I Dance I Dance I Dance

Photo from the stellar new collaboration between Carolyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle. Title from Blah Blah 666 and the country of Mexico. The track list for December 8th:

1. Primal Scream - Over & Over (Beautiful Future, B-Unique)
2. Carolyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle - Itchy Feet (Let's Just Stay Here, Mint) !
3. God Made Me Funky - Cybersects (Nu Funktonia, New Empire)
4. Stereotyperider - Unacceptable (Prolonging The Inevitable, Suburban Home)
5. Bela Fleck & The Flecktones - Couch Potato (The Hidden Land, Sony BMG)
6. Sloan - Iggy & Angus (Navy Blues, Universal)
7. Phosphorescent - I Gotta Get Drunk (To Willie, Dead Oceans)
8. OOIOO - Irorun (Arminico Hewa, Thrill Jockey) !
9. Glomag - Pocket Calculator (8-bit Operations, Receptors)
10. Ghettosocks ft. D-sisive and Muneshine - U Ain't This (Treat of the Day, ind) !
11. Choke - Slow Fade (Slow Fade, Smallman)
12. Deer Tick - Axe Is Forever (More Fuel For The Fire, Partisan) !
13. The Racoon Wedding - I Will Be Found (Gather Gather Bones Rattle Rattle Truth, Ford Plant) !
14. Golden Ghost - Pried Up The Bark (The Unimaginative Body, Epiphysis) !
15. Outkast - Xplosion (Stankonia, Arista)
16. Freznal Rhomb - I Don't Need Your Loving (A Man's Not A Camel, Fat Wreck)
17. Disasterpeace - Flamenco Sketches (Kind of Bloop, ind)
18. RaggaDeath - Hemisphere (Raggadeath, Attic)
19. Blah Blah 666 - Mexican Hat Dance (It's Only Life, Barnyard)
20. Talk Normal - Bold Face (Sugarland, Rare Book Room) !

Next week, I plan on starting my look at the best albums of the year. It is my first time doing this, but I think the best way to do this is to do it in two shows. Each show, I'll play something from the best album in five different genres, as well as some runners-up and albums that didn't get enough attention this year. Plus, over the next two weeks you can expect regular blog posts discussing/reviewing said albums. Exams? What exams?

It's The Same Old World, But Nothing Looks The Same

Don't have much to say. The show was good this week. The track listing for December 1st:

1. Tom Waits - Make It Rain (Glitter & Doom, Anti-) !
2. Bear vs Shark - Ma Jolie (Right Now, You're In The Best of Hands, Equal Vision)
3. Kid Koala - Robochacha (Some of My Best Friends Are DJs, Ninja Tune)
4. Cuff The Duke - Promises (Way Down Here, Noble) !
5. Belle and Sebastian - You Don't Send Me (Dear Catastrophe Waitress, Rough Trade)
6. Muneshine - Liquorhound (Status Symbol, Wax Reform) !
7. Million Dead - Holloway Prison Blues (Harmony No Harmony, Xtra Mile)
8. Rita Chiarelli - Quanto Sei Bella Roma (Cuore: The Italian Sessions)
9. The Paddingtons - Tommy's Disease (Zane Lowe Sessions/First Comes First, Vertigo)
10. Blue Rodeo - Never Look Back (The Things We Left Behind, Warner) ! Blue Rodeo - Candice (The Things We Left Behind, Warner) !
11. Horrorpops - Boot2Boot (Kiss Kiss Kill Kill, Hellcat)
12. Oh No - Perceptions (The Disrupt, Stones Throw)
13. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Even Heroes Have To Die (The Brutalist Bricks, Matador) !
14. Buried Inside - Time As Abjection (Chronoclast, Relapse)
15. Glossary - Shout It From The Rooftops (The Better Angels of Our Nature)
16. CFCF - Break-In (Continent, Paper Bag) !
17. Millencolin - Broken World (Machine 15, Epitaph)
18. Crown City Rockers - Break (The Day After Forever, Gold Dust) !

The Paddington's song I played today was taken from a session they did with Zane Lowe in the UK. It was offered for download on their website years ago, but it's no longer there, so I'm directing you to First Comes First, the band's first full-length on which "Tommy's Disease" would later appear.

Glossary's The Better Angels of Our Nature and frontman Joey Kneiser's solo album The All-Night Bedroom Revival are available for free download at their website. They've got new stuff, Feral Fire, out in February, I'm really looking forward to hearing it.

Also, the Ted Leo track I played is from their album The Brutalist Bricks, expected to be released in March. That song is available at the Matador Records website.

From a purely technical standpoint, Tom Waits doesn't sound all that different between his studio albums and his live performances. But why is it when listening to Glitter & Doom it sounded like Waits is doing an impression of himself? Don't really have anything to back that point up with, just something I've having a hard time getting around.

Ttrraappeerr Rraaddiioo

I don't think I have any more music in me. I've given it all to you. Track list for the double-length show of November 24th:

1. The Lytics - I'm Here !
2. O Pioneers!!! - We Have Friends (I Promise)
3. Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard - These Roads Don't Move !
4. Captain Tractor - This Time Tomorrow
5. John Coltrane - Woody'n You
6. Slayer - Human Strain !
7. More or Les - Eat Your Food
8. The Bull North - Antihero !
9. Tsunami Bomb - Take The Reins
10. Black Coffee Cowboys - Love Bandits
11. The Mark Inside - Coming Back Under Attack
12. Junk Culture - My Two Hands !
13. Junk Culture - Watson's Glassy Stare !
14. Junk Culture - For Elise !
15. Billy Bragg - Deportees
16. Tor - Star of Wonder !
17. Bouncing Souls - The Ballad of Johnny X
18. Rae Spoon - Revivalist
19. Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution - Here's to Life
20. Soccer Team - Traffic Patterns
21. Oceanographer - Remembering Things That Never Happened #
22. Devendra Banhart - Angelika !
23. Born Ruffians - Barnacle Goose
24. United Steel Workers of Montreal - Rise Up
25. Kae Sun - Too Young, Too Soon !
26. Defiance, Ohio - This Feels Better
27. Defiance, Ohio - Never Forget, Ever
28. John Mayall - Nothing to Do With Love
29. Bill Charlap Trio - Lorelei
30. Meat Beat Manifesto - Happiness Supreme
31. Two Hours Traffic - Back Seat Sweetheart
32. Minor Threat - Think Again
33. Aceyalone - Lonely Ones
34. Lightning Bolt - S.O.S. !
35. Two Gallants - Nothing To You
36. Living With Lions - Cold Coffee
37. El-P - No Kings
38. Young Rival - Too Hip
39. Indio Saravanja - El Camino Blues !
40. Against Me! - Slurring The Rhythms
41. The Detroit Cobras - Leave My Kitten Alone
42. The Detroit Cobras - (I Wanna Know) What's Going On?

In honour of the slur of songs above, here are a slur of thoughts. I'll probably be coming back and adding more in later.

Two Gallants don't seem to get consistent recognition. Their melodies are pretty much what you would expect from a two-person alt-country band with a heavy rock leaning, but the lyrics have a wonderful old-west bite to them. Check out The Throes for more of the grittier stuff, and last year's self-titled album for something a bit deeper.

Born Ruffians and Devendra are two favourites of year-and-a-half-ago Josh Kolm. Although I'm sure I'll be finding time for them again soon. Banhart's newest once again maintains his signature sound without being (too) derivative, and we'll be getting new BR next year, which is going to be certainly amazing.

Young Rival/Mark Inside this Saturday at Phog, I'll be the one sitting by the speakers. Detroit Cobras are at the Magic Stick on Thursday, I'll be one at home writing term papers.

Burn! Burn! Burn! Burn!

This week I remembered I love the Loved Ones even though Dave Hause wears white sunglasses. Track list for November 17th:

1. Chuck Prophet - American Man (¡Let Freedom Ring!, Yep Roc) !
2. Grand Analog - Ole Mine Town (Touch Your Toes,
3. The Loved Ones - The Bridge (Build and Burn, Fat)
4. Paul Reddick - Waves (Villanelle, Northern Blues)
5. Electric Six - Rip It! (I Shall Exterminate Everything Around Me That Restricts Me from Being The Master, Metropolis)
6. Lee "Scratch" Perry - I Am A Madman (Live @ Maritime Hall, 2BI)
7. The Secretaries - Hey Girl (The Secretaries, Rawlco) !
8. Johnny Truant - Realist Surrealist (In The Library of Horrific Events, Dine Alone)
9. Snuff - The Damage is Done (Reach, Cargo)
10. D-Sisive - West Coast (Jonestown, Urbnet) !
11. You Say Party! We Say Die! - Make XXXX (XXXX, Paper Bag) !
12. Dawes - When You Call My Name (North Hills, ATO) !
13. Mischief Brew - The Gypsy, The Punk and The Fool (Smash the Windows, Fistolo)
14. The End - My Abyss (Elementary, Relapse)
15. Sunparlour Players - The Detroit River is Alive! (Hymns for the Happy, Baudelaire)
16. Attack in Black - Blood (In The Tracks) (Yours (By One Thousand Fingertips), Dine Alone)
17. Kam Moye - Let's Be Honest (Splitting Image, MYX) !

You will notice I didn't stick D-Sisive's Jonestown in bold. I'm having a hard time placing it , especially after comparing it to Let the Children Die from earlier this year. Which is totally unfair, not only because Children is a friggin masterpiece, but because they are very different albums in terms of tone and perspective. All the same, go to www.d-sisive.com and get the free download of the new album, it is absolutley worth your time.

I'm really surprised I haven't played The Loved Ones before, especially considering how much I adore the Build and Burn album. I'm really, really surprised I haven't gone over to look at frontman Dave Hause's MySpace before today, where he's posted a handful of solo tracks that serve as a decent preview of what's to come on his planned solo album. It's good, it fits in nicely with the rest of the Revival Tour gang. Sound finds itself somewhere between Joey Cape and Tim Barry, if that means anything to you.

Next week: three hours of Trapper Radio, starting at 1:00PM! I'm trying to find ways to get creative and utilize the extra time to its full extent, but I may end up just doing two episodes in one week. Either way, it'll be good, I promise.

Jet Plane, To L.A.

Two updates in one. Mega-update = mega-fun! Track list for November 3rd:

1. Del The Funky Homosapien & Tame One - We Taking Over (Parallel Uni-verses, Gold Dust) !Eric's Trip - My Room (Love Tara, Sub Pop)
2. Swank - Halo in the Headlights (The Survival Issue, ind)
3. Nothington - Meant to Lose (Roads, Bridges and Ruins, BYO) !
4. The Black Hollies - When You're Not There (Softly Towards The Light, Ernest Jenning) !
5. Duke Ellington - Jam With Sam (Love You Madly Comp., Naxos)
6. Stripper's Union - No Ones Watching (Local 518, Universal)
7. Clipse - Wamp Wamp (What It Do) (Hell Hath No Fury, Re-Up)
8. The Lawrence Arms - Demons (Buttsweat and Tears, Fat Wreck) !
9. Den-igan - Baby Birds (Square Root of Fun, ind) !
10. MF-Doom - Bergamont Wild (Special Herbs Vol. 3, Female Fun)
11. Hockey Night - Saturday Night Gallop (Keep Guessin', Lookout)
12. Dillinger Escape Plan - Milk Lizard (Milk Lizard, Relapse)
13. Ox - Miss Idaho Redux (Burnout, Weewerk) !
14. D.O.A. - The Enemy (Something Better Change, Sudden Death)
15. Doop and The Inside Outlaws - Burn This City (Everett Bellher, Inside Out)
16. Alex Cuba - Gira (Alex Cuba, Caracol) !
17. Clit 45 - No Sanctuary Insanity (Self-Hate Crimes, BYO)
18. Lights Out Asia - Mir (Tanks and Recognizers, n5MD)

And November 10th:

1. Disjam - Vitisse
2. The Hold Steady - Constructive Summer (Stay Positive, Vagrant)
3. MC Lyte - I Cram To Understand U (Lyte As A Rock, First Priority)
4. Kent McAlister - Another Bridge (How I'll Remain, Rawlco) !
5. Braid - Collect From Clark Kent (Frame and Canvas, Polyvinyl)
6. Ben Folds Five - Selfless, Collected and Cold (Whatever and Ever, Amen, Epic)
7. Sufjan Stevens - Movement III: Linear Tableau with Intersecting Surprise (The BQE, Asthmatic Kitty) !
8. Pigment Vehicle - Combing The Dessert (Murder's Only Foreplay When You're Hot For Revenge, Sudden Death)
9. Buck 65 - You Know The Science (Man Overboard, anti-con)
10. Billy Bragg & Wilco - Christ For President (Mermaid Avenue, Elektra)
11. Moka Only - Benefits !
12. Champion - Perfect In Between (Resistence, Saboteur)
13. The Job - Problem (The Job, Hi-Hat)
14. The Swiftys - Find Another Fool (The Swiftys, Atomic Works)
15. Black Keys - Psychotic Girl (Attack and Release, Nonesuch)
16. Maserati - This Is a Sight We Had One Day from the High Mountain (Inventions For The New Season, Temporary Residence)
17. The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You (I and Love and You, American) !

Really impressed by the new stuff from Del and Tame One. It defiantly makes up for the "meh" that was Funk Man, Del's release from earlier this year. I'm crediting Parallel Thought's producing.

The Ox song, "Miss Idaho", first appeared on American Lo-Fi (I played it during one of my first times on air during a fill-in). But the "Redux" version, which closes out their new album, is so big and epic-scaled. It's impressive that the same song can be re-recorded in such a creative new way--they can put versions of the song on all their albums and I'd probably be thrilled.

I played D.O.A. last week while ensuring people that reports of original drummer Chuck Biscuits' death were false. Even the CBC was fooled by the story, which originated from a music blogger citing a source posing as Chuck and his wife. This week, reports of Maserati/!!! drummer Jerry Fuchs' death were not only unfortunately true, but a few were also accompanied with almost-jokes at the cause of death, his hoodie getting caught as he tried to leap from a stalled elevator, causing him to fall five stories down the shaft (get it? Because he was a hipster from Williamsburg! They wear hoodies!). While the lines in the stories were only wink-nudging at the joke (and when has Gawker ever covered Maserati or !!!? Clearly running out of opportunities to make a hipster jokes) the comments sections defiantly took it and ran with it.

Rick Rubin produced the new Avett Brothers album I closed out with. Glad to see him get his fingerprints on something great again.

I'll Put A Bullet In His Heart If He Ain't Home By Sundown

Today was the day I played an album as old as I am. Playlist for October 27th:

1. The Tragically Hip - I'll Believe In You (Or I'll Be Leaving You Tonight) (Up to Here, MCA)
2. Brand New -Vices (Daisy, Interscope) !
3. Ninja Gun - Restless Rubes (Restless Rubes, Suburban Home)
4. Ninja Gun - Eight Miles Out (Restless Rubses, Suburban Home)
5. BK-One with Benzilla - Gititit (Radio Do Canibal, Fifth Element) !
6. Logo Hoax - Deflect, or Destroy (Logo Hoax, Strip Maul)
7. Drive-By Truckers - Aftermath USA (A Blessing and A Curse, New West)
8. (Young) Pioneers - Ballad of the (Young) Pioneers (Free The (Young) Pioneers Now!, Lookout)
9. (Young) Pioneers - Downtown Tragedy (Free The (Young) Pioneers Now!, Lookout)
10. BC ft. Saul Williams - Ode to Gill Scott-Heron (Time Pieces Pt. 1: Time Capsule, Domination) !
11. The Wooden Sky - When We Were Young (If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone, Black Box) !
12. Jawbreaker - Boxcar (24 Hour Revenge Therapy, Tupelo/Communion)
13. The British Columbians - Gasoline Handshake (The British Columbians, ind) !
14. High Watt Electrocutions - Obliteration (Desert Opuses, Introspection) !
15. Raekwon ft. Ghostface Killah, Method Man & Cappadonna - Ice Cream (Only Built 4 Cuban Link Pt. II, EMI)
16. Moneen - Great Escape (The World I Want To Leave Behind, Dine Alone) !
17. Devil Eyes - Freak Pocket (Devil Eyes, Signed By Force) !
18. Jimmy Burns - Shake For Me (Night Time Again)
19. Ron Leary - Hey, Hey! (Lapse, Boot Brush) #
20. The Ponys - Get Black (Celebration Castle, In The Red)

So What If All My Heroes Are The Losing Kind?

I need to make sure I can pronounce the things I am going to say before I say them. The track list for October 20, 2009:

1. Ben Nichols - The Last Pale Light In The West (The Last Pale Light In The West, Liberty & Lament)
2. Fond of Tigers - Elkore (A Thing To Live With, Drip)
3. Guignol & Mischief Brew - Fight Dirty (Fight Dirty, Fistolo) !
4. Kat Danser - Keep On Movin' (Something Familiar, Big Beauty)
5. Strange Fruit Project - Good Times (The Healing, Spilt Milk)
6. Dave House - 60 Blocks Up (Intersections, Banquet)
7. Strike Anywhere - Failed State (Iron Front, Bridge Nine) !
8. Ninety Pounds of Ugly - Not Tonight (Richmond Hotel Room #3, ind) !
9. Lucero - What Are You Willing To Lose? (1372 Overton Park, Universal) !
10. Yesterday's New Quintent - The One Who Knows (Angles Without Edges, Stones Throw)
11. Mockingbird, Wish Me Luck - Brooklyn, NY (Goodbye Debris EP, ind)
12. OK Cobra - Camel Clutch (Delerium & Remens, Top Billed) !
13. The Spy's - Ludwell Woodwork (Original Punkrock From Canada 1979-1980, ind)
14. Guillemots - Annie, Let's Not Wait (Through The Windowpane, Polydor)
15. The Get Up Kids - Action Action (Live @ The Granada Theatre, Vagrant)
16. The Wheat Pool - Lefty (Hauntario, Shameless) !

The Get Up Kids play the Majestic Theatre October 24th, The Wheat Pool open for Rah Rah October 27th at Phog, and in a super big rare show of fun awesomeness, Frank Carlonie, former frontman of The Spy's, will be performing with Kevin Shannon, aka Heavy Kevey of The Dry Heaves, at The Loop on December 11th. Wowee.

Loves Me Some Lucero

This week's show will feature music and a ticket giveaway from one of my all-time favourite bands and a consistent big draw in the country and punk worlds.

LUCERO will be playing a show at The Magic Stick in Detroit on Wednesday, October 21st. The day before (Tuesday, October 20th for those bad with dates) on Trapper Radio, I will be giving away a pair of tickets to this show for absolutley free!

I will be playing some music from frontman Ben Nichols' solo release from earlier this year as well as Lucero's brand new full-length, 1372 Overton Park, thier first for Universal. It has been making noise in the critical community and drawn praise from old and new fans alike for continuing the band's talent for country-infused southern punk while taking the next logical step by incorporating elements of soul, bluegrass and gospel. Listen if you want to hear why and for a chance to see these song performed live in front of your very eyes!

It will be a party for sure, but to win, you have to listen! I'll give the cue at some point during the show, 2:30-4:00PM on Tuesday, make sure you are tuned to 99.1FM or rocking the online stream at www.cjam.ca.

We Expected Something, Something Better Than Before

It's good to be back. Track list for October 13, 2009, the first at 99.1 MF'Hz (Megafuckin' hertz):

Hot Water Music - Trusty Chords (Caution, No Idea)
Matt Pond PA - The Butcher (Emblems, Altitude)
Reverend Horton Heat - Please Don't Take The Baby To The Liquor Store (Laughin' & Cryin', Yep Roc) !
Dragonette - East (Fixin' To Thrill, Universal) !
No Use For A Name - For Fiona (Keep Them Confused, Fat Wreck)
500 Miles To Memphis - All My Friends Are Crazy (Sunshine In A Shotglass, Deep Elm)
Blood Meridian - Soldiers of Christ (Soldiers of Christ EP, Outside)
The National - Start A War (Boxer, Beggars Banquet)
Orphan Choir - The Night Nurse (Orphan Choir, Art of the Underground) ! #
RZA - Booby Trap (Digi Snacks, Koch)
Carlos Del Junco - Mashed Potatoes Canada (Steady Movin', Northern Blues)
Lou Barlow - One Machine, One Long Fight (Goodnight Unknown, Merge) !
Sole and The Skyrider Band - More (Plastique, Fake Four) !
High Watt Electrocutions - Dragged Into The Vortex (Night Songs, Introspection)
Loose Tooth - Be Yourself
Langhorne Slim - Back To The Woods (Be Set Free, Kemado) !
Acres and Acres - Money (All Nations, ind) !
Chuck Ragan - 10 West (Gold Country, SideOneDummy) !

Photo from the video for The National's "Apartment Story", which is also on the wonderful Boxer album.

The new Orphan Choir full-length has been a long time coming, and is worth your time for that reason alone. Pick it up at Dr.Disc or order it from Art of the Underground (and check out some of the other great stuff they distribute, too). Fun fact: if you see the guys from Orphan Choir around, sing them some Lucero lyrics; they'll get you in places.

I didn't play the new Dragonette by choice. Let's just say I'm not a fan.

The video I mentioned of The Gaslight Anthem covering Hot Water Music's "Trusty Chords" live last week is hosted here at Punknews.org. It's worth watching to see how on the ball the fans are, knowing right away which song it is and singing right along. Also worth watching to hate them all, since nothing that awesome has ever happened to me at a concert.

Langhorne Slim was a pleasant surprise this week, but thinking back, he shouldn't have been. He has always done a good job of putting out consistently original folk songs in a one-of-a-kind style. Back To The Woods is bit broody, but that is relative to Slim's other work, and is still a fairly upbeat, rootsy indie release.

Cautious Optimism

For those unaware, CJAM FM left the 91.5 frequency Monday night and began broadcasting at 99.1 Wednesday afternoon. The pledge drive which punctuated the final days at 91.5 came agonizingly close to breaking the goal. Granted, expectations may have been high since the last couple pledge drives broke the record of the one set before it, but through the support of listeners, volunteers and the community, the station raised just over $23,000. Thank you all (donations can still be made year-round at the website), but now, it's back to the fun stuff.

It's been a while since I've done a proper show. The station was off the air last Tuesday, and the one before that was a special "pledge" edition of the show, so I'm eager to get back behind the mic and do what I'm used to doing Tuesday afternoons. In the meantime, I've redone the blog to look less amateur-ish, bit the Web 2.0 bullet by starting a Twitter account (twitter.com/JoshKolm), and hopefully will have more interesting theme music finished to start the show off with every week. Be sure to tune in tomorrow; I've got some new and old punk, country and hip hop favourites as the focal points and plan to (finally) dip into my vinyl collection for the first time.