Flatbasset

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #131 (American Album Hall Of Fame - Class Of 2018)

While I'm alive I'll feel alive...

Well hello again, everybody! Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #131!

Folks, last Sunday we celebrated some of the finest work coming from our brothers & sisters in the Great White North. Now, I may be a few days late, however, it was just America's birthday which means it's time for my favorite episode of the year. That's right, it's time to induct six new albums into the Flatbasset Radio American Album Hall Of Fame.

Before we get to this year's inductees, let me bombard you with some links to the previous induction ceremonies:

Class Of 2015 (Part I)
Class Of 2015 (Part II)

Class Of 2016 (Part I)
Class Of 2016 (Part II)

Class Of 2017 (Part I)
Class Of 2017 (Part II)

Note - The links above are for the previous blog post and the Archive.org MP3's. For reasons that have yet to be sufficiently explained to me Mixcloud takes down each episode of this show. I'd be angry, but it's a free site. You get what you pay for.

Before we get to the albums, though, here's a quick reminder of the FRAAHOF's criteria:

01. An album must be at least 10 years old to be inducted into the FRAAHOF

02. Only 6 albums per year may be inducted

03. Only 2 of those 6 albums may have been released over 30 years ago

04. No artist can appear in consecutive years

So, with those criteria in mind, here's a look at this year's inductees:

This year's class is a curious one in that it contains a couple of first-ballot Hall Of Famers, a couple that may only be FRAAHOF-worthy to me, and a couple undeniable pillars of American alternative rock. Unlike previous years, we're upping the song count to four per album plus plenty of me rabblin' on trying (and failing) to adequately explain my reasoning behind their enshrinement. It's a good time.

So, now that you know, here's what the Flatbasset Radio American Album Hall Of Fame looks like as of today:

Pretty sexy. This stupid concept is really taking shape.

Alright, let's get to this year's 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 #131 (with all the appropriate iTunes tagging), click here for Part 1 & here for Part 2.

Now, let's get to it:

Part 1:

01. The Hollows
02. Fatalist Palmistry
03. By Torpedo Or Crohn's
04. These Few Presidents

05. Hooligans
06. Intro/Bloodclot
07. Corazon De Oro
08. Who Would've Thought?

09. Bone Machine
10. Gigantic
11. Break My Body
12. Where Is My Mind?

Part 2:

01. Heartless
02. Coldest Winter
03. Say You Will
04. Street Lights

05. Fine And Good
06. All Right (Oh, Yeah)
07. Lucky Time
08. All The Kids Are Right

09. Radio Free Europe
10. Catapult
11. Perfect Circle
12. Talk About The Passion

Flatbasset Radio Artwork by Ross Auger
American Flag by Betsy Ross

Thanks for listening!

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.

Monday, July 2, 2018

Flatbasset Radio's 25 Most Played Albums: June '18

Well hello again, everybody! Welcome to yet another compelling episode of "Things I Listened To While Praising My New God: Air Conditioning!"

That's right, another month is in the books. It was a sweaty one here in Minneapolis, but you know what they say - if you don't like the weather in Minnesota just complain about it forever until you've been ostracized by friends, family, acquaintances, co-workers, potential lovers, pets, retail workers, public transit employees... Well, you get the idea.

Before I get to the list - Huge thanks to everybody who checked out the podcast this month. I know I thank you every month, but I mean it every time. This is a hobby, but it's one I take seriously. I really do put a lot of effort into trying to provide quality shows. Glad people are digging them.

Related note - Big thanks to anybody who shared the show on this big dumb internet. I don't have any sort of advertising (or advertising budget for that matter) and it'll be a cold day in hell before I pay Team Zuckyberg to "Boost" anything, so those shares are pretty much the whole reach of the podcast. They're definitely appreciated.

Alright, let's get to the thing.

As always, one "play" equals one song. For example, the new Astronomique 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.

01. Astronomique - Sharp Divide (72 plays)

02. Flip Rushmore - Big, If True (70 plays)

03. Rancid - Life Won't Wait (67 plays)

04. Scrunchies - Stunner (65 plays)

05. Bruce Springsteen- Human Touch (57 plays)

06. Dennis - Alien Fantasy (54 plays)

07. V/A - Unpop 161 (48 plays)

08. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals (43 plays)

09. V/A - Spring 2018 (Z Tapes Compilation) (42 plays)

10. Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death AndAll His Friends (40 plays)

11. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges (39 plays)

12. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On A Gravel Road (36 plays)

13. Haley - Big Star (35 plays)

14. Roma di Luna - Casting The Bones (35 plays)

15. Naked Raygun - All Rise (34 plays)

16. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (33 plays)

17. Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (32 plays)

18. Sixo - The Odds Of Free Will (32 plays)

19. The Dickies - Dawn Of The Dickies (30 plays)

20. Superteen - Exponential SUPERTEEN (30 plays)

21. The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale (30 plays)

22. Billy Bragg & Wilco - Mermaid Avenue Vol. 1 (30 plays)

23. The Evening Rig - Never Been'er (30 plays)

24. PUP - The Dream Is Over (30 plays)

25. The Eternal - Witness To An Execution (30 plays)

There you have it, folks. Stay tuned for more shows in July.

I can be found on this big terrible internet 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.

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #130 (Canada Day Special!)

I won't forget you if someone else comes along...

Well hello again, podcast fans! Welcome to Flatbasset Radio's Annual Canada Day Special!

That's right, folks, another Canada Day is upon us. Now I know things are a little curious between my country and yours right now. I know that, despite hundreds of years of peaceful co-existence and the world's longest unprotected, our President has decided that our relationship is unfair and you're somehow to be blamed (as if you're the tempestuous, excitable, delusional party in our relationship). Honestly, considering no Canadian team has won the Cup since '93, I'm surprised you haven't turned on us. But I digress....

Listen, Canada, I can't claim to speak everybody in America (for better and far more often worse, thanks to Twitter, they're certainly more than capable of speaking for themselves) but I've said it a hundred times if I said it once - I absolutely consider Canadians my brothers and sisters. I've spent nearly all 36 years of my life living in a state that shares a border with Canada and I've interacted with hundreds (if not thousands) of Canadians in various capacities and I can say with confidence that 90% of those interactions have been nothing but enjoyable. Yes, sure, there's always a few bad apples (cough... cough... Jets fans...), but what can you do? There's always a few. I don't let them ruin my opinion of your country and I hope you don't let the bad apples from Minnesota ruin your opinion of ours.

That said, let's get to the show. Lots of great Canadian artists on this one (and I even removed my stupid rambling from the proceedings). No agenda, no algorithms, just a 16 song, 53 minute love letter to the our neighbours to the north. I've got a few anniversaries in the mix, a Cover Of The Week, and a 50th Anniversary Flatbasset Flatclassic! Enjoy!

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 #130 (with all the appropriate iTunes tagging), just click here.

Here's how Ep. #130 plays out:

01. Ian Kamau - Intro

02. Daniel Romano - Toulouse

03. BADBADNOTGOOD - Can't Leave The Night

04. Sloan - The Lines You Amend

05. Owen Pallett - Hard To Explain

06. Buck 65 - Killed By A Horse

07. Andy Shauf - I'm Not Falling Asleep

08. Caribou - Medium Size Working Dog (Steady Steady)

09. The Everywheres - Tripping

10. Shad - Intro

11. Destroyer - It's Gonna Take An Airplane

12. Ryan Hemsworth - Wait (w/Keaton Henson & Mitski)

13. Wolf Parade - California Dreamer

14. Ian Kamau - Sidewalks

15. Stars - Cotes De Neiges

16. The Band - This Wheel's On Fire

Flatbasset Radio Artwork by Ross Auger
Canadian Flag by George F.G. Stanley

Thanks for listening!

Friday, June 29, 2018

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #129

I've had all that I can take today...

Well hello again, everybody. Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #129!

Folks, I know it's been a few weeks since put up a new show and believe me, you have my most sincere apologies for that. I wanted to do the show, but I've been doing nothing but working, sweating, and napping in this godforsaken heat bubble of a city that I just didn't get it done. My bad. I'm back, though, better than ever.

This week's show is front-to-back bangers. I've got plenty of new local music, some throwback local jams, a batch of anniversaries (funny how a few weeks off does that), a couple new West Coast obsessions, our continued exploration of the Disposable America catalog, our weekly deep dive into Nate's Archives, the Cover Of The Week, a trip in the Minnesota Way-Back Machine, and, of course, 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 #129 (with all the appropriate iTunes tagging), just click here.

Here's how Ep. #129 plays out:

01. The Regrets - Houndstooth

02. Haley (fka Haley Bonar) - Big Star

03. British Sea Power - Come Wander With Me

04. Lunch Duchess - Ride Or Die

05. Naked Raygun - Rat Patrol

06. Lost Film (fka Orca Orca) - Tomorrow

07. Astronomique - We Disappear

08. Quarterstance - Put On

09. The Smilies - In My Head

10. Roma Di Luna - Tamar

11. Snuff - Take Me Home (Piss Off)

12. Wilco - At My Window Sad And Lonely

Beats by Phatnumber
Flatbasset Radio Artwork by Ross Auger

Thanks for listening!

Monday, June 11, 2018

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #128

I love the romance of crime...

Well hello again, music fans! Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #128!

Folks, it's a stormy Monday night here in Minneapolis, but that doesn't mean we're taking the night off. In fact, if you listen to the show, you'll notice that I recorded it on Saturday night, which means I've already taken several days off - but no more! It's time to get down to business. No agenda, no algorithms, just 12 songs over 57 minutes lovingly assembled by yours truly.

This week's show is 100% jams. I've got a nice slate of new local music, a bit of old local music, some 80's British pop, some 70's LA punk, some 90's alternative, a very meta song about songs, another gem from Community Radio Tapes, our continued exploration of the Disposable America catalog, yet another classic Mozzer B-side, a "high and lonesome" country ballad (waltz time alert!), and, sadly, another in memoriam for an artist lost too soon. All that plus the Cover Of The Week, deep dive into Nate's Archives, a trip in the Minnesota Way-Back Machine, and a quintessentially American 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 #128 (with all the appropriate iTunes tagging), just click here.

Here's how Ep. #128 plays out: