Radio Recap - 20 October 2009

Here's last Tuesday's playlist.

Husker Du “Pink Turns to Blue” from Zen Arcade
A.C. Newman “Miracle Drug” from The Slow Wonder
Alaska! “S.S.” from Emotions
All-Time Quarterback “Dinner At Eight In The Suburbs” from All-Time Quarterback
Ambulance LTD “Anecdote” from Ambulance Ltd
Ben Kweller “Commerce, TX” from Sha Sha
Blonde Redhead “23” from 23
Bright Eyes “Arc Of Time (Time Code)” from Digital Ash In A Digital Urn
Broken Social Scene “Ibi Dreams Of Pavement (A Better Day)” from Broken social scene
Built To Spill “Randy Described Eternity” from Perfect from Now On
Califone “Pink & Sour” from Roots & Crowns
Cat Power “American Flag” from Moon Pix
Holiday Shores “Experiencer” from Columbus'd the Whim
Islands “Disarming The Car Bomb” from Vapours (read about)
Old Canes “Little Bird Courage” from Feral Harmonic (read about)
The Flaming Lips “Powerless” from Embryonic
Dark Meat “The Faint Smell of Moss” from Truce Opium
Wye Oak “Mary Is Mary” from The Knot
Art Brut “Rusted Guns Of Milan” from Bang Bang Rock And Roll
Death From Above 1979 “Go Home, Get Down” from You're A Woman I'm A Machine
Sufjan Stevens “Movement IV: Traffic Shock” from The BQE
The Whigs “In The Dark” from In The Dark (read about)
Atlas Sound “Walkabout (w/ Noah Lennox)” from Logos
Thomas Function “Belly of the Beast” from In The Valley Of Sickness
Lou Barlow “Goodnight Unknown” from Goodnight Unknown

Promo: The Whigs - "In the Dark"

I'm not sure why, but The Whigs' new song hasn't been commanding the attention it deserves, even given the short time it has been available. I'm not even sure if it can yet be called a promo; it's release marks the announcement of their new album In the Dark to be released in February 2010. The album doesn't even appear on the record label (ATO) website, but The Whigs posted the title track in a bulletin on their iLike page yesterday morning. So check out "In the Dark" and listen for it tonight!

Promo: Old Canes - Little Bird Courage

I'm a big fan of the Appleseed Cast, so I was pretty stoked this morning to find out that lead singer Chris Crisci's side project was releasing an album today. This project is called Old Canes and today marks the release of their second album, Feral Harmonic, out on Saddle Creek. I haven't had the time to listen to the whole album yet, but Saddle Creek has release one track for download. It's good, so I'm sending it your way, too. It's a feel-good track called "Little Bird Courage", a little less emo, a little more folk-y, than standard Appleseed cast. Listen for it tonight.

Promo: Vampire Weekend - "Horchata"

Allow me to jump on the blog bandwagon and plug the new promotional track by Vampire Weekend. "Horchata" will be a track from their upcoming album Contra, out in the states on January 12 from XL Recordings. I find it to be typical VW: catchy, lighthearted with eclectic instrumentation. It's also good and you should give it a listen below or on PUR tonight. Then download it by joining their mailing list in the Vampire Weekend player below or by going to their website for the non-email list option.

Threadspinner - Live on PUR

This week PUR was graced with Santa Barbara local band Threadspinner to promote the local release of their debut album Night Chorus (national release Nov. 17). The album release party is tonight, but unfortunately for you (but fortuantly for the band), the show is sold-out! If you haven't heard them yet, Threadspinner puts a subtle but powerful indie-pop cover over hauntingly beautiful, singer-songwriter-esque songs. Tuesday, they played three songs from the album ("Where the Game Begins", "Waking World", and "Night Chorus"), and gave a short interview. Check out the podcast of their appearance below.

Threadspinner - Live on KCSB

Radio Recap - 29 September 2009

Here's last Tuesday's playlist. Muchas gracias to Threadspinner to coming to the show! The podcast of their appearance coming very soon.

Fleet Foxes “White Winter Hymnal” from Fleet Foxes
Bowerbirds “My Oldest Memory” from Hymns for a Dark Horse
Au “rr vs. d” from Verbs
Evangelicals “Paperback Suicide” from The Evening Descends
The Ruby Suns “There Are Birds” from Sea Lion
The Ting Tings “Great DJ” from We Started Nothing
Black Kids “Hurricane Jane” from Partie Traumatic
Bishop Allen “Empire City” from Charm School
White Rabbits “I Used To Complain Now I Don't” from Fort Nightly
Brothers And Sisters “You're Gone” from Fortunately
Threadspinner Live Performance!
Wax Fang “World War II (Pt.2)” from La La Land
Dinosaur Jr “Friends” from Farm (Jagjaguwar Records)
Phoenix “1901” from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Glassnote)
Japandroids “Rockers East Vancouver” from Post-Nothing (Promo) (Polyvinyl Records)
Portland Cello Project “Beat (Health, Life And Fire) (Featuring Thao)” from The Thao And Justin Power Sessions (Kill Rock Star)
Cymbals Eat Guitars “Wind Phoenix (Proper Name)” from Why There Are Mountains (Self Released)
Death Vessel “Mandan Dink” from Stay Close
The Decemberists “Apology Song” from 5 Songs
Wye Oak “Siamese” from The Knot
The Brian Jonestown Massacre “(David Bowie I Love You) Since I Was Six” from Take It From The Man!

Preview Lou Barlow's Goodnight Unknown

In less than two weeks, Merge Records will release Lou Barlow's new solo album Goodnight Unknown. A few songs from the album have been floating around the internet for a few weeks now, and these fulfill every expectation I have based on Barlow's previous work with Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr., Folk Implosion, and the numerous other side projects over the last 20 years. And now, as of last Tuesday, we can see if my first impression holds true to the whole album. Thanks to Merge and NPR, you can preview the album in it's entirety here.

Also, for the last 7 weeks before Goodnight Unknown comes out, Lou is making a video for a different song and posting them on what Merge is calling "Lootube." Check out the videos thus far.

Preview Goodnight Unknown at NPR.
Pre-order here.

Promo: Rainbow Bridge - "Big Wave Rider"

A new song from a new band. I know nothing about Rainbow Bridge other than they have an ironic sense of humor. Put another way, I don't trust anything they say on their myspace, since none of it makes any sense. Rainbow Bridge does write good music though, as evidenced by their 7" on True Panther called "Big Wave Rider." This song is super chill, with a great crescendo and climax about half way through. Not exactly energetic, but it's bound to get you surfer's stoked just like it does me. You can order 7" here, plus the label is giving away the A-side on the same page. Unfortunately, I've had some trouble with .mp3 files from some of True Panther's other artists, so I'm not going to link the .mp3 itself. Instead, glance down their catalog page, which is kind of cluttered, to find the entry for Rainbow Bridge's 7". Right now, it is 4th from the top, and you can download the .mp3 there.

Why? - Eskimo Snow

Why? released Eskimo Snow today on Anticon Records. The new album is somewhat more mellow and slower paced than last years Alopecia, but the important essence of the band is still present. What critical bit is this, you ask? In this case one you'll be surprised for me to note: the lyrics. While I hardly ever pay attention to the meaning of sung words, Why?'s lyrics are so infectious and clever that I'm constantly distracted by them and chuckling at the irony and wit in which they steep. In one of my favorites is from "Into the Shadows of My Embrace." While reflecting on contradictory claims that sex keeps you young and ages you, frontman Yoni Wolf quips "So I guess it's sorta like smoking and walking at the same time...in that it will have left you aged normally." This brilliant bit of wit has its like in nearly every track, making the album worthy of your attention even if you only listen through one time for the lyrical genius. But by the end of that listen, it is likely the music will have infected you. Buy it here.

Why? will also be visiting SB soon. At 9pm, on Sunday, October 18, Why? plays an 18+ show at the Velvet Jones. They bring with them two guests: Au and Serengeti & Polyphonic. I'm a casual fan of Au as well, so this bill is a no brainer. Tickets are $13.50 here or at the door.

The Hidden Cameras - Origin: Orphan

The Hidden Cameras released their new album Origin: Orphan yesterday on Arts & Crafts records. The music is very orchestrated and controlled, which I get the feeling is typical of the band despite my relative lack of familiarity with their back-catalogue. The instrumentation is very diverse, more often than not omitting the standard indie rock instruments (i.e.-guitar), and the synth sounds are prominent. Also, you have to enjoy the multiplicity of vocal lines, and the Hidden Cameras employ both polyphony and homophony. Overall, the album has a somber, melancholy tone with mostly slow tempo-ed tracks, with only a couple of exceptions. For me it is these tracks, "In the NA" and "Underage" are the stand outs. I lose interest in most of the others, but if your a stanch fan of theirs, or of virtually everything that the Magnetic Fields have ever written, you'll probably love the whole album. If you want to preview a couple tracks, check out my previous post. You can buy the album here.

Radio Recap - 22 September 2009

19:58:Black Lips “Drugs” from 200 Million Thousand
20:00 Vivian Girls “Can't Get Over You” from Everything Goes Wrong
20:03 The Twilight Sad “I Became a Prostitute” from Forget the Night Ahead
20:12 Islands “No You Don't” from Vapours (read more)
20:16 Washed Out “Hold Out” from Life of Leisure
20:20 Fanfarlo “I'm A Pilot” from Reservoir
20:24 Thao With the Get Down Stay Down “Know Better Learn Faster” from Know Better Learn Faster (read more)
20:28 Amusement Parks On Fire “In Our Eyes” from Young Fight
08:36 Bonus Eventus “Rough Housing” from Cañaceros!
20:38 The Cave Singers “Beach House” from Welcome Joy (read more)
20:42 Times New Viking “These Days” from Born Again Revisited
20:46 The Hidden Cameras “In The NA” from Origin: Orphan (read more)
20:51 Bridezilla “Brown Paper Bag” from EP
20:55 The Sweet Serenades “Mona Lee” from Balcony Cigarettes
20:59 Army Navy “Saints” from Army Navy
21:03 Hello Seahorse! “No Encontre Nada” from Hoy A Las Ocho
21:07 I Was a King “Norman Bleik” from I Was a King
21:10 Au Revoir Simone “Only You Can Make Me Happy” from Still Night, Still Light
21:18 White Rabbits “Rudie Fails” from It's Frightening (read more)
21:21 Rhume “Home Tonight” from Kelp 15
21:24 Mason Proper “Lock and Key” from Olly Oxen Free
21:28 The Seedy Seeds “Winter 04” from Demo
21:31 M. Ward “Rave On (feat. Zooey Deschanel)” from Hold Time
21:35 Superchunk “Without Blinking” from Foolish
21:41 Tokyo Police Club “In a Cave” from Elephant Shell
21:43 The Jesus and Mary Chain “Taste of Cindy” from Psychocandy
21:45 Wolfmother “Back Round” from Back Round
21:49 Casper & the Cookies “Little King” from Modern Silence
21:56 Art Brut “Wierd Science” from Alcoholics Unanimous Single

Promo: Thao Nguyen - Know Better Learn Faster

I have a treat for all you fans of indie folk out there. Not only has Kill Rock Stars made available the title track from Thao Nguyen's upcoming album, Know Better Learn Faster, but if you pre-order it ($13), you can also get discounted concert tickets. "So?" you ask. "I hate driving to LA to see shows and next to nobody comes to Santa Barbara." Well, you're in luck, because Thao is actually kicking off here Fall tour in SB on October 15 @ Soho. Tickets are $12 regular, or $8 with pre-order. Know Better Learn Faster is scheduled for release October 15.

Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down - "Know Better Learn Faster" .mp3

Islands - Vapours

Today marks the release of Islands' new album, Vapours. Why do I introduce it with a more dramatic tone than most album reviews, you ask? Because this album is amazing! Vapours is certainly one of the best albums of the year, thanks to a perfect balance between eclecticism and standard rock/pop songwriting. Almost every song has a guitar, bass, and drums, but none are without some element from some other sound world. "Devout," for instance, features a drum track that belongs to some downtempo DJ, but after the first 30 seconds your ear will be pleasantly pondering the song's true genre. Even the most typical rock song, the title track "Vapours," brings in a prominant horn section for the bridge which alters the sound world despite flawless integration.

Tonight, I'll play my favorite track "No You Don't" on PUR.

Buy Islands' Vapours here.

Limited Time Only: preview new Flaming Lips - Embryonic

Last night on The Colbert Report, the Flaming lips played "Convinced of the Hex," a track from their upcoming album (watch it below). It's a little dark, and slightly below par for the Lips, but they're in no danger of losing my support.

Although Embryonic isn't released until October 13, the Flaming Lips have provided the entire album for streaming preview on the Colbert Nation homepage. However, this opportunity to check it out early reportedly ends next Monday, Sept. 21, so don't dawdle. It's not obvious where it is, but just look just below the upper-left-hand corner.

There are pre-order links for Embryonic on Colbert Nation, but if you need no more convincing you can do so here. Also, there is a limited edition 2CD/1DVD, which comes with an opportunity to get two free tickets to the Lips' New Years Eve show (in Oklahoma City; my hometown!) if you pre-order it here.

Check it out before Sept. 21!

Hidden Camera Promos! Promos! Promos!

Next Tuesday, The Hidden Cameras release their new album Origin: Orphan, and boy are there some promo tracks out there for this album. Most recently, the band Records has authorized Seattle's KEXP to include "In the NA" on the Song of the Day Podcast. The sound of this song can only be described as silly, guaranteed to put a smile on your face. A somewhat older promo is for "Walk On", available for the cost of joining the mailing list (for the band, label or both). I'll play one of these next Tuesday, with an album review to follow.

Hidden Cameras - "In the NA" (follow link)
Hidden Cameras - "Walk On" (follow link)

Radio Recap - 15 September 2009

Due to some goings on at the station last night, there was more music than anticipated. Be sure to check out Autolux's "Audience No. 2" post.

20:00:00 Crocodiles “I Wanna Kill” from "Summer of Hate"
20:04:36 Ambulance LTD “New English” from New English
20:07:09 Weed Hounds “Save Me From My Lethargy” from Demo
20:10:36 Royal Bangs “My Car is Haunted” from Let It Beep
20:17:21 Real Estate “Fake Blues” from Fake Blues
20:20:21 The Fruit Bats “The Blessed Breeze” from The Ruminant Band
20:25:06 Vivian Girls “The Desert” from Everythin Goes Wrong
20:27:49 Autolux “Audience No. 2” from Audience No. 2 Single (read more)
20:32:30 The Feelies “Crazy Rhythms” from Crazy Rhythms
20:38:41 Sleepy Sun “Sleepy Son” from Embrace
20:46:05 The Swirlies “Pancake” from Blonder Tongue Audio Baton
20:49:21 Wild Beasts “All the Kings Men” from Two Dancers
20:53:21 The Bird and the Bee “Man” from Please Clap Your Hands
20:56:24 Someone Still Loves You Boris Yelstin “Glue Girls” from Pershing
20:59:50 The New Pornographers “Mass Romantic” from Mass Romantic
21:03:54 Matt & Kim “5K” from Matt & Kim
21:06:04 The Promise Ring “Nothing Feels Good” from Nothing Feels Good
21:08:07 Tokyo Police Club “Graves” from Elephant Shell
21:10:43 Pomegranates “The Bellhop” from Everything is Alive
21:16:17 Gentleman Auction House “The Book of Matches” from The Book of Matches EP
21:20:16 Wye Oak “Please Concrete” from If Children
21:23:29 Les Savy Fav “The Equestrian” from Let's Stay Friends
21:26:57 Lync “Two Feet in Front” from Remembering the Fireballs
21:33:59 Sunny Day Real Estate “Sometimes” from Diary
21:39:42 Lemon Jelly “Elements” from Lost Horizons
21:48:24 The Whigs “Like a Vibration” from Mission Control
21:50:59 Oh No! Oh My! “Be a Star” from Dmitrij Dmitrij
21:56:09 The Magic Numbers “Keep It In the Pocket” from Those the Brokes

Promo .mp3: Autolux - Audience No. 2

Los Angeles' Autolux has made available their new single, Audience No. 2, under a name your own price scheme. Apparently, there was internet trouble with people paying, so they just sidestepped the whole process. It's a solid track and about what you might expect from them: crunchy, strong drum beat, softly sung lyrics...octaves made to sound dissonant. Get it here.

Radio Recap - 8 September 2009

08:00PM Fergus & Geronimo “Powerful Lovin” from Fergus & Geronimo
08:02PM Destroyer “Dark Leaves From a Thread” from Trouble in Dreams
08:05PM Polvo “The Pedlar” from In Prism (read more)
08:17PM Vivian Girls “The End” from Everythin Goes Wrong
08:20PM Palomar “The Planeiac” from Palomar 3
08:24PM Wavves “Cool Jumper” from Wavves
08:34PM Cotton Jones “Where You Stop for a Minute” from Rio Ranger EP (read more)
08:37PM Free Energy “Dream City” from Free Energy
08:41PM Bottle Up and Go “Wayward Son” from These Bones
08:44PM Jonna Lee “My High” from This is Jonna Lee
08:47PM Why? “Into the Shadows of My Embrace” from Eskimo Snow
08:56PM The Big Pink “Dominos” from Dominos
09:00PM The Decemberists “Tangerine” from Bridging the Distance- Portland, OR
09:02PM Treepeople “Liquid Boy” from Something Vicious for Tomorrow
09:06PM The Dandy Warhols “Godless” from Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia
09:12PM The American Analog Set “Promice of Love” from Promice of Love
09:21PM Ambulance LTD “Yoga Means Union” from LP
09:26PM Blonde Redhead “23” from 23
09:27PM Cymbals Eat Guitars “Wind Phoenix (Proper Name)” from Why There Are Mountains
09:32PM Grandaddy “Gentle Spike Resort” from Broken Down Comforter Collection
09:36PM Neutral Milk Hotel “Ghost” from In an Aeroplane Over The Sea
09:40PM The Decemberists “Thank About Me” from Bridging the Distance- Portland, OR
09:42PM The Joggers “Long Distance Run Around” from Bridging the Distance- Portland, OR
09:56PM Elliot Smith “Southern Bell” from Elliot Smith

New Album: Polvo - In Prisms

One of the 90s greatest experimental bands has reunited to give us a new album, out last Tuesday. Polvo has always had a unique take on harmony and a superb use of dissonance, but In Prisms shows a great deal of the maturity and sophistication they gained during their nearly 12 year hiatus. As such, this album is less weird than anything the band's done before, especially in relation to Today's Active Lifestyles (1993; my favorate of theirs). Yet they haven't abandoned those completely out-of-tune notes that are the hallmark of their sound. To me, this dissonance sounds something akin to the "blue notes" oft mentioned in jazz, but for Polvo they are more than blue. Perhaps "dirty notes" would better describe the utter degree of misplacement that these effect. On Tuesday, I played "The Pedlar" and previously "Beggar's Bowl" (available free here) which are definitely the stand out tracks.

Buy In Prisms from Merge Records, here.

Free mp3 from a new EP by Cotton Jones

After a nearly two week hiatus from posting, I return to you with goodies. Not only has Cotton Jones, perhaps more famously known as Michael Nau from the band Page France, released the new Rio Rangers EP today, but one of the five tracks on the album is free for download from Quite Scientific Records. If you haven't checked out this side project (I hadn't), it's a bit more folky than Page France, but it retains the psychadelic aspects of the full bands. Listen for the free track "Where You Stop for a Minute" on Parallel University Radio tonight, and buy the EP here.

Cotton Jones - "Where You Stop for a Minute" .mp3

Jay Reatard Free EP for joining mailing list

I found this free EP by Jay Reatard about a week ago, but I haven’t had time to write about it what with other releases and the sudden influx of concerts in SB. Jay is giving away four songs on his aptly titled Jay Reatard Free EP. Two of these are on other releases, “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me” is on his newly released Watch Me Fall LP and “See/Saw” is the A-side of a recent single. But “My Shadow” and “Hammer I Miss You” are new tracks as far as I can tell. The EP isn’t as good as Watch Me Fall, but I don’t turn my nose up at free stuff. Plus the download is more than worth the cost of joining his e-mailing list, which you must do to get the EP. To get it, go to his website and enter your email address in the form near the top right of the page.

Track List
1. “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me”
2. “See/Saw”
3. “My Shadow”
4. “Hammer I Miss You”

Dueling Concerts tonight: Six Organs of Admittance vs. Devandra Banhart

Both Six Organs of Admittance and Devandra Banhart are playing concerts in Santa Barbara tonight. Could it be a throw down over gets you to come to their concert? Well, no. The Six Organs concert is an early, all-ages show, 6pm at Muddy Waters and only $10 to get in, while Banhart isn't until 9pm and sold out (a few tickets may be available at the door). So if you already have tickets to Banhart, you can pull of both, and you should. For everyone else, go enjoy the sounds of Six Organs. You can get tickets at the door or here.

Radio Recap - 25 August 2009

Finally, I've figured out the best format for radio recaps. Below you'll find last night's playlist. Tracks available for free download contain a hyperlink to the .mp3 and those about which I've blogged have a link after them.

08:01 Gutsies “Surfer Body” from Gutsies
08:04 Boogie Boarder “Bio Hassle” from Pizza Hero
08:07 Modest Mouse “Perpetual Motion Machine” from No One's First and You're Next
08:17 Shonen Knife “Super Group” from Super Group
08:21 The Beets “The Devil” from Spit On the Face of People Who Don't Want to be Cool
08:23 Holiday Shores “Days Drag” from Columbus'd the Whim
08:27 Suckers “Afterthoughts & TV” from Suckers EP
08:31 My Teenage Stride “To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge” from Ears Like Golden Bats (read about)
08:43 Cale Parks “One At a Time” from To Swift Mars
08:47 Javelin “Vibrationz” from Jamz N Jems
08:49 Deastro “Shield Whip” from Orange Swimmer Red Summer (read about)
08:52 Girls “Hellhole Ratrace” from Hellhole Ratrace 10" (read about)
09:03 Six Organs of Admittance “Words for Two” from School of the Flower
09:05 Dinosaur Jr. “Friends” from Farm
09:10 Phoenix “1901” from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
09:14 Japandroids “Rockers East Vancouver” from Post-Nothing
09:18 Portland Cello Project “Beat (Health, Life and Fire)” from The Thao & Justin Power Sessions
09:25 Cymbals Eat Guitars “Wind Phoenix (Proper Name)” from Why There Are Mountains
09:30 Death Vessel “Mandan Dink” from Stay Close
09:34 The Decemberists “Apology Song” from 5 Songs
09:37 Devendra Banhart “I Feel Just Like a Child” from Cripple Crow
09:42 Wye Oak “Siamese” from The Knot
09:46 Brian Jonestown Massacre “(David Bowie I Love You) Since I Was Six” from Take it from the Man!
09:55 Elliott Smith “Coast to Coast” from From a Basement on the Hill

My Teenage Stride - Free Back Catalog .mp3s

Last Tuesday, I played a track from Brooklyn's My Teenage Stride. I really dug the tune and this week I've been digging into their back catalog a bit. Long story short, over the years, the band has offered random tracks from different releases. Tomorrow night I'll be playing one of these tracks, "To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge" from 2007's Ears Like Golden Bats. You can snag it below, but it's worth your time to peruse the others they've posted.

My Teenage Stride - "To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge" .mp3
Get the others here.

Concert Review: Built to Spill

After 15 years of waiting for an opportunity to see Built to Spill, last night's concert at the Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara left me speechless. I didn't even know what to say to my friends (beyond mindless one syllable words like "Wow!"). I stood there dumbfounded while Doug Martsch slowly packed up his gear, pausing intermittently to chat with a fan as we filed out. A few moments later I found myself thanking him for a great show, but such sentiments were radically understated...the show was amazing.

A live performance by Built to Spill is one of the loudest, most overwhelming experiences a concert goer can enjoy. It is incredible how a band who hardly ever moves more than is necessary to play their instruments and maintains somber facial expressions to elicit such excitement and rapturous attention from a packed house audience. It's not like they say much between songs to keep the audience entertained either; all we received in the way of spoken words from Doug was a somber "Thanks."

No, the sole force engaging the crowd is the sound that Built to Spill produces. Their music is brilliantly written, with no doubt that the band could reproduce every nuance at a concert. But instead of doing so, they improvise; every song is slightly different due to spontaneous embellishments and (frequently) drawn out bridges and outros. What is more, Built to Spill fulfilled every aspect of this description for an hour and a half, took a less-than-five minute break, and played a half hour encore. What a show!

It is undoubtably obvious that the best part of the show was the overall tone and scope of performance, but certain songs did make for particularly stellar moments. My favorites were when Built to Spill played "Randy Describes Eternity," "Carry the Zero," and "Car" (during which someone lit up a joint right when Doug sang "I wanna see it when you get stoned on a clouded breezy desert afternoon." Does this happen at every show?) Other old tracks I was somewhat surprised to hear were "Stab" and "Nowhere, Nothing Fuck Up." There were newer tracks also, some from You in Reverse, undoubtedly others from the upcoming There is No Enemy (Out Oct. 6).

Awesome, awesome show.

Jay Reatard - Watch Me Fall

Tuesday marked the release of Jay Reatard's thrid full length album Watch Me Fall on Matador Records. As with so many bands which eluded me during college, I'm playing catch up. I have read that this release is somewhat of an evolution for Jay, but what I hear is a very punk inspired indie rock album: punk enthusiasm tempered with indie sensibilities, if you will. Jay has a great voice, alternating pleasantly sung melodies with oi-type shouts and near screams. This one definately has some angst, but it is curiously blended with a musical instinct that generates more depth than few chords and 2 minutes ought to provide. The stand out tracks for me were "My Reality" and "Faking It."

While it won't be my favorite album, I've listened to it more times than I thought I would, and it would be a great soundtrack for the hipster's drive to go surfing. You know, you don't want something so over the top as the Dead Kennedy's, but rather something energetic to fuel your stoke for the waves. Jay Reatard is your ticket.

Also, if you want to sample before you buy, Matador is offering a free promo track (below).

Jay Reatard - "Wounded" .mp3

Then buy the album.

Radio Recap 18 August 2009

I'm trying something new: I think it's far more interesting when I write short entries about .freebies, new releases, and concerts when I discover them over the course of the week. As a result, many of the things I mentioned on the air have already been covered in previous posts. Below you'll find links to those entries. Lot's of freebies tonight! View the playlist here.

1) Free .mp3: The Cave Singers - "At the Cut"

2) Upcoming Concert: Built to Spill - Saturday, August 22 @ Velvet Jones, 9pm. Tickets are $20.75 here.

3) New/Free 4-song EP: Dinosaur Feathers - Early Morning Risers EP

4) Free 9-song EP: Deastro - "Red Summer" .mp3

5) Free .mp3: The Almighty Defenders - "Cone of Light" .mp3

6) Free .mp3: Local Natives - "Sun Hands (Hugo Mix)" .mp3

7) New Album: Jay Reatard - Watch Me Fall

8) Upcoming Concert: Watercolor Paintings - Monday, August 24 @ Biko Garage, 8pm

Watercolor Paintings return to SB from summer tour

KCSB's own Watercolor Paintings have been on tour all summer long, but next Monday, August 24 they return to Santa Barbara with a tour ending concert. They'll appear at the Biko Garage in IV with iji, Fishboy, Bad Heart Bull, and Backpack. Go support our local artists to welcome them home from a successful tour!

New Dinosaur Feathers EP - Early Morning Risers

Early Morning Risers is a new EP by NY's Dinosaur Feathers. It's brand new today for free download from their website. As the band says, the site is a work in progress, but they have a good sense of humor about it. And let's be honest, we don't really care anyway, because they're generously giving us their music...and it's really good music! In this case, they mix funky beats with tempo changes, vocal harmonies with electronic samples. I guess it's kind of like Fleet Foxes or Grizzly Bear singing over a less dissonant version of Man Man for instrumentation. I'll be playing the title track tonight on KCSB, but you can get it right now below.

Dinosaur Feathers - "Early Morning Risers" .mp3
Download Early Morning Risers EP

New song: The Almighty Defenders - "Cone of Light"

The Almighty Defenders label Vice has released a promo mp3, "Cone of Light," for the band's upcoming self-titled album. The band is a super group made up of Atlanta's Black Lips and Montreal's King Khan & BBQ. The album will be out September 22.

The Almighty Defenders - Cone of Light

Free mp3 by Local Natives - "Sun Hands"

For the cost of your email address, you can download Local Natives' song "Sun Hands" which was released in June on Chess Club Records. Local Natives is an as yet unsigned (even to an indie) UK band that mixes some screaming and hard rock moments into what otherwise might be called indie-folk. Wicked combination, and expertly done in "Sun Hands." Join the band's email list and you can download it for free on their myspace page. It's almost halfway down on the left side (I had a hard time finding it, but it is there).

The Cave Singers - Welcome Joy

The Cave Singers release their second album Welcome Joy on Matador Records this Tuesday. If you're not familiar, The Cave Singers are another Pacific Northwest indie-folk band, but this one's songwriting stands out (probably thanks to the input of former Pretty Girls Make Graves bassist, Derek Fudesco). While I haven't heard the whole album yet, I'm looking forward to Tuesday thanks to two free tracks via Matador. Tuesday, I'll probably play "At the Cut", a blues inspired groovy tune.

The Cave Singers - "At the Cut"
The Cave Singers - "Beach House"
Get the whole album here.

Free Deastro EP

Michigan electro-indie artist Deastro gave away a free, 9-song EP entitled Orange Swimmer Red Summer via his blog. He gave it away at the end of the life, but it flew under my radar until now. There's no zip file of the EP, so you have to download each file individually. Kind of a pain, but a small price to pay for "free." Listen this coming Tuesday to hear "Red Summer" (link is not radio edited), the second of the two title tracks. I'll also feature the tracks "Asteroid Goo" and "Encounter with Unknown Substance M" as talk-over music. Download the whole EP here.

New Radiohead! - Harry Patch (In Memory Of)

New Radiohead song for last British WWI vet, Harry Patch, who died late in July. Thom York was inspired a 2005 interview with Patch, who spoke out for peace rather than war. Thom shared some of his thoughts on the band's blog (read here). Radiohead had recorded the song just weeks before Patch died on July 25, and it is selling it for £1 (right now, about $1.65). All proceeds go to the British Legion. Get it here.

Reigning Sound - Love and Curses LP

Reigning Sound's new album, Love and Curses is out today on In The Red records. It's been a long, long time, and it's good to have new tunes from these garage rockers. If you don't know them, they're perfect for all you classic rock junkies; finally, something new with some soul and groove to it. You might actually like it. You heard "Stick Up For Me" on PUR. Buy it here.

PUR Recap 4 August 2009

1) This week's top new album is The Fruit Bats The Ruminant Band. You must check out "Beautiful Morning Light", "The Ruminant Band" (on myspace), and "The Blessed Breeze". Buy it here.

2) Lo-fi band Marmoset has a new album, Tea Tornado, out today. The band promoting the album with a free download of "Strawberry Shortcakes". But if this isn't enough to satisfy your freebie cravings, for a limited time, they're also offering a free live EP through one of my favorite bloggers, My Old Kentucky Blog. Get it here, and don't dawdle.

3) Built To Spill is coming to Santa Barbara! Saturday, August 22 @ 9pm the Seattle indie rock legends will share their massive sounds with all those at the Velvet Jones. I won't miss it for anything! Tickets are $20.75 here.

4) Follow along or review tonight's playlist here.

PUR Recap 28 July 2009

1) New Polvo song ,"Beggar's Bowl", available for free download from Merge Records. Get it, then listen at high volume for best results.

2) The Octopus Project has a new, awesome video for "Wet Gold". For you surfers (like me) out there, there's actually some decent waves in the background of some of the shots. Plus there are some trippy snails and a singing boat!

3) These United States offering "I Want You to Keep Everything" for free download. Yeah, label (United Interests) promos!

4) Sunny Day Real Estate tour dates announced. Closest show to SB is at the Fonda Theater in L.A. on October 11. Tickets are available here. Opening for SDRE is The Jealous Sound. A little emo for my taste, but they should make for a good show.

5) Blind Pilot is performing Saturday Aug. 1 at Muddy Waters in Santa Barbara. Show starts at 9pm. More info and tickets are available at Club Mercy. Congrats to Jesse for winning tickets!

Follow along or review tonight's playlist here.

PUR Recap from 21 July 2009

1) Check out The Morning Benders' new album Talking Through Tin Cans from +1 Records. It's mellow and groovy. Buy it here.

1.5) On a perpendicular note, you should also spend some time on the +1 Records website; not only can you find out about some awesome bands (many of which are PUR classics) but the web design is spectacular. Wow!

2) Eux Autres new single, "You're Alright". It's been two years, but at least it's a good one. Listen to it on their myspace page.

PUR Recap from 23 June 2009

1) Dinosaur Jr.!!! New album, Farm!!! Out today!!! Get it here!!!

I'm so excited about this that I can't even form complete sentences. Dinosaur Jr. has been in my top 5 favorite bands since I was in musical daipers. The album is solid, and I'll be reviewing it soon... Oh, I almost forgot to mention that today is a day of victory for politically minded indie rockers out there; Farm is on an indie label, Jagjaguwar. Bye, bye, ye brothers Warner.

2) Goleta/KCSB's own Watercolor Paintings are kicking off their 2009 Summer Tour at the Biko Garage in IV tonight. Opening bands: Backpack, Fleabag, Miguel From Oakland. Biko is at 6612 Sueno Rd., Isla Vista and the cost: donations! Since you've probably missed the show if you're reading this, wish the band well on myspace or check them out when they're in your town.

3) Yo La Tengo - Periodically Double or Triple available for free download here. This track will be on the upcoming album, Popular Songs, out September 8 on Matador Records.

4) Of all the freebies, I love digging up free albums the most. This one, entitled Cyber Sex, is a "mix tape" put out by Sub Pop Records featuring a number of artists. Some of these songs have been available for awhile, but now you can download them all at the same time here.

5) Starting with a bang, ending with a bang...Sub Pop announced today that Sunny Day Real Estate is REUNITING!!! Today is turning out to be awesome. Another of my all time favs getting back together for a tour beginning September 17!!! Come to Santa Barbara, pleeeease. Read about it here.

6) My apologies for the excess of exclamation points today. I promise it won't become a regular thing.

PUR Recap from 26 May 2009

1) Song of the Week: Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

Check out Grizzly Bear's new album Vekatimest (buy it).

"Cheerleader" (track 5) available for free download!

2) Jens Lekman Friday at the Velvet Jones!. Tickets are $13.50 here.

3) Read more about Conor Oberst's new album Outer South.

4) View tonight's plays here.

PUR Recap from 19 May 2009

1) Au Revoir Simone - Still Night, Still Light out today. Listen to "Shadows" and/or buy it.
Mark your calendar to check them out at the Velvet Jones in SB on June 12. Tickets are $13 here.

2) The Cool Kids played last Saturday during Xtravaganza at UCSB's Harder Stadium. While my attempt to get in to the free concert failed, there is another free opportunity to check them out in the form of their demo Gone Fishing.

3) Song of the week: White Rabbits - Rudie Fails
The new album, It's Frightening, is out today. Read a review, listen, and/or buy it.

4) Wolfmother has released a new track "Back Round" for free download (provided you give them your email address).

5) Jens Lekman at the Velvet Jones in SB on May 29. Tickets are $13.50 here.

6) Review last night's play list here.

Album Review: White Rabbits - It's Frightening

Sophomore syndrome for White Rabbits' second album, It's Frightening? Refreshingly, no. After being burned so many times in the last couple of years (Clap Your Hands, Say Yeah!; the Mystery Jets), its incredibly refreshing to hear a new band follow up their debut with something not only interesting, but well constructed. I do prefer the (happier/more poppy) debut Fort Nightly, but I can't complain. The White Rabbits have only changed the mood of the music, now quite a bit darker, but haven't lost any quality of song writing. They rely more on vocals, drums, and keyboards than Fort Nightly did which had numerous guitar focused tracks.

If there are stand out tracks, they are "Precision Gun" and "Rudie Fails." The former is the album opener and has a great beat and some pretty vocal harmonies. It builds musical tension that, rather than culminating in the song, propels the listeners attention toward the rest of the album. "Rudie Fails" (track 2; a response to the Clash?) continues this momentum and is the most poppy song on the album (I'll probably play it on the radio tonight). My favorite song, however, is "The Salesman (Tramp Life)" which starts out pretty, but with a dissonant twist after only a few seconds. It is in this song that the energy building throughout the album really comes to a head.

One last item: It's Frightening is on TBD Records, which is a subsidiary of ATO Records (Dave Matthews vanity label), which is a subsidiary of RCA Records...so this is a major label release? Very interesting, even moreso considering TBD is responsible for the U.S. release of Radiohead's famously "independent" In Rainbows. Hmm... In any case, label affiliation explains why I can't send you to the record label to buy the album, because their website links to Amazon. Grudgingly, so do I.

PUR Recap from 12 May 2009

Sean's (new) Song of the Week:
The Dirty Projectors - Stillness is the Move
Listen/read more at You Ain't No Picasso.

Wren's (old) Song of the Week:
Cosmopolitans - (How To Keep Your) Husband Happy
I can't find an .mp3 to listen to, but read more at Little Hits (awesome blog).

For you surfers whose interest was piqued last night when we were talking about Teahupoo, the contest in question is the Billabong Pro Tahiti, ongoing this week. Some nice footage of Round 1 is below, but get more up to date info at the ASP World Tour site.

Album Review: Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band - Outer South

Last Tuesday, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band released sophomore album Outer South. I find this album to be fairly typical of what you would expect from Oberst based on his history with numerous bands, namely Bright Eyes. To me, it sounds like standard blues/country rock with a nice mix of slower ballads and more upbeat poppy songs. Unsurprisingly, given my indie pop to shoegazer taste range, I prefer the latter category of songs, "Air Matress," "Rosevelt Room," and "Nikorette" especially. On the slower side, the stand-outs are "Big Black Nothing" and closing track "Snake Hill." Interestingly, three of my fav's aren't even Oberst's output, but different members of the Mystic Valley Band. Oberst takes a back seat to bandmates on six of the sixteen tracks on the album, a refreshingly humble act on a solo album. Overall, the album is solid, but it doesn't blow my mind. It's a pleasant listen for an indie fan, moreso for any who love Bright Eyes and/or bluesy indie in general.

Buy Outer South from Merge Records here.
Track List:
1. Slowly (oh so slowly)
2. To all the Lights in the Windows
3. Big Black Nothing
4. Air Mattress
5. Cabbage Town
6. Ten Women
7. Difference is Time
8. Nikorette
9. White Shoes
10. Bloodline
11. Spoiled
12. Worldwide
13. Roosevelt Room
14. Eagle on a Pole
15. I got The Reason #2
16. Snake Hill

Black Velvet Sun Live on PUR - 5 May 2009

Black Velvet Sun had their radio debut last night on Parallel University Radio. They played four songs (but I botched the recording of the first one). I was excited that their live-show energy that originally attracted me to their music translated to the radio format. To me, they sound like Oldies pop marinated in a youthful punk with a dash of virtuosic keyboard seasoning. BVS is currently recording a new demo. You can listen to most of their performance below and view the nights playlist.

Black Velvet Sun - Live on PUR


Check out the PUR playlist for 5 May 2009 here.

Concert Review: Death Cab for Cutie with Ra Ra Riot

Death Cab and Ra Ra Riot played at the UCSB Event's Center (aka "Thunderdome!") last night. I'd really like to start by saying something nice, but I can't help it. The sound was absolutely AWFUL.

Some background: UCSB students won this "free" concert for registering the most students to vote before last November's election as well as another "free" concert by the Decemberists for most new voter registrations. After we were declared victor in these contests, it was revealed that while the bands would play for free, the school was on the hook for the overhead costs of the concerts (sound, lighting, venue, ticket distribution, etc.) In the middle of California's, the UC's, and UCSB's budget crises, this was not possible. As a solution, our student government passed on the Decemberists concert, and creatively found funding for the concert.

My question to whoever was in charge: did you get your buddy to run sound last night? Do you realize there are monkey's who more effectively run a sound console? You know that good sound can make a bad band and bad sound can ruin a great band? I'll bet you do now. The bad sound ruined to great bands last night. I recall at least two occasions for each band where I heard what sounded like a mistake in a song followed by the band looking around to get back on. Considering both bands also spent their entire set telling the monitor engineer to make adjustments (this usually doesn't happen after the first two songs), I'm not willing to chalk up mistakes to Death Cab and Ra Ra Riot having a bad night. They just got screwed by the sound engineer.

On the upside (and weighing the bad sound), Ra Ra Riot played really well, and Death Cab gave me chills on two songs: Transatlanticism and (guiltily admitted) Soul Meets Body. But most of Death Cab's set came from Narrow Stairs, which is definitely my least favorite of their work.

PUR Recap from 21 April 09

For Parallel University Radio listeners, I'm going to start posting links relevant to music conversations we have on the air.

1. KCSB has begun logging playlists online. While listener use is still limited at present, you can view tonight's playlist here. Explore kcsb.radioactivity.fm for many of KCSB playlists.

2. The free Sonic Youth mp3, Sacred Trickster promotes their upcoming album on Matador Records. The Eternal is scheduled for release June 9, 2009.

3. Modest Mouse's new "Satellite Skin" 7" was released last weekend in observance of Record Day. Mouse has been pushing "Satellite Skin" lately, namely on The Late Show with David Letterman. Here's their appearance on Late Night.

Concert Review: Fleet Foxes and Blitzen Trapper @ The Hub

What a show!...to which I was a bit late: a pre-concert beer + a very long line + security frisking everyone = we missed the first half of Blitzen Trapper. But what we saw was amazing, especially their intense performance of "Fire & Fast Bullets." A quick set change brought Fleet Foxes to the stage. As expected, they wowed the audience with beautiful vocal harmonies. Atypically, the Foxes skillfuly control energy levels by entering and exiting the stage when they are/aren't playing to alternate between a lively atmosphere and an intimate one. The most incredible moment of the night was when frontman Robin Pecknold played the first song of the encore acoustic. This simultaneously created an almost-coffee-shop-like feel (despite the sold out crowd) and showed off his instrumental and vocal command to project in such a large room. On a humorous note, it would seem Fleet Foxes like to drive jokes into the ground between songs. I believe we spent about 5 minutes talking about "nog," primarily egg nog, but other varieties as well. And apparently it is/was recently/will soon be just everyone's birthday. To end the show, Fleet Foxes brought members of Blitzen Trapper on stage for a mass performance and jam session. It was quite a conclusion and full of mutual appreciation and humility.

Concert Review: Menomena @ Velvet Jones in SB

Last Friday night, Menomena played their first ever show in Santa Barbara. The show was full of energy, some from the band, a lot from the crowd. Perhaps this is because the audience was unusually young (18+ show). The Velvet Jones had designated a "no alcohol" area immediately in front of the stage for underage fans. Since I wanted to be up close, I ditched my beer and hung out with the kiddos, who actually started a mosh pit at one point. I guess Menomena songs have more energy (especially in Danny Seim's heavy and precise drumming) than evident from the album. Despite this, Menomena did little to feed the youthful energy. They appeared grateful for the audiences enthusiasm, but their performance was rather introspective. I presume this is at least partially because they are playing difficult parts and multiple instruments in each song. Impressive to watch if somewhat lacking in band/audience interaction mid-song.

Menomena opened the show with The Pelican, and followed it up with many songs from their newest (2 year old) album Friend and Foe. Among my favorites were "Muscle'n Flo" and "Boyscout'n", live performance of which caused me to realize that I greatly prefer Justin Harris' (guitar, bass, saxaphone) lead vocals. Both Seim and Brent Knopf (guitar, keys, glockenspiel) have nice voices, but they're not nearly so distinctive. A number of other songs, namely "Wet and Rusting" and "Wierd", grabbed me for the first time due to the band's live performance. It's amazing how much little gestures from the band accent certain instrument parts or notes that can get buried in the mix. Towards the end of the set, the band played a mixture of old/new songs (I'm not familiar enough with the first two albums to tell the difference).

Concert Review: Kimya Dawson @ Biko Garage in SB

Last night outside the Biko Garage in Isla Vista, Kimya Dawson gave an intimate performance to more than a few hundred folks. How is that possible, you ask? The audience was incredibly quiet and listened respectfully unless prompted for participation or laughter at one of Kimya's witty lyrics or jokes. Also, almost the whole crowd spent the concert sitting on the driveway so that everyone behind them could see despite short stage. With everyone sitting calmly, Kimya's kids songs from her newest album Alphabutt seemed reminiscent of an elementary school concert (if only we'd had carpet squares).

Kimya opened up with the title track from Alphabutt and played mostly songs from that album, including (not in performance order) Bobby-O, Little Monster Babies, I Like Bears (I wonder if Kimya would get along with Steven Colbert...), Seven Hungry Tigers, and We're All Animals. She told touching stories about her daughter, Panda (videos on her myspace), for whom she wrote the song "Little Panda Bear." Kimya has amazing stage presence and is a true performer. She frequently interjects jokes, stories, and even snippets of other peoples' songs sung in humorous voices (I believe there was some mocking of Miley Cyrus, hehe).

Kimya puts on an amazing show and is definitely worth seeing. Check out one of her upcoming shows.

Album Review: Metric - Fantasies

In the past, I haven't been much of a Metric fan (though I did watch The Go! Team next to bassist Joshua Winstead at Coachella). Don't get me wrong: their music has energy and is interesting, but it never grabbed me enough to get me to listen to a song more than once or twice. But the new album strikes me differently. "Help I'm Alive" is fantastically catchy, and I'm intoxicated by the counterpoint between the keys and guitars in "Collect Call". And I've got to give props to their producer and sound engineer in addition to the band. The recording is super clean as is the performance. It is rare to hear an album with this much polish come out on an indie label, especially when it is self-produced.

Overall characterization: distorted lo-fi pop with subtle synths and effects pedals.

Preview the album on the band's myspace page. Buy it here.

Track list:
1. Help I'm Alive
2. Sick Muse
3. Satellite Mind
4. Twilight Galaxy
5. Gold Guns Girls
6. Gimme Sympathy
7. Collect Call
8. Front Row
9. Blindness
10. Stadium Love

Album Review: Gliss - Devotion Implosion

Perhaps I'm a little behind, but I just discovered Gliss, a three piece from just down the road in L.A. Coincidentally, I found them out on the very day that their new album, Devotion Implosion, came out. Needless to say, I took the opportunity to listen to it in its entirety. Overall, the album sounds like the progeny of the Stone Roses and Les Savy Favy, but with prettier and more subdued vocals. Gliss's crunchy guitars and droning harmonies remind me of the something from the mid-90s, Hum's "Downward is Heavenward" maybe. But they give it a pop twist only possible in this decade. The most obvious stand out track is "29 Acts of Love", but maybe that's just the DJ in me thinking about what's going to keep my radio listeners energized while they drive down the 101. The album as a whole is better suited for chillin'.

Oh, and they twitter and blog, if you're into that kind of thing (irony).

Gliss - Devotion Implosion
1. Morning Light
2. 29 Acts of Love
3. Sleep
4. Beauty
5. Anybody Inside
6. Lovers In The Bathroom
7. Sad Eyes
8. The Patrol
9. Love Songs
10. Sister Sister

Download on Amazon