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Not only did the country's work force have a long weekend, but so did Blog Land, so it wasn't the biggest of weeks for new music. Not to say we didn't find some gems hiding out there, but plenty of rocks had to be moved to do so. I woke up this morning with a fog set down on my neighborhood so thick I couldn't see my house twenty yards out, and I kind of figure that's the way most people are feeling after a long weekend - still in that hazy, lazy mood and almost unwilling to be lifted. Well, this mix is especially for you, because I would use all of those words to describe these songs as well.
Memory Tapes – Plain Material
Starting the show out with the word “Suicide” may not be most folks idea of a party-starter, but the shaky guitar that strums behind it soon gives way to a dance beat and synth that takes the self inflicted theme and moves it to a sky blue dream machine. It may be confusing as all get out to try to figure out what Dayve Hawk is going under at any given moment (Memory Tapes, Weird Tapes, Memory Cassettes) but as long as he keeps putting out these singalongs, he can call himself whatever he wants.
The Sweet Serenades – Mona Lee
“A Hurricane is coming down! I’m holding on so desperately. Tell me why I don’t know how to make you smile Mona Lee.” Those words by any other artist could be a disaster, but by this Swedish duo, paired with the anthemic chorus, is near perfect indie-pop. Chalk another one up to the Swedes. You’ve got us in a death grip pure pop bliss as usual.
Young Galaxy – Light Years
Its really hard to say anything even remotely poetic in comparison to what Said The Gramaphone wrote about this Candian dream pop outfit. So go read that, then pick up their disc Invisible Republic.
Elliot Smith – Grand Mal
I once played wiffle ball with Elliot. That’s true. It was before one of his gigs and I was standing around outside the venue. They (he and his crew/band) ask me to join to fill out the roster. When finally at bat, I hit the ball and Elliot dove for it… right into the tailgate of a pickup truck, nearly messing up his hand something bad. It was considered canceling the show that night, but he decided to play on. Anyway, I felt horrible. Alas, its fifteen years later and Elliot isn’t with us anymore, but we’re finally discovering the fabeled lost tracks and demos. Hopefully there is much more where this came from.
No Age – You’re A Target
Honestly, I didn’t care as much as most for this L.A. noise-punk duo’s 2007 disc, Nouns, but there is something more developed about this new set – due on the upcoming EP Losing Feeling - that brings it home a bit more . You can stream it now over at Subpop’s website.
Vic Chesnutt – Phillip Guston
This is the second track we’ve been able to sample from Vic’s upcoming At The Cut, but I don’t think it’s meant to be a single, or at least I hope not. Chesnutt is one of the most talented, underrated songwriters a-going, but this track isn’t so much the definition of that. Though it does take off for a few moments, it mostly just stalls out.
Rain Machine – Smiling Black Faces
I’m game for anything Kyp Malone does. From the last two TV On The Radio records, its been Kyp’s songs that have sucked me in, so I’m pretty excited about this solo pseudonym, especially since it doesn’t sound like we’ll get a new TOTR disc for quite a while with the group on break. Grab the disc on 9/22.
HEALTH – Die Slowly (Tobacco Remix)
This track and band have already been getting quite a bit of hype lately, but after the song was given to Tobacco from Black Moth Super Rainbow for a refresh, the kids went nuts. As far as tunes with beats go, this is the better one lately.
The Antlers – Two
Talk about a climb. It was months ago when we first saw this track pop up on our radar, but was over shadowed by Grizzly Bear mania. But with the disc coming out and the release of a music video, everyone was reminded why they cared in the first place. Well played, Antlers.
Noise Addict – That’s How It Goes
Ben Lee’s band before he went solo, back after a fourteen year hiatus. None of the original guys are in it (besides Lee), but he did recruit Lou Barlow for this round. They laid down a full record, and then put it all online for a free giveaway. Not too shabby. This is the lead off track, giving you the by-the-book of being in a band.
The Very Best – Yalira
Blog Land must be flexing its World muscle… like, they need to prove that they can be worldy, too, beyond Sweden, Australia, and the UK. TVB are from Africa, doing African pop. I’m not against it, but it doesn’t much do it for me.
Restless People – Days of Our Lives (Light In Mix)
I was a little worried because the synth line is pretty generic, but it gains steam fairly quickly and turns into a decently sweet dance mix. Good music to do your dishes at 2am to.
AA Bondy – I Can See The Pines Are Dancing
Here’s a nice ballad to close out the show. It’s the second single from Bondy’s latest, When The Devil’s Loose, and finds him in good form performing his Southern songwriting experiment.
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The Weekly Feed is distributed by WFPK and Louisville Public Media. Produced and hosted by Kyle Meredith. Make sure to say hi, yeah?
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