July 4th KXLU show highlights

Oof. Today's show was a bit rocky, and I'm sorry. I have been working 10 hour shifts every day this week starting at 5am. On top of that, I left work, came straight to LMU and had a 3 hour class. Needless to say, I just wasn't in top form today, transitions were off, song selection lagged at certain points...what can I say? Despite all of this, the show was still fun and mostly good. There were definitely a number of highlights that I am excited to talk about.

Song 1 - Holy F%k: Lovely Allen
This is the second time I have played this song, and the second time I have made this mistake: for some reason, someone wrote 45 on the cover of this record, so I played it at 45...it's a 33 1/3. However, I finally went out and bought the full length LP (to play on Sunday) and it's 33 1/3. When I got it home and listened to it, I was wondering what was missing, why it was so slow? Well, when I played the 12" single at 45 again tonight I figured it out. I'm definitely playing this song on Sunday at Little Radio, but can't decide if I should do it at 45 or 33 1/3. Hmmmm. What I love about Holy F%k is that all sounds are analogue. There is nothing digital here. Also notable about this song (and I was so rushed, that I completely forgot to mention this on air) the strings at the end of Lovely Allen are provided by none other than Owen Pallett, AKA Final Fantasy. This is a man who has created an 8 part opus based on each of the different forms of magic in Dungeons and Dragons.

Song 9 - Giraffes? Giraffes! - I am s/h(im)e[r] as you am s/h(im)e[r] as you are me and we am I and I are all our together: Our collective consciousness' psychogenic fugue
Let's start...what a song title! Now, as for the band title, I have no way to confirm this, but I'm guessing that they are named after the book Giraffes? Giraffes! This is a reference book for children to learn all about giraffes and just listen to the description: "Giraffes? Giraffes! is the first in the series, and puts forth the following novel theories: that giraffes were not part of any evolutionary chain, but came here from Neptune, by way of very long (but convenient and fast) escalators; that giraffes are expert dancers, but they become angry if you ask them about their dancing; that giraffes control over 90% of what we see in mirrors; that the Giraffe Navy is as strong as ever, contrary to recent claims in the popular press." Your move John Hodgman! This song is as much a journey from Neptune. Opening with proggy math rock guitar lines and a Zach Hill approach to the drums, the song takes a huge turn to the softer side. Let's just say glocenspiel is involved. Oh, and speaking of this title of this track, I just picked up the Boris collaboration with Merzbow and they actually do the song. Who's the egg man now?

Song 10 - Destroy Tokyo - Necklace
Destroy Tokyo have changed their name to Religious Girls. Wow, what a song. I am so in love with this track, I don't even really know what else to say about it. Synthy, Noisy, Dreamy, this song has everything. They feel like a perfect counterpart to F%k Buttons. I'm just really in love with this band!

Song 11 - The Gang - Heaven's Happenin'
A long and gentle song that just builds up and up and up. The production is really fantastic on this song, leaving each instrument totally isolated in the beginning. It is aurally what "Stop Making Sense" is visually; then the vocals come in and just tear away. The piano is still left haunting the right speaker. Suddenly, it's like a rocket launch rumbling the speakers and the full band (I am assuming it is the whole band) comes in singing an anthem every bit as moving as Sigur Ros's Olsen Olsen. I have been playing Fits and Shadow Fights off of this record for the past few weeks because it is so danceable and I am completely in love with it, but this track really illustrates the depth and range that these guys are capable of.

Song 15 – Lou Reed – Sad Song (Live)
Okay, now anyone who knows Lou Reed's work knows the kind of disappointment that used to be trademarked by Red Sox fans when it comes to live performance. I found this live record in the KXLU library, and wow was I surprised when I heard it! This is good…really really good. The song is originally an unreleased Velvet Underground song (available as a bonus track on both the VU box set as well as the fully loaded version of Loaded). It was actually released, however, on one of my top 5 records of all time, Berlin. This holds up completely to the Bob Ezrin produced original and adds a particular energy that can only be captured live and a flair that only Lou Reed has and only on his very best of days.

Song 17 – Smog – I am Star Wars
Toggling The Rolling Stone's "Honky Tonk Woman" (well, 3 notes of it anyway) on a tape machine, this song would be a novelty if it wasn't so damn good! This is off of Smog's seminal Julius Caeser album, which is also a collaboration with Jim O'Rourke. What hasn't he done?

Song 28 – Twink – I (picture of a heart) Rainbows
This is actually neither a highlight nor a low light. I announced on air that Twink was back as if it was a huge surprise. Well, this Twink is Mike Langlie, NOT '60s British Psych Rock mainstay Paul Alder. Completely different Twink. Anyway, decent song. Sorry for any confusion.

Song 35 – Leila – Mettle
So, for some background, Leila is Iranian and was forced to flee to London when she was a little girl…so, take that MIA. Rather than hooking up with Diplo, Leila wound up playing keyboards with Bjork. This song is off of her new record on Warp. The water sounds remind me of Cornelius' "Drop" and this song is every bit as wonderful!

Song 46 – Spiritualized – Soul On Fire
New Spiritualized! New Spiritualized! New Spiritualized! What more do I have to say?

New song highlights: The Gang, Rainbow Arabia, Dr. Dog, Silver Jews, The War On Drugs (I need to write something about them…maybe next show), Fleet Foxes, Leila, David Ramos, Canopy, Spiritualized



Happy Fourth of July everyone. George III, Cornwallis and Washington are all dead...so a lot of good it did them!

Okay, sorry for such a long post, I get excited. Here's the complete play list:

Holy F%k – Lovely Allen
Dead Meadow – Sleepy Silver Door
Film School – Tangoed Out
SJ Esau – Bubblehead
Gangi – Region Two
Wire – The 15th
The Fall – No Bulb 3
The Wedding Present – Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft
Giraffes? Giraffes! – I am s/h(im)e[r]…
Destroy Tokyo – Necklace
The Gang – Heaven's Happenin'
Desolation Wilderness – Goodbye Summer Girl
Califone – Wing Bone
Bright Eyes – Happy Birthday To Me
Lou Reed – Sad Song
Rainbow Arabia – Hear No See No
Smog – I am Star Wars
Dr. Dog – The Ark
Koko Tayor – Evil
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Dig Lazarus Dig
Silver Jews – Suffering Jukebox
The War on Drugs – Needle In Your Eye 16
Red Kross – Neurotica
Ramones – Bonzo Goes To Bitburg
Teddy Bears – Cobra Style
Make A Rising – Bradfords Big Boatride
Wooden Shjips – Clouds Over Earthquake
Twink – I (heart) Rainbows
Fleet Foxes – Ragged Wood
Devon Williams – A Truce
The Whitsundays – I want it all
Dimmer – Contrail
Psychic TV – Unclean
Xu Xu Fang – The Mourning Son
Leila – Mettle
David Ramos – Kings + Queens
Odd Nosdam – Hollow Me
Jonathan Richman – You Can Have A Cell Phone, That's Okay, But Not Me
This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb – Murder Bike
Orange Juice – Blue Boy
Rolling Blackouts – Loophole Blues
Neon Blonde – Chandeliers and Vines
Nitzer Ebb – Hearts and Minds
Spires That In The Sunset Rise – Party Favors
Canopy – Everybody Trips A Little Now And Then
Spiritualized – Soul on Fire
Boris with Micho Kurihara – Rufflesia Rainbow
Lansing-Dreiden - Dividing Island