Oceanographer's Choice

New Vivian Girls - When I'm Gone

2009-07-15T15:08:00.002-05:00

My favorite new band of last year, Vivian Girls, already has a new album, Everything Goes Wrong, coming out later this year. They released the first track off of it, "When I'm Gone," here.

Land of Talk on ABC

2009-07-10T09:46:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite little bands, Land of Talk, got featured on ABC's Inside Amplified segment they've been doing. You can watch it by clicking the link below below.

Full show: Land of Talk - Inside Amplified

Shared via AddThis

Bonnaroo Videos

2009-06-15T22:28:00.002-05:00

A full review with pictures to come, but here are some videos to appease:

Grizzly Bear

Wilco

Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days

R.I.P. Jay Bennett

2009-05-25T09:49:00.002-05:00

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, former Wilco member Jay Bennett has died at the age of 45. The multi-instrumentalist that went solo after an inharmonious split with Jeff Tweedy and Wilco following the completion of their seminal album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. He made headlines recently for suing Jeff Tweedy for royalties due to him. There is no word on the cause of his death.

New Wrens: "Z"

2009-05-18T10:42:00.002-05:00

Magnet has a new Wrens demo entitled "Z" on their Wrens Watch Page. The band is slowly working through new material for their next record, the long anticipated follow up to 2003's "The Meadowlands"
The Wrens - Z [MP3]

Radiohead/BSS Recording Next Records

2009-05-18T10:29:00.004-05:00

According to Colin Greenwood (via BBC 6), Radiohead have entered the studio with longtime producer Nigel Godrich to begin recording their follow up to 2007's "In Rainbows." According the Greenwood, "It’s at the stage where we’ve got the big Lego box out and we’ve tipped it out on the floor and we're just looking at all the bits and thinking what’s next?" Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll have that Radiohead stroke of genius attached to it.

I missed this last week, but Broken Social Scene is also working on a new album that isn't a "BSS presents" record, but instead a proper follow up to 2005's "Broken Social Scene." Breaking from old producer Dave Newfeld, the band will work with Tortoise's John McEntire on the new record. Says band co-leader and supporter of love Kevin Drew, "It’s at the stage where we’ve got the big Lego box out and we’ve tipped it out on the floor and we're just looking at all the bits and thinking what’s next?" Well Kevin, if it's better than the BSS Presents records and as epic as "BSS" or "You Forgot it in People," then that will be good enough for me.

Listen to Wilco (the Album) Right Now!

2009-05-13T11:43:00.004-05:00

The band is streaming it on their website, here. I'll provide a review when I've finished listening!

Changes Afoot

2009-05-08T11:30:00.003-05:00

As my tenure as a DJ for WDUB has ended, this blog is going to be changing a little bit. Andrew and I are working on a way to make it better, but for now, expect to see more general posting as, come Monday, I'll be completely done with classes. I'm also trying to figure out the possibility of doing a podcast and the legality behind that, so stay tuned for more information! Now, how about some awesome stuff:

1. Wilco (The Album) Cover
Yep. This is it. And it's amazing.

2. Animal Collective on Letterman
Dave had a few jokes to go with AC's performance on his show last night, but their performance of "Summertime Clothes" is pretty awesome, especially the dancers. Check it out below.

3. New Jason Lytle Video
I was fan of Grandaddy, and I have to say that the new album from former front man Jason Lytle, Yours Truly, the Commuter, is fantastic. Here's the video for the track "I Am Lost (And the Moment Cannot Last)."

I Am Lost (And the Moment Cannot Last) from jason lytle on Vimeo.

4. New Regina Spektor
Regina has a new album, Far, coming out on June 23. Visit her MySpace to hear "Laughing With," a new song off the album.

Radio Cure 4/28/2009

2009-04-28T18:33:00.020-05:00

Playlist:
1. R.E.M. - So Fast, So Numb
2. The Long Winters - Ultimatum
3. Land of Talk - Some Are Lakes
4. Broken Social Scene - MLD (Fast)
5. Jason Collett - I'll Bring the Sun
6. Headlights - TV
7. Phoenix - Consolation Prizes
8. The Strokes - Under Control
9. Elliott Smith - I Can't Answer You Anymore
10. Death Cab for Cutie - For What Reason
11. Wilco - Pot Kettle Black
12. The National - Driver, Surprise Me
13. The Wrens - She Sends Kisses
14. Rilo Kiley - The Good That Won't Come Out
15. The Mountain Goats - Palmcorder Yajna
16. Neil Young - Tell Me Why
17. Okkervil River - A Girl in Port
18. Andrew Bird - Sovay
19. Radiohead - Reckoner
20. DJ Shadow - Building Steam With A Grain of Salt
21. Metric - Hustle Rose
22. Ted Leo/Rx - Timororous Me
23. Arctic Monkeys - From Ritz to Rubble
24. Fountains of Wayne - Sink to the Bottom
25. My Morning Jacket - One Big Holiday
26. Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
27. Belle & Sebastian - Summer Wasting
28. Built to Spill - Twin Falls
29. Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over the Sea

Radio Cure 4/21/2009

2009-04-21T18:33:00.024-05:00

Playlist:
1. Sonic Youth - Sacred Trickster
2. Deerhunter - Rainwater Cassette Exchange
3. Band of Horses - Cigarettes Wedding Bands
4. Los Campesinos! - Don't Tell Me To Do The Maths
5. Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
6. The Raveonettes - Aly, Walk With Me
7. Of Montreal - Id Engager
8. Passion Pit - Smile Upon Me
9. Animal Collective - In The Flowers
10. Andrew Bird - Tenuousness
11. Ra Ra Riot - St. Peter's Day Festival
12. Bon Iver - Lump Sum
13. Neko Case - Vengeance is Sleeping
14. The Decemberists - THe Hazards of Love
15. Vampire Weekend - Ladies of Cambridge
16. WIll Sheff - Ex-Girl Collection
17. Sun Kil Moon - Neverending Math Equation
18. Frausdots - Soft Light
19. Elbow - Powder Blue
20. Broken Social Scene - Almost Crimes
21. The Stills - Still in Love Song
22. The New Pornographers - Graceland
23. The Minus 5 - I'm Not Bitter
24. My Morning Jacket - Dondante (Live)
25. Wilco - At Least That's What You Said (Live)
26. The Hold Steady - Massive Nights (Live)
27. Belle & Sebastian - The Wrong Girl (Live)

The Lollapalooza Line Up Isn't That Bad

2009-04-21T08:43:00.004-05:00

I was skeptical myself, but it really doesn't look too bad. Sure the headliners aren't great, but the further you go down the list, the better the bands get (See: Animal Collective, LC!, Bon Iver, Deerhunter, not to mention Andrew Bird, Of Montreal, and Band of Horses) Judge for yourself.

Radio Cure 4/14/09

2009-04-14T18:50:00.023-05:00

Playlist:
1. Metric - Stadium Love
2. Gliss - Morning Light
3. Micachu - Vulture
4. Years - Kids Toy Love Affair
5. Hands and Knees - Midnight in the Applefield
6. Salim Nourallah - A Way To Your Heart
7. The Glass Family - There's a Red Light Waiting For You
8. Doves - The Outsiders
9. Gentleman Reg - To Some It Comes Easy
10. Say Hi - Hallie and Henry
11. St. Vincent - The Party
12. The Decemberists - The Queen's Approach/Isn't It A Lovely Night
13. My Morning Jacket - Hopefully
14. The Wrens - Hopeless
15. The Hold Steady - Ask Her For Adderall (Live)
16. The Long Winters - (It's A) Departure
17. Miniatrure Tigers - The Wolf
18. Ra Ra Riot - Ghosts Under Rocks
19. The National - The Geese of Beverly Road (Live Version)
20. Okkervil River - A King and Queen
21. Beirut - Nantes
22. The Arcade Fire - Ocean of Noise
23. The Shins - Saint Simon (Live) [Request]
24. Ed Harcourt - Let Love Not Weigh Me Down
25. Sparklehorse - Gold Days
26. Ambulance LTD - Heavy Lifting
27. Fountains of Wayne - Utopia Parkway
28. R.E.M. -All The Right Friends

Radio Cure 4/7/09

2009-04-07T18:32:00.027-05:00

Playlist:
1. Phoenix - Lisztomania [Link]
2. Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band - Nikorette [Link]
3. Jay Reatard - You're Gonna Lose [Link]
4. White Rabbits - Percussion Gun [MP3]
5. John Vanderslice - Fetal Horses [MP3]
6. Doves - Winter Hill [Stream]
7. Gentleman Reg - Coastline [Video]
8. God Help the Girl (Stuart Murdoch) - Come Monday Night [MP3]
9. Camera Obscura - The Sweetest Thing
9. Grizzly Bear - He Hit Me
10. Crystal Stilts - Shattered Shine [Link]
11. The Pains of Being Pure Heart - The Tenure Itch
12. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Cold Spring
13. Great Lakes Swimmers - She Comes To Me in Dreams
14. The Long Winters - The Commander Thinks Aloud [LInk]
15. The National - Mistaken For Strangers [Link]
16. Okkervil River - It Ends With a Fall [Link]
17. The Wrens - Per Second Second [Link]
18. Ted Leo - Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone? [Link]
19. Ben Sollee (ft. Jim James) - Only a Song
20. Daniel Martin Moore - Stray Age
21. The Mountain Goats - Ontario
22. A Band of Bees - Got To Let Go
23. Yo La Tengo - Deeper Into Movies
24. MGMT - Kids [Request]
25. The Thermals - Liquid In, Liquid Out

"Licorice!"

2009-04-02T21:46:00.000-05:00

Watch the worst ever cover a song ever documented in the history of all music.

Radio Cure 3/31/09

2009-03-31T18:30:00.033-05:00

Playlist:
1. Miniature Tigers - Cannibal Queen
2. Bob Dylan - Beyond Here Lies Nothin'
3. St. Vincent - Actor Out Of Work
4. The Decemberists (Feat. My Brightest Diamond) - The Queen's Rebuke / The Crossing
5. Cosmos - Hail Mary
6. Death Cab for Cutie - My Mirror Speaks [Stream]
7. Red House Painters - Byrd Joel
8. Apples in Stereo - King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 3
9. Broken Social Scene - Complications
10. The New Pornographers - Don't Destroy The Night
11. The Shins - Plenty is Never Enough
12. St. Vincent and The National - Sleep All Summer
13. Ted Leo/Rx - The Numbered Head
14. Times New Viking - Neighborhood #1
15. John Vanderslice - Time Travel is Lonely
16. John Vanderslice - Nikki Oh Nikki
17. John Vanderslice - Pale Horse
18. John Vanderslice - Trance Manual
19. The Mountain Goats - The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton
20. The Mountain Goats - Family Happiness
21. The Mountain Goats - This Year
22. The Mountain Goats - Genesis 19 1-2
23. The Mountain Goats - No Children
24. The Mountain Goats - Then The Letting Go
25. Hot Hot Heat - Bandages [Request]
26. The Mountain Goats & Kaki King - Thank You Mario, But Our Princess is in Another Castle [Request]
27. Jim Guthrie - So Small
28. Mirah - Gone Sugaring
29. Travis - Writing To Reach You
30. Headlights - Lions
31. Rilo Kiley - Love and War (11/11/46)
32. Ryan Adams - This Is It
33. Sleater-Kinney - Sympathy

Wilco Unveil More Album Info

2009-03-27T17:05:00.002-05:00

Though there's still no title, release date, or firm tracklist, Wilco spilled some info on their new album that's supposedly coming out in June. They confirmed that the Tweedy-Feist duet "You and I" will in fact be on the album, as well as releasing the below list of songs that may or may not be on the album:
"Deeper Down"
"Conscript (aka I'll Fight)"
"One Wing"
"Solitaire"
"Wilco (the song)"
"Country Disappeared"
"Everlasting"
"Bull Black Nova"
"Sonny Feeling"
"You and I"

I really hope that "Conscript (aka I'll Fight)" is the song "Let's Fight" that the band played at their 2006 Lollapalooza show. I was pretty surprised it didn't make it on Sky Blue Sky, but hopefully we'll see it here. The other tracks I've heard, "Wilco (the song)," "One Wing," and "Sonny Feeling" are all pretty good. Based on those, it's doubtful this is going to be another groundbreaking album a la Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but it will be a pretty damn good album that's fun to listen to.

Radio Cure 3/24/09

2009-03-24T18:31:00.029-05:00

Playlist:
1. Camera Obscura - French Navy
2. The Thermals - When I Died
3. Bon Iver - Skinny Love [Request]
4. Metric - Sick Muse [Stream]
5. Phoenix - Lasso
6. Jason Lytle - Brand New Sun [Stream]
7. Grizzly Bear - Cheerleader [Link]
8. Death Cab For Cutie - Little Bribes [Stream]
9. Doves - Kingdom of Rust [Video]
10. Crystal Stilts - Love is a Wave [Link]
11. Wavves - Gun in the Sun
12. Voxtrot - Trepanation Party [MP3]
13. Apostle of Hustle - Perfect Fit [Link]
14. The Boy Least Likely To - Saddle Up
15. Vampire Weekend - White Sky
16. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Indiana
17. Coconut Records - West Coast
18. Ra Ra Riot - Dying is Fine
19. Charles Spearin - Anna
20. Great Lake Swimmers - Palmistry
21. Okkervil River - Westfall
22. Old 97's - The Fool
23. My Morning Jacket - Steam Engine
24. Neko Case - People Got a Lotta Nerve
25. The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic
26. Fountains of Wayne - Denise
27. The Jesus and Mary Chain - I Hate Rock n Roll
28. The Raveonettes - Rave On
29. The Magnetic Fields - California Girls

Some Covers

2009-03-18T11:24:00.003-05:00

Here's a good friend of mine who is going to be on the show tonight. He's awesome!

This is Ben Folds Luckiest

Here's MGMT's Kids

Check YouTube for some more. Expect some more good ones in the future. I'm working with him to arrange a complete acoustic version of Daft Punk's Discovery. So stay tuned!

Concert DVD Previews

2009-03-12T12:19:00.002-05:00

This year was already shaping up to be a good year for new albums, but the concert DVDs coming out are also looking to be incredible. In addition to the Arcade Fire's Mirror Noir (couldn't find a trailer, sorry), both the Hold Steady and Wilco are releasing live DVDs in the coming months. I have the trailers for both below, and both look terrific. Enjoy!

The Hold Steady - A Positive Rage

[Via Stereogum]

Wilco - Ashes of American Flags

BIG NEWS: The Radio Cure is Expanding!

2009-03-11T21:41:00.002-05:00

Do you ever feel like listening to The Radio Cure only once a week isn't enough? Well we have some good news for you! Starting on Thursday, March 26, I'll be hosting a new, second show on WDUB! There was a hole in our programming schedule that needed to be filled, so I'll be filling it every week on Thursdays from 1:30-3:30 PM. The new show will have a different title and perhaps a different title, but the one thing that I can guarantee is that it'll be two hours of fantastic music! Even better is that it will be the show right before Radio Free Granville, the show hosted by my good friend and occasional co-host Jon, so there will be a solid four hours of quality tunes on WDUB! I'll have more information, including the new title, after I return from Spring Break.

That also reminds me to remind you that next week, there will not be a Radio Cure as Denison will be on Spring Break and WDUB will be shut down. Not to worry though, I'll be back the next week with more music than you can shake a stick at!

Radio Cure 3/10/09

2009-03-10T18:31:00.027-05:00

Playlist:
1. Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You
2. St. Vincent - The Strangers [MP3]
3. Cryptacize - Blue Tears [Link]
4. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Statues [Link]
5. Foreign Born - Vacationing People [Link]
6. Sebastian Grainger - American Names
7. The Minus 5 - Retrieval of You
8. Now It's Overhead - Wonderful Scar
9. Say Hi To Your Mom - Let's Talk About Spaceships
10. R.E.M. - Undertow
11. The Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray
12. Freedy Johnson - Bad Reputation
13. Sugar - Your Favorite Thing
14. Nick Lowe - Cruel To Be Kind
15. Luna - Rememories
16. Marcy Playground - Sex and Candy [Request]
17. The Pale Pacific - Sucker Punch
18. Grandaddy - Crystal Lake
19. Deerhunter - Vox Celeste
20. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Young Adult Friction
21. Peel - Sliding Doors
22. Dr. Dog - Find the River [Link]
23. White Rabbits - Kid On My Shoulders
24. The Walkmen - Thinking of a Dream I Had
25. The Hold Steady - Cattle & The Creeping Things
26. Art Brut - Just Desserts
27. Andrew Bird - The Happy Birthday Song

The National on P4K TV

2009-03-10T10:20:00.002-05:00

The National did a live version of their fantastic Dark Was the Night song "So Far Around the Bend" for Pitchfork.tv that's up today. The compilation's co-creators, Bryce and Aaron Dessner, talk a little bit about the awesome album and then the band plays the track.

New St. Vincent - "Strangers"

2009-03-06T14:13:00.002-06:00

I've been swooning over the georgous music of Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent since her 2007 debut, "Marry Me." Well Clark is back with a new one, "Actor" out on May 5, and I found today, via her Twitter, that she had a new song, "Strangers" up for download. Over a pretty clicking beat, Clark loops her own voice singing, "Make the black hole blacker." If this song is any indication, "Actor" will be towards to the top of a very crowded best of 2009 end of the year list.
St. Vincent - Stranger [MP3]

Wilco + Feist = Greatest Collaboration Ever

2009-03-04T21:49:00.002-06:00

Yep. Better than a PP&J. According to Pitchfork my favorite band and one of my favorite solo artists are joining forces for a song on the new Wilco album called "You and I." It'll be an interesting combination, seeing as Jeff Tweedy has a great folksy voice but Feist has a beautiful, soulful voice. Either way, I think the new Wilco record just pushed past the Grizzly Bear record as my most anticipated of the year.

Radio Cure 3/3/09

2009-03-03T18:30:00.032-06:00

LIVE PLAYLIST:
1. Art Brut - Alcoholics Unanimous
2. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
3. Say Hi - Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh
4. Asobi Seksu - Glacially
5. Deerhunter - Little Kids
6. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Come Saturday
7. Vivian Girls - Second Date
8. Swan Lake - Spanish Gold 2044
9. Wilco - One Wing (Live at Lollapalooza)
10. Wilco - Sunny Feeling (Live in Indianapolis)
11. Wilco - Wilco (The Song) (Live on the Colbert Report)
12. Grizzly Bear - Little Brother (Electric)
13. Frank Turner Photosynthesis
14. Billy Bragg - Ingrid Bergman
15. Andrew Bird - Masterwarm
16. Blur - This is a Low
17. Band of Horses - Monsters
18. Apples in Stereo - Skyway
19. David Werner - Imagination Quota
20. Status Quo - Pictures of Matchstick Men
21. Travis - Midsummer Night's Dreamin'
22. The Lemonheads - Mrs. Robinson
23. The Thermals - Here's Your Future
24. Ted Leo/Rx - The Anointed One
25. Sparklehorse - Someday I Will Treat You Good
26. Spoon - My Mathematical Mind
27. Guided By Voices - Blimps Go 90
28. U2 - No Line on the Horizon

Grizzly Bear Galore

2009-03-02T13:51:00.002-06:00

Grizzly Bear's performance last night with the Brooklyn Philharmonic has been all the buzz on the interweb today, with videos popping up everywhere. I've been looking for a recording of the show, but even the always reliable nyctaper wasn't allowed to tape it. Maybe the band will release it on their own...and by maybe, I mean I really really hope so. Here's a couple videos in the meantime.
Deep Blue Sea

Grizzly Bear encore Deep Blue Sea at BAM from lofi.tv on Vimeo.

Colorado

Radio Cure 2.24.09

2009-02-24T18:32:00.032-06:00

Playlist:
1.Phoenix - 1901
2. Vivian Girls - Lake House
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
4. The Hold Steady - Atlantic City
5. TV on the Radio - Heroes
6. Swan Lake - Spider
7. A.C. Newman - The Palace at 4 AM
8. Crystal Stilts - The Dazzled
9. Of Montreal - Nowhere Man
9. The Little Ones - Cha Cha Cha
10. Charlie Feathers - That Certain Female (Request)
11. Lotus Plaza - Quicksand
12. Luna - The Alibi
13. Sea Wolf - Black Dirt
14. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks (Live on Letterman)
15. Grizzly Bear - While You Wait for the Others
16. Buck 65 - Roses and Bluejays
17. Thom Yorke - Reckoner
18. The Mountain Goats - Family Happiness
19. Bon Iver - Creature Fear
20. Clem Snide - The Endless Endings
21. Lucinda Williams - Drunken Angel
22. Aimee Mann - Ghost World
23. Thao and the Get Down Stay Down - New One
24. Fanfarlo - Luna
26. Neutral Milk Hotel - Ghost
27. Neutral Milk Hotel - Untitled
28. The Gerbils - Is She Fiona
29. Athlete - El Salvador

Radio Cure 2/17/09

2009-02-17T18:32:00.035-06:00

Current Show Status: LIVE!
1. The National - So Far Around the Bend (Stream Link)
2. Los Campesinos! - Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #1
3. Sea Wolf - You're a Wolf (MySpace Link)
4. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Wind Pheonix (MySpace Link)
5. Deerhunter - Agoraphobia
6. The Raveonettes - Love Can Destroy Everything
7. Flight of the Conchords - Carol Brown
8. Elliott Smith - Stickman (Link)
9. Clem Snide - Hum
10. The Arcade Fire - Lenin
11. Feist + Ben Gibbard - Train Song
12. Bon Iver - Brackett, WI
13. Grizzly Bear - Deep Blue Sea
14. The Decemberists - Sleepless
15. Spoon - Well-Alright
16. My Morning Jacket - El Corporal
17. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero
18. Vivian Girls - No
19. Belle & Sebastian - Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying
20. Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken
21. M. Ward - For Beginners
22. Antony & The Johnsons - Kiss My Name
23. John Vanderslice - Coming and Going on Easy Terms
24. The Mountain Goats - Southwood Plantation Road
25. The Only Ones - Another Girl, Another Planet
26. Liz Phair - Don't Apologize
27. The Long Winters - Teaspoon
28. Guided By Voices - King & Caroline
29. The Nerves - When You Find Out
30. Animal Collective - No More Runnin

Elliott Smith's "Basement" Demos

2009-02-16T13:19:00.003-06:00

In my daily sweeps of the best music blogs, I managed to find on Rawkblog a zipped file of unheard Elliott Smith tracks from his final recording sessions, those for "From a Basement on the Hill." Being a huge fan of Elliott's work, I went to check it out, which brings me to a few rants and raves. First off, several of the tracks actually were on "Basement," so just a heads up on that first. Secondly, there is a cover of the Beatles' "I'll Be Back," (improperly labeled as "If I Fell") which is fantastic. For die hard Elliott fans, a lot of these tracks have been floating around for a while, but it was nice to get a version of "Mr. Good Morning" with lyrics and I was surprised to find that the old Figure 8 Demo "Tiny Time Machine" now has lyrics as "Suicide Machine." There are currently no announced plans to release any more of Elliott's work, now over five years since his death, so for now, leaks will have to do.

Videos For Your Weekend

2009-02-13T13:07:00.002-06:00

Since we don't always do the greatest job of posting, I thought I'd provide a little treat: a round up of some of the best videos of live performances. Enjoy!

Los Campesinos! - Death to Los Campesinos!

Land of Talk - Some Are Lakes

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes

Concert Review: Titus Andronicus/Los Campesinos!

2009-02-12T10:56:00.003-06:00

Having gone since CMJ without a concert, last night's Titus Andronicus/Los Campesinos! show as at the Wexner Center was greatly welcomed. With high expectations for both bands, (especially LC!, my Artist of the Year for 2008) I'm pleased to report I was not disappointed at all.

Openers Titus Andronicus have been on a roll recently, with their debut album The Airing of Grievances getting rereleased. Coming on stage to a monologue presented by a 1960's teen screaming about rock and roll, Titus Andronicus started rocking and never stopped. The howl of lead singer Patrick Stickles was barely decipherable, but it hardly mattered. The band barreled through most of Grievances and let their raucous sound fill the venue, an odd set up where a smaller stage is set up on the big stage of the Mershon Auditorium. The set was also peppered with a cover of the Modern Lovers' "Road Runner" and at one point, they broke down into the classic "Wipeout." This is a band to keep an eye on. They might not reach epic heights, but they seem like they're going to go places.

By the time Los Campesinos! took the stage, the place was packed and ready to go. Drawing equally from their two LPs, Hold on Now Youngster and We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, the band never slowed down. LC! is a blast to listen to on their albums, and the energy emitted by the band in concert is contagious. At the start of the show, the hipsters all sort of bopped their heads, but by the time band finished their encore, everyone was exhausted from dancing. The highlight of the show was easily "You! Me! Dancing!," the band's most recognizable track. When guitarist Tom Campesinos! began playing the intro riff to the song, the crowd erupted in applause. When the song broke wide open, the crowd became a mob of dancing, screaming the lyrics back at the band and bopping along. In between tracks, lead singer Gareth Campesinos! entertained with witty banter that rivals that of Jeff Tweedy. Closing their main set with "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks" and doing an encore of "Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats," Los Campesinos! left their crowd dizzy in the after shock of an epic show.

After the show, I had a chance to meet Gareth at the merch table. A super nice guy, he right off the bat noticed my Vivian Girls t-shirt and told me where it might be best to trim the collar. After I told him I'd been to Spillers, a record store in Cardiff, we ended up having a conversation about Bath, the city in England where I studied abroad and he lives. It's always cool to meet a musician you enjoy, but even better when you can actually talk to them.

I must say that this show was one of the best shows I've seen in a while. Not since My Morning Jacket back in October have I rocked this hard. A huge thumbs up to both bands.

Grade: A+

NOTE: My memory card is messed up, so my pictures of the show will be a bit delayed. Check back and hopefully I'll get them up soon.

Radio Cure 2/10/09

2009-02-10T18:38:00.031-06:00

Show Status: Over :-(
Tracklist:
1. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Everything With You [Link]
2. The Thermals - Now We Can See[MP3]
3. Wavves - So Bored
4. Bishop Allen - Dimmer [MP3]
5. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career [Link]
6. Great Lakes Swimmers - Pulling on a Line [Link]
7. Clem Snide - Beard of Bees [Full Album Stream]
8. Here We Go Magic - Tunnelvision [MP3]
9. Port O'Brian - Is This Really What Its Come To? [MySpace]
10. Animal Collective - Daily Routine
11. Arcade Fire - Surf City Eastern Block
12. Grizzly Bear - Colorado
13. Yo La Tengo - You Can Have It All
14. Amanaz - Khala My Friend [MP3] (Thanks to GvB)
15. Little Joy - Brand New Start
16. Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) - Liner
17. Real Estate - Fake Blues
18. Moscow Olympics - Still
19. Ferris Wheel - Lay Down [Link]
19. Titus Andronicus - Titus Andronicus
20. Los Campesinos! - The International Tweexcore Underground
21. R.E.M. - Gardening at Night
22. Sleater-Kinney - Oh!
23. The Replacements - Alex Chilton
24. Los Campesinos! - We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives
25. Guided By Voices - Motor Away
26. The Shins - Fighting in a Sack
27. N.A.S.A. - Spacious Thoughts

Radio Cure 2/3/2009

2009-02-03T11:15:00.034-06:00

Be sure to tune in tonight from 7:30-9:30 EST for the Radio Cure for a special, jam packed show. In addition to the normal mix of new and awesome music, I'll be doing a segment on the Bonnaroo lineup as well as a tribute to Buddy Holly on the 50th Anniversary of his death. You can listen live at 91.1 FM in the Granville area, or stream it online here. If you caught the show and liked what you heard, or in case you missed it, here's the playlist:
1. Little Joy - Keep Me In Mind
2. Peter, Bjorn, and John - Nothing To Worry About
3. Here We Go Magic - Fangela
4. MGMT - Electric Feel
5. Oxford Collapse - Young Love Delivers
6. Tangiers - I Don't Love You
7. Real Estate - Black Lake
8. Metric - Help, I'm Alive
9. Passion Pit - Cuddle Fuddle
10. Amadou & Miriam - Sabali
11. Pedro - Hope is a Happiness
12. Buddy Holly - Not Fade Away
13. M. Ward - Rave On
14. John Martyn - Glory Box
15. Weezer - Buddy Holly
16. Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes
17. Yeasayer - 2080
18. Okkervil River - The Latest Toughs
19. Wilco - Hate it Here (Live)
20. Ted Leo/Rx - The Great Communicator
21. Band of Horses - Wicked Gil
22. Neko Case - Some People Got a Lot of Nerve
23. Andrew Bird - Oh No
24. Bon Iver - Beach Baby
25. Wrens - Marked Up
25. Deerhunter - Never Stops
26. Feist - I Feel it All (Britt Daniel Remix)
27. Radiohead - Nude (Hipster Runoff Remix)
27. Radiohead - Faust Arp
28.. Buddy Holly - Peggy Sue Got Married

The Wrens Weren't Kidding

2009-01-31T12:59:00.004-06:00

The Wrens sure weren't kidding when they said they were back. On the coattails of their first new single since "The Meadowlands," the Wrens have since released not one, but two new demos from their recording sessions. The first, an untitled track, can be found here, thanks to the wonderful folks at Magnet, and the second, a song called "Marked Up," found here, was posted by the good folks at Stereogum. I'm pretty excited about them both and absolutely can't wait for the new record!
EDIT: It appears both songs are the same. Sterogum failed to mention that and I posted before listening. My bad.

Did the Best Song of the Year Come Out in January?

2009-01-22T15:32:00.002-06:00

Animal Collective have been really burning up the interweb as of late. It appears that they're either a great band or the greatest band ever. The accolades are not undeserved, as the band has truly put out their masterpiece with their newest album Merriweather Post Pavilion. The second track on the album, "My Girls" is definitely as good as advertised. The swell of the Panda Bear's echoing voice comes over dance hall beats and fills you with the urge to dance. Pitchfork just got the video, which is below. It looks like we have a contender for song of the year, and it's not even February yet.

NEW WRENS SONG!

2009-01-12T22:37:00.002-06:00

Even as I write this, I can't quite believe it. After reading an email from the band, I dashed over to their website to download the track via iTunes. The song is called "Pulling Fences," and was recorded live at Abby Road Studios for a recording of the WorldSpace Sessions. Apparently, the band had made a pact to make up a song on the spot should they ever get on a TV show or something, and so they took a demo they'd never played together before and played it. The song is available as a single on their website, right now! Also, it appears they're going to start recording a new album next week, and will be posting demos on their website as they come along. Just the possibility of a new Wrens record this year makes me optimistic for the future!

Chuck Berry: Is Rock N' Roll

2008-12-19T20:36:00.000-06:00

On December 13th, I had the distinct pleasure of attending one of Chuck Berry's all-ages show at The Pageant. Playing for little over an hour, in addition to his regular band, Chuck was joined on stage by his son and grandson on guitar, as well as his daughter on harmonica and vocals. Rather then having a set list, Chuck took requests from the audience. This produced some great moments, a perfect example of which is when he sang happy birthday to a member of the crowd, adding the line "How old are you? How old are you? I'm 82."

Overall, the night was one of the most entertaining concerts I have attended. The fact that he is still putting on shows, and good ones at that, goes to show just what Chuck Berry has done for music. Hopefully he is still playing when I can attend one of his monthly shows at Blueberry Hill.

2008 Year in Review: Album of the Year

2008-12-15T11:09:00.000-06:00

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Of all of my year end choices, Album of the Year was the hardest. 2008 was a year of phenomenal songs and decent albums. Looking back, I found many albums I enjoyed, but few that I consistently liked sitting down and listening to all the way through. Then I put on the Hold Steady’s Stay Positive. While not my favorite Hold Steady record, Stay Positive was the most cohesive and complete record of 2008. From the blaring guitar riff that kicks off “Constructive Summer” to the chorus of “whoas” in “Slapped Actress,” Stay Positive is an album that keeps you listening in a way no other record did in 2008. Craig Finn is lyrically at the top of his game, telling stories of murder (“Song for the Cutters”), downtrodden drunks (“Lord I’m Discouraged”) and fights (“Slapped Actress”). The band was also the most successful at transitioning their sound from one album to the next. While Coldplay and My Morning Jacket made giant leaps in their sound that make their records very distinct from their previous ones, Stay Positive sounds like the step up from 2006’s Boys and Girls in America. Like I said, it isn’t my favorite Hold Steady album, but the fact it’s not and is still my album of the year shows that this is a truly great band that’s always worth listening to.

2008 Year in Review: Top 10 Songs of 2008

2008-12-14T19:30:00.005-06:00

Here's my big list. The only thing left is my picks for album of the year which will be up in the next few days. If you want to hear some of these songs, I'll be playing them on my Best of 2008 show this Tuesday, during my normal 5:30-7:30. Tune in at www.wdub.org! Now, without further adieu, here are my Top 10 Songs of 2008:

1. Land of Talk – Some Are Lakes

A low-profile choice, I know, but the Canadian trio put out one of the best indie-pop songs this year in the title track for their latest LP. Elizabeth Powell lets her voice soar over her guitar as the band keeps time behind her gently, falling apart just before the chorus and hitting us again, only to fall apart one more time during the bridge. Sonically, the song is both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. At one point, it’s a very straight forward love song, and suddenly, it’s a darker, more unconventional song that goes right back to where it started. If nothing else, it is an impossibly beautiful and catchy song that will stay in your long after you’ve listened to it.

2. Jenny Lewis – Acid Tongue

Perhaps the most stunning song of the year was the title track of Jenny Lewis’ fantastic album. Just Lewis, a guitar, and backing vocals from Chris Robinson and Jonathan Rice, the song is a gorgeous call for redemption that is both a sorrowful and uplifting at the same time. Lewis’ voice isn’t as soulful as Cat Power’s Chan Marshall or as silky as Feist, but it is sweet and just as powerful as both of her peers. The backing vocals add to the very soulful sound of the track, filling you with a warmth that few songs can provide. Definitely the best song she’s ever written.

3. My Morning Jacket – Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt. 1

Building off of the experimentation they started on their album Z, My Morning Jacket put out this track that combines beautifully their new sonic direction with their long established goal of playing to the rafters. The song seems to reach into space with Jim James’ voice switching octaves and reaching just as far as the echoing guitars and keyboards. Backed by a steady drumbeat and funky bass rhythm, the song will enter the MMJ tour rotation as a favorite of fans everywhere.

4. Okkervil River – On Tour With Zykos

Starting off with just singer Will Sheff and piano, this track builds to a gorgeously arranged string finale that is the perfect example of the band’s style and sound. The piano punctuates the points where Sheff isn’t singing his story of being songwriter that is better than his peers but stuck feeling like there is more for him out there. Normally, Sheff’s singing stands out from the music, but here it compliments it, and the band offers responses to his ponderings of loneliness and the meaning of what he’s doing. The song’s instrumental end is like Sheff’s unspoken verse, as the music captures a feeling words can’t quite convey.

5. The Hold Steady – Constructive Summer

The lead off track on their album Stay Positive, “Constructive Summer” grabs you with a driving guitar that doesn’t let up as the song rumbles forward. The song is a loud and quick ode to the summer for underachievers stuck in a dead end town. Craig Finn proclaims, “We’re gonna build something this summer,” and by golly, you believe him. This isn’t the most complex song on this album by any means, but it is a summation of the sound and attitude of the Hold Steady that for me exemplifies the album. The song also has a lot of personal meaning to me as well, which is a big factor in ranking it this high. When I think back to my summer of 2008, this is the song that will pop into my head.

6. The Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride

Ever since the Mountain Goats went hi-fi, John Darnielle’s song writing has become more and more complex. This song represents the culmination of 17 years of songwriting that went from him in a bedroom with a tape recorder to having a full band in the studio. At the song’s base is a typical Mountain Goats song, with Darnielle strumming a familiar steady rhythm, but the band helps build the song so that when it hits the chorus, the song bursts out with Darnielle’s exclamation “I feel so proud when the reckoning arrives.” Matching his uncanny ability to take dark themes and disguise them in beautiful music, Darnielle remains at the top of his game, with no sign of him coming down.

7. Eef Barzelay – True Freedom

Completely stripped down with just the former Clem Snide front man singing over an acoustic guitar, the song is in many ways reminiscent of a pre-electric Dylan. A pseudo-love song that starts off conventionally lyrically and devolves into seemingly drug-induced rambling (for the song’s characters, not Barzelay himself) before returning to it’s starting voice. The Dylan comparison comes not only from the stripped down sound, but from Barzelay’s yelping voice that adds power to an already powerful song. A fantastic track to listen to the later it gets in the evening.

8. Los Campesinos! – You! Me! Dancing!

Starting off quietly and building into chaos, this track suddenly comes alive and grabs you, never letting go. A frantic song that bounces around before slowing and becoming stable before taking off again, “You! Me! Dancing!” is all about give and take, much like dancing. What’s great about it is that it works both as a song to dance to and to listen to while wandering around with an iPod. The band already released their next record, which isn’t quite as chaotic sounding as this, but “You! Me! Dancing!” will remain one of my favorite, cherry dance songs.

9. She & Him – Black Hole

So much has been made of She & Him as we reach the end of the year that it sometimes is hard to remember they crafted a beautifully classic album in 2008. At the heart of it is this country bop that perfectly melds the sound of M. Ward’s production and instrumentation with Zoey Deschenel’s songwriting and incredible voice. The song goes along steadily until it comes out of the bridge with pretty harmonies and the steady ticking of cymbals. Listening to it, it’s sometimes impossible to tell if it was released in 2008 or 1963. A timeless song that will never go out of style.

10. TV on the Radio – Love Dog

This is the best song this band has ever written (yeah, I said it). Dark and complex, the song doesn’t start out in noise as some of their more popular tunes, instead building as it reaches an end reminiscent of some of Radiohead’s best work. Sorrowful lyrics are accentuated only with the occasional harmony and little more. The track is for the most part minimal until it hits an ending in which the band puts on more and more layers until it suddenly comes to a crashing halt. For those still unsure about Dear Science, hopefully this track can change your mind.

Honorable Mentions:
R.E.M. – Living Well’s the Best Revenge
Vampire Weekend – Campus
Coldplay – Viva la Vida
Death Cab for Cutie – Cath…
Death Cab for Cutie – I Will Possess Your Heart
Dr. Dog – Army of Ancients
Bon Iver – Skinny Love
The Walkmen – In The New Year
MGMT – Electric Feel
Of Montreal – Id Engager
Portishead – The Rip

2008 Year in Review: Artist of the Year

2008-12-13T11:17:00.001-06:00

Another in a series of short posts recapping the year in music.

Artist of the Year: Los Campesinos!
In a year when bands were breaking with their sound (see: My Morning Jacket, Coldplay, etc.), Cardiff’s Los Campesinos! burst on to the scene with their frantic bouncy pop on their debut LP Hold On Now, Youngster, an unabashedly original and friendly record. The record was an irresistibly catchy, raucous good time that pulled you off your feet and got you dancing. As if that wasn’t enough, the band closed the year by putting out We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, a collection of 10 tracks that the band is calling an “EEP.” On Beautiful, the band maintains their energy while reeling in their sound just enough to make it not sound like leftover tracks or a bunch of songs put out for publicity, but an entirely different phase in a band’s career. This incredible rate of songwriting doesn’t seem to have a stopping point, with the band already demoing another album for 2009. Hopefully, it will continue this awesome trend of songwriting.

2008 Year in Review: Most Underrated Album of the Year

2008-12-12T12:47:00.003-06:00

Another in a series of short posts recapping the year in music.

Most Underrated Album of the Year:
Headlights – Some Racing, Some Stopping

While everyone was swooning over She & Him for their throw back sound, it seemed that nearly everyone passed up this fantastic album by Headlights. The album takes the lush indie pop of their 2006 debut Kill Them With Kindness and melds it with Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound to create a gloriously modern retro album. The record does a fantastic job of balancing highs and lows, opening with the building momentum of “Get Your Head Around It” and going through the ups of “April 2” and the downs of “Some Racing, Some Stopping.” The album is complete, which is something a lot of young bands are unable to accomplish. This is an album I truly can’t believe didn’t get jumped on in a year where retro is cool.

2008 Year in Review: Comeback of the Year

2008-12-11T15:52:00.001-06:00

Another in a series of short posts recapping the year in music.

Comeback of the Year: R.E.M.

After their worst album of their career (2005’s Around the Sun) and a couple of lack luster albums before that, R.E.M. went back to basics and rediscovered the sound that abruptly stopped when drummer Bill Berry left the band in 1997. The result is Accelerate, a return to form that shows them shifting away from adult contemporary radio and going for a rock song again. Peter Buck’s signature guitar sound is back and Michael Stipe rediscovered his ability to be a rock star. Mike Mills is solid as ever on bass too, though his backing vocals aren’t as pleantiful as they were in R.E.M.’s golden era. It’s good to see the pioneers of college rock back in form, ready to reclaim their title as one of the best bands in rock.

2008 Year in Review: Most Overrated Band of the Year

2008-12-09T18:12:00.003-06:00

Another in a series of short posts recapping the year in music.

Most Overrated Band of the 2008: Fleet Foxes

This year, it seemed that everyone fell in love with Fleet Foxes, and for the life of me, I can’t quite figure out why. Their music isn’t bad, it’s just nothing spectacular. Stealing the voice of Jim James of My Morning Jacket and putting it over folk retreads doesn’t make you a fantastic band, it just makes you enjoyable to listen to while doing work. I found that people have been thinking of Fleet Foxes as this great band that fills you with warmth, but honestly, I just don’t see it. Congrats guys! Another honor to post on your website!

2008 Year in Review: Best New Bands

2008-12-07T10:08:00.004-06:00

It's end of the year list time, so I'm going to start my installments of some of my year end reviews. Over the next week, I'll have my lists finalized and they'll be posted. Other "awards" include Songs of the Year, Most Overrated Band of the Year, Comeback of the Year, Artist of the Year, and the coveted Album of the Year. What better way to kick things off than to name the best new bands out there. This year it was a three way tie:

Vampire Weekend
This might be a little obvious since they went from playing Columbia parties to being one of the biggest stories of the year, but Vampire Weekend is as good as the hype advertises. Those that argue that they simply took Graceland and did something different with the sound should remember that that’s pretty much all rock music is: the variation on a previously established sound to create a new one. It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep up this success with the spotlight on them, but for now, they can relax knowing they made one of the more enjoyable albums of the year.

Bon Iver
Justin Vernon of Bon Iver broke onto the scene this year with a gorgeous album that echoes the loneliness of the isolated cabin that he recorded in. Vernon’s success may not have been as big as Vampire Weekend’s, but For Emma, Forever Ago is an album is an easy choice for top 10 lists everywhere. Now with the opening gigs for Wilco all finished, Vernon is putting out the Blood Bank EP in January, offering us a glimpse at what his sound is like, post success.

Vivian Girls
Brooklyn’s Vivian Girls released an album that fell under the radar but went right to the heart’s of those that did find it. Melding the vocals of 1960’s girl groups, sounds of classic Ramones, and the distortion of the Jesus and Mary Chain, Vivian Girls self titled debut is a short but bouncy album that keeps you hooked from start to finish. It might not be on any major lists, but the future looks bright for these three girls.

Nas Mix

2008-11-17T15:42:00.002-06:00

Hey folks, for those of you who listened to last week's Jew y Gentile, I'm posting the mix of Nas Thief's Theme/One Mic that we did on the show. You can download it here. Enjoy

CMJ Review

2008-10-30T20:42:00.003-05:00

For the WDUB website, I've started writing a regular column called "New Adventures in Hi-Fi." For the first column, I wrote about my experience at CMJ. Here it is:

CMJ 2008: The Full Experience

After toiling as an Assistant Music Director and watching my friends head off to the CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival for three years, it was great to finally get my own opportunity to go. I was pretty pumped to go, so the two-hour drive to the Akron/Canton Airport and the subsequent flight to New York took forever. Once we were there though, we hit the ground running, not stopping until we left on Sunday.

For the first night, we picked the Bowery Ballroom as our first venue. We got here right as opener Corey Chisel and the Wandering Souls were finishing up. It was, needless to say, a bland beginning. Chisel has a great voice, but he wastes it on the same generic singer/songwriter stuff you can hear on any adult contemporary station. Following him was Shugo Tokumaru, a Japanese guitarist who dazzled us with some of the fastest hands I’ve ever seen. His set combined traditional American folk with Japanese avant-garde sounds, leading to a pretty enjoyable set. Following him was Audrye Sessions, a large, booming rock band that took cues from Muse and “Bends” era Radiohead. When the band let go and rocked out, they were fantastic, but their songs seemed to follow a similar pattern, and I had a hard time getting in to it as the set went on.

After these three bands came Love as Laughter, my first new discovery of CMJ. Lead singer Sam Jayne is an energetic and inventive singer who channels the best of blues-rock into an indie-influenced sound. While I thoroughly enjoyed the set, a lot of the crowd seemed disinterested, a fact not lost Jayne, who responded with halfhearted banter in between fantastic rock songs. Love as Laughter was followed by Wild Sweet Orange, an energetic and fun band that didn’t really offer anything that got me too terribly excited, but still led to plenty of toe-tapping and head bobbing.

All of these bands were the lead up to the headliner of the night, Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s. As a fellow Indianapolis native, I’ve followed these guys since their humble beginnings, so seeing them playing to a packed house in New York City was awesome. They delivered, playing a fantastic set that had the entire crowd transfixed and wanting more. I’m glad to see some Indy kids making it on the big stage in such a great way.

On Thursday, we attended panels during the day, but were treated to a lunchtime set by mullet-sporting Memphis Pencils, a seemingly stock indie group that wasn’t too inspiring. That night, we headed over to Webster Hall to check out a couple acts, first of which was my second great new find of CMJ, Lymbyc Systym. A two-piece instumental group that is reminiscent of Explosions in the Sky, the guys rocked out and definitely impressed me enough to buy their album after the set. They were followed by the first really bad group we saw the whole trip, Who Made Who. They were dance rock that basically ripped off The Rapture and were obviously trying too hard to be the next weird, super energetic stage act. Though the rest of the crowd loved it, I was not a fan. After them were Fujiya and Miyagi, a terrific group. While their music isn’t the sort of thing you’d hear at a dance club, the steady beats put you in a trance and you can’t help but nod your head in beat with the music.

Friday was a major night for us. We wanted to go to the Land of Talk/Broken Social Scene show at the Massonic Lodge out in Brooklyn, but they were only letting 45 CMJ badges in, so we got there super early, and it paid off big time. We were right up front for both incredible sets. Land of Talk kicked off and were truly impressive. The band is very cohesive together and lead singer Elizabeth Powell strums her guitar and sings with such gusto that even people that had never heard of them were getting really into the music. They ripped through songs from their EP “Applause Cheer Boo Hiss” and their terrific new album “Some Are Lakes,” providing one of the more satisfying shows of the trip.

After them came Broken Social Scene, one of the best live acts out there. Having already seen BSS three previous times, I knew what to expect, but I was nonetheless blown away again. Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning and Company ripped through tracks not only from their solo albums, but also a substantial amount of older songs and songs by some of the collective’s members’ bands, including Apostle of Hustle, Do Make Say Think, and Hawaii. Elizabeth Powell was on hand again to fill in the female vocals of tracks like “7/4 (Shoreline)” and “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl.” By the end of the night, everyone was dancing like crazy and begging for more. It sounds like BSS is going to take a bit of a break, but I can’t wait to see more.

On Saturday, we headed out to an AAM showcase at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Though we missed the band I was most excited to see, Annuals, we got to catch a few awesome groups. First up was Crystal Antlers, a heavy rock group that would have been a lot better had their lead singer not been screaming through every song. They were followed by the Ruby Suns, a New Zealand duo that use all sorts of pedals, loops, and live instrumentation to a create a very mellow, danceable sound. I had heard them before, but enjoyed their live show a lot more than I expected. All of these were followed by A Place to Bury Strangers, who put on the loudest show I’ve ever seen. At one point, the lead singer took his vocal mic and placed it next to his guitar amp, making it even louder. At another point, he was thrashing his guitar around, ripping off its strings after one of them broke. A fantastic set, but I’m not sure if my ears will ever recover.

This led us to our final showcase of the trip at the Bowery Ballroom on Saturday night. Kicking things off were All The Saints, a three-piece that sounded like if My Bloody Valentine had been Hendrix fans. After them was Marnie Stern, with one of the better sets of the trip. An incredible guitarist, Stern blasted through a series of songs, all with a huge smile on her face. Not only was the music good, but she seemed to be having so much fun that it wore off on the crowd. The last act we saw was Vivian Girls, my favorite discovery of my CMJ experience. Three girls from Brooklyn, Vivian Girls combine classic punk and 60’s girl group sounds, creating what a collaboration between The Ramones and They Crystals. Their first, self-titled album is only 20 minutes long, so the set was pretty quick, but the songs were all so unbelievable catchy and enjoyable it seemed like a lot longer.

Overall, CMJ was pretty great. There weren’t any really terrible bands that we saw. A few that weren’t great, but nothing that really made my ears bleed. My CMJ recommendations:

- Love as Laugter
- Margot & the Nuclear So and Sos
- Lymbyc Systym
- Land of Talk
- Ruby Suns
- A Place to Bury Strangers
- Marnie Stern
- Vivian Girls

CMJ

2008-10-22T08:59:00.003-05:00

From Wednesday to Sunday, I'll be at the CMJ Music Marathon in NYC with WDUB. I'll have pictures and a review up when I get back, but I'm also doing a live Twitter blog from the festival which you can check out here. Be sure to check it out!

Jeff Mangum Plays "Engine"!!!

2008-10-20T00:14:00.004-05:00

Tonight, I went to see the Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise tour in Columbus and got to see one of the greatest things I've ever gotten to see. Jeff Mangum, the leader of Neutral Milk Hotel, came out and played the NMH song "Engine" with band mate Julian Koster. Not only was he playing, he was playing in the middle of the crowd, five feet from me. I took a video which is being shared on WDUB TV, but can be viewed below.
UPDATE: There is an MP3 link below.

Jeff Mangum - "Engine" (MP3)

Concert Review: Mirah

2008-10-18T10:19:00.002-05:00

Last night was one of the shortest, yet most pleasant concert-going experiences I've ever had when I saw Mirah with No Kids at Skully's in Columbus. The doors opened early, at 6:30, and by 7, No Kids were on and playing. They were an okay band that grew on me the longer they played, but they had no energy and their songs got a bit repetitive as they went on. Finally, at around 8, came Mirah. When she came out to get set up, she just grabbed the mic, not bothering to even have the mystery of coming on stage to start. Though she was playing without the use of her pinkie, which she'd cut a few days prior, Mirah very sweetly worked her way through several new and recent songs. Just her on stage with the guitar, and less than 100 people in the audience, it felt like she was playing for a group of friends and was easily the most intimate show I've ever been to. In between songs, her banter was cheerful and warm, and she communicated with the crowd like we were a single friend standing before her. The show was no longer than an hour, and was done by 9, but the songs warmed me up so much inside, I didn't care.
Grade: A

My Bloody Valentine Aragon Ballroom 9/27/2008

2008-10-13T15:08:00.002-05:00

I'd like to write a few words about one of my most recent, and unique musical experiences. On September 27th , I took the Mega bus from St. Louis to Chicago to witness My Bloody Valentine live. If you don't know who they are, I don't think any description of their music really does it justice; so my best advice for you is to just go pick-up some of their music and give it a listen. For those who have heard them, you probably don't know what their shows are like live. This has something to do with the fact that their current tour is the first in the U.S. in 16 years. So I guess without say too much else here are my thoughts.

I had heard that My Bloody Valentine puts on a loud show (some contest it's the loudest, some fans spotting 132 dBs on the board). And I had heard they were handing out earplugs to everyone. But finally getting to venue, and seeing the sheer number of speakers and equipment on stage, I knew I was in for a loud night. My father and I got there about a half-hour early, which let us snag spots right in front of the soundboard.

After waiting through the opener (I can't find the name), who were good but not why I was there, My Bloody Valentine finally took the stage. Kevin Shields, Belinda Butcher, Debbie Googe and Colm O’Ciosoig are by no stretch of the imagination rock stars. This was obvious when at the start of I Only Said, the opener, bright white lights started to strobe around the stage, almost blinding you from seeing the band. Throughout the night Kevin Shields and Belinda Butcher would step up to the mic and step back without much apparent emotion or enthusiasm. Debbie Googe and Colm O’Ciosoig on the other hand were moving and playing as you might expect from the music that was being played.

Actually in general, I didn't know what to expect. I knew what shoegazing was, but only in words. It turned out to be something more and less then what I expected. During the show, it was as if the whole crowd was transfixed on something else. No one was rowdy, and the only movements I really saw was a head nod here or a sway there. Everyone was even standing in rows. It was one of the calmest shows I've ever been too. It was something completely different.

The music itself was amazing. The music overwhelmed the vocals even more then they do on the album; but everything sounded great. On Nothing Much To Lose, Colm O’Ciosoig drum rolled his heart out; delaying the hook of the song. On When You Sleep (personal favorite song right now) we saw a green path leading to nowhere in particular. Much like the music itself, the graphics that backed every song were distorted just enough that you couldn't fully tell what was happening. Every song sounded familiar but different.

And then it happened. The moment I had heard and read about. Belinda and Kevin said their thanks and good-byes, and launched into You Made Me Realise. A song that on their groundbreaking Creation single is under four-minutes, here was a sprawling song, whose length I did not measure. While the song starts off as a regular song, it quickly turns into a single chord repeated over and over again. The distortion builds and builds until the whole room is one noise. At this point the lights are going full tilt as well. Strobe lights that blind you, and surely put at least one person into an epileptic fit were everywhere. I fell into a trance like state at one point, and was only brought out of it when I took my earplugs out to feel the whole of the experience. Suddenly all of my senses came back in an instant. I was awake, aware, and my whole body felt like I was in some kind of storm. I can't do the experience justice, so I won't try too much.

After they finally finished You Made Me Realise, the crowd was stunned. White lights from the stage flooded the room, preventing you from seeing the stage. No one seemed to know what to do, and most people took a few minutes before they finally turned to talk to those around them. While we knew it wouldn't happen, we all hoped that they would come back on for just one more song.

After fighting the crowd out of the theater, it was a shock to not be constantly bombarded with noise. A slight ringing was in my ear, but it doesn't seem like it will be a problem. An experience unlike any other, I recommend that if you ever have a chance see them live. With the current tour, and rumors of a third LP, this might be easier then ever before.

Grade: A+

Set list:
I Only Said
When You Sleep
You Never Should
When You Wake
Cigarette in Your Bed
Come in Alone
Only Shallow
Thorn
Nothing Much to Lose
To Here Knows When
Slow
Soon
Feed Me With Your Kiss
You Made Me Realise

Concert Review: Death Cab for Cutie

2008-10-10T12:18:00.004-05:00

I've waited a couple of days to give this review of Wednesday night's Death Cab for Cutie show at Lifestyles Community Pavilion in Columbus because I needed some time to let it settle in. Death Cab is a band that I first had back in 2002 on their album "The Photo Album," and since then, their music has had tremendous personal meaning to me. "Transatlanticism" basically got me through high school and "We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes" has been in regular rotation since starting college. All that being said, I think I came into Wednesday night's show with high expectations.

Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed in my concert going experience. I'm just a few short months away from turning 22, but I felt particularly old and more concert savvy than everyone else at the show. I commented to my roommate whom I was with that I'd never been to a show where the audience didn't care that they were there. Throughout the entire show, people were talking loudly, ignoring every song that was on an album before "Plans" (with the exception of "Sound of Settling"). Cellphones have replaced lighters and you could tell when the crowd didn't like a song because they all pulled out their cameras with their bright LCD screens illuminating the night. As someone who attaches great personal meaning to music, I can't fault someone for finding "Plans" and "Narrow Stairs" their personal favorite albums, but it truly baffled me to see so many people who shelled out around $50 to see the show just ignore it whenever an old song came up. Usually, I go to a show because I like a band overall, not for an album or two.

As for the music itself, the band has been better. They aren't a dynamic live act like My Morning Jacket, but they usually deliver a solid and entertaining show. On Wednesday, they seemed to be holding back just a little bit. To me, the best moment of all of "Plans" is Chris Walla's solo on "Crooked Teeth" where the band seems just to just let go and fall into the echos of his solo. While the echo was there at the show, the grandiose swoop of it all wasn't. Similarly, the crash into the instrumentals of "We Looked Like Giants" wasn't really there, instead muted to sound plain and generic. They saved a lot of the epic rocking for new songs, including "Long Division" and "I Will Possess Your Heart."

The setlist of the show was pretty solid, covering a great deal of the band's catologue. IT was great to hear "We Have the Facts" tracks like "Employment Pages" and "Company Calls," and surprising to hear "Something About Airplanes'" "Champagne From a Paper Cup." They seemed to stay away from tracks from "Narrow Stairs," but the ones they played were done quite well.

This was not the best show I've been to, nor was it even close to the best Death Cab show I've been to (see: Bonnaroo 2006). I still can't decide if the crowd put me off so much I didn't enjoy the music or if it just truly wasn't that great. Regardless, it was overall all a fairly forgettable show.

Grade: C

Concert Review: My Morning Jacket

2008-10-07T09:44:00.002-05:00

Already one of my favorite live acts, I knew that My Morning Jacket would deliver on a great show. There was no opening act and doors opened at 7, so I had a feeling that this show was going to be epic, and indeed it was. From opener "Evil Urges" to closer "One Big Holiday," Jim James and crew relentlessly pounded on their instruments and bounced around the stage with seemingly endless energy. It has always impressed me about them that no matter if they're playing a midnight show at Bonnaroo or playing a medium size city in the middle of a long tour, they play like their life depends on it. James is perhaps the most fun musician to watch on stage as he thrashes around on his guitar, hides behind a cape as he sings, and most impressive, slides across the stage. The show showcased My Morning Jackets cohesiveness as a group. They seamlessly integrate extended jams and solos into their already epic songs, making improvisation look planned. The material from "Evil Urges" surprisingly fits in nicely with some of their older material, even though it doesn't necessarily sound similar at all. The highlights were predictable, as they always are at an MMJ show, but were still incredible. They included a romp through "Off the Record" and the dueling guitars of "Lay Low," but undoubtedly the best moment of the night was the last, "One Big Holiday." This might be a little biased because it's one of my all-time favorite songs, but I think the band closes with this song because it blows everything else out of the water. Even after almost six years of playing that song night after night, the band still rocks out the hardest of it and doesn't hold back a single bit. All and all, I'd say that this show will easily make my list of top 5 shows of the year. A solid effort from the boys from Louisville.
Grade: A+

Introducing WDUB TV

2008-10-06T13:55:00.002-05:00

Since the start of the year, I've been working on a project for WDUB called WDUB TV. WDUB TV is an online channel of content produced by WDUB to compliment our on air programming. Our first episode went live just a few minutes ago and can be found below. You can also visit the channel's site on YouTube for more. In Part 2 of the first episode, I review Jenny Lewis' new album, "Acid Tongue."

Part 1

Part 2

On Repeat: Dr. Dog

2008-09-18T14:54:00.002-05:00

My first exposure to Dr. Dog came at Bonnaroo in 2006 when I the keyboardist for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah wore one of their t-shirts during their show. From then on, they were always a band that sort of intrigued me, but one that I had trouble finding a starting point for. I got that chance this summer by picking up their latest effort, "Fate." Unfortunately, I bought it at the same time as I bough the Walkmen's "You & Me" and Liam Finn's "I'll Be Lightning," both of which quickly became favorites of mine, and Dr. Dog sort of fell to the wayside. I've finally found it though and can't stop listening. The record is a sort of folk rock romp that will undoubtedly get your toes tappin'. The album's best bit is the sprint through tracks "Hold On," "The Old Days" and "Army of Ancients." All three songs seem to take the rag-tag sound of the Elephant 6 bands and combine it with an almost folksy, yet soulful sound.
Dr. Dog Myspace

Shows Tonight

2008-09-16T12:19:00.002-05:00

Both shows are on tonight, so be sure to tune in!

Also, just a little cross promotion, I have a TV blog that I'm working on with my roommates called Television Rules the Nation (yes, a Daft Punk reference). We're covering a lot of TV shows and even live blogging Sunday night's Emmys, so be sure to check it out.

Both Show Premiere Tonight!

2008-09-09T10:05:00.002-05:00

Tonight you can catch both Andrew and myself on the radio for our first shows of the year! I'll be kicking things off from 5:30-7:30 EST on WDUB and Andrew will follow up at 8-10 CT on KWUR. You'll find links for both stations on the right. Tune in!

UPDATE: Thanks to our awesome Computing Services people, WDUB is not yet streaming this year. Next week's show should definitely be up.

Acid Tongue MP3

2008-09-05T15:09:00.001-05:00

If you enjoyed the new Jenny Lewis track "Acid Tongue" off her forthcoming album of the same name, then you can have it for your very own! Just click here to head over to snag it from Brooklyn Vegan. Enjoy!

Mr. November

2008-09-03T18:04:00.001-05:00

The National + Barack Obama = This short from the DNCC.

New Cold War Kids and Okkervil River

2008-09-01T14:46:00.004-05:00

I can't believe I hadn't even heard about this, but the Cold War Kids have an album coming out on September 23 (same as Jenny Lewis). They have a single out called "Something is Not Right With Me." You can get it here.

Also, Okkervil River has released a song from their forthcoming release "The Stand Ins" which comes out next week. The song is called "Lost Coastlines." It can be found here.

Lastly, I now know I will have the same radio timeslot as last year, so you can tune into the Radio Cure every Tuesday from 5:30-7:30 PM EST starting 9/8 at www.wdub.org!

New Jenny Lewis

2008-08-29T11:52:00.001-05:00

Jenny Lewis is easily one of my favorite musicians. She grabbed me on Rilo Kiley's album's The Execution of All Things and More Adventurous, and her solo effort with the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat, was one of my favorite albums of 2005. I was a bit disappointed in Rilo Kiley's last record (except the first track, "Silver Lining"), but news of a new Jenny Lewis album cheered me up. NPR has a stream of the title track, "Acid Tongue." If the rest of the album is this good, it might top my year end list.
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue (Stream) [scroll down page]

Lollapalooza 2008

2008-07-31T21:40:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! Sorry to have been gone for so long. Don't worry though, we're back, and in a big way. This weekend is Lollapalooza in Chicago, and as always, we'll be there. Be sure to check in each night for a recap of the day's shows. Rock on!

Okkervil River on Pitchfork.tv

2008-05-01T14:33:00.003-05:00

Okkervil River did a set for Pitchfork.tv's "Don't Look Down" recently. Check it out:

Flight of the Conchords and Last Radio Cure

2008-04-22T14:23:00.002-05:00

Fans of the Flight of the Conchords' HBO show need no introduction to "New Zeland's fourth most popular folk parody group," but for those unfamiliar, it is the dynamic duo of Brett McKenzie and Jermain Clement. Having already showcased a dozen songs on their TV show, their live performances and stand up specials, and BBC radio show, it's about time these guys got a proper full length in the States. The album features some of my favorite Conchord tracks including "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room," in which Jermaine romances a woman at a party by crooning, "you're so beautiful, you could be a waitress." On "Hiphopipotimous vs. Rhymenocerous," the two blend hip hop conventions and rapping with acoustic guitars and keyboard beats to create a song that's not only hysterically funny, but pretty catchy. This ultimately shows that even though these songs are pretty goofy, they're also good songs. A must have for any fan of the guys and a good starter for those just getting started.
Here's a nice little clip from the show:

On a different note, tonight is the last Radio Cure of the semester, so be sure to tune in on WDUB from 5:30-7:30 PM EST!

R.E.M. - Accelerate: Review

2008-04-14T11:53:00.001-05:00

When drummer Bill Berry left R.E.M. following 1997's New Adventures in Hi-Fi, the band seemed to have lost it's way. Though 1998's Up and 2001's Reveal had good songs, they were a far cry from the R.E.M. that wrote songs like "Losing My Religion" or even going back further, "Sitting Still." Their 2005 album Around the Sun was widely panned by fans and critics alike for it's dull, adult contemporary radio feel. On their tour in support of the album, the band stayed away from playing many of the album's tracks in favor of older material. Now, after two best of compilations and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, R.E.M.'s newest album, Accelerate marks a return to form for the college radio pioneers. From the bouncy opener, "Living Well's the Best Revenge," the band seems to have shaken off the dust and gone back to rockers. Most notably, the album features more of the guitar of Peter Buck and a larger role for bassist Mike Mills. Michael Stipe's lyrics aren't as mysterious as they once were, but they still carry a power unmatched in a lot of pop music today. The band has gone back to some of their older sounds, noticeably on "Until the Day is Done," which features an intro reminiscent of "Sweetness Follows." R.E.M. is no doubt one of the most important bands of the last 25 years, and after a few miscues, it's good to know they're back.

Where'd We Go?

2008-03-04T12:19:00.000-06:00

Hey small contingent of still faithful readers. Sorry we've been a little dead lately, this is the point of the school year where everything gets really busy. I have a huge new music review post that I plan to have up either today or tomorrow, so stay tuned. We'll be returning even better than ever, I promise.
P.S. If you're trying to stream the Radio Cure tonight, our computer is down, so our stream isn't working. Hopefully we'll be back soon!

Kanye + Daft Punk = Speechless

2008-02-12T10:54:00.000-06:00

Kanye West finally got on stage with Daft Punk to do "Stronger" at the Grammys. If you haven't seen this video, watch it right now.

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down

2008-02-10T17:35:00.000-06:00

At the tender age of 23, Thao Nguyen has a clear shot to indie-rock stardom. With the loose pop sensibility of Feist and the voice of Cat Power and/or Beth Orton, not to mention the help of producer Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens), Nguyen and her band The Get Down Stay Down have crafted the first enjoyable pop album of 2008. Unlike her aforementioned counterparts, Nguyen still seems to have the youth to roll down a hill on a summer’s day, which shows in her music. Listening to “Bag of Hammers,” I kind of forgot it was grey and miserable and couldn’t wait for spring to come. The standout track on the album however is “Feet Asleep,” where the band builds from a steady beat to a “1234”-esque climax. Bright things are on the future for this band, so catching them now will only make you cooler later.

Vampire Weekend

2008-01-30T11:05:00.000-06:00

When I first saw the music video for Vampire Weekend's first single "Mansard Roof," I was paid little attention to the music and more to the preppy look of the band members, with their popped collars and boat shoes, sailing around on a yacht. On second viewing, I heard the catchy song from the group of recent Columbia grads. The songs on their self titled debut all follow the same trend: simple, hip, and catchy as hell. The group owes a lot to African rock music and Paul Simon's "Graceland" album, as it blends whispy guitar lines with the steady drumming characteristic of West African pop. Aside from the afore mentioned "Mansard Roof," there is the bouncy "A-Punk" which is guaranteed to make you bop along as you listen. The track "Oxford Comma"(not FCC clean) however is my favorite. Lead singer Ezra Koenig's lyrics about someone else's' perceived superiority fits perfectly with the band's preppy East Coast attitude, yet it's not something that you particulary mind when lost in the steady rhythm of the song. Vampire Weekend gained a quick and rabid following online after a CD-R demo of theirs hit the blogosphere. With this will come the inevitable backlash that hit other blog bands such as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cold War Kids, and Tapes n Tapes. But for now, Vampire Weekend can rest on the easy knowing they have a satisfying album on the books.

Jukebox

2008-01-27T17:32:00.000-06:00

Just a few years ago, Chan Marshall a.k.a. Cat Power was in a bad place. Instead of being treated to the haunted voice of the singer they heard on the albums, fans at Cat Power concerts got an already drunk, disheveled Marshall that could hardly stand up. In 2006, she returned with The Greatest, a soulful album that saw Marshall sober and at her peak. Jukebox, her latest effort finds Marshall not covering, but reinterperating the songs that matter most to her yet again (she did it first on 2000's The Covers Record) Listening to her covers of Sinatra's "New York" and Hank Williams' "Ramblin' Man" (here "Ramblin' (Wo)Man), you'll forget that someone else made them famous. Marshall's recovery from addiction is best seen in her uplifting cover of Bob Dylan's "I Believe in You." Though Dylan wrote it about his new found faith in God, Marshall sings it as a song of redemption and recovery. After just my first listen, I knew this album was great, but after a second, I can without hesitation say Jukebox is the first great album of 2008.

The Radio Cure's Top Tracks of 2007

2007-12-31T10:12:00.000-06:00

Here's the shakedown:

10. Andrew Bird - Heretics
All the way back in February, we got Andrew Bird's Armchair Apocrypha at the station and I couldn't have been more pleased. From first listen, this song grabbed me and didn't let go. It's reminiscent of older Bird track "Sovay", but with a more driving pulse. With Bird's terrific lyricism and the steady drumming of Martin Dosh, the soaring violin only helps to keep this song in your head for days.

9. Feist - 1234
Now I know this was Apple's biggest song of the year, but before that, it was the most catchy for me. Awesome music video aside, you can't help but tap your feet "1234." Feist showed her knack for catchy tunes with "Mushaboom," but I think this definitely outshines her other pop songs.

8. Band of Horses - Cigarettes Wedding Bands
This song is epic. There's really no other way to describe it. The song starts with a bang and doesn't let up. Even the verses sound restless, just waiting to blow. It also features one of my favorite lines of 2007: "If my body goes then to hell with my soul"

7. The National - Apartment Story
Though there were an awful lot of tracks to choose from on "Boxer," this one remained my favorite. Maybe it's the theme of locking yourself in your apartment on a cold winter's day or the driving drum line that keeps you bopping along, this song stayed on repeat for a better part of the year for me.

6. Wilco - Impossible Germany
I first heard this track at Lollapalooza 2006 and it stopped me dead in my tracks. Unlike the distorted, depressing songs of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or the rock jams of A Ghost is Born, "Impossible Germany" is a slow, beautiful, laid back track filled with interwoven guitar lines and a terrific solo by Nels Cline. Favorite Line: "This is what love is for, to be out of place"

5. Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
If "1234" was the catchiest song of 2007, this was a close second. I easily identify this as my summer anthem for this year. Regardless of the lyrics, the song just sounds like people having hot fun in the summertime. Even this winter, it warms me up a bit inside.

4. Okkervil River - A Girl in Port
Will Sheff is easily one of my favorite songwriters, and this song totally blew me away. Even four months after buying The Stage Names, I still hear this song like it was brand new. I'm a sucker for a good slide guitar line, but that's not even the best of it. The narrative weaves through this sad story, but bursts open in the end to reveal a beautiful horn section. It's a hard for me to put in to words this cathartic feeling, so listen to this track if you haven't already.

3. Radiohead - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
I heard this song during the band's epic Bonnaroo set back in 2006, but the album version is absolutely stellar. Back in October, I wrote, "This is not only my favorite track on the album, but also the most layered. With dueling guitar lines over Phil Selway's steady drumming and under Yorke's echoing voice, this song builds to a crescendo of escapism before rolling to a halt. This song parallels some of the best total songwriting of the last 20 years, with each member of the band distinctly heard." I'd say all of that holds true many more listens later. Favorite Line: "Everybody leaves if they get the chance, and this is my chance"

2. Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running
Did Bruce Springsteen join the Arcade Fire? The answer is probably no, but the best band in Canada definitely channels the Boss on this amazingly good track. One day while walking to class, I had this song on the iPod and was literally slapping my leg to the beat. This song very easily will get into you head and stay there forever. So much energy is packed into the recorded version, you can't even think live there will be more, but let me assure you there is. I almost put this at #1, but I just couldn't put anything there but...

1. LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends
I read a review from a guy at Rolling Stone who said that when he thought about 2007, he would think about this song. I also had our tech guy at the radio station tell me that they should play the song to prisoners at Guantanamo to drive them crazy. Either way, the pulsing beautiful song has entered the prestigious list of my favorite songs of all time. With the repetitive piano line and James Murphy's lyrics about getting old, "All My Friends" became the one song I played to people when they asked me what music I was into. Both times I saw the band live this year, it was the best song to dance to, despite other danceable tracks like "Daft Punk is Playing in My House" or "North American Scum." Also worth checking out are the John Cale and Franz Ferdinand covers. Favorite Line: "I wouldn't trade one stupid decision for another five years of life."

There you have it. I'll hopefully have my favorite albums up by the end of the day...

Some Albums You May Enjoy That Were First Made Available Through Capitalism in the Year 2007 (In alphabetical order of course)

2007-12-29T13:48:00.000-06:00

So while everyone else is doing a top ten list some where, I thought that I would do something a bit different. I decided that I would try and find some albums that are amazing, and should be in those top ten lists, but just didn't get all that attention. So without further ado here's the list:

Elvis Perkins – Ash Wednesday
What can I say about this album? I remember first listening to the opening track "While You Were Sleeping" and just being completely entrapped in the music. I now wake up everyday to "While You Were Sleeping" and it always provides a great start to the day. The album has a great flow of ups and downs throughout, and is perfect for any mood. I would definitely recommend this album to anyone who likes fuzz-folk, although this is more on the folk side then the fuzz. One sad fact about this album is that it was written after both of Perkins' parents died. His father died of AIDS when Perkins was young, and his mother died in one of the September 11th planes. This definitely shows up on the album, but it's more of a sad overtone then a sad direction that the album takes on. This is album definitely is one of my favorites of the year, and it's a debut album to boot.

The Rakes – Ten New Messages
I can't remember where I heard this, but I remember hearing someone call The Rakes "the real Arctic Monkeys." Well this is their second album, and it's a good one. As the title suggests, it's ten new tracks in that post-punk/art-rock British style that The Rakes are good at. With a nice consistent sound throughout the whole album, it flows really well all the way from "The World Was a Mess But His Hair Was Perfect" to "Leave The City And Come Home." Really a decent album. And when you have a track called "When Tom Cruise Cries" how can you go wrong?

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – 100 Days, 100 Nights
I found this album at the recommendation of KWUR's GM, and what an album it is. The record sounds like it's vintage, but it only came out this year. A great album, with a great sound that Sharon Jones says she's been doing for years now. I was just thinking, this album would make New Years Eve soundtrack; because what better way of welcoming in the new year then with some new music that sounds a little bit old.

Tullycraft – Every Scene Needs A Center

What more could you want from an album? With themes like punks, and goths and Dracula, UFOs all crushed up, put into a big old blender and then doused in pure essence of happiness, I don't know what could go wrong. It's not often that you find such an enjoyable 7+ min. pop song, but Tullycraft did it with Dracula Screams of Tiger Style (Parts One and Two). This is one of the only albums this year that I've listened to twice in a row. One of the happiest bands I know of, yes even happier then I'm From Barcelona, Tullycraft is also one of the funniest. The review at KWUR says something along the lines of "Great music, and witty lyrics that Pitchfork writers wish they could have written." Reason enough to go and listen to Every Scene Needs A Center right away.

White Flight – White Flight

I could rehash what I said, or I could point you to a few posts below.

2007 Year in Pictures

2007-12-15T15:49:00.001-06:00

Kicking off our best of 2007 posts, here's some of the best pictures from the best shows of 2007.

John Roderick of the Long Winters

Sufjan Stevens

Sparklehorse

LCD Soundsystem

Cold War Kids

Apostle of Hustle

The Arcade Fire

Ted Leo

The Hold Steady

Dear Rockers...

2007-12-15T11:23:00.001-06:00

In the midst of taking a break from studying for my last exam, I came across this interesting new site that makes the music industry a little bit more fun and enjoyable. The site I'm talking about is Dear Rockers. It's a simple concept really, one suggested by others, but elegantly done here. It's basically paying back artists for the music you love but somehow stole. But Dear Rockers makes it fun. So here's what you do, first find an artist you illegally downloaded music from, write a letter to this artist, making it as creative and fun as you want, send a picture of the letter to Dear Rockers, use Dear Rockers to find the address of the artist, and then send the artist at least $5 paying your respect for the music you love. And while you could easily just do this on your own, what makes Dear Rockers so fun is that it's like a post secret for stealing music. People get to be creative, musicians get their money, it's a win-win for everyone. Check it out, maybe get some guilt off your chest, just have fun with it. Site's like Dear Rockers are what makes the internet a great place for music.

White Flight - White Flight

2007-12-13T16:18:00.000-06:00

Oceanographer's Choice? Yes - A+

Most people haven't heard of White Flight. What they're missing is the solo project of Justin Roelofs, who you may know as a member of the now defunct ban The Anniversary. And let me tell you, it's a terrific album. The album is a complete, beautiful work of art. The best way I can describe it is as a collage of poppy sounds and hooks. Sometimes it's electronic, sometimes acoustic, but it all flows so well together. And over all of this you have some great lyrics and vocals. It really creates this complete experience that just sucks you in for the length of the album. I've heard a rumor that the album was inspired by Roelofs trip to South America where he experimented with a lot of local psychedelics. This would definitely explain quite a bit, as the album is really a strange album. And not everyone will like it because it's so strange. But if you give it a listen, you might come it enjoy it as much as I have. Bellow I have one of the songs so you can give it a listen and see for yourself.

If you really like what you hear, the album's out on Range Life Records, a label that supports local musicians in Lawrence, Kansas. Again, check out the album, even though it can be weird, you just might enjoy it as much as I do. And Remember we here at Oceanographer's Choice love supporting local and regional musicians, and would love it if you did too. Peace.

White Flight - The Condition

In Rainbows Discbox

2007-12-12T19:26:00.000-06:00

So yesterday I received my In Rainbows Discbox, and I must say I got my moneys worth. Not only is the package beautiful, everything else is too. The lyrics sheet is cool, it's center justified so it looks interesting. The picture booklet is a bunch of paint splatters and is kind of interesting. The cover art is just like the website, and while not a surprise is nicely done. The high quality tracks from the album are great to have. And who wouldn't want the second disc of music? I must say that my only complaints are that the two cds are kept in place by those foam circle things, which I can't stand because it's nearly impossible to get CDs back on them. All in all, great box, was worth the money. So if you like Radiohead and have the cash, get one. But make sure you get it fast, they're done making new ones, and they aren't making new ones.

Happy Birthday

2007-12-11T14:19:00.001-06:00

Both Michael and I would like to wish our father a happy birthday. Thanks for helping us become who we are today both musically and personally. I don't think we could have asked for a better father. We both love you and hope you have a wonderful birthday.

Michael & Andrew

Opps

2007-12-11T11:00:00.000-06:00

I slept through my alarm today, so I didn't get up until a little bit ago. That's why there wasn't the special show, sorry.

Boys and Girls in Granville 2008

2007-12-08T11:12:00.000-06:00

Tune in Monday from 7:30-9:30 to hear a prime-time best of 2007 special hosted by myself and fellow WDUB DJ Jon G. We struggled through a list of the best albums of the year, so be sure to tune in and find out what's #1! To listen, go to www.wdub.org!

Super Special Show!

2007-12-02T13:22:00.001-06:00

I sadly have a final during my show on the 12th. Because of this I will be moving my show to the 11th at 10 a.m. for a grand send off of the semester and year. Hope to see you there.

Radio Cure's Best of 2007 Show

2007-12-02T10:45:00.001-06:00

Be sure to tune into The Radio Cure tomorrow for the very special "Best of 2007 Show." I'll be playing the top songs from my favorite albums of the year, so be sure to listen so that you can argue with me about them. In the next week I'll also post a list of my Top 10 with a review. So don't forget, 1:30-3:30 EST, www.wdub.org!

New Jason Collett

2007-11-14T09:54:00.001-06:00

Broken Social Scenester Jason Collett will be releasing his third solo disc, "Here's to Being Here" on Feb. 5, 2008. The follow up to his excellent "Idols of Exile" will include a guest spot from Andrew Whiteman of Apostle of Hustle and features his touring band, Paso Mino.
Jason Collett - Out of Time
Jason Collett - Charlyn, Angel of Kensington

Review: The Pageant

2007-11-13T11:13:00.000-06:00

So last night I got to experience The Pageant for the first time. I was there to see Regina Specktor, who was amazing, and now I want to give my thoughts on the place.

First off, the way they deal with minors there is horrible. I had to pay $2 just because I was under-21. That's just a stupid idea in general. Does the Pageant have to pay for each minor in attendance? I highly doubt it. It seems to me they just want to make some more money off of the people who won't be buying drinks. And while the design of the place is kind of cool, pit by the stage, raised seating areas on the side, bar at the back centered to the stage, and a balcony on top, it sucks for minors. Last night I came in on one side, but my friends were on the other. Now I couldn't cross by going upstairs or across the back of the room, those were 21 and over, so I had to cross through the pit. The pit was full, and thankfully a security guard still let me through; but I still had to force my way across, pissing off plenty of other concertgoers in the process. Now this sucked, alot, but it didn't entirely ruin the night.

The Pageant puts on a good show. The atmosphere in the seated section is nice. I actually got to sit down and stay seated for the show. The shows started as expected, the lighting was good, and the seats were comfortable. But in addition to the whole being lame when it comes to minors, The Pageant also has a few other flaws. First off, the merch table was awkwardly located in a side room off of the hallway you walk through to get to the stage. Second, while they did have a water fountain, if you wanted a cup you had to pay $2; another way to squeeze money out of us. Neither of these was really that bad though.

So overall, I'm going to give The Pageant a grade of C+

I loved the pit/seat thing they have going, and I give them props for the overall look of the place, both inside and out (it looks like a renovated theater), but the whole way they treat minors at the place just really bugs me. I really shouldn't have to pay $2 to get in, just because I'm under-21, and thats that. If they change that, they would be a much better venue.

I wasn't really there but...

2007-11-12T11:39:00.001-06:00

So I wasn't in town this weekend for it, but apparently the girl talk show was just crazy. I guess a guy got tazed, and then girl talk went to go play at sammy. I don't know everything, but heres the link to the stud life article about it here

Well...

2007-11-09T12:02:00.000-06:00

I know it's been awhile since anythings been posted, but I know I've had a lot of work as of late, and I think something big has been going on at Michaels campus. Hopefully he can fill us in eventually. I'll be posting some mp3s of my shows eventually. In the meantime, enjoy this article I wrote for Eleven, the music magazine here on campus at WashU. The magazine itself isn't that great, not that my article is, but it really seems like a way for the founder to stroke his own ego. But hopefully it will get better, I can see it happening. So heres the article:

Something frightening is happening to music today - the album is dying. Yes, the album, the novel of music, just isn’t what it used to be. You used to have people sitting down and listening to things like “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.” Now all people listen to is “Crank That” or “Gimme More” or whatever the latest single is. Now some people may think of “Crank That” as great music, but listening to it instead of a good album is like reading a single chapter of a novel instead of the whole thing. Most artists still release albums, but these “albums” are best described by John Darnielle in his cover of “The Sign”: “They wrote a song, and then they wrote nine other songs to surround that one song.” And not many people listen, and I mean like sit down and make an effort to listen, to the decent albums that are out there.

So what’s caused the decline of the general population listening to albums? This is something that has a lot to do with the format that music is delivered now. With vinyl, if you wanted to skip songs, you had to get up, lift the needle, find the track you wanted (maybe even flipping the record), and then cueing the record at the start of the song. That’s a lot more work then just simply listening to a 3-4 minute song. The vinyl format as a whole is more conducive to actively listening to music. On vinyl an album is more then just the music, it’s an experience. You have this cover, 4 times the size of a CD jewel case, with art on it. There can be inserts and colored or even etched vinyl. It’s a more manageable time commitment; Vinyl only holds up to about an hour, with each side only being about 20-30 minutes. Albums were shorter, because they had to be. With vinyl you have to pay attention when you listen, if you don’t you end up having the needle stuck in the center groove of the record.

CDs are a completely different story. A CD (mind you not a DVD-CD or dual-sided CD) can hold 80 minutes of music. That’s a whole 33% more. And a lot of times artists feel compelled to fill as much as they can. This usually means songs that wouldn’t have found a spot on a vinyl album easily make their way onto a CD album. This usually translates to an overall not-so-good quality song quality, and who wants that? Not really that many people, and that’s where a few “album killers” come into play. The first is the skip button. Don’t feel like listen to a song, or get sick of it half way through? Press the skip button and poof; you’re at the next track. But even here, a CD only holds so many songs, and who wants to switch CDs every other song? So people will listen to more, if not all of an album.

It’s things like the iPod and iTunes music store, which have truly done albums in. Now before I continue, this is not to say that these aren’t great wonderful amazing tools, they just changed the way people listen to music. With an ipod, you can have hundreds of albums, thousands of songs, all at you fingertips and ready to be played. So the laziness factor is gone. You can skip around to different songs, albums, artists, and genres, all you want. You can even put that extensive library of music on shuffle. I can’t stand shuffle; it’s just a bunch of (almost) random songs from your library. It has no idea how to find songs that go together; it’s missing a human quality to it. Still, a lot of people just though on shuffle and don’t even care about albums. Even Panda Bear of Animal Collective uses shuffle (that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing). There’s even an ipod that all it does is shuffle. What the "bleep" is up with that? But the biggest nail in the coffin for the album has to be the ITunes store. With the iTunes store, you don’t even have to buy a full album to get the song you want anymore. You can buy only the single, and never even think of the rest of the album ever again. And unless the album that you want to buy has eleven or more songs, you don’t even get a discount for buying the album.

So some one might be thinking, but I don’t really like all of the songs on any single album. This could be for two reasons, one the albums you listen to suck, and two you haven’t spent enough time listening to the albums. A good album has its highs and its lows. You’re not going to have an album with each track being as amazing as all of the others. But you will find albums with songs amazing compared to other albums. And sure you may not like one song on an album as much as the rest, but you wouldn’t skip a chapter in a book, so you shouldn’t skip a song on an album. The whole point of the album is that it’s the way the artist wanted you to hear it. So you should keep it that way.

If you’ve made it this far, you probably will fit one of these categories: You already listen to albums and want to see if you agree with me, you don’t listen to albums but now you kind of start, or you don’t listen to albums, don’t want to, and you only read this far to see how pretentious I am about music. No matter why you’re still reading I’ve decided to help out. I’ve made a list of some good full albums to start you off with. Some amazingly good albums: Neutral Milk Hotel “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea”, My Bloody Valentine “Loveless”, Manu Chao “Proxima Estacion: Esperanza”, Radiohead “OK Computer”, Neil Young “On The Beach, The Mountain Goats “All Hail West Texas” and “Tallahassee”, The Long Winters “Putting The Days to Bed”, The Hold Steady “Boys And Girls In America”, and Jeff Buckley “Grace”.

The moral of the story here is that you should dedicate more then just three or so minutes to an album, artist, and music in general. Music is meant to be an experience. So make it one, find an album and listen to it with friends, it’s what’s known as a listening party. If you’re really adventurous try to get a copy of The Flaming Lips “Zaireeka” going. No matter what, just sit down and get immersed in an album; it’s truly a beautiful thing to experience. Oh and try to actually pay for the album.

The A-Sides, Silver Storms

2007-10-19T13:19:00.000-05:00

So you probably haven't heard of The A-sides. Maybe you were lucky enough to catch them with Ted Leo recently, but they are worth finding. They have a new album out, "Silver Storms", and it's good. If you want to know what they sound like, think "Everything All the Time" Band of Horses mixed with The Walkman. It's lush sweeping relaxed sound that just takes over your ears. The vocals are perfect for their sound; he just seems comfortable singing. And what more can you ask of anyone? The combined relaxing melodies and vocals make the album a perfect listen for anytime you just want some down time.

Standout tracks:

Diamonds: This is one that stuck with me at the concert. It's one of those songs with the sweeping guitar in the background and passion in the lyrics. I really feel at a loss for words on how to describe this one, but it's one of my favorites on the album.

My Heroes Have Always Been Crazy: In addition to having a great title, this track is a nice simple song with a tambourine keeping time. It builds for a bit before going into a nice instrumental ending.

Sinking With The Ship: Another one of the songs I remember from the concert. The closer of the album. The perfect place for their sound; you have organs, violins, guitar and cymbals. The lyrics "We're all sinking with the ship/we all taste the salt on our lips" is tragic, but calming. It's as if we're happy to finally be done, we need the break ahead of us.

Again, I suggest you look out for this band, with two albums under their belts, I can really only expect better things to come.

Grade: A-

In Rainbows - The Radio Cure Review

2007-10-18T15:13:00.000-05:00

One week after its abrupt release, I found it apt to review Radiohead's latest masterpiece, In Rainbows.
1. 15 Step: My favorite track from their Bonnaroo show, 15 Step is notably the only track that makes heavy use of the disjointed computer beats of the previous three albums. It stands out from their earlier material however with a jumpy little guitar line that flows throughout. Key Line: "Won't take my eyes off the ball again/You reel me out then you cut the string."
2. Bodysnatchers: Hailed as "the rock song", "Bodysnatchers" is full of distorted guitar and Thom Yorke wails. I read one review that called this track a sort of sequel to Kid A's "National Anthem", but I view it more as a rebuttal to "Creep," another song about feeling displaced that the band has somewhat disowned.
3. Nude: An older, mellow, hypnotic track, "Nude" is one of the first songs to suck you in to the brilliance of In Rainbows in your first listen. Bringing his voice to the highest key it seems to reach, Yorke is at his most soulful. For die-hard fans, this song was worth the wait.
4. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi: This is not only my favorite track on the album, but also the most layered. With dueling guitar lines over Phil Selway's steady drumming and under Yorke's echoing voice, this song builds to a crescendo of escapism before rolling to a halt. This song parallels some of the best total songwriting of the last 20 years, with each member of the band distinctly heard.
5. All I Need: A somber, dark love song, "All I Need" seems to be the anthem for discontent lovers, but builds to an explosion of noise and light that suddenly takes the song to new heights and adds a bright, optimistic ending.
6. Faust Arp: The only mystery track for eager fans, this is the second closest Radiohead has come to mimicking The Beatles (#1- listen to the beginning of "Wolf at the Door" and then The Beatle's "She's So Heavy"). A softy ditty that recalls The White Album's "Julia", but with strings and distrust.
7. Reckoner: Another old track, "Reckoner" seems to remind us that Phil Selway is still an important part of the band. His echoing, jangly drumming provides the base for Thom's falsetto, soulful singing and soft piano and a chilled out guitar riff. If any other artist had played this song, it might have been a generic Top 40 hit, but again, the Radiohead touch keeps it uniquely beautiful, especially in it's warm climax.
8. House of Cards: This track is gorgeous. Another mellow, laid back track, "House of Cards" sounds like the love song of the couple that's been stuck in a rut, ready to break free. I will always associate this song with its performance at Bonnaroo, in which fans started throwing glow sticks around in the darkness. When they started landing on stage, a smiling Thom playfully threw them back. It seems symbolic of the position Radiohead is in now: content.
9. Jigsaw Falls Into Place: I find this track the most aggressive on the album, though I've heard it described as just being loose. Listening to it, you get the feeling of running away, like the band is driving at something. Unlike "Bodysnatchers" which is a direct rock song, "Jigsaw Falls Into Place" seems to be the confused cousin of Amnesiac's "Knives Out."
10. Videotape: Prior to the release of the album, this track had two incarnations. One had the whole band building it to a dramatic, sweeping climax, while the other was a haunting version with only Thom at a piano. The version that made the album finds some middle ground with the slow piano being coupled with small drum bursts. The result is the most haunting album closer Radiohead has ever used.

OVERALL: In Rainbows has been said to show a return to the more guitar driven music of the OK Computer era. I see it a bit differently. This album represents less Radiohead's return to an old era than it does the start of a new one. The band has already rewritten the book on rock music, and here again, they have showed themselves to be true innovators. Though it isn't as weird or experimental as the last four albums, there isn't anything else out today that is remotely close. Only time will tell if this becomes my favorite Radiohead album or not, but it looks like it might be.
GRADE: A+.

No, I Can't

2007-10-17T12:43:00.000-05:00

So I've scored an interview with The Mountain Goats! It's only an email interview, but I mean I'm excited to interview one of my all time favorite artists. I'm writing it for the music magazine Eleven here on campus, but hopefully I'll be able to reprint it here for anyone that stops by and reads the blog. I know we've been a bit behind in posting here, but it's going to pick up. I'm also going to start writing for the KWUR blog, so check that out. Until the interview drops just keep stopping by, it's nice to see you once in awhile. And remember to listen to our shows. I'll have the post with the mp3 of todays show up later.

P.S. try and find the Mountain Goats reference. I even gave you a little hint.

In Rainbows is Amazing

2007-10-12T00:11:00.001-05:00

Here's the show

http://www.mediafire.com/?fdwx9nzn9lm

Surprise!

2007-10-03T17:12:00.000-05:00

That's the best summation of my show today. Hopefully I surprised you all with a lot of new/unreleased material, and I got a surprise myself today. If you missed listening, I had some guests on the show today in the form of Plastic Parachute, a "female-lead power punk" group from L.A. I guess they had a show here last night, and were stopping by campus to drop off a copy of their self released album. I was in the middle of my show when Mikey (KWUR GM) walks in and asks if I want to have a band on the air. Of course I agree, what you'll hear in my show is what happened. After listening to more of the cd, it's pretty good. I'll be sure to play more of them in the future. They'll also be playing in St. Louis again on December 11th at Cicero's. But you'll hear more about that as it gets closer. That's really it for now, if you missed the show, as always here it is:

http://www.mediafire.com/?9fmjosijxjx

RADIOHEAD!!!

2007-10-02T21:27:00.001-05:00

Amazing news, no? Well if that's not good enough, and you can't wait to hear the new stuff, listen in to my show tomorrow. I'll be playing one of the new songs from their set at Bonnaroo two years ago. And then you can bet I'll be waiting up next Wednesday to download the album, so you'll be able to hear a new track that day. You won't even have to go to their website and not pay anything to get the album! That's about it for now.

P.S.
I got the discbox. Yeah it was expensive, but each one is made to order! Plus you get the extra disc and vinyl and all that jazz.

TWO BIG PIECES OF NEWS!

2007-09-30T23:08:00.000-05:00

1.) The WDUB stream is back! Tune in tomorrow, 1:30-3:30 for The Radio Cure at www.wdub.org. I have an aprentice, so it should be fun
ALSO:

Yes, you read that correctly. Radiohead announced on their website that they will be releasing their seventh album on October 10 via digital download. Diehard fans (including this insanely hyped AMD) can also buy a $81 disc box that comes out in December that includes the album on CD and vinyl, and includes a second disc of music. The tracklist is pretty impressive for those who follow the band closely:
01 15 STEP
02 BODYSNATCHERS
03 NUDE
04 WEIRD FISHES/ARPEGGI
05 ALL I NEED
06 FAUST ARP
07 RECKONER
08 HOUSE OF CARDS
09 JIGSAW FALLING INTO PLACE
10 VIDEOTAPE

CD two and vinyl:

01 MK 1
02 DOWN IS THE NEW UP
03 GO SLOWLY
04 MK 2
05 LAST FLOWERS
06 UP ON THE LADDER
07 BANGERS AND MASH
08 4 MINUTE WARNING

Yes, Everybody's Gonna Need A Witness 9/26/2007 Show posting

2007-09-26T22:08:00.000-05:00

I now have the link for my last show, I'll try to get a playlist up by tomorrow.
Check it out here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?cwm0mzmbyjb

Band of Horses - "Is There a Ghost"

2007-09-19T07:44:00.000-05:00

One of the best albums of 2006 was the stellar debut from Seattle's Band of Horses. There second album, "Cease to Begin", comes out on Oct. 9, and if the first single is any indication, it will be even better than their first effort, "Everything All of the Time."
Band of Horses - Is There A Ghost

If You Missed It.

2007-09-17T10:41:00.000-05:00

I've figured out how to get my show and put it up on the web. So please enjoy, my actual show starts a couple minutes in. I'll be doing this with every show, and I promise next time will be more prompt.

http://www.mediafire.com/?4bmwuk0dtez

Yes, Everybody's Gonna Need A Witness

2007-09-11T18:30:00.000-05:00

Starting tomorrow, Wednesdays from 11:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M., Yes, Everybody's Gonna Need A Witness will be on the (limited range broadcast 10 megawatt) airwaves of KWUR. You can listen in at www.KWUR.com. And if you can't make it, I'm going to be trying to get a copy of the show posted up on this site, but I'm still working on the logistics of that. Listen in, because "Yes, Everybody's Gonna Need A Witness."

P.S. Just to be clear, I'm on Central time now, I forgot about the whole time difference. But the good news is, I will be putting the show up online later tonight, so you can enjoy it again or for the first time.

Radio Cure Starts Today!

2007-09-10T09:33:00.001-05:00

Be sure to tune in to "The Radio Cure" today from 1:30-3:30! WDUB has finally moved in to our brand new station and today marks the start of broadcasting, so be sure to listen! www.wdub.org

Softlights

2007-09-09T16:21:00.000-05:00

So I've had the Softlights Cd, Say No! To Being Cool, Say Yes! To Being Happy, for a while now. And the funny thing about it is that I've always enjoyed it, but just recently I've really been able to get into the album. It's a great little electro-pop album that's really worth picking up. I would put up a song on this page, but I've been too busy to set up that whole system, but check back here, and I promise that I'll have one up.

The Little Ones

2007-09-03T22:13:00.001-05:00

All year long, I saw the box for the Little One's Ep "Sing Song" sitting in the station. All year long I told myself to listen to it. It finally took hearing a track on XM's "College Radio" station to realize how awesome they are. Fans of The Shins will enjoy their light indie pop that won't disappoint. Check out this track, I HIGHLY recommend it, you'll be singing it all day!
The Little Ones - Cha Cha Cha

Late Summer Picks

2007-08-30T12:02:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite picks of the late summer has been former Sufjan Stevens/Polyphonic Spree cohort Annie Clark a.k.a. St. Vincent. On her debut, "Marry Me", Clark reveals the same beauty and complexity of both the Spree and Sufjan, while forming her own niche. The album covers a lot of musical ground, from light indie pop, to dark brooding tracks, to even songs that could pass for a jazz standard. Definitely an album not to miss.
St. Vincent - Now, Now

In the follow up to their fantastic 2005 album "Black Sheep Boy," Okkervil River deliver one of the best albums to come out this summer. Fans of Bright Eyes, The Decemberists, and Neutral Milk Hotel will easily fall in love with the indie/folk/rock tracks that encompass "The Stage Names." Lead singer Will Sheff's lyrics are at an all time high as he spins narratives about extraneous song characters, reality turning into movies, and even throws in a little Beach Boys. Be sure to check this album out, I assure you, you won't be disappointed.
John Allyn Smith Sails (.mp3)

Welcome!

2007-08-30T11:24:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the Oceanographer's Choice! We're still in the early stages, but keep an eye out for posts soon!