99 “wokenender” 767 (endearing)
archers of loaf “jive kata” 7″
modey lemon “enemy” thunder & lightning (birdman)
sahara hotnights “alright, alright (here’s my fist where’s the fight)” jennie bomb (jetset)
slant 6 “what kind of monster are you?” soda pop ripoff (dischord)
-
[talk: my eating habits and how i would eat a dog to save wprb]
-
giant sand “astonished” chore of enchantment (thrill jockey)
fruit bats “magic hour” mouthfuls (sub pop)
silkworm “and then…” you are dignified (touch & go)
olivia tremor control “courtyard” dusk at cubist castle (flydaddy)
unrest “god gave rock and roll to you III” bavarian mods 7″ (teen beat)
the bardots “applepain” 12″ (cheree)
broken social scene “stars & sons” you forgot it in people (paper bag)
girls at our best “warm girls” pleasure (vinyl japan)
-
[talk: maria vs. winona ryder for conor oberst, and apparently i hate my mother]
-
undertones “family entertainment” best off (rykodisc)
karl hendricks trio “i think i forgot something… my pants” jerks win again (merge)
clocks “sleep hurts” 7″ (track star)
mighty ions “pedro morales” v/a: claws! (throbbing lobster)
sleater-kinney “oh!” one beat (krs)
noise addict “i wish i was him” 7″ (fellaheen)
eyeball skeleton “eyeball skeleton” #1
mary timony “tiger in the forest” v/a: JANE magazine sampler
scout niblett “miss in love with her own fate” i am (secretly canadian)
-
[talk: about how my mom likes the teeth and why she rules]
-
constantines “on to you” shine a light (sub pop)
spoon “someone something” 7″ (merge)
bill fox “over & away she goes” shelter from smoke (cherry pop)
tracy shedd “faint pale smiles” blue (teen beat)
june “genius” i am beautiful (beggars banquet)
REM “dont go back to rockville” reckoning (irs)
raincoats “fairy tale in the supermarket” s/t (dgc)
-
[talk: making fun of electroclash and why it scares me, then i proceed to play “electroclash”]
-
rapture “echoes” echoes
medium medium “so hungry so angry” the glitterhouse (cherry red)
delta 5 “mind your own buiness” v/a: wanna buy a bridge? (rough trade)
crack: we are rock “hooker leg” silent fantasy (tigerbeat6)
devo “satisfaction (demo)” hardcore devo v.1

programming notes
my good friend lauren came to the studios with me, and interviewed me on air. i mean, after 4 months, dont you want to know more about your DJ? we had some taping issues, but managed to get the first talking segment of the show recorded. the rest? lost to history.

a nice way to close the summer out, i think.

- EYEBALL SKELETON: a 2nd and 3rd grader, with their dad and a drum machine. its amazing. AMAZING. AMAZING!!!!

- these days, i just become more and more fond of REM. i know “rockville” is an obvious hit, but its so much better than a lot of things out there.

- the new rapture: verdicts still out, but the track i played wasnt bad at all. pretty insane. someone told me the rest sounds like kylie minogue, though. hm.

- “hooker leg” has the dumbest lyrics ever, but still really really fun.

hi. merge records is a label i respect so much, if only i could explain that without stuttering like a damned fool. i tried to put this show together by playing their releases in chronological order, which kind of worked. if i had 4 hours, i could have gotten something from all 240 of their releases.

yeah, i spent a good amount of time on the early singles, but i feel it was important to explain how they evolved from a certain type of label to what they are now. and yes, i skipped over a lot of great bands [spent, pipe, ganger, pram, etc], but what could one do with 2 hours?

ill probably encode this to mp3 and post it online, since i taped this one.

mrg001: bricks “winterspring”
mrg004: chunk “what do i” “my noise” “the train from kansas city” 7″
mrg008: wwax “like it or not” 7″
mrg010: breadwinner “kisses men on the mouth of the mountain” 7″
mrg012: finger “everywhere” 7″
mrg021: erectus polvotone “anythings fine” 7″
mrg023: drive like jehu “bullet train to vegas” 7″
-
mrg029: butterglory “alexander bands” 7″
mrg031: angels of epistemology “fruit” fruit
mrg036: renderers “million lights” 7″
mrg039: 6ths “heaven in a black leather jacket” 7″
mrg041 honor role “jank” (also mrg026)
mrg043: 3Ds “beautiful things” 7″
mrg051: portastatic “naked pilsners” i hope your heart is not brittle
mrg056: polvo “tragic carpet ride” celebrate the new dark age
-
mrg063: odes “meltaway” 7″
mrg068: cornershop “born disco; died heavy metal” 7″
mrg069: superchunk “driveway to driveway” 7″ (also mrg060)
mrg088: verbena “if i say so” 7″
mrg103: neutral milk hotel “song against sex” on avery island
mrg109: guv’ner “shes evil” the hunt
mrg125: beatnik filmstars “now im a millionaire” inhospitable
-
mrg140: rock*a*teens “teen muscle teen hustle” baby a little rain must fall
mrg175: lambchop “grumpus” nixon
mrg176: versus “shangri-la” shangri-la
mrg195: spoon “fitted shirt” girls can tell
mrg206: imperial teen “city song” on
mrg227: buzzcocks “jerk” s/t
-
mrg231: the rosebuds “id feel better” v/a survive & advance v.3

now visit the merge records website

sonic youth “the diamond sea” washing machine (dgc)
the sonics “witch” “do you love me?” “roll over beethoven” s/t (ettiquette)
-
manitoba “every time she turns roudn its her birthday” “hendrix w/ko” up in flames (domino)
db’s “black and white” “dynamite” “shes not worried” stands for decibels (albion)
kinski “rhode island freakout” “schedule for using pillows & beanbags” airs above your station (sub pop)
billy bragg “a new england” peel sessions (strange fruit) - REQ
-
the gun club “preaching the blues” “promise me” “she’s like heroin to me” fire of love (ruby)
mudhoney “sweet young thing aint sweet no more” “who you driving now?” march to the fuzz (sub pop)
black eyed snakes “cornbread” “red sheet” “no good daddy” rise up! (chairkickers)
-
theoretical girls “theoreticalgirls - live” “computer dating” “contrary motion” 78-81 (acute)
wire, pink flag, side a (harvest)
john vanderslice, life and death of an american fourtracker, tracks 1-4 (barsuk)

programming notes
weird show today. i had to spend a lot of time preparing for my spotlight, since the dj before me wont let me in until 1/2 hour before im supposed to go on the air.

via tania “the rising” under a different sky (chocolate industries)
the sugarcubes “birthday” lifes too good (elektra)
laura nyro “its gonna take a miracle” gonna take a miracle (columbia)
beulah “my side of the city” yoko (velocette)
antelope “game over” s/t (dischord / bug)
the constantines “on to you” shine a light (sub pop)
blake babies “give me some mirth” sunburn (mammoth)
ciao bella “details from the deep end” 1 (endearing)
exploding hearts “modern kicks” guitar romantic (dirtnap)
-
the wolfgang press “people say” everything is beautiful (4ad)
mojave 3 “any day will be fine” excuse for travelers (4ad)
alasdair roberts “join our lusty chorus” farewell sorrow (drag city)
girls against boys “kitty yo” 90s vs 80s (adult swim)
this moment in black history “art project” cleveland finger (exit stencil)
revlon 9 “someone like you”
le tigre “eau de bedroom dancing” s/t (mr lady)
minus the bear “thanks for the killer game of crisco” highly refined pirates (suicide squeeze)
superchunk “fader rules” cup of sand (merge)
-
27 “easy trigger” songs from the edge of the wing (relapse)
timonium “resting places” suspende animation (pehr)
the pastels “heavens above!” 7″ (overground)
guv’ner “cameo” knight moves (merge)
outrageous cherry “a song for someone sometimes” supernatural equinox (rainbow quartz)
all girl summer fun band “will i see you” summer of 98 (magic marker)
mary timony “blood tree” golden dove (matador)
gloria jones “tainted love” v/a: beg scream shout (rhino)
edith frost “cars & parties” wonder wonder (drag city)
the jags “back of my hand (ive got your number)” v/a: starry eyes - uk pop II (rhino)
family fodder “savoir faire” the best of (dark beloved cloud)
-
death cab for cutie “no joy in mudville” we have the facts and were voting yes (barsuk)
lenola “your stars” my invisible name (tappersize)
liars & magicians “#2″ demo
the handsome family “passenger pigeons” twilight (carrot top) - REQ
dragon city “sleeper” shytolayabout (s/r)
the long lost “#2″ demo
autoclave “dr. seuss” s/t (dischord / mira)
devo “freedom of choice” freedom of choice (warner bros.)

programming notes
its a fact: the more i drink on saturday nights, the less stuttering on-air.

i bet youre wondering, does she have a drinking problem? thats debatable, but i must remind you, ive been unemployed for 3 months. just what exactly was i supposed to do with that time? something constructive? sheesh.

i tried to coax listeners into giving me their “what i did this summer” stories when they called to request, but no takers except for josh [of american altitude], who dropped me a line during the show to hear some handsome family.

“blood tree” has been occupying vital brain space this past week, and i often catch myself singing the chorus out loud.

the long lost features sara marcus [of persons, boys of now] and alice [of the vels] and they are so freaking good. the demos dont do their stuff justice. see them live, as they perform an amazing rendition of the raincoats “off duty trip”.

glenn branca, the ascension (99)
-
breeders “divine hammer” last splash (4AD)
edith frost “cars and parties” wonder wonder (drag city)
the buddyrevelles “ill take you in my car” american matador (motorcoat)
the lucksmiths “take this lying down”naturaliste (drive-in)
dB’s “blackand white” stands for decibels (albion)
the eaves “bird lawyer” s/t (ace fu)
-
the constantines “on to you” shine a light (sub pop)
superchunk “basement life” cup of sand (merge)
chavez “the guard attacks” ride the fader (matador)
panthers “its not the heat its the humility” let’s get serious (dim mak)
the starvations “red wine” get well soon (gsl)
x “i must not think bad thoughts” more fun in the new world (elektra)
broken social scene “stars & sons” you forgot it in people (paper bag)
fridge “drums, horns, sonics & edit” happiness (temporary residence ltd)
tussle “eye contact” 12″ (tmu)
tuxedomoon “no tears” s/t (jem)
-
sleater-kinney “dance song ‘97″ dig me out (krs)
spoon “take the fifth” girls can tell (merge)
pixies “winterlong” dig for fire EP (4AD)
doug gillard “malamute jute” malamute jute EP (cushion)
john cale “andalucia” paris 1919 (reprise)
andrew bird “action / adventure” weather systems (righteous babe)
vincent gallo “brown 69″ recordings for music and film
raincoats “red shoes” odyshape (rought trade)

programming notes
goodbye to jamie, the plain parade intern, whom we never made work very hard. now he will study crazy people [such as myself], to find out what posesses them to book rock clubs. and… if it wasnt for him, i would not be so horribly hungover today.

when at a party, i really must remind myself to not sit next to the beer for the evening.

the aforementioned boozing and train delays are what caused me to arrive at the station 15 minutes prior to my show; i had no other decision than to play the ascension in its entirety. i cant get enough of it, those guitars are heavenly. why hasn’t this whole williamsburg/brooklyn/whatevah/no wave/new wave renaissance spurned any imitators of this particular sound?

kim deal: the alpha and the omega of my set? you decide! first the breeders and then a pixies tune. i know.

as of now i have imposed a “no more broken social scene” rule for future shows. the only song i want to play off their record is “stars and sons”. in my defense, isnt that song so freaking good?! its got handclaps! handclaps, people!

superchunk sound better than ever. i am so glad that i dont need to buy the singles comp, since i own all the stuff, but the reissue gives me more reason [and no excuse] than ever to give them another listen. i thought i had “fader rules” cued up, which would have titularly made sense next to chavez’s “the guard attacks” [off of ride the fader… get it?]. alas, i cannot count, i cannot read.

a rare mood for todays show, but a good one. perhaps the drinking did help after all!

the constantines record, shine a light — not as good as the first one, but better than the single anticipates. buy!

the eaves “summergold” s/t (ace fu)
air miami “dolphin expressway” me. me. me. (teenbeat)
durutti column “what is it to me” the guitar and other machines (venture)
stereolab “au grand jour” switched on (too pure)
i am the world trade center “call me” the tight connection (kindercore)
manitoba “every time she turns around its her birthday” up in flames (domino/leaf)
-
drake tungsten “chicago at night” six pence for the sauces (peek-a-boo)
belle & sebastian “legal man” (matador)
i am kloot “to you” v/a: we love you… so love us (we love you)
sonic youth “hey joni” daydream nation (blast first)
broken social scene “stars and sons” you forgot it in people (paper bag)
the lucksmiths “camera shy” naturaliste (drive-in)
bettie serveert “ray ray rain” lamprey (matador)
bedhead “roman candle” beheaded (trance syndicate)
neil young “heart of gold” harvest (reprise)
-
idaho “weird wood” this way out (caroline)
silkworm “and then…” you are dignified (touch & go)
air “la femme d’argent” moon safari (caroline)
the mittens “morning comes” s/t (s/r)
the undertones “jimmy jimmy” the very best of… (ryko)
noise addict “the frail girl” meet the real you (grand royal)
-
the karl hendricks trio “the night has no eyes” jerks win again (merge)
silver scooter “biting my nails” 7″ (peek-a-boo)
the odes “meltaway” honey gets hard 7″ (merge)
young marble giants “n.i.t.a.” “colossal youth” colossal youth (rough trade)
-
girls at our best “warm girls” pleasure (vinyl japan)
eater “thinking of the usa” a history of… (delorean records co.)
rocket from the tombs “30 seconds over tokyo” the day the earth met the… (smog veil) - REQ
the ACGC “big kicks” 7″ (hope)
franklin “inventor of loud” s/t (tree)
pinback “offcell” (ace fu) - REQ
-
canyon “its running out” s/t (slowdime)

programming notes

new adds: eaves, manitoba, broken social scene, silkworm, kh3, acgc. the strangest thing was that they were perfectly spaced out in the set. i did not plan this, hence the part about “the strangest thing…”

overall: not a bad show. sonic youth has been kicking my ass lately, so i felt the desire to include them. daydream nation, even after all these years of not listening to it, is still amazing.

ever wonder why silkworm’s rendition of “the hexx…” is bluegrassy? i do. is it a reference to the nickel creek cover from the same album? possibly.

scary moment of the day
about 5 minutes after my show, and into the spotlight show with jon solomon, all the power goes out in WPRB for 5 minutes. the severe thunderstorm must have hit our transmitter and poof! — there goes the station for the next 2 hours.

liars & magicians “#3″ demo (s/r)
low skies “palmyra” the bed (flameshovel)
minus the bear “women we havent met yet” highly reformed pirates (suicide squeeze)
we ragazzi “i want u 2 love me so much i cant stand up” the ache (self-starter foundation)
suicide “ghost rider” s/t (red star)
dump “when u were mine” that skinny motherfucker with the high voice? (shrimper)
spinanes “hawaiian baby” imp years (merge)
-
panthers “its not the heat its the humility” lets get serious (dim mak)
constantines “night time anytime (its alright)” nighttime ep (sub pop)
husker du “reoccurring dreams” zen arcade (sst)
the proletariat “hollow victory” soma holiday (non-u)
REQ - mission of burma “this is not a photograph” signals, calls and marches (ryko)
swirlies “upstairs” what to do about them (taang!)
-
severin “catholic girl” acid to ashes, rust to dust (dischord)
the embarrasment “dont stop ’til you get enough” heyday (bar none)
18th dye “easy (& how we got there fast)” tribute to a bus (matador)
medium medium “mice or monsters” the glitterhouse (cherry red)
-
friends of dean martinez “summertime” a place in the sun (knitting factory)
fruit bats “union blanket” mouthfuls (sub pop)
smog “ex-con” red apple falls (drag city)
slumber party “soldier” psychedelicate (krs)
the adult net “incense & peppermints” 45 (beggars banquet)
the styrenes “drano in your veins” its artastic! (lsr)
kinks “a well respected man” lola (pickwick)
enon “natural disasters” high society (touch & go)
medicine “aruca” shot forth self living (def american)
-
manitoba “hendrix w/ ko” up in flames (domino)
tussle “version” eye contact (troubleman unlimited)
madonna “hollywood (jacques lu cont remix)”
ui “back up” answers (southern)
miracle chosuke “francine” 7/8 wonders of the world (dim mak)
-
helium “baby’s going underground” the dirt of luck (matador)

programming notes
not a bad show today. actually, i enjoyed doing this one very much. i think there was a good structure and flow to this stuff. no obvious dj mistakes and from what ive got on minidisc [my battery died!] i didnt sound idiotic.

got lots of kind calls for most of the show [see below]; many were thankful for hearing husker du. learned about the proletariat last night at the khyber from chaz – early 80’s hardcore with communist tendencies.

im not sure what possessed me to play madonna, but i sure felt like it. i do love anything jacques lu cont gets his paws on, and hell, the single was free when i picked up new jeans this week. [yeah, i buy jeans from the gap. they’re the only ones that seem to fit right on me.] and dont deny how much you like the new commercial starring her and missy. i love it because that song, is probably the only mash-up existing in mainstream culture [as opposed to the thousand white labels that clog up the playlist of all hipster djs] at this moment.

moving on.

i received a call at the end from a very grumpy person, who asked “why dont you tell people to ‘fuck off’ instead of saying ‘ill try to fit it in’?”

i suppose its a good question that lacked tact in asking it. some djs have a “no request” policy [which i can respect] and others handle it on a case-by-case basis, like myself.

ill be the first one to say that sometimes callers have absolutely lousy requests — songs we cant play because of swears, stuff that doesnt jive with the interests of the dj, obvious indie rock bullshit, we cant find it in the station and so on. believe it or not, but a lot of us DO spend our weeks planning out this stuff [and if youve seen my playlists, you know what happens when some advance planning is not in order] and trying to walk the fine line between self-absorption and trying to play what we think would really interest our listening community.

there’s a lot more to djing than one would think, shit, im actually working when im there — dealing with logs and emph requirements and whatnot — we do our best to fit them in, if we can.

sometimes, our callers best us. and thats awesome, when someone requests a record that you’ve never heard and it blows your mind. we’re here because we’re music lovers and believe that our education is not finite. there’s been quite a few bands i now love thanks to someone calling in, or dropping an email.

so thats that, whiners. if you really need to hear the song THAT BAD, buy the record so that you can play it whenever you want, and spare yourself the phone call.

ahem.

like, totally fooled you. there will be no show this week.

undertones “you’ve got my number” the best of (ryko)
wishniaks “ticker tape parade” 7″ (erato)
butterglory “she’s got the akshun!” are you building a temple in heaven? (merge)
bill fox “for anyone that you love” transit byzantium (spin art)
fruit bats “magic hour” mouthfuls (sub pop)
count 5 “theyre gonna get you” 45 (double shot)
spoon “someone something” 7″ (merge)
x “i must not think bad thoughts” more fun in the new world (elektra)
-
kaito “cat nap” you’ve seen us… you must have seen us (devil in the woods)
miracle chosuke “francine” the 7/8 wonders of the world (dim mak)
araby “this is how” your wate & fate (curve of the earth)
broken social scene “stars and sons” you forgot it in peoeple (paper bag) - NE
dinosaur jr. “in a jar” you’re living all over me (sst)
juno “a thousand motors pressed upon the heart” a future lived in past tense (de soto)
constantines “nighttime anytime its alright” nighttime ep (sub pop)
-
modettes “white mouse disco” v/a: totally wired (tooth & nail)
comet gain “the kids at the club” realistes! (kill rock stars)
exploding hearts “modern kicks” guitar romantic (dirtnap)
bar-kays “knucklehead” 45 (volt)
rock*a*teens “teen muscle teen hustle” baby, a little rain must fall (merge)
rondelles “distraction” fiction, romance, fast machines (smells like records)
starlite desperation “go kill mice” (flapping jet)
big boys “heartbeat” the skinny elvis (touch & go)
wire “i am the fly” chairs missing (emi)
-
american altitude “alpharetta” s/t (self rel.)
crooked fingers “crowned in chrome” s/t (warm)
ciao bella “i’ve should i?” 1 (march/endearing)
nerves “hanging on the telephone”
dB’s “black and white” stands for decibels (albion)
girls at our best “warm girls” pleasure (vinyl japan)
les savy fav “crawling can be beautiful” go forth (french kiss)
-
solex “the cutter” split with the 1985 (progeria)
slits “i heard it through the grapevine” in the beginning (get back)
new fast automatic daffodils “get better” v/a: and here is the young man (debutante)
family fodder “film music” savoir faire: the best of… (dark beloved cloud)
-
durutti column “belgian friends” v/a: and here is the young man (debutante)

programming notes
so. much. better.

no philadelphia-centric hour this week, but dont worry. it shall return soon; i just need some time to sort out some stuff.

only one NE track this week, kind of. im currently reviewing the miracle chosuke and constantine records for the station, but theyre not official adds yet. im hoping the constantines record is much better than this ep. the tracks plucked from their forthcoming release dont sound very single-y, here’s to hoping the whole record sounds much better. given that theyre one of my favorite bands right now, i have a strange, underlying faith it will.

midway through the show, i came down with a bad case of the stutters. oy. luckily, i didnt record this show to MD, so we’ll never really know how bad it was.

ever have one of those shows that just goes so poorly, you dont want to even post the playlist? welcome to this past sunday.