Pop Rocks!: Episode 2.3: Sorta 7" Showcase!

So, I decided that I should play some of the 7's I've picked up recently. I also decided to raid the collection of 45s up at the shack and dug up some pretty neat stuff. I was going to do a whole show of it, but then I got tired and distracted. SO OH WELL! Next week I'll be making with another theme show! Not sure what yet, but it'll be themed!

The Wolfhounds - The Anti-Midas Touch (The Anti-Midas Touch)
Art Brut - Pump Up the Volume (It's a Bit Complicated)
The High Strung - Rimbaud/Rambo (Get the Guests)
The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour (Challengers)
The Lucksmiths - Southernmost (Southernmost EP)
Tokidoki - Sock Hop (New Days 7")
Linda Smith - Gorgeous Weather (Gorgeous Weather 7")
Bright Coloured Lights - Leave You Behind (Open Your Eyes 7")
Cub - Pillow Queen (7")
The Summer Suns - All Away (All Away 7")
The Sedgwicks - Up Till Now (Up Till Now 7")
Erik Voeks - Throw Me Out a Line (Throw Me Out a Line 7")
Superchunk - Reg (The Majestic 7")
Guided by Voices - Mice are Nice (in My Bedroom) (Tigerbomb EP)
Guided by Voices - Surgical Focus (Surgical Focus 7")
The Cavedogs - Bed of Nails (Joy Rides for Shut-Ins)
Sugar - The Act We Act (Copper Blue)
Jason Anderson/Wolf Colonel - Jet Ski Accidents (Something/Everything)
The Aislers Set - Friends of the Heroes (Terrible Things Happen)
Jimmy Eat World - Game of Pricks (GBV Cover) (BBC Evening Sessions)
The Magnetic Fields - All the Umbrellas in London (Get Lost)
Aberdeen - Sink or Float (Homesick and Happy to Be Here)
Matt Allison - Hard to Look Perfect (Hard to Look Perfect EP)
A.C. Newman - Most of Us Prizefighters (The Slow Wonder)
Neutral Milk Hotel - Gardenhead/Leave Me Alone (On Avery Island)
Weezer - Across the Sea (Pinkerton)
Tullycraft - Our Days in Kansas (Disenchanted Hearts Unite)
Luna - California (All the Way) (Bewitched)
Low - California (The Great Destroyer)
The Sea Urchins - Please Dont' Cry

Reviews!

Voxtrot – Voxtrot (Playlouder)
3/10

After releasing three absolutely stellar EPs, Voxtrot were poised to become one of the best indie pop bands of this modern age. While they were obviously influenced by the Smiths, they sounded even more influenced by Sarah Records and that since forgotten brand of pop music. And now they’ve put out their debut EP and…it kind of sucks. I say that out of love though, because I still believe that these guys have enough talent to put out a great record, it just isn’t this one. Their sound has matured and in turn they’ve lost the youthful energy and the sense of fun that made their EPs so enjoyable. Although singer Ramesh Srivastava sings “I have to lose my idols to find my voice,” he’s simply replaced his Morrissey-esque vocals with more modern influences. For instance, his howl on “Kid Gloves” makes him sound EXACTLY like Dave Grohl and “Blood Red Blood” sounds EXACTLY like a Ted Leo song (in particular, “The Angel’s Share). Sadly, those are two of the best tracks. The saddest thing is that almost all of these songs have compelling aspects, but none of them (with one exception) are compelling as a whole. “Easy” is an incoherent mash-up of what sounds like the group trying to cram three different songs into one where the piano-pop number “Stephen” just sounds lazy and boring. The worst is the ballad “Real Live Version,” in which initially sounds similar to the gorgeous song “Sway” from the Your Biggest Fan EP, but ends up being tacky and sentimental, especially when Srivastava goes into a falsetto at the end. It’s really fucking lame. However, I would argue that the gorgeous, mid-tempo track “The Future, Part 1” is one of Voxtrot’s best songs to date and if the rest of the record sounded as honest and innovative as that song, it might be a masterpiece. “Introduction” is another great mid-tempo number while “Firecracker” best captures the energy of the EPs and accentuates Srivistava’s razor-sharp songwriting. Hopefully they will take their time with the next record, and hopefully it will be as successful as this one should have been.

This would have been amazing if it was "The Future Part 1" or "Kid Gloves" EP, featuring one of those on Side A and the other, along with "Firecracker" on side B.

Focus: 8, 1, 5, 11
Avoid: 10
-Ian Hrabe, June 11^th, 2007

Art Brut – It’s a Bit Complicated (Downtown)
8/10

Do I think all of the positive press that Art Brut gets is a bit overblown? Yes. Do I think they’re a bad band? Hell no. In fact, I really appreciate the snide brand of fun that they bring to the whole indie rock scene. Hell, the punchline of “Pump Up the Volume” is “Is it so wrong to break from your kiss and turn up the pop song?” Sure, they sound like an indie rock version of The Streets but shit, with a line like that I don’t even care. This is made by kids who spent their young adulthood alternating 45’s on their parents’ turntables (“Sorry if my accent’s flawed/ I learned my German from a 7-inch record”). They sound a bit more like Franz Ferdinand here than they did on Bang Bang Rock and Roll, where their influences were more admirable (eg: The Modern Lovers, Pulp, The Fall). This record is better produced, which takes away some of their charm, and there aren’t any songs as charming as “Emily Kane.” At times it gets a bit droll, but I am able to overlook this because most of the songs are just around the three minutes long, the perfect length for these bratty tunes. Note: “People in Love” is one of the better break-up songs I’ve come across in a long time.

RIYL: The Wolfhounds, a British version of the Hold Steady
Focus: 1, 4, 11, 9, 10
-Ian Hrabe, June 11^th, 2007

Trembling Blue Stars – The Last Holy Writer (Elefant)
7.5/10

I feel really weird when a band that should be broken up by now releases a new record. It’s not that I want the band to break up, it’s just strange. Especially when the band has a lineage stretches back to the Sarah Records days of yore. Trembling Blue Stars is Robert Wratten’s third band to my knowledge. After leaving the Field Mice he formed Northern Picture Library and, after the dissolution of NPL, formed Trembling Blue Stars. While all of these groups are essentially Sarah Records twee pop at heart, TBS is so lushly orchestrated and mature you would never guess that Wratten started out playing jangly guitar pop. His counterpart in the group is Beth Arzy (from now defunct Sarah group Aberdeen), who sings the gorgeous second track “Idyllwild” and two others, and her presence is what makes this album great. I feel like some of the best twee bands had both male and female singers (one of the reasons why I love the Pastels so much) and not only does it make this album more diverse, but it gives it a lot of depth. This is dream pop at its finest, and while this is their most mature record, they still have that fantastic early 90’s sound. It’s just too bad that this is being released in the Summer, because this is a perfect Fall record.

RIYL: The Field Mice, Northern Picture Library
Focus: 2, 7, 10, 3, 9, any.
-Ian Hrabe, June 11^th, 2007

Sea Wolf – Get to the River before it Runs too Low EP (Dangerbird)
7/10

Since the whole “Wolf Band” thing hit it big a couple of years ago, you have to wonder if these new wolf bands are only giving themselves names of the Canis variety out of irony. Shit, even I’ve been in a wolf band or two (see: Wolves, Underwater a.k.a. The Wolves Underwater, a project that my friend and fellow DJ Taylor Ford and I undertook right when the Wolf-craze hit. We “cut” two tracks in the basement of Hashinger Hall (before they cut all of the soul out of it), one a death metal song, one a country song (the topics of these songs are far too controversial to write here, you see, the thing was, we were a “controversial band,” that was our gimmick on top of cashing in on the whole Wolf thing)). Anyway, this is a wolf band that I can get behind. It’s produced by Phil Ek, who produced all of the best Built to Spill albums (from There’s Nothing Wrong With Love to Ancient Melodies of the Future) so you know it’s good. It’s pretty much straight up indie pop with strings (sometimes) that make them sound like the Arcade Fire (especially on track 3). Lots of nice hooks and melodies, stuff that makes you feel good when you’re listening to it. Ok, something that is more important. I just checked out Sea Wolf’s myspace, and on the “influences” the guy said that he “wanted to SOUND JUST LIKE” every wolf band he could think of, including Steppenwolf and Howlin’ Wolf. That wins my little heart over, that and the sweet melodies laced throughout this record.

Focus: 1.3.4.5.2
-Ian Hrabe, June 4^th, 2007

Pop Rocks!: Episode 2.2

So this show turned into a disaster about an hour and twenty minutes into it. All of the lights went out in the shack, and I received reports that other places around Lawrence were without power. I called Tom and he said that I should keep broadcasting but eventually, the transmitter (running on a backup battery) would run out. Anyway! This was the show!

The New Pornographers - All the Old Showstoppers (Challengers)
International Language - This is Where the Strings Come in (Where the Bands Are)
The Razorcuts - A is for Alphabet (I Heard You the First Time)
The dBs - Black and White (Stands for Decibles)
Hulaboy - Punches like Kisses (The Genius of (the) Hulaboy)
The Ampersands - Annabel Bleach (Annabel Bleach 7")
Erik Voeks - Oh My Darlin' (Sandbox)
The Someloves - It's My Time
The Cavedogs - Tayter Country
Dolly Mixture - Everything and More
The Favourites - SOS
The Dentists - House the Size of Mars
The Fall-Outs - She's a Zombie
Shake Appeal - My Danger
The Smart Remarks - Mary's Got her Eye on Me
Airlines - Road (Nick Drake cover) (For Richard 7")
The Blow Pops - Stop! (Stop! 7")
Love - Laughing Stock (Your Mind and We Belong Together 7")
Kaleidoscope - Jenny Artichoke
The Cymbaline - Matrimonial Fears
Zumpano - Orange Air (Wraparound Shades 7")
Immaculate Machine - Jarhead (Immaculate Machine's Fables)
*POWER GOES OUT HERE, I SCRAMBLE AND EVERYTHING BECOMES A MESS FOR A FEW SONGS*
Cloud Cult - 2X2X2 (The Meaning of 8)
The New Pornographers - My Rights Versus Yours (Challengers)
Caramel - My Tailor is Rich (My Tailor is Rich 7")
Thte High Strung - Maybe You're Coming Down With it (Get the Guests)
Voxtrot - The Future Part 1 (Voxtrot)
Tullycraft - Superboy and Supergirl (Old Traditions, New Standards)
Portastatic - Through With People (Bright Ideas)
The Like Young - Writhe Like You Mean It (Last Secrets)
Bunnygrunt - Macho Beagle (Standing Hampton EP)
Guided by Voices - Game of Pricks (Tigerbomb EP)

As a new feature, I've decided to start posting reviews. I currently review new music for the station as a member of the Music Staff, and I will not only post the reviews that get taped to the front of CDs (although these posted reviews will feature a numerical rating), but I also plan on writing feature reviews as well. Oh boy.

Arthur & Yu – In Camera (Hardly Art)
Rating: 7/10

This is some pretty pleasant dream pop, and the first release on Sub-Pop’s baby brother (or sister) record label Hardly Art. Ten atmosphere-drenched tunes full of acoustic guitars, muted percussion, and one of those things that it seems like all the bands these days are using, you know, that thing you blow into and it has keys on it that everyone from the Decemberists to the New Pornographers use. It’s got boy vocals, girl vocals, and boy/girl vocals. Sometimes it sounds more like Galaxie 500 than others (“Flashing the Lobby Lights” and “1000 Words” are a dead on impressions where “Come to View (Song for Neil Young)” is more original). Verdict: This is a really nice, good record, but if I saw it in the store I wouldn’t buy it. However, a single featuring “There Are Too Many Birds” and “Come to View,” I’d buy that in a second.

RIYL: Galaxie 500
Focus: 2, 3,4, 9, 6
-Ian Hrabe, June 18, 2007

Hallelujah the Hills – Collective Psychosis Begone (Misra)
Rating: 8/10

This is by a band called Hallelujah the Hills, they’re on Misra (who have released great records by Shearwater, Destroyer, and that really great record by Phosphorescent that came out a couple of years ago. The first song kind of just sounded like standard alt-folk-indie band at first, but about 4 minutes in it hit this fucking amazing, melodic place. The second song was a complete departure, sounding more like a Guided by Voices song than anything. The whole record plays in a wonderful variety of styles, sounding like everyone from Neutral Milk Hotel to Eric’s Trip to the Mountain Goats. In short, this is some great lo-fi indie pop/rock that sounds like it was recorded in a garage and/or a bedroom.

Focus: 2, 1, 3, 7
-Ian Hrabe, June 18, 2007

The Lodger – Grown-Ups (Slumberland)
Rating: 6.5/10

Slumberland have released some pretty stellar indie pop over the years. Not only did they put out one of my favorite records, Black Tambourine’s Complete Recordings, but they also released 7” records by Honeybunch, The Aislers Set, Velocity Girl, Swirlies, Glo-Worm, and other twee staples. The Lodger are from Britan, so I might as well namedrop Sarah Records, or something (I’ve been doing that a lot lately, it needs to stop, is there some sort of twee-vival going on or something?!?). Anyway, this is the kind of music that I like, so I like this record. Really nice, fun, catchy pop songs. Nothing more, nothing less.
Sample line:
“I just want to be a peacock/ But I don’t think it’s allowed.”
Ha!

Focus: 2, 6, 4, 1
-Ian Hrabe, June 18, 2007

The Pipettes – Your Kisses Are Wasted on Me EP (Interscope)
Rating: 4/10

Straight outta England, we have the next “indie” group which will likely be targeted as a new sensation here in the states. Something the kids will go kray-zee for. Three cute-in-that-indie-way girls playing a slightly (but hardly) modern version of 60’s girl group pop. While I may deride the gimmicky concept of the Pipettes, when I listened to their debut LP We Are the Pipettes (which will finally be seeing the light of day ‘round these parts soon) I thought it was some fucking great pop music. This “EP” features two tracks from We Are the Pipettes; “Your Kisses are Wasted on Me” (duh) and the ultra short and kind of weak “I Love You” (I wish they had put a song like “Sex” or “One Night Stand” on here, because really, what girl group EVER did a song explicitly about sex?). The two new songs/b-sides “Really That Bad” and “Guess Who Ran Off With the Milkman” are a couple more great girl group pop tunes, the latter being more of a more standard indie-rock drumbeat, making the combination with the girl group thing a little interesting. In short: Are the Pipettes a gimmick? Yes, yes they are. Is their music fun? Yes, it is very fun. You should play this and ride the wave until it comes crashing down on the indie world’s sour shores.

Focus: 3, 4, 1, 2
-Ian Hrabe, June 18, 2007

Pop Rocks!: Episode 2.1: SUMMER'S HERE KIDS!

That's right, this weeks show was strictly designed to usher in the new, wonderful, sunshiney weather that this show is all about, and to celebrate, I carted out all my summer songs! Or at least my favorites. This post will be intensely short, seeing how the summer school version of Film Theory and Criticism: 1960-Present is completely consuming me at the moment. However, I still have enough time to put together a hopefully kickin' show each week. But here! Here are my summer songs!

Tullycraft - Radio Theme (Fun Beat Surf)
The Fiery Furnaces - Here Comes the Summer (EP)
Adorable - Homeboy (Against Perfection)
My Bloody Valentine - Sunny Sundae Smile (Thing Left Behind)
Chris Stamey - The Summer Sun
Da Biz - On the Beach
Tullycraft - Rumble with the Gag Debs (Disenchanted Hearts Unite)
Portastatic - White Wave (Bright Ideas)
The Rentals - My Summer Girl (Return of the Rentals)
XTC - Grass (Skylarking)
Aberdeen - Super Sunny Summer (Fireworks)
Of Montreal - Requiem for O.M.M.2 (The Sunlandic Twins)
The Olivia Tremor Control - A Sunshine Fix (California Demise EP)
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (In the Aeroplane Over the Sea)
The Zombies - This Will Be Our Year (Odyssey & Oracle)
The Apples in Stereo - The Rainbow (The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone)
The Essex Green - The Late Great Cassiopia (The Long Goodbye)
Beulah - Ballad of the Lonely Argonaut (When Your Heartstrings Break)
The Gerbils - Sunshine Soul (Are You Sleepy?)
Daniel Johnston - The Sun Shines Down on Me
The Pastels - Nothing to Be Done (Sittin' Pretty)
Honeybunch - Hey Blue Sky (Time Trials)
St. Christopher - The Summer You Love (You Deserve More than a Maybe 7")
Art brut - Sound of Summer (It's a Bit Complicated)
Wilco - Summer Teeth (Summerteeth)
The Someloves - Sunshine's Glove (Something or Other)
Chixdiggit - Brunette Summer (Born on the First of July)
Strawberry Story - Gone Like Summer (Clamming for it)
Guided by Voices - Dayton, Ohio Nineteen Something and Five (Tonics & Twisted Chasers)
Yo La Tengo - Today is the Day (Today is the Day EP)
Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers - That Summer Feeling (Jonathan Sings)
International Language - This is Where the Strings Come In (Where the Bands Are)
A.C. Newman - 35 in the Shade (The Slow Wonder)
Bunnygrunt - Wild Summer, Wow! (Jen-Fi)

A real post with all of the details on the new season of Pop Rocks! to come next week!

Challengers

So, you've probably already know by now that the New Pornographers are releasing a new record on August 21st called Challengers. And seeing how the New Porns are probably my favorite pop band of these modern times, you can bet that I am pretty excited.


Yes, the cover art is a little weird. But the first track they've leaked from the record, wow. It's called "My Rights Versus Yours" and really, I'm surprised I'm not distressed, considering that the first time I heard the song "Twin Cinema" when it leaked, I was turned off. And then wouldn't you know, "Twin Cinema" became my favorite New Pornographers record (and favorite record of 2005)! So, I'm a little worried because I immediately loved this song, with it's folkiness (what?), the chugga-chugga guitar, and those gorgeous fucking harmonies that have the Porns, dare I say, EMOTING! If every song feels as good as this one though, "Challengers" could be their best record yet!

>>>The New Pornographers - My Rights Versus Yours

Also, anyone with a radio in Lawrence should have it set to and playing 90.7 KJHK right now. The station sounds the best it ever has (at least since I've been listening, which is a couple years now) because two of KJ's finest DJs, Justin of Alt. Flashback and Cyrus of Afromezcala, are in the midst of a five day, non-stop radio marathon in which they claim that they will not play the same song twice. It's been the most ecclectic and inspiring radio I've ever heard. Tune in til tomorrow at midnight!

Fourteenth Show - THE BEST OF POP ROCKS!

So, here it is. The playlist for the last Pop Rocks! of the Spring Semester. Considering that this show was designed to be a Spring program, it's a little sad that it has to end.

On the other hand, it's a little good too. This Summer and Fall, Pop Rocks! will have a new timeslot! Those who could not get up for the rather unfortunately early ten o'clock starting time (myself included) will be able to catch the show from Noon to two on Saturday afternoons! This is very exciting to me, especially that now I am realizing that this show is probably even more of a Summertime show than a Springtime show. However, this fall once the leaves start hitting the ground, the upbeat fun atmosphere of the show might just take a little plunge into rainy day Sarah Records pop. But honestly, whatever complements the weather, that's what will get played.

Anyway, the best of Pop Rocks! Songs that I am completely enamored with. The tracks that made me want to do this show in the first place.

AC Newman - 35 in the Shade (The Slow Wonder)
Superchunk - Hello Hawk (Come Pick Me Up)
The Amps - I Am Decided (Pacer)
Guided by Voices - Dayton, Ohio 19 Something and Five (Tonics and Twisted Chasers)
Sugar - The Act We Act (Copper Blue)
Built to Spill - By the Way (Air Mail EP) (Heavenly Cover)
Heavenly - C is the Heavenly Option (Le Jardin de Heavenly)
Love is All - Make Out Fall Out Make Up (9 Times That Same Song)
Young Marble Giants - Include Me Out (Colossal Youth)
BMX Bandits - Disco Girl (C86 Plus)
Your Heart Breaks - 120 Proof (New Ocean Waves)
The Lightning Seeds - Pure (Cloudcuckooland)
The Bevis Frond - Lights are Changing (Triptych)
Aztec Camera - Get Outta London (Stray)
Thet Spinanes - Valency (Strand)
Another Sunny Day - Anorak City (London Weekend)
The Pastels - Nothing to be Done (Sittin' Pretty)
The New Pornographers - Graceland (Matador at Fifteen compilation)
Of Montreal - Du Og Meg (Icons, Abstract Thee EP)
Sprites - George Romero (Modern Gameplay)
Tullycraft - Polaroids From Mars (Disenchanted Hearts Unite)
Islands - Dnttakemy Wingzz Away (Tomlab Alphabet Series: S)
Portastatic - Sour Shores (Be Still Please)
The Essex Green - The Late Great Cassiopia (The Long Goodbye)
The Apples in Stereo - The Benefits of Lying with Your Friend (Tape-Op Compilation)
Voxtrot - The Future Pt. 1 (Voxtrot)
The Olivia Tremor Control - I Have Been Floated (Black Foliage)
Daniel Johnston - Living Life
Cub - Tell Me Now (Betti-Cola) (Daniel Johnston Cover)
The Bartlebees - No Stories (From Paths of Pain to Jewels of Glory)
Beat Happening - Bewitched (Jamboree)
Magnetic Fields - 100,000 Fireflies (The Wayward Bus/Distant Plastic Trees)