Flatbasset Radio: Episode #57

Right on time, right on the money...

Well hello again, podcast fans!  Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #57!

Thanks for stopping by again.  I promised back in Ep. #56 that I would be more consistent this spring & summer with the show and here I am sort of sticking to my promise.  Mathematically, having done zero episodes in March, the fact that I've now put up two episodes in April means I'm being infinitely more productive, so there ya go.  Men lie, women lie, numbers don't.

Unfortunately, you're stuck with me flying solo yet again on this episode.  Along the way I apologize for not making my way to St. Paul, try one last time to sell you on my favorite local band, praise the bonding power of old-school hip-hop, demand free coffee from Starbucks, check in on some Twin Cities legends, question the validity of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, go in for my European heritage, attempt to explain growing into an album ten years after its release, make amends for mispronouncing things months ago, mispronounce a whole new batch of things, and make my case for the best Radiohead album.  All that plus the Cover Of The Week, Flatbasset Flatclassic, popped "p's," mumbled commentary, and all the other features you've come to know & love/enjoy/tolerate from Flatbasset Radio.

As always, the Flatbasset Radio podcast is free to stream.  Simply click the Mixcloud player below.

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #57 by Tcdroogsma on Mixcloud

01. Human Kindness - Blunder Road
02. Jazz Spastiks & Rebels To The Grain - Tapes
03. Beck - Missing
04. The Persian Leaps - The Concept
05. Crescent Moon & Andrew Broder - Ashes (w/Greg Grease)
07. Moods - Rain Or Shine
08. Lou Reed - Vicious
09. Ben Folds - Give Judy My Notice
10. Fraternal Twin - Skin Gets Hot
11. Ivy - Thinking About You
12. Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees

There you have it, everybody.  Open the windows and 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.

Album Of The Week: "No Luck" by What Tyrants

Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of April 19th-25th:

What Tyrants - No Luck

01. Far Out
02. Muffins
03. No Luck
04. Feeling Alright (I'm Okay)
05. Lean On The World
06. Dancehall No. 2
07. 4's And 5's
08. Scuzz
09. Modern Man
10. What Chu Want?
11. Shag
12. Blue In The Face
13. Fuzz Trip

The Twin Cities are in the midst of a Golden Age of guitar music right now.  Between the good folks at Land Ski Records, No Problem Records, Forged Artifacts, and the glorious noise coming from Ecstattic Studios, it's a fantastic time to be a rock n roll fan here in Minnesota.

Of course, this being Minnesota, that rock n roll sound so much better when the sun's shining and the window's are open.  Enter What Tyrants and their debut album No Luck.  If ever there was an album meant to be played at parties or in cars, this is the one.

What Tyrants consists of brothers Sean & Kyle Schultz and Garrison Grouse doing pretty much everything you'd want out of a garage rock band.  At their core they sound like a mash-up of The Hives & The Hi-Fives (The Hive-Fives?), but they manage to stand out by adding a few wrinkles of surf-rock here, a bit of lo-fi nonsense there, and a secret ingredient that I suspect is English post-punk grooves.  Have a listen to "What Chu Want?" for a good example of this intoxicating mix.




Lyrically Sean Schultz isn't covering too many bases that haven't already been covered by dozens and dozens of the descendants of The Monks.  There's bitterness, there's cynicism, there's love, there's jealousy, the desire to just let go, but above all, there's an unflinching belief in the power of loud guitars and bundles of energy.  For my money, "Dancehall No. 2" doubles as the What Tyrants mission statement.



Like I said from the jump, summer's upon us.  Don't waste it.  Those sunny days and drunky nights will be that much more fun with a copy of No Luck.  It's available in stylish cassette form from the good folks at Forged Artifacts or as a Name-Your-Price download on the What Tyrants Bandcamp page.  Go get it now and enjoy a rock n roll summer.

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #56

Get bit by the hounds...

Well hello again, everybody!  Welcome back to Flatbasset Radio!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was incredibly busy in March as such I haven't been able to post a new show in about six weeks.  Sorry.  I'm a busy guy.  You know what they say about the devil & idle hands...

Anyway, I'm back and I promise you that I will crank out new blog posts and new episodes of the podcast all summer long.  Word is bond, son, word is bond.

So, let's get on with it then.  In this week's show I attempt to justify my month-long absence from the show, play a forgotten jam from 2014, attempt to explain how Tim Armstrong was my Dylan, discuss my expectations of Blur's reunion, celebrate the anniversary of Bloc Party's best album, dig into my theory as to why EP's are sometimes the best work an artist puts out, struggle, yet again, to pronounce "Citroën," and, as is par for the course, go all fanboy on a Smiths Flatbasset Flatclassic.  All of that plus all the popped "P's" and audio drop-outs you can possibly stomach.  Enjoy!

As always, this episode is available to stream for free. Just click the Mixcloud player below

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #56 by Tcdroogsma on Mixcloud

01. Twin Graves - Love You To Death
02. Mike The Martyr - Build Clinton (w/Toki Wright)
03. Tim Armstrong - Black Lung
04. Greg Dulli - Paper Thin Hotel
05. Eric Mayson - Capital
06. Bloc Party - This Modern Love
07. Blur - Go Out
08. Aesop Rock - Zodiaccupuncture
09. Jens Lekman - Postcard #3
10. Citroën - Ghost
11. The Smiths - Well I Wonder

There you have it.  Feels good to be home, baby!

Album Of The Week: "Not Apathetic" by Human Kindness

Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of 5th-11th, 2015:

Human Kindness - Not Apathetic

01. Dorothy
02. 20 Years
03. Ahoy! The St. Croix
04. Glass
05. Midwest Midwinter
06. Interlude
07. Rejoyce
08. Hate Myself
09. Blunder Road
10. Anna, Anna
11. Mishima's Suicide

For those who have been following along with the blog & podcast for a while now you know that I've spilled plenty of digital ink talking up the lads from Human Kindness.  Their debut EP You Are So Loud That I Want To Die was one of my absolute favorite releases of 2014 (eventually landing at #4 of Flatbasset Radio's Most Played Albums Of 2014).  In my review of You Are So Loud... I said that the album was a mix of hardcore aesthetics and arena ideas and mentioned that, while those ambitions connect more often then not, I was left wondering just what the trajectory would be for Human Kindness.  I couldn't tell if this was going to be a thrilling one-off of great tunes built through years of digesting indie rock ideas or if the guys in Human Kindness had grander ambitions.

Enter Not Apathetic and many of those questions have been answered.  The album opens with "Dorothy," a brief, melancholy song about daydrinking & sexual tension highlighted by singer David Lawrence Anderson's eye for detail.  Despite its brief running time, "Dorothy" is an ideal, if risky, opener to the album.  It makes clear that we're listening to an album written and performed by a band that is aware of where they want to go and how they want they're sound to grow, but also by a band that is still wrestling with the insecurities that come with your early twenties.




With the groundwork laid, they launch into "20 Years."  Over beautifully jangling guitars Anderson opens the rest of the album by singing, "Sick to death of taking breaths, to scared to not know what comes next..."  In just that one couplet, Anderson manages to encompass the feeling of everyone's young adulthood.  The theme of anxiety permeates nearly every track on the album.  Anderson spends the record trying to cope with that anxiety through alcohol, music, road trips that allow temporary escape (but rarely travel further than 24 hours from home), and sexual encounters that have almost nothing to do with sex. It's an exhilarating ride that, on one hand, makes you want to grab Anderson & give him a good shake but, on the other, makes you long for the days when every interaction, every decision, & every word spoken meant so much.  I'd bet all the money in my pocket (roughly $7.60) that Anderson thinks of himself as a cynic, but the tales told on Not Apathetic are the tales of a man who's an optimist (even if he's prone to overthinking things).

While Anderson's lyrics and vocals take the forefront on the album, the racket worked up by the band marks an exciting amount of progress from their debut EP.  That EP (which, it should be noted, wasn't mastered) was home to ambitious instrumentals (double whammy "Breathing Deep (For Walking)" and "Breathing Deep (For Breathing)" especially), piano-and-loop based moments of pause, and guitar heroics that aimed for the sky.  It was a thrilling ride even if the instruments only really tended to express emotion when either dropped down to confusing loops or fuzzed up to 11.  Guitarist Alex Brodsky, drummer Josh Olson, and multi-instrumentalist Willem Vander Ark ensure Not Apathetic takes grand steps to make sure new ideas are worked into the mix and old ideas are fleshed out.  Not only are the fuzzed out guitars deployed with more precision now, but they're accompanied by pianos, loops, strings, and horns (!) that, rather than stand alone moments, are fully-integrated, essential parts of the songs, adding gravity & emotion to Anderson's narratives.  In many ways, these little additions perfectly mimic Anderson's neurosis, drifting into and out of songs like the stray moments of anxiety that haunt Anderson's narratives.




Again, back in my review of YASLTIWTD I likened Human Kindness to the ducks in the first episode of The Sopranos, stating that the EP made the listener feel like Tony, amused and excited as he watched the ducks learning how to spread their wings and fly.  I also warned that we should all enjoy Human Kindness while we can, because if they did in fact have the desire to take flight, they'd belong to everybody.  With Not Apathetic that day has come.  As the Twin Cities' music scenes continues to turn over from veteran bands to a new generation of bands who still look to Paul Westerberg for ideas, Human Kindness has positioned themselves above many of their garage-rocking peers by scaling down on the fuzzy guitars and cliched lyrics and doubling down on vulnerability, story-telling, risk-taking, and musical ambition.  In a city full of bands trying to make their Sorry Ma..., Human Kindness has embraced their modern influences and created an album that finds a place where Separation Sunday, The Londesome Crowded West, & The Photo Album meet.  They're flying now, enjoy it while they're still in sight.

Not Apathetic is out now and available for purchase on Human Kindness' Bandcamp page.  Pass up a latte this week & spend $5 on it.  When all is said and done it just might be the most memorable record of 2015.

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

Well hello there, everybody.  Long time no see, eh?

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Who's stupid page is this and how did I get here?"  Well, you tell me, smart guy, it's your browser.

You may also be thinking, "Hey, isn't the post below this a recap of February's albums?  Did Droogsy really take a whole month off?"

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: Yes, but...

You see, March is what I like to call my "busy season."  I hold down two jobs and March is when one of those jobs gets so busy that, not only do I not have time to write the blog/record shows, I don't have time to eat properly, sleep enough, see my friends, or even shave.

(Just kidding.  Who shaves?)

Anyway, I'm back now and I promise to make it up to you.  My "busy season" comes to a screeching halt this weekend and I'll be back in my AOTW/podcast/Twitter groove again.  Until then, here are the 50 most played albums around Planet New Basset over the last month.  As always, each song on an album = one play.  Larger pictures indicate more plays.

01. Museum Mouth - Alex I Am Nothing (79 plays)

02. Sunny Day Real Estate - How It Feels To Be Something On (72 plays)

03. Waveless - Waveless (28 plays)

04. Steely Dan - The Royal Scam (27 plays)

05. What Tyrants - No Luck (26 plays)

06. Millencolin - For Monkeys (24 plays)

07. The Cribs - For All My Sisters (24 plays)

08. Human Kindness - Not Apathetic (22 plays)

09. Human Kindness - Live On Radio K (2014) (21 plays)

10. Descendents - Liveage (19 plays)

11. Danny Brown - XXX (19 plays)

12. Sage Francis - Personal Journals (18 plays)

13. Billy Joel - 52nd Street (18 plays)

14. The Suicide Machines - Destruction By Definition (17 plays)

15. Lil' Wayne - Sorry 4 The Wait 2 (17 plays)

16. Paul Westerberg - 49:00 (16 plays)

17. Big Boi - Sir Luscious Leftfoot: The Son Of Chico Dusty (16 plays)

18. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly (16 plays)

19. MK Ultra - MK Ultra (15 plays)

20. Billy Bragg - Life's A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy (15 plays)

21. Gasp - A Girl Called Glasgow (15 plays)

22. Jazz Spastiks - Singles Collection (15 plays)

23. Plums - Jen (15 plays)

24. Pearl Jam - Yield (14 plays)

25. Bad Religion - The Process Of Belief (14 plays)

26. Mark Mallman & Vermont - Mark Mallman & Vermont (14 plays)

27. Shad - The Old Prince (14 plays)

28. Ian Kamau - Cocoons (14 plays)

29. Death Grips - Fashion Week (14 plays)

30. Gorillaz - Demon Days (13 plays)

31. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories (13 plays)

32. Pulp - Different Class (12 plays)

33. The Promise Ring - Wood/Water (12 plays)

34. The Living End - It's For Your Own Good (12 plays)

35. Cat Power - The Greatest (12 plays)

36. Superdrag - Last Call For Vitriol (12 plays)

37. Arctic Monkeys - Suck It & See (12 plays)

38. Dem Atlas - Charle Brwn (12 plays)

39. Coldplay - Parachutes (11 plays)

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

41. Morrissey - Vauxhall & I (11 plays)

42. Lightning Seeds - Dizzy Heights (11 plays)

43. Tapes 'N Tapes - The Loon (11 plays)

44. Mystery Jets - Seratonin (11 plays)

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

46. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2 (11 plays)

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

48. Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends (10 plays)

49. Interpol - Antics (10 plays)

50. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II (10 plays)

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