Songs Of The Week #17: MinneSarah & TCDroogsma

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.  GO TO THE BLOG AND READ THE THINGS.  THE... THE THINGS...)

Mike Coykendall, The Coup, A.C. Newman, Aaron Embry, & Prissy Clerks...

Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #17!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the SOTW format, each week we ask two of our regular contributors to download and listen to The Current's Song Of The Day podcast. At the end of the week we ask them to give us their thoughts on the tracks and a score of 1 through 5.

This week we had MinneSarah & TCDroogsma give the tracks a listen.

As always, we highly recommend that you download the podcast for yourself and give the tracks a listen. Click here to subscribe to the podcast. It's free music and it's fun for the whole family!

As you can probably see, there is a poll to the righthand side of the screen. Please, vote for your favorite track. The vote doesn't count for anything, really. It's an internet poll, though, and everybody loves internet polls.

So, all that said, what'd you think, kids? 

01. Mike Coykendall - The Hippie Girl

MinneSarah: 

     What did you all do this weekend?  I can tell you what I did - watched Alice's Restaurant - the story of Arlo Guthrie's 60's-infused life leading up to the titular song. While I dislike folk music more than most, and did not enjoy the movie much either (surprise!), this song reminds me of when lyrics told a story, or at least they thought they did.

     Mike Coykendall is a folkey guy, may have actually been alive in the 60's, and he knew a hippie girl who he is praising with some mad props. For a two minute ditty about a hippie girl, who is great in principle, but is still not good enough for Mike himself ("she's perfect for you").  I'd have to agree - maybe this song'd be perfect for you - I mean, have you even seen Alice's Restaurant?

TCDroogsma:

     Only an aging hippie would think to write a song about the virtue of hippie girls.  He doesn't even make a convincing argument, he just rattles off the things that those of us who weren't born until at least the 80's hate about hippies.  She's not perfect for me, Mike.  If she was, she wouldn't need her dad to write a song about how great she is.

     Also, I realize you can barely hear him, but Ben fucking Gibbard is back on this podcast!  That's enough!  It's gonna be death cab for everybody at MPR if you don't stop with this shit!

Final Score: MinneSarah - 2/5
                    TCDroogsma - 0/5

02. The Coup – Magic Clap (from the album Sorry To Bother You)

MinneSarah: 

     First off - The Coup is a pretty amazing soul political hip hop group.  Their 2006 song, "My Favorite Mutiny" carried me through many a pretentious train ride.  The complexity of their songs, including their well written, political lyrics, the singer's Andre 3000 quickfire delivery, and catchy beats are worth checking out. 

     Second - I couldn't stop laughing at the double entendre of the lyrics - it's called magic clap people.  I know it's political, because it always is, but seriously, he said magic clap.

TCDroogsma:

     The first couple of times I listened to "Magic Clap" I wasn't really feeling it.  It took me a bit to realize that was mostly because I had become a little to accustomed to my old definition of The Coup as angry, politicized, boom-pap style rap.  Once I made my peace with the fact that this is now a full band operation, the song really grew on me.

     Admittedly, it's a pretty run-of-the-mill funk workout, but that's not really a bad thing.  I mean, The Coup is now and always will be about Boots Riley's lyrics.  Took much funk would have drowned that out.  Riley brings a B+ game (especially the third verse) and the song is more enjoyable than riot-inducing.  Still, kudos to The Coup for realizing that the revolution may not be televised, but it will almost certainly involved ass shaking.

Final Score: MinneSarah - 3.5/5

                   TCDroogsma - 3.5/5

03. A.C. Newman – Encyclopedia Of Classic Takedowns (from the album Shut Down The Streets)

MinneSarah: 

     Can we give an award for best song title?  I would like to see said encyclopedia.   Unfortunately, this song isn't as caustic as my song of the same title would be.  Everyone loves A.C. Newman, and this is because he sounds so darn upbeat and wholesome.  His songs turn my hate into RC Cola. This song is catchy, upbeat, and lyrically confusing.  I'd listen to it on repeat as I daydreamed what kind of classic takedowns belong in an encyclopedia and possibly A.C. Slater enacting them.  This is where my mind is, sorry.

TCDroogsma:

     By all logic A.C. Newman should be one of my favorite artists.  By combining two things I love (hooks and Canadians), he should, theoretically, always be playing at Planet New Basset.

     For whatever reason, that's just not the case.  I think "Encyclopedia Of Classic Takedowns" is a great example of why that's the case.  It's certainly catchy enough and cleverly polite in a Canadian kind of way, but it just never lets go.  I always get the sense with Newman that he's holding something back in the name of making a track sound just so.  One listen to the chorus (especially when he goes all falsetto up in there) and you can't help but picture him fretting with the backup singers trying to get that high note just right.  In the end, being too much of a perfectionist ends up costing him.

Final Score: MinneSarah - 3/5

                   TCDroogsma -3/5

04. Aaron Embry – Moon Of A Daylit Sky (from the album Tiny Prayers)

MinneSarah: 

     Starting a song with a harmonica is no way to cry out for attention.  If I weren't reviewing this song, I would change the station or turn it off immediately   However, I am reviewing this song, so this is what I think moving past the harmonica.  This guy has a good vocal range, and can pull a vocal melody to hypnotize you until that damn harmonica breaks in again. Aaron relies on the simplicity of an acoustic guitar, harmonica, some background drums and his voice, making it very roots-y singer songwriter stuff.  If you are a fan of Americana, this may be up your alley.

TCDroogsma:

     In the name of the type of Conor-Oberst-pseudo-honesty Aaron Embry brings to the table I won't pull any punches with this "Moon Of A Daylit Sky."  This is probably the worst Song Of The Day of 2012.  Move over Cjell Cruz!  Sorry Touissant Morrison!  There's a new sheriff in town!  And he brought his harmonica because of course he brought his harmonica!

     Look, I'm not trying to be a total asshole here, but I've got no time for this acoustic-harmonica-singer-songwriter bullshit.  Especially yet another tune about some abstract fucking occurrence in nature that's supposed to remind you how beautiful life is.  Motherfucker, I ate toast for dinner tonight because pay day's still 3 days out.  Fuck your moon and fuck your harmonica.

Final Score: MinneSarah - 2/5

                   TCDroogsma - 0/5

05. Prissy Clerks – Bruise Or Be Bruised (from the album Prissy Clerks)

MinneSarah: 

     This song is has a West Coast vibe (although they are local), and the girl singing over heavy guitars and drums is sweet.  The guitars and vocal echo effects are a welcome treat after this week's offerings. The quick and prominent drum beat fuels rest of the song and it clocks in at just over 2 minutes.  As the kind of song I would have enjoyed immensely in high school for it's upbeat, cut to the chase, ethos - I'm gonna break with tradition just come out and say well done, Prissy Clerks.

TCDroogsma:

     I just knew Minnesota was going to come through after those last two clunkers.  Maybe it's just context, but God bless you, Prissy Clerks.

     Fuzzed out guitar?  Check.  Charming female harmonies?  Check.  Vaguely sexual, vaguely violent lyrics?  Check and check (and I mean check!).  This is exactly the type of catchy yet loose vibe that A.C. Newman will just never get right.  I'm sure a lot of effort goes in to sounding this effortless, but for two minutes it sounds like the most fun anybody could have playing music.

Final Score: MinneSarah - 4/5

                   TCDroogsma - 4/5

There you have it, music fans. Another week's worth of tracks downloaded, debated, and filed away.

As always we'd like to take a second to remind everybody that neither Newest Industry or its contributors is in any way affiliated with Minnesota Public Radio, The Current, or any of the artists played. We're merely music fans with keyboards and too much time on our hands.

For more of the always charming MinneSarah be sure to give her a follow on Twitter (@MinneSarah). Especially if you're a fan of cats, nail polish, and/or Evan Dando.

For more of the seldom charming TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma) or check out his personal blog Flatbasset. TCDroogsma also hosts our weekly Flatbasset podcast. Check out all those things out if you're a fan of basset hounds, nail polish, and/or Evan Dando.

 




Of course Newest Industry also lives on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importantly, Newest Industry has a Facebook page here. Fucked up as it is, stopping by and giving us a “like” is the best way to show your support for the blog short of cutting us a check. If you're so inclined, though, please make the check out to “Cash.”

Most Played Albums - November 2012

Songs Of The Week #16: MinneSarah & TCDroogsma

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.)

School Of Seven Bells, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, & Dana Falconberry...

Hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome To Songs Of The Week 16!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Songs Of The Week, each week we ask two of our contributors to listen to The Current's Song Of The Day podcast and tell us what they think of the songs

The podcast is free and if you'd like to play subscribe (which we recommend), please click here. Enjoy the songs for yourself and play along at home.

This week we asked MinneSarah & TCDroogsma to give the tunes a listen. What they have to say may shock you. That seems unlikely, but we've never met you. Maybe you're easily shocked? Regardless... there were only three songs this week thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday. Slim pickins' thanks to the fattest of holidays. Isn't that ironic? Don't you think?

As always MinneSarah & TCDroogsma have not read each other's comments prior to posting.  Also, be sure to vote in the poll to the right of the page for your favorite Song Of The Day.

Ready, set... Review!

01. School Of Seven Bells – Secret Days (from the EP Put Your Sad Down)

MinneSarah:

     This is an upbeat little electronic song. The singer has a breathy optimistic voice, the vocal elements build on each other, and it's got a catchy electronic and drum beat.  Lyrically, these secret days are gone and the song mirrors the rosiness of hindsight and nostalgia for days past.  However, I didn't really get sucked in to the inner workings of secret days, it just seemed really pretty.  

TCDroogsma:

     School Of Seven Bells is one of my all time favorite "shuffle" bands.  What I mean by that is their songs are all great, but taken all together I get oppressively bored.  I went and saw them at 7th St. a while back and even got bored then. Taken out of the context of an album (or, rather, shuffled to on my iPod), however, they all sound like gold. For 3-4 minutes at a time the combo of drum machines, ambient vocals, and just the right amount of hooks add up to something great.  

     If I were reviewing a whole SOSB album it probably wouldn't get a very high score.  However, "Secret Days" as a single is pretty solid.  I like this band a lot more when the guitar is prominent and that's not the case here.  This almost sounds like a female-fronted version of Depeche Mode.  I'll call that a win.

Final Score: MinneSarah -3/5

                   TCDroogsma -3.5/5

02. Benjamin Francis Leftwich – Atlas Hands (from the album Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm)

MinneSarah:

     Whoa dude, you've inspired me to go by my full name always - it's a shame most people don't.

     Plenty of acoustic guitar-ness going on in this song!  While this guy tries to put some gravel into his voice, it doesn't seem like he's really up to the task.  This half gravel voice plus a female counterpart on the final chorus actually sounds alright.  With a song title like “Atlas Hands,” I thought he would be talking about holding the weight of the world on his shoulders, but the lyrics are clearly more straight forward as in a geographical book that will take him back to a place he loves.  The delivery is a lot more genuine and heartbreaking than the actual lyrics, but in all honesty, that is what really counts.

TCDroogsma:

     If I didn't know better, MPR, I'd swear you were trying to turn me against all people named Ben.  After two straight weeks of Ben Gibbard warbling we get Benjamin Francis Leftwich, who clearly spent too many lonely nights with Transatlanticism.

     "Atlas Hands" isn't necessarily a bad song.  It's melody is agreeable enough and lyrically it... well... maybe it is a bad song.  "I will remember your face because I am still in love with that place..."  Ugh... Just follow her into the dark already, BFL.

Final Score: MinneSarah -2.5/5

                   TCDroogsma - 2/5

03. Dana Falconberry – Crooked River (from the album Leelanau)

MinneSarah:

     This song is part nursery rhyme, part grown women on acid pretending to be fairies in the woods.  I'm sure that the group's other offerings are not as completely unbelievable.  However, in this song, the mix of the singer's baby octave, the harp, and the cutesy anthropomorphic lyrics about a river doing it's adorable little thing are so over the top.  I'm actually incredulous that this is a serious offering, but I have never professed to be in on the wood nymph movement.  Watch how I'll be saying I love this song after my initiation.

TCDroogsma:

     I was trying to place the sound of this song and the first two acts that came to mind were The Magnetic Fields and Joanna Newsom.  That's not a great way to start.

     The more I listened to it the more it seemed skew former rather than latter.  Still, there's just something a little too proper about this song.  It's a little too meticulously done and it has that same stupid dueling-vocals-that-aren't-words thing that turned me against that Django Django song last week.  Also, oddly, the more I listened to this song the more I thought it was about menstruation.  I got problems, though.  Scary problems.

Final Score: MinneSarah -1/5 (Is there less than one?)

                   TCDroogsma - 1.5/5

Well there you have it, everybody, a brief holiday-week's worth of songs listened to, reviewed, and filed away forever. It will be a quick turnaround for Songs Of The Week this time around, as we're moving the column to its new home on Monday afternoon. Until then...

For the record, Newest Industry and its contributors are in no way affiliated with Minnesota Public Radio, The Current, or any of the artists above.  We're just people with computers and a little too much free time. 

For more of the always charming MinneSarah, she can be found on Twitter (@MinneSarah). Follow her if you enjoy discussions about whether or not 1994 was better than 1996.

For more TCDroogsma, he can also be found on Twitter (@TCDroogsma) or rambling along on his own blog Flatbasset. He also hosts our weekly Flatbasset Radio Podcast, which you should listen to if your favorite records came out in either 1994 or 1996.

Of course Newest Industry is also on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importantly, we also have a Facebook page here. Stopping by and giving us a “like” is, oddly, the best thing you can do to support the blog short of just giving us some money. Not that we're trying to discourage that. I mean, we'll take cash...

Newest Industry Presents: Flatbasset Radio - Episode #5

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.)

This was my dream... playing a rockin' routine...

Well hello again, music fans!  TCDroogsma is back with Flatbasset Radio - Episode #5!

For those of you stopping by for the first time, TCDroogsma is one of our regular contributors.  He typically sticks to the twin indulgences of food and music.  Each week we have him put together a podcast of roughly an hour's worth of music broken up sporadically by his nasally banter.

As you can see, Tuesday night is now going to be the new home of the podcast.  We realize that this puts Flatbasset Radio up against Tuesdays With Lazerbeak and Tuesday Morning Quarterback.  We're hoping that you'll soon consider Flatbasset Radio in the same breath as those two internet institutions.  Call it the Tuesday Hat Trick.

Anyway, this week found TCDroogsma in a rather sour mood.  Fortunately he managed to talk himself back into a better place by leaning on loud guitars, hometown jams, asian women, Twin Cities ex-pats, yet another stroll back to the 90's, and a Minneapolis icon.  Click the embedded player to have a listen or click the title to download the podcast and take it on the go.



Flatbasset Radio - Episode #5

Here's how the podcast breaks down:

01. Deerhoof - Milk Man
02. Kudzu Wish - We've Got Big Hands
03. DJ Abilities - Kastdaddy 4 President
04. BNLX - 1929
05. The Hold Steady - Magazines
06. Yak Ballz - Gas Galaxy
07. Menahan Street Band - The Crossing
08. Superdrag - Sucked Out
09. Murs - Eazy-E
10. Longwave - No Direction
11. Depeche Mode - Waiting For The Night
12. Paul Westerberg - All That I Had

There you have it, everybody!  Give it a listen!  Download it!  Free music!  Tweet it!  Tell a friend!

For more of the kind of emo TCDroogsma he can be found on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  He also maintains his own Flatbasset blog, though it mainly consists of the work he does here.  If you ever meet him in person don't let his beard throw you off, he's not a handsome man.

Of course Newest Industry also lives on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1).  Give that a follow to stay up on all the work being done by our contributors.  More importantly we also have a Facebook page. Stopping by and giving us a "like" is the best way to support this blog without any sort of financial obligation.  If we get to 50 likes we're going to make TCDroogsma shave his beard.

Songs Of The Week #15: MinneSarah & TCDroogsma

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.)

Menahan Street Band, Body Language, No, Ben Sollee, & BNLX...

Hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #15!

For those of you who are still somehow unfamiliar with the SOTW posts, each week we ask a couple of our contributors to give us their thoughts on the previous week's songs given away by MPR's The Current. To download the Song Of The Day podcast for yourself (which we highly recommend), click here. Playing along at home is fun for the whole family! Especially if your family likes pretty average indie music!

Make your voice heard by voting in the poll on the right of the page. This is serious, serious business people. Whoever wins the contest gets... er... some level of validation, we suppose.

This week we asked MinneSarah & TCDroogsma to have a go at the songs.

Kids, what'd you think?

01. Menahan Street Band – The Crossing (from the album The Crossing)

MinneSarah:

     So this band is an instrumental soul group complete with horns and an organ.  The absence of vocals is actually refreshing - as it's hard for a lot of these soul funk revival bands to pull off all the elements - adding a singer is just another thing to have to worry about fitting in to the mix.  This song features some prominent string plucking over the top of signature horns and downtempo funk, which makes the song seem a little more modern than revivalist.  Also, this group has been sampled by Kid Cudi and 50 Cent, so there is a slim chance Kanye is sampling this song as you read this review.

  
TCDroogsma:

     Honestly, when I saw "Menahan Steet Band" in the downloads this week I set my expectations pretty low.  Even though I've really been into instrumental music lately, that tends to be more in the hip-hop instrumental vein and not, y'know, a "supergroup" form Brooklyn consisting of Antibalas and The Dap-Kings.

     And yet, I loved "The Crossing."  Instead of using the "MSB" moniker to indulge in musical masturbation this song is actually tight.  None of the instruments go off on their own and the whole thing is held together by a pseudo-hip hop rhythm.  The horns are bright but reserved.  The guitar is somehow both celebratory and mournful.  This is a perfect soundtrack for strolling around downtown MPLS on a brisk November night.

Final Score: MinneSarah -3/5

                   TCDroogsma - 4.5/5

02. Body Language – I'm A Mess (from the EP Grammar)

MinneSarah:

     This song is an example of the funk/soul revival that is not really working.  The cadence of this song reminds me of that Mayer Hawthorne hit a few years back, so if you liked that song, you won't be disappointed by an even more hipster version.  The singer's voice is not faux soul, and thus stands out by not trying to be something it's not - however, the lyrics are cloying and hackneyed.  If you like to hear pining lyrics served over electronic soul revival lite, this song is a ten. I'd like to make a joke about how this song was written without you and is a mess unto itself, but that's just not true.  It's pretty tight yet overly pedestrian.

TCDroogsma:

     I know I spend a lot of time here making fun of synth-pop bands, but know that those jokes have more to do with how many are in MPLS and not the genre in general.  So, that being said, I really did enjoy this one.

     "I'm A Mess" is an ode to co-dependency soundtracked by Paul McCartney's keyboards from "Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time."  I mean that as a compliment.  Although, if you're a co-dependent guy who spends his time listening to old Paul McCartney records I would imagine the only body language you're used to is crossed arms and rolled eyes.

Final Score: MinneSarah -2/5

                   TCDroogsma - 3/5

03. No – What's Your Name? (from the 7” What's Your Name?)

MinneSarah:

     

     Is this The National?  This band has gotten that question so many times, they just named themselves No. They then named their single - What's Your Name, as that is the question they got after they responded that they weren't The National.  Okay, maybe that didn't happen, but then again maybe it did.  

     While I feel like this is a National song when I listen to it, it does evoke a little more optimistic moodiness.  The song is broken up a little with bouts of whistling, and punches of percussion.  The lyrics talk about what people are wearing, which is pretty much what caught my attention.  Although I feel like the singer sounds a bit generically indie, the song is interesting enough to get catchier the more often you listen to it.

TCDroogsma:

     This song is like indie rock Madlibs.  Kind of a piano song, kind of a guitar song.  None of the lyrics add up to any kind of coherent whole, but rather they all sound like the first line from a different band's song.  "See the sun turn round and run away..." is Lou Reed.  "Turn around now, I can't stay" - Julian Casablancas.  "Shut the gates if I don't show, I'll send dogs to let you know..."  Paging Paul Banks.  Paul Banks, please pick up the red phone.  What's your name, indeed.

Final Score: MinneSarah -3/5

                   TCDroogsma - 3/5

04. Ben Sollee – Unfinished (from the album Half-Made Man)

MinneSarah:

     So remember last week when I said that I was born in Kentucky?  Guess who else was born and raised in my birth town?  Why Ben Sollee, of course. This music isn't bad, but once again, it's not really my style.  The song is alt-country nouveau, with the inclusion of the cello - which does add quite a depth.  Ben's vocals sound almost Bruce Springsteen-like.  Overall, hometown be damned, I am extremely conflicted whether or not I can recommend a song by a singer/songwriter who has done a bike tour of Kentucky.  Seriously. That could be the most awesome and inspiring or soul-crushingly hipster thing I've ever heard.  Can't decide.  Luckily, as the song indicates, this isn't the last we've heard from Ben Sollee.

TCDroogsma:

     I guess I wouldn't think you could build a whole career around recreating the Billy Bragg tracks from Mermaid Avenue.  I learn something new every day.

Final Score: MinneSarah -2.5/5

                   TCDroogsma - 2/5

05. BNLX – Vibrant (from the album BNLX)

MinneSarah:

     Upbeat guitars, hyper-enunciated vocals, slight electronic backdrop.  I like how clean the song sounds amidst punctuated rouge (or not) guitar.  There is a lot of order in this song, almost formulaic but in a way that works! Basically I love anything upbeat and eighties sounding and will justify that any way I see fit.  Although this isn't the most exciting song I've heard this week, there is something comforting in its design.

TCDroogsma:

     I went on an extended rant about BNLX earlier this week when I reviewed their track "1929." (cough... Singles Mixer #3... cough... scroll down... cough...)

     Oddly, I don't necessarily like this song as much as that one.  My point in that review was that getting a slightly political angle out of Ed Ackerson made for an interesting listen.  It gave me a fuller picture of who he is regarding his Polara/BNLX bands.  "Vibrant" is a pretty great track, don't get me wrong, but this one sounds more like Polara with a drum machine.  Still, you all know I'm a sucker for boy/girl hooks and really, who's arguing with a song that sounds like the love child of New Order & Dinosaur Jr?

Final Score: MinneSarah -3.5/5

                   TCDroogsma - 3.5/5

Blaow! There you have it, everybody! Another week of songs listened to, reviewed, and filed away.

As always we'd like to mention that neither this blog nor its contributors is in anyway affiliated with MPR, The Current, or any of the artists reviewed. We're just people with iTunes & free time.

For more of the always charming MinneSarah give her a follow on Twitter (@MinneSarah). For even more MinneSarah be sure to mention nail polish & vegan donuts.

For more TCDroogsma he can also be followed on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He seems like he should probably eat more vegan donuts too.

Of course Newest Industry is also on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Give us a follow to stay up on all the work being done by our contributors. More importantly, we also have a Facebook page here. Stopping by and giving us a “like” is genuinely the best way to support this blog short of buying us donuts.

Newest Industry Presents: Flatbasset Radio - Episode #4 (Thanksgiving Special!)

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.)

"Fruits, veggies, rice, beans, fryin' the tofu..."

Well hello again, free music fans!

Our old friend TCDroogsma is back with his Flatbasset podcast.  This week TCDroogsma puts together a whole episode with a Thanksgiving theme!  Or at least, he tries to, and that's really the best we can hope for the young man.

Click on the embedded player below to listen to the podcast.  You'll get to hear TCDroogsma struggle to find a common thread between Jeff Tweedy, Kanye West, John Lennon, & Milo Aukerman.  You'll also get to hear reason #530 why Minnesota is better than everything.  He also calls out the Ying Yang Twins & Kendrick Lamar, places football above family, and lusts over the way things were back in 1996.  Good times all around.



Of course you can click the below to download the podcast so you'll have something to listen to while making the long drive to your parents' house for the holiday.

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #4

Here's how the podcast breaks down this week:

01. The Shins - Young Pilgrims
02. Dosh - The Indian Bells
03. Brother Ali - Sweet (Potato Pie)
04. Kanye West - Family Business
05. Descendents - I Like Food
06. MF Doom - Fillet-O-Rapper
07. John Lennon - Cold Turkey
08. Golden Smog - Pecan Pie
09. Alanis Morissette - ThankYou
10. Pixies - Levitate Me
11. Antony & The Johnsons - Thank You For Your Love
12. Guided By Voices - Redmen And Their Wives
13. F. Stokes & Lazerbeak (w/Mike Mictlan) - Blessings
14. Descendents - Thank You

There you have it.  Give it a play.  Give it a download.  Tell a friend.  Tell two friends...

If, for some reason, that's not enough TCDroogsma he can be followed on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  He can also be found rambling on over at Flatbasset, his personal blog.  There's a 45% chance that he's already holiday drunk, so don't take any of his ramblings TOO seriously.

Of course Newest Industry also lives on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1).  Give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  More importantly, we have a Facebook page here. Stopping by and giving us a "like" is honestly the best way to support the blog short of just throwing money at us.  We'd all be awfully THANKFUL if you gave us a "like." (See what we did there?  Pertinent, right?)

Songs Of The Week #14: MinneSarah & TCDroogsma

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.)

El Perro Del Mar, California Wives, Django Django, Lost Brother, & Gloss...

Hello again, MP3 junkies, and welcome to Songs Of The Week #14!

If you're looking at your computer screen wondering just what the hell “Songs Of The Week” is, let us break it down for you:

1. The Current gives away a free song each weekday as a download.
2. At the end of the week we ask two of our regular contributors to give us their thoughts on the songs
3. They submit those thoughts to us without having read what the other thinks.
4. We post them.
5. You listen to the songs and read the thoughts
6. You laugh and/or think up a snarky comment.
7. You vote in the poll on the right side of the blog.
8. That's pretty much it.

This week we asked MinneSarah & TCDroogsma to tell us what they thought. If you'd like to download the songs for yourself and play along at home (highly recommended), click here to be brought to MPR's “Song Of The Day” page.

So, thoughts?

01. El Perro Del Mar – Hold Off The Dawn (from the album Pale Fire)

MinneSarah:

     “Perro del mar” means “dog of the sea” - that is adorable.  I would expect nothing less and that is what I received.  This song is very Tegan & Sara served with a little eighties new wave and peppered with lasers. The mixing reminds me of some old school Madonna, which I say as an utmost compliment.  One of the lines is "no need to talk about the future."  That sums up this song perfectly.  If you can remix the past so skillfully, why bother? 

TCDroogsma:

     I really like this song.  It's not the most memorable song, either lyrically or musically, but it's definitely one that's going to come up when the iPod's shuffling and I'll immediately remember, "Oh yeah, this is a good tune.

     The lyrics are something about not worrying about the future and worrying about the present, though the desire to, "make a new past," makes this sound like the theme song in Winston Smith's nightmares.  Regardless, this one goes down smooth.

Final Score: MinneSarah -3/5

                   TCDroogsma - 3/5

02. California Wives – Blood Red Youth (from the album Art History)

MinneSarah:

     This song starts off pretty boring, and then, BAM - Replacements guitar.  Nice.  The lyrics are about coping mechanisms for what "those people did to you, in your blood red youth."  Consider me as intrigued as I was during the Radiohead video for "Just," wondering what the hell is going on that would call for such dire reactions.  I don't want to give it away - hey, did anybody ever figure out why those business folks were just lying on the ground? 

TCDroogsma:

     Wives in California must still be listening to indie rock from 1998.  Seriously, this song is very good more for what it isn't than what it is.

     With so many of these SOTD's, you have the skeleton of a great song.  However, because it's 2012, most of the artists decide to the Moe Sciszlak "po-mo" route ("y'know, weird for weird's sake).  California Wives does a great job of taking a hook and building around it with some brilliant female harmonies, a fantastic lead guitar hook, atmospheric keyboards and some determined vocals.  I have no idea what, "those people did to you in your blood red youth," but I'm glad it didn't include things like "listening to Kid A" or "learning 6/8 time signatures."

Final Score: MinneSarah - 2/5

                   TCDroogsma - 3.5/5

03. Django Django – Default (from the album Django Django)

MinneSarah:

     Full disclosure - I already liked this song and have listened to it extensively for the past two months.  Django Django is an up and coming British-ish band with spunk.  This song is catchy, has non-annoying psychadelic elements, and the singer's voice is solid.  I've genuinely liked the originality of everything I've heard from them, and I'll jump on the NME bandwagon and say, yeah, I've got a hard on for these guys.  Also, they've got to be better looking than Django Reinhardt. 

TCDroogsma:

     Speaking of weird-for-weird's-sake, Django Django (2013 is going to go down as the "Year Of Django") is just an example of what I'm talking about.  Somewhere in here is a very good song.  It builds on some really simple riffing that, while threatening to take off, never quite gets their. 

     In place of the rock we're treated to some computer manipulated vocals and a swirling keyboard that adds almost nothing to the song.  It's not quite Alt-J levels of stupid, but it's certainly unnecessary.  I really wish Jamie Foxx was somehow involved in this.

Final Score: MinneSarah - 4/5

                   TCDroogsma -2.5/5

04. Lost Brothers – Bird In A Cage (from the album The Passing Of The Night)

MinneSarah:
    
     I'm not a fan of American roots music (although, I'm a big Roots fan, go figure), but this song isn't terrible.  More disclosure - I was born in Kentucky.  While I know that this may ruin my MinneSarah cred (I was conceived on White Bear Avenue, bitches), it makes me think of the kind of music I may have been more tolerant of had I grown up in my birth town. The simplistic lyrics are sort of refreshing compared to the first world problem bullshit seems to permeate most songs these days.  I can relate to lyrics like, "Gonna dig me a hole to put the devil in."  Why the hell didn't I think of that?  This song gets points for being upbeat and featuring saloon piano, but it's nothing I'd ever want to listen to on my own time. 

TCDroogsma:

     Listen, we've all had our battles with the bottle.  Sometimes it seems like having a drink is the only way to cope.  You know what's never the answer?  Banjos.

    
     Seriously, this band should be called Mumford's Sons Of The Lost Avett Brothers.  If the goal of the song is to jauntily explain how hard it is to turn down a drink, mission accomplished.  This song would only sound tolerable if I was drunk in at a East Tennessee Jambaroo.

     And no, I am not the guy on the right.  I'd have given myself at least a 2/5.

Final Score: MinneSarah - 2/5

                   TCDroogsma - 1/5

05. Gloss – Front Porch (from the single Front Porch)

MinneSarah:

     So you like Johnny Marr too, Gloss?  This song is a treat, as it combines a lot of elements that made the eighties an exciting time musically.  Marr guitar , echoey deadpan vocals, and an upbeat supporting actor in the drums.  Britpop will nevah die!

TCDroogsma:

     Over the last couple of weeks the SOTD's Friday Minnesota entries have been Robust World (jangly stoner pop) and Gospel Gossip (jangly shoegaze).  Well, MPR gets the jangle (or "djangle") hat trick with "Front Porch" and I'd say it's the best of the three.

     Let the record state that this is some world class jangling, though.  I'm not going to compare this to Johnny Marr, since that's the highest praise there is, but I'd like too.  Would you settle for Peter Buck on his best day?  You'll have to.  Couple the guitar work with some vocals (and lyrics) that invoke Paul Banks drunk at a karaoke night and you've got yourself a nice little number.  Pretty great for a debut single.

Final Score: MinneSarah - 4/5

                   TCDroogsma - 3.5/5

Well there you have it, everybody!  Another week's worth of singles listened to, reviewed, and filed away, never to be heard from again.

As always we would like to mention that this blog and its contributors are in no way affiliated with Minnesota Public Radio, The Current, or any of the artists above.  We're just music fans with keyboards.

For more MinneSarah be sure to give her a follow on Twitter and/or Instagram (@MinneSarah).  When MinneSarah is not contributing to the blog she is, evidently, living at The Science Museum Of Minnesota.

For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter and/or Instagram (@TCDroogsma) or head over to his personal blog Flatbasset.  When TCDroogsma is not contributing to the blog he's probably asleep.

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