We'd fight about it, then we'd laugh about it...
Well hello again, everybody! Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #132!
Folks, I know it's been a little while since I posted a show so I'd like to offer a sincere thank you to those of you who've come back. Without getting into too much detail my life has been exceedingly stressful lately and I just needed to take the responsibility of the show off the table for a while.
That, however, is in the past. We're here, it's now, and I've got a brand new show for you. I initially recorded the show with all of my commentary, but I'm in the process of moving out of Planet New Basset and my new recording set up was being dominated by outside noise so I pretty much just edited myself out of my own show. Yup, that's where we're at after 132 episodes.
Regardless, this week's show is still stuffed full of jams. We've got some fantastic new local music, some upcoming shows, anniversaries, our Cover Of The Week, a deep dive into Nate's Archives, our continuing exploration of the Disposable America record label, a trip in the Minnesota Way-Back Machine, and, as always, the Flatbasset Flatclassic.
As always, Flatbasset Radio is completely free. I've finally set up a decent downloading site, so if you'd like to download Flatbasset Radio: Episode #129 (with all the appropriate iTunes tagging), just click here.
Here's how Ep. #132 plays out:
01. Catbath - Black Sand
As you've no doubt noticed, I try to start the show with local music and this week's show is no exception. I've been spinning this Catbath record for a couple of months now and it only gets better. I know it's still only September, but "Black Sand" is definitely one of my Top 10 songs of 2018.
02. Ruth Ruth - Cadillac, Michigan
Dropped this one into the set to mark the 20th Anniversary of Ruth Ruth's criminally underrated sophomore album Are You My Friend?
If you remember Ruth Ruth at all it's likely for their Buzz Bin single "Uninvited" from their debut album Laughing Gallery. Following a brief detour to Epitaph Records they took their crack at the late 90's alterna-rock big leagues with Are You My Friend? Unfortunately, due to to record label issues the album ended up being DOA. However, until they pry my laptop from my cold, dead hands I will not let Ruth Ruth be consigned to the dustbin of history. Are You My Friend? is much more 93.7: The Edge than it is 93X, with clever hooks, stellar production that ranges from punk to crunch to new wave, and cryptic/self-deprecating lyrics that hit that Gen X sweet spot. Just a fantastic album front-to-back.
03. Cloquet - Hollows
Producer Paper Tiger, as you likely know, is one of the twin backbones of the Doomtree sound. J Gundersen, as you're less likely to know, is a music video director who's worked with Doomtree on a number of clips. Both based out of NYC, they've decided to form a "group" under the name Cloquet (the NYC of the Northern Minnesota). "Hollows" is the first fruit of their labor. Whether this is just a one-off or the first taste of a larger project is a mystery to me, but even if this is all we get then the Great Cloquet Experiment Of 2018 will go down as a success.
04. Lauryn Hill - Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You
Our Cover Of The Week doubles as a celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Lauryn Hill's landmark LP The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. Allow me two thoughts on the subject:
First of all, I think the most telling testament to the brilliance of this album is that it doesn't sound the least bit dated. As you can imagine, a lot of the hip-hop that came out in 1998 sounds definitively like 1998. Whether this means The Miseducation... is perpetually in time or out of time is a question for somebody more intelligent than me, but history has definitely shown that all of the accolades Ms. Hill received in 1998 were warranted.
Secondly, I'm fascinated by the fact that this is still Lauryn Hill's only solo release. Not so much because I don't understand why she never recorded a follow up, but more because she's been sporadically touring it for the past 20 years, pushing and pulling at the form and structure of this same batch of songs for years. It's as if creating these 14 songs was her life's work. Imagine if a painter continued to make variations on the same painting for years, wringing slightly different meaning out of each iteration. It's a fascinating case of whether these songs belong to the the listener or to Ms. Hill.
05. 7 Seconds - Walk Together, Rock Together
This week's deep dive into Nate's Archives brings us back to 1985 and Reno, NV's finest punk rock band 7 Seconds. They taught us some of life's most valuable lessons.
06. Dismantlists - Look Skyward, End Timers
Our mid-show instrumental break. I really can't get enough of this Dismantlists project. Better known as MPR DJ Steve Seel, his work on his debut full-length Here At The End was a great introduction to his ominous guitar-synth-manipulation style was intriguing, but "Look Skyward, End Timers" may be his finest effort yet. It's the first taste of his follow-up EP Opia, which is bound to soundtrack what's certain to be a calamitous autumn.
07. Israel Nash - Rolling On
Dropped this one into the set because Israel Nash is headlining a show over at the Turf Club this Thursday night and if the singles from his latest album Lifted are any indication it'll likely be your last chance to see him in a venue this size. I've been fascinated by his sound since I first heard the song "L.A. Lately" back in 2015 and he continues to impress with reaching-for-the-country-fried-heavens sound.
08. Tangletown - Ordinary Freaks
This week's trip in the old Minnesota Way-Back Machine takes us back to the year 1998 and Tangletown's album Ordinary Freaks.
Truth be told, I don't know anything about this band. Literally nothing. I scooped up this CD in the local bin at Cheapo for $1.99 on a whim, but I absolutely love it. While not reinventing the wheel, Tangletown sits right in that late-Replacements/Jayhawks/Gin Blossoms midwestern sweet spot. They lyrics sound a bit 90's, but the hook on this titular track is an absolute killer. If anybody knows any more about this band or album feel free to hit me up.
09. Caténine - You Never Remember
We continue our exploration of the Disposable America record label with DA007, a split EP from L.A.'s Caténine & Boston's Funeral Advantage.
This week's track comes from the now-defunct Caténine. The solo project of Dylan Conner, "You Never Remember" is all Johnny Marr guitars and Gillian Gilbert synths, which is a shorthand way of saying it's straight flame emoji.
10. The Gaslight Anthem - The Patient Ferris Wheel
Marking the 10th Anniversary of The Gaslight Anthem's stellar Killers-meet-Springsteen album The '59 Sound. I know this album was a huge deal in some circles (I know this because being friends with somebody in one of those circles is how I first heard the album), but it didn't hit me too hard at the time of its release. It's hard to say why, but I think it had a lot more to do with what was going on in my life 10 years ago (nothing good) than the quality of the record (very good). I didn't have a car when I first heard the record, but I spent a bunch of time driving around with it last month and I think that may have been the trick. From the lyrics to propulsive songs to the shout along hooks, this is a record that was made for the the open road.
Shoutout to the mightiest Bosstone Dicky Barrett for the cameo on this one. Absolutely the reason this song ended up on the show.
11. Cheap Fantasy - Nothing
Did you really think we were going to get through this comeback episode without dropping the new Cheap Fantasy single? What are you, new here?
Jordan Bleau slows things down on this one, adds Rose Von Muchow on the vocals, and takes Cheap Fantasy into full on John Hughes mode. I can get behind it.
12. The Rolling Stones - Beast Of Burden
Our Flatbasset Flatclassic this week marks the 40th Anniversary of Some Girls, arguably the last great Rolling Stones album. Now, I know I've played "Beast Of Burden" on the show before, but what were my options? Not play "Beast Of Burden?" FOH. It is, to my mind, the finest Rolling Stones song of all-time (though some days it's that position is usurped by "Wild Horses). I couldn't pass up the opportunity to mark its anniversary.
I don't know if this makes any sense, but one of the things I love about "Beast Of Burden" is that you don't have to know it's the Stones to get it, you know what I mean? Like, think of a song like "Rocks Off" or "Jumping Jack Flash." Great songs, no doubt, but part of what makes them great is how you picture Mick Jagger's swagger and Keith Richards perpetual cool. You kind of have to have that image to really appreciate those songs (not a criticism, BTW. Those cultivated personalities add a depth to the songs that is nearly impossible to replicate). However, if you were to travel to the farthest reaches of the world and find somebody who had never heard of nor seen The Rolling Stones, you could play that sheltered weirdo "Beast Of Burden" and they would undoubtedly love it.
There you have it, everybody. Feels good to be back.
Beats by Phatnumber
Flatbasset Radio Artwork by Ross Auger
Thanks for listening!
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