Tuesday Turntable 9.1.09

Aah! It's September!!!!

Well... you know what this means.

There is only one possible theme for this week's turntable...

That's right.

Horses vs. Unicorns.

...

Allison's recommendation. I couldn't agree more.

First... a Horse! "Judy and the Dream of Horses" by Belle and Sebastian. Really, Belle and Sebastian is one of those bands that I really want to like a lot, but for which I can usually only muster minimal excitement. This song, however, I'm always happy to hear. A very sweet and simple beginning that keeps you focused on the lyrics detailing Judy's story builds to a nice, up-tempo latter half. As for our contest, the horse in this song is stolen by some girl in Judy's dream. Not a very good start, horses. Let's see what the unicorns have in store.

The best unicorn song, ever. "I Was Born a Unicorn," by who else but The Unicorns. A charming blend of punk and 50's pop, this song is a big smile-inspirer. Weird Vincent-Price-like breakdown in the middle of the song doesn't throw anyone off, it just makes this quirky song all the more lovable. Contest judgement: Unicorns score one for having a band named after them, but these unicorns keep getting left behind by Noah's Ark and have some identity issues. They are doing much better than our next horse though...

"Wildfire" by Michael Martin Murphy. AWW! COME ON! Yes, I am giving you the famously tear-jerking 70's ballad about a young girl and her beloved pony named Wildfire. A killer Nebraska blizzard hits, Wildfire busts out of her stall and gets lost, and the girl is doomed to run through the blizzard screaming for her best friend, who has tragically perished in the storm. How freaking sad is that??? It's the saddest thing. Horses lose.

"White Unicorn" is a pretty awesome Wolfmother song. Catchy as "Woman," but with more interesting instrumentation. Definitely holds up to repeat listening, whereas a few other Wolfmother songs get kind of old pretty quick. Contest: the unicorn in this song is really only a tattoo, but it isn't stolen, left behind from an ark, or killed in a blizzard, so unicorns have scored the first point of the game.

Finally, "Is There a Ghost" by Band of Horses. Has some of my favorite Band of Horses features: deep, echoey mastering, Ben Bridwell's unique vocals, and really accessible but fascinating lyrics. True, there is no horse in this song. But it is played by a whole band made of horses. Do you know how hard it is to play guitar with hooves? Didn't think so. Horses score 1, making our contest a tie game.

To listen to this Turntable without having to stay on Wax Cylinders, click the Pop-Out Player button below the playlist. If your pop-up blocker is reluctant to allow this, try holding the control key when you hit Pop-Out Player.

Enjoy!

<

Tuesday Turntable 8.18.09

Summer is over. Well, pretty much. Anyone who hasn't headed back to the hallowed halls is probably packing up to do so, surely with a grimace.

But fear not, we all have a few more weeks of sun and summer left to us, and these songs are here to remind you of the last months in music.

All these tracks were released, brand spanking new, this summer, all from blockbuster bands, at that. Let's take a look-see at these Next Big Things!

"Guilty Cocker Spaniels" is a track off of Modest Mouse's new EP, released August 4th, No One's First, and You're Next!. The album is famously composed of rejected tracks from Good News for People Who Love Bad News and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, and considering these two albums earned Modest Mouse the bulk of their huge fan base, "Guilty Cocker Spaniels" has enough elements from both records to act as a catch-all track for everything likable from the previous two albums.

"These Are My Twisted Words" has the most Radiohead-ishly bizarre backstory ever. The track surreptitiously floated onto a message board of Radiohead fan site At Ease, with absolutely no explanation or commentary from the band. This sent the blogosphere into a frenzy since Wednesday... "well, is it Radiohead or not??" Thom Yorke's entrance at 2:38 on the track had most people convinced it was at least a Yorke single, but nothing was confirmed until Monday, when the band acknowledged it on their site, adding, "We've been recording for a while, and this was one of the first we finished. We're pretty proud of it." Oh yeah, and did I mention it's a free download?

Panic! at the Disco has had a turbulent summer - two members, aka half the band, guitarist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker walked out of Panic! over creative differences to start their own project. Jon and Ryan are gone, the exclamation point is back, and a new track is out.

Panic! at the Disco released "New Perspective" on July 27th, first as a MySpace exclusive. (What's left of) the band announces the video is already shooting for the new single.

Weezer has named their upcoming album, featuring this track, "(If You're Wondering if I Want You To) I Want You To," Raditude. That pretty much sums up my opinion of Weezer, right there. Still, new track, I'll be seeing them open for Blink-182, and new track becomes official August 25th.

Tuesday Turntable 4.28.09

1964-6: A wave of British rock bands become wildly popular in America, bringing us The Beatles, The Rolling Stones...
2004-9: The same thing happens out of...

Sweden?

If you've been paying attention lately, you will have noticed that the Swedes have now invaded, bearing gifts of rock and pop.

Since the artists don't tend towards heavy accents or drastically different attitudes from American music, the Swedish artists aren't automatically recognized as such. But the Swedish sound is something Americans are eating up right now, and with good reason.

Dance pop group The Knife starts off with their original "Heartbeats," which was subsequently covered more famously by José Gonzales. I personally prefer Gonzales' acoustic version, as The Knife's can be grating in certain moods, but I also think it is nifty to listen to them side-by-side.

"This Boy" comes from I'm From Barcelona (they aren't from Barcelona.) The repetitive chorus and light composition (complete with whistling!) is something you can notice in a lot of the music coming out of Sweden at this point, so I think it is pretty indicative of Swedish Indie in particular.

The intro of "Young Folks" always inspires a cheesy dance breakdown in my friends and I when it comes up on the plethora of our mix CDs it is featured on. This track should sound familiar; it is used to advertise pretty much everything: Xbox 360 soccer and karaoke games, Gossip Girl episodes, etc.

"Walk Idiot Walk" is a much older track, but The Hives are a totally awesome band (and, according to Spin, the best live band ever.) Only recently did I discover their Swedishness, and I think it makes this band even cooler. Almost as cool as the band's stage names: Howlin' Pete Almqist, Nicholaus Arson, Vigilante Carlstroem, Dr. Matt Destruction, and Chris Dangerous.

(Honorable Mention: Boten Anna by Basshunter.)

Tuesday Turntable 4.21.09

Welcome to your Tuesday morning!

Our theme is something completely irresistable...

British Accents!

Let's hop right in, shall we?

First off is "You! Me! Dancing!" by Los Campesinos!. The two-minute instrumental intro is far from dull, it always grabs attention with its impressive cresendo. Gareth Campesinos!'s Wales-accent-laden, high-speed chattering characterizes this track as true Brit Twee Pop.

"Emily Kane" from Art Brut is an obvious choice for our celebration of accents, and again, this song has such a charming and silly tone that only the Grinch could deny its adorability.

Perhaps more conventional but no less cheery is "Keep Singing Out," by Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. Sam Duckworth of Essex, England's band is named in pretty much the most awesome way I can imagine; the title comes from the quest notes of an original Batman video game, which stated 'Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.'

Kate Nash is pop music at its most tongue-in-cheek and introspective, without coming off as pretentious. Far from it, "Mouthwash" is a ballad about, above all else, being normal. Somehow, she pulls this off without the paradox of singing about how normal you are on a platinum record.

The best accent ever belongs to Charlie Reid of The Proclaimers on "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles.)" Don't argue with me. I'm right.

Tuesday Turntable 4.14.09

The late Seventies wasn't a time I had associated with great music. Until I started paying attention, that is.

This Turntable is comprised of songs produced between 1977-79, and if you aren't already familiar with these, you should get that way. For real, if you haven't heard of the bands themselves, I'd be willing to bet a good portion of your music library is greatly influenced by the punk and post-punk coming out of these years.

First is "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads. In perfect honesty, I discovered this song while playing Rock Band II in my dorm. Not the most distinguished of musical venues, yet if I hadn't first heard this song when it was my turn to sing, I might not appreciate it as much as I do. The off-kilter lyrics had me giggling shyly to the group as I sang, but once the chorus broke out, I dropped all my bashful pretense. This has got to be one of the most insanely fun choruses to sing (poorly) in the Rock Band repertoire, if not in seventies music in general.

I think "Shot by Both Sides"'s opening guitar solo says more than I can about how great this song is. Magazine was literally post-punk, with frontman Howard Devoto frustratedly quitting his former punk band (a little outfit you might have heard of: The Buzzcocks) in order to form Magazine. He doesn't fully lose sight of his roots, but the more conventional structure of the song allowed Magazine to access a fanbase on which traditional punk was lost.

"Hey, I know I've heard this song before! It was selling the New VW Beetle a few years back, right?"
"Yeah, it's called "Mr. Blue Sky.""
"Oh, right, by the Polyphonic Spree, right?"
"Um, not quite, this band is Electric Light Orchestra, they're from 1977."
*indie cred instantly crushed, mwah ha ha, take that, hipster!*

Ok, Ok, so two of the songs on this Turntable I discovered from video games. Epic fail, I know. But seriously, these game designers have pretty awesome taste, and I'm apparently in their debt. The lyrics to "Surrender" are perhaps even more relevant today than they were in the seventies. Every generation, of course, will be apt to say their parents 'seem a little weird,' I suppose, but relatability doesn't sacrifice excitement in this Cheap Trick ode to being freaked out when your parents make out.

The Only Ones didn't last much longer than their first album, but it was enough to get us "Another Girl, Another Planet." What I notice about this song is, it's a hell of a lot catchier than most punk songs out there. I hear it in a lot of the pop-punk bands that came into existence in the nineties. As long as it doesn't turn out that it's responsible for Simple Plan, it will remain one of my favorite Brit Punk songs.

Tuesday Turntable 3.17.09

St. Patrick's Day Turntable!

Look, it's even green!

Really, not a lot to say about these songs, other than they are all Celtic Punk and should help you have a crazy fun day!

Tuesday Turntable 3.10.09

This weeks our theme is Scream at the Top of Your Lungs, or, more specifically, should it apply to you, Finals week. Yes, that dreaded five days of doom that has kept me from writing any of the concert reviews I have heretofore promised. Soon, Soon!

Really, these songs' purpose in life is pretty simple - dance and scream the lyrics as loud as present company would allow until all those little stress-demons have been exorcised by the power of great music.

First we have "I'll Believe in Anything," in my opinion Wolf Parade's best. The most fun thing about this song is singing it adopting the odd singing accent of lead singer Dan Boeckner. It's harsh yet invigorating rhythm is another great draw.

Up to bat now is "Colossal" by Wolfmother. (very wolfy Turntable. What big ears you have, Wax Cylinders!) I think this song was more deserving of the acclaim Wolfmother received for "Mother," but perhaps this tracks' outstandingly obvious desire to be a Led Zeppelin song turned off some of the critics. In any case, the lyrics of this song make you feel like a very mystical and very RAWK gypsy, and I'm sure Wolfmother would have it no other way.

"Without MSG I am Nothing" by low-fliers McLusky has been one of my favorite songs for a few years now, because I can't find anything more hilarious and fun, lyric wise, and the 'goo'-yelping that is part of the verses is totally addicting. I have always been meaning to find more McLusky thanks to this song, but I harbor the suspicion that it must be hard to top.

"Blue Orchid" by The White Stripes. I'm hardly introducing anyone to anything new here, but I don't think I'll really be hearing any complaints. The video of this song is the best indication of its character. It has Jack White as the head of a house of freaky marionettes, including Meg White, robotically banging on the floor with giant spoons. A highly recommended YouTube experience.

To bring us down from the '11' we've been cranked up to without losing this Turntable's energy comes "Heavy Metal" from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!'s debut album. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! always sounds like they are enjoying themselves like crazy, especially on songs like this that engage every auditory nerve.

To listen to this Turntable without having to stay on Wax Cylinders, click the Pop-Out Player button below the playlist. If your pop-up blocker is reluctant to allow this, try holding the control key when you hit Pop-Out Player.

Tuesday Turntable for 2/24/09

This week's theme is upbeat, dance-y, get-yourself-out-of-bed-and-into-the-big-bad-world-with-a-pep-in-your-step kinds of songs.

We start off with "Jai Ho," A.R. Rahman's Oscar-Winning finale to Slumdog Millionaire. As someone unfamiliar with Bollywood, this song is definitely novel to me, but I find it totally infectious and it never fails to put me in a great, inspired mood. Little Golden Man well deserved!

Next up is "Ulysses" off the new Tonight: Franz Ferdinand. This is sort of a taster, considering you will be getting a concert review of the best Scotland has to offer next month. Think of this song as the anthem of going out with your best, most dolled-up friends and wreaking havoc on the local nightlife. Gives me big smiles every time!

"Lightspeed" by Matt and Kim is another teaser, expect to see more of them on the site in the upcoming weeks. It's a wonder this dance-punk duo has remained as far under the radar as they have, but with the release of Grand a month ago, hopefully this will change in the near future.

A (relative) oldie-but-goodie, it would be a crime to leave "Dashboard" by Modest Mouse off a playlist of the best dance beats in indie rock. I suppose the hidden underlying theme of this Turntable is previews of upcoming articles, since there will be a review of this Saturday's Boulder Modest Mouse show posted in the very near future!

Finally, we end with 2008's best act, MGMT, and their fantastic "Electric Feel." After being named best of 2008 by multiple big-name music sites and magazines, everyone is just itching to see what MGMT does with their well-earned new fanbase. 

To listen to this Turntable without having to stay on Wax Cylinders, click the Pop-Out Player button below the playlist. If your pop-up blocker is reluctant to allow this, try holding the control key when you hit Pop-Out Player.

Enjoy!