New time-slot tomorrow!

9-11 AM on CFUV!

Noise Pollution (Or, Orange Juice with Amanda Blank)

Johnny is away for the holidays, so I'm back on late-night for a show, doing his Noise Pollution tonight from 9-10:30. Which means I get to finally play some Amanda Blank pussy-made-of-gold-isms without fear of offending the morning crowd.

Not to mention a bit from comedy great Patton Oswalt's latest record. Followed with some Glasgow pop via Orange Juice (and its progeny), and Birds + Batteries, who, according to their distributor, like their Scary Monsters-era Bowie very much. Remember -- Mid-Morning Razzmatazz is at a new time-slot starting next show (January 1, New Years Day) -- 9 to 11 am! Two hours!!

Songs:

• Spearmint - "A Trip Into Space" - A Week Away
  
• Patton Oswalt - "The Magician" - My Weakness Is Strong
  
• Charlotte Gainsbourg - "Heaven Can Wait (Nosaj Thing Remix)" -  IRM
• Oakenfold ft. Brittany Murphy - "Faster Kill Pussycat" - [single]
  
• Amanda Blank - "Might Like You Better" - [single]
• Amanda Blank - "Super Freek" [remix] - Observe and Report [soundtrack]
• Orange Juice - "Falling and Laughing" - A Casual Introduction: 1981/2001
  
• Edwyn Collins - "A Girl Like You" - A Casual Introduction: 1981/2001
• Music Go Music - "Warm in the Shadows" - Expressions
• Saint Etienne - "Lose That Girl" - Good Humor
• Tonstartssbandht - "Midnite Cobras" - An When
  
• Tricky - "Numb" - Tricky Meets South Rakkas Crew
• The Lytics - "I'm Here" - The Lytics
• Birds + Batteries - "The Villain" - Up to No Good

Listen live!

Afterword
My brother Warren and Louis (from Sound Unlimited) guested on the show. Louis said the new Tricky album was shit. I disagreed. BATTLE.

CFUV Charts - December 14, 2009

For whatever reason those earshot! charts for CFUV don't get updated regularly, so here are the final charts of the year. Emboldened are those records that are good.

CFUV Top 30 - Week of Dec 14, 2009

**reported to CMJ, Dusted, Chart Magazine**

1. Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights (Load)
2. BlakRoc - BlakRoc (s/r)
3. Converge - Axe To Fall (Epitaph)
4. Various - Daptone Gold (Daptone)
5. Tonstartssbandht - An When (Does Are)
6. Leonard Cohen - Live At The Isle Of Wight, 1970 (Legacy/Sony)
7. Tom Waits - Glitter and Doom Live (Anti-)
8. Dog Day - Elder Schoolhouse (12-inch; Divorce) *
9. The Homemade Jamz Blues Band - I Got Blues For You (Northern Blues)
10. DOOM - Unexpected Guest (Gold Dust Media)
11. Light Sweet Crude - Ruin and Beauty (s/r) +
12. Jawbox - For Your Own Special Sweetheart (reissue; DeSoto)
13. Chromeo - DJ Kicks (!K7) *
14. Six Organs Of Admittance - Luminous Night (Drag City)
15. BK-One with Benzilla - Radio Do Cannibal (Rhymesayers)
16. Lee Fields - My World (Truth & Soul)
17. Corb Lund - Losin' Lately Gambler (New West/Universal Canada) *
18. The Slew - 100% (Puget Sound) *
19. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms (Lefse)
20. Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul (reissue; Stax)
21. Various - Ghana Special: Modern Highlife Afro-Sounds and Ghanaian Blues, 1968-81 (Soundway)
22. Atlas Sound - Logos (Kranky)
23. Girls - Album (True Panther Sounds)
24. Red Mass - Red Mass (Semprini) *
25. Califone - All My Friends Are Funeral Singers (Dead Oceans)
26. Kris Kristofferson - Closer To The Bone (New West)
27. Massive Attack - Splitting The Atom EP (Virgin)
28. Coalesce - Oxep (Relapse)
29. Hawkes - MVIII (s/r) *
30. Arctic Monkeys - Cornerstone (7-inch; Domino)
    

*Canadian

Christmas Show! Kind-of. New Parenthetical Girls!

Merry Christmas! May Starman help the province's homeless achieve personal closure this holiday season, and later bring them along for dinner at the O'Dares. Oh, I'm just being silly. The government will have them all shipped off into the interior for the Olympics.

It wouldn't be a "Christmas show kind-of" without Bowie 'n' Bing, would it? At least not one with me lisping on the mic.

Parenthetical Girls have been busy with their 'non-conventional' releases this year, following a very strange EP on Tomlab, the spoken word/minimalist pop of The Scottish Play: Wherein the Group Parenthetical Girls Pay Well-intentioned (If Occasionally Misguided) Tribute to the Works of Ivor Cutler, Zac P. and co. have pressed a limited Holiday 7" called The Christmas Creep. The single features a cover of the Sparks' track "Thank God It's Not Christmas" (reminding one how the Mael Bros. are most certainly PGirls' spiritual predecessors). On the other side is an original, "Flowers for Albion", a bittersweet song about the Luftwaffe sending Britons their love. Since it's such a limited run (150 copies, only $5 each), the band have the songs up for download for free on their site.

Other X-Mas tracks include a song from Elastica's 'infamous' Holiday session, and a single by The Long Blondes called "Christmas Is Cancelled". I learned of the latter from Phonogram writer Kieron Gillen's brief residency over at Warren Ellis' Whitechapel forum, where KG related Phono-secrets and how surprisingly not shit The Horrors turned out to be (probably something to do with their working with Portishead's Geoff "I Spell My Name the Correct Way" Barrow).

The others aren't Christmas ones. Whatever. Play that new Dylan album! No. It should be noted that the new Massive Attack and Tricky records are totally sick, and should be checked out.

Listen:


Songs:

• Massive Attack - "Splitting the Atom" - Splitting the Atom EP
  
• Tricky - "Joseph" - Tricky Meets South Rakkas Crew
• Tonstartssbandht - "5ft7" - An When
• Tonetta777 - "Drugs Drugs Drugs" - YouTube
  
• Bing Crosby and David Bowie - "Little Drummer Boy (Peace on Earth)" - [single]
• Parenthetical Girls - "Thank God It's Not Christmas" - The Christmas Creep [7"]
• Kenickie - "People We Want" - At the Club
  
• Neon Indian - "Deadbeat Summer" - Psychic Chasms
• Elastica - "I Wanna Be a King of Orient Aah" - The Radio One Sessions
• The Long Blondes - "Christmas Is Cancelled" - [single]
• Destroyer - "Dark Leaves Form a Thread" - Trouble in Dreams
• Chet - "An Abiding Love Despite Adversarial Vice" - Chelsea Silver, Please Come Home

Best of 2009

Oh, 2009. It feels just like the other day I started this Buffy calendar of mine. A good year for music -- even if it doesn't measure up to the absolutely wonderful year that was 2008.  Although nothing comes close to what Portishead, Parenthetical Girls, Simon Bookish, The Dead Science or Deerhunter did last year, I present my favourites from the 2009th Year of Our Lord...

Mid-Morning Razzmatazz

A Year's End Special! 

Best of 2009

First up -- the two songs that I loved most this year that so happened not to be on any of my Top 10. The lovely single "Cornerstone" by Arctic Monkeys (have a gander at its very cute promo video), and "Tambourine" by The Happy Hollows, a raucous jam with a little insight into starting crappy bands whilst crushing over Billy Corgan. Now for the list proper:

10. Ladytron - Live at London Astoria 16.07.08 (self-released)

I remember dismissing Ladytron after a single listen last year -- proves how one's taste can change in a few months. A very solid electroclash record here, and sounds great! I mean, for a live album. I remember on the music forum I frequent that some kid was trying to find a live version of Television's Marquee Moon. Enter snarky troll: "Why do you want a slightly inferior version of your favorite album?"

9. Miles Jones - Miles Jones Is... Runaway Jones (Mojo)

An underground hip-hop record by Toronto's Miles Jones, which features a knockout track produced by Black Milk. In the end I more-or-less played the entire album on the show.

 

8. Simian Mobile Disco - Temporary Pleasure (Wichita)

A fine dance album by the prolific team that features James Ford, the producer/drummer that helped make last year's Last Shadow Puppets record such a success. In no ways a perfect album, but it does contain some very catchy tracks, take "Cruel Intentions", "Bad Blood", "Synthesize", and the Tammy Faye Baker name-checking "Audacity of Huge". I remember Aliya played this on her last broadcast of Beaker + Honeydew. And CFUV has been less electronic and fun ever since.

 

7. Shirley Lee - Shirley Lee (Hitback)

I fell back in love with Britpop this year, in no small part to Kieron Gillen and Jame McKelvie's fantastic comic Phonogram, which focuses on the subjective listening experiences of various music lovers (riffing off of the motif of music as a form of magic). Anyways, where the first series of Phonogram focuses on one man's Britpop Vergangenheitsbewältigung, series two is about one night in a Bristol club, each issue telling a different character's reading of the night. Let's tie this into the Shirley Lee album up there. Image released a tribute paperback comic called This Is a Souvenir: The Songs of Spearmint and Shirley Lee, Gillen/McKelvie used their spot in the book as a preview of series two of Phonogram. So, as an overnight Phonofan I picked up This Is a Souvenir, and fell in love with Spearmint along the way. Shirley, the band's frontman, released this first solo album of his last February, a collection of heartfelt, introspective indie-rock not unlike what you would expect from Chad Van Gaalen (I'm coming to learn that RIYLs don't have to be exact. Thanks Justin!).

6. Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue (Warp)

Probably the 'objectively-everybody-likes-that-one' pick for this year. Bibio is the recording moniker of British electronic producer Stephen Wilkinson, and his latest album is a very eclectic listen.

Included are the chopped-up indie pop of the title track, an instant funk classic in "Jealous of Roses", a 60s psych-folk vignette ("All the Flowers"), acoustic lullabies ("Lovers' Carvings"), and, y'know, some knockout electronics ("S'Vive", "Sugarette").

5. Digits - Hold It Close (self-released)

An intelligent electropop record by Toronto's Alt Altman, and my favorite Canadian release of the year. "Sarah" is amazing. As is "Saturation". "Volley Into the Night"! "Monster"! Hold It Close has been a mainstay in my soundscape for nearly the last three months, and I don't see it coming out of rotation any time soon. Kindly Alt also did a phone interview for the show last month!

4. God Help the Girl - God Help the Girl (Rough Trade)

I've come to realize my distaste for Belle and Sebastian was of the Green Eggs and Ham variety. So to all you Samiams that tried to convince me they're not shit, you just might be right, if Stuart Murdoch's work on this yet-to-be musical is any indication. Man, the girl they found to sing (Catherine Ireton) does some brilliant work here. The quivers! The faux-naivete! Major fluff.

3. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers (Domino)

I wrote my little heart out reviewing this album for the next Renegade Radio, so I'll post that once it's in print. Anyways, operatic rock group from Kendal and Leeds put out something much more complex and oddly "rootsy" only one year after their very accomplished debut Limbo, Panto. Hayden Thorpe is the new Bryan Ferry.

2. Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers (Columbia)

In many ways the spiritual successor to their 1996 album The Holy Bible -- James, Nicky and Sean once again put the words of their lyricist sometimes-guitarist Richey James Edwards to music. Brash, angry, Albini-produced rock music. Would I have picked this up without having read Phonogram (series one ends with a Manics obsessed fangirl ghost killing itself, and then a sing-a-long to "Motorcycle Emptiness")? Arguably not. Am I a total cock for turning down those comp tickets to go see the band when they were in Vancouver? Most definitely so.

1. Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications (Rough Trade)

These days I'm quite certain Jarvis is my favorite pop star (Bowie? Scott Walker? Owen Pallett? PFFFT). Nary a day goes by where His 'n' Hers, Different Class, nor indeed, this here solo record of his does not get a spin. Like the Manics record, Albini gives a nice rough, live sound to the album. Some instant JC classics here -- "Further Complications", "I Never Said I Was Deep", "Homewrecker!" and the little world of its own that is "You're In My Eyes (Discosong)". Seeing the fop live in concert was pretty magical stuff.

So there you have it. Eight of the ten are British, so I obviously have no idea what I'm talking about. Note, everything that I enjoyed this year that didn't crack the top ten can be found here. Tune in to hear the show 8-9 AM December 11th!

Songs:

• The Happy Hollows - "Tambourine" - Spells
• Arctic Monkeys - "Cornerstone" - [single]
• Ladytron - "Black Cat" - Live at London Astoria 16.07.08
• Miles Jones - "Never Too Late" ft. Black Milk - Is... Runaway Jones
• Simian Mobile Disco - "Audacity of Huge" - Temporary Pleasure
• Shirley Lee - "Dissolving Time" - Shirley Lee
• Bibio - "Jealous of Roses" - Ambivalence Avenue
• Digits - "Sarah" - Hold It Close
• God Help the Girl - "Funny Little Frog" - God Help the Girl
• Wild Beasts - "Hooting and Howling" - Two Dancers
• Manic Street Preachers - "Jackie Collins Existential Question Time" - Journal for Plague Lovers
• Jarvis Cocker - "You're In My Eyes (Discosong)" - Further Complications
  

Fabriclive, David Axelrod, Final Fantasy

More this week from that Filthy Dukes remix record put out as part of the Fabriclive series -- #48 to be exact. It features greats like Daft Punk, Sebastien Tellier, Sparks, and Aphex Twin, but I went for some local-ish talent (with the Portland-based band Hockey) and one group that received steady hype around the station this year (Phenomenal Hand Clap Band).

...and talking with folks that I don't get to see around these days (for geographical reasons) got me thinking about LA-producer/arranger/composer David Axelrod -- thanks to Palmer for the (be it one-sided) conversation. A good photo up there, Axelrod contemplating his next move as his oft-called upon vocalist Lou Rawls (left) stands, awaiting orders.

Plus, new Final Fantasy! You can download Owen's upcoming single from Heartland over at Domino, called "Lewis Takes a Stand". Followed up with "The Donor", his contribution to the Judee Sill tribute Crayon Angel from this year.

Listen (archived version available after the show):

Songs:

• Lovelock - "Maybe Tonight" - Chromeo: DJ-Kicks
• Phenomenal Hand Clap Band - "You'll Disappear" - Fabriclive 48
• Hockey - "Learn to Lose" [Filthy Dukes remix] - Fabriclive 48
  
• Paten Locke - "Soup for One" - Super Ramen Rocketship
• Lou Rawls - "Dead End Street (Parts 1 and 2)" - David Axelrod Anthology II
• Portishead - "Magic Doors" - Third
• Final Fantasy - "Lewis Takes Action" - Heartland
• Final Fantasy - "The Donor" - Crayon Angel: A Tribute to the Music of Judee Sill
• James Husband - "While the Boys Went Down Under" - A Parallax I
• Girls - "Lust for Life" - Album
  
• The xx - "Crystallized" - xx
• The Flaming Lips - "Watching the Planets" - Embryonic
• Vitaminsforyou - "Me and My Mirror" - He Closed His Eyes So He Could Dance With You
• You Say Party! We Say Die! - "Laura Palmer's Prom" - XXXX

Bonus: My talking to the staff earlier in the week!

• Me: Any new stuff for me?
• Justin: I think there was some Domino, which usually means some shitty BritRock, right? 

• Pat: I deleted these Cribs tracks that I didn't want on my computer and I thought of you.

(I've been pigeonholed.)

...next week: Best of 2009!

2009: Some good music

December is upon us! This year went by mightily fast. I've put together by Best of '09 show; a Top 10 list with a couple of other tracks to round out the hour. But what of all the other stuff I enjoyed from this year? Here's a list of albums from this year that aren't shit:

• Ian Brown - My Way (Stone Roses singer is still alive. And making half-decent pop -- if entirely pompous.)
• Lotus Plaza - The Floodlight Collective (Ambient rock record by Deerhunter's Lockett Pundt)
• The Horrors - Primary Colours (Formerly shit band grow up, call in Portishead's Geoff Barrow. Pretty fantastic, really.)
• Atlas Sound - Logos (Not as good as Microcastle/Weird Era Cont., but not a misstep either. That song with Panda Bear is incredibly irritating, though)
• Ladytron - Live at London Astoria 16.07.08
• The Flaming Lips - Embryonic (Impressive, manic piece of psychedelic catharsis.)
• Chet - Chelsea Silver Please Come Home (The best local band puts out a beautiful folk rock album. If you've a soft spot for falsettos, check this out)
• Tonstartssbandht - An When (Imaginative lo-fi fucks that are bound to blow up one day. Or revel in their obscurity and be poor.)
• James Husband - A Parallax I (Jeremy from of Montreal compiles all of his solo works, a nice collection of psychedelic indie rock)
• The Pastels / Tenniscoats - Two Sunsets (Glasgow mainstays team up with a Japanese pop group to create a dreamy twee/folk pop record)
• Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of Day (Makin' cash, and a few solid tracks on the way)
• Sally Shapiro - My Guilty Pleasure (Italo Disco 'n' shit. Good)
• Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Country (Ambient electronics)
• Japandroids (Ludicrously excitable fellows. See "The Boys Are Leaving Town")
• Paten Locke - Super Ramen Rocketship (Soulful hip hop. Dilla-esque? I have no idea what I'm talking about)
  
• Q-Tip - Kamaal the Abstract (Jazzy hip hop, but actually has its garagey moments!)
• Raekwon - Built Only For Cuban Linx II (Solid Wu album)
• The Twilight Sad - Forget the Night Ahead (Dark shoegaze. With Scottish vocals.)
• The xx - xx - (More hype to be believed.)
• Filthy Dukes - Fabriclive 48 [DJ compilation]
• You Say Party! We Say Die! - XXXX
• Mos Def - The Ecstatic (A solid album, although Mr. Most Definitely's idiotic rants on Real Time kind of ruin it for me)
• Plastiscines - About Love (French girls that think they're Elastica)
• Girls - Album (Elvis Costello impostors LOL, believe some of the hype)
• Jern Eye - Vision (Great underground hip hop)
• Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor (More operatic rock from the young master of the genre, though he does his best here to emulate Billy Corgan)
• Sunset - "Loveshines II" - 7" (Bill Baird and co. put out one of last year's best albums, and this single is more of the same. It's too bad Gold Dissolves to Gray, the album they put out after this, is pretty subpar...)
• St. Vincent - Actor (She plays guitar and doesn't comb her hair)
• The Clientele - Bonfires on the Heath (Breezey, soulful folk rock)
• Thavius Beck - Urban/Subsonic (Experimental, ambitious electro)
• Black Mold - Snow Blindness Is Crystal Antz (Chad VanGaalen fucks around with electronics in his basement, which actually makes for a pretty good album).
• Health - Get Color (Noise! Not really. But good!)
• LCD Soundsystem - 45:33 The Remixes (Songs are too long, but some of it, like the Prince Language Remix, are absolutely killer)
• Deluka - Deluka EP (Chart fuckery by myself helped this go #1 back in late October! Danceable, arrogant synthpop to be enjoyed by danceable, arrogant types)
• Various - Eccentric Soul: Smart's Palace (A fine Numero Group compilation. Is it just me or did they release a lot more stuff in 2008 than they did this year?)
• Madlib - Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6: A Tribute To... (Hip hop. Yes. Madlib, yes.)
• Arctic Monkeys - Humbug (Brit Rock superstars offer both their most solid, and mature record to date)
• The Happy Hollows - Spells ("Tambourine", really. Fun, girl-fronted, noisy indie rock)
• Blur - All the People: Live at Hyde Park 02 July 2009