Angus & Julia Stone, Love Will Take You
Velocity Girl, Pop Loser
Victoire, I Am Coming for My Things
The Ericksons, Lie for You
Veronica Lipgloss and the Evil Eyes, Like Lead
Velocette, Bitterscene
Big Tree, October
The Violettes, Melodium
Via Tania, Little China
Quilt, Penobska Oakwalk
Velella Velella, Splinters and Smoke
Venus Hum, Springtime #2
Jessica Jalbert, Necromancy
Visqueen, Blue
Vivian Girls, Double Vision
The Melismatics, Your Love Is a Poison
Von Iva, Birds of Prey
Voltaire Twins, Knives
Brief Candles, 10 Weeks
Brooke Waggoner, Go Easy Little Doves, I’ll Be Fine
The Watson Twins, Waves
Yael Meyer, Heartbeat
Martha Wainwright, Far Away
Warpaint, Warpaint
Zoe Boekbinder, Anything Forever
Anna Waronker, I Wish You Well
We Landed on the Moon!, Boats
Anne, Virginal Plight
Webelos, Hansel and Gretal
Emily Jane White, Victorian America
Neverever, Baby Oil and Iodine
Wild Flag, Romance
Willowz, Once and a While
The Kabbs, Mixed Up
Amy Winehouse, Rehab
Winterbrief, Chick Flick
Big Deal, Locked Up
X-Ray Spex, I Am a Cliche
Jen Wood, Let’s Fight
Alice Sweet Alice, Falling Under
Yacht, Utopia
Wow & Flutter, Red Face
Tigertown, Still Breathing
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Our Time
Joel’s Hit Show, Episode 141, 22 February 2012 Playlist
February 23, 2012Joel’s Hit Show, Episode 140, 15 February 2012 Playlist
February 16, 2012Axelle Red, La Claque
Trashcan Sinatras, People
Emiliana Torrini, Dead Things
Yael Meyer, Backbone
Mia Doi Todd, Under the Sun
Jenny Toomey, Breezewood, PA
The Joy Formidable, Endtapes
Tom Tom Club, She’s a Freak
Dune Tran, Kites
Brief Candles, Nosferatu Monks
Tracy + the Plastics, This Is Dog-City
Tsunami Bomb, Negative One to Ten
Quilt, Children of Light
Lissy Trullie, Don’t to Do
Andreya Triana, Lost Where I Belong
The Ericksons, BRB
The Trolleyvox, Jean Jacket
Tuscadero, Dreams of the Tanker
Jessica Jalbert, Stupid Hollow
Tullycraft, Ticket Tonight
Twigs, Trouble Me Too
Zoe Boekbinder, Serrated Spoon
Twin Sister, Badstreet
Typhoon, Claws Pt. 1
Pterodactyl, Zombies
tUnE-yArDs, Little Tiger
20 Minute Loop, Aquarium
The Lost Satellites, How Nice It Goes
Undersea Poem, Leon Come Home
Ultralash, Flying Colors
Dirty Projectors + Bjork, When the World Comes to an End
Laura Veirs, Wandering Kind
Vaselines, Rory Rides Me Raw
The Chambermaids, China Blue
Ursa Minor, What Good Is a Song
Utah Phillips and Ani DiFranco, Mess With People
SSRIs, Clay Faced, Meat Boots
UUVVWWZ, Trapezeus
Vivian Girls, Double Vision
The Duke Spirit, Cherry Tree
Veruca Salt, Volcano Girls
Versus, Lost Time
Elk Bell, A Little Cold Outside
Joel’s Hit Show, Episode 139, 8 February 2012 Playlist
February 9, 2012Zoe Boekbinder, Hollow Bones
Suran Song in Stag, Polybucket Radio
Summer Cats, In June
Big Tree, Gloria
Superchunk, Learned to Surf
Tammar, Visits
The Anthemeers, Coyote
Maria Taylor, This Could Take a Lifetime
Talulah Gosh, Talulah Gosh
Ivy, Distant Lights
Tamaryn, Sandstone
Tegan and Sara, I Won’t Be Left
Pterodactyl, Aphasia
Tennis, Cape Dory
Terra Lightfoot, Foxes
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, Dollars in the Night
Teenage Moods, Attic Years
Thao With the Get Down Stay Down, Burn You Up
Damn Handsome and the Birthday Suits, Angels
Tender Trap, Suddenly
10,000 Maniacs, Poison in the Well
Alice Sweet Alice, Broken Mirror
That Dog, Did You Ever
Teenage Harlets, Shotgun
Hindi Zahra, Music
The Temper Trap, Fader
Terra Nova, Love Stoned
The Ericksons, Box of Letters
The Thermals, An Ear for Baby
Themes, Halls
Surfer Blood, I’m Not Ready
Throwing Muses, Half Blast
Those Darlins, Screws Get Loose
The Chamber Maids, China Blue
Tracey Thorn, Singles Bar
The Ting Tings, Fruit Machine
Bonjay, Stumble
Tilt, Partial Birth
Mary Timony, 14 Horses
Niki & the Dove, Last Night
Tiger Trap, Puzzle Pieces
Tilly and the Wall, A Perfect Fit
The Kabbs, Never Knew
Tiny Vipers, The Downward
Times New Viking, DROP-OUT
Touch My Rash, Sexless Existence
Travis Pickle, Cheesehead
Various Artists “Tunes for Baboons: Live Sessions from CJSW”
January 29, 2012CJSW is a radio station in Canada. This two-CD compilation has a country record and a rock record. How thoughtful. Here are some highlights:
- Matt Masters sounds like Lou Reed on “Candle Flame”
- Eamon McGrath sounds like John Cougar Mellencamp in “Cut Knife City Blues”
- Rural Alberta Advantage musically sounds like Kacy Crowley’s “Nickel to the Stone” on “Barnes Yard” except of course a dude is singing
- The Sumner Brothers give a faithful rendition of “Big Rock Candy Mountain”
- Woodpigeon are slightly dreamy with the backing vocals in the titanic “… And as the Ship Went Down You’d Never Looked Finer”
- BJ Snowden sounds like Brak a little bit while singing “In Canada”
- Foon Yap is a rare female voice on the comp and shines brightly, Rasputina style, on “THE FUN MACHINE”
- The Pygmies pay homage to similarly named ’60s rock bands with “She Lied”
- Inquisition sound like your standard punk-pop band from the mid-’90s on “Pine”
- SSRIs do noisy grrl art punk on “Clay Faced, Meat Boots”
- Tetrix isn’t very original when channeling the Clash, but “Wipeout” is still a good song
- Bonjay gives us female-fronted synthpop on “Stumble”
Jessica Jalbert “Brother Loyola”
January 29, 2012Finally, music the whole family can agree on. Jessica Jalbert has a voice that doesn’t rely on gimmicks to be enjoyed. “Necromancy” gets the album off to a great start with fantastic harmony in the backing vocals and strings. It is a cello, which is a shame, because I wanted to say I liked the viola in “Brother Loyola.”
“Daniels” has what must be trumpet. Even with my tin ear I can identify quality of this caliber when I hear it. Waltz fans can rejoice with the relatively tame “Wild One.” This track downplays the vocals, which is unnecessary, but the song still holds up well.
I’m a big fan of “Stupid Hollow.” It has a girl-group charm about it, and the drums make me want to march my butt down to the Kwik-E-Mart to get some chips and a beer. The other track I like is “Aubrey de Grey.” It’s not about former Detroit Lions wide receiver Aubrey Matthews, but that’s OK.
The Kabbs “The Kabbs EP”
January 29, 2012I don’t remember why I grabbed this one, but that’s OK. It’s slightly heavier power pop with some fierce surflike jangle on “Never Knew.” It sounds like what would happen if the Hi-Fives weren’t a punk band.
“Golden and Blue” is a bit more rockabilly/alt-country. Bob Dylan comes to mind when I hear “Down This Road.” The Kabbs seem to be auditioning different sounds. That’s what they do in San Diego, you know.
If you remember early Rolling Stones, you’re old. You’d also like “Mixed Up.” The stronger ’60s sound only misses the pops and cracks that vinyl would provide. The last track is “Love Race.” It also has the same jangle sound. These are always fun to play live, and I’m sure they enjoy doing just that.
Darkness Falls “Alive in Us”
January 29, 2012Darkness Falls focuses on the ’60s-style sensitivity with the musical talent of Hope Sandoval. You would never guess they were from Denmark. But these Danes are great. “Noise on the Line” has the same tambourine as Mazzy Star’s “Flowers in December,” which really doesn’t say much because lots of songs have tambourine, but that’s the one that came to mind, so suck it.
“The Void” has good synths to piece the verses and chorus together. The backing vocals are also quite nice. A little bit somber and darker is “Josephine.” It’s also a very long track so maybe play this one before you go to sleep at night.
There is a “Paradise Trilogy II” and a “Paradise Trilogy III,” but the first one is a lot better. It’s nearly an instrumental. Are they still considered backing vocals if they’re just singing like in the theme to the original “Star Trek” TV show? And, no, I don’t know why there isn’t a “Paradise Trilogy.”
If you want something a little spookier, you have to go with “Hey!” This is probably the most complete song on the record.
Cherri Bomb “Stark”
January 29, 2012It sounds exactly like you would expect it to. It’s rock enough that Naked Rob could play it on his show. “Mirror Mirror” is as LA-sounding as it gets. The guitar in “Already Dead” reminds me of Damone when they didn’t suck.
“Let It Go” isn’t about farting. This track is a bit more anthemic, like My Morning Jacket, only with a woman singing. The singing is better than Picture Me Broken, but it’s still in that Joan Jett/Pat Benatar vein.
If you want a straight-ahead leather pants rock song, “Spin” is what you want. The last track is “The Pretender,” yes a Foo Fighters cover. It’s very true to the original, which is fine by me. I really enjoy this one.
Donora “Boyfriends, Girlfriends”
January 29, 2012More, please. There’s a woman who sings like in Mates of State, and there’s keys. This record is perfect for ex-Cure fans in their mid-30s who want to feel cool. Uh oh. “Champion” is a standard indie pop song with piano that builds and the guitar and bass you have come to expect.
If you want something a little more frenetic, give “Boom Boom” a shot. The woman in that Sprint commercial for unlimited data loves this song. In fact, she downloads it over and over because Sprint customers have an unlimited data plan.
I like “And Then the Girls” because it makes me think of M.I.A. And if you like ’60s girl groups, you’ll love this offshoot of a song: “If You See My Boyfriend.” It’s a little long for this genre, but that’s fine with me. Why eat a veggieburger when you can eat a double veggieburger?
Women that like Donora are instantly hot, guaranteed.
Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun “Wildfire”
January 29, 2012Very familiar La Roux/Metric sound here. But you don’t have to be innovative to be good, as my boss says. This is the kind of band that always plays at the Rickshaw Stop when I am there. “We Were Wild” is a microcosm of this.
Those who like their dance-pop with hand claps and hints of Cure synths will like “Single-Hearted.” Vocally this may remind you of Ruby, although the music is a little too cheery for that.
Republica fans will like “With My Good Eye.” If the band would develop a British accent, no one would be able to tell the difference. I can’t figure out what the first single is, but “Oh Black Gold” sounds like the second one to me. I’m thinking Yeah Yeah Yeahs here. Maybe it should be called “O Black Gold” instead.
“Life & Limb” is a little more mellow and has more pronounced guitar, even if the chords are simple. This is a good rock party album in a room full of rock party albums. Grab an artisan beer and lie about how you won’t vote for Obama in 2012 with your friends.
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