The Afternoon Fix

Afternoon Fix #28 Playlist March 27, 2009 (Special Free Fix Edition)

2009-04-01T19:16:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Billy Okun (Keep It Metal host), Steve Borthwick (Two Hours to Midnight co-host), and Edwin Perez for coming in to the studio.

Mika Miko-"I Got Alot (New New New)" We Be Xuxa (2009)
White Lung-"Breaking Boxes" White Lung [EP] (2007)
Fine Lines-"Giant Squid" [demo] (2009)
Daniel Striped Tiger-"Disconnection" Capital Cities (2007)
Ponytail-"Sky Drool [acoustic version]" Daytrotter Sessions (2009)
Kyp Malone-"Winter Song [live]" [unreleased] (2008)
The Fire Engines-"Lubricate Your Living Room (Parts 1 and 2)" Lubricate Your Living Room [mini LP] (1980)
Happy Go Licky-"13 Months of Sunshine" Will Play [live comp.] (rec. 1987)
The Ramones-"Rock and Roll High School" End of the Century (1980)
Buzzcocks-"Harmony in my Head" [single b/w "Something's Gone Wrong Again"] (1979)
Mr. Moccasin-"Grave Hunter" Deer Eyes Bunny Eyes (2007)
Ghost-"Caledonia" In Stormy Nights (2007)
Talking Heads-"Once In A Lifetime" Stop Making Sense [live LP] (1984)
LCD Soundsystem-"Get Innocuous!" Sound of Silver (2007)
The Arcade Fire-"Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" Funeral (2003)
Nine Inch Nails-"Head Like A Hole" Pretty Hate Machine (1989)
Hot Water Music-"The Sleeping Tan" Fuel For The Hate Game (1997)
From Safety to Where-"Clockwork" [s/t] (1999)
King Crimson-"The Great Deceiver" Starless and Bible Black (1974)
Antioch Arrow-"Conspiring The Go-Go" The Lady Is a Cat (1993)
Les Savy Fav-"The Year Before The Year 2000" Let's Stay Friends (2007)
Ponytail-"Celebrate The Body Electric (It Sings For Thee)" (2008)

Afternoon Fix #27 Playlist March 20, 2009 (Special Debate Edition)

2009-04-01T18:52:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Brendan Foley (Two Hours To Midnight co-host) and Ryan Winn (Late Night Pryz host) for coming in to debate the Student Activities Fee referendum.

Hüsker Dü-"Something I Learned Today" Zen Arcade (1984)
Japandroids-"Young Hearts Spark Fire" Post-Nothing (2009)
Foals-“Mathletics” [single b/w “Big Big Love (Fig. #1)”] (2007)
Abe Vigoda-"The Reaper" Reviver [EP]
(2009)
Fallout-“Xerox It” [demo] (2004)
Orchid-“None More Black”[s/t] (2002)
Yaphet Kotto-"Torn Pictures" The Killer Was In The Government Blankets (1997)
Hoover-"Distant" The Lurid Traversal of Route 7 (1994)
Clikatat Ikatowi-“Off To Here” [demo] (1995)
Lungfish-"Time is a Weapon of Time" Feral Hymns (2005)
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs-"Skeleton" It's Blitz! (2009)
Double Dagger-"The Lie/The Truth" MORE (2009)
Bloc Party-"One Month Off"
Audionom-"And You Said I Was The Only One" [single] (c. 2001)
Drive Like Jehu-“Future Home of Stucco Monstrosity” [s/t] (1991)

Afternoon Fix #26 Playlist March 13, 2009

2009-04-01T17:47:00.003-04:00

Stiff Little Fingers-"Alternative Ulster" Inflammable Material (1979)
Tokyo Police Club-"Your English Is Good" Elephant Shell (2008)
Rain-"Snakeout" La Vache Qui Rit [EP] (1990)
Double Dagger-"Surrealist Composition With Your Face [live at Hampdenfest 2007]" MORE (2009)
Rites of Spring-“All There Is” [s/t] (1985)
Cut Off Your Hands-"Expectations" You and I (2008)
White Lung-"Amy White Out" Local Garbage [EP] (2007)
The Dropkick Murphys-"Barroom Hero" Do or Die (1998)
The Nation of Ulysses-"Today I Met The Girl I'm Gonna Marry" 13-Point Program To Destroy America (1991)
Virgin Prunes-"Pagan Love Song" . . . If I Die, I Die (1982)
U2-"Party Girl" Under A Blood Red Sky [live LP] (1983)
Pink Reason-"Thrush" Cleansing The Mirror (2007)
The Velvet Underground-"All Tomorrow's Parties" The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967)
Indian Summer-“Angry Son/Woolworm” [s/t EP] (1993)
Native Nod-"Tangled" Answers [EP] (early 90s)
Human Host-"Bathtub Blast" The Halloween Tree (2007)
Dan Deacon-"Get Older" Bromst (2009)
Errors-"Dance Music" It's Not Something But It Is Like Whatever (2008)
Mi Ami-"The Man In Your House/New Guitar" Watersports (2008)
Daniel Striped Tiger-"Slalom" Condition (2005)
What Price, Wonderland?-"Staring at Soldiers" 20 With A Wink (2007)
At The Drive-In-"Transatlantic Foe" In/Casino/Out (1998)

Afternoon Fix #25 Playlist February 20, 2009

2009-02-26T13:24:00.003-05:00

Lungfish-"Fearfully and Wonderfully" Love is Love (2003)
MGMT-"Time To Pretend" Oracular Spectacular (2008)
New Order-“Lonesome Tonight” [b-side b/w “Thieves Like Us”] (1984)
Unwound-"Arboretum" New Plastic Ideas (1994)
Kerosene 454-"June" Situation at Hand (1995)
Current-"Coliseum" Coliseum (1993)
The Crownhate Ruin-"Piss Alley" Until The Eagle Grins (1995)
Gauge-"38 Cinder" 43 [Mini LP] (1995)
Liars-"The Garden Was Crowded and Outside" They Threw Us All In A Trench and Threw a Monument On Top (2001)
Blank Dogs-“I Was Counting” [b-side b/w “Setting Fire To Your House”] (2008)
Franz Ferdinand-"Ulysses" Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009)
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs-"Zero" It's Blitz! (2009)
Miles Davis-"Flamenco Sketches" Kind of Blue (1959)
TV On The Radio-"Wolf Like Me" Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)
Josef K-“Pictures of Cindy” [b-side b/w “Chance Meeting”] (1981)
Volcano Suns-"White Elephant" All Night Locust Party (1986)
Silkworm-"Dust My Broom" In The West (1994)
Fire Party-“Are You On?” [Peel Sessions] (1990)
Dinosaur Jr-"Raisins" You're Living All Over Me (1987)
Yo La Tengo-"Sugarcube" I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One (1997)
Television-"Venus" Marquee Moon (1977)
Bloc Party-"Positive Tension" Silent Alarm (2005)
The Clash-"Remote Control" [s/t] (1977)
Fugazi-"Last Chance For A Slow Dance" In On The Kill Taker (1993)

Afternoon Fix #24 Playlist February 13, 2009

2009-02-21T13:39:00.002-05:00

The Nation of Ulysses-"You're My Miss Washington, DC" 13-Point Program to Destroy America (1991)
The Arctic Monkeys-"I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor" Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)
Les Savy Fav-“One Way Window” [b-side b/w “Yawn Yawn Yawn”] (2002)
Foals-"Baloons" Antidotes (2008)
Q and Not U-"So Many Animal Calls" Different Damage (2002)
Clikatat Ikatowi-"Ground Zero" Orchestrated and Conducted by Clikatat Ikatowi (1996)
HEALTH-“Crimewave” [s/t] (2007)
Abe Vigoda-"House" Reviver [EP] (2009)
The Horrors-"Gloves" Strange House (2007)
Nodzzz-“Highway Memorial Shrine” [s/t] (2008)
Buzzcocks-"You Tear Me Up" Another Music In A Different Kitchen (1978)
Minor Threat-"No Reason" Out of Step (1983)
Mission of Burma-"OK/No Way" Vs. [reissue bonus track] (rec. 1982)
Indian Summer-“Truman” [split single b/w Ordination of Aaron’s "Last"] (1993)
Shotmaker-"Shortwave Radio" Mouse Ear (Forget-Me-Not) (1996)
Hot Water Music-"220 Years" Fuel For The Hate Game (1997)
Chuck Berry-“Maybellene” [single b/w “Wee Wee Hours”] (1955)
Buddy Holly-“That’ll Be The Day” [single b/w “I’m Looking For Someone to Love”] (1957)
The Cramps-"Sunglasses After Dark" Songs the Lord Taught Us (1979)
Swell Maps-"Midget Submaries" A Trip To Marineville (1979)
Sonic Youth-"Trilogy: The Wonder/Hyperstation/Eliminator Jr." Daydream Nation (1988)
Tokyo Police Club-"Be Good" A Lesson In Crime (2006)
The Strokes-"I Can't Win" Room On Fire (2003)
The Clash-“Janie Jones” [s/t US version] (rec. 1977, rel. 1979)
The Oranges Band-"Art Star" The Oranges Band Are Invisible (2008)
Interpol-"The Hiemlich Maneuver" Our Love To Admire (2007)
Wire-"Being Sucked In Again" Chairs Missing (1978)
Richard Hell and the Voidoids-"Another World" Blank Generation

Afternoon Fix #23 Playlist February 6, 2009

2009-02-21T13:24:00.002-05:00

Fugazi-"Do You Like Me" Red Medicine (1995)
Liars-"Grown Men Don't Fall In The River, Just Like That" They Threw Us All In A Trench and Put a Monument On Top (2001)
Pretty Girls Make Graves-"This Is Our Emergency" The New Romance (2003)
Rainer Maria-"Ears Ring" Long Knives Drawn (2003)
Pylon-"Recent Title" Gyrate (1980)
Blank Dogs-“Setting Fire To Your House” [single b/w “I Was Counting”] (2008)
Metal Boys-"Tokio Airport" Tokio Airport (1980)
Drive Like Jehu-"Yank Crime" Yank Crime (1994)
King Crimson-"Fracture" Starless and Bible Black (1974)
Hoover-"Letter" The Lurid Traversal of Route 7 (1994)
Explosions In The Sky-"A Poor Man's Memory" Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Live Forever (2001)
Blood On The Wall-"Junkee . . . Juliee . . ." Liferz (2008)
Fucked Up-"Days of Last" The Chemistry of Common Life (2008)
Freshkills-"Prisonship Martyrs" Creeps and Lovers (2006)
The Great Unwashed-“Mirage A La Mode” [s/t] (2008?)
Devo-"Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Gettin')" Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978)
Antioch Arrow-"Conspiring The Go-Go" The Lady Is A Cat (1993)
Ponytail-"Small Wevs" Ice Cream Spiritual (2008)
Love of Diagrams-"Ms. V. Export" Mosaic (2007)
Jaguar Love-"Bats Over The Pacific Ocean" Take Me To The Sea (2008)
Swanton Bombs-"Shock" Mammoth Skull [EP] (2009)
TV On The Radio-"Wash The Day" Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)

Afternoon Fix #22 Playlist January 30, 2009

2009-01-31T15:12:00.003-05:00

Void-"Who Are You?" [split LP w/Faith] (1982)
The Damned-"New Rose" Damned Damned Damned (1977)
Metal Urbain-“Cle de Contact” [b-side b/w “Paris Maquis”] (1977)
Joy Division-"The Kill" Still [comp. of rarities, unreleased] (rec. c. 1979, rel. 1981)
Double Dagger-"Command+X Command+V" [s/t] (2003)
Current-"Frayed Ends" [unknown] (c. 1993)
Kerosene 454-"Nines" Situation At Hand (1994)
LCD Soundsystem-"Someone Great" Sound of Silver (2007)
Kraftwerk-"The Model" The Man Machine (1978)
The Byrds-"Eight Miles High" The Fifth Dimension (1966)
Lungfish-"Mother Made Me" Rainbows From Atoms (1993)
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists-"The Ballad of the Sin Eater" Hearts of Oak (2003)
The Futureheads-"Work Is Never Done" This Is Not The World (2008)
Dinosaur Jr-"The Lung" You're Living All Over Me (1987)
Sunny Day Real Estate-"Shadows" Diary (1994)
Friction-"Subsequently" Blurred In Six (1993)
The Hated-"Words Come Back" No More We Cry [EP] (1985)
Unwound-"Fiction Friction" New Plastic Ideas (1994)

Afternoon Fix #21 Playlist January 23, 2009

2009-01-25T18:12:00.002-05:00

Reptile House-"Sleestak Weather" I Stumble As The Crow Flies [EP] (1985)
Embrace-"Give Me Back" [s/t] (rec. 1985, rel. 1987)
Devo-"Girl U Want" Freedom of Choice (1979)
Parts and Labor-"Nowhere's Nigh" Receivers (2008)
The Death Set-"Around The World" Worldwide (2008)
Errors-"Salut! France" It's Not Something But It Is Like Whatever (2008)
Supersystem-"Born Into The World" Always Never Again (2005)
Franz Ferdinand-"No You Girls Never Know" Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009)
Professor Murder-"Flex-It Formula" Professor Murder On A Desert Island (2008)
Swing Kids-"43 Seconds" [split EP w/Spanakorzo] (1995)
Hot Water Music-"Difference Engine" Fuel For The Hate Game (1997)
1.6 Band-"Lollipops" Pimpin' Ain't Easy [EP] (1993)
What Price, Wonderland?-"Shakey" It Is True It Is Shakey [forthcoming] (2009?)
Foals-"Olympic Airways" Antidotes (2008)
Bloc Party-"Trojan Horse" Intimacy (2008)
Hüsker Dü-"59 Times The Pain" New Day Rising (1985)
Witch Hats-"Niel Diamond Entry" Cellulite Soul (2008)
The Misfits-“Vampira” [s/t comp.] (rec. c. 1982, rel. 1986)
Naked Raygun-"Rat Patrol" Throb Throb (1985)
Wolf Parade-"Fancy Claps" Apologies To The Queen Mary (2005)
The Dismemberment Plan-"Academy Award" The Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified (1997)
North America-“Gulf of Mexico” [s/t EP] (2008)
The Chinese Stars-"Arson Hotline" Turbo Mattress [EP] (2003)
Happy Go Licky-"Cutthroat Answer" Will Play (rec. 1987)
Patti Smith-"Birdland" Horses (1975)
Les Savy Fav-"Bloom On Demand" Go Forth (2001)

Afternoon Fix #20 Playlist December 12, 2008

2008-12-17T20:57:00.003-05:00

Moss Icon-"What They Lack" [s/t EP] (1988)
Metal Urbain-"Panik" [single b/w "Lady Coca Cola"] (1977)
The Strokes-"Clampdown [live]" [b-side b/w "The End Has No End"] (2004)
Mission of Burma-"Peking Spring" The Horrible Truth About Burma [live LP rec. 1983] (1985)
The Arctic Monkeys-“You Probably Couldn’t See for the Lights but You Were Staring Straight At Me” Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)
At The Drive-In-"Heliotrope" Vaya [EP] (1999)
These Arms Are Snakes-"Horse Girl" Easter (2006)
Shellac-"Ghosts" 1000 Hurts (2000)
Lincoln-"Bench Warmer" [split w/Hoover's "Two Down"] (1993)
Television-"Friction" Marquee Moon (1977)
The Kills-"Cheap and Cheerful" Midnight Boom (2008)
Bauhaus-"Dancing" Mask (1981)
New Order-"Chosen Time" Movement (1981)
The Knux-"Roxxanne" Remind Me In Three Days (2008)
These New Puritans-"Navigate-Colours" Beat Pyramid (2008)
1.6 Band-“Cancer In My Backyard” [s/t] (1992)
Crass-"Punk Is Dead" The Feeding of the 5000 (1978)
Gang of Four-"I Found That Essence Rare" Entertainment (1979)
The Modern Lovers-“Someone I Care About” [s/t comp. of demos] (rec. c. 1973, rel. 1976)
Yes-"Heart Of The Sunrise" Fragile (1972)
Saetia-"Some Natures Catch No Plagues" Eronel (2000)
Clikatat Ikatowi-"Affirmation" Orchestrated And Conducted By Clikatat Ikatowi (1996)
HEALTH-“Tabloid Sores” [s/t] (2007)
Liars-"Broken Witch" They Were Wrong So We Drowned (2004)
Le Tigre-“Deceptacon” [s/t] (1999)
Interpol-"Obstacle 1" Turn On The Bright Lights (2002)
Fugazi-"Long Distance Runner" Red Medicine (1995)

Afternoon Fix #19 Playlist December 5, 2008

2008-12-10T12:46:00.002-05:00

Bloc Party-"Ares" Intimacy (2008)
Happy Go Licky-"Peterbilt" Will Play [live comp.] (rec. 1987)
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs-"Machine" Machine [EP] (2002)
Heroin-"Indecision" All About Heroin [EP] (1991)
Unwound-"Petals Like Bricks" The Future Of What (1995)
Pretty Girls Make Graves-"3 Away" [s/t EP] (2001)
The Nation of Ulysses-"Atom Bomb" [s/t EP] (1990)
The Fall-"Repetition" Bingo-Masters Break Out! (1978)
The Fire Engines-"Get Up And Use Me" [single b/w "Everything's Roses"] (1980)
The Temper Trap-"Sirens" [s/t EP] (2006)
Los Campesinos!-"We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed" We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed (2008)
Subs-"Down" [s/t EP] (2006)
The Jesus Lizard-"Boilermaker" Liar (1992)
Kerosene 454-"Tracer" Came By To Kill Me (1996)
Arab on Radar-"#5" Soak The Saddle (1999)
Antelope-"Mirroring" Reflector (2007)
Les Savy Fav-"Hold On To Your Genre" [single b/w "Meet Me In The Dollar Bin"] (2004)
Love Is All-"Wishing Well" A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night (2008)
Blondie-"Dreaming" Eat To The Beat (1979)
You Say Party! We Say Die!-"Monster" Lose All Time (2007)
Joy Division-"Digital" A Factory Sample [v/a comp.] (1978)
Navio Forge-"Weaponizing" As We Quietly Burn A Hole Into . . . [EP] (1993)
The Durutti Column-"Party" The Fruit of Original Sin [v/a comp.] (1981)
The Smiths-"The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" [s/t] (1984)
The Big Sleep-"Bad Blood" Sleep Forever (2008)
Guns N Roses-"Chinese Democracy" Chinese Democracy (2008)
Wire-"I Am The Fly" Chairs Missing (1978)
Future Of The Left-"The Hope That House Built" Curses (2007)
Pere Ubu-"Humor Me" The Modern Dance (1978)

Afternoon Fix #18 Playlist November 21, 2008

2008-11-30T19:35:00.002-05:00

Ponytail-"Beg Waves" Ice Cream Spiritual (2008)
Cap'n Jazz-"In The Clear" Schmap'n Schmazz (1994)
Parts And Labor-"Fractured Skies" Mapmaker (2007)
Audionom-"Kristall" [single] (c. 2001)
Abe Vigoda-"Dead City/Waste Wilderness" Skeleton (2008)
Love Of Diagrams-"100%" Mosaic (2007)
Fugazi-"Sieve-Fisted Find" Repeater (1990)
Black Ladies-"Naked Caveman" Naked Caveman [EP] (2008)
The Chinese Stars-"Left Brain" Listen To Your Left Brain (2007)
Interpol-"Evil" Antics (2004)
Television-"Marquee Moon" Marquee Moon (1977)
The Dismemberment Plan-"This Is The Life" The Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified (1997)
Hoover-"Father" The Lurid Traversal of Route 7 (1994)
Augustus Pablo-"Lama Lava" Skanking With Pablo [comp.] (rec. c. 1976, rel. 2002)
The Skatalites-"Teenage Ska" Musical Communion [comp.] (rec. 1965, rel. 1999)
Telepathe-"Chrome's On It" Chrome's On It [EP] (2008)
TV On The Radio-"Crying" Dear Science (2008)
Talking Heads-"The Good Thing" More Songs About Buildings And Food (1978)
Modest Mouse-"Flordia" We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (2006)
Silkworm-"Wild In My Day" Libertine (1994)
Mika Miko-"Capricornations" C.Y.S.L.A.B.F. (2006)
Gang of Four-"Natural's Not In It" Entertainment (1979)
From Safety To Where-"Clockwork" [s/t] (1999)
Orchid-"Loft Party" Gatefold (2002)
Rye Coalition-"Thanksgiving Day For Cats" The Lipstick Game (1999)

Afternoon Fix #17 Playlist November 14, 2008

2008-11-14T19:12:00.002-05:00

Teenage Jesus and the Jerks-"Orphans" [single] (1979)
At The Drive-In-"Ebroglio" Acrobatic Tenement (1996)
Bloc Party-"Staying Fat" She's Hearing Voices [EP] (2004)
Embrace-"Can't Forgive" [s/t] (rec. 1986, rel. 1987)
Rainer Maria-"Ears Ring" Long Knives Drawn (2003)
Les Savy Fav-"Patty Lee" After The Balls Drop [live LP] (2008)
Future Of The Left-"Manchasm" Last Night I Saved Her From Vampires [live LP] (2008)
Double Dagger-"The Psychic" Ragged Rubble (2007)
Soulside-"Name In Mind" Trigger (1988)
The Rapture-"The Devil" Pieces Of The People We Love (2006)
Q And Not U-"Black Plastic Bag" Different Damage (2002)
Public Image Ltd.-"Public Image" Public Image (1978)
Richard Hell and the Voidoids-"New Pleasure" Blank Generation (1977)
Birthing Nets-"Vacant Children" [s/t EP] (2008)
The Convocation Of . . .-"Recognize" Pyramid Technology (2001)
Pere Ubu-"30 Seconds Over Toyko" [single] (1976)
Bauhaus-"Double Dare" In The Flat Field (1980)
The Cramps-"Human Fly" Gravest Hits [EP] (1979)
The Stooges-"No Fun" [s/t] (1969)
The Kills-"What New York Used To Be" Midnight Boom (2008)
These New Pyramids-"Elvis" Beat Pyramid (2008)
Stiff Little Fingers-"Suspect Device" Inflammable Material (1979)
The Misfits-"She" Bullet [EP] (1978)
Buzzcocks-"What Do I Get?" [single] (1978)
Broken Social Set-"Almost Crimes" You Forgot It In People (2002)
Videohippos-"Kool Shades" Unbeast The Leash (2007)
Orange Juice-"Falling and Laughing" [single] (1980)
Franz Ferdinand-"Dark Of The Matinee" (2004)
New Order-"Denial" Movement (1981)

Afternoon Fix #16 Playlist November 7, 2008

2008-11-08T22:00:00.002-05:00

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs-"Y Control" Fever To Tell (2003)
Pretty Girls Make Graves-"The Teeth Collector" The New Romance (2003)
Can-"Outside My Door" Monster Movie (1969)
M83-"Graveyard Girl" Saturdays=Youth (2008)
Superdrag-"Slot Machine/Phaser" Regretfully Yours (1996)
Hüsker Dü-"Terms Of Psychic Warfare" New Day Rising (1985)
Sunny Day Real Estate-"47" Diary (1994)
Hoover-"Electrolux" The Lurid Traversal of Route 7 (1994)
Pylon-"Dub" Cool [EP] (1979)
Metal Urbain-"Creve Salope" Les Hommes Mort Son Dangereux (rec. c. 1978, rel. 1981)
Megadeth-"Peace Sells" Peace Sells . . . But Who's Buying? (1986)
Slayer-"Raining Blood" Reign In Blood (1986)
Heroin-"Moving Parts" [s/t] (1993)
What Price, Wonderland?-"Claim" Claim (2007)
Love of Diagrams-"Magnify" [demo] (2008)
True Womanhood-"A Diviner" [s/t EP] (2008)
Deerhunter-"Heatherwood" Cryptograms (2005)
The Strokes-"Soma" Is This It? (2001)
Wire-"Mannequin" Pink Flag (1977)
Japanther-"Challenge" Skuffed Up My Huffy" (2007)
No Age-"Sleeper Hold" Nouns (2008)
Paris, Texas-"Razor New Neighbors" Brazilliant! [EP] (2000)
The Replacements-"Color Me Impressed" Hootenanny (1983)
The Dismemberment Plan-"The Things That Matter" ! (1995)
The Arctic Monkeys-"From The Ritz To The Rubble" Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)
The Hated-"Psalm" Like The Days [EP] (1987)

Afternoon Fix #15 Playlist October 31, 2008

2008-10-31T20:17:00.002-04:00

The Misfits-"Halloween" [single b/w "Halloween II"] (1981)
The Nation of Ulysses-"Spectra Sonic Sound" 13-Point Program to Destroy America (1991)
Buzzcocks-"Lipstick" [b-side b/w "Promises"] (1978)
Les Savy Fav-"Pills" Go Forth (2001)
Tuxedomoon-"No Tears" No Tears [EP] (1978)
Devo-"Too Much Paranoias" Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978)
Dead Kennedys-"California Über Alles" Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegitables (1980)
Pere Ubu-"Life Stinks" The Modern Dance (1978)
James Chance and the Contortions-"Dish It Out" No New York [v/a comp.] (1978)
Crispy Ambulance-"The Presence" Live On A Hot August Night (1981)
Big Black-"Heartbeat" Heartbeat [EP] (1987)
Sonic Youth [feat. Lydia Lunch]-"Death Valley '69" Bad Moon Rising (1985)
Unwound-"Negated" Negated [EP] (1993)
Clikatat Ikatowi-"Transmission" Orchestrated and Conducted By . . . (1996)
Julia-"Unknown" [s/t discography comp.] (rec. c. early 1990s, rel. 1997)
Mr. Moccasin-"Doll Waltz" [demo] (2008)
Breathing Walker-"Moth" [s/t] (1990)
Ponytail-"Sky Drool" Ice Cream Spiritual (2008)
AIDS Wolf-"We Multiply" The Lovvers (2006)
TV On The Radio-"Blues From Down Here" Return To Cookie Mountain (2006)
The Modern Lovers-"Astral Plane" [s/t comp. of demos] (rec. c. 1972, rel. 1976)
The Ramones-"I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement" [s/t] (1976)
The Cramps-"Zombie Dance" Songs The Lord Taught Us (1979)
Bauhaus-"Mask" Mask (1981)

Bad News . . .

2008-10-27T20:20:00.002-04:00

Today I get this creepy email from Google, who owns Blogger, saying that we can no longer put "copyrighted material" on blogs. All of the MP3s I've linked to are hosted on other blogs, so I'm not sure what's the issue. All of the MP3s links, along with the other music links, have been removed until further notice. I am still in the process of taking them all down. Needless to say, I am not happy about all this.

-Mac

Afternoon Fix #14 Playlist October 24, 2008

2008-10-27T16:52:00.003-04:00

Cap'n Jazz-"Little League" Schmap'n Schmazz (1994)
New Order-"Procession" [single b/w "Everything's Gone Green"] (1981)
Q And Not U-"Soft Pyramids" Different Damage (2002)
Franz Ferdinand-"Lucid Dreams" Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009)
Double Dagger-"No Allies" Sophisticated Urban Living (2008)
Happy Go Licky-"Abandon Me" Will Play [live comp.] (rec. 1987)
Ringo Deathstarr-"Some Kind of Sad" [demo] (2007)
Crystal Antlers-"Vexation" [s/t EP] (2008)
Friction-"Auburn" Hours of Operation: Discography 1991-1994 (rec. c. 1994, released 1998)
Kerosene 454-"What Was" Situation At Hand (1995)
Cain's Mark-"For Alex" Never Alone [EP] (2005)
Birthing Nets-"Dead" Maxillary [EP] (2008)
North America-"Owen" [s/t EP] (2008)
Public Enemy-"Fight The Power" Do The Right Thing [film soundtrack] (1989)
Beastie Boys-"Intergalactic" Hello Nasty (1998)
Radiohead-"Idioteque" Kid A (2000)
Bloc Party-"Talons" Intimacy (2008)
Hüsker Dü-"Celebrated Summer" New Day Rising (1985)
Dinosaur Jr-"Sludgefest" You're Living All Over Me (1987)
The Notwist-"Good Lies" The Devil, You + Me (2008)
The Cure-"In Between Days" The Head On The Door (1985)
Tubeway Army-"Me! I Disconnect From You" Replicas (1979)
The Cars-"You're All I've Got Tonight" [s/t] (1978)
Lungfish-"You Might Ask Me What" Rainbows From Atoms (1993)

North America/Birthing Nets @ Comet Ping Pong

2008-10-20T21:03:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I had the good fortune to catch North America's CD release show with Birthing Nets. North America features several members late of Bad Lieutenant, one of whom, bassist Dave Kellermann, also played in psychedelic/grunge outfit Fallout, one of my favorites from the early 2000s suburban Baltimore scene. Birthing Nets features Aaron Waesche (ex-If; and Salad) on guitar and vocals and Tim Shaw (ex-Thinking Toys, also ex-Fallout and Salad) on bass. Birthing Nets play noisy, thrashy post-hardcore that makes frequent use of atonality is only a few steps shy of total chaos. As I noted to a few friends of mine, it's highly reminiscent of the early '90s San Diego scene that produced bands like Clikatat Ikatowi and Drive Like Jehu. North America are similar in style, although cleaner and more melodic, bearing some progressive rock and math rock influences. North America are one of the first groups I've heard in a while that put the complex, King Crimson-derived guitar lines of those heady influences to good use in their songs, often to moving, emotional effect. The show was a good time despite being advertised as starting at the wrong time. Both North America and Birthing Nets have CDRs out on Defective Bat records, which I reccomend checking out.

Afternoon Fix #12 Playlist October 10, 2008

2008-10-12T18:08:00.004-04:00

Rites of Spring-"Theme" [s/t] (1985)
Les Savy Fav-"Reprobate's Resume" Go Forth (2001)
Public Image Ltd.-"Death Disco" [single b/w "No Birds Do Sing"] (1979)
Liquid Liquid-"Scraper" Optimo [EP] (1979)
Crystal Antlers-"A Thousand Eyes" [s/t EP] (2008)
Abe Vigoda-"Animal Ghosts" Skeleton (2008)
Mika Miko-"Business Cats" C.Y.S.L.A.B.F (2006)
Unwound-"Dragnalus" Fake Train (1993)
Lungfish-"Kissing" Talking Songs For Walking (1992)
Blood Brothers-"Peacock Skeleton with Crooked Feathers" Crimes (2004)
Professor Murder-"Free Stress Test" Professor Murder Rides The Subway (2006)
Siouxsie and the Banshees-"Arabian Knights" Juju (1981)
Hüsker Dü-“Broken Home, Broken Heart” Zen Arcade (1984)
Bad Brains-"Sailin' On" [s/t aka Roir Sessions] (1982)
Wire-"One of Us" Object 47 (2008)
The Wedding Present-"The Thing I Like Best About Him Is His Girlfriend" El Rey (2008)
Everyone To The Anderson-"Oh No Raptors" [demo] (2008)
Blood Baby-"Paint The Brush" [demo] (2007?)
Love of Diagrams-"Trouble [live]" Mosaic (rec. 2007)
The Velvet Underground-"I Heard Her Call My Name" White Light/White Heat (1968)
The Fire Engines-"Sympathetic Anesthetic" Big Gold Dream [EP] (1981)
Mission of Burma-"Mica/Weatherbox" Vs. (1982)
Drive Like Jehu-"Turn it Off" [s/t] (1991)
The Misfits-"Cough/Cool" Collection II [comp. originally recorded c. 1978] (1995)
Deathline-"I Cannot See" Rock Noir [EP] (2007)
Bloc Party-"The Answer" She's Hearing Voices [EP] (2004)

Afternoon Fix #11 Playlist October 3, 2008

2008-10-05T22:46:00.004-04:00

The Act-"Ping Pong" Bippp: French Synth Punk 1979-1985 [v/a comp.] (c. 1980)
Clikatat Ikatowi-"Identity Crisis" Orchestrated and Conducted By . . . (1996)
The Dismemberment Plan-"Tonight We Mean It" The Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified (1996)
TV On The Radio-"Dancing Choose" Dear Science (2008)
Can-"Paperhouse" Tago Mago (1971)
King Crimson-"The Nightwatch" Starless And Bible Black (1974)
Hoover-"Dries" Private [EP] (1993)
Pretty Girls Make Graves-"Chemical, Chemical" The New Romance (2003)
Joy Division-"Transmission [live]" Still [comp.] (1981)
U2-"New Year's Day [live]" Under A Blood Red Sky (1983)
Double Dagger-"The Lie, The Truth [live]" [unreleased] (2008)
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs-"Phenomenon" Show Your Bones (2006)
Liars-"Plaster Casts of Everything" [s/t] (2007)
Quinn S. And The Blackbirds-"The Quiet Rebel" [demo] (2008)
The Strokes-"Razorblade" First Impressions of Earth (2006)
The Knife-"Silent Shout" Silent Shout (2006)
M83-"Coulours" Saturdays=Youth (2008)
Orchid-". . . And The Cat Turned To Smoke" Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow! (1999)
Universal Order of Armageddon-"Flux" [s/t EP] (1993)
Yaphet Kotto-"First Meetings Agreement" The Killer Was In The Government Blankets (1999)
The Hated-"Not Mine" Like The Days [EP] (1987)
Rainer Maria-"I Love You Too" [s/t EP] (1996)
The Death Set-"Selective Memories" Worldwide (2008)

Afternoon Fix #10 Playlist September 26, 2008

2008-09-28T22:25:00.004-04:00

The Futureheads-“Radio Heart” This Is Not The World (2008)
Metal Urbain-“Hysterie Connective” [single] (1978)
Bloc Party-“Halo” Intimacy (2008)
Fugazi-“Bed For The Scraping” Red Medicine (1995)
At The Drive-In-“Ursa Major” Vaya [EP] (1999)
Ponytail-“Celebrate the Body Electric (It Sings For Thee)” Ice Cream Spiritual (2008)
Les Savy Fav-“Raise Buildings” 3/5 (1997)
Blondie-“Hanging on the Telephone” Parallel Lines (1978)
Pylon-“Working is No Problem” Gyrate (1980)
Everyone to the Anderson-“West? West! West?” Doodlebug [EP] (2007)
What Price Wonderland?-“Monitor” [demo] (2008)
Cain’s Mark-“Each Edge” Where’s Your Smile? [EP] (2004)
Joni Mitchell-“Tin Angel” Clouds (1969)
Sufjan Stevens-“Holland” Michigan (2003)
Moss Icon-“Hate In Me” [demo] (1987)
Grey March-“Forced by Pressure” Unconscious [EP] (1986)
Reptile House-“Talons and Claws” Bouncing Babies [v/a comp.] (1983)
You Say Party! We Say Die!-“The Gap” Hit The Floor (2005)
The Nation of Ulysses-“Ulythium” 13 Point Program to Destroy America (1991)
Subs-“Drew The Line” Subs Life (2004) <
PK14-“What Kind of Wind is Blowing?” White Paper (2005)
Roxy Music-“Virginia Plain” [s/t] (1972)
Hawkwind-“Master of the Universe” In Search of Space (1971)
Ringo Deathstarr-“Sweet Girl” [s/t EP] (2007)

The Fix is BACK!

2008-09-19T21:27:00.001-04:00

New season of the Afternoon Fix starts September 26 at 4 PM on WCUA. Be on your toes . . .

Afternoon Fix #7 Playlist April 25, 2008

2008-06-16T18:02:00.003-04:00

Big Black-"Kerosene" Atomizer (1986)
X-Ray Spex-“Oh Bondage, Up Yours!” [single] (1977)
Hoover-“Two Down” [split 7” w/Lincoln] (1993)
New Bloods-“Oh, Deadly Nightshade!” The Secret Life (2008)
Universal Order of Armageddon-“Symptom” Symptom [EP] (1993)
Delta 5-“Mind Your Own Business” [single] (1979)
Kerosene 454-“What Was” Situation At Hand (1995)
If;-“Ma’am Can You Count?” Live 9-19-2005 (2005) <
Jay Reatard-“Always Wanting More” [forthcoming] (2008)
The Fire Engines-“Get Up And Use Me” [single] (1980)
Clikatat Ikatowi-“Pleiadian Dance” River of Souls (1998)
ESG-“UFO” Come Away with ESG (1983)
Rye Coalition-“Thanksgiving Day For Cats” The Lipstick Game (1999)
R.E.M.-“Horse To Water” Accelerate (2008)
The Strokes-“Ize Of The World” First Impressions Of Earth (2006)
Husker Du-“Erase Today” [demo] (1984)
At The Drive-In-“Alpha Centauri” In/CASINO/Out (1998)
Patti Smith-“Land” Horses (1975)
The Lapse-“Consent” Betrayal! (1998)
All The Dead Pilots-“Silence First” Easily Lost In The Present (2002)
Lo Moda-“Electric World” Gospel Store Front (2006)
Fallout-“Xerox It” Six Song Demo (2004)
The Jam-“Away From The Numbers” In The City (1977)
Mi Ami-“African Rhythms” African Rhythms [EP] (2008) <
Les Savy Fav-“Scout’s Honor” 3/5 (1997)

Cancelled AGAIN!

2008-04-11T15:32:00.001-04:00

No show because our IT guys were busy setting up for the Papal visit. Sorry guys.

Les Savy Fav Show Review

2008-04-05T23:01:00.001-04:00

Up now on CUR.

Free Old Maryland Art Punk Part 2: Reptile House

2008-04-04T16:22:00.011-04:00

Sorry about the mess involving the show cancellation today, but luckily that gibes me a chance to really sit down and write this post about Reptile House, which I've been meaning to do for a while. Enjoy!

Reptile House

Reptile House were a melodic art punk band from Baltimore active during the 1980s, today most notable for featuring future Lungfish singer Daniel Higgs, and, to a lesser extent, Samhain drummer London May among its ranks. Histories of the group online, comprising an All Music Guide entry, an interview with London May on his Samhain years which touches on Reptile House, and a few scattered blog entries, are few and far between, often conflicting one another. The basic facts, though, are that the band was started in 1983 by guitarist Joe Goldsborough and Daniel Higgs, then going by his given name Daniel Lindensruth. They were a fixture of the Baltimore hardcore punk scene during that time, opening for some of the leading groups of that movement during their tenure. The group's lineup had changed drastically by the late 1980s, with Goldsborough and Higgs the only constant members, finally breaking up after Higgs left and was briefly replaced by a member of Grey March, another Baltimore art punk band that's something of a perpetual white whale for me whenever I go looking for music online. Both sonically and culturally, the group occupied a middle ground between the bizarre backwoods post-punk of bands like Pylon and Metal Urbain and Washington, D.C. Revolution Summer-style punk. Here are my thoughts release-by-release on Reptile House:

"Talons and Claws" appeared on Bouncing Babies Various Artists comp. (1983)

Reptile House's first appearance on record was on this 1983 DC/Maryland compilation. This track owes much to Joy Division in its extended introduction, in addition to its use of a deep yet prominent sounding bass, played here by David Rhodes, to drive the melody while Joe Goldsborough's angular guitar provides hooks and atmosphere. Nonetheless, when the song kicks in full force there's no denying the effect hardcore had on the band. The end result is something as much rooted in the art punk avant-garde of those times with the spartan, high-velocity energy of contemporaneous hardcore punk. It leaves today's listener with an interesting question: Is this the earliest example of something truly post-hardcore on record?

Reptile House-"Talons and Claws" MP3

I Stumble As The Crow Flies EP (1985)

Recorded by none other than Ian MacKaye and jointly released by Dischord and Reptile House's own Druid Hill records, this is Reptile House's best known release and their finest moment. This record is a personal favorite of mine and a criminally overlooked art punk classic, which I wrote about at length back when I first downloaded it. Bassist David Rhodes is replaced here by Leigh Panlilio, whose playing style is highly reminiscent of Mission of Burma's Clint Conley, and the proceedings here are much tighter and more song-centered than what one imagines the group who produced "Talons and Claws" playing. Additionally, this record sounds years ahead of its time: Between Joe Goldsborough's angular, noisy, and effects-tinged guitar playing and Daniel Higgs' (credited here as Daniel V. Strasser) lyrics and delivery, slightly different than his better known work in that here there's far more humor and even some pop culture references, this EP is arguably more at home along side the likes of Videohippos and Ponytail than 1980s hardcore. Truly, an archetypal hidden post-punk gem.

Track 1-"Keelhaul Love"
Track 2-"Social Champion"
Track 3-"Mrs. Rain"
Track 4-"Sleestak Weather"

Listen To the Powersoul LP (1988)

Although Listen To The Powersoul contains some of Reptile House's weakest work, it nonetheless has its moments of redemption. To use a cliche, Powersoul is the sound of a band breaking up. Among its failures, there's a lack of the energy which informed earlier recordings, Daniel Higgs, usually one of my favorite lyricists, is weak here at least in that regard, and forays into traditional hard rock fail abysmally. The lineup around Daniel Higgs and Joe Goldsborough is radically different. London May left the band in 1986 to join Samhain and was replaced by Gary Breeze, and according to Bandtoband.com, it would appear that a solid line up wasn't even maintained through the sessions. Also, Asa Osbourne, whom would work with Higgs to great acclaim in Lungfish, joined the band for these final sessions. The songs on Powersoul come more or less in pairs, with the chiming, Byrds-via-post-punk numbers "Powersoul" and "Mother Michigan," probably the record's strongest cuts. There's also "Ike's Hammer" and "Evil Iron Any Day Now," brooding garage rockers in the vein of the Stooges and Flipper and both solid songs, and "Para Polyana" and "Engine," dated experiments with classic rock sounds that are Reptile House's two worst songs. On a plane of its own is "Skyhead," which closes Powersoul, really much more the first Lungfish song than the last Reptile House song. Listen To The Powersoul is a disorganized mess with its share of low points, but nonetheless a fascinating final statement from Reptile House.

Reptile House-Listen To The Powersoul (ZIP File)

(Special thanks to 30 Under DC, Something I Learned Today, and Lo-Res Viscera for pictures and MP3 Links, thanks to last.fm for picture up top)

No Show Today

2008-04-04T16:08:00.000-04:00

WCUA's computer is down, I'll be back next week. Reptile House blog post up soon, though!

-Mac

Afternoon Fix #6 Playlist March 27, 2008

2008-03-27T22:29:00.004-04:00

Playlist up late this week! Again, if you like it, buy it. Free Old Maryland Art Punk #2 should be up soon, too.

LCD Soundsystem-“Get Innocuous” Sound of Silver (2007)
Dag Nasty-“Circles” Can I Say (1986)
Dinosaur Jr.-“Little Fury Things” You’re Living All Over Me (1987)
Wire-“Map Ref 41°N 93°W” 154 (1979)
Double Dagger-“[Untitled (Hoo?)]” Live at Hampdenfest (2007)
Audionom-“Kein Bock” Retrospektiv [comp.] (2007)
The Minutemen-“Political Song For Michael Jackson to Sing” Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)
Saetia-“Notres Langues Nous Trompent” [s/t] (1998)
New Order-“Hurt” [b-side b/w “Temptation"] (1982)
Lungfish-“Descender” Talking Songs For Walking (1992)
Mission of Burma-“Peking Spring [live]” The Horrible Truth About Burma (1985)
These New Puritans-“Numerology” Beat Pyramid (2008)
Action Beat-“Maximum Bletchly” [demo] (2007?)
Metal Urbain-“Snuff Movie” Les Hommes Morts Sont Dangereux (1981)
Unwound-“Abstraktions” New Plastic Ideas (1995)
Ramsey Lewis Trio-“How Beautiful Is Spring” Another Voyage (1969)
Mika Miko-“Capricornations” C.Y.S.L.A.B.F. (2006)
A Certain Ratio-“Shack Up” [single] (1980)
The Velvet Underground-“Rock and Roll” Loaded (1970)
Bauhaus-“Endless Summer of the Damned” Go Away White (2008)
The Dismemberment Plan-“The City” Emergency and I (1999)
Navio Forge-“Weaponizing” As We Quietly Burn A Hole Into [mini LP] (1993)

Free Old Maryland Art Punk Part 1: Moss Icon

2008-03-20T10:42:00.012-04:00

No show this week due to Easter break, but in lieu of one here's a good blog post. This is a biography of Moss Icon, plus links to some downloads. Next week, part 2 of this Blog series, I'm linking up some material by Reptile House, who featured future Lungfish singer Daniel Higgs. Both Moss Icon and Reptile House, while not as terribly well known as contemporaries like Rites of Spring, are among the most essential groups at that time in terms of establishing underground rock in greater DC and central Maryland. Although I don't usually condone downloading whole records, especially by punk and art rock bands whose music doesn't bring in much money for the musicians, this music is long out of print and very hard to find. However, word on their semi-official Myspace page indicates Moss Icon is reuniting soon, which may see a reissue of the Lyburnum collection at least, and if that occurs I'll delete the link. Either way, I hope I've hooked you up with good music for your Easter holiday!

Moss Icon
(Picture from Myspace.com)

Of these two groups, Moss Icon is by far the more famous, often name checked as an influential emo band. That's something of a dubious distinction in my estimation, but nonetheless they were one of the first post-hardcore groups to break with the relatively traditional songwriting and playing styles that were practiced by the likes of Embrace and the aforementioned Rites of Spring, and move into more progressive territory. The Annapolis group was founded in 1987 by guitarist Tonie Joy and singer Jonathan Vance, along with bassist Monica DiGialleonardo and drummer Mark Laurence. Their sound at that time was based in Black Flag-style hardcore punk as much as it was in the cold angularity of post-punk. Combined with a songwriting approach that bucks traditional verse-chorus-verse structure, very early tracks like "Hate In Me" and "What They Lack" from Moss Icon's 1988 debut 7", officially self-titled but frequently referred to as Hate In Me, are hard-hitting art rock micro-epics. One of their most confrontationally avant-garde tracks, "I'm Back Sleeping Or Fucking Or Something," also saw release on this 7". Best described as a collision of Bauhaus and Black Sabbath on Void's* anarchic plane, "Sleeping" is a harrowing roar of a song detailing the experience of meeting a long lost childhood friend and finding them as a nihilistic, oversexed post-adolescent.

Throughout 1988, Moss Icon recorded much with the intent of releasing a full-length album which was ultimately not released until 1994 as Lyburnum Wit's End Liberation Fly, and even then only available on vinyl. Nonetheless, these sessions at least yielded 1989's Mahpiua Luta 7" ("The Life or This Grape Juice Drink" b/w "Kick The Can"). One of the notable highlights of the session is the title track, which plays something like a post-hardcore response to "Stairway to Heaven," or perhaps more accurately The Doors' "The End." 1990 saw all four members of Moss Icon participate in a project called Breathing Walker with a second guitarist, a percussionist, and a Violinist, though by 1991 the original lineup was back recording under the Moss Icon banner with second guitarist Alex Bardertscher . Their sound from this era, captured on a split LP with Bay Area group Silver Bearing and on the "Memorial" b/w "Moth" 7", is much more lush, bright, melodic and jam-oriented, with "Moth" even evoking classic Rhythm and Blues ballads. The group broke up after these releases. Most of the tracks along with some live recordings from these two releases were compiled on to the It Disappears LP, again vinyl only and released in 1994. Lyburnum Wit's End Liberation Fly and the studio tracks from It Disappears were compiled onto a single CD as simply Lyburnum and released in 1997. Singer Jonathan Vance released an EP of electronica in 2005. Moss Icon reunited for two shows in 2001, and are set to do so again this year, with perhaps even some new music.

Moss Icon-Lyburnum [compilation] (1997) (ZIP file)

Moss Icon-Hate In Me [EP] (1988)
Track 1-"Hate In Me"
Track 2-"What They Lack"
Track 3-"I'm Back Sleeping Or Fucking Or Something" (Same recording with better sound quality found on Lyburnum collection)
Track 4-"Kiss The Girls and Make Them Die" (Low Quality MP3

Moss Icon-"Sioux Day" Superpowers [v/a comp.] (1993)

Free Old Maryland Art Punk Part 2: Reptile House coming next week!

*Void not linked up: couldn't find a decent representation of them in one place. Do check them out, though.

Afternoon Fix #5 Playlist March 14, 2008

2008-03-14T13:44:00.004-04:00

The playlist for this week. Again if you like, buy!

One Last Wish-“My Better Half” 1986 (recorded 1986, released 1999)
Videohippos-“Narwhals” Unbeast the Leash (2007)
The Clash-“Spanish Bombs” London Calling (1979)
Moss Icon-“Sioux Day” Superpowers [v/a comp] (1992)
Brian Eno-“Baby’s On Fire” Here Come The Warm Jets (1973)
From Safety To Where-“Clockwork” [s/t] (1999)
The Blood Brothers-“Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck" Crimes (2004)
Black Flag-“My War” [demo] (1982)
The Modern Lovers-“Modern World” The Modern Lovers (1976)
Slint-“Good Morning Captain!” Spiderland (1991)
The Ponys-“Shine” Turn The Lights Out (2007)
Electrelane-“To The East” No Shouts, No Calls (2007)
Gang of Four-“Glass” Entertainment! (1979)
Chino Horde-“Composite” [s/t] (1993)
Field Music-“You’re So Pretty” [s/t] (2005)
Computer Cougar-“Too Much” Rough Notes On High Street (2001)
A Place to Bury Strangers-“To Fix A Gash In Your Head” [s/t] (2007)
Angel Hair-“Witch Hunt Scene From Star Trek” Insect Mortality (1997)
Neu!-“Hallogallo” [s/t] (1972)
Pylon-“Precaution” Gyrate (1980)
Blonde Redhead-“In Particular” Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons (2000)
Les Savy Fav-“Dishonest Don Pt. II” The Cat and the Cobra (1999)
TV On The Radio-“Dumb Animals” [b/w Province] (2007)
The Nation of Ulysses-“Love Is A Bull Market” 13-Point Program to Destroy America (1991)

Quinn S. and the Blackbirds @ The Gopher Hole March 1, 2008

2008-03-03T20:54:00.006-05:00

Last Saturday saw a return to the stage of several talented individuals and good friends of mine under the guise of Quinn S. and the Blackbirds. Consisting of guitarist and singer Quinn Struke, drummer Keith Cborowski and guitarist and longtime Struke collaborator Brett Dean, the Blackbirds are the third generation of a group that started as Pykon and continued as Shout It Out when Ciborowski replaced Pykon member Warren Boin on bass.

Watching the set unfold was like watching the narrative of how a rock band comes together. Struke played a few songs hard and fast acoustically, some of which dated back to Shout It Out's tenure. Ciborowski came on and played some lead guitar work a little way through, and finally it was announced that the Blackbirds' portion, the electric portion, of the set had begun. The first few songs were sonic departures from the previous work of this group's members, played very tight and squared off, almost like Wire's more melodic tracks from their late '70s run such as "Outdoor Miner" and "Ex-Lion Tamer" if they were more deliberately developed as pop songs. The crowd started dancing to these which was refreshing to see after many a show filled with static audiences. Struke seemed to love this, and in all my years of seeing him live I don't think I've ever seen a band of his as comfortable with their audience before.

Struke then announced that the last song would be "the first one written as a band," and this was a return to form for Struke, Dean and Ciborowski. As much as I loved the clean punk arrangements of the earlier electric songs, I found this return to form most welcoming. Since Pykon's later days and through Shout It Out, Struke and Dean have been developing a sound which could be described as Replacements-esque power-pop combined with art punk angularity and innovation. However, there has yet to be a solid document of this sound available, and my biggest hope for the Blackbirds musically is that this sound will finally be developed and put out on record. The evening concluded with one-time Pykon drummer Dan Croke joining Struke and Dean on stage for a version of "Out of Focus," a fan favorite from that band. The Blackbirds' future looks bright. (Photo by Elise Zanetti)

2007: A Punk/Art Rock/Indie Cross-Section

2008-02-29T19:57:00.019-05:00

This is based on the poll that's been at the bottom of the page for quite some time now. This is not exactly a best of, all though, some of these I really loved. All in all, 2007 was something of a weak year. Quite frankly, I'm not enjoying the Pitchfork-touted trendy pop that's supposedly so groundbreaking, and 2007 saw a lot of that in Modest Mouse, The Arcade Fire and especially The Shins. It's not that it's particularly bad music, it's just that it's not that great, either. There were a lot of good albums last year, but very few great ones. 2007 also saw some interesting reissues, specifically work by The Fire Engines and Pylon. There were some interesting things that happened, too, like the rise of my hometown of Charm City as a punk/indie hot spot. Curious business that. Here are some of the albums that represented different corners of the indie world in 2007:

Double Dagger-Ragged Rubble
Label: Stationary (Heart)
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Seeing as this is my third successive post concerning Double Dagger in one way or another, it's pretty obvious how I feel about this record. It's my favorite record of 2007, and maybe the year's only true classic. In an age where quiet is in, post-hardcore mainly exists as a shell of its former self as emo, and the modern post-punk movement is apparently tapped out creatively, Double Dagger is playing punk rock for the rest of us. Double Dagger's brand of the music is sharp-edged, minimal and anthematic. Driven by a single bass guitar which blasts away any preconceived notions about the instrument's capabilities, Double Dagger's sound is hardcore for kids raised on and subsequently abandoned by New York/England 21st century post-punk. Double Dagger have been working under the radar since 2002 and steadily improving, and if new songs they've been playing live recently are any indication, Double Dagger are only just getting started. Look for their new 7"s, they're going to be big ones.

Love of Diagrams-Mosaic
Label: Matador
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

In a lot of ways, this band is Double Dagger's moody Aussie cousin. Both bands play a stylish update of post-hardcore that turns the hip minimalist aesthetic of the post-punk revival into a lethal weapon. The two bands even share a song title, "Form and Function," an accurate summation of what I'm banking on to be the new punk sound for 2008. A lot of talk about this album has been about how it combines confrontational New York No Wave with the chilly end of British Post-Punk, and indeed my own first impressions of the record were along those lines, but that's not entirely right. While groups like Joy Division are indeed audible as influences on the album's mood and melodic sense, there's a big influence of 90's art punk like the noisy clatter of Native Nod here as well (This combination has been tried before, see From Safety to Where). Love of Diagrams could also be described a sinister Rainer Maria, keeping that band's post-hardcore approach and male/female vocal interplay but trading Rainer Maria's sunny melodies and inviting mood for speed, noise and razor-sharp angularity. Mosaic is highly recommended.

Bloc Party-A Weekend In The City
Label: Vice
Location: London, England, UK

Are Bloc Party part of the problem or part of the solution? Their debut full length, Silent Alarm, a glorious album of eclectic, glossy art punk which played out like a dance-damaged version of At The Drive-In's landmark effort Relationship Of Command, was one of the best records to come out of the modern post-punk movement, and their early non-album work set standards for speed and melody that still has yet to be matched by their English contemporaries.

However, when I first heard "The Prayer," the debut single from A Weekend In The City, I sensed trouble. For one, a hip hop-like drum machine line had relegated the band's technical and energetic rhythm section to the back drop, and synthesizers and vocal samples had largely taken the place of Bloc Party's melodic and rhythmically complex guitar work. I'm certainly not opposed to bands developing and trying new sounds, but in the process of trying to do so Bloc Party had taken away what made them great. When I picked up A Weekend In The City, it confirmed most of my fears raised by "The Prayer" and then some: The songwriting was loaded with awkward dynamic shifts, and the rhythm section's performance felt largely phoned-in. Additionally, the lyrical focus moved from the fears and joys of the everyman to histrionic, messianic declarations and trendy political posturing, and the electronics-heavy textures which had more or less replaced the guitars struck me as poor imitations of TV On The Radio. Revisiting the record a few months on I've warmed to at least a little to it, and it's always had highlights like "Hunting for Witches, " a paranoid electro-punk song built around a guitar riff which recalls Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" as well as the only song that equals the material found on Silent Alarm, and "Where is Home?," an eerie ballad concerning the immigrant experience in post-subway bombing England. Still, though I certainly did not expect a record on par with Silent Alarm, I expected much better than this.

The Ponys-Turn The Lights Out
Label: Matador
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA

The Ponys' third album Turn The Lights Out is easily the closest thing to groups like Wilco or Peter, Bjorn and John among these five albums, due to its laid back, playful yet mature mood. Even then Turn The Lights Out still pretty far away from material by those bands. It's an album of mid tempo, catchy garage rock songs swathed in noisy, almost psychedelic but definitely hard-rocking guitars, and powered by punk energy. It was an album I played on a daily basis around the time I first brought it, mainly because it was nice high-powered break from the assortment of calculatedly quaint indie pop groups a friend had given me digitally that I was trying to develop a taste for. I've cooled to it slightly since then, as its nowhere near as exciting as the new model hardcore bands or the Baltimore scene. Nonetheless, it's an album of fun, energetic stoner punk with songs like the sweet and swirling yet visceral "Small Talk" and the dark charge of "Poser Psychotic."

Radiohead-In Rainbows
Label: None (self-released)
Location: Oxfordshire, England, UK

No discussion of art rock or indie in 2007 would be complete without some mention of Radiohead's In Rainbows, which received much notice in the press for its unusual distribution and sales method, and quite simply for being a Radiohead album. Musically, it follows the integration of the electronics on Kid A and Amnesiac with the traditional rock instrumentation of their earlier work that was begun on 2003's Hail to the Thief, but in much different fashion. The guitars and drums on Hail to the Thief were loud and bombastic in the fashion of The Bends or even Ok Computer. For the most part here, the guitars are clean and melodic, and the drums delicately complex, and one wonders if there's a bit of a jazz influence going on here, particularly on opener "15 Step." The overall feel of the record is spare yet subtly brainy. My favorite track, though, is this record's black sheep, "Bodysnatchers." Coming probably the closest to punk Radiohead has ever come, this track builds upon Hail to the Theif highlights like "Go To Sleep" and "Myxamatosis," "Bodysnatchers" recalls Fugazi's "Bed For The Scraping" in its squared off yet swinging groove, energetic performance and tight, interlocking guitar parts. Also worthy of note is the airy, cinematic funk of "Reckoner," and the epic yet understated closer "Videotape." In Rainbows is simply another great release from the dependable Radiohead, who are always good for a solid art rock record every few years.

Further Watching and Listening

2008-02-28T18:00:00.007-05:00

Now as you have a lot of time over the break, I recommend killing some of it by watching 1991: The Year Punk Broke, which is available to watch in full on Google Video via the link. In addition to some incredible performances by Sonic Youth, Nirvana and Dinosaur Jr. in their prime, we get to see things like Kurt Cobain running around in a lab coat, Bob Mould cooking, and Thurston Moore engaging in general tomfoolery for pretty much the duration. Despite the fact that whether or not "punk" actually "broke" in 1991 is highly questionable (most people would probably say it broke in 1977, there's a case to be made for '91 due to Nevermind, and some would say that it never broke at all), it still makes for good watching and a great way to take up an hour and a half (Picture from Sonicyouth.com).

If it seems like I'm a blathering fanboy over Double Dagger, it's because, quite frankly, I am. Simply put, they are one of the few truly relevant and forward-thinking punk bands out there right now, and they're only getting better. They played the Lo-Fi Social Club up in Baltimore (my hometown as well as theirs) on February 23rd, and debuted some new material. I played "No Allies" from this set on the Afternoon Fix today, and its available here. It's not a perfect set: The bass drum pedal breaks during the first song and takes six minutes to fix, but the new material is quite possibly even better than Ragged Rubble. Bruce Willen's bass work is becoming increasingly articulate and melodic as he continues to turn perceptions of the bass guitar in rock and roll on their sides, Denny Bowen's drum work is as powerful as ever, and Nolen Strals explores more inward territory as a lyricist for really the first time. Again, the set isn't pristine, and nothing compares to the experience of actually seeing Double Dagger live, though it's piqued my interest in the upcoming 7"s from them even more. Act quickly though, these live sets aren't usually online for long (picture from posttypography.com/doubledagger).

Afternoon Fix #4 Playlist Feb 29, 2008

2008-02-24T16:45:00.006-05:00

All right, kids, remember no show next week due to "spring" break, though I may post some album reviews or something. Remember also: Like it? Buy it.

Native Nod-“Tangled” Answers 7"(Early 90s?)
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin-“Oregon Girl” Broom (2006)
Wire-“Men 2nd” Chairs Missing (1978)
Kerosene 454-“Electrics On The Rise” At Zero (1998)
The Oranges Band-“Sweater Weather” Nine Hundred Miles of Fucking Hell [EP] (2002)
Big Star-“Nighttime” Third/Sister Lovers (1978)
Yaphet Kotto-“First Meetings Agreement” The Killer Was In The Government Blankets (1999)
Sonic Youth-“Dirty Boots” Goo (1990)
Pere Ubu-“Life Stinks” The Modern Dance (1978)
Bloc Party-“The Answer” [self titled EP] (2004)
Hoover-“Electrolux” The Lurid Traversal of Route 7 (1994)
American Football-“Honestly?” [self titled] (1999)
Charlottefield-“Backwards (live)” What Friends Are For (2008)
The Strokes-“Hawaii” [b-side b/w “Juicebox”] (2005)
Double Dagger-“No Allies (live)” Sophisticated Urban Living [EP] (2008)
Shellac-“Steady As She Goes (live)” Excellent Italian Greyhound (2007)
Patti Smith-“Break It Up” Horses (1975)
Jaguar Love-“Welcome To The Birdskull Palace” [forthcoming?] (2008)
Truckasaurus: “Angels Sound Like Bottle Rockets” [unknown] (2007)
Chuck Berry: “School Days” [single] (1957)
Ampere-“At Its Heart And At Its Head” [split w/Sinaloa] (2003)
Josef K-“Sorry For Laughing” [single] (1981)
King Crimson-“The Nightwatch” Starless And Bible Black (1974)
No Age-“Neck Escaper” Get Hurt (2007)
The Clash-“Spanish Bombs” London Calling (1979) [Skipped-Play Next Show]
The Nation of Ulysses-“Love Is A Bull Market” 13-Point Program to Destroy America (1991) [Skipped-Play Next Show]
Reptile House-“Mother Michigan” Listen to the Powersoul (1988)

Extra tasties for you!

2008-02-24T00:51:00.005-05:00

Well, while searching for some type of online media for Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Jigsaw Feeling," I came across this really great live footage of them doing "Christine" along with a brief interview and closing with "Jigsaw Feeling" from around 1980, according to the video's description. I was looking just for "Jigsaw Feeling" to prevent confusion though, and quite frankly I'm not that into "Christine," but nonetheless I though it was worth sharing:

Also Double Dagger, probably my favorite band active right now, is releasing some 7" records this year, and have a studio recording of "No Allies" up on their MySpace page. I have several live versions of that song, and will probably play one of them, if not some live Double Dagger, next week. Hope you all enjoyed this week's show!

Afternoon Fix #3 Playlist Feb 22, 2008

2008-02-23T18:16:00.003-05:00

The Playlist for the third edition. Again, if you like it, buy it.

Siouxise and the Banshees-“Jigsaw Feeling” The Scream (1978)
The Evens-“Pushed Against The Wall” Get Evens (2006)
The Smiths-“This Charming Man” [self titled] (1984)
Daniel Higgs-“Creation Moan” Atomic Yggdrasil Tarot (2007)
Killing Joke-“The Wait” [self titled] (1980)
Unwound-“Envelope” New Plastic Ideas (1994)
The Velvet Underground-“I’m Waiting For My Man” The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967)
Bellini-“Conflict Between Fire and Wet Wood” Snowing Sun (2005)
Planes Mistaken for Stars-“Learning The Room” Knife in the Marathon [EP] (2000)
The Mars Volta-“Wax Simulacra” The Bedlam In Goliath (2008)
The Pixies-“Monkey Gone To Heaven” Doolittle (1989)
Love of Diagrams-“Form and Function” Mosaic (2007)
Clockcleaner-“Hands are for Holding” The Hassler (2004)
Orchid-“Aesthetic Dialectic” Chaos is Me (1999)
The Normal-“TVOD” [single] (1978)
The Futureheads-“Broke Up The Time” This is Not The New World (2008)
Moss Icon-“Guatemala” [split w/Silver Bearing] (1991)
If;-“Eriaioteekiiah” Live 9-19-05 (2005)
Void-“War Hero” [split w/Faith] (1982)
Mission of Burma-“Forget” [Vs. bonus track] (1982)
New Order-“The Village” Power, Corruption and Lies (1983)
Beat Happening-“Our Secret” [self titled] (1985)
Avec-“16 Minus 71” If I Breathe I Fall Asleep (2004)
Louis Jordan-“A Man Ain’t A Man” Louis Jordan Sextet with Dottie Smith (1957)
Drive Like Jehu-“Human Interest” Yank Crime (1994)
Videohippos-“The List” Unbeast the Leash (2007)
Joni Mitchell-“I Think I Understand” Clouds (1969)
American Football-“Honestly?” [self titled] (1999) [Skipped-Play Next Week]
Kerosene 454-“Electrics On The Rise” At Zero (1998) [Skipped-Play Next Week]
1.6 Band-“Adult Hitler” [self titled] (1993)

Cancelled Show Today

2008-02-15T23:02:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone,

The show today had to be postponed due to technical issues. The WCUA computer isn't working. Hopefully it will be by the time I'm due to go on again next week.

Hope all is well.

Afternoon Fix #2 Playlist Feb 8, 2008

2008-02-09T00:23:00.002-05:00

Here's the playlist for week two. Again, if you like it, buy it! These people need to eat, you know!

Karp-“Bacon Industry” Self Titled(1997)
Happy Go Licky-“Suzuki” Will Play (1987)
Orange Juice-“Falling and Laughing” [single] (1980)
Interpol-“All Fired Up” Our Love To Admire(2007)
The Austerity Program-“Song 17B” Black Madonna (2007)
Cabaret Voltaire-“Nag Nag Nag” [single] (1978)
Black Flag-“Yes I Know” [demo] (1982)
Pretty Girls Make Graves-“If You Hate Your Friends You’re Not Alone” Good Health (2001)
Big Black-“Bazooka Joe” Atomizer (1986)
Embrace-“Past” [self titled] (1987)
The Death Set-“Negative Thinking” Worldwide (2008)
Herb Ellis/Joe Pass-“Stuffy” Jazz at Concord (1974)
Cap’n Jazz-“Little League” Shmap’n Shmazz (1994)
AIDS Wolf-“Letter to Al Johnson” [split LP w/Athletic Automation] (2007)
Tubeway Army-“Are Friends Electric?” Replicas (1979)
Rainer Maria-“I Love You Too” [self titled EP] (1996)
Native Nod-“Back To Mimsey” Bread [EP] (early 90s?)
Human Bell-“The Singing Trees” [self titled] (2008)
Billie Holiday-“Willow Weep For Me”
Liquid Liquid-“Cavern” Optimo [EP] (1983)
Jawbox-“Mirrorful” [self titled] (1996)
Bauhaus-“Dark Entries” [single] (1980)
The Maginot Line-“Working Hard To Make A Bad Life Worse” Paris Burning (2002)
Moss Icon-“Guatemala” [split w/Silver Bearing] (1991) [Skipped-Play Next Week]
If;-“Eriaioteekiiah” Live 9-19-05 (2005) [Skipped-Play Next Week]
Wire-“Champs” Pink Flag (1977)
Brian Eno-“Here Come The Warm Jets” Here Come The Warm Jets (1973)

Afternoon Fix #1 Playlist Feb 1, 2008

2008-02-01T19:34:00.001-05:00

Here is the play list from the first show. If you like the artists, support them! Buy their music!

The Replacements-"Left Of The Dial" Tim (1985)
Lungfish-"Time is a Weapon of Time" Feral Hymns (2005)
LCD Soundsystem-“Someone Great” Sound of Silver (2007)
Fugazi-“Smallpox Champion” In On The Kill Taker (1993)
Pylon-“Driving School” Gyrate (1980)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs-“Isis” Is Is [EP] (2007)
Joy Division-“Disorder (live)” Still (1981)
Bob Dylan-“Positively 4th Street” [single] 1965
Hüsker Dü-“Chartered Trips” Zen Arcade (1984)
At The Drive-In-“Enfilade” Relationship of Command (2000)
Bad Brains-“Sailin’ On” [self titled] (1982)
Metal Urbain-“Lady Coca Cola” [b-side b/w "Panik"] (1977)
Arctic Monkeys-“Brianstorm” Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007)
The Fire Engines-“Hungry Beat” Lubricate Your Living Room (1981)
Antioch Arrow-“Angel’s Lawn” In Love With Jetts (1994)
Radiohead-“Bodysnatchers” In Rainbows (2007)
Able Baker Fox-“Brand New Moses” Voices (2008)
Pre-“Popping Showers” Epic Fits (2007)
Everyone To The Anderson-“The Dead Angle” [self titled EP] (2006)
The Cars-“Moving In Stereo” [self titled] (1978)
Yaphet Kotto-“Inquire Within” Syncopated Synthetic Laments For Love (2001)
Ramsey Lewis Trio-“Opus #5” Another Voyage (1969)
Bloc Party-“Hunting For Witches” A Weekend In The City (2007)
The Dismemberment Plan-“What Do You Want Me To Say?” Emergency and I (1999)
The Austerity Program-“Song 17 B” Black Madonna (2007) [Skipped: Time Restrictions-Will Be Played Next Week]*
Yes-“Starship Trooper” The Yes Album (1970)
Double Dagger-“Luxury Condos For The Poor” Ragged Rubble (2007)
*This refers to "Song 17B"

First Post

2008-01-30T23:42:00.000-05:00

The Afternoon Fix is a radio show I host on WCUA, and I thought it would be enhanced by a blog. Here, I will post the notes to each show, with links to free MP3s where available. Maybe later I'll expand to record and show reviews? We'll see . . . stay tuned, it should be an interesting semester.