Well, hello again everybody. Welcome to another edition of Album Collage Monthly!
That's right, folks, it's the first of May already and guess what? It fucking snowed today. I love you, Minnesota, but does it have to be like this? It's May! Come on!
Anyway, it's time for a little bit of instant nostalgia. Before I get to it though, just a quick thanks to everybody who checked out the last couple of shows. If you didn't notice, I got back behind the microphone for Ep. #94 and, while it probably did not improve the show for you, it felt great to add what little personality I have back to the show. Thanks for sticking with it.
Alright, let's get to it. I listened to a tremendous amount of music this month. Here are the 25 albums that got the most spins around Planet New Basset.
(As always, one "play" equals one song. For example, that new Chinchees album
has 11 songs on it, so each time I listen to it front to
back it counts as eleven "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. The Chinchees - The Chinchees (79 plays)
02. Craig Finn - We All Want The Same Things (70 plays)
03. Prince - Prince (63 plays)
04. Talking Heads - Talking Heads: 77 (55 plays)
05. Various Artists - Unpop 146 (53 plays)
06. Big Quarters - Cost Of Living (42 plays)
07. Propagandhi - Less Talk, More Rock (42 plays)
08. Fountains Of Wayne - Traffic And Weather (42 plays)
09. Beastie Boys - Check Your Head (40 plays)
10. T.D. Mischke - The Best Of The Mischke Broadcast (40 plays)
11. The Early Americans - Aha! Airmen Secretly (39 plays)
12. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81 (39 plays)
24. Richard Ashcroft - Alone With Everybody (34 plays)
25. Brian Eno - Here Come The Warm Jets (30 plays)
Thanks for stopping by! Lots more stuff to come in May!
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.
Well hello everybody! Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #94!
April has nearly passed, so I figured I should get my lazy ass back to work. This week's episode features the... not "triumphant"... adequate return of my hosting duties. That's right, I'm back on the mic. That's not the only reason to tune into this week's show. Hell, I'm just hoping that's not an actual deterrent from you checking out the show. This week's show if full of some excellent jams.
I've got some new local jams, some old local jams, some "in memoriam's," old stuff from great bands, old stuff from not so great bands, lost gems, the Cover Of The Week, and, as always, the Flatbasset Flatclassic. I also discuss overheating in the studio, the reason I got back behind the microphone, Ben Folds' obituary, the time Kings Of Leon went for it and failed, spacing your coffee out so you peak at the right time (I did not to do this well), the moment Bad Religion started pulling apart their sound, the new direction of Lunch Duchess, the unrelenting consistency of Poliça, & respecting Jay Bennett on his own terms. It's really quite the show. As always, Flatbasset Radio is completely free. I've finally set up a
decent downloading site, so if you'd like to download Flatbasset Radio:
Episode #94 (with all the appropriate iTunes tagging), just click here.
If you don't have the time or desire to download the show, just click the Mixcloud player below and you're good to go.
Here's how Flatbasset Radio: Ep. #94 plays out:
01. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Let Me Be
02. Greg Grease - Migraine
03. Antelope - Dead Eye
04. The Chills - Conversation Piece
05. The Chinchees - Pocano
06. Ben Folds Five - Smoke
07. Lunch Duchess - Intent
08. Kings Of Leon - Ragoo
09. Prince - Crazy You
10. Poliça - Lipstick Stains
11. Jay Bennett - Good As Gold
12. Bad Religion - Generator
There you have it, folks! Enjoy!
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.
Well hello again, everybody. Welcome to another installment of Shit I Listened To While I Rode The Lightrail!
Sorry I'm a couple days late with this one. My busy March has bled into the beginning of April, so I've been doing quite a bit of working and not quite enough sleeping. I know you're all just dying to know what I've been listening to lately, so here we go.
As always, one "play" equals one song. For example, that new Good Doom album
has 10 songs on it, so each time I listen to it front to
back it counts as ten "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 around Planet New Basset
01. Hippo Campus - Landmark (91 plays)
02. Good Doom - New Shapes For You (72 plays)
03. The Bolt Weevils- Long Way Home (65 plays)
04. Frank Ocean - Endless (50 plays)
05. Paper Tiger - In Other Words: Part Three (48 plays)
06. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Pay Attention (48 plays)
16. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (43 plays)
17. Various Artists - Oz Waves: Compiled By Steele Bonus (40 plays)
18. Mike Ness - Under The Influences (39 plays)
19. Elvis Depressedly - New Alhambra (36 plays)
20. LCD Soundsystem - Sounds Of Silver (36 plays)
21. Bad Religion - Generator (34 plays)
22. Bug Fix - Error Messages (33 plays)
23. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (33 plays)
24. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico (33 plays)
25. Dead Boys - Young Loud And Snotty
There you have it folks. Thanks to everybody for stopping. Special thanks to anybody who's checked out Flatbasset Radio: Episode #93. If you haven't yet, just keep scrolling down. It's an hour of jams assembled by yours truly with the utmost care. Give it a listen.
I'm burning some copies of Ep. #93 as we speak. I'll be dropping them off at Cheapo, The Fetus, & Reverie in the next day or two. If you'd like a copy just hit me up via Twitter or Facebook and I'll get one out to you.
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.
Well hello again, podcast fans! Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #93!
Sorry I took so long with this one. If I've said it once I've said it, well, five times: March is brutal. It's the one month each year when both of my jobs are just insanely busy, which means I have just enough time to work, eat, sleep, & not die. Doing the show is a close fifth on my list of priorities in March.
As such, I'm a bit embarrassed to call myself a podcast host since I went the whole month without putting together a new show. Doing the show, as frustrating as it is, is also kind of my happy place, so here we are.
This week's show checks in a just over an hour. Again, I've restrained from the microphone, which means you won't be bludgeoned with nasal voice & poorly thought out reasoning for playing each song (though, as you can see below, if you'd like to read my commentary in my nasal voice, feel free). I've got some local jams, plenty of anniversaries, a nice number of instrumentals, the Cover Of The Week and, as always, the Flatbasset Flatclassic.
As always, Flatbasset Radio is completely free. I've finally set up a
decent downloading site, so if you'd like to download Flatbasset Radio:
Episode #93 (with all the appropriate iTunes tagging), just click here.
If you don't have the time or desire to download the show, just click the Mixcloud player below and you're good to go.
Here's how Episode #93 plays out:
01. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder
Let's get one of the anniversaries out of the way right off the bat. It's been 10 years since CYHSY released their sophomore album Some Loud Thunder and, or better or worse, it still stands as the quintessential example of what happens when the hype goes bust. Without re-hashing the whole thing, their quirky self-titled debut album rode a wave of positive blog buzz to the top of the indie rock scrap heap.
Enter - the dreaded follow-up album. For the most part they didn't have as many hooks, doubled-down on quirk, & the album was panned. While much of that criticism remains true (it's a brutally uneven album), two tracks stand out: the danceable classic "Satan Said Dance" and this titular track. To me this one sounds like David Byrne fronting a garage rock band that hasn't quite figured out how to keep up with their lead singer's yips & yowls quite yet. Had this album contained more of this back-to-basics sort of sound I think history would have framed the band differently. Ah well...
02. The Dijonettes - Music Is Our Parachute
I came across this album while digging around in the "Local Comps" section at Cheapo. I didn't really know what I was getting into, but it featured tracks from Dosh & Lateduster, so I had a loose idea. After spending some time with the album (and reading this incredibly useful City Pages article), I found out that Crossfaded is an album of songs comprised during The Dinkytowner's weekly Crossfaded night back in 2002. The Dijonettes were a 10-piece outfit led by DJ Stage One & Truth Maze. This stuff really stands up, even 15 years later.
03. The Progressive Thinker - The Constitution/The Fortune Is Yours
Abbotsford, New Brunswick's greatest post-harcore export, The Progressive Thinker makes a loud, confusing racket. I don't know much about the band. In fact, I'm not even 100% sure how I stumbled onto their Bandcamp page, but I dug "The Constitution (off their 2012 EP PEOPLE) enough that I had to find a home for it on the show. I pulled "The Fortune Is Yours" from their follow-up LP Hail The Air. Shit's getting real in Abbotsford.
04. Building Better Bombs - No Hospitals
Bringing the post-hardcore back across the border, let's note the 10 year anniversary of the release of Building Better Bombs classic Freak Out Squares LP.
While it's unfortunately bound to be a footnote to the narratives of P.O.S., Doomtree, Ryan Olson, Marijuana Deathsquads, Gayngs & Polica, this record remains a fucking monster. You can here P.O.S., Olson, Isaac Gale, & Drew Christopherson beginning to push & pull at the edges of of these songs while still hemming relatively close to what would be considered "hardcore." Ten years on, it stands as the moment when the fuse was lit on a Minneapolis sound that was about to explode into a thousand different pieces.
05. Paper Tiger - Sick Stand
Paper Tiger returns with the third installment of his In Other Words EP series. If you haven't been following along I suggest you check out all three EP's. Just straight jams.
06. David Bazan's Black Cloud - Let Down
I had a different Cover Of The Week all cued up for this show, but then Pitchfork had to go and devote a whole week to everything surrounding the 20 year anniversary of OK Computer's release. Never one to miss an opportunity to ride a wave, I dug out this old Stereogum compliation they released back on the 10th anniversary of the album.
Their were a bunch of solid covers to choose from, but something about this one strikes me. He tones down the atmosphere just a bit and lets his voice wrap around the song like a warm blanket. It's true to the original, but definitely puts his own spin on it. Not easy to do with source material like this.
(Quick aside: How great is it that we live in a world were David Bazan has a project called "David Bazan's Black Cloud?" As if he was sitting their one day and thought, "Boy, this Pedro The Lion thing is going great, but I could really use an outlet for some of these sad songs." Long live the Black Cloud!)
07. Erykah Badu - Next Lifetime
Another anniversary acknowledgement - This time it's the 20th anniversary of Erykah Badu's breakout album Baduizm.
I'm not going to sit here and tell you this album meant much to me upon its release. Honestly, I was probably way too busy listening to Lagwagon & playing Goldeneye to take note of the neo-soul movement. As it stands today, it's an album I'll put on when life is just way too stressful (which is far more often than it should be these days).
08. Bash & Pop - Can't Be Bothered
Fresh off that triumphant Replacements reunion Tommy Stinson revives his dormant Bash & Pop project and unleashed a power-pop gem. Most of the songs on Anything Could Happen are rockers, but this one struck me for some reason. While I'm sure both artists would be annoyed by this compliment, with Anything Could Happen Tommy Stinson's made the best Paul Westerberg album in years.
09. Good Doom - Mannequin
I've been listening to this new Good Doom album a lot recently. It's mostly hazy instrumentals and, since I spent a lot of time this month on the lightrail, it's made for a great soundtrack as I struggle to stay awake down University. See that album cover up above? If you were to shrink yourself down like one or Rick Moranis' idiot children and wander around those plants, these songs would be the perfect soundtrack.
10. The Good, The Bad, And The Queen - Herculean
Did you really think I'd let the 10 year anniversary of a Damon Albarn project just roll by without acknowledging it?
A lot has happened since this album came out. Albarn rode Gorillaz to the top of the pop world, dropped an incredible solo album, wrote a couple musicals, & reformed Blur. And yet, TGTBATQ still stands tall in the man's history. Teaming up with Paul Simonon (of The Clash), Simon Tong (of The Verve), Tony Allen (of Africa 70), and Danger Mouse, they crafted what was deemed as a concept album about life in London during the Bush/Blair years. As a supergroup one-off, it's a staggering work.
11. Twin Ion - Poisong
Speaking of that Cheapo "Local Comps" section, I scooped this one up one day on a whim. I don't know what the "Fireball" in "A Fireball Compliation" means, but it had The Plastic Constellations & Linus on it so I thought, "Fuck it, let's find out."
Turns out their is almost no information about the band Twin Ion on the internet and even less information about the album. The only thing I could find about the band is that they were (are?) a four-piece from Minneapolis that formed in 2002. I also know that "Poisong" is straight fire.
12. Falls - Cuts_Part2
I forget exactly how I found out about this Tape_CutsEP from Falls. It's a local EP, so I think it as probably a tweet from Psymun or Big Cats or somebody like that. Anyway, I've been listening to it since November and I've been meaning to play this song on the show for just as long. Part Chicago footwork, part Jamie XX, this is one of those songs that makes me with I owned a car just so I could roll down the windows at go for a night drive.
13. Frank Ocean - Rushes To
Confession time: this is the first Frank Ocean album I've ever heard. I mean, I heard some Channel Orange stuff while I was out-and-about over the years, but I'd never sat and listened to a Frank Ocean album until just a couple weeks ago.
With all the hype that surrounded the two-headed Endless/Blond monster last year, it seems as though Endless was going to be consigned to the "contract-fulfillment" scrap heap while Blond took its rightful place as the long-awaited follow-up to Channel Orange. Everything I read about Endless (that it was song fragments & loose ideas assembled into a mix-esque collection) made it sound like the more intriguing listen. Since I still haven't heard Blond I guess I can't really say, but the 45 minutes of endless sound like taking a stroll directly through Ocean's frontal lobe as he works out his ideas. It's quite compelling.
14. Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - A Bottle Of Buckie
As I mentioned back at the top of the post, March is a tough month for me. At some point this past month I hit a wall and just kept waking up depressed & angry (too much work, not enough sleep, poor eating... these things happen). Anyway, I was walking to work one day and the old iPod shuffled to a Ted Leo song and it was like the fucking clouds parted. I don't know if what it is about the guy, but something about his music lifts my spirits every time.
While "A Bottle Of Buckie" may not be the best song on Living With The Living (celebrating its own 10 year anniversary here), its story of camaraderie and nostalgia (and that flute solo) picked me up when I needed it, so here's one for you, Teddy. Thanks for everything.
15. Allah-Las - Hereafter
The Current gave this one away as a Song Of The Day track last month and I couldn't really make heads or tails of it. All the other Allah-Las stuff I've heard is more garage rockin' stuff whiel "Hereafter" is basically a sort of cocktail lounge instrumental. What the hell?
Once I got over my expectations (and spent a week with the song), I came around hard on this one. The fact that it's been relegated to the b-side of the "Autumn Dawn" single leads me to believe that it my just be a detour for the band rather than a new direction, but it definitely stands up on its own.
16. Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug
And here we have it, folks. Your Flatbasset Flatclassic Of The Week!
It's the 20th anniversary of the release of Lost Highway a typically-bizarre film from the typically-bizarre David Lynch. I've yet to see the film, but I remember buying the soundtrack when it came out on the strength of this song and a new Marilyn Manson song (you laughed earlier, but thank God I eventually found the Lagwagon's of the world). The Manson song was garbage, but, for my money, "The Perfect Drug" is still the best song Trent Reznor's ever put to tape (though I will ride for The Fragile). Bonus points for the Zorro look he was rocking in that video. Goddamn I love the 90's.
There you have it, folks. Enjoy!
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.
Well hello again, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Flatbasset Radio's Album Collage Monthly!
No long preamble with this one. I'm neck deep in my busy time of year at one of my jobs and I'm running on fumes right now. Thanks to everybody who's checked out the one episode of Flatbasset Radio I managed to put together this month. I'm sorry I only got one out, but it's a pretty good one. Maybe scroll down & check it out if you have the time?
On that note, let's get to the thing. As always, one "play" equals one song. For example, that new P.O.S album has 12 songs on it, so each time I listen to it front to
back it counts as twelve "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 around Planet New Basset.
01. Suzie - Chardonnay (84 plays)
02. P.O.S - Chill, dummy (84 plays)
03. Bash & Pop - Anything Could Happen (82 plays)
04. Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour Of Bewilderbeast (68 plays)
05. The Muffs - Blonder And Blonder (42 plays)
06. V/A - Don't Fall Asleep: A Minneapolis DIY Compilation (42 plays)
07. Pavement - Brighten The Corners (36 plays)
08. The Damned - Damned Damned Damned (36 plays)
09. Shannon And The Clams - I Wanna Go Home (36 plays)
10. Scritti Politti - Provision (36 plays)
11. Refused - Songs To Fan The Flames Of Discontent (36 plays)
12. Ben Folds Five - Whatever And Ever Amen (36 plays)
13. BNLX - BNLX (36 plays)
14. Askeleton - Sad Album (36 plays)
15. Proper-T - AstralBeat Theories Part 1 (35 plays)
16. Klaxons - Myths Of The Near Future (33 plays)
17. Lifetime - Lifetime (33 plays)
18. Air - 10,000 Hz Legend (33 plays)
19. Elvis Perkins - Ash Wednesday (33 plays)
20. Run The Jewels - RTJ3 (30 plays)
21. The Spinners - Flashback With The Spinners (30 plays)
22. Sebadoh - Bakesale (30 plays)
23. Blur - Blur (30 plays)
24. DJP And Mr. Dibbs - Gangsta Boogie Ya'll (30 plays)
25. Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers (28 plays)
There you have it, folks. I'll try my best to do better in March, but no promises. I have more ideas than I have energy or time.
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.
Well hello again, everybody. Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #92!
Well, now that we're halfway through February it's probably about time I posted a show, eh?
This week's episode is a ball. I've got jams from new bands, jams from old bands, songs of love, songs of heartbreak, icons, memorials, politics, local beats, local punk... shit... this one is all over the place. Of course, mixed in with all of that you'll find the Cover Of The Week and the Flatbasset Flatclassic wrapping it all up. 16 songs, 60 minutes. Settle in with this one.
As always, Flatbasset Radio is completely free. I've finally set up a
decent downloading site, so if you'd like to download Flatbasset Radio:
Episode #92 (with all the appropriate iTunes tagging), just click here.
If you don't have the time or desire to download the show, just click the Mixcloud player below and you're good to go.
Here's how Flatbasset Radio: Ep. #92 plays out:
01. Strand Of Oaks - Radio Kids
The Current posted "Radio Kids" as one of their Song Of The Day tracks about a month ago because the band was playing their birthday party down at First Avenue. It's definitely a jam, but I didn't think too much of it.
A couple of weeks later, however, Stereogum's Ryan Leas wrote an excellent profile of Tim Showlater, the man behind the band. Suddenly, through Showalter's tale of small-towns & tumultuous marriage through his rise up the indie rock ladder (peaking with a tale of ecstasy-tinged water at a festival in Barcelona), the lost innocence of "Radio Kids" suddenly struck a chord. It was a long time ago now, but much like Showalter, I tend to romanticize a youth spent with with my fingers resting atop the "Play" & "Record" buttons on my old stereo, lapping up every second of a new single on the radio, preserving the static, hooks, & hiss for further dissection. It was something we had before we lost control.
02. Bloc Party - Hunting For Witches
Bloc Party's sophomore album A Weekend In The City came out ten years ago and, for many, it signaled the decline of the band that had taken the indie world by storm with their debut album Silent Alarm. Looking back, it's easy to see how that narrative developed then and is still believed by many today.
AWITCjettisons some of the buzzy energy of Silent Alarm while doubling down on the sort of Bono-esque heart-on-sleeve lyrics that seemed deeply uncool in 2007. While those moments still stand out ten years later, that album has aged remarkably well. Perhaps because the indie rock pendulum has swung back to celebrating confessional songwriters, the honesty of Kele Okereke's lyrics don't seem nearly as clumsy as they did then. I was absolutely prepared to play "I Still Remember" as this week's Flatclassic. That songs soaring nostalgia finds a beautiful sweet spot between Robert Smith's pop classics & Bono's reach for the rafters. Part of me still wishes I had played it as the Flatclassic. However, given the events of the past couple of weeks, "Hunting For Witches" seemed to be the more appropriate song. The more things change the more they stay the same.
03. Jazz Spastiks & Mello Soul Black - Midnight Mode
New Jazz Spastiks singles will always have a home here on the show.
04. Hüsker Dü - Love Is All Around
The theme song of Minneapolis' favorite adopted daughter sung by one of its favorite adopted sons. And people say Minnesotans aren't nice to strangers.
05. Pet Milk - Ostalgia (Rough Mix)
Back on Flatbasset Radio: Episode #85I played Pet Milk's "Phantom Lovers" from their excellent 2011 EP Philadelphia Punklife. In my write-up for the song I confessed to not knowing much about the band. Somehow, I know even less about them today.
Here's what I've gathered so far - They released Philadelphia Punklife, they began recorded (but didn't master) a new EP or LP, 2012-2016 (??????), they've since released two unmastered versions of songs that were supposed to be on that EP or LP, their Bandcamp page says "PETTMILK 2017 return."
And that's where we're at. I suppose I could dig a little deeper and probably figure out exactly what's going on, but who has time when they're dropping unmastered pop gems like this? Bring on the return!
06. Run The Jewels - Thieves! (Screamed The Ghost) (w/Tunde Adebimpe)
Run The Jewels played a Valentine's Day show at The Myth. Is that the best Valentine's Day gift ever or the worst Valentine's Day gift ever? It's got to be one or the other. There's no middle ground here.
07. Pink Floyd - Sheep
Our second anniversary celebration on this week's show. Pink Floyd's Animals is now 40 years old. 40!
Now, I have a question for the Pink Floyd fans out there - Is this album any good? I ask because, growing up a punk rock kid, Pink Floyd was always anathema to me. Despite the fact that I'd never given them much of a chance, the culture penetration of their pomposity and cliche stoner fans made them an easy stand-in for what punk kids are supposed to hate (like most punk kids, I was not smart). I always hated that children's choir in "Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2" and the whole Dark Side Of The Moon/Wizard Of Oz thing just seemed to reinforce my notion that this was not a band for me.
Anyway, I've long since grown out of that punk rock naivete and embraced all kind of crazy shit. However, Animals is still the only Pink Floyd album that I own (given to me by my buddy Nick aka Young Sandwich). I'm actually surprised by how much I enjoy it. However, until he put the CD in my hands, I had never, ever, ever, heard of the album. You can't grow up listening to music without hearing about Dark Side, The Wall, Wish You Were Here, and that terrible Piper At The Gates Of Dawn record. And yet, in 30 years, I'd never heard or even seen mention of Animals. Is this the bastard child of the Pink Floyd catalog? Has it been disowned by its creators? Do Floyd fans just dismiss at some lesser work? I don't get it.
I've picked up a couple of Philadelphia MC/Producer Lushlife's songs over the years and I enjoyed them immensely, so when I was that he was releasing a new album as a Name-Your-Price (with all proceeds going to the ACLU) download I figured I should probably check it out.
Honestly, given the circumstances, I was expecting a beat tape or toss-off EP sort of thing. I couldn't have been more wrong. My Idols Are Dead + My Enemies Are In Power is an engaging, engrossing album. Lushlife and his many collaborators have taken a step back from the events of the day and analyzed them with a cold eye while not letting themselves lose the fire that made a project like this necessary to begin with. The album varies in style, texture, & mood throughout its 14 tracks while still feeling very much of the moment. Its a complicated album for complicated times.
09. Tropical Depression - White Nights
Erik Appelwick has been one of the busiest men around town for years, though you'd be forgiven for not knowing him by name. He's the man behind (or, rather, out front of) ViciousVicious & Tropical Depression and has been a member of both The Hopefuls & Tapes N Tapes. Chances are, if you follow the Twin Cities music scene, you have an affinity for at least one of his projects.
His current Tropical Depression is, "a laugh at wealth culture. It's hedonistic, spray-tan absurdism." In other words, it's a bit over the top. Tropical Depression's new album Islands is blast of maximalism. Big drums & big hooks abound. Even the tracks that have little to nothing in the way of vocals have a way of taking over your headphones and forcing their way into your brain.
10. BNLX - Wiggy?/Got Nothing On You
And now, sadly, moment of silence for the loss of Wiggy, beloved family member/band mascot for team BNLX. As someone who also runs a music site/blog with his beloved pet pupper as the mascot, Ed & Ashley Ackerson have my deepest sympathies. I never met Wiggy, but spend a moment checking out his Facebook page and you'll see one happy lil' guy living out every pupper's indie rock dreams. Take care, Wiggy.
11. Medium Zach - Episode Ten
When Flatbasset Radio's favorite producer Medium Zach revived his Last Of The Record Buyer's beat showcase down at Honey a while back he started showing off his production skills via Snapchat/Instagram. He'd spend a couple of minutes showing exactly how he's putting together the beats.
Now, I'm old, have no idea how Snapchat works, and (if you've ever seen my Instagram feed) am not very good at Instagram. Fortunately, he took the time to post the compiled clips as full YouTube videos. Have a look at how "Episode Ten" came to be:
Fortunately, he's collected 17 of these beats and released them via Bandcamp as Beatstory. Probably best to scoop that up now that strolling season is upon us.
12. The Shins - Turn On Me
Another ten year anniversary to mark (get used to these. 2007 really went in), The Shins Wincing The Night Away came out ten years ago last January and, for my money, still stands as the high-water mark in James Mercer's career (though, it should be noted, I've never heard Port Of Morrow & have only a passing knowledge of Broken Bells despite my love of both Mercer & Danger Mouse).
I could have played any number of songs from this one. "Australia," "Sea Legs, "Girl Sailor," "A Comet Appears..." each one of these songs held a spot on the show before I eventually settled on "Turn On Me." There's just something enchanting about the way Mercer binges & purges on syllables throughout this song yet still manages to make it catchy as hell.
13. Tolliver x Garry G - Love Gone Terribly Wrong
An especially late addition to this week's show, once I heard "Love Gone Terribly Wrong" I couldn't resist finding a home for it.
If you've been following along for the last couple of years, you should know both Jonathan Tolliver & Garrison Grouse as 1/3 of the band Black Diet. If you haven't been following along too closely, perhaps you know Grouse as 1/3 of the electo music hydra Pytch Records. After an album of warped out beats, "Love Gone Terribly Wrong" finds him slowing things down to a more digestible speed to create a canvas for Tolliver's heartbreak. It's a good look for Tolliver, who's unique voice was rarely this front-and-center on Black Diet songs.
So, is this just a one-off between friends or is this the slow progression of Black Diet? A curious question, to be sure, but for these four minutes it's one to be put on the back burner.
14. Bug Fix - Don't Wait Til Monday
I first heard of Bug Fix via a tweet from Fury Things. That seemed like good enough recommendation to me, so hit up their Bandcamp page and found this matter-of-fact (and 100% accurate) description:
"Bug Fix is what it would sound like if the guitarist from Red Pens and
the guitar player from Birthday Suits played really concise, clamorous,
short, fast punk songs with the drummer from Selby Tigers."
Does that sound awesome to you? It sounds awesome to me.
15. J Saunders - Tingle
Confession time: I know almost nothing about these 40 seconds of the show. I really needed something to bridge the gap from Bug Fix to Blur and remembered filing this song deep in the recesses of my brain for an occasion just like this. Not to say I don't like it (far from it!), however, trying to Google J Saunders & find out more about this piece of music was difficult. I think it comes from a man named James Saunders, a British composer & music professor.
16. Blur - You're So Great
And so here we are with our Flatbasset Flatclassic Of The Week. To celebrate the 20 year anniversary of Blur's self-title album, we have one of my favorites from an album full of favorites, "You're So Great."
As you may know, Blur was the band's attempt at making an "American" album, a tall order for a band that was so synonymous with the Brit Pop sound. Did they succeed? It's very difficult to tell (it still sounds awfully British to me). Make no mistake, to the Blur diehards (present company included), the record is full of absolute classics. "Beetlebum," "Country Sad Ballad Man," "M.O.R.," "Look Inside America," "Death Of A Party..." I mean, goddamn!
"You're So Great" has always been my favorite though. It was Graham Coxon's first lead vocal on a Blur album to date and he absolutely nails it. I love Damon Albarn, but who couldn't have pulled off the vulnerability Coxon shows here (though he could have come close). The real reason this works (and why Coxon singing it integral to its success) is Coxon's brilliant guitar work. The strumming of the verses mimics the comforting feeling of having someone to love while the post-chorus solo-ing calls to mind the moment that Coxon's cracking voice has just described - that feeling of your love lifting you out of the drudgery of everyday living. In three and a half minutes, the notoriously cantankerous Coxon showed the public a vulnerability that he'd never show before while striking a chord with anybody who's ever needed a bit of help to get through the day (which is to say, everybody).
There you have it, everybody. Happy Valentine's Day!
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