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There wasn't one best new track, there were three! All from the featured album by Vitalic, 'Flashmob.' I'm guessing it's not inspired by Larry Niven but even so, it's my fave electronic record of 2009 (so far!). It's dancey, demented, dissonant deliciousness. The track 'Flashmob' itself sounds like Louis and Bebe Barron discovered the funk in a Krell basement somewhere, humping some fat Idmonsters. It's such a good album, a perfect antidote to the reams of generic electrodancewhatnot out there.



The best old track is kind of a cheat. Because it's new. The recording is, the song is old. Well, I think it is... The track is 'Three's A Crowd' by The Dorktones. It's off an album by them that you can listen to here. As far as I can make out, this is a covers CD. Certainly, it's got classics like 'Girl That I Knew Somewhere' and 'Girl Don't Tell Me' on it. But I've googled the lyrics to 'Three's A Crowd' and got nowt. Nuffink. I know I know it but where from?? Can anyone elucidate? Whatever, it's a wonderful old... er new or old track!

This is what you heard:

This Mortal Coil - 16 Days
Fruit Bats - The Ruminant Band
Blacks - 5,4,3,2,1
U-God - Stomp Da Roach
The Bloody Beetroots - Awesome
The Elephants - Take it!
Nebula - Giant
Gift Of Gab - Escape 2 Mars
The Answering Machine - Obviously Cold
In Defence - Don't Call Me A Moshist
Vitalic - Flashmob
Cormega - Make It Clear (Prod. By DJ Premier)
Redshape - Globe
Mesmer - The Exorcist
Komeda - It's Alright, Baby
Joker And Ginz - ReUp
Fugazi - Bad Mouth
Swollen Members - Red Dragon
Dananananaykroyd - Pink Sabbath
Vitalic - Terminateur Benelux
The Holly Springs Disaster - I D.A.R.E. David Bowie To Drive Drunk
People Under the Stairs - DQMOT
Pavement - At and T
Converge - Cutter
Art vs. Science - Parlez Vous Francais?
The Dorktones - Three's A Crowd
Alphabetix - Bounce
We Came As Romans - Intentions
Dead Man's Bones - Pa Pa Power
Sound of Stereo - Heads Up! (the Bloody Beetroots Remix)
My Bloody Valentine - Sueisfine
Speak Easy (Avatar and Bleek) - Rumblefish Ft. Qba Libre
Benny Page & Zero G - pan pipes
Taking Back Sunday - Sink Into Me
Saves the Day - Shoulder To The Wheel
Weezer - mykel and carli
Jern Eye (Lunar Heights) - So and So Ft. Guilty Simpson
War From a Harlots Mouth - No High Five For C.oward
Kraftwerk - Schaufensterpuppen (Edit)
Middle Distance Runner - The Fury
Matt & Kim - Daylight
Sene and Blu - Cloudclimbers
Pinch - attack of the giant killer robot spiders!
Four Letter Lie - Daymaker
Your Twenties - Caught Wheel
Boys Noize - Jeffer
anti-pop consortium - Shine
Tigers That Talked - Black Heart, Blue Eyes
Austrian Death Machine - Come On, Do It, Do It, Come On, Come On, Kill Me, Do It Now
Keely Smith - What Is This Thing Called Love?
The Lucksmiths - Camera-Shy
Four Letter Lie - Daymaker
Blitzen Trapper - Gold for Bread
Vitalic - One Above One
Bound By Honor - Word Play
Princeton - Shout It Out
Burning Hearts - I Walked Among The Trees
Wienzeile - nur ein gruss
Throwdown - RaiseYourFist
Yeti Lane - Lonesome George
Grandaddy - Now It's On
Jon Hopkins - Insides
Portishead - Strangers
Andrew Gold - Lonely Boy
Wave Machines - I Go I Go I Go

Top 50 Artists, Last Three Months
A survey that rudely refuses to recognize Shivaree, number 25


1. How did you get into 29?
Ruth Wallis I found on CDbaby while looking for raunchy innuendo in chaster times. She always makes me laugh.

2. What was the first song you ever heard by 23?
Emmylou Harris - probably "Too Far Gone"

3. What’s your favorite lyric by 33?
Muddy Waters: "She's nineteen years old/ And got ways just like a baby child/ Nothin' I can do to please her/ To make this young woman feel satisfied."

4. What is your favorite album by 49?
Flo Rida? Hahaha!

5. How many albums by 13 do you own?
johnny lang belongs to no one. I don't know. I just belieeeve in him.

6. What is your favorite song by 50?
Zee Avi - "Bitter Heart"

7. Is there a song by 40 that makes you sad?
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. No, actually. Repulsed and insane, maybe, but "sad" isn't the right word.

8. What is your favorite album by 15?
Tech N9ne. I just listen to "That Box" on repeat. Gross.

9. What is your favorite song by 5?
Gregory and the Hawk - I really love "A Wish."

10. Is there a song by 6 that makes you happy?
Blitzen Trapper's "Furr" makes me feel primal and giddy and alive.

11. What is your favorite album by 10?
Okkervil River - don't really know their albums, but I love "Black Sheep Boy"

12. What is your favorite song by 39?
Newton Faulkner is hilarious. God, they're all good. Maybe "Full Fat."

13. What is a good memory you have involving 31?
Ricky Skaggs - singing "Honey Won't You Open That Door" at top volume, walking down the stairs of my apartment building passing half a dozen people, breaking tune only to interject "hi." They loved it. It was sunny and a good day fer singin'

14. What is your favorite song by 38?
Lyle Lovett's "She's No Lady" is dripping with dark humor.

15. Is there a song by 19 that makes you happy?
Alison Krauss does sad songs best, but I DO smile at "Fortune Teller" and "You Say It Best When You Say Nothing At All."

16. How many times have you seen 16 live?
Alexz Johnson - None! I wish. I'd probably reach fanatical orgasm.

17. What is the first song you ever heard by 22?
Neutral Milk Hotel - No idea. Jess played 'em all night. Screwed up my charts :(

18. What is your favorite album by 11?
Meiko - Again, no albums, really. I like "You and Onions."

19. Who is a favorite member of 1?
The Mountain Goats Uhm, John Darnielle.

20. Have you ever seen 14 live?
The Blow - ohhhh, some day!!

21. What is a good memory involving 27?
Kate Walsh - falling asleep to her voice after a long day

22. What is your favorite song by 16?
Alexz Johnson's "Ultraviolet" is fun to sing off-key on the beach :)

23. What is the first song you ever heard by 48?
Everybody Else "Meat Market" I think.

24. What is your favorite album by 18?
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank

25. What is your favorite song by 21?
Dead Can Dance "How Fortunate the Man With None"

26. What is the first song you ever heard by 26?
Hayseed Dixie is a riot! I dunno, maybe "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"

27. What is your favorite album by 3?
SlimPickins impossibly improved upon Laniappe. I actually prefer Cross the Mountain.

28. What is your favorite song by 2?
Jaymay "Is This Love Or Isn't It?" I hope it is, Jamie, I hope it is.

29. What was the first song you ever heard by 32?
Just Jack "Doctor Doctor" - I was in Italy, watching Italian MTV. HAHA!

30. What is your favorite song by 8?
Emily Haines "The Maid Needs A Maid" is pretty and wry.

31. How many times have you seen 17 live?
William Fitzsimmons Zerrrro.

32. Is there a song by 44 that makes you happy?
Maria Mena's "You're the Only One" is a sweet, quirky lovenote.

33. What is your favorite album by 36?
Iron & Wine - another Jess interference :( He's not even here that often, he just has really concrete tastes, I guess.

34. What is the worst song by 12?
Tiziano Ferro "Indietro" fo SHO!

35. What was the first song you ever heard by 34?
Milow does the best version of "Ayo Technology"

36. What is your favorite album by 47?
Right Away, Great Captain Who? Must've been in the bathtub when they were cranking.

37. How many times have you seen 42 live?
The Format - Haven't yet.

38. What is your favorite song by 46?
Laura Marling's "Alas I Cannot Swim" is wistful and awful, but I love it.

39. What was the first song you ever heard by 28?
Devil Doll "The Liquor Store" I bet.

40. What is your favorite album by 7?
Priscilla Ahn - Not sure. Favorite song's "I Don't Think So."

41. Is there a song by 30 that makes you happy?
Cake - Dammnit, Jess.

42. What is your favorite album by 24?
Gogol Bordello's Voi-La Intruder is gypsylicious.

43. What is your favorite song by 41?
Matchbox Twenty have done so many good songs!! Maybe "Bright Lights"

44. What is a good memory you have involving 45?
Rosi Golan - Enjoying a self-indulgent, hungover breakfast while listening to "Hazy"

45. What is your favorite song by 35?
Mac Lethal Tough call. They're all so good! Ironically, maybe "Pound That Beer"

46. Is there a song by 9 that makes you happy?
The Knitters - ALL of them! Especially "Someone Like You" and "Wrecking Ball"

47. What is your favorite album by 4?
Leonard Cohen I only really have his "essential" collection. But I'm slowly falling in love with Blue Alert, which he cowrote with Anjani Thomas.

48. Who is a favorite member of 37?
Old Crow Medicine Show Oh, I don't even know them that well. My friend turned me onto them.

49. What is the first song you ever heard by 43?
Britney Spears! Hah, best question yet! "Baby, One More Time"

50. How many albums do you own by 20?
Maroon 5 is my sex god. Own all their albums.

Alternative Addiction
Wednesdays 12pm-3pm
Only on WMEB 91.9FM Orono, ME
Listen online at www.wmeb.fm!
Follow the show on Twitter: www.twitter.com/altadd

October 14, 2009

1. Radiohead - Myxomatosis
2. Alberta Cross - ATX
3. Jay Reatard - Faking It
4. Mission of Burma - Good Cheer
5. Reigning Sound - If I Can't Come Back
6. Turbo Fruits - Mama's Mad Cos I Fried My Brain
7. Wild Beasts - This Is Our Lot
8. The Shagbots - Consequences
9. Muse - Undisclosed Desires
10. The Queen Killing Kings - Reinventing Language
11. Deluka - Finito
12. La Roux - Fascination
13. Editors - Papillon
14. Modest Mouse - The Whale Song
15. Alec Ounsworth - South Philadelphia
16. The Rifles - Sometimes
17. The Cinematics - Moving To Berlin
18. Rubik - Fire Age
19. The Temper Trap - Fader
20. A Place to Bury Strangers - Keep Slipping Away
21. The Feelies - Moscow Nights
22. Plastiscines - Barcelona
23. Arctic Monkeys - Potion Approaching
24. We Were Promised Jetpacks - Roll Up Your Sleeves
25. Flight of the Conchords - Carol Brown
26. The Flaming Lips - Silver Trembling Hands
27. They Might Be Giants - I Am A Paleontologist
28. The Very Best - Warm Heart Of Africa
29. Rainbow Arabia - Harlem Sunrise
30. Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM
31. The Grates - Carve Your Name
32. Blitzen Trapper - Silver Moon
33. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - 103
34. No Age - You're A Target
35. Monotonix - Spit In Your Face
36. The Jaguar Club - Sleepwalking
37. WhoMadeWho - The Plot
38. Phoenix - Armistice
39. The Swimmers - A Hundred Hearts
40. Mew - Cartoons And Macrame Wounds

Here's my list of bands I've seen live. From memory and ticket stubs. There's more than what's on here, for sure. Later on I'll try to include venue and date, but it's not likely any time soon. Actually, it's probably not likely ever.

311
.38 Special
Andrew Bird
Aranka Fabian
Arcade Fire
Armin van Buuren
Asleep at the Wheel
Asobi Seksu
Atmosphere
Bassnectar
Beck
Béla Fleck
Ben Folds
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
Benevento-Russo Duo
Billy Cobham
Blackalicious
Blitzen Trapper
Bloc Party
Bon Iver
Broken Social Scene (with Leslie Feist and Emily Haines)
Buffalo Killers
Built to Spill
Cat Power & Dirty Delta Blues Band
Chicago
Citizen Cope
Clipse
Clutch
Common
Count Basie Orchestra
Counting Crows
Dave Matthews Band
Death Cab for Cutie
Dickey Betts
Diplo
Dr. Lonnie Smith
Drummer
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
Eek-A-Mouse
Ekoostik Hookah
Emily Haines
Eric Clapton
Evangelicals
Everclear
Family of the Year
Feist
Felice Brothers
Flogging Molly
Fujiya & Miyagi
Galactic
Ghostland Observatory
Girl Talk
Gnarls Barkley
Good Charlotte
Gov't Mule
Grizzly Bear
Guster
Guta
Gym Class Heroes
Heartless Bastards
Holiday Shores
Indigenous
Jack Johnson
Jean-Luc Ponty
Joe Lovano
Joey DeFrancesco
John Mayer
Joe Scofield/artist]
John Popper
Jose Gonzalez
Juvenile
Kanye West
Keb' Mo'
Klaxons
Ladytron
Larry Coryell
LCD Soundsystem
Leatherbag
Lupe Fiasco
Lyrics Born
Matisyahu
Medeski, Martin and Wood
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Mike Doughty
moe.
Mos Def
N.E.R.D.
Nappy Roots
New Found Glory
O.A.R.
of Montreal
Other Girls
Oxford Collapse
Oysterhead
Passion Pit
Patrick Sweany
Paul Van Dyke
Pearl Jam
Phoenix
Prescott Curlywolf
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Ratatat
Rebirth Brass Band
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Wanting Blue
Ron Blake
Roy Hargrove
Royal Bangs
Rufus Wainwright
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Sigur Rós
Sound Tribe Sector 9
Spoon
Stanley Clarke
Stars
Sufjan Stevens
Talib Kweli
Tapes 'n Tapes
The Avett Brothers
The B-52's
The Black Keys
The Charlie Daniels Band
The Dead Weather
The Decemberists
The Flaming Lips
The Go! Team
The New Pornographers
The Raconteurs
The Roots
The Shins
The Virgins
The Walkmen
Toubab Krewe
Thievery Corporation
Trey Anastasio
Twista
Umphrey's McGee
Wilco
Wish You Were Here
Wynton Marsalis and Lincoln Center Jazz
Yoko Ono

Mon 14 Sep – Blitzen Trapper, Sparrow and the Workshop, Kurran and the wolfnotes

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, and signed to the iconic Subpop Records, a label some of us still associate with Nirvana and many other purveyors of early-nineties grunge, Blitzen Trapper are a heady mixture of countrified indie-rock punctuated with a mild psychedelic noise.

http://londonist.com/2009/09/music_review_blitzen_trapper_barfly.php

Good things about this month: giant pork sandwiches, people being back in Windsor, music.

Bad things about this month: basically everything else.

I did some random catching up with 2008 recently and have been enjoying a few things that I missed, most notably Blitzen Trapper and Bishop Allen. Unfortunately their albums as a whole are pretty inconsistent (and even annoying at times), but damn these are some good singles. Although the new Muse album is pretty embarrassing overall, Uprising is a catchy and fun track in spite of its terribleness so I was compelled to include it. There's some electro-pop-ish stuff on here, a bit of hip hop, and the usual assortment of indie and/or rock. I enjoy the unintentional thematic progression of tracks 13-15, and the closing song which is taken from a live session shows a promising future for the Rural Alberta Advantage. Not that I had any doubt.

There was a lot of overflow this month so next month should also be good.

In terms of the mix, I mean.

Whee!



1. Muse - Uprising
2. Soulsavers - Unbalanced Pieces
3. Islands - No You Don't
4. Logan Lynn - Feed Me To The Wolves
5. Themselves & WHY? - Canada
6. Beck - Run Run Run
7. Bishop Allen - Click, Click, Click, Click
8. Two Hours Traffic - Noisemaker
9. Alberta Cross - ATX
10. Sea Wolf - O Maria!
11. Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer
12. Human Highway - Moody Motorcycle
13. Cuff the Duke - Follow Me
14. Amy Millan - I Will Follow You Into The Dark
15. The Be Good Tanyas - Waiting Around To Die
16. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Coldest Days

Download: http://www.mega upload.com/?d=2W2U42SV

Last night I went with my ace chums Angel and Ed to see Blitzen Trapper at the BARFly. It was an excellent gig, though increasingly I am realising that standing up for several hours makes my back and game hip ache horribly :/

Anyway, the evening started with delicious Wagamama food (yasai katsu curry - sticky rice in curry sauce with aubergine and sweet potato, with salad and Japanese pickles) washed down with healthful (and free!) green tea. We went to a pub and talked about silly things and Ed challenged my love of Jack White III by setting me various conundrums (would you do 'x' if it meant you got a shag from JWIII? Sadly, I agreed to a great deal of them).

Thence to the show! Sparrow and the Workshop opened, an alt-folky trio who sang songs of murder, deception and sorrow. I'd normally be annoyed at Chick Singer's floaty, girly voice, but Singin' Drummer Dude's growly snarl countered this perfectly. Like Blitzen Trapper, they managed to marry soft, smooth harmonies with some seriously twangtastic, crunchy noise. I was impressed.

Blizten Trapper were bloody marvellous. It's like Fleet Foxes had watched a tonne of Brian Blessed films and realised that BEING LOUD IS GOOD, all whilst maintaining their gorgeous melodic harmonies. The drummer looked like he was definitely moonlighting from Fleet Foxes - his beard is epic. Sound wise, this is a very busy band - most songs feature the glorious three-axe attack plus bass, keys, and harmonica - but it works. Also any band that employs a cowbell earns my love 4eva.

I was worried the sound would be warped and the lyrics impossible to hear - not to mention wondering how all six chaps would actually have room on the tiny BARFly stage - but the vocals were very clean. The Hammond organ could have done with some boosting, but overall the mix was good.

The highlight of the evening for me was 'Sleepytime in the Western World' - a song that I cannot listen to without feeling totally uplifted, utterly happy to be alive and listening to the words, the passion and feeling behind them....

Sleeping through the afternoon
I just can’t seem to leave my room
Waiting for the moon and a love so true
It’s gonna see me through
You know it’s gonna see me through

'Furr' nearly had me crying like a woman. The song opened with forest noises and the band asking us to imagine we were in the Oregon woodlands. The vocals blend into the guitar, and the story of a boy who hears the voices of angels and becomes one with a wolf pack.

You can wear your fur
like a river on fire
But you better be sure
if you're makin' God a liar
I'm a rattlesnake, babe,
I'm like fuel on fire
So if you're gonna get made,
Don't be afraid of what you've learned

Oh, did I mention the band love Wilco? They opened for them at the Troxy show and a few other gigs, and OH MY LORD they have a darling Twitter account where they recently geeked out adorably about playing California Stars with them in Dublin* ('Just played california stars with wilco in dublin. Can't believe this is happening.' Aww - bless!)

I was down front with a sprinkling of women and Wilco-dads-in-training and the dancing was dorky and fun and unselfconscious. Apparently at the back some idiots were talking loudly and to-ing and fro-ing to the bogs to take drugs - the hell? I suppose Camden will be Camden, but why would you want / need drugs to make this evening better? Maybe I'm being a judgemental jerkwad, but I dunno, I wonder why the music isn't enough. *shrugs haplessly a la Alan Partridge*

I should really just sack up and get a Wilco ticket for November, even if I have to go alone. I mean, for the most part I was standing alone in a sea of fans, but I dunno, maybe knowing I had Angel & Ed behind me to return to made it feel better? I don't know why I'm so strange about going to gigs alone.

My twitter update last night was: Blitzen Trapper = melodic rock, sweet harmonic rock, pure twangy RAWK! This is why I have a crappy job -to go to shows like this. And it's true.

NEXT GIGS LINED UP:
Brendan Benson 21 Oct - contact me for a ticket as I have a spare
The Dead Weather 29 Oct
Wilco (?) 4 Nov
The Mars Volta 14 Dec

*

1. How did you get into 29?
Maroon 5 They were on tv some time ago with a song I hated, but now I actually love it. Music taste changes too often for my own good..

2. What was the first song ever you heard about 22?
Andrew W.K.
Party Hard

3. What's your favourite lyric by 33?
M. Ward I'm really not sure, don't know his music that well right now.

4. What is your favourite album by 49?
Yellowcard Can't really say i've ever listened to one all the way through.

5. How many albums by 13 do you own?
Lady GaGa Just the 1, The Fame

6. What is your favourite song by 50?
Tyler Hilton Probably Missing you.

7. Is there a song by 39 that makes you sad?
Jimmy Eat World Yeah there's a couple

8. What is your favorite album by 15?
Blitzen Trapper that would be Furr.

9. What is your favorite song by 5?
Great Lake Swimmers Gosh.. Stealing tomorrow maybe, or Concrete Heart.

10. Is there a song by 6 that makes you happy?
The National Hmm no not really.

11. What is your favorite album by 40?
The Maccabees I think Colour It In.

12. What is your favorite song by 10?
Regina Spektor Somedays

13. What is a good memory you have involving 30?
Arcade Fire Don't have one.

14. What is your favorite song by 38?
Röyksopp Not a clue.

15. Is there a song by 19 that makes you happy?
Voxtrot A couple of them do in an odd way.

16. How many times have you seen 25 live?
Takka Takka I wish..

17. What is the first song you ever heard by 23?
Albert Hammond Jr. Not entirely sure.

18. What is your favorite album by 11?
The Fray Self-titled album

19. Who is a favorite member of 1?
Enter Shikari I'll go with Chris.

20. Have you ever seen 14 live?
The Temper Trap Nope, I wish i had though.

21. What is a good memory involving 27?
Chad VanGaalen Not got one.

22. What is your favorite song by 16?
Blitzen Trapper Not your lover.

23. What is the first song you ever heard by 47?
The Honorary Title again not sure, was on OTH.

24. What is your favorite album by 18?
Noah and the Whale It would have to be their latest one.. The First Day of Spring

25. What is your favorite song by 21?
Frankmusik Confusion Girl