7.31.2010

today my youngest brother, zach, turns 15.

i get to close out the run of old favorites with a birthday dedication and a great old song.

happy birthday, zach.

love you, man.

7.30.2010

before billy idol would become well known for "mony mony" or "white wedding" he was part of a punk band from round about the middle 70's called generation x.

they were great.

poppy as hell and wearing the influence of the who all over their fashionably torn sleeves, generation x managed to put out some solid punk that stands up reasonably well against the more lauded (the sex pistols) and the more talented (the clash) bands of the time.

have some pre-awful mtv image billy idol.

7.29.2010

the last couple of days went postless as a consequence of moving and internet issues. i'm rectifying that now.

this is, by far, my favorite r.e.m. song. i remember, distinctly, going into the shitty chain record store in my local mall in greensburg, pa, buying the cassette single for this song, and then sitting at home listening to it over. and over. and over. and over.

enjoy the tail end of old favorites july.

7.28.2010

as a kid, one of my favorite records to pull out was my dad's copy of the singles compilation, 45's and under, from the band squeeze.

i was drawn to it, beyond the music being catchy as hell, because i thought the cover was sweet.

and it is.

today, a cat named bishop has undergone the trauma of figuring out a new home.

for bishop, the comfort of another old favorite of mine. one that i first encountered because i liked the cover art.

7.27.2010

in the last few days of packing and moving, so i'm likely going to stick with posting old favorites for the balance of the month.

here, have some:

7.26.2010

i, generally, can't stand cat stevens.

this song is the one exception. for a moment, he actually manages to gin up some righteous sounding anger out of that sleep-inducing moonshadow, wild world voice of his.

it's been a hell of a month.

7.25.2010

checking in, i must have forgotten to hit "publish" last night.

so, here's what should have been:

another track from frontier ruckus.

7.24.2010

posting late.

technically it's the 25th, but i don't count the next day until i've slept. i'm on time.

edit [7.26.2010]: the shit i wrote for this post was retarded. portions of this post have been redacted along with an added reminder to not write hammered.

this song still rules.

enjoy.

go out and listen to this whole album.

it is remarkable.

7.23.2010

settle in for a minute, i've some text today.

round about 1966 a band called the 13th floor elevators created, according to some music critics and historians, psychedelic rock with their first album, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators.

this song was well ahead of the curve.

for the record, the weird, percussive warble you hear is a man playing a jug into a microphone.

the harmonica and voice you hear, spitting and aggressive, come from roky erickson.

his is a story worth knowing.

between 1965 and 1968 erickson was fronting a band that was well ahead of the more folk-focused music coming out of san francisco at the time.

and in 1968, after a run that included the expected hallucinogenic chemicals and plants as well as some dalliance with speed and heroin, erickson had a nervous breakdown and was diagnosed schizophrenic.

a year later, erickson was arrested in his home state of texas with one joint on his person, sentenced to time in a low-security mental hospital from which he went awol a few times, and was finally put in a hospital/prison for the criminally insane.

surrounded by inmates that included multiple murderers in their ranks, erickson underwent electric shock therapy over the course of 3 years until he was finally released in 1972.

after his release, roky continued to produce solo records, for a time maintaining that he was an alien, and periodically falling back into drug abuse and ever increasing psychosis until his last appearance on a shared bill with the butthole surfers in 1987.

between 1987 and 2001, roky erickson was looked after by his mother and remained untreated for either his schizophrenia or any other medical need. until his youngest brother, a tuba player living in pittsburgh, won custody of roky.

in the nine years between roky moving in with his brother, getting medical treatment, and re-engaging music, he has not just performed in new york, at the coachella festival, and across europe, but (much more importantly) achieved a level of independence and quality of life he had lacked for decades.

all of this leading up to roky erickson releasing a new full-length album a few months back.

i've enjoyed the 13th floor elevators for a while, and finally caught the 2005 documentary you're gonna miss me today, which focuses on erickson's battle with mental illness and family struggles (a film that i, actually, do not recommend for a number of reasons better explained elsewhere).

i'd never looked much into the band or the man that gave it its sound before today, but having done so, hearing these songs makes me unspeakably happy.

glad that this guy is back making things again.

happier that he's back with us at all.

nothing quite like a comeback story, is there?

7.22.2010

first, some filthy garage noise coming out of san francisco.

a personal weakness of mine.

second, on the catchier end of the ramshackle noise continuum:

7.21.2010

enjoy a bit of throwback psychedelia courtesy of deerhunter:

7.20.2010

no, i don't know what he's saying.

nope, don't care.

enjoy some summer:

7.19.2010

some fuzzily produced, noisy rock for today.

enjoy new ruins:

Stance by New Ruins

the internet is giving me some guff, so a myspace link will have to suffice.

(once it redirects to myspace, click the track, "stance.")

edit:

the internet has righted itself. click here to listen:

7.18.2010

a former student, of whom i was particularly fond, was shot and killed a few days ago.

today i finally broke enough to deal with how much i already miss him.

i'm sorry, luis.

you deserved better.

no song today.

7.17.2010

thanks to sean for pointing my ears in this song's direction:

7.16.2010

first, i meant to mention this yesterday:

it has become a full-on reunion tour.

have some gbv in celebration:

second, have some slick newness from the roots.

cliche-ridden, certainly, but undeniably catchy.

7.15.2010

on a humid day, collecting bits of food and drink for cooking in the evening, considering the exigencies of my existence, this soul coughing track felt particularly fitting.

7.14.2010

so, it's bastille day.

today's song of the day has always conjured in me the desire to go drunkenly skipping down the street, throwing garbage cans through windshields and shop windows.

not out of malice.

more out of a sense of unbridled, anarchic joy.

seemed fitting for a holiday born of storming a prison.

7.13.2010

i've been listening to a lot of the new big boi record.

found myself humming this walking down the street today just prior to the sky opening up and dropping some torrential rain on harlem.

as good a recommendation for song of the day as anything, i'd wager.

7.12.2010

in 2007, a gentleman named david karsten daniels dropped this bit of song on my circle of friends.

the extended metaphors driving each verse just about broke my brain.

duly impressed.

now, with the aid of the richmond, virginia nine-piece fight the big bull, daniels has come 'round again. he benefits significantly from the added orchestration.

different feel. great song-writing.

7.11.2010

for today's chunk of the penitent twofer, i'm leading with a piece of news.

not to offend anyone who is particularly fond of conor oberst's bright eyes, but i'm pretty convinced that his single-album side project, desaparecidos, is where it's really at.

the blend of angular guitars and simplistically cliche marxism hits me just right.

in response to the anti-immigration legislation that's been coming down, oberst is getting the desaparecidos to saddle up for a show.

my hope is that they remember how much fun it is to make that much noise and give us a second record.

enjoy:

now, for something a little more calm.

will johnson, whose primary outlet is centro-matic, has a bit of a dalliance called south san gabriel.

this is a product of his dalliance.

gotta respect a bit of quiet anthem in 3/4 time.

and, really, who doesn't love a waltz?

7.10.2010

aware of my failure to post on the tenth, i'll atone by doubling up for yesterday (in this post) and today (in the next post).

so, for yesterday, two tracks that suited the mood. bit aggressive. bit exultant.

and...

7.9.2010

OH SHIT! NEW SPIRITUALIZED!

i'm a bit excited.

have some jason pierce fashioned pretty in celebration.

if you aren't familiar, go out and get your ears on some spiritualized.

go.

7.8.2010

mark linkous, david lynch, and danger mouse teamed up to slap together a record of sparklehorse songs that needed some guest vocals.

sadly, linkous is no longer with us, but we do get black francis (of pixies fame) singing this gruff little piece of awesome.

thanks go out to john and jaci for this one.

7.7.2010

again, meant for this to go up last night.

i miss my computer.

okay. here it is, yesterday's song:

pretty great, right? yeah, i know.

today's track to arrive shortly.

things...

...that will happen soon.

i'll have the zip file for june's music up before too long.

i lost a computer between posting the may mix file and now, so i'll have to do some digging to come up with a few of those songs again.

rest assured, as i've noticed your restlessness, that i'll have a june file for your downloading, pirate pleasure on the soon.

7.6.2010

the wye oak, have some...more.

i featured a track from this baltimore twosome's first record, if children, in June along with their phenominal cover of the kinks' "strangers."

i've been getting a lot of mileage out of this band.

today's song comes from their second album, the knot.

enjoy the booziness.

7.5.2010

courtesy of my brother luke, enjoy some raphael saadiq playing at the tiny desk:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113214222

7.4.2010

this one managed to grow on me.

apologies for posting late. it's been a long one.

happy birthday, sean.

and america.

7.3.2010

family is in town, so i'm a bit distracted from the new music train and am relying on suggestions and some backlog to fill in the days.

that said, this is among the most triumphant choruses i've ever heard.

thanks again, john.

7.2.2010

i failed to click post last night, so here is what was supposed to go up:

first, happy 16th birthday to my brother, luke.

second, in honor of the guided by voices 93-96 lineup reunion, my favorite version of "game of pricks."

7.1.2010

another month down.

welcome to july.

have some transparent, catchy pop.

thanks to rob for this one.