Shuffle Lovers #34
Posted on June 16, 2008
As I walked home one night at 3AM this bleak hard-rocking shuffle pummeled my man-ears. These sounds might seem uncharacteristically heavy to certain ShuffleLovers devotees, but rest assured, I’m hard, for real.
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1. Liars - Let’s Not Wrestle Mt. Heart Attack - Drum’s Not Dead (4:32)
2. Violent Apathy - I Can’t Take - Process of Elimination 7″ (Touch & Go compilation) (1:00)
3. The Misfits - Astro Zombies - Misfits (2:11)
4. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Today’s Lesson - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (4:41 )
5. No Age - Teen Creeps - Nouns (3:25)
6. Andy Partridge - That Wave - Fuzzy Warbles, Vol. 1 (3:43)
7. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - I Love You - L.A.M.F. - the lost ‘77 tapes (2:22)
8. Nine Inch Nails - Letting You - The Slip (3:50)
9. The Roots - @ 15 - Rising Down (0:52)
10. R.E.I.G. - Violent Change - Disarm 7″ (2:06)
11. Silver Apples - Dancing Gods - Silver Apples (5:59)
Commentary:
1. Liars - Let’s Not Wrestle Mt. Heart Attack - Drum’s Not Dead (4:32)
I’ve always liked the Liars, ambitious art school dudes into sound, textures, beats, visceral connection. Drum’s Not Dead was the fruit of a relocation from Brooklyn to Berlin.
2. Violent Apathy - I Can’t Take - Process of Elimination 7″ (Touch & Go compilation) (1:00)
Touch and Go issued this 7″ comp in 1981. Also included on the record were the Meatmen, Necros, Negative Approach, Youth Patrol and more. I downloaded it on the internet at an excellent website called 7inchpunk.com where they post mp3-a-fied versions of long-gone prime period punk and hardcore 7-inches and make them all available for FREE download. Great site. Great site. Anyway, this is the only tune I’ve ever heard from this Kalamazoo, MI outfit Violent Apathy and they do it straight up and correct in the Midwestern early 80s hardcore style.
3. The Misfits - Astro Zombies - Misfits (2:11)
Here’s the single version of Astro Zombies which explodes out of the gates after that Violent Apathy razor-sludge. Glen Danzig.
4. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Today’s Lesson - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (4:41)
Nick Cave, believe it or not, is a recent discovery for me. His new record Dig, Lazarus, Dig is excellent. Many of these songs sound very Dylan-y.
5. No Age - Teen Creeps - Nouns (3:25)
My first exposure to these dudes was, like many others, through Pitchork.tv (which is excellent), where they posted a live show and I wanted to like them, I really did, but I just didn’t get it. They seemed like nice guys, but the singing was so bad. Then Nouns came out and the blogoshpere shit its collective jeans. This is the only tune I’ve really swallowed so far but I wound up loving the layered guitars, the tattered vocals, the ball-of-noise production. I have a hard time maintaining skepticism about music like this. These guys have sterling intentions.
6. Andy Partridge - That Wave - Fuzzy Warbles, Vol. 1 (3:43)
I don’t think I’ve ever heard Andy Partridge sound more ominous. XTC fans drool over the sprawling, eight volume Fuzzy Warbles series, which collects Partridge’s beautifully detailed home recordings.
7. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - I Love You - L.A.M.F. - the lost ‘77 tapes (2:22)
Here’s rock music, raw like a slab of beef. Word is, junkies Johnny, Jerry and the Heartbreakers mixed and remixed this record so many times that disagreements over suitable final versions of the recordings led to the breakup of the group. Crazy junkies. This particular reissue presents alternate mixes and sounds pretty good except that on about half the tracks vocals buried so deeply in the mix that Thunders just sounds like he’s cowering.
8. Nine Inch Nails - Letting You - The Slip (3:50)
The new NIN jams are really good I think. I believe Trent is still giving this record away totally for free here and you gotta hand it to him for sticking it to the major labels and giving it to the fans. I enjoyed his instrumental record Ghosts which came out earlier this year and much of it was also given away for free. His vague lyrics always bother me. But here with Letting You we have a prime-time NIN banger driven by a crazy drum beat that culminates in a spectacular ending.
9. The Roots - @ 15 - Rising Down (0:52)
The latest Roots record is also very good. This particular number is an old recording of Black Thought busting it into what sounds like a dictaphone at 15 years old.
10. R.E.I.G. - Violent Change - Disarm 7″ (2:06)
R.E.I.G. was an Italian hardcore band that went heavy on the bass and drums. I also nabbed this record from 7inchpunk.com. The American punx favored the razor-edged guitars, the sounds that pierce and grate in your ear canals. These dudes made a racket equivalent to getting beat over the head with a severed horse leg. Their sound is bass heavy, militaristically bound to the 1-2-1-2, and of course, driven by some primal anger shit.
11. Silver Apples - Dancing Gods - Silver Apples (5:59)
60’s Krautrock pinoeers the Silver Apples serve up some desolate, tuneless music here, built off of a repetitive Injun beat. This is music to be pukey drunk and get the spins to.
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ShuffleLovers #33: Guest Shuffler #6 | George Flanagan (El Jezel)
Posted on May 27, 2008
George Flanagan is a man of honor, a man of vast gifts, a family man, an honest man, a man’s man. I’ve been pining for a guest shuffle from my friend George for a while now. Here, at long last, is his generous contribution, hatched just in time for the release of his band El Jezel’s new website, new record (which I recorded), the corresponding release show (this Friday at Crash Mansion) and the gorgeous video for “Champagne and Cold Coffee” (included here in his shuffle). So click below to enter his world.
CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD MP3 podcast-mixtape (to download right-click [or control-click on mac] and select save target as)
ShuffleLovers #33: Guest Shuffler #6 | George Flanagan (El Jezel)
1. The Big Sleep - Bad Blood - Sleep Forever (4:02)
2. American Music Club - What Holds the World Together - San Francisco (4:46)
3. El Jezel - Champagne & Cold Coffee - The Warm Frequency (4:52)
4. Wall of Voodoo - Back in Flesh (live) - URGH! A Music War (3:41)
5. Pavement - Father to a Sister of Thought - Wowee Zowee (3:30)
6. Can - I’m So Green -Ege Bamyasi (3:06)
7. Deerhunter - Like New- Flourescent Grey EP (2:14)
8. Amon Tobin - Slowly - Supermodified (5:38)
Commentary:
1. The Big Sleep - Bad Blood - Sleep Forever (4:02)
These guys are one of those bands that I’ve meant to see for the last few years, but somehow never do. I remember seeing pictures of them live and being very impressed by the lilluminated sign they put at the front of the stage that says their name, which is a great band name. This is one of my favorite songs from their new record. Starts off innocently enough, but becomes quite a monster.
2. American Music Club - What Holds the World Together - San Francisco (4:46)
Oh yeah, a little Mark Eitzel action to get you nice and miserable. Actually, this song is probably one of their moire “up” numbers. The chorus refers to Gena Rowlands and that the wind blowing through her hair is what holds the world together. I read that she has heard the song and was quite touched.
3. El Jezel - Champagne & Cold Coffee - The Warm Frequency (4:52)
Oh ok, I had to get a shuffle with a El Jezel song in it. I’m shameless. Jess wrote this song as a tribute to some of her favorite movies. One of the easiest songs to record and mix on the new album, and perhaps that’s why I love it so much.
4. Wall of Voodoo - Back in Flesh (live) - URGH! A Music War (3:41)
This is from the soundtrack to URGH! A MUSIC WAR. It was a concert film from the 80’s that featured mostly new wave bands from LA and London. My older brother had it on vinyl and that’s how I discovered some cool bands(XTC, Magazine) and some not so cool bands(Oingo Boingo, Toyah Wilcox). I’m hoping someday they put the damn thing out on DVD. This is a pretty bad ass song even though it’s not much more than a drum machine, synth and guitar.
5. Pavement - Father to a Sister of Thought - Wowee Zowee (3:30)
Wowee Zowee always makes me think of the Summer between my junior and senior year where i was driving into Boston to take an Avant-Garde Film class. I rocked the first side of that album non-stop in my Subaru’s tape deck, and it was a couple months before I got to Side 2. Oh, those misty days of Side 1 and Side 2. I miss that.
6. Can - I’m So Green -Ege Bamyasi (3:06)
This is Can at their funkiest. Krautfunk. And maybe one of their shortest songs. If you don’t know Can, please go out and buy Tago Mago. You shall not regret it. Oh, but this song isn’t on there.
7. Deerhunter - Like New- Flourescent Grey EP (2:14)
Travis may see this as sacreligious, but I think Bradford Cox may be the new Robert Pollard. He apparently records 20 songs a day and drops a few albums a week. Much like Pollard, not everything is a winner, but many are pretty damn good. This song is from the Flourescent Grey EP that Deerhunter released last year. Short and focused and gorgeous. I can’t wait for them and Black Lips at McCarren this summer.
8. Amon Tobin - Slowly - Supermodified (5:38)
Remember when electronic music was going to change the musical landscape? Well, it didn’t quite happen, but for a few years there I was onboard with a lot of it. DJ Shadow, Aphex, anything on Ninja Tune. This jam by Amon Tobin is from the tail end of that era. He kinda goes to town mixing the live jazz fills with an orchestra of ambient sounds.
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ShuffleLovers #32
Posted on May 23, 2008
Where else do you get African flute funk, political UK post punk, shitty Weezer and the dirty old man of French popular song all in the same convenient one stop shop?
CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD MP3 podcast-mixtape (to download right-click [or control-click on mac] and select save target as)
1. Weezer - December - Maladroit (3:00)
2. Gang Of Four - What We All Want (Live) - A Brief History Of The 20th Century (5:12)
3. Black Francis - Half Man - Svn Fngrs (2:33)
4, Muggabears - The Goth Tarts - Night Choreography (4:26)
5. Funkadelic - Vital Juices - Music For Your Mother: Funkadelic 45s (Disc 2) (3:14)
6. Serge Gainsbourg & Jean-Claude Brialy - Un Poison Violent, C’est Ça L’Amour - Comic Strip (2:36)
7. Joni Haastrup - Greetings - Nigeria Disco Funk Special: Sound of the Underground Lagos Dancefloor 1974-1979 (6:14)
8. Microphones - Instrumental - The Glow Pt 2 Reissue (1:39)
Commentary:
1. Weezer - December - Maladroit (3:00)
Oofah. Look I’m prepared to accept that several readers will scoff at this selection, especially since the common indie-culture consensus seems to assert that Rivers Cuomo has been floundering hopelessly in the twenty-first century, that the only two Weezer records of any lasting artistic worth are their first two, and that this song, which comes from the fourth record, 2002’s shred happy Maladroit must sound like a steaming pile of cop shit. But I can’t help harboring a deep a lasting affection for this sweet song and many highlights from often misguided 00s Weezer records. This one song is actually great and features killer performances from the band (bravo Pat Wilson!). Their new shit from the forthcoming Red Album which I’ve heard through the internet sounds very confusing.
2. Gang Of Four What We All Want (Live) - A Brief History Of The 20th Century (5:12)
Sure their political bent can be heavy-handed, depending on your mood, and their sounds have been janked by a crop of revival bands in the first half of the 00’s but that doesn’t make this live performance any less urgent. Here’s a group that figured out how to play like a relentless, one-of-a-kind machine.
3. Black Francis - Half Man - Svn Fngrs (2:33)
The new solo record from Frank Black spans just seven tunes and continues on a considerably less rootsy track than Honeycomb and Fast Man Raider Man, his forays in soulful Memphis styles. I happened to love those records. I also enjoy this, which sounds decidedly Pixies-ish, or at least Teenager of the Year-ish or maybe just nineties-ish with its simple guitar-rock surface and twisted, complex core.
4, Muggabears - The Goth Tarts - Night Choreography (4:26)
Here’s a persevering local NYC band that has enjoyed some recent much deserved wider attention. The particular guitar-language employed in opening of this very well-arranged track has several times fooled me into thinking “what Sonic Youth song is this?” From there, the group navigates deftly through quick changes, ups and downs, ins and outs, facets, and what-have-yous with efficiency and grace.
5. Funkadelic - Vital Juices - Music For Your Mother: Funkadelic 45s (Disc 2) (3:14)
Vital Juices seems to just start in the middle, funky as shit. We fade in to this rocking funkstramental with no real chord changes to speak of. Even though this one is probably a total throwaway, in a sense it distills the Funkadelic musical mission of bringing the sounds of guitar rock and funkityfunkfunk together.
6. Serge Gainsbourg & Jean-Claude Brialy - Un Poison Violent, C’est Ça L’Amour - Comic Strip (2:36)
Serge’s voice is always so up-front on his records like he’s talking, real sexy, right in my face. The problem is, I can’t understand what the hell he’s saying, so I find myself focusing my attention on the rich sound of his voice and then over his shoulder toward that impeccably tight band pattering away behind him.
7. Joni Haastrup Greetings - Nigeria Disco Funk Special: Sound of the Underground Lagos Dancefloor 1974-1979 (6:14 )
The opening bars of this song sound like a grand announcement, the start of something big and magical. The track is called Greetings, after all. As it turns out, its just the start of something disgustingly funky. I’ve been listening to a lot of ultra-rhythmic African popular music from the 1970s.
8. Microphones - Instrumental - The Glow Pt 2 Reissue (1:39)
A very peaceful instrumental from the Microphones closes us out.
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ShuffleLovers #31
Posted on May 3, 2008
In this shuffle you’ll find Townes Van Zandt, Sam & Dave, Love, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, two tracks from Rhino’s Children of Nuggets box set and two recent Matador jams from the New Pornographers and Matmos. I found this one to be a joyous listen.
CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD MP3 podcast-mixtape (to download right-click [or control-click on mac] and select save target as)
1. Townes Van Zandt - No Deal - High Low and In Between (3:12)
2. The Raybeats - Tight Turn - Children of Nuggets Disc 4 (3:55)
3. Sam & Dave - Said I Wasn’t Gonna Tell Nobody - The Complete Stax/Volt Singles: 1959-1968 [Disc 6] ( 2:38)
4. The Optic Nerve - Ain’t That a Man Children of Nuggets Disc 4 (2:37)
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Isis - IS IS - EP (4:00)
6. Love - Hey Joe [Mono] - Love (2:43)
7. The New Pornographers - All The Things That Go To Make Heaven And Earth (live) - Matador Intended Play Spring 2008 (3:11)
8. Matmos - Polychords - Supreme Balloon (3:31)
Commentary:
1. Townes Van Zandt - No Deal - High Low and In Between (3:12)
Townes was a guy who could say a lot with a little. This is the record I started with. I would recommend you do the same. Make an effort to pay attention to every word. His music is very rewarding that way. Also highly recommended is the documentary Be Here to Love Me which shines a true light on his life and work.
2. The Raybeats - Tight Turn - Children of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era - 1976-1995 (Disc 4) (3:55)
Here is the first of two songs in this shuffle culled from Rhino’s excellent Children of Nuggets box set. The rhythm section charges along with a no-wavish dance floor throb very commonly heard recycled in today’s sounds. The guitar and keys are primitive, elemental and surfy. And of course you’re gonna love that sleek insistent Chevy Impala of a sax part. Great recording.
3. Sam & Dave - Said I Wasn’t Gonna Tell Nobody - The Complete Stax/Volt Singles: 1959-1968 [Disc 6] ( 2:38)
This shit is down and dirty, from the stabbing Stax horns and the buried voices to that beating pulse down below if you know what I mean. I really can’t get enough of the Stax. This 9 disc box is a seemingly bottomless well of soul magic.
4. The Optic Nerve - Ain’t That a Man - Children of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era - 1976-1995 (Disc 4) (2:37)
What Rhino dubs the “second psychedelic era” was an underground surge of adoration for the sloppy sixties and a rejection of the glossand futurism of the 80s mainstream. This group The Optic Nerve hailed from NYC and had the sound down pat with some great songs to boot. Chiming guitars, bratty sneer, irresistible sweetness.
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Isis - IS IS - EP (4:00)
If you’re like me you weren’t so hot on Show Your Bones in ‘06. After hearing that sophomore stumble you were a little bummed about the state of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. They went all LA and sounded kinda clean and kinda normal and it was boring. This excellent EP from last year provided a little solace even if the tracks came from pre-Bones sessions that sat in the can for a couple years. This track flaunts sinister Nick Zinner guitar, huge soulful drums thwacked at a perfect tempo and a delicious sounding Karen O doing Karen O impeccably..
6. Love - Hey Joe [Mono] - Love (2:43)
With thus rendition of go-to rock standard Hey Joe you’ve got some serious LA piss and vinegar. Love ruled the Sunset Strip in the late 60s. Every performance from every band member on this recording is a killer. You’ve got Arthur Lee’s unmistakable singing, some flying round the neck kind of bass playing and perhaps the most wild and expressive tambourine track ever committed to tape.
7. The New Pornographers - All The Things That Go To Make Heaven And Earth (live) - Matador Intended Play Spring 2008 (3:11)
I’m happy to follow that excellent Love song with this hard charger frown the New Pornographers. the band waxed this version LIVE in the studio for an iTunes EP but the original recording comes from last year’s kinda flaccid Challengers.
8. Matmos - Polychords - Supreme Balloon (3:31)
Ever since A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure I’ve been a fan of these dudes. Here’s a choice cut from their new album, just out on Matador. (And this isn’t the first time a Matmos jam piece has graced a ShuffleLovers post. Go back and enjoy ShuffleLovers #10, one of my finest pieces of work to date.
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ShuffleLovers #30
Posted on April 9, 2008
Happy 1st birthday ShuffleLovers. It has been one year since this thing was hatched. Thank you to my beloved and devoted listenership.
To celebrate, I give you a purist shuffle. I’m just letting it rip and I’m writing the commentary as it goes along. I know what I want to start with. Oh the excitement. Oh the excrement! You win!
DOWNLOAD PODCAST HERE (to download right-click [or control-click on mac] and select save target as)
ShuffleLovers 30
1. The Velvet Underground - I’m Not a Young Man Anymore - Gymnasium (7:18)
2. The Vitamen - Dramatic - Fun (3:33)
3. Van Morrison - Into the Mystic - Its Too Late to Stop Now (4:34)
4. J Mascis and the Fog - Where’d You Go - Ear Bleeding Country: Best of Dinosaur Jr. (3:21)
5. Radiohead - Faust Arp - In Rainbows (2:09)
6. Crime - Murder By Guitar - San Francisco’s Doomed (4:32)
7. Dionne Warwick - You’ve Lost that Lovin Feelin’ - Soulful (4:20)
Commentary:
1. The Velvet Underground - I’m Not a Young Man Anymore - Gymnasium (7:18)
God bless the internet. Trolling some blog I stumbled upon this recently unearthed gem, an unreleased Velvet Underground recording of an unreleased Velvet Underground song. It revolves around a deadly Sterling Morrison riff and chugs along for nearly seven minutes.
2. The Vitamen - Dramatic - Fun (3:33)
These guys tragically broke up a couple of years ago. I had the pleasure of recording all three original band members reformed but performing as part of a different band, Japan Seoul. The Vitamen know each other from way back and their shared history leads them to play very instinctually, not unlike the Band. Jesse’s songwriting is a miracle as well. I’d give a testicle if I could convince them to reform, if only just for a few shows. Consider that my first entreaty.
3. Van Morrison - Into the Mystic - Its Too Late to Stop Now (4:34)
Music fans are divided on the subject of Van Morrison and his voice. I lay entrenched in the camp that believes in Van as an Irish master of soul and blues with roots so deep they touch the earth’s core. Van’s singing cuts deep. This is one of his best songs and one of his best bands on one of his best records, the LIVE document Its Too Late to Stop Now.
4. J Mascis and the Fog - Where’d You Go - Ear Bleeding Country: Best of Dinosaur Jr. (3:21)
This tune appears on the Dino Jr. Best of comp even though it came out as a Mascis solo joint. Not too much difference really. J enjoyes extreme volume.
5. Radiohead - Faust Arp - In Rainbows (2:09)
This song absolutely kills me. Its got a perfect srting arrangement, twisty form, classy words, gorgeous chords. This one little miniature keeps you grounded as you travel through In Rainbows. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this is their best record yet. You have to give it up for quality. 
6. Crime - Murder By Guitar - San Francisco’s Doomed
These dudes dressed up like cops and played vicious, sloppy punk-rock in the late 70s. Each chord was a little pistol whip to the collective head of hippiedom. They set out to reclaim Frisco from the peace and love generation.. The first half of this number is uncharacteristally slow for this group, but about halfway though, a chaotic noise section takes over and then the band charges it up to hot-rod speed. This one must have been a showstopper for them.
7. Dionne Warwick - You’ve Lost that Lovin Feelin’ - Soulful(4:20)
Chips Moman productions always heavily feature the bass guitar. Next time you hear Elvis’ Suspicious Minds, imagine what that song would be like with if the bass were just holding it down in the background, not calling any attention to itself. This Dionne record features several Beatles covers and other ultra-famous pop numbers like this nugget of perfection originally sung by the Righteous Brothers. Dionne’s voice sounds heavenly.
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ShuffleLovers #29
Posted on March 31, 2008
A strange brew! Here’s a quick 7-song 24-minute shuffle that keeps with the spirit of inspired randomness that ShuffleLovers proudly champions. You’ve got some afro-beat, some country balladry, some DFA, some SBR, some classic rock and pop and of course, some new Radiohead.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST [MP3]
1. Geraldo Pino - Heavy Heavy Heavy - Heavy Heavy Heavy (6:35)
2. Radiohead - Up on the Ladder - In Rainbows (Disc 2) (4:17)
3. Elvis Costello - Big Sister - Trust (Bonus Tracks) (2:21)
4. Patsy Cline - When You Need a Laugh - The Definitive Collection (2:50)
5. The Unsacred Hearts - Bless This Bus - In Defense of Fort Useless (3:58)
6. The Juan Maclean - Ad 2003 - Less Than Human (2:03)
7. Cream - Strange Brew - Disraeli Gears (2:50)
Commentary:
1. Geraldo Pino and the Heartbeats - Heavy Heavy Heavy - Heavy Heavy Heavy
Historical information is important. Here’s what African dance-music label RetroAfric writes about Geraldo Pino on their website: Geraldo Pino is one of the hidden heroes of African popular music. A singer, guitarist and bandleader from Sierra Leone, Geraldo had a major influence on the burgeoning soul/funk/Afrobeat scene in West Africa during the 1960s and 70s. He made a huge impression on the young Fela Kuti who praised him effusively but his music has remained largely unheard for the past 30 years. Yeah! Pino intones, “my woman, she’s really, really heavy!”
2. Radiohead - Up on the Ladder - In Rainbows (Disc 2)
As of right now, In Rainbows has earned its place as my favorite of Radiohead’s seven excellent proper studio albums. The bonus disc that you can only get with the $80 disc-box also holds several magnificent gems. Truthfully this song would’ve badly weighted down In Rainbows. Yet it remains a remarkable feat that they present even their second rate material with this much elegance and purpose.
3. Elvis Costello - Big Sister - Trust (Bonus Tracks)
I adore all those bonus tracks Rykodisc consistently jammed on to the 90’s CD reissues of Elvis’ sparkling catalog. Trust is a great record. During this period, each Attraction played at his peak, crafting audacious and unforgettable parts which spoke on their own yet clearly in service of Elvis’ songs. Pay attention to Pete Thomas’ typically propulsive tom tom pounding in the chorus.
4. Patsy Cline - When You Need a Laugh - The Definitive Collection
And we segue into a nice country ballad. When I think of Patsy I of course always think of “Crazy” first but The Definitive Collection presents a beautiful singles catalog where her supple voice is on display. She’s bruised, she’s battered and she’s mistreated but yet you get the sense she knows what she’s doing.
5. The Unsacred Hearts - Bless This Bus - In Defense of Fort Useless
When this song appeared on my shuffle I was surprised. I hadn’t listened to it in so long I had forgotten about all the little wrinkles and details we crammed into it. Download the standalone MP3 here. That’s the Two Man Gentlemen Band singing in the coda.
6. The Juan Maclean - Ad 2003 - Less Than Human
Somehow, the Juan Maclean’s future music is a welcome arrival here. I’ve been hoping to include this tune in a shuffle for quite a while. It led off the Juan’s DFA debut full length and it packs everything I love about JM’s style into one tidy two minute package: the interlocking rhythms, sounds snaking in and out, the fresh ideas every 8 bars, the deep underlying rock and roll-ness.
7. Cream - Strange Brew - Disraeli Gears
Ah, the classic rock! Here’s a big rewind from the future back to the dinosaurs and I love it! My affection for Cream has never waned. None of Clapton’s late-career douchebaggery will ever taint the beauty of these recordings. Ginger Baker is a drum-genius. All three dudes are. And the contributions of producer Felix Pappalardi in concert of course with legendary Atlantic engineer Tom Dowd keep these musical super-humans on track. This is a total rip of Albert King, yet for its time it was pretty futuristic sounding for popular rock music.
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ShuffleLovers #28
Posted on March 16, 2008
Mount up for this journey through diverse sounds and styles, a fantastic voyage indeed. Punk, pop, psychedelic, jazz and old-time sounds congeal.
1. Swell Maps - Midget Submarine - A Trip To Marineville (4:34)
2. Jack and the Pulpits - Dance Area - Jack and the Pulpits (2:09)
3. Akron/Family - Future Myth - Akron/Family and Angels Of Light (8:13)
4. Elvin Jones - Lady Luck - Elvin! (6:23)
5. The Dirty Projectors - Untitled - Rise Above (3:50)
6. David Bowie - Fantastic Voyage - Lodger (2:59)
7. Al Duvall - Dreaming Of A Good Night’s Sleep - Coroner & Knives (2:25)
Commentary:
1. Swell Maps - Midget Submarine - A Trip To Marineville (4:34)
A great opening stomp lulls us into 4 and a half minutes of prolonged anxiety. Here’s a You Tube clip of these underrated British punk experimentalists. R.I.P. Nikki Sudden.
2. Jack and the Pulpits - Dance Area - Jack and the Pulpits (2:09)
In a decidedly incongruous transition, we are swept away to a very different place. Dance Area is a concise, sweet and skillfully conceived song about love conquering money sung by Jack and the Pulpits, the duo of Josh Kaufman and special lady Annie Nero. They are great writers. Josh also helms Rocketship Park.
3. Akron/Family - Future Myth - Akron/Family and Angels Of Light (8:13)
This epic jam begins in a spacey cloud of Money For Nothing atmospherics and meanders for eight minutes through psychedelia, rootsy hooks and extended experimentation, eventually culminating in a bizarrely detached swath of video game music. (Has Matt from Ear Farm heard this one for his recurring 8+ column?) 
4. Elvin Jones - Lady Luck - Elvin! (6:23)
Straight ahead be-bop can seem out of place amidst amplified rock sounds, but after that journey the Akron/Family dudes took us on, we’re ready for anything. This session shows Coltrane’s famous skinsman swinging like mad as the band-leader an excellent including his very gifted brothers Thad (cornet) and Hank (piano), along with Art Davis (bass), and Frank Wess (flute), Frank Foster (tenor sax) backing him up.
5. The Dirty Projectors - Untitled - Rise Above (3:50)
The story of Dave Longstreth’s Rise Above project is very interesting and you should read it here. I wonder what Greg Ginn thinks of the music. This particular blot of sound serves primarily as shuffle ligament, which eases the transition from Elvin’s swinging to Bowie’s singing.
6. David Bowie - Fantastic Voyage - Lodger (2:59)
I stand by my nomination of David Bowie as the all time background vocal genius in the history of rock music. His powers are magical.
7. Al Duvall - Dreaming Of A Good Night’s Sleep - Coroner & Knives (2:25)
Brooklyn banjo troubadour Al Duvall runs in the same old-time Americana circuit that my pals the Two Man Gentlemen Band do. His cluttered imagistic rhymes speak for themselves. Al is brilliant. This tune is a fitting close to a shuffle.
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ShuffleLovers #27
Posted on February 19, 2008
Here’s a beat-heavy shuffle which smears some disparate sounds together all in the name of the almighty low-frequency induced head-nod. Get your mind blown.
DOWNLOAD THE 28-minute PODCAST/MIX-TAPE [MP3] HERE!
1. Delta 5 - Mind Your Own Business - Disco Not Disco 1974-1986 (3:13)
2. Radiohead - MK 2 - In Rainbows [Disc 2] (0:53)
3. Kevin Ayers - Stop This Train (Again Doing It) - Joy Of A Toy (6:06)
4. Johnnie Taylor - You Can’t Get Away From It - The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 [Disc 8] (2:50)
5. Fruko Y Sus Tesos - Salsa Na Ma - Colombia! - The Golden Age of Discos Fuentes -The Powerhouse of Colombian Music 1960 to 1976 (Disc 1) (4:14)
6. Glass Candy - CANDY CASTLE (Demo) - Myspace Demo (5:22)
7. Black Mountain - No Satisfaction (Campfire Version) - Druganaut (3:47)
8 . Prinzhorn Dance School - Crackerjack Docker - Prinzhorn Dance School (2:42)
Commentary:
1. Delta 5 - Mind Your Own Business - Disco Not Disco 1974-1986 (3:13)
Leeds’ Delta 5 were part of the same leftist post-punk scene that spawned Gang of Four and the Mekons. Mind Your Own Business was their excellent first single. If you’ve ever heard the Rapture’s music you’ll notice the guitar approach they pilfered from Delta 5 in the middle section of this song.
2. Radiohead - MK 2 - In Rainbows [Disc 2] (0:53)
MK2 is a tiny, beautiful, synthy soundscape that works as perfect shuffle ligament between the previous and subsequent jam pieces. It currently is only available on the bonus CD that comes with the $80 “disc-box” version of In Rainbows.
3. Kevin Ayers - Stop This Train (Again Doing It) - Joy Of A Toy (6:06)
Enjoy this lesson in how to have fun with speeding up and slowing down tape from Ayers’ 1969 debut solo album. Dance-floor potential lives within this progressive rock nugget which gets driven along by some fine chug-a-lugga bass playing. Ayers is brilliant.
4. Johnnie Taylor - You Can’t Get Away From It - The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 [Disc 8] (2:50)
The Complete Stax Volt box set has become an absolute staple in my little world. Check the glockenspiel in this number, and of course that preeminent hard hard Stax beat.
5. Fruko Y Sus Tesos - Salsa Na Ma - Colombia! - The Golden Age of Discos Fuentes -The Powerhouse of Colombian Music 1960 to 1976 (Disc 1) (4:14)
I never realized how bad-ass South American music could be until I impulsively purchased this 2LP Colombian Music anthology this January. Music like this serves as incentive to brush up on my Spanish and my bongo skills. And a footnote . . . Attention Springsteen fans: notice how the opening piano passage bears uncanny resemblance to Roy Bittan’s piano intro to the concert arrangement of Springsteen classic “Spirit In the Night.” To non-Springsteen fans, worry not; the meat of this sleek, stinky, dance music has nothing and I mean absolutely nothing to do with the nobly lumbering E-Street rhythm machine.
6. Glass Candy - CANDY CASTLE (Demo) - Myspace Demo (5:22)
I gotta say, I do like what these Italians Do It Better folks are up to. Listening to this impeccably arranged nuevo-disco track, I’m savoring the silky strings, the flawed and creaky tone of the voice, the creamy sound of the the disco drums. The IDIB label compilation After Dark is excellent and highly recommended.
7. Black Mountain - No Satisfaction (Campfire Version) - Druganaut (3:47)
Black Mountain brings it back down to the earthy sounds I feel at home with. The song title screams Stones and so does the sound of the record which is all Beggar’s Banquet. They are an ambitious old-school-minded group with penchants for wild, psuedo-proggy excursions as well as drony, druggy stuff and I love the ‘05 self-titled debut album that this single is lifted from.
8 . Prinzhorn Dance School - Crackerjack Docker - Prinzhorn Dance School (2:42)
This boy-girl DFA act doesn’t fit the dance-floor mold that label is famous for. They are an ultra-minimalist British group that has come up with a unique sound that is sparse, haunting, and despite its radical sparseness, huge. This CD has gotten a lot of play on my pod-piece.
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ShuffleLovers #26: PollardLovers Vol. 2
Posted on February 7, 2008
Jump inside of this second installment of my PollardLovers series. Whether you are pleased by this or not, Uncle Bob is back by popular demand. This episode might quality as the type of mix-tape you could pass to a skeptical pal who hasn’t quite developed a taste for these types of beery sounds. This shuffle is rich in the minutia and random detail that delights Dayton-fetishizing nerds like myself, but simultaneously doesn’t skimp on hits because everyone loves the hits.
ShuffleLovers #26: PollardLovers Vol. 2
1. Guided By Voices - Demons Are Real - Live From Austin, TX - Guided By Voices (Disc 1) (1:39)
2. Guided By Voices - Teenage FBI (Original Version) - Wish In One Hand (1:39)
3. Guided By Voices - Crutch Came Slinking - King Shit And The Golden Boys (2:12)
4. Guided By Voices - Exit Flagger -Propeller (2:19)
5. Guided By Voices - It Is Divine [Different Version] - Hardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere (Disc 3; Delicious Pie & Thank You For Calling: Previously Unreleased Songs and Recordings) (3:47)
6. Guided By Voices - I Invented the Moonwalk (And the Pencil Sharpener) [Do The Collapse Demo] - Hardcore UFOs:
Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere (Disc 3; Delicious Pie & Thank You For Calling: Previously Unreleased Songs and Recordings) (2:08)
7. Guided By Voices - Everywhere With Helicopter (Recorded at Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC, USA - 04/16/2002) - Hardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere (Disc 4; Live at the Wheelchair Races - Unreleased Live Recordings 1995-2002) (2:34)
8. Robert Pollard - Kick Me and Cancel - From a Compound Eye (2:10)
9. The Takeovers - Molly and Zack - Bad Football (2:05)
10. Circus Devils - Festival of Death - The Harold Pig Memorial (1:33)
11. Guided By Voices - Squirmish Frontal Room - King Shit and the Golden Boys (1:54)
12. Guided By Voices - Glad Girls - Live From Austin, TX - Guided By Voices (Disc 2) (3:59)
13. Radiation Feeder - The Power of Suck - Crickets (1:52)
Commentary:
1. Guided By Voices - Demons Are Real - Live From Austin, TX - Guided By Voices (Disc 1) (1:39)
“Say it! Learn it! Know It!” This was the band’s opener at their 2004 Austin City Limits show and Bob already sounds tanked. The concert got put out last year as a 2CD live album, and also as a DVD.
2. Guided By Voices - Teenage FBI (Original Version) - Wish In One Hand (1:39)
Many would argue this version’s superiority to it’s glossier Ric Ocasek produced descendant on Do The Collapse. I know it sounds like a cop-out, but I’ll tell ya, I actually love them both. When you take away the big-time major-label sheen, which was always more of an experiment than an ending place for GBV, this thing sounds absolutely classic, like it could fit on Under the Bushes Under the Stars or something from the mid-nineties.
3. Guided by Voices - Crutch Came Slinking - King Shit And The Golden Boys (2:12)
King Shit compiles stellar outtakes from the Bee Thousand era and is only available as the bonus disc in Box. Box, for the uninitiated is a 6 disc set that compiles GBV’s first five albums. Anyway, this song is catchy, noisy and fantastic, like a shitty Dayton Beatles.
4. Guided By Voices - Exit Flagger -Propeller (2:19)
Everyone loves Bob’s pop songs and this is one of his best. That’s Bob himself on the sloppy drums. Oh, and in case you didn’t know, the album this song originally appeared on, Propeller, was GBV’s fifth self-released full length album, and in 1992 at the time of its release the GBV camp was close to throwing in the towel for good. Bob and his people hand-made 500 unique covers.
5. Guided By Voices - It Is Divine [Different Version] - Hardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere (Disc 3; Delicious Pie & Thank You For Calling: Previously Unreleased Songs and Recordings) (3:47)
In 2002 Bob put out a much more fleshed-out, much different version of this song on a collaborative side project record he made with Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan. That band was called Go Back Snowball. That album is called Calling Zero. Mac wrote the music and Bob wrote the lyrics and vocal melodies. Very little besides the main chorus hook in this original boombox version remained the same.
6. Guided By Voices - I Invented the Moonwalk (And the Pencil Sharpener) [Do The Collapse Demo] - Hardcore UFOs:
Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere (Disc 3; Delicious Pie & Thank You For Calling: Previously Unreleased Songs and Recordings) (2:08)
This demo recording evolved into a song called Whiskey Ships from Bob’s second solo album Waved Out (Matador 1998). The actual chords and melody morphed a lot less drastically then the title.
7. Guided By Voices - Everywhere With Helicopter (Recorded at Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC, USA - 04/16/2002) - Hardcore UFOs:
Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere (Disc 4; Live at the Wheelchair Races - Unreleased Live Recordings 1995-2002) (2:34)
Universal Truths And Cycles, the underrated 2002 record this song originally appears on, was GBV’s return to Matador after their slightly awkward stint with TVT. The band here rips it out live and shows off their new drummer Kevin March who replaced Jon McCann who was only in the band for like five minutes after he replaced the inimitable Jim MacPherson, the Dayton native who manned the throne during GBVs TVT years after having made his name with The Breeders in the 90s.
8. Robert Pollard - Kick Me and Cancel - From a Compound Eye (2:10)
From a Compound Eye is so full of hits its disgusting. I simply won’t accept shit-talking about this 2 LP tour-de-fuckin’-force. This is a good song but not in the upper echelon of this record which has U.S. Mustard Company, Strong Lions, Dancing Girls and Dancing Men, Love Is Stronger Than Witchcraft and literally a dozen or so more magnificent gems.
9. The Takeovers - Molly and Zack - Bad Football (2:05)
Here’s a cool side project thing Bob’s been doing recently with the final GBV bassist Chris Slusarenko who runs a label called Off Records that previously put out Bob’s Phantom Tollbooth project.
10. Circus Devils - Festival of Death - The Harold Pig Memorial (1:33)
The Circus Devils stuff isn’t known for being the most melodic music in the world. Usually producer/music maker Todd Tobias’ weird horror movie soundscapes dominate the speakers. I enjoy it very much. This one is a little more tuneful and folky than other sounds your ears may collide with in the bizarre Circue Devils ouvre. 
11. Guided By Voices - Squirmish Frontal Room - King Shit and the Golden Boys (1:54)
Please take note of this excellent song title which is just the type of thing that only Bob would come up with. It is well known that part of his songwriting process in the past has been to jot down the stuff that comes out of his pals’ mouths when it sounds like it’d be a good title. Apparently he’s always got pages of titles kicking around, titles that he then will craft songs around.
12. Guided By Voices - Glad Girls - Live From Austin, TX - Guided By Voices (Disc 2) (3:59)
So drunk. End of set. The best song ever. Find the original version on the Rob Schnapf produced Isolation Drills. Speaking of which, I should direct you all to this Gearslutz message board Schnapf love-fest that gets interuppted by the Schnapf himself who fields questions from adoring engineers and even offers up this post about the making of Isolation Drills: GBV was great fun.
not so good for the liver.
a great rock band.
3gtrs bass and drums cut live.
overdubbed the vocals.
“how’s my drinking” is the first take at about 2am after a bunch of drinking.
some extra gtr parts but not much.
sprinkled some strings, mellotron piano and organ.
called it a record.
13. Radiation Feeder - The Power of Suck - Crickets (1:52)
The Power of Suck is an aborted concept album that Bob dreamed up with Jim Greer after the success of Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes. It never got completed although GBV recorded songs for it with Kim Deal and Steve Albini that Bob hates. Read that story here. This song shares a title with said concept album, and appeared in 2007 on the 2CD Crickets compilation which collected the best of the music released on Bob’s now defunct Fading Captain Series label.
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ShuffleLovers #25
Posted on January 24, 2008
Certain folks remain resistant to the very notion of a shuffle. To them I present ShuffleLovers #25: The Silver Shuffle, perhaps the greatest shuffle of all times! If not the greatest of all times, it is a coherent instant mix-tape that makes sense all together.
DOWNLOAD the 24 minute mix-tape/podcast here.
1. The Homosexuals - Magic Moments Part 2 - Astral Glamour (0:47)
2. Lou Reed - New York Telephone Conversation - Transformer (1:35)
3. Looker - After My Divorce - ‘After My Divorce’ / ‘Master’s Gone Away’ (3:22)
4. The Congos - Fisherman - Heart Of The Congos (6:05)
5. T.Rex - Monolith - Electric Warrior (Remaster) (3:50)
6. The Faces - Shake, Shudder, Shiver - The First Step (3:14)
7. David Porter - Act 2 Scene 2 Pretty Inside - Victim Of The Joke? An Opera (3:33)
8. Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Going Going Gone - Destiny Street (2:32)
Commentary:
1. The Homosexuals - Magic Moments Part 2 - Astral Glamour (0:47)
Here’s some Homosexuals trivia. Bruno Wizard, the singer, plays some kick-ass drums. He’s played on some Homos tracks, and in person I’ve heard him play some terrifically complex patterns, some really mesmerizing shit. Here’s him blowing off some steam with a dubbed-out 32nd note delay attached to his kit. A great start to the greatest shuffle of all times!
2. Lou Reed - New York Telephone Conversation - Transformer (1:35) If you haven’t seen it, seek out VH1’s Classic Albums episode for Transformer. David Bowie, I’m convinced, is the all-time background vocal stud of the universe. Here on this little ditty he accompanies Lou Reed the off-key New Yawka with class and perfect taste, attached so closely to the lead vocal he seems to be Lou’s angel-face alter ego. And there’s some really genius singing on almost every track. Get with Transformer quick.
3.Looker - After My Divorce - ‘After My Divorce’ / ‘Master’s Gone Away’ (3:22)
I heard a lot of stuff going on in After My Divorce which is one of the best songs of ‘07. I sensed The Smiths, The Pretenders, The Beatles, and perhaps the most direct touchstone The Clash. I heard it in the lyrics and I heard it in AJ Lambert’s bass playing, which points toward the reggae Paul Simonon loved. Download the standalone MP3 for free here and then learn more here.
4. The Congos - Fisherman - Heart Of The Congos (6:05)
I’m sure Paul Simonon did plenty of time with this Lee “Scratch” Perry joint. It is one of the best reggae songs you’ll ever hear.
5. T.Rex - Monolith - Electric Warrior (Remaster) (3:50) The first few seconds of the song sound like a record scratch. Then the groove drops and it is slow and the background singing is a divine choral blanket over everything. It kinda serves the purpose of an organ but sounds way better. Incredible sound choice. Bolan’s words and singing are classic.
6. The Faces - Shake, Shudder, Shiver - The First Step (3:14) Now this song has some sweet fucking organ. Organists like Ian McLagan aren’t around anymore. They’re a nearly dead species. And Rod. Oh Rod. Also, have you ever heard that rumor that Rod Stewart was courted by the fledgling New Yardbirds who eventually became Led Zeppelin? Imagine.
7. David Porter - Act 2 Scene 2 Pretty Inside - Victim Of The Joke? An Opera (3:33)
Porter was Isaac Hayes’ songwriting partner in Stax’s heyday. Together they were a bit of a hit machine, churning out classics like Hold On! I’m Coming until Isaac got caught up in his solo career and the partnership fizzled. Porter’s only real touché of note was this 1971 concept album, a soul opera if you will, which places sunny, orchestrated funky pop like this very optimistic jam inside a goofy narrative about a love triangle. The backing band is the Bar-Kays. Fun times.
8. Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Going Going Gone - Destiny Street (2:32) Hell took about five years to follow-up his watershed debut Blank Generation and the result was Destiny Street, a record with ten songs, three of which were covers. Hell sings others’ material with purpose and this Bob Dylan song from 1974’s Planet Waves is no exception.
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