Flatbasset Radio's 25 Most Played Albums: August '16

Is it the first of the month already? Damn, this summer's gone by quickly.

How was your August? Did you have fun? I got rained on a lot, which was terrible, but I went to the State Fair yesterday, which was not terrible. It's amazing how falafel on a stick can change your whole outlook, isn't it?

Before we get to the album collage, a big thanks to everybody who checked out the show's this month. Yes, their were only two of them, but both of them were outstanding, so that's got to count for something. Of course the show is free and available to stream or download from anywhere at anytime by anybody. Think of it as one of those Spotify "Discover" playlists except it's curated by an actual human being whose neuroses cause him to put way more effort into his show's than any music-loving robot ever could.

Second, a big thanks to all the artists who were on the show who took the time to share the podcast. Those shares & retweets are literally the only way this show reaches a broader audience, so each one is deeply appreciated.

Lastly, my monthly reminder that, as much as I enjoy writing about music & putting together the show, I'd like it a lot more if I could do it for a living. If you or anybody you know is looking for somebody to write about music or host a low-to-medium quality podcast, pass the blog along. I don't ask for much, just a pile of money and the ability to spend all my waking hours living out my dream. I don't think that's asking for much.

Let's get to the collage. As always, remember that every song listened to counts as a "play." Seems obvious, right? So, for example, Rogue Valley's new album Radiate/Dissolve has 12 songs, meaning each time I listen to it all the way through it counts 12 "plays." As usual, all stats come from my Last.FM page. Give it a follow if you really want to stay up on what's getting the most plays around Planet New Basset.

So, here we go:

01. Descendents - Hypercaffium Spazzinate (136 plays)

02. Rogue Valley - Radiate/Dissolve (84 plays)

03. Posh Lost - Posh Lost (70 plays)

04. Atmosphere - Fishing Blues (54 plays)

05. Various Artists - Sound Unseen (42 plays)

06. The Persian Leaps - Your City, Underwater (38 plays)

07. Squeeze - Singles 45's And Under (36 plays)

08. The Nadas - Listen Through The Static (35 plays)

09. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Produce Vol. 1 (32 plays)

10. Paper Tiger - In Other Words: Part Two (32 plays)

11. Pet Milk - Philadelphia Punklife (28 plays)

12. Buck 65 - Situation (Demos) (28 plays)

13. Down By Law - Down By Law (26 plays)

14. Descendents - Spazzhazard (26 plays)

15. Sebadoh - III (25 plays)

16. Fugazi - In On The Kill Taker (24 plays)

17. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Let's Face It (24 plays)

18. Shy Layers - Shy Layers (24 plays)

19. Greetings From Tuskan - The Love From Afar (24 plays)

20. Malachi Constant - Zenith (24 plays)

21. The Stone Roses - The Complete Stone Roses (23 plays)

22. Various Artists - Adult Swim Singles Program 2016 (23 plays)

23. The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free (22 plays)

24. Radiohead - Kid A (22 plays)

25. Jets To Brazil - Orange Rhyming Dictionary (22 plays)

There you have it, folks. Stay tuned for more shows to help ease into autumn.

Image via Tap Music
Stats via my Last.fm page

For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  Previous episodes of Flatbasset Radio are archived on his Mixcloud page.  Stop by Flatbasset Radio's Facebook Page & give it a "Like" if you have the time.

Flatbasset Radio's 50 Most Played Albums: January '15

Hello again, everybody.  February is upon us and, if you haven't noticed, it's fucking frigid outside.  I blame that goddamn Punxsutawney Phil.  Can't be too mad, though.  Clearly that shadow-seeing rodent knows his shit.

Anyway, like I always do at the start of the month, it's time to take a look back at the 50 Most Played Albums around Planet New Basset.

As always, you can keep up with what's being played here in real time by checking out my Last.fm page, though honestly, I have no idea why you would want to do that.  Frankly, I'm not even sure why you're still reading this.  Whatever. It's your life.

As always, larger pictures indicate more plays:

01. Mike The Martyr - Marbury (80 plays)

02. Rupert AngelEyes - Young Sunset (70 plays)

03. Rogue Valley - False Floors (66 plays)

04. Cruel Love - Cruel Love (64 plays)

05. Steel Tipped Dove - Centuries Long Sigh (38 plays)

06. Oasis - The Masterplan (28 plays)

07. Billy Joel - 52nd Street (27 plays)

08. Fastball - All The Pain Money Can Buy (26 plays)

09. Pulp - We Love Life (25 plays)

10. Jimmy Eat World - Futures (22 plays)

11. Lightning Seeds - Dizzy Heights (22 plays)

12. Kanye West - Late Registration (21 plays)

13. Earl Boykins - Everybody Likes Dogs (20 plays)

14. LCD Soundsystem - Sounds Of Silver (19 plays)

15. The Person & The People - Live On Radio K (2014) (19 plays)

16. Jack DeJohnette - Sorcery (17 plays)

17. Lil' Wayne - Sorry For The Wait 2 (17 plays)

18. The Smiths - Hatful Of Hollow (16 plays)

19. Jazz Spastiks - Singles Collection (15 plays)

20. Stereolab - Cobra And Phases Group Play Voltage In The Milky Night (15 plays)

21. Atmosphere - Southsiders (15 plays)

22. The Streets - Original Pirate Material (14 plays)

23. Blur - Blur (14 plays)

24. The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night (13 plays)

25. Face To Face - Don't Turn Away (13 plays)

26. The Verve - Urban Hymns (13 plays)

27. Stars - Set Yourself On Fire (13 plays)

28. Gorillaz - Demon Days (13 plays)

29. Blink-182 - Blink-182 (13 plays)

30. Astronautalis - The Mighty Ocean And Nine Dark Theaters (13 plays)

31. The Plastiques - 101 (13 plays)

32. Museum Mouth - Sexy But Not Happy (13 plays)

33. Dosh - The Lost Take (12 plays)

34. Piebald - We Are The Only Friends We Have (12 plays)

35. Morrissey - Viva Hate (12 plays)

36. Armchair Martian - Who Wants To Play Bass? (12 plays)

37. Danger Mouse - The Grey Album (12 plays)

38. Husker Du - Flip Your Wig (12 plays)

39. Dosh - Daytrotter Session (12 plays)

40. Alpha Consumer - Gary Victorsen's (12 plays)

41. Kougar - Cold Room (12 plays)

42. Jets To Brazil - Orange Rhyming Dictionary (11 plays)

43. Dusty Springfield - Dusty In Memphis (11 plays)

44. Spoon - Gimme Fiction (11 plays)

45. Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want To Be (11 plays)

46. The Replacements - Don't Tell A Soul (11 plays)

47. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive (11 plays)

48. Edison - No Sun No Food (11 plays)

49. Stone Temple Pilots - Purple (11  plays)

50. The Prodigy - The Fat Of The Land (10 plays)

Photo via Don't Drink And Root

Album Of The Week: "False Floors" by Rogue Valley

Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of January 5th-11th, 2014:

  
Rogue Valley - False Floors

01. False Floors
02. Dangerous Diamonds
03. Blueprints
04. Hunters And Trappers
05. Bay Of Pigs
06. Icebox
07. Orion
08. The Scattering Moon
09. Onward And Over
10. Shoulder To Shoulder Around The Fire
11. The Wolves And The Ravens

Well here we are, everybody, time for the fourth and final Rogue Valley album.

If you've been following along with the blog/podcast over the last year you've hopefully noticed that Rogue Valley has been my Album Of The Week every three months.  This was not a coincidence.  Chris Koza and his band wrote and recorded four separate albums to coincide with each of the seasons.  Beginning last spring with Crater Lake, through summer with The Bookseller's House, and into fall with Geese In The Flyway, I've spent the past year listening to each of these albums in the order they were released and during the seasons that make up the theme for each album.  As you can probably imagine, sticking to this plan has made for a rewarding experience.

Which leaves us here in post-holidays dead of winter, kicking off the new year with their "winter album" False Floors.

Now, before I get into False Floors, let me just explain what a curious task it's been to attempt to write about these albums.  Rogue Valley mastermind Chris Koza was a well-accomplished songwriter long before he undertook this Rogue Valley project, which means that this four-album run doesn't follow the same trajectory as most bands.  For example, listening to The Smiths albums 1-4, you get from The Smiths to Strangeways, Here We Come or, to use a more local example, you get from The Replacements Sorry Ma... to Let It Be.  However, because of the condensed time frame and professionalism of the band, that raw-to-polished narrative doesn't exist with Rogue Valley.

Instead, we've been treated to four albums of good-to-great indie pop songs.  With the cycle broken up into 46 songs over four albums, the differences from album to album tend to be more subtle.  The Bookseller's House had an easy, breezy feeling of summer with tales of relationships and rolled down windows.  Geese In The Flyway, on the other hand, focused more on the life, death, and transitional nature that accompanies autumn.

And so it goes with False Floors.  The album is rich with signposts of winter.  Icicles, hibernation, visible breath, clear night constellations, hell, even the name False Floors is a reference to not-quite-frozen lakes.  All of these things make it quite clear that this is indeed the "winter album."

Those things, however, are the most obvious points of reference.  Listening to the album over the week I couldn't help but be struck by some of the same the much larger themes at work.  Wonder, dread, isolation, & endurance are all side effects of these long Minnesota winters and Koza makes it clear that each of these experiences (whether enjoyable or not) is essential to coping with winter and, in a larger sense, coping with aging and the passing of time.

The best example of all of these things at work is at the album's mid-way point and a song called "Icebox."



In the song Koza mentions the long nights of winter, the lack of warmth, a car that won't start, hell, frozen hands, he even mentions the collapse of the stars.  And yet, the key line in the song is, "I feel lucky, I can see my breath, it means that I'm still kicking..."  Winter is tough.  Hell, life is tough.  Yet, you press on because eventually the car will start, you'll be able to feel your hands, and winter will end.

Like I said at the top, listening to these albums during the seasons they're meant to be about has made the listening experience more rewarding and I genuinely believe that's been most evident with False Floors.  It's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, but hearing songs exploring these themes of isolation while slogging through yet another winter and actually living these things makes the album my favorite of the group (though, admittedly, I'll probably feel different as the seasons change.  Geese In The Flyway is nearly flawless).

All that being said, I will yet again highly recommend that you check out the records for yourself.  They're all available on Rogue Valley's Bandcamp page ranging from "Name Your Price" downloads to an ultra-saucy vinyl pack.  You won't regret it.

For more of my rantings you can give me a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  Previous episodes of Flatbasset Radio are archived on his Mixcloud page.  Stop by Flatbasset Radio's Facebook Page & give it a "Like" if you have the time.

Flatbasset Radio's 50 Most Played Albums: October '14

October was a long, long month.  Here's the 50 albums that were most played here at Planet New Basset:

(Larger picture indicates more plays)

01. Franz Diego - Float (91 plays)

02. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2 (59  plays)

03. Sims - Field Notes (49 plays)

04. Rogue Valley - Geese In The Flyway (37 plays)

05. George Harrison - All Things Must Pass (36 plays)

06. Babyshambles - Down In Albion (30 plays)

07. Elvis Costello - Brutal Youth (30 plays)

08. The Walkmen - Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone (26 plays)

09. Buck 65 - Heck (26 plays)

10. Alkaline Trio - Goddamnit (25  plays)

11. The Beatles - Let It Be (24 plays)

12. Sean Na Na - Dance 'Til Your Baby Is A Man (20 plays)

13. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (20 plays)

14. The Persian Leaps - Live On Radio K (20 plays)

15. Hollow Boys - Live On Radio K (2011) (20 plays)

16. The Clash - London Calling (19 plays)

17. Sunny Day Real Estate - How It Feels To Be Something On (19 plays)

18. Buck 65 - Talkin' Honky Blues (18 plays)

19. Eyedea & Abilities - First Born (18 plays)

20. Hall & Oates - Abandoned Luncheonette (18 plays)

21. Rancid - Rancid (1993) (16 plays)

22. Heaven For Real - Wanton (16 plays)

23. Sonic Youth - Dirty (15 plays)

24. MK Ultra - MK Ultra (15 plays)

25. Everclear - Sparkle & Fade (14 plays)

26. Ian Camau - Cocoons (14 plays)

27. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (13 plays)

28. Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill (12 plays)

29. The Coral - The Invisible Invasion (12 plays)

30. The Potatomen - Now (12 plays)

31. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (12 plays)

32. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology (12 plays)

33. El-P - Cancer For Cure (12 plays)

34. Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots (12 plays)

35. Mally- The Colors Of Black (12 plays)

36. Sloan - Between The Bridges (11 plays)

37. The Lemonheads - The Lemonheads (11 plays)

38. P.O.S. - We Don't Even Live Here (11 plays)

39. The Velvet Underground -The Velvet Underground (10 plays)

40. The Beatles - Anthology 1 (10 plays)

41. Dark Time Sunshine - Cornucopia (10 plays)

42. Drag The River - Hobo's Demos (10 plays)

43. Radiohead - In Rainbows (10 plays)

44. Howler - World Of Joy (10 plays)

45. Babyshambles - Shotter's Nation (9 plays)

46. Spirit Club - Spirit Club (9 plays)

47. The Current - October '14 (8 plays)

48. Bad Cop - Wish You Well... And Goodbye (7 plays)

49. TV On The Radio - Seeds (7 plays)

50. Big Cats! - Island Universes (7 plays)

All info via my Last.fm account. Stop by to keep track of everything we're listening to here at Planet New Basset.

Photo via Don't Drink And Root

Flatbasset Radio Album Of The Week: "Geese In The Flyway" by Rogue Valley

Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of September 29th-October 5th, 2014:

Rogue Valley - Geese In The Flyway

01. Mountain Laurels
02. Centralia, PA
03. Grand Central Station
04. Et al.
05. Cleaning Slates
06. Singing Grasshopper, Gathering Ant
07. The Rutting Moon
08. Somewhere In Massachusetts
09. Geese In The Flyway
10. Cape May
11. The Bottom Of The Riverbed
12. Disappearing Ink

Well, if you haven't been outside in the last few days you may not have noticed, but autumn is officially upon us. Time to break out those peacoats and practical hats, Minnesotans, and enjoy the best & most brief season the state has to offer.

Of course, if you've been following along to Flatbasset Radio, you probably know that the changing of the season means it's time to return to Rogue Valley.  For those who haven't been following along, back in 2010-11 Rogue Valley released four albums (one for each season).  So far I've spent weeks with Crater Lake (spring) and The Bookseller's House (summer).  Up now, Geese In The Flyway.

As you can probably tell from the title of the album, Geese In The Flyway is definitely an autumn record.  Chris Koza's folky-pop songs focus on topics that suit this season.  Themes of movement, change, loss, and nostalgia drift through each song on the album.

Have a look at those song titles.  Geese In The Flyway is an east coast travel record.  I don't know the circumstances behind this, but given the concept of an "Autumn Album," this migration east makes sense (unless you're actually a bird, in which case, please don't migrate east.  That's not how it works).

Honestly, as enjoyable as Crater Lake & The Bookseller's House are, this is the first of the Rogue Valley series that genuinely feels like the band has realized their concept.  Many of Koza's songs are melodically breezy (suggesting the waning sunshine of summer), but are lyrically heavy, as if the chilling weather had forced him to spend long days inside, contemplating the events of a whirlwind summer.  It may not be a "concept record" in the traditional sense, but it's certainly a thematic one, and Rogue Valley nails it.

If you're interested in checking out the album for yourself it's available as a "Name Your Price" download at Rogue Valley's Bandcamp page.  I highly suggest you pick it up before all the leaves are on the ground.

Flatbasset Radio's Most Played Albums: September '14

Here's a look at the 50 most played albums around Planet New Basset over the last month:

(Larger picture indicates more plays)

01. Morrissey - World Peace Is None Of Your Business (96 plays)

02. Suzie - Born Single (72 plays)

03. Rogue Valley - Geese In The Flyway (36 plays)

04. Jazz Spastiks - Singles Collection (27 plays)

05. Pulp - We Love Life (27 plays)

06. Alkaline Trio - Good Mourning (24 pays)

07. Vermont - Calling Albany (24 plays)

08. The Cars - Complete Greatest Hits (21 plays)

09. Daft Punk - Discovery (20 plays)

10. Earl Sweatshirt - EARL (20 plays)

11. I Self Devine - Sel Destruction (19 plays)

12. The Replacements - Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash (19 plays)

13. Fury Things - EP 2 (18 plays)

14. The Beatles - Abbey Road (16 plays)

15. Roots Manuva - Run Come Save Me (16 plays)

16. Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West (16 plays)

17. Gorillaz - The Fall (16 plays)

18. De La Soul - Buhloone Mindstate (15 plays)

19. DJ Shadow - The Private Press (14 plays)

20. Minus The Bear - Highly Refined Pirates (14 plays)

21. Bad Astronaut - Houston: We Have A Drinking Problem (14 plays)

22. Wilco - A.M. (13 plays)

23. The Dandy Warhols - Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia (13 plays)

24. The Get Up Kids - Guilt Show (13 plays)

25. Sloan - Smeared (13 plays)

26. Face To Face - Don't Turn Away (13 plays)

27. Big Ups - Demos (13 plays)

28. Hollow Boys - Live On Radio K (2013) (13 plays)

29. The Verve - A Northern Soul (12 plays)

30. Stone Temple Pilots - Purple (12 plays)

31. Piebald - We Are The Only Friends We Have (12 plays)

32. Green Day - American Idiot (12 plays)

33. Ben Folds - Songs For Silverman (12 plays)

34. Robbie Williams - The Ego Has Landed (12 plays)

35. The Get Up Kids - Something To Write Home About (12 plays)

36. The Replacements - Don't Tell A Soul (12 plays)

37. Big Star - Radio City (12 plays)

38. Johnny Marr - The Messenger (12 plays)

39. The Starfolk - The Starfolk (12 plays)

40. Saint Pepsi - Gin City (12 plays)

41. The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free (11 plays)

42. Morrissey - Vauxhall & I (11 plays)

43. Idlewild - The Remote Part (11 plays)

44. Social Distortion - White Light, White Heat, White Trash (11 plays)

45. French Kicks - One Time Bells (11 plays)

46. Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City (11 plays)

47. Howler - World Of Joy (11 plays)

48. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (10 plays)

49. Bob Dylan - Modern Times (10 plays)

50. Crossing Guards - Revenge Of The Tall Boys (10 plays)

All info via my Last.fm account. Stop by to keep track of everything we're listening to here at Planet New Basset.

Photo via Don't Drink And Root

Flatbasset Radio's Most Played Albums: June '14

The 50 most played albums around Planet New Basset for the month of June, 2014:

(Larger picture indicates more plays)

01. The Starfolk - The Starfolk (85 plays)

02. Rogue Valley - The Bookseller's House (78 plays)

03. Ras Dude - Well Red (41 plays)

04. Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots (36 plays)

05. P. Morris - Debut (36 plays)

06. Dichotomy - Subterranean (36 plays)

07. Local H - Pack Up The Cats (32 plays)

08. Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill (31 plays)

09. The Everywheres - Slow Friends (30 plays)

10. Kougar - Cold Room (28 plays)

11. Jets To Brazil - Four Cornered Night (26 plays)

12. F. Stokes - Liquor Sto' Diaries (26 plays)

13. Sebadoh - III (25 plays)

14. De La Soul - Smell The DA.I.S.Y. (25 plays)

15. The Clash - Combat Rock (24 plays)

16. Ruth Ruth - The Little Death (24 plays)

17. The Thrills - Let's Bottle Bohemia (23 plays)

18. The Lemonheads - The Lemonheads (22 plays)

19. Beady Eye - Be (22 plays)

20. Sebadoh - Harmacy (21 plays_

21. The Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams (21 plays)

22. Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand (20 plays)

23. Weezer - Weezer (Green) (20 plays)

24. Descendents - Enjoy! (20 plays)

25. The Dust Brothers - Fight Club (18 plays)

26. Hall &  Oates - Abandoned Luncheonette (18 plays)

27. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening (18 plays)

28. Atmosphere - Southsiders (18 plays)

29. Auggie The 9th - #GAWS (16 plays)

30. DJ Shadow - The Private Press (15 plays)

31. Bright Eyes - Cassadaga (15 plays)

32. Hive Bent - U NEUTRAL (15 plays)

33. Edison - No Three Men Make A Tiger (15 plays)

34. The Walkmen - Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone (14 plays)

35. Big Pauper - Beyond My Means (14 plays)

36. The Lemonheads - It's A Shame About Ray (13 plays)

37. Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (13 plays)

38. Cars & Trains - The Roots, The Remix (13 plays)

39. Kool A.D. - Word OK (13 plays)

40. MaLLy - The Colors Of Black (13 plays)

41. Girl Talk & Freeway - Broken Ankles (13 plays)

42. Alpha Consumer - Live On Radio K (13 plays)

43. The Strokes - Room On Fire (12 plays)

44. R.E.M. - Eponymous (12 plays)

45. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (12 plays)

46. The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understatement (12 plays)

47. Lou Reed - Transformer (11 plays)

48. The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday (11 plays)

49. Howler - World Of Joy (11 plays)

50. Bad Astronaut - Acrophobe (10 plays)

All info via my Last.fm account. Stop by to keep track of everything we're listening to here at Planet New Basset.

Photo via Don't Drink And Root

Most Played Albums: April '14

The 50 most played albums around Planet New Basset for the month of April, 2014:

(Larger picture indicates more plays)

01. Edison - No Three Men Make A Tiger (90 plays)

02. Rogue Valley - Crater Lake (87 plays)

03. The Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams (71 plays)

04. Oaks - Field Beat (56 plays)

05. mk Ultra - mk Ultra (31 plays)

06. All - Allroy For Prez... (30 plays)

07. The Replacements - All For Nothing/Nothing For All (30 plays)

08. Stone Temple Pilots - Tiny Music... Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop (25 plays)

09. Nas - Illmatic (24 plays)

10. The Raveonettes - Whip It On (24 plays)

11. Supperbell Roundup - At Station Four (22 plays)

12. The Lemonheads - The Lemonheads (22 plays)

13. Flagland - Tireda Fightin (21 plays)

14. Sebadoh - Harmacy (20 plays)

15. Lakutis - 3 Seashells (20 plays)

16. Green Day - Nimrod (18 plays)

17. Superchunk - On The Mouth (16 plays)

18. Radiohead - The King Of Limbs (16 plays)

19. Big Pauper - Beyond My Means (15 plays)

20. After The Smoke - Microwaves (15 plays)

21. Beady Eye - Be (13 plays)

22. Constantines - Shine A Light (12 plays)

23. Har Mar Superstar - Dark Touches (12 plays)

24. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening (12 plays)

25. Weezer - Make Believe (12 plays)

26. Boots - Dust (12 plays)

27. Badly Drawn Boy - How Did I Get Here? (11 plays)

28. Straya - EP One (10 plays)

29. Drake - Nothing Was The Same (Bonus Tracks) (10 plays)

30. Dosh - Powder Horn (9 plays)

31. Metasota - Still Happy I'm Present (H.I.P. 2) (9 plays)

32. Minor Kingdom - Singles (7 plays)

33. Blueprint - Respect The Architect (7 plays)

34. Straya - Demos (7 plays)

35. Blue Ruiin - Demo (7 plays)

36. Imperial Railway - A Young Cliff Diver (7 plays)

37. Damacha - Auspicious Clouds (5 plays)

38. The Hood Internet - Future Seasons (5 plays)

39. G-Side - Gz To Godz (5 plays)

40. Twin Shadow - To The Top (5 plays)

41. The Ashtray Hearts - Old Numbers (5 plays)

42. Killer Mike - The Boondocks Mixtape (5 plays)

43. Glenn Jones - Welcomed Wherever I Go (5 plays)

44. Dinowalrus - Complexion (5 plays)

45. Young Thug - Stoner (5 plays)

46. La Sera - Hour Of The Dawn (5 plays)

47. King Of Prussia - Zonian Girls... And The Echoes That Surround Us All (5 plays)

48. Metro Thuggin - Metro Thuggin (5 plays)

49. Yumi Zouma - It Feels Good To Be Around You (5 plays)

50. Mirror Kisses - Heartbeats (5 plays)

All info via my Last.fm account
Photo via Don't Drink And Root

Album Of The Week: April 7th-13th, 2014

My Album Of The Week for the week of April 7th-13th, 2014:

Rogue Valley - Crater Lake

01. The Warming Moon
02. Red River Of The North
03. English Ivy
04. I-5 Love Affair
05. Hummingbird
06. Crater Lake
07. Rope Swing Over Rogue Valley
08. Ursa Minor
09. The Occidental Hotel
10. The Planting Moon
11. Slack Water
12. El-Ay

One of the longest and most deeply held traditions here at Flatbasset Radio is to be almost comically late to new music.  Spending the week with Rogue Valley's Crater Lake is merely the latest example of me finally getting around to something I probably should have checked out years ago.

Most of you are probably already familiar with Rogue Valley.  Back in 2010, local luminary Chris Koza decided to abandon his solo moniker for a year and create the band Rogue Valley.  They went into speed recording mode and cranked out four albums over the course of a single year.  The idea behind Rogue Valley was to put out one album for each season.  That's a lot of meticulous, pop-folk music.

(Check out "Red River Of The North" to find out just what I mean by "meticulous pop-folk.")


Well, now that yet another difficult winter seems to be finally giving way to spring (knocks on every piece of wood in apartment), I thought I'd beginning working my way through the Rogue Valley collection by listening to Crater Lake, the album they created for spring.  Much to my surprise, when I went to Rogue Valley's Bandcamp page, I found that each of these four albums is available as a "Pay What You Want" download.  As such, I intend to spend the first week of each season (roughly) with each of these four albums.  Rogue Valley is going to have a pretty dominant 2014 here at Planet New Basset.