Flatbasset Radio: Episode #48 (w/MinneSarah) - Halloween Spook-tacular!

You look like you've seen a ghost!

It's Halloween! Turn out the lights, start a fire, pour a Bloody Mary, get your candy, and kick back with our spookiest episode yet!

In this week's episode MinneSarah joins TCDroogsma as they discuss such blood-curdling subjects as the appropriate etiquette at concerts in London, the case of the haunted Applebee's gift card, Steve Buscemi's dark secret, the length's people will go to keep their property in San Francisco, MinneSarah's refusal to hand out candy to the children of Highland Park, drunken pumpkin carving, ginger solidarity, the real horror behind Frankenstein's monster, the spread of ebola in NYC, offending Droogsy's mom, their favorite Halloween costumes, their inability to accurately judge British hip-hop, the blissful ignorance of the characters in Ghostwriter, their all-time favorite Halloween candy, and, oddly, the economic conditions in England in the late 70's.  Spooky stuff.  All that plus the Cover Of The Week and the Flatbasset Flatclassic!

As always, Episode #48 is free to stream and/or download.  To download the show just click on the title below.  To stream the show simply click "play" on the Mixcloud player.

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #48 (Halloween Spook-tacular!)

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #48 (Halloween Spook-tacular!) by Tcdroogsma on Mixcloud

01. The Moons - Body Snatchers
02. Aesop Rock - Keep Off The Lawn
03. Nine Inch Nails - Dead Souls
04. Queens Of The Stone Age - Burn The Witch
05. Kanye West - Monster (w/Justin Vernon, Rick Ross, Jay-Z, & Nicki Minaj)
06. Death From Above 1979 - Right On, Frankenstein!
07. Ghostpoet - Cold Win
08. Crocodiles - Hollow Hollow Eyes
09. Buck 65 - What Are You Going To Be For Halloween?
10. The Specials - Ghost Town

Happy Halloween!

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.



 

For more MinneSarah be sure to give her a follow on Twitter (@MinneSarah).

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #47 (w/MinneSarah)

Turn the light off, keep your shirt on...

Well hello again, podcast fans! Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #47!

It was another fun week here in podcast land.  For Episode #47 I ventured back to St. Paul in an effort to, "recover the magic" with MinneSarah.  Frankly, I think we succeeded.  This time around we discuss the weather (like true Minnesotans), last winter's weather (like sad, true Minnesotans), our favorite Nashville band, the type of music you get to know living in a small town, whether or not it's worth becoming a fan of Fleetwood Mac, the intoxicating effect of stadium shows, how The Depot stays up and running, trying to teach English in The Bronx, which artists might be filling hockey arenas in ten years, MinneSarah's garage rock 180, our huge Spanish audience, what records to pick up at the library, how the indie Class Of 2003 is faring these days, iconic 90's t-shirts, & the dividing line among R.E.M. fans.  All that plus the Cover Of The Week & the Flatbasset Flatclassic!

As always, Episode #47 is free to stream and/or download.  To download the show just click on the title below.  To stream the show simply click "play" on the Mixcloud player.

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #47

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #47 by Tcdroogsma on Mixcloud

01. Bad Cop - Wish You Well
02. The Black Ghosts - Repetition Kills You (w/Damon Albarn)
03. The Orwells - The Righteous One
04. Dana Buoy - Everywhere
05. Pearl Jam - Do The Evolution
06. Handsome Ghost - Blood Stutter
07. Speedy Ortiz - Bigger Party
08. TV On The Radio - Happy Idiot
09. Steely Dan - Turn That Heartbeat Over Again
10. Allah-Las - Tell Me (What's On Your Mind)
11. R.E.M. - What's The Frequency, Kenneth?

Enjoy!

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.



 

For more MinneSarah be sure to give her a follow on Twitter (@MinneSarah).

Album Of The Week: "Field Notes" by Sims

Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of October 13th-19th, 2014:

Sims - Field Notes

01. L'Audace
02. Sims Jong Il
03. Uh Huh
04. Scope Or Claw
05. They Don't Work For Us
06. The Whale
07. This Is The Place

At this point you're probably all well familiar with Sims.  He's the socio-political voice of the Doomtree crew. He's also, relevantly, one of the most thoughtful MC's in the crew in the sense that he tends to take quite a bit of time in between releases.

Field Notes represents Sims first solo release since 2011's Bad Time Zoo and it's accompanying leftovers EP Wildlife.  Obviously he's been working within the Doomtree universe since then (most notably his star turn in Doomtree's full crew album No Kings).

So what's changed in the four years since we've heard from Sims?  Field Notes  represents addition by subtraction.  On his first two releases (Lights Out Paris & False Hopes 14), he found a balance between the personal, the boastful, and the vaguely political.  Bad Time Zoo continued this style, though he began phasing out some of the personal for a sharpened take on the political side.

As he grows older, it appears Sims has lost almost all interest in sharing his personal problems with his audience.  Field Notes, perhaps appropriately considering its title, is his most pointedly political record yet.  "L'Audace," "Uh Huh," & "They Don't Work For Us" take aim not only at society's ills, but at the perceived indifference of his audience to affect any real change toward solving them.  Lyrically, Sims is decidedly on point.  His arguments are no longer the grey-area complaints that dotted those early records.  He's angry and thoughtful on this EP, but more than anything, he's focused.  Like many of us easing out of the twilight of our youth, he's been around long enough to see the cycle played out repeatedly with a helping hand from American indifference.

He still takes time to talk up his own skill ("Sims Jong Il") and dip into his own psyche ("This Is The Place"), but the overall impression of Field Notes is that Sims is no longer concerned with matters of his heart as he is with matters of the same hands that he once claimed would, "take it brick by brick, fist over fist, with or without 'em."

To check out Field Notes for yourself, head over to Doomtree's Bandcamp page.

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #46 (w/MinneSarah)

I knew it when I saw your record collection...

Well hello again, podcast fans.  Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #46!

MinneSarah's back from Europe, everybody!  Big thanks to my homey Nick for teaming up with me for one of his Young Sandwich mixes while she was gone.  Big thanks to all of you who checked that episode out.  It was a good one.

However, it's time to return to our regular routine.

In this week's episode we discuss MinneSarah's "European jaunt," statues of famous Americans in France, Ben Franklin's struggle, feminist points, lawn sign marketing, the lessons to be learned from Kim Gordon & Thurston Moore, an alternate history of Toronto hip-hop, the common ground between Julian Casablancas & Kylie Minogue, the return of Twin Peaks, incredibly specific life advice from Minus The Bear, & our long & winding history with The Dandy Warhols.

As always, this episode is free to stream or download.  Click the episode's title below for a download link or click on the Mixcloud player below to stream.

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #46

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #46 by Tcdroogsma on Mixcloud

01. Alvvays - Adult Diversion
02. Manny Phesto - Eternity In The Cities
03. Brett - Confidence
04. King Tuff - Headbanger
05. Sonic Youth - Ca Plane Pour Moi
06. Ian Kamau - You, I
07. Bass Drum Of Death - For Blood
08. Julian Casablancas + The Voidz - Where No Eagles Fly
09. Minus The Bear - Electric Rainbow
10. Bastille - Falling
12. The Dandy Warhols - You Were The Last High

Enjoy!

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.



 

For more MinneSarah be sure to give her a follow on Twitter (@MinneSarah).

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #45 (Young Sandwich's Autumn Mix Pt. 1)

Tomorrow's just an excuse away...

Well hello again, everybody.  Welcome to a particularly gonzo episode of Flatbasset Radio.

Sorry it's been so long since I've put together a new show.  If you've been listening to the last few episodes you know that my co-host MinneSarah headed off on a vacation to England & France.  Based on the pictures she's been throwing up on Instagram she's having a much more fun time than getting drunk with me and talking about music.

While she's been gone I've been having trouble filling the void here at Planet New Basset.  Turns out that I'm not really very good at carrying the show by myself.  However, even with MinneSarah half the world away, I'm not left entirely to my own devices.

A few months back, for Flatbasset Radio: Episode #41, I put together a mix built entirely out of songs given to me by my buddy Nick (aka Young Sandwich).  It was a pretty crazy mix made up almost entirely of songs that would never have found their way on to the show otherwise.  It turned out to be our most played episode of all time (which reminds me, big thanks to everybody who made it so popular.  Ya'll are the coolest).

Which brings us to this mix.  Back in July, Nick was kind enough to pass along another USB full of music that I would likely never have heard on my own.  This one, however, was a monster.  It was 56 songs that, according to Nick, he picked out while drinking.  By his own admission, it was pretty random.  I've been slowly working my way through this thing at the pace of five songs per week.  Just a couple of weeks ago I realized I hit the half-way mark on this bad boy and thought to myself, "Hell, Nicky's last mix went so well maybe I should give this another go."

I went through those first 28 songs and trimmed it down to about an hour long mix.  It turned out pretty fucking nutso.  Much like his last mix, I'm fairly certain none of these songs would have made it on to any other episode of the show.  That's not because they aren't excellent songs (they are), but more because Nick has a great ear for mood and a much broader musical pallet than I do.  For better or worse, his songs work best when presented all together.

As you can see above, this is Nick's Autumn Mix Pt. 1.  Once I finish working my way through the remaining 28 songs on the USB I'll put together the companion mix.  Until then, enjoy this one.  Put it on your phone, stuff your phone into that jacket you just dug out of the closet, and let it play.  Hell, you won't have to take off your gloves to change songs for a whole hour.  Good times.

As always, this episode is available to download or stream.  Just click the episode title below for a download link or click on the Mixcloud player below to stream.

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #45 (Young Sandwich's Autumn Mix Pt. 1)

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #45 (Young Sandwich's Autumn Mix Pt. 1) by Tcdroogsma on Mixcloud

01. Rufus Wainwright - Grey Gardens
02. Guru - When You're Near
03. Billie Holiday - You've Changed
04. William S. Burroughs - The Sermon On The Mount 2
05. Talking Heads - Memories Can't Wait
06. James 'Son' Thomas - Mama Don't Low No Guitar Playin' Round Here
07. Traffic - The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys
08. GZA - Victim
09. Len - Steal My Sunshine
10. The The - Phantom Walls
11. Terry S. Taylor - Sound Effects Record #32
12. Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Sweet Fire
13. Smashing Pumpkins - Thirty-Three

Enjoy!

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 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