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How has the world become so fluidly post-gender and so unregeneratively boys-clubbish at one and the same time?” — Daphne Merkin

Seriously, thank you for saying what’s been on my mind for such a long time.

I felt eight million times better this afternoon than I have all week, so I covered a shift at the station, it being Fall Break and all…

I’ve been at WQHS for a month now and I have to say, I am definitely missing the some of the structure of WPRB. I miss the logs, I miss the playlist requirements, most of all, I miss having station IDs. Trick of the trade: the short bursts of information that station IDs provide are like a quick erase button on a listener’s memory. They certainly helped when my selection method (which is random not random) threw me some loops. I mean, how do you go from fluffy indie pop to crazy Japanese noise in one move? Station ID in between. So now that I don’t have ‘em, its a little harder — I wind up making more obvious transitions. In some ways, that’s fun but also kind of limiting.

Another thing I miss about WPRB: record reviews and track ratings. WQHS reviews records, but its really different. I’ve been revewing stuff for WQHS and right now I feel like the wordiest motherfucker there — most of the reviews (if any) are a sentence or two. Plus, without track ratings, I don’t know what’s what. Is it a slow song? Instrumental? I have to feel around the record, which is tough to do in a very short amount of time. Also: no FCC markings. I feel really weird about playing stuff with swears. I could get away with playing one of those fabled “DNP” shows WPRB DJ’s would talk about if the transmitter went down and no one would care. Freeing, yes, but not without a smidge broadcaster’s guilt.

Now that I’ve done my unintentional side-by-side comparison of the stations (sorry, but I really _do_ like WQHS!), I should note that this is the first show I’ve done at WQHS where I haven’t relied on my personal collection (I only brought in my ipod tonight, but I always carry it). I feel good about this and the set:

dragon city - i saw the light - songs from the sixth borough
the shins - sleeping lessons - wincing the night away
finn’s motel - eero saarinen - escape velocity - N
comets on fire - the swallowed fire - avatar - N
oneida - spirits - the wedding
the dans - do you- the mad scene
picastro - sharks - metal cares
the hard tomorrows - glossy eyed sweetheart - lights out

heartworms - there you go - during
american analog set - cool kids keep - set free
los abandoned - nada mio es fake - mixtape - N
the capitol years - mirage people - dance away the terror - N
north of america - central port of equal times - these songs are cursed
magazine - philadelphia - the correct use of soap

the trolleyvox - i know that youre high - …presents the karaoke meltdowns - N
robert pollard - people are leaving - waved out
micose & the mau maus - #z - zum audio vol 3 - N
blondie - dreaming - eat to the beat
the jazz butcher - next move sideways - fischotheque
the dB’s - dynamite - stands for decibels
the delgados - mr blue sky - the complete BBC sessions
dolly mixture- how come you’re such a hit with the boys, jane? - demonstration tapes

outkast - peaches - idlewild
mylo - destroy rock & roll - destroy rock & roll
pete shelley - many a time - telephone operator 12″
annie - my heartbeat - anniemal
can - i want more - flow motion

the shins - a comet appears - wincing the night away

The goal: keep my sinus infection from triggering conjunctivitis, which is pretty much like the worstest, grossest feeling ever.

I like to think I’m at my sharpest in the mornings, but that’s no rationalization for my “It’s A Shame / It’s A Shame (My Sister) / Sister” block. Despite running on title associations, it worked well. The board is still wonky at the station (thankfully no audible hum coming out of one channel anymore! thanks prometheus!) so unfortunately there’s a lot of clipping on the archive. Trying to see what I can do to clean it up, but I think I’m out of luck.

that boyskout record sounds good — must give it a few more spins!

this show is also notable because i finally have real, live dj’s following my show, which hasn’t been the case since the start of the semester.

the evens - you fell down - get evens

the constantines - don’t be denied - split 12″ w/ the unintended
the fruit bats - magic hour - mouthfuls
guther - many frames per moment - sundet - N
swirlies - house of pancake - brokedick car ep
lady sovereign - love me or hate me - love me or hate me - N
so many dynamos - progress - flashlights - N

garage a trois - merpati - outre mer - N
klazz brothers & cuba percussion - cuban dance - classic meets suba
matmos - tract for valerie solanas - the rose has teeth in the mouth of a beast
chin up chin up - collide the tide - s/t
freakwater - great titantic - s/t
bettie serveert - hell = other people (alt. version) - bare stripped naked

boyskout - apt 2A - another life - N
the housemartins - can’t put my finger on it - the people who grinned themselves to death
air - honey cow - all along air - not to be confused with the french group AIR.
robyn hitchock & the venus 3 - belltown ramble - ole! tarantula
san francisco seals - back again - 7″
giant sand - astonished (in memphis) - chore of enchantment

white mice - it’s a shame - 7″
monie love - its a shame (my sister) - down to earth
jennifer o’connor - sister - over the mountain, across the valley and back to the seas
john fruiscante - omission - shadows collide with people
jennifer gentle - i do dream you - valende
associates - party fears two - sulk

the evens - no money - get evens

I’m kind of loving this video, big-time. Someone needs to put this all over Penn’s campus and let those girls know its OK to be who you are.

The Innocence, “I Don’t Wanna Be Around You”

Breaking up is hard to do, but even harder is the prelude to one. A short and sweet shuffle, the Innocence have the common sense to make it as painless as possible, rather than dragging it out. Despite the awkward moment, you get the sense that everything’s going to be alright. After all, pain is only temporary.

There’s not much out there about the Innocence, so learn more about Vini Poncia, one half of the duo, who later went on to write/produce KISS’s much-maligned Dynasty and Unmasked. Wild, huh?

Now that the 00’s have made it safe to get down with your pop self, don’t be ashamed to hide your indie past. Bettie Serveert made three blissful guitarpop records for Matador (plus one amazing Velvet Underground covers album) before disbanding/disappearing/whatever. And then, like a ray ray ray of light [heh], they reappeared with _Private Suit_ and have been at it ever since.

Anyway, courtesy of Minty Fresh Records (they know a thing or two about good pop) I’ll be giving away tickets to see Bettie Serveert at The Fire on 10/24 during my radio show tomorrow. They’re touring in support of their new record _Bare Stripped Naked_ (Minty Fresh), a solid record whose title unfortunately brings to mind an unholy combination of Jennifer Love Hewitt and Xtina.

OK, so tune to WQHS from 10AM - 12PM and win these suckas. Make me feel like someone is listening to my radio show.

Tuesday, October 24
At the Fire (412 Girard Ave)
9PM, 12$, 21+
Bettie Serveert with Rarebirds & Allison Polans

“Tom Boy” (Video)
“Hell = Other People” (From _Bare Stripped Naked_)

This week on Her Jazz! I dig out the ol’ 7” collection and share some of my favorites.

Hi-Beams, “White People”

It’s not fat-bottomed girls that make the world go ’round — it’s white people. That is, the anger felt towards them, even by other white folks. When I plucked this out of a dollar bin years ago I thought was picking up some design inspiration. (Really, check out that hot sleeve — don’t you wish you had her shoes? And what was up with all the right triangles used in the 80’s?) What I got instead was a snotty condemnation of suburban blandess, packaged up as a trendy new wave number. Which is nastier: _We’re white people and we don’t care_ or _Where has all the color gone?_ Hard to tell, especially with the way the band whips out line after line, in a dizzying fashion before imploding into an echoey mess. It’s just a shame about these Diz-like whoops — were they too afraid of getting, like, grounded? Do contemporary suburban kids feel this angry or are they too preoccupied whoring themselves on Myspace to care?

If you know how to track down anyone from this band, feel free to post a comment!

This week on Her Jazz! I dig out the ol’ 7″ collection and share some of my favorites.

Tsunami, “Old City”

Tsunami will be known forever as a DC band and yet, I think this might be one of my favorite songs about Philly. This is an Old(e) City that no longer exists, but its the one retained in my memory, the one first experienced as a college freshman attempting to track down Third Street Jazz & Rock (RIP) and the one in which I could only fantasize about being old enough to enter the Khyber. Trash is trash — now the creepy storefronts have been replaced with yuppie establishments and half-naked, over-tanned South Jerseyans flood the streets — but Old City is still the kind of place where you have to watch your back, though for entirely different reasons.

Check out the awesome Simple Machines website and pick up a record or two HERE.