Flatbasset Radio's 25 Most Played Albums: July '17

Well hello again, everybody. Welcome to another installment of Album Collage Monthly!

We're into the dog days of summer now, folks. I spent a good part of July either watching fireworks or sitting in the air conditioning listening to music. It was a solid month.

As always, huge thanks to everybody who stopped by and listened to the show this month. July always has a couple of my favorite shows so I certainly hoped you enjoyed listening to them as much as I enjoyed putting them together.

Alright, let's get to the thing.

(As always, one "play" equals one song. For example, that new Cheap Fantasy album has 5 songs on it, so each time I listen to it front to back it counts as five "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.)

01. Murder Shoes - Fall (70 plays)

02. StoLyette - Summer (63 plays)

03. Sloan - One Chord To Another (60 plays)

04. Brilliant Beast - Jelly (47 plays)

05. V/A - Unpop 150 (46 plays)

06. Cheap Fantasy - Life Of Glass (45 plays)

07. The Dandy Warhols - ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down (43 plays)

08. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. (42 plays)

09. Dan Israel - Dan Israel (42 plays)

10. 7Seconds - Walk Together, Rock Together (42 plays)

11. Motion City Soundtrack (40 plays)

12. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (40 plays)

13. The Alarmists - The Ghost And The Hired Gun (39 plays)

14. Rooney - Calling The World (38 plays)

15. Interpol - Our Love To Admire (36 plays)

16. V/A - 2016: The Year All Bad Things Went Away And Everything Turned Out To Be Fine (34 plays)

17. Jamie xx - In Colour (33 plays)

18. Bad Religion - New Maps Of Hell (33 plays)

19. Banner Pilot - Pass The Poison (33 plays)

20. Sonic Youth - Dirty (32 plays)

21. Prince - Planet Earth (32 plays)

22. Husker Du - Candy Apple Grey (30 plays)

23. The Beta Band - Hot Shots II (30 plays)

24. Morrissey - Your Arsenal (30 plays)

25. Metz - Metz (30 plays)

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

Flatbasset Radio's 25 Most Played Albums: October '15

Well hello again, everybody. Welcome to yet another in a seemingly endless string of monthly album recaps.

First off, I want to say thank you to anybody who checked out last week's episode of Flatbasset Radio. It was great to be back doing the show again and certainly hope you enjoyed it.  One of the perks of taking two months off from doing the show is that when you come back you can pack it full of white hot jams and I think that's what we accomplished here.

Second, sorry this post is a couple of days late. I'm assuming nobody noticed since everybody is probably just now finishing cleaning up after their Halloween parties (looking in your direction, Dr. Bill). Frankly, if you've been frequently checking this page to see if I've posted the monthly recap yet you probably need to reevaluate some of your life decisions.

Lastly, you may notice that there aren't any dead spots in this month's album collage. Unfortunately Last.fm still hasn't resumed allowing its users to post album pics (which, to the OCD music junkie you see before you is absolute torture). However, necessity being the mother of invention, I learned how to use the most basic photoshopping program ever to add the albums that weren't showing up.  Oh, sweet completism.

Anyway, here's Flatbasset Radio's 25 Most Played Albums Of October 2015:

01. The Libertines - Anthems For Doomed Youth (86 plays)

02. Murder Shoes - Daydreaming (66 plays)

03. Loud Sun - (((Loud))) (60 plays)

04. Oaks - Animal Life (56 plays)

05. Ego Death - Ego Death (40 plays)

06. Eels - Souljacker (24 plays)

07. Buffalo Springfield - Again (21 plays)

08. Halloween, Alaska - Halloween, Alaska (20 plays)

09. The Mammoth Catches Fire - Live On Radio K (2015) (20 plays)

10. Aimee Mann - Magnolia (18 plays)

11. Tree - Sunday School II: When Church Lets Out (18 plays)

12. Jurassic 5 - Power In Numbers (17 plays)

13. Luna - The Best Of Luna (17 plays)

14. Rites Of Spring - Rites Of Spring (17 plays)

15. Danger Doom - The Mouse & The Mask (16 plays)

16. Jay-Z - The Blueprint (15 plays)

17. Atmosphere - Southsiders (15 plays)

18. Morrissey - Maladjusted (Legacy Edition) (15 plays)

19. The Libertines - Anthems For Doomed Youth (Bonus Tracks) (15 plays)

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

21. Deerhoof - Reveille (14 plays)

22. Everclear - Sparkle And Fade (14 plays)

23. Lou Reed - New York (14 plays)

24. Melvins - Houdini (13 plays)

25. Son Volt - Trace (13 plays)

Good stuff. I've got a new show all ready to roll this weekend, so be sure to check back.

Image via Tap Music
Stats via my Last.fm page

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: April '15

Well hello again, everybody.  Welcome to the always compelling monthly recap of Flatbasset Radio's 50 Most Played Albums of the previous month!

April has come and gone. The last of the snow melted, the rain washed away what was left, the boys of summer began yet another campaign, the boys of winter began their Quest For The Cup, and I finally got back to posting podcasts.  As per usual, I listened to a ton of music while all of that was happening.  Good times, April.

Let's have a look at what was getting the most spins around Planet New Basset.  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.

(Quick Note: As you can see, the largest box in the picture is a blank grey album.  That's supposed to be a picture of What Tyrants' new album No Luck.  I have no clue why the Album Cover Collage Generator is refusing to accept its right to life.  As a consolation, go back and read my AOTW column about No Luck.  It's a gem of an album.)

01. What Tyrants - No Luck (78 plays)

02. Straya - Healthy Steps (77 plays)

03. The Cribs - For All My Sisters (70 plays)

04. Plums - Jen (56  plays)

05. Murder Shoes - Murder Shoes (40 plays)

06. Various Artists - Expansion Sound Vol. 1 (34 plays)

07. Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late (34 plays)

08. Elvis Costello - This Year's Model (26 plays)

09. Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll (24 plays)

10. Millencolin - Same Old Tunes (25 plays)

11. Various Artists - Limited Fanfare Records Spring/Summer Sampler 2015 (24 plays)

12. Bad Religion - Generator (22 plays)

13. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams (22 plays)

14. Dfalt - Greyscale (22 plays)

15. Pink Floyd - Animals (20 plays)

16. The Jam - Greatest Hits (19 plays)

17. Wretch Like Me - New Ways To Fall (19 plays)

18. The Cure - Greatest Hits (18 plays)

19. The Durutti Column - The Return Of The Durutti Column (18 plays)

20. Killer Mike - Sunday Morning Massacres (18 plays)

21. Ratking - 700 Fill (18 plays)

22. Human Kindness - Live On Radio K (2015) (17 plays)

23. Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run (16 plays)

24. The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die (16 plays)

25. Baishe Kings - Eyes Of Mark Mixtape (16 plays)

26. Cruel Love - Cruel Love (16 plays)

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

28. Various Artists - Trainspotting (14 plays)

29. Dfalt - Dfalt (14 plays)

30. Douga - [] / Dancing In The Garden (14 plays)

31. The Jayhawks - Tomorrow The Green Grass (13 plays)

32. The Stone Roses - Second Coming (13 plays)

33. The Future Sound Of London - Dead Cities (13 plays)

34. Jay-Z - MTV Unplugged (13 plays)

35. Division Of Laura Lee - Black City (13 plays)

36. She & Him - Volume One (13 plays)

37. Death Grips - The Money Store (13 plays)

38. Human Kindness - Not Apathetic (13 plays)

39. Morrissey - You Are The Quarry (12 plays)

40. Ivy - In The Clear (12 plays)

41. Big Star - #1 Record (12 plays)

42. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Graces (12 plays)

43. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala (12 plays)

44. Radiohead - Airbag/How Am I Driving? (12 plays)

45. Sean Na Na - Family Trees Or: Cope We Must (12 plays)

46. Oasis - Definitely Maybe (11 plays)

47. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico (11 plays)

48. Kool A.D. - Word O.K. (11 plays)

49. Jarvis Cocker (11 plays)

50. Son Volt - Trace (11 plays)

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

Album Of The Week: "Murder Shoes" by Murder Shoes

Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of April 26th-May 2nd, 2015:

Murder Shoes - Murder Shoes

01. Charlotte Manning
02. Maybe You Can
03. Under The Sea
04. See A Little Louder
05. In Your Bed Or On A Train

Credit: Aaron Fenster

Over the past year or so Land Ski Records has proven to be a haven for local talent.  With releases from The Persian Leaps, The Person & The People, & Deleter under their belt, they've proven that they not only have a keen ear for talent, but more importantly, that they're a label for bands that take their craft seriously.  That's no slight to the dozens of great labels in the Twin Cities (it was just last week that I was singing the praises of Forged Artifacts & No Problem Records), but every album that's come out so far via Land Ski has been well-crafted, well-produced, and professional.  Nothing the label puts out seems "off the cuff," and I mean that as a compliment.

With that reputation in mind, I was thrilled to spend the week with the new EP from local band Murder Shoes.  The description of the band described them as "Surf Noir," a genre that, as far as I know, hasn't really existed before.  After spending the week with the album, I can say that description only scratches the surface of what's going on here.

Consisting of Tess Weinberg on vocals & keyboards, Chris White & Derek Van Gieson on guitars, Elliot Manthey on drums, & Tim Heinlein on bass, Murder Shoes write, at their core, pop songs.  Oh sure, the songs have a bit of that "surf rock" guitar twang to them (especially "Under The Sea"), but unlike some bands, that aesthetic seems to be just a stylish bit of window dressing for finely crafted pop songs.

Opening track "Charlotte Manning" is particularly ndicative of what makes Murder Shoes unique.  The song is a slow-burn opener for the EP that says as much with its empty space as it does with Weinberg's haunting voice or the surf-ish guitar solo in the middle.  Give it a listen:



Weinberg makes her talent evident throughout the album.  On "Charlotte Manning" she sounds like Beth Gibbons.  On "Maybe You Can" and "Under The Sea" she manages to sound like Jenny Lewis.  Along the way the band stays tight & tasteful, making the most of the openings in the songs with catchy guitar fills and never resorting to being, for lack of a better word, goofy (a frequent problem with bands in and around the "surf rock" genre).

Perhaps the most intriguing moment of the EP comes on closing track "In Your Bed Or On A Train."  With Manthey & Heinlein working up a rumble worthy of the titular train and White & Van Gieson working out some descending surf licks, Weinberg spins a tale of heartbreak & anger.  Poignantly, the chorus is a wordless one, consisting only of Weinberg cooing.  It's a clever move that brings the EP full circle from that use of open space on "Charlotte Manning."



While I sincerely recommend checking out Murder Shoes (available at Murder Shoes Bandcamp page), I can't wait to see where the future takes the band.  The members of Murder Shoes have been making music for a long time and, according to interviews, have a vast array of influences.  On this EP they seem to be pulling at the margins of the newly invented "Surf Noir" genre.  Enjoy it before they move on.

Murder Shoes is playing an album release show at the Red Stag Supperclub on May 3rd.  Probably ought to look into that too.