I was recently commissioned to do a two-hour playlist for a company who was holding a seminar / meet-and-greet in their offices, and it was about the “local” side of the “global/local” theme. So… they wanted some local and fresh music that was also a bit background-y. Consequently, this ended up being a [...]
NP: “Skill” – The Desperate Bicycles. “You don’t need skill, just the desire…”. 1978 DIY at its finest.
NP: “My Night Out” – The Homosexuals. More 1978 obscurity and randomness. This stuff should have been as *almost* as big as Wire, XTC, etc.
NP: “Celebrity Art Party” – The Embarrassment. 1981 Wichita [...]
NP: “Effortlessly” – Field Music. There’s something sorta “All Shook Down” Replacements-y about this track. In addition to the XTC influence that Field Music’s always had. I was really looking forward to this record, and it didn’t meet my expectations, but my expectations were pretty high.
NP: “Not Like This” – I Was [...]
NP: “Love More” – Sharon Van Etten. Wow. What a song, and what a fucking performance thereof. This is the first fruits of (Philadelphia’s finest) Mr. Brian McTear’s new non-profit Weathervane Music Organization’s Shaking Through program, and what a way to start. (Kristin Thomas of Simple Machines/Tsunami/Future of Music Coalition also [...]
NP: “Isadora Duncan” – Vic Chesnutt. His is a loss that we will feel on some cellular level for quite some time. Vic is almost the pornographer of the indie rock world: you didn’t always like it, but on some level you were also glad to know that he existed. That [...]
NP: “The Man Who Called Himself Jesus” – Strawbs. Reine from Dungen didn’t necessarily get me hooked on Strawbs, but they came up enough in conversation that i felt that IT WAS TIME to delve into the Strawbs discography. Well, one Great Lake Swimmers tour, and a lot of competitive record shopping, later, [...]
NP: “Panama” – Rock Plaza Central. It’s Chris from Rock Plaza Central doing a Van Halen cover alone. What more do I need to say?
NP: “Remember That Day” – Scrawl. I miss Scrawl. Really one of the most important bands in my life, when it comes right down to it. [...]
NP: “Free th City” – Surf City. Naming themselves after a Jesus And Mary Chain song, they wear their influences on their sleeve, but… what a great rush of a song. Hot damn.
NP: “The Fraudulent Singer” – Colossal Yes. So catchy. One of those songs that makes you believe in college [...]
And this is the playlist that’s a lot more where my head is at the moment. This is the foil to the “not fooling anybody” playlist.
NP: “Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder” – Loudon Wainwright III. “When I see you again expect some champagne wine, and on Valentine’s Day expect a Valentine”.
NP: “Nothing’s [...]
big honking playlist of lots of stuff from the last couple of months… let’s just get straight into it.
NP: “Let It Go” – The Asteroid No. 4. Shimmering pop song. Think The La’s, Ride, The Church, Trashcan Sinatras… Amazing.
NP: The New Kid Revival – Her Space Holiday. Another amazing pop song. [...]