Album Of The Week: "Rudiments" by Edger

Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of June 21st-27th, 2015:

Edger - Rudiments

01. Victory Gin
02. Noose
03. Primadons
04. Cautious Optimist
05. Holy Armour
06. Domestication

(Photo via Ellen Lawson)

As you likely know, I'm a huge fan of Land Ski Records.  Drew Forsberg (of Persian Leaps fame) has been working his ass off over the last couple of years to fill his label with smart, hook-happy Twin Cities bands.  He's succeeded to the point that I'll soon be referring to him as Drew Forsberg (of Land Ski Records fame).  Whether it's his own band, the power-pop of The Person & The People or the surf-noir-ish sounds of Murder Shoes, a new release from Land Ski Records has quickly become something I find myself looking forward to with high expectations.

Enter the latest member of the family: Edger.  Hailing from Minneapolis, Edger began life as a two-piece outfit with hardcore dreams.  According to legend, when singer/guitarist Justin Lawson & drummer Nate Bartley got together to begin working out songs they were struck by a bolt of hook-heavy creativity, causing them to seek out a third member (bassist Scott Hefte) and put their hardcore dreams on the back burner in favor of fuzzed out bliss.

As a debut EP, Rudiments is startlingly well-developed.  The band actually reminds me a bit of Is This It era Strokes in the sense that, even though there's a layer of fuzz around everything, the band is locked into a very precise grooves.  Bartley & Hefte particularly stand out in the way they combine to give these songs a strong backbone.  Where the band deviates from that Strokes-ish sound is in Justin Lawson's performance.  Eschewing New York cool (while keeping some of the distortion), Lawson keeps things very Midwestern with his full-throated delivery in the tradition of Paul Westerberg, Davy Von Bohlen, Dave Pirner, and a hundred other singers from fly-over country.

Opener "Victory Gin" lays it clear from the jump, with Lawson shouting "They've got me running in place!" over some thundering open chords before the band locks into place.  Single "Noose" shows off the band's rhythm section while Lawson wrangles some hardcore lyrics into the album's most memorable hook.

 
Rudiments ends on two strong notes.  "Holy Armour" stands as my favorite track on the album.  The band hits a propulsive groove while spitting dueling vocals that recall a pop-centric, romantic take on Brand New.  Proving that the band are students of the game, they end the EP with the charming, acoustic "Domestication," an ode to both the combative nature of relationships & the simple joy of clean dishes.



I really can't recommend Rudiments enough.  The Twin Cities are awash in great guitar music right now.  As much as I like scrappy bands plugging in and tearing things up, it's always a breath of fresh air when a band combines that fuzz with sturdy hooks & precise playing.  With repeated spins, it becomes clear that Edger is a band that takes their craft seriously.  Give those tracks up above a listen then head over to Edger's Bandcamp page & pick up Rudiments for yourself.

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #60 (Young Sandwich's Spring Mix Vol. 1)

Relax, put some sounds on, I'll brew up some decaf...

Well hello again, everybody!  Welcome to an extra special episode of Flatbasset Radio!

For those of you who've been following the show over the years you know that on occasion my good friend Nick (aka Young Sandwich) has been known to turn up and give us a mix every now and then.  He gave us a USB Mix for Episode #41.  He followed that one up by giving us an epic two-part Autumn Mix for Episodes #41 & #49.  He turned in a Cabin Fever Mix last winter too but for reasons I can't recall I never had a chance to adequately mix & post it.  It'll be fun to get that one out there this winter when he can't remember which songs he put on there.

Anyway, Nick & I used to work 40 hours per week together and now that Nick has moved on to a better job I went full-on bro-mantic last week and dedicated the second set of last week's show to him (there's no better way to say, "Hey, bud. I miss ya" than by playing an eleven minute Pink Floyd jam).

Well, Nick was so touched by my gesture that he decided to grace the Flatbasset Radio show with a brand new mix.  So here I present to you Flatbasset Radio: Episode #60 (Young Sandwich's Spring Mix Vol. 1)!  As is usually the case with Nick's mixes, he's on a slightly different vibe than most of my shows.  Not better or worse, just a little different.  This episode is a saucy little mix of surf-rock, synth-pop, 80's grandeur, lost classics, East Coast hip-hop, a tribute to a lost blues man, and makes for a delightful twist on typical "Spring Mix" fodder. I suggest you give it a listen and if you dig it you should really check out his old shows.  He's got a real ear for these things.

As always, Flatbasset Radio is completely free. Just click the Mixcloud player below and you're good to go.

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #60 (Young Sandwich's Spring Mix Vol. 1) by Tcdroogsma on Mixcloud

01. Rufus Wainwright - Movies Of Myself
02. The Pyramids - Penetration
03. Donald Fagen - Trans-Island Skyway
04. B.B. King - Messy But Good
05. The The - Global Eyes
06. DJ Shadow - Napalm Brain - Scatter Brain
07. Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
08. Czarface - It's Raw (w/Action Bronson)
09. Mason Jennings - Ain't Not Friend Of Mine
10. M83 - OK Pal
11. Billie Holiday - Some Other Spring

There you have it! Enjoy!

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #59

Lord, to be thirty-three forever...

Well hello again, podcast fans.  Welcome to Episode #59 of Flatbasset Radio!

Sorry it's been a minute since I posted a new show.  I've been working very hard at things that aren't this blog & podcast.  It's good for me but maybe not so good for you.  I'm a very selfish man.

Anyway, show's back and June's shaping up to be a great month for the podcast so let's start it here.

In this week's episode I begin by apologizing for such a sleepy, sleepy guy before discussing the definition of "surf noir," the pros & cons of the Kent State shooting on its 45th anniversary, the moment Danger Mouse cemented his legacy, coming to terms with Pink Floyd, just what happens when you spend 40 hours per week with somebody, my unequivocal, errr... tolerance for Johnny Marr's solo career, and the real moment Craig Finn let go of Lifter Puller.  All that plus some anniversaries, the Cover Of The Week, the Flatbasset Flatclassic, and all the bro-mance one man can muster!

As always, Flatbasset Radio is completely free. Just click the Mixcloud player below and you're good to go.

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #59 by Tcdroogsma on Mixcloud

01. Murder Shoes - Charlotte Manning

02. Gorillaz - Kids With Guns
03. The Dandy Warhols - Ohio
04. Wu-Tang Clan - Tearz
05. Pink Floyd - Pigs (Three Different Ones)
06. Los Campesinos! - Avocado, Baby
07. Johnny Marr - The Trap
08. Sims - 15 Blocks (Lazerbeak Remix)
09. Wild Ones - Golden Twin
10. The Hold Steady - Stevie Nix

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.

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

Well hello again, everybody.  Welcome to yet another installment of the least compelling running post on a blog filled with them.  That's right, it's time for another edition of Flatbasset Radio's 50 Most Played Albums of the last month.


Now, I know it hasn't been a particularly productive month here at Planet New Basset.  What can I say, I'm a very busy & tired guy, so real world work & sleeping take up a lot of my time.  Fortunately (or, perhaps unfortunately), that lack of productivity only applies to the blog as I still found time to listen to a ton of records throughout May.  Let's have a look:

(As always, one "play" = one song.  So an album with ten songs on it would be registered as ten "plays."  Larger pictures indicate more plays.)

01. Johnny Marr - Playland (89 plays)

02. Blur - The Magic Whip (84 plays)

03. Tree Blood - I Am A Disgusting Pig (70 plays)

04. Edger - Rudiments (42 plays)

05. Various Artists - Expansion Sound Vol. 2 (40 plays)

06. All - Mass Nerder (32 plays)

07. M. Ward - Post-War (24 plays)

08. Various Artists - Circle Into Square Label Compilation Vol. 2 (23 plays)

09. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams (22 plays)

10. Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty (22 plays)

11. Brand New - The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me (21 plays)

12. Art Brut - Brilliant! Tragic! (20 plays)

13. Dfalt - Take (20 plays)

14. Various Artists - The Best Love Is Free Vol. 3 (20 plays)

15. Rancid - ...And Out Come The Wolves (19 plays)

16. I Self Devine - Self Destruction (19 plays)

17. The Incredible Moses Leroy - Electric Pocket Radio (16 plays)

18. The Dust Brothers - Fight Club (16 plays)

19. True Deceiver - True Deceiver (15 plays)

20. Jawbreaker - Dear You (15 plays)

21. MF Doom - MM.. Food (15 plays)

22. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend (15 plays)

23. R.E.M. - Eponymous (15 plays)

24. Straya - Live On Radio K (2015) (15 plays)

25. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (14 plays)

26. Descendents - I Don't Wanna Grow Up (14 plays)

27. The Cribs - For All My Sisters (14 plays)

28. Gorillaz - Demon Days (14 plays)

29. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl (14 plays)

30. Badly Drawn Boy - Have You Fed The Fish? (14 plays)

31. DJ Rashad - Double Cup (14 plays)

32. Uncle Tupelo - Still Feel Gone (14 plays)

33. Freez & Mike Frey - Freez's Frozen French Freys (14 plays)

34. Various Artists - Circle Into Square Label Compilation Vol. 1 (14 plays)

35. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Hearts Of Oak (13 plays)

36. Superchunk - On The Mouth (13 plays)

37. Various Artists - Best Of 86/06 (13 plays)

38. Alkaline Trio - Good Mourning (12 plays)

39. Eyedea & Abilities - E & A (12 plays)

40. Vermont - Calling Albany (12 plays)

41. Ash - Nu-Clear Sounds (12 plays)

42. Warpaint - Warpaint (12 plays)

43. Big Pauper - Beyond My Means (12 plays)

44. P. Morris - Debut (12 plays)

45. A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder (11 plays)

46. Ben Folds - Songs For Silverman (11 plays)

47. The Coral - Magic And Medicine (11 plays)

48. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - I See A Darkness (11 plays)

49. Hard-Fi - Stars Of CCTV (11 plays)

50. Danger Ron & The Spins - These Teeth (11 plays)

There it is, folks. Good stuff.  Try to stay tuned to the blog or the Flatbasset Radio Facebook page.  I've got three new episodes of the show nearly finished, so there'll be plenty of jams & ranting throughout June. Of course you can always check out the old jams by heading over to my Mixcloud page if you're really desperate to hear my nasally voice ramble on about things nobody cares about.

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