribou - Bowls

Listening Too Long to One Song: "Mike Alway's Diary"

Every now and then my deep fascination with the weird world of El Records finds it's way to the forefront of my mind. I find myself listening to the few that I have over, and over again, and I find myself thinking about just how very entertaining it must be to have a conversation with Mike Alway. Mike Alway ran Blanco y Negro, and Cherry Red. El Records was a subsidiary of Cherry Red that Mr. Alway conjured up from some pretty creative recesses in his mind. The more I learn about El Records, the more it seems to function as Cherry Red: Fantasy Division.

In a nifty turn of events, El Records was huge in Japan and was able to release music for perhaps longer than they might have been able to otherwise because of this fact. This video from Kahimi Karie is a great example of the influence that the whimsical, dreamworld-Eurolounge sound (that was just one of many in the El canon) had on the segment of the Japanese musician population that really took to this stuff.

Kahimi Karie even worked with resident Creation/Cherry Red/El genius Momus!

My apologies for the lack of video in this video...

Primal Scream - "Ivy, Ivy, Ivy"

The next installment in my listening to/obsessing about/writing about the records I found in Scotland blog post series...


I'll admit it, I know far less about Primal Scream then I probably should. What I do know are trivial anecdotes, and personal feelings. Things like other bands Bobby Gillespie was in, and the fact that to me, "Gentle Tuesday" sounds like the aural equivalent of a deeply satisfying heavy sigh. I hold questionable opinions on the band's material. I prefer the title track A-side of their "Crystal Crescent" single to it's much revered B-side "Velocity Girl." I prefer Xtrmntr to Screamadelica. So when the "Ivy, Ivy, Ivy" 7" was held up to me at a record store in Edinburgh to be considered for purchase, I had to pause for awhile to wonder if I had actually heard the song, or if I just recognized the title. I was pretty sure that it was the latter, and when I arrived home and finally put the record on my turntable my suspicion was confirmed.

"Ivy, Ivy, Ivy" is a good song. It's fun, it's catchy beyond belief, and though many have probably analyzed this next statement to far greater effect than I ever could, it seems to serve as a nice bridge between the band's somewhat subtle pop past, and their considerably bigger rock future. Pop melody and lyrical theme, rock execution allt the way.

On the other hand, the B-side "You're Just Too Dark too Care" is a slow burning ember that never sparks a flame. Soft, pensive, remarkably pretty, and like "Gentle Tuesday," this one too gives me the feeling of an aural sigh. I once heard someone describe "sypathetic chords," chord progressions that were almost certain to receive a positive response from a listener. Any time I describe a song as an aural sigh, I can't help thinking that the song must contain some seriously sympathetic chords.

In a way this might be Primal Scream making the most of the best parts of certain sounds that they primarily operated within. Mostly these are just two very pleasant songs hear, and should guarantee a positive response every time.

KCRW 4/25

This past week was kind of a haze of residual exhaustion from the week before, the slight frustration brought about by the second false start of what I believe to be a very promising new club night, and Tetris... hours upon hours of Tetris. However, the week did manage to end on a productive note; the new club is well on it's way to having a new home, I'm starting to think about the 7" that will be obsessed over in the next installment of my "Obsessing Over the Records I Purchased in Scotland" series, and perhaps the most productive thing I managed (and certainly the most fun) was this radio show:

You can hear it by clicking this link...

... And here's what I played:

LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean

Bad Dream Fancy Dress - Discotheque

Love Is All - Last Choice

Hot Chip - Take It In

Nada Surf - Love Goes On

Lindstom & Christabelle - Baby Can't Stop

Zoot Woman - Just A Friend Of Mine (Jump Jump Dance Dance Remix)

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Falling Over

Caribou - Leave House

Le Tigre - Well, Well, Well

Gil Scott-Heron - Running

Club 8 - Western Hospitality

Ana Tijoux - 1977 - 1977

Mavis - Feeling Lucky (Feat Edwyn Collins)

Saint Etienne - Spring (Air France Remix)

Ozomatli - Love Comes Down (Anne Litt's remix)

Guru - Loungin - Jazzmatazz Vol. 1

The Bamboos - Turn It Up

Esther Williams - Last Night Changed It All

Garotas Suecas - Codinome Dinomite

Kisses - Bermuda

Ancient Crux - Wingwalker

Gorillaz - Some Kind Of Nature

Serena Maneesh - Reprobate!

Memory Tapes - Bicycle

Stars On 33 - I Feel Music In Your Heart (Lifelike and Kris Menace Remix)

The Undertones - Teenage Kicks (From John Peel's edition of Fabric Live. This was both a tribute to Peel, and to the fact that the Glasgow club Optimo was coming to an end that night. "Teenage Kicks" was the biggest highlight of my one trip to the club. R.I.P to both)

Cosmetics - Honey Honey

The Pastels - Sit On It Mother

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round And Round

Minus The Bear - My Time

Mos Dub - History Town

The Wake - Here Comes Everbody

Flying Lotus - Do The Astral Plane

KCRW Playlist from 4/11

For this show, I put the spotlight on a lot of bands that I would like to see if I make it out to Coachella at all (jury's still out). One thing is for sure though, if I'm not in the desert on Sunday night freaking out over the fact that well, you know, Pavement's there, AND Gorillaz. I will be front and center at the Echo jumping around giddily to Love is All. I've seen them three times now, each time I enjoy it more than the last. I might even go so far as to say that they are my favorite live band, and I would see them anytime I had the chance. If you are in Los Angeles on Sunday night, the Echo is the only place to be...



Listen to the show here.


And the playlist is as follows...


Dntel - This Is The Dream Of Evan & Chan

Black Tambourine - Lazy Heart

Love Is All - Early Warnings

Miriam Makeba - Pata Pata

Corinne Bailey Rae - Paris Nights/New York Mornings

P.I.L - This Is Not A Love Song

Caribou - Leave House

The Glass - Four Four Letter

The XX - Heart Skipped A Beat

Cornelius - Windy Hill

Girls - Headache

Quadron - Slippin'

New Order - Leave Me Alone

Galaxie 500 - Ceremony

The Lilys - Dreams Never End

The Soft Pack - Parasites

Dum Dum Girls - Blank Girl

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - Without A Heart

Zia - Kofriam

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Antivan Eyes

The Method Actors - Dancing Underneath

The Whitest Boy Alive - Promise Less, Do More

Toro Y Moi - Minors

The Ruby Suns - Cranberry

Matt & Kim - Daylight

Mayer Hawthorne - Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin'

Yacht - Psychic City (Classix Remix)

Sex Pistols - Sub-Mission

Gorillaz - Stylo

Gonjasufi - Candylane

Pavement - Shady Lane

Joyce - Feminina

Camera Obscura - Razzle Dazzle Rose

Les Garcons - Encore L'Amore (Leo Zero Edit)

She & Him - If You Can't Sleep