Spotlight Review

Honorable mentions 2011.5

2011-07-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Mid-year point, some close-to-the-top favs (with little regard to the rules this year):

Fucked Up, David Comes To Life/David's Town
Radio Dept., Passive Aggressive: Singles 2002-2010
The Luyas, Too Beautiful To Work
Josh T Pearson, Last of the Country Gentlemen
Dodos, No Color
Pure X, Pleasure
Peter Tosh, Equal Rights (Legacy Edition)
Best Coast, iTunes Session
Austra, Feel It Break
One Hundred Dollars, Songs of Man
Wugazi, 13 Chambers

Later updates this week (really!)

200

2011-02-22T07:51:00.000-08:00

The 200th post, for what it's worth....

Here's a link to the Carl Wilson article on Destroyer I mentioned on last night's show.

Also mentioned: Tennis' blog.

Not mentioned and should have, my annual visit with Jen on New Wave Wednesday next week, March 2. Per past couple of year's practice, we'll be looking at songs from 20 years back, this time 1991. Fun!

Best of 2010

2011-01-30T13:32:00.000-08:00

1. Best Coast, Crazy For You
2. Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record
3. Surfer Blood, Astro Coast
4. Land of Talk, Cloak and Cipher
5. Beach House, Teen Dream
6. Drive-By Truckers, The Big To-Do
7. Cotton Jones, Tall Hours in the Glowstream
8. Corin Tucker Band, 1,000 Years
9. The Posies, Blood/Candy
10. High Places, High Places vs. Mankind
11. Bonjay, Broughtupsy
12. Keep Shelly in Athens, In Love With Dark
13. Heavy Cream, Danny

Honorable mentions 2010

2011-01-09T11:45:00.000-08:00

Ahem....
Where were we?

Tomorrow's show we'll be looking at the best of 2010, but for now here's a list of almosts, in no particular order:

Ra Ra Riot, The Orchard
Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Jenny & Johnny, I'm Having Fun Now
Gigi, Maintenant
Owen Pallett, Heartland
Joanna Newsom, Have One On Me
Local Natives, Gorilla Manor
The New Pornographers, Together
Caribou, Swim
Dum Dum Girls, I Will Be
The Bitters, East General
Aerial Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Before Today

Stay tuned (and join the Facebook page while waiting, we're easy to find).

Best of 2009: Baker's Dozen

2010-01-14T15:52:00.000-08:00

This is almost laughable really, and no apologies, but I have let the blog languish a bit. Our previous entry was our mid-year best, and now we have the year-end summary some four months later. I guess the avalanche of social networking sites, tweets, facebooks, and the like have simply done me in. Actually, I keep thinking of things to say here and elsewhere, but by the time I get on the computer, I'm looking at a score of news about music, promo downloads from labels, news updates, a tidal wave of information that sometimes not even a librarian can sort out.

Still, great year for music, and some of my favorites definitely hit me in the latter part of it, as yon list shall demonstrate. Between last entry and this, though, nothing tops the thrill of sitting down and interviewing the artist responsible for my top CD, as well as seeing her twice in one year. Wish I had a link to point you to, but tech difficulties couldn't get an archive copy to work, so only my memories will suffice.

Enough, here we go with my favs for '09:

1. Neko Case, Middle Cyclone
2. Visqueen, Message to Garcia
3. Bruce Peninsula, A Mountain Is a Mouth
4. Girls, Album
5. Family of the Year, Songbook
6. The Balconies, The Balconies
7. Animal Collective, Merriwether Post Pavilion
8. Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca
9. Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest
10. You Say Party! We Say Die!, XXXX
11. Young Galaxy, Invisible Republic
12. Jemina Pearl, Break It Up
13. Prefab Sprout, Let's Chang the World With Music

Comments as always. Playlist for the next few weeks:
1/18: Jay Reatard, Evening Hymns, The Dutchess & the Duke, Los Campesinos!
1/25: Best Coast, Zeus, Jason Collett, Talk Normal, White Denim
2/1: Jeff the Brotherhood, Vampire Weekend, TBA

This blog may be pulling up roots and moving soon to an easier interface, but in the meantime, you know where to find me...

Best ofs, updates, etc.

2009-08-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

Way overdue, this one. The Best of 2009 (So far) as follows:

1. Neko Case, Middle Cyclone
2. Bruce Peninsula, A Mountain Is a Mouth
3. Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca
4. Crystal Antlers, Tentacles
5. Ha Ha Tonka, Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South

Subject to change of course in the intervening weeks. The new Yo La Tengo album, for example, is stunning.

---No show tonight, though I'm pleased to report I'll be co-hosting First Impressions with Deputy Dulen tomorrow night (8/4) at 8:00. Plenty of fresh stuff and surprises and excellent patter are promised.

---August already?

---Some playlists for the next couple:
8/10: Bibio, Wye Oak, The Fiery Furnaces
8/17: Mercury Music Prize special: Horrors, Bat For Lashes, La Roux, Glasvegas, Florence and the machine, Speech DeBelle
8/24: no show
8/31: fresh Canadian music

Honorable Mentions 2

2009-07-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

I knew I'd think of a few more:

Moby, Wait For Me
We Were Promised Jetpacks, These Four Walls
Ohbijou, Beacons
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, self-titled

Best of 2009 (so far): the Honorable Mentions

2009-07-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

This coming Monday, we present our usual mid-season look at the music of the year so far, what has particularly made my ears perk up, though not necessarily my determination of "the best". I'm not that arrogant. But the music that I keep coming back to time and again over a several-month period, when I'm not sure what to play, I know I can slip in the player and listen without any sense of boredom, with chills and once in a while even a tear.

This year I seem to be particularly inundated with new music, much of it unknown, and I'm embracing a number of things that are either debuts or especially challenging, though much of it does get put aside after a listen or two. When the number of spins start approaching a double digit, we know we have a winner on our hands. As always, the releases from Mississippi Records and the Yeti compilations give me plenty to chew on, though for our purposes here they can't be listed.

Herewith, the releases just missing our top five, though in a couple of cases I may have thought very, very strongly about putting them in my number four or five position. Frankly, though, it's even more fun to spotlight the unknown and champion something new.

These have an approximate order, but depending on my mood or time of day, can be interchangable:

Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest
Animal Collective, Merriwether Post Pavilion
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz
Junior Boys, Begone Dull Care
The Field, Yesterday and Today
Akron/Family, Set 'em Wild, Set 'Em Free
Charles Spernin, The Happiness Project
Matt Krefting, I Couldn't Love You More

Tune in July 20 for the top 5 at mid-year (I'm sure long-time listeners can guess what some of them are).

Playlists

2009-06-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

Tonight: Tortoise, Portland Cello Project, Wand, Matt Krefting
6/27: Most Serene Republic, Pink Mountaintops, Ohbijou
7/6: Best of 2009 (so far)
7/13: Polaris Music Prize Short List
all subject to change, of course....

also available at the Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=764179861&ref=profile#/pages/The-Spotlight-Review/64968872248?ref=share

Every word is true

2009-05-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we forget how magnificent Donna Summer is.

Guiltiest pleasures

2009-05-07T16:21:00.000-07:00

Rockville CA

The Best Years

Harper's Globe

Fuckbook

No apologies

2009-05-07T16:19:00.000-07:00

Just playlists for a few weeks:
5/11: Japandroids, Shout Out Out Out Out, Score! (Merge Records)
5/18: Dave Alvin, Years, The Horse's Ha, (possibly the Field)
5/25: Enjoyed (Bjork tribute), Pet Shop Boys, Dirty Projectors
6/1: off to NYC!

playlists

2009-03-30T11:25:00.001-07:00

Trying something new for the next few weeks: themes. So much music has come my way, I need to rip a page from the First Impressions book and play you all a whole bunch.

3/30: electronica, hip-hop
4/6: country, world
4/13: Canada
4/20: I'm going to see Neko!

Twenty

2009-03-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

Though there is a little blurb each week on the WBER website under my playlist to check out the blog, I'm afraid I have been burrowing in for the winter. Strange really, as nothing is at all wrong on this end; in fact this fine month of March is the 20th Anniversary of the Spotlight Review.

That's as in 20 years; I was ready to hang it up at ten, then fifteen. Somehow inertia has kept my little half hour going. Of course, getting access to some great music and meeting some great people doesn't hurt in the slightest.

If anything, Web 2.0 is a little overwhelming, and the pop culture explosion that surrounds me doesn't help. A lot of blogs which I follow seem to have cut back on their updating as well; hey, real life does intrude, in good and bad ways. I must have some fifty-plus CDs which have come my way over the past few months that I haven't even cracked yet, whether they be promos or ones I even paid the hard-earned cash for. Throw in the ever-growing mountain of books to be read, the 48 shows still sitting on the DVR (including two seasons of Dexter), the pile of comics which I still love; the Myspace/Twitter/Facebook universe which I fruitlessly try to respond to. What's a boy to do?

At the very least, my family continues to keep me sane and happy. Sheila and I got to see the great Bruce Peninsula (the band, not the park, though I'm sure that's pretty great too) at their Toronto CD release, and it was as magical as I hoped. Their CD remains one of my favorites this year. As for the big favorite, we are going to see her in April, and Middle Cyclone has been in heavy rotation in just about every corner of the Scheffel household.

And yes, the show keeps right on trucking; I'm more committed to making that work than blog updating. For the next couple of weeks:

3/9: 20th Anniversary show: R.E.M., Pavement, the La's (deluxe reissues)
3/16: 20th Anniversary show: bands I have interviewed
3/23: Junior Boys, Ra Ra Riot/Passion Pit/Cut Off Your Hands

And following that, more installments with a wider variety of music and smaller reviews, at least just to clear the decks for a little bit, though that may be the way the format ultimately shakes down. Comments as always can be directed to the usual suspects.

Speaking of which, there is now a rudimentary Spotlight Review Facebook page, which is still being tweaked, but would love to have interested parties jump on board.
Take a look here, but if that doesn't work, try searching for Spotlight Review in the Facebook search box.

And as always, for 20 years and beyond, whenever I feel like taking a big break, I think of the few people who do comment or have told me that I turned them on to a group or artist that they wound up loving, or went on to explore further. That's a cool thing indeed. I can't say it enough: thanks for listening.

2008: a Baker's Dozen

2009-01-15T07:38:00.000-08:00

1. Portishead, Third
2. Spiritualized, Songs in A&E
3. High Places, 03/07-09/07 and High Places
4. Fucked Up, The Chemistry of Common Life
5. Veda Hille, This Riot Life
6. Shannon McArdle, Summer of the Whore
7. Jenny Lewis, Acid Tongue
8. Laura Barrett, Victory Garden
9. Vivian Girls, Vivian Girls
10. Fire On Fire, The Orchard
11. School of Seven Bells, Alpinisms
12. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes and Sun Giant EP
13. Glasvegas, Glasvegas

Playlists for the next couple:
1/19: Gentleman Reg, Ladyhawke, Animal Collective
1/26: Charles Spearin, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

How can I resist this?

2009-01-14T06:25:00.001-08:00

http://www.antilabelblog.com/?p=1301

Download:http://www.anti.com/media/download/708

The 2008 best list will be up today or tomorrow, getting slammed at work and home.

2008: Honorable mentions

2009-01-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

Much of the stuff from July still holds true, though a final tally will be seen next week. Here's a few others bubbling under:

Juliana Hatfield, How To Walk Away (her best in years)
Giant Sand, proVisions
Ponytail, Ice Cream Spiritual
Caithlin De Marrais, My Magic City
Fembots, Calling Out
Byrne and Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

2008: Best concert

2009-01-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

Neko Case at the State Theater in Ithaca was magical, the Fiery Furnaces at the Bug Jar kept heads snapping and spinning, but the once-in-a-lifetime experience could only be My Bloody Valentine at the Kool Haus in Toronto, on my birthday no less. Enough online accounts are available, as are various other media ("My Bloody Eardrums" was my favorite title), and I have to say they are all true, down to the last hyperbole. Not only was it a dream come true to finally see Kevin Shields and co., but the heart-stopping (and I mean that literally) grand finale of ear-splitting racket was unduplicated in my several-decades-plus of concert-going.

2008: Best television

2009-01-06T08:56:00.000-08:00

Schedule: Elvis Costello with... (Sundance Channel)

Simply TV's best hour on music. Elvis asks great questions, is a good listener, and even when the subjects are a little laconic (ie: James taylor), their musical performances are relaxed and top-notch. Also points for highlighting some deserved icons, like Elton John mentioning Laura Nyro (and by golly, you can see her influence in his songs now that he mentions it).

Gossip Girl (CW)

No hour on television makes me smile as consistently as this wondrous not-necessarily-guilty pleasure. Ed Westwick's Chuck Bass is a hoot, but it's the magnificent Leighton Meester who carries the show at this point, conveying heartbreak, snark, deviousness, and warmth, sometimes in the same sentence. And New York Magazine's Daily Intel reality checks the following morning are as addictive as the show itself.

2008: Best reissue

2009-01-04T11:16:00.000-08:00

Slits, Official Bootleg (Y Records/Victor Japan)

While Pavement's Brighten the Corners and REM's Murmur are practically slam dunks here, it's this little-seen import that stole my heart, ending a two-decade plus search. Any time i tried to get the original vinyl of this on eBay, I was usually shut out by the annoying gremlins who bid at the last two seconds before the end. Championed by Greil Marcus in Lipstick Traces, it's the sound of punk at ground zero, before the Slits got their label contract and dubbed it all up. The remastering is impeccable to these jaded ears, and the packaging of the 12-inch in miniature is a treat as well.

Best albums of 2009 already

2009-01-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

Bruce Peninsula, A Mountain Is a Mouth
Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion

Anxiously awaited: see "woo-hoo" below.

Periodic updates of various bests here to begin shortly. Full list announced on January 12th's show.

Just in time for the 20th anniversary

2008-12-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

WOO-HOO!

Mea culpa

2008-12-01T13:04:00.001-08:00

Awful things, these blogs, some e-chain that makes you feel all sorts of guilty if you don't feed them regularly. Though the show has been plugging right along, my ability to just sit down and type something in here has been falling by the wayside. I do have a couple of ideas, though, to create a slightly different online presence for the Review in the next several weeks. In the meantime, let me regale you with some of the things we should be playing on the next few Mondays.

12/1: Yeti magazine, Crystal Stilts, The Clean, Kyle Fischer, Caithlin De Marrais
12/8: The Whispertown 2000, Dark Dark Dark, Mark Kozalek, Cure tribute
12/15: Glasvegas, Feist, Bruce Peninsula
12/22: Neko, Xmas
12/29 & 1/5: closed for the holidays
1/12: SR Best of 2008
1/19: unreviewed gems from the previous year

Expect a major best-of post over the next few weeks as well, especially because some of my favorites this year won't stand a chance of being able to get on the air. And as always, stay tuned. I've been a little leery of my own chatter over the air as of late, but I do think some great music has been getting out there....

October

2008-10-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

Boy, I can't get ablogging if my life depended on it (and it doesn't). Planning a super-mega post in the next few days, though. What have I been doing? Most significantly, I celebrated my 52nd birthday doing this, with Frank doing a darn good job of conveying the transcendance of it all. But mostly, plowing through a mountain of new music, much of it excellent (have I mentioned High Places?). The library is open Sundays again so that eats a bit into free time. Really, I'm in the mood to do a big update, but the time it takes to get from my head to template seems to be shrinking. Keep tuning in, though.

How about a few upcoming playlists:
10/6: I'm Not Jim, TV On the Radio, Mercury Rev, Caribou
10/13: The Sea and Cake, Fembots, Vivian Girls
10/20: Crooked Fingers, Gentleman Reg, Wintersleep

Back soon (hah!)

September part two updated

2008-09-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

Some upcoming playlists, with hopefully everything arriving in time, may be shifted for new items, etc. blah blah...

9/8: Angela Desveaux, Winter Gloves, Ra Ra Riot
9/15: High Places, Laura Barrett, Paul Weller
9/22: Rock the Net, Byrne & Eno, Mogwai
9/29: Mercury Rev, Living Bridge (Rare Book Room)

September part one

2008-09-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

Playlists for the month will be forthcoming tonight or tomorrow, but for now, in regards to our Labor Day show, here's two late night listings this week for people we played last night:

LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, CBS
We 9/3: Dr. Phil McGraw, Tilda Swinton, Tricky

LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN, NBC
Tu 9/2: Jarod Miller, Jason Lezak, Ra Ra Riot

Actually, Brian Wilson is on Leno Wednesday too, which does not suck at all (Wilson, that is).
More goodies to come...

August

2008-08-11T12:41:00.001-07:00

Alas and alack, the usual remiss in updating, but this month is a sparse one because the family and I are heading to Disney World next week, and there's been a whole slew of other committments that the show is taking a little back seat. However, tonight's edition is an expanded one, probably a full hour, which is fortuitous in that it allows me to play extended selections outside of the smaller format. Playlists:

8/11: Eric Chenaux, Ryan Driver, Patti Smith & Kevin Shields, the Fiery Furnaces
8/18 & 8/25: gone to the Happiest Place on Earth
8/27: guesting on New Wave Wednesday with the fabulous Jennifer V.
9/1: Labor Day edition with Juliana Hatfield, Giant Sand, Tricky, and more

I may stop back in in the next several days, but in the meantime, hang with your families and enjoy each others' company...

Best of 2008 (so far)

2008-07-15T07:32:00.000-07:00

1. Veda Hille, This Riot Life
2. Portishead, Third
3. Spiritualized, Songs In A&E
4. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
5. Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning, Something For All Of Us...

Playlists for the next couple of weeks:
7/21: Kathleen Edwards, Shannon McArdle, Martina Topley-Bird
7/28 (or 8/4): The Stills, Beach House, The Las, Rob Dickinson

Mid-Year Report: the Honorable Mentions

2008-07-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight on SR we'll give the top five of 2008 (so far) IOHO, but in the meantime, here's some that came pretty close (in no particular order):

Anitetam, Opus Mixtum
Destroyer, Trouble In Dreams
Headlights, Some Racing, Some Stopping
She & Him, Volume One
Cadence Weapon, Afterparty Babies
Hercules & Love Affair
Thalia Zedek, Liars & Prayers
Sun Kil Moon, April
Constantines, Kensington Heights (so close)
Madonna, Hard Candy (her best since the similarly underrated Bedtime Stories)
Mississippi Records (the entire label) (for that matter, the entire rosters this year of Paper Bag, Constellation, Arts & Crafts, and Numero Group)

We'll post the other five here tomorrow (hopefully). Stay tuned, or better yet, tune in tonight...

Yippee!

2008-07-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

From one of my favorite artists of last year, this is good news.

Bloglines

2008-06-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

I know, I suck, as a regular blogger that is. And after only a few hours sleep, I'm not going to be so hot of one today either. Life has not been bad whatsoever, just busy and full. So for now, how about some forthcoming playlists, just because, and hopefully I'll have more to say perhaps by the holiday weekend.

6/30 (tonight): The Baseball Project, Steinski, Posies tribute
7/7: Polaris Music Prize
Going to try something a little different here. Next Monday will be the announcement for the shortlist for Canada's Polaris Prize, though this year they released a longlist of 40 albums as preliminary nominees. It turns out, thanks to my love for the fine Canadian music, we have a lot of these on hand. Now I'm not sure what time the actual shortlist announcement is; if it's before 9 PM, we'll play what we have on hand that matches that list. If no announcement is done by then, we'll just play a bunch of the nominees and let the chips fall where they may. Either way, it's a good chance for me to play a lot of music with a minimum of fuss, which is where I've been trying to take the show lately anyway.
Update: The Polaris shortlist will be announced at 11 AM on CBC Radio 3. I actually have around 20 of the 40 albums nominated in some form or another, so we should have a darn good playlist I hope by Monday evening.
7/14: Mid-Year Report: Best of 2008 so far
7/21: Martina Topley-Bird, Rob Dickinson

Stay tuned....

two-posts-in-one-day shocker!

2008-06-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

playlists:
6/9: Shearwater, Fleet Foxes, Martha Wainwright
6/16: Broken Social Scene, the Watson Twins

If a blog falls in a forest, does it make a sound?

2008-06-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

Woefully sad lack of updating, for no other reason than sheer laziness (and an awful lot of movie going). Big update planned for the end of this week, including more firmed up playlists, but for now, here's tonight's:
Mudhoney, Gonzales, Elvis Costello

Our High Falls Film Festival

2008-04-28T06:44:00.000-07:00

Sheila and I have several annual traditions, and one of them is the High Falls Film Festival, right here in Rochester. We may have overbooked ourselves this year, but here's our schedule of what we plan to see:

Wednesday: Son of Rambow, Then She Found Me
Thursday: Sita Sings the Blues, The Last Mistress
Friday: Phoebe in Wonderland
Saturday: Blind Mountain, Diminished Capacity, Secrecy, Fermat's Room, Young People Fucking
Sunday: Mister Foe

And you?

Best laid plans

2008-04-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite labels is Paper Bag out of Toronto, and as I've mentioned in the past, I go to the labels I like, not just let any old ones send me stuff for the show. That said, I have been expecting stuff from them, and I KNOW they sent it, but the Canadian Postal Service just doesn't care to cooperate with me. This has happened to me with personal stuff sent to my friends in Acton, ON; it just doesn't get there, or packages they send me doesn't make it either. So if there happens to be any Canadian postal carriers reading this (odds: 1-1 million), what gives, folks!?

And then some links Paper Bag sent me, some worked and others didn't. It just seems to be fate, so hopefully my end-of-May TO trip will yield some better results. In the meantime, all new playlist for Monday:
Boris, Robert Forster, Two Hours Traffic

on the run, new playlists

2008-04-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

4/21: Slim Twig, The Gutter Twins, Thalia Zedek Band
4/26: The Rural Alberta Advantage, Woodhands, Sally Shapiro, Junior Boys
5/5: off (resting from High Falls Film Fest)
5/12: Spaceman/Spiritualized

more smatterings

2008-04-12T06:25:00.000-07:00

Update to Monday's playlist:
Wye Oak, Nick Cave, Constantines

I was waiting on some stuff to show up but alas, still seems to be in the black hole that is Canada Post. I love the country to the point of obsession, but sometimes their mail service drives me batty. But the Nick Cave is a fine surprise, and the Cons, well...

Tomorrow starts the Big Read at the Monroe County Library System, centered around censorship and also Ray Bradbury and his seminal Fahrenheit 451, certainly one of my all-time favorite authors and books. You can even stop in your local library and pick up a free copy; it's a great read and thought-provoking event, and you can check out more info right here.

smatterings

2008-03-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

--Via Zoilus: the NY Times reports on the discovery of the possible earliest sound recording, circa 1860, with the audio snippet included.

--Two of my favorite artists, Greil Marcus and Shannon McArdle, in a podcast from late last year from a NYC Barnes & Noble. Great to hear that McArdle will still be making music.

Playlists:
3/31: Sun Kil Moon, The Ruby Suns, Veda Hille
4/7: Updated: Kaki King, Plants and Animals, Devotchka
4/14: Woodhands, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Constantines

--For your homework, and to get a little taste of Veda before tomorrow, check out this beautiful concert recorded by CBC Radio 2 back in February that features some versions of new songs and a new choral piece she composed. Gorgeous stuff.

March playlists

2008-03-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

3/17: She & Him, Sons & Daughters, School of Language
3/24: Fleet Foxes, Fire On Fire, Retribution Gospel Choir
3/31: Veda Hille, Kate Maki, The Airfields

So no one called to complain during the anniversary show (except for one who thought that Kylie Minogue was a test track), which means that A.) it was less avant garde than I thought; B.) people actually do like a mix of African highlife and Sleater-Kinney; C.) no one was actually listening. Still have to wonder if my little show has any place in this 2.0 world, though I have to wonder in its original incarnation nearly two decades ago if it didn't prefigure today's podcasts. Onward...

Nininininininininin Nineteen

2008-03-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

Just popping in for a reminder that this Monday is the Review's Nineteenth Anniversary, which amazes me as much as anybody. The show, whose playlist I will not post yet, could be either the greatest in the show's history or should have the phone ringing with pissed-off listeners; I've long stopped trying to second-guess. Should be fun!

Updated playlists next week. Supposed to do a Canadian trip this weekend, but this winter has been quite the one for stymieing me at every turn--every time I plan a trip north the weather has failed to cooperate. Need my Canada fix soon, to be sure.

BTW, is Lost not having a run of really ultra-cool episodes? I love how everything is finally starting to gel, as we patient viewers who did not give up are being rewarded. For even more ultra-coolness, try Lostpedia, which puts the show in an HTML format you always knew it had. Even has whisper transcripts!

Believe it or not, I'm very excited to see this.

You may be surprised to hear that this is excellent too. I'll be reviewing it week after next.

Stay warm...

lower-case updates

2008-02-17T10:58:00.000-08:00

playlists:
2/18: Liam Finn, Apes, Company, Tiger Cried Beef
2/25: Hercules & Love Affair, Black Mountain, Lightning Dust
3/3: Nick Lowe, Destroyer, The Black Hollies
3/10: 19th Anniversary show!

--Sheila and I went to the member's opening last night at the Eastman House for the new exhbit for Canadian photographer Larry Towell that is simply superb on so many levels. For you Rochester folks (and some that aren't) this is one more example on why we are so blessed to have the GEH as part of our community. You can check out a bit more on it here and here.

February playlists

2008-02-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

2/4: Apostle of Hustle, At the Barricades, Antietam!
2/11: Drive-By Truckers, Los Campesinos, Laura Barrett
2/18: Company, Tiger Cried Beef, The Black Hollies
2/25: Fire On Fire, Black Mountain, Lightning Dust
3/4: Destroyer
3/11: 19th Anniversary Show!

Additions, changes forthcoming.

three-posts-in-three-days shocker!

2008-01-29T06:56:00.001-08:00

--In my Neko post below, I neglected to mention the wonderful artist she has for her posters. We bought one from her back in Toronto in 2006 and got it signed by the artist, Neko, and Neko's dog(!); it hangs prominently in our living room. She (the artist)even remembered Sheila and I from then and signed this year's poster to us (Neko unfortunately didn't come out to sign). Behold the works of Judge!

--BTW, did anybody else catch Neko and Kelly on Aqua Teen Hunger Force on Sunday? Jaw-dropping.

--totally loving the new Destroyer CD; who'da thunk I would be such a Dan Bejar fan this late in the game? I think his Hello, Blue Roses project deserves much more love than its been getting as well.
Update:I stand slightly corrected.

--playlists firming up, should be some up by week's end. Lost on Thursday!

2008-01-28T07:00:00.001-08:00

Which TV Dog is Your Ideal Pet?

Created by BuddyTV

le sigh...Neko in Ithaca 26 Jan 2008

2008-01-27T11:52:00.000-08:00

I'm not much of a concert goer these days, but two in one week make me stand up and cheer. The Fiery Furnaces were last Monday at the Bug Jar, and while I expected their helter-skelter arrangements and dizzying tunes-within-tunes, it was still great to finally experience them live like they are meant to be listened to. Plus, I was gratified how accessible they were afterwards.

But the real gem was of course Neko Case last night in the State Theater in Ithaca. It was my sixth time seeing her in some fashion, a record for me, and it was the best, maybe because she was test driving some new material and the element of surprise was magic. I was all set to post a setlist that I snagged when I saw over on the Porchlight forums that she was a bit tentative on the new material and someone posted the setlist from the Tarrytown show with a disclaimer. If you're adventurous enough, go troll for it, but I can tell you she did five new songs, all bursting with finalized potential, and three covers: Tom Petty's "Listen To Her Heart"(!), Harry Nilsson's "Don't Forget Me"(!!), and Sparks' "Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth"(!!!). The new album is supposed to be out next January, which cannot etc. Sheila and I had front row seats, and outside of the occasional expected asshole ("Marry me, Neko!"), it was just about perfect.

Playlists for February firming up, stay tuned....

Best of 2007: the shortlist

2008-01-10T15:56:00.001-08:00

Just dropping by to give the full list of the SR's best of the year:

1. Prefab Sprout, Steve McQueen (Legacy Edition)
2. The Mendoza Line, 30 Year Low
3. The New Pornographers, Challengers
4. various, I'm Not There soundtrack
5. Broken Social Scene presents Kevin Drew, Spirit If...
6. Animal Collective, Strawberry Jam

As I mentioned on the air, those records caused me to have an even greater appreciation of each artist (in the case of the soundtrack, the music of Bob Dylan) and to actually go back to previous works and reevaluate them in a new light. Higher praise for an artist's newest release I can't imagine. In the case of BSS and the New Ps, they also provided my favorite concert moments of the year as well, with I'm Not There being my favorite movie. Kudos all around.

I've got a small list of some more honorable mentions to come over the weekend. For now, here's a couple of upcoming playlists:
1/14: Hello Blue Roses, Cinammon Girl (Neil Young tribute), The Fiery Furnaces
1/28: Vampire Weekend, Jason Collett
2/5: Apostle of Hustle, Los Campesinos, Brian Joseph Davis
Additions and corrections forthcoming. No show on 1/21, cuz I'm finally going to see the Fiery Furnaces, actually coming to our fair city at the Bug Jar. I've always heard that you haven't fully understood them thil you catch them on stage, and this is as good a time as any. More soon...

Best of 2007: the beginning

2007-12-31T11:19:00.000-08:00

Whadda year, whadda year....from NYC to Myrtle Beach to a hair-raising car accident that is still causing me to drive like a little old man. It's also the year that music literally seemed to explode all around me, so many choices, so little time. Countless are the promos and such that I haven't even had a chance to listen to yet (still haven't heard Radiohead), and albums of much acclaim that I know I'm going to enjoy (Robert Wyatt, Okkervil River, PJ Harvey) are waiting their turn in the CD player. Still, as always, I've gone beyond saying it wasn't as good a year as last, or remember when, I'm happily resigned to the fact that music is good and I love the next new thing just as much.

So these end-of-year wrapups (on the Spotlight Review, this will be the 19th one we've done!) are more of a personal thing than any attempt at a critical outlook. As I keep reminding everybody in this blog, I'm not a critic, despite what the WBER website decries. I've got my little show, though, and have the opportunity to share what made me happy by listening to it, it's a hope to turn somebody else on and get them to think about their own listening as well.

In the previous post, I linked back to the mid-year favorites and honorable mentions, many of which still hold up, but the year end seems to include ones that actually made me go back and look at the oeuvre of the artists in question and reassess those works, a renewed sense of purpose as it were. So there's actually going to be a theme of sorts for this years list, and it is....

...of course you'll have to wait til next Monday, natch, when I reveal them on the air, why tip the hand now, though if you're unbelievably enterprising, I actually published it in the comments of an entry in one of my favorite blogs a few weeks back; good luck finding it.

Tomorrow, we hope, a look at some more honorable mentions, releases that really didn't fit the final template; then later in the week, some guilty pleasures. Full list next Tuesday. Be safe tonight, please.

quick links

2007-12-18T11:36:00.001-08:00

If you were wondering more (and you should) about the Peace On Earth Xmas comp we played from last night, this link will get you there. Wonderful stuff.

Best of 2007 will be forthcoming. To see how daunting any undertaking of an overview can be, check out Largehearted Boy's ongoing list of album bests. It's been a great year, but keeping up has become a mighty task indeed, which is why I never like when the station refers to me as "critic". I merely try to Spotlight what's been floating my boat; heck, I haven't even heard the new Radiohead yet! (Though I suspect that's similar to what Carrie Brownstein has been feeling in her mandatory NPR blog)

For a refresher of what the boat floaters were at the midpoint, backtrack here. More soon come.

Tweaks

2007-12-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

A couple changes to the next couple of shows:
12/3: Josh T. Pearson (Lift To Experience), Burial
12/10: Arthur & Yu, Robin Hitchcock, Thrill Jockey tribute (? if my set shows up by then)

If anybody out there has seen the Dylan semi-biopic I'm Not There, feel free to send a comment. I saw it yesterday and it's the movie of the year in my O, but I haven't had anybody to talk about it with (Sheila didn't go, and frankly, would have hated it). Like everybody's been saying, Cate Blanchett steals the show, but the Richard Gere scenes are better than I heard they'd be, and Charlotte Gainsbourg is a wonderful surprise too.

Happy post-Thanksgiving

2007-11-24T07:44:00.001-08:00

Way overdue, dropping in quick for a playlist update:

11/26: Canadian gumbo: Patrick Watson, Sandro Perri, Rock Plaza Central, The Luyas, CBC Radio 3, Amos the Transparent
12/3: Saturday Looks Good To Me, Josh T. Pearson
12/10: Thrill Jockey, Pixies tribute, Heavy Trash
12/17: Neko, Xmas
1/7: Best of 2007

More later.

O why can't I live a life for me

2007-10-31T11:10:00.000-07:00

No I'm not depressed, and nothing's been wrong to keep me from writing, though I have noticed in a few blogs I follow as of late that nobody has been having much time to write much of anything. Our title quote comes from a Halloween classic that a few of you may recognize, I hope (big hint: Jen plays it on New Wave wednesday every year around this time).

There has been some blog action centering around the discussion of all things "indie" music and the like that has been largely fascinating, even if I agree with maybe only half of it. Scroll down thru Zoilus for a cogent nexus of many of the debates.

Mostly it's just been sifting through the enormous tide of music that's come my way either by purchase, promos, or my own online snooping, legit and otherwise. I really think 2007 has been a great year for music, and I'm still trying to figure how to cram more stuff in before it ends.

The show will be nineteen(!) years young come next March, and a part of me feels somewhat outdated, now that there are so many avenues for checking out new music. I've long stressed to anybody who will listen that I am not a critic, despite the station's ads; the show is called the Spotlight Review, and I really just want to spotlight. I'm thinking of altering the show's structure just a bit in the new year, but not sure if I'm ready to talk about it, or after 19 years, if that wouldn't take it out of my comfort zone.

My life is good, and I like devoting it to my family, which is why writing a weekly show (it is "scripted", though rather than read it I tend to just use it as a jumping off point) and even a blog seem secondary at best. I will say this: there's been a few perks over the years that keep me hanging on, all selfish: the free music when available, a concert ticket here and there, and meeting some wonderful people (Jason Pierce and Kristin Hersh spring immediately to mind). And good record people too, like Arts & Crafts or Paper Bag in Toronto. I go after them not because they give me CDs, but because I genuinely love the music that comes from them.

Enough kvetching; have a safe Halloween and we'll talk more later. For now, here's the rudimentary playlist for the rest of the year, subject to almost immediate change:

11/5: Sunset Rubdown, I'm Not There soundtrack
11/12: Saturday Looks Good To Me, R.E.M.
11/19: Sandro Perri, Rock Plaza Central, Patrick Watson
11/26: Sally Shapiro, Roisin Murphy, The Tough Alliance
12/3: ?
12/11: Thrill Jockey
12/18: Neko, Xmas

and possibly other stuff from Enon, A Place To Bury Strangers, The Luyas, Stanton Warriors, etc, etc.

I'm debating to squeeze in an album that is really knocking me out: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, a little off the mark for BER, but is there really an "alternative" any more (see link above) or does an alternative to the alternative maintain a spirit that it meant to have in the first place? (PS: sadly my wife does not share the enthusiasm for the above CD, which puzzles me to no end....)

Your homework for Monday

2007-10-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

Read this interview (part 1 and 2) to further enjoy the brief bit we'll be bringing you on the sublime new Acorn CD.

Also, to amend the playlist below, rather than Electric Six (who were more for the where-are-they-now aspect of it {remember "Danger High Voltage"?}), we will be taking a look at the new Underworld CD (which some people probably feel the same way about). Talk to ya soon.

Ship comes in

2007-09-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

So a whole slew of new music I've been waiting on has finally landed, and allows some playlist planning. To wit:

10/1: Beirut, The Fiery Furnaces, The Sadies
10/8: The Most Serene Republic, The Acorn, Electric Six
10/15: Stars, The New Pornographers, Kevin Drew
10/22: Plasticines, Lucky Soul, The Pipettes
10/29: Sea Wolf, Iron & Wine

As always, subject to change depending on what else happens to show up, come to town (or Toronto) etc. etc. Some good tunes up ahead though, and some other surprises as well.

New shows: I'm almost overwhelmed with the new TV season trying to sift thru and see what's a keeper and what we can give a pass to. Dirty Sexy Money is off to a romising start, all the Thursday night shows on NBC remain keepers (Heroes seems to be a little shaky but still worth sticking with). Reaper had a great pilot but I'm wondering how it will do week after week. Still haven't watched Chuck yet, though my stepson gives it a full seal of approval. Gossip Girl is easily the guiltiest pleasure of the season (much to my wife's chagrin). And I still have to finish watching several episodes of Mad Men, The Riches, and Tell Me You Love Me. New Dexter starts Sunday (yay!). Sigh, the trials of TV addiction....

Bits and Bobs

2007-09-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

---a little late but R.I.P. Joe Zawinul. A small tribute will be on Monday night's show.

--speaking of the show, here's next week's tentative playlist, though I'm waiting on some goodies that may alter a bit:
9/24: Vic Chestnut, Chad VanGaalen, Sea Wolf

--I finally broke down and made myself a LibraryThing account, though if I tried to enter all the books I do own, it would require two lifetime memberships on my part. So instead I stuck to books I actually finished in the last four years, which leaves out a lot of anthologies I only dipped into, many of the small press magazines I treasure like LCRW and Electric Velocipede and Flytrap, scores of comics, short stories, etc. Still, it is gratifying to see some sort of organization to what I've been working on, and it's stimulating me to get off my ass and start some major-scale reading.

--and speaking of procrastination (or at least implying it) I loved Nancy Giles' piece on this morning's Sunday Morning.

playlists, subject to change

2007-09-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

9/10: The Mendoza Line, Oakley Hall, The Weakerthans
9/17: Maps, Tunng, Animal Collective

Hope to be back later in the week with some more substantial goodies. Said it before, say it again; how do the daily bloggers keep it up anyway?

this is sort of an update

2007-08-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

8/27: Fionn Regan, Miracle Fortress, Mark Olsen
9/3: Rilo Kiley, Simple Kid, Thurston Moore

this is not an update

2007-08-21T07:22:00.001-07:00

Don't get excited, Blogliners, I'm just testing something. I'll be back in a bit.

the playlist for monday

2007-08-17T16:42:00.001-07:00

8/20: M.I.A., Los Straitjackets, Healing the Divide

Sublime

2007-07-31T16:17:00.000-07:00

From the trip: nothing as lovely as a rainbow over the Atlantic Ocean, as widescreen as it gets.

As promised, the Top 5 CDs for 2007 (so far):
1. The Field, From Here We Go Sublime
2. Feist, The Reminder
3. Dinosaur Jr., Beyond
4. Young Galaxy, Young Galaxy
5. The White Stripes, Icky Thump

And a belated Honorable Mention: Fucked Up, Hidden World (from 2006 but just heard. Amazing hardcore from Toronto, with Owen Pallett on violin, of course)

Revised playlists coming in a week or so, still putting stuff together and getting ready for going on the road yet again (me and Sheila's annual trip to Stratford), Talk soon....

more HMs

2007-07-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Map of Africa, Map of Africa
Prefab Sprout, Steve McQueen (bonus disc)

e-postcard

2007-07-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

Testing the laptop down in Myrtle Beach (had one for a while but could never get the wireless working). Seems to be doing nicely. The family and I are having a loverly time, wish you all were here, really. I feel like I'm in Vegas, everything is pretty much larger-than-life, hyperbolic, so much food and eateries and gaudy, Best of the Beach, Best Buffet on the Beach, Best Mini-golf in the World, etc. I prefer Toronto, but the ocean is pretty cool.

Next Monday, the annual Best of the Year Mid-Year Report on the Review. The top five will be posted then, but in the meantime, I'll trickle out some honorable mentions:
Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
Do Make Say Think, You, You're a History in Rust
Apostle of Hustle, National Anthem of Nowhere
Kathy Diamond, Miss Diamond to You
Barbara Manning, Super Scissors (enough "new" stuff on here to qualify as a new album)
New Pornographers, Challengers

More later in the week....

links

2007-07-03T07:09:00.000-07:00

--James has some summer mixtapes up that are among his finest yet.
--local DJ Jon Herbert with some downloadable pleasure.
--nothing like French pop and summer from Filles Sourires (links tend to go down fast over there so hurry).
--Go, read: your homework for next Monday night: Barbara Manning.

2007-06-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

Interfictions

2007-06-25T11:50:00.001-07:00

Alternative music and speculative fiction are two sub-genres of popular culture that share many adherents, not the least being, and I'll swear it was Pete Townshend who mentioned this somewhere, defined as reactions to entropy (I already googled and couldn't find the quote).
In other words, they're pushing against the status-quo when done right. Of course, within each, a status quo takes hold, and those who are the most passionate towards each look for further boundaries to be broken.

No coincidence that both rock music and fantastic literature use "punk" as a term for the moment that the genres split into new directions. The anthology format also is a way to take stock of envelope-pushers: the beloved C-86 cassette from NME for example in terms of indie music; Ellison's Dangerous Visions and Sterling's Mirrorshades, for SF.

While not reinventing the wheel, Interfictions, the new anthology from the Interstitial Arts
Foundation and the beloved Small Beer Press is a manifesto of sorts as well. The term "interstitial" seems to be the current term for what had been previously called "slipstream" or "fabulist" or whatever you'd like to point at, literature that had fallen through the cracks so to speak. For those readers who were looking to go beyond some of the genre's increasingly stale conventions, it was manna.

Bottom line is, it's a simply lovely anthology, a justification for those who no longer wanted to pigeonhole. Theodora Goss and Delia Sherman, outstanding authors (and interstitial artists) in their own right, show a great knack for editing too. The stories are arranged in an ebb and flow that rewards careful reading in the order of the book. I'm not about to go tale by tale, but it's telling that the book begins and ends with the strongest stories: Christopher Barzak's is-it-really-a-haunted-house opener, "What We Know About the Lost Families of _____ House", and recent Tiptree winner Catherynne M. Valente's "A Dirge for Prester John" as the wind-up. If pressed for a favorite, I surprised myself by loving Csilla Kleinheincz's "A Drop of Raspberry" a love story involving an anthropomorphic lake that choked me up (and I normally don't go much for fiction in translation either).

But high marks also go to the introduction that could act as a manifesto all its own, by Heinz Insu Fenkl, that makes you think more about interstitial writing than the dozens of essays out there that have attempted to explain it. Who would have dreamed, for example, that my favorite Reese Weatherspoon movie, Freeway, would fall under this category? Almost worth the price of admission alone.

But then that would short shrift the other excellent stories herein. Chances are your local Big Box Book Store would ask you to special order this, so why not go directly to Small Beer above and grab a copy?

******************************************************

This interfiction has not arrived sui generis; there have been numerous little gems of small press publishing that have been sustaining the offbeat for awhile now. Here's four of my favorites that I look forward to and devour with great regularity (much more so than the bigger name mags):
1. Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet Small Beer Press' flagship publication and the godparent of this whole movement. Every pub that follows owes them a debt right down to the layout. Order yours with a chocolate bar every issue like I do.
2. Electric Velocipede Edited by a librarian, no less; possibly the most traditional of the small press mags; like a real good, left-of-center issue of Asimov's. John Klima is looking for subscribers, which I should get off my ass and do forthwith (I've been buying individually for the last few issues).
3. Flytrap Hugo-nonimee Tim Pratt and his wife Heather put this one out; this is the mag that had a story about me a few years back. As of their most recent issue (#7), probably the most experimental of the bunch.
4. Sybil's Garage A lovely little mix of clip art, interviews, poems, vignettes, and song suggestions. Feels like some long lost mag you may have found in a library's stack space somewhere.
And I haven't even gotten to Say..., Alchemy, Grendel's Song, Trunk Stories....this is where the cutting edge of speculative fiction lies, IMHO.

*****************************************************

As long as I'm in a recommending mood, you simply must track down I Shall Destroy all the Civilized Planets! from Fantagraphics, a collection of truly deranged comix from Fletcher Hanks, an outsider artist if ever from back in the late 30s and early 40s. It doesn't get much more interstitial than that.

More playlists:
7/9: Charlotte Hatherley, Barbara Manning, Cherry Gun
7/16: Caribou, Pantha du Prince, Gui Boratto
8/6: Absolute Grey, Young Marble Giants

Whew! How's that for an update, Adrienne?

gotta get this in

2007-06-12T12:46:00.001-07:00

For long-time listeners, you may remember DJ Katrina, who followed me on Monday nights (and did an occasional Review for me as well). Well, tune in for Bob Barker's last Price is Right this Friday, at either 11 AM or 8 PM, cuz Katrina is gonna be on a-bidding!

wow, New York, just like I pictured it....

2007-06-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

NYC was stupendous, exhausting, remarkable, invigorating, etc. etc. The BookExpo was equally so, held in a Javits Center that was struggling with air conditioning and a sea of humanity that put lie to the notion that the book is dead. I had to ship home fifty pounds of books and must have carried almost that much around on my back. Among the people I got to see: Garry Trudeau, Joe Hill, Leo & Diane Dillon, Terry Moore, Julianne Moore, Adrian Tomine, Lou Anders, Alison Bechdel, Elizabeth Hand, and of course, Gavin Grant and Kelly Link. And dozens of publishers, distributors, fellow librarians, authors, reviewers, yada.

I'm especialy proud of my wife Sheila, who I thought would be overwhelmed by the City, but she moved thru it like a pro. On Saturday, she took a Grey Line bus around and took scores of pictures, many of which I biasedly say are of professional quality. Who knew, really? I think she has a great eye and should even pursue it a little more seriously down the road. (I'm not posting too many of them here because she would get embarassed and I don't want people saying what is he talking about, but the few I've shown them to agree with me so far.)

Two places I must recommend, and thanks to Mark at :nook for pointing me to them: here and here, excellent, off-the-path places for shopping and imbibing.

Back to some business: here's a few playlists for some upcoming SRs:

6/11: Electrelane, the National, Immaculate Machine
6/18: Cocorosie, Los Campesinos!, Coltrane Motion
6/25: The Icicles, The Phonemes, music magazines
7/2: All-Americana w/ Robbie Fulks, Tarnation, Amy Millan (well, kinda), Sonny Smith, John Doe

Our annual mid-year review won't be occuring until the end of July, since we are off to Myrtle Beach the week before, and I really didn't want to struggle with review-writing while gone. And of course, surprises keep rolling in, filling some slots over the next few weeks and shuffling around others.

Meantime, I want to get back to reviewing a few books here and there, particularly one I promised in the previous entry, so I'm hoping to get off the pot and get some in by the end of this week. Perhaps a looming deadline will push me in a more positive direction.

One more pic from my wife (see if you can guess what she snapped):

One more thing, and I know I'm in the minority, but I thought the Sopranos finale ruled. See ya in a few.

quickies

2007-05-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

A revised look at the next few playlists:
5/21: Captain, Bat For Lashes, Lou Rhodes
This is one I've been promising for weeks, import CDs that slipped under many a radar, particularly domestic ones, though that is being rectified in the case of two of them.
5/28: EP roundup
Gonna go the First Impressions route on Memoiral Day with a grab bag of recent extended play releases that highlight some great new bands, not surprisingly several Canadian ones. Names so far include Land of Talk, The Acorn, The Saturday Knights, Retribution Gospel Choir (Alan Sparhawk of Low) and Tokyo Police Club.
6/4: no show, BookExpo NYC!
6/11: Electrelane, Cocorosie, The National
sometime in June: Sonny Smith, Robbie Fulks, The Icicles, Los Campesinos, Tarnation

Something I haven't done in ages is review a book or two right here (this did start out as a library blog) and I'm gearing up for a longish post revolving around this wonderful anthology
put out by the most excellent Small Beer Press that I'm at the halfway point on. More to come very soon on that and some of the great small press journals kicking around as well.

And before I forget, though I sound like a broken record on this, but James just put up a week's worth of mixtapes and even a disco mix for hours of listening pleasure. I can't think of a better way to get yourselves bang up to date.

We interrupt....

2007-04-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Normally I haven't gotten too personal in a while on this here blog, but I guess I just need to cry out for a moment. Basically, no show that I had planned tomorrow, because I'm just not up to it. Here's the skinny: I went up to Canada yesterday to the annual Wayzgoose in Grimsby, a neat little fair of artisan books that I've done for a couple of years in a row. I even found a small handmade little chapbook on kissing that I bought for my wife Sheila (she always figures this is a Bob trip and lets me do my thing alone). Then I hit a winery and took a drive down Route 81 along the escarpment, listening to Sook-Yin along the way.

81 is an OK drive, not as pretty as the Niagara Parkway, but I was heading in that direction anyway. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a white pickup roll up to a stop sign. I had no stop, so kept sailing smoothly.

You know how time compresses, and the 24 frames per second rule somehow kicks in? In each frame, I could see the truck continue thru the stop sign, come out in front of me, me screaming, hitting the brakes, swerving, and at the last possible second, thinking that I would never see Sheila or my stepson or my mom ever again. And so, into the truck, airbags deployed, smoke arising, heart pounding, and I am in the middle of the Canadian countryside alone.

Long story short, I'm alive, in one piece, back home with a rental while anxiously wondering how to do all the insurance negotiations with the Canadian branch of my company (I am so not at fault) and getting everything back to normal. The car is probably totaled, but my family was there for me (Jake was waiting for me at the end of the street) and I'm sore but in one piece. I could go on about what a total imbecile the other driver was, but he was pretty shaken up too, so I'll just take a deep breath and save my customary expletives in a time like this for some other time.

Meantime, a perfectly planned few weeks of show is off kilter by a hair. I just don't feel like cobbling a show together tomorrow, so this weeks playlist (Battles, The Besnard Lakes, Dinosuar Jr.) will be saved for two weeks from now. The rest go like this:

5/7: The Sea and Cake, the Zincs, Handsome Furs
5/14: see above
5/21: Special EP grab-bag of fine Canadian music
5/28: Captain, Bat for Lashes, Lou Rhodes

The following week I'll be returning for NYC after the first trip in over ten years, attending a dream come true, BookExpo America. I''ll have tons to report on that.

BTW, in regards to Dinosaur Jr. (blog-readers heads up: it's great), they will be on David Letterman come this Monday, which should be loads of fun. Meantime, everybody gather your family round and give them a great big hug and let them know how glad you are to still be there to share life with them.

subject to change

2007-04-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

4/16: The Moaners, Aqualung, The Field
4/23: Tracey Thorn, Kathy Diamond, Feist
4/30: The Acorn, Besnard Lakes, Dinosaur Jr.

the (tentative) playlists for April

2007-03-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

Several people have asked how I come up with the stuff on the show, not unlike somebody asking Margaret Atwood at the UofR last Monday the inevitable question of "where do you get your ideas". (The best answer remains Harlan Ellison's, who usually replies "Poughkeepsie".)
There really is no set way of doing it, other than what comes over the metaphoric transom, who might be playing a show soon (usually in Toronto), or whatever the boss decides to leave. I tend to ask for stuff that has some buzz and won't get larger airplay, and, in the case of my recent Toronto trip, seek out labels who I actively watch for great stuff from. I also have a friendly rivalry with Jeff of First Impressions to try and play stuff way ahead of him (I doubt he knows this!). It then all gets sorted and moved around for a few weeks depending on whatever factors, and the show itself takes up to about two hours of prep time (not counting listening to the damn things!).

But you know what? I'm having a pretty good time right now with it, even after 18 years (I'm still aiming for twenty). But there's almost too much stuff out there right now, and way too many ways to listen to it, and still have time for my myriad guilty pleasures and what-not. So time will tell, though after visiting the labels up in TO like the great Arts & Crafts or Paper Bag, it looks like the ride will be continuing for a bit.

So with further ado: April's playlists:
4/2: You Say Party! We Say Die!, ADULT., Young Galaxy
4/9: Stars, Junior Boys, Rosie Thomas
4/16: The Moaners, Pink Nasty, Aqualung
4/23: The Acorn, Feist, Kathy Diamond
and in the hopper: Captain, Bat for Lashes, Lou Rhodes (all imports from last year that slipped under the domestic radar and are worthy of showcasing).

I know that the lists are Canada-centric, but that is how the show and my tastes have evolved, and there's no questioning there is some amazing stuff flowing out of the north. We're all close enough to have some affinity and access to it at this point anyway.

More to come. Great to see the sun shining once again....

So much music, so little time

2007-03-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

Looks like the malaise of February is finally dissipating, as Spring seems to be slowly creeping in. So maybe I can get moving on maintaining things a bit better here.

For now though, only next week's playlist, which is:
3/19: Sister Vanilla, Great Lake Swimmers, Klaxons
Update: 4/2: Captain, Lou Rhodes, Bat for Lashes

I'll be off on March 26, because I'm going to this, even though I've seen her several times before. Gotta love the Atwood.

I feel like I should be apologizing because I love the new Arcade Fire CD so much, but it's stuck in my head like so many earworms. Why is everyone complaining that it sounds too big? What's wrong with too big? And to think I could have seen them in the Bug Jar around the time that Funeral came out. Now they sell out Massey Hall in five minutes.

Hey, my favorite music blog put me on his link list, I've recommended his mixtapes before, and he should have one coming toot sweet. Go check him out, better than any podcast, I do say.

Here's to a relaxing month (and a Toronto trip in ten days). More to come.

updated

2007-02-25T12:32:00.000-08:00

2/26: Sarah Shannon, Last Town Chorus, Trans Am (Exploding Star Orchestra is fine, but a little too out-of-genre for WBER)
3/5: Mary Margaret O'Hara, Michelle McAdorey
3/12: Captain, Low, Andrew Bird
3/19: Great Lake Swimmers, more to come

le sigh

2007-02-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the lack of updates, it's been a hellacious month. So many things I want to get down here, so little time (running my car into a snowbank with a hidden fire hydrant didn't help).
How about some updated forthcoming playlists:

2/19: Aerogramme, Apostle of Hustle, Do Make Say Think
2/26: Sarah Shannon, Exploding Star Orchestra, Last Town Chorus
3/5: Mary Margaret O'Hara, Michelle McAdorey (this is my 18th anniversary show, and I'm spotlighting a couple of wonderful and little-heard from Canadian vocalists)
3/12: Captain (a criminally ignored import from last year), Arbouretum, Low or Arcade Fire,
possibly Great Lake Swimmers

Now reading: Fast Forward 1, great new anthology from Lou Anders and Pyr. Any new Robert Charles Wilson story is reason enough to pick up (and check out his award-worthy novella, Julian, from PS Publishing). Got to get an account set up on Library Thing one of these days, but since I can barely update this thing....

and some more

2007-01-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

2/5: Yoko Ono, Apples in Stereo, Of Montreal
2/12: !!!, Dean & Britta
2/19: Apostle of Hustle, Do Make Say Think

playlists, for now, i think

2007-01-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

1/22: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Friends in Bellwoods
1/29: Kristin Hersh, The Hold Steady, Explosions In the Sky

footnotes

2007-01-12T06:57:00.000-08:00

Here, in this little corner of the world, are the top 5 picks for 2006:

1. Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
2. Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat
3. Howe Gelb, 'Sno Angel Like You
4. Junior Boys, So This Is Goodbye
5. Jarvis Cocker, Jarvis/Charlotte Gainsbourg, 5:55

Playlist 1/15: Sloan, The Grates, The Hold Steady

Off to Toronto tomorrow with Sheila for the first time since October. We're hitting the Ansel Adams exhibit at the AGO and then a quick run thru the usual haunts/stores. Yay!

Best

2007-01-06T06:13:00.000-08:00

What better way to start 2007 than with a picture of my family looking great from 2006 (as least my stepson and wife do, I look like I'm pregnant and wearing a dress). This was from our West Virginia trip in August, standing before the New River Gorge Bridge. It looks like it could be our album cover.

If 2006 was anything about music, it was how overwhelming it was to listen to everything. A couple of posts down I linked to lists of different best-ofs, and it has gotten truly dizzying. The big consensus winners, TV on the Radio and the Hold Steady, were good enough, but it just seems like I've still got so much stuff to listen to that I haven't even tackled yet. I've found that the anachronistically-titled "mixtapes" have been a guiding light, like a good radio station. This fellow in particular usually puts up some of the best.

This Monday, we're back on the year, with our own 2006 picks, as I've done every year for 17 years now. Since I'm only a half hour show, I have time for the top five (you know what number one is by now), but just for posterity's sake, here's some honorable mentions/top-6-10 in no order:

Scritti Politti, White Bread, Black Beer; Tom Waits, Orphans (I'm not sure if this is considered a "new" release, compilation, reissue, box set?); Hot Chip, The Warning; Yo La Tengo, I'm Not Afraid of You and I can't Say the Title on the air; Lily Allen, Alright, Still.

As for the rest, tune in Monday and find out, I'll put them up here next week.

There's been some labels this year that have really made me take notice as well. I always love the stuff from the Toronto area labels, Arts & Crafts and Paper Bag, though they both seemed a little quieter this year. (Update: actually looking back, Paper Bag did have some awesome stuff like Tokyo Police Club and Under Byen, and Uncut...and the underrated See You On the Moon CD). Light in the Attic out of Seattle has been doing a great reissue program; their Jamaica to Toronto series has been one of the year's best surprises. But top honors go to Constellation out of Montreal, consistently uncompromising and beautifully packaged as well, with exciting stuff from Carla Bozulich, Lullabye Arkestra, Sandro Perri.... If they were a magazine, I'd subscribe to them.

There's a bunch of stuff for 2007 that I'm waiting for, and three of the most awaited I've already heard: Explosions in the Sky (their best yet); Do Make Say Think (outstanding, the next release from Constellation too), and Low (superb, though I suspect it'll piss more than a few fans off yet again). I'm looking forward to hearing the whole Of Montreal record as well, and should have the new Kristin Hersh any second.

No playlists yet, since I'm waiting to see what's accumulated at the station in my absence. There will be a special show devoted to three bands/artists that broke up in 2006: Rainer Maria, the Reputation, and of course most lamented Sleater-Kinney. Oh, and two other announcements: the 18th anniversary show on Mar. 5, and I'll be co-hosting with media star Jennifer V on New Wave Wednesday on Jan. 31, which I haven't done in too long a time.

As always, more later, sooner I hope. Peace.

I'd rather be John Crowley

2006-12-21T15:48:00.000-08:00

I am:

Philip José Farmer

This prolific author brings surprising depths to he-man adventure tales, and broke science fiction's prudery barrier.

Which science fiction writer are you?

tsunami part 2

2006-12-20T08:07:00.000-08:00

Another aggregate of top-ten lists can be found here. This fellow's always been a rich source of links and news.

Frankly, this is the first year in recent memory where I feel totally overwhelmed with all the music that's out there; I'm still trying to catch up with listening to a lot of the top picks. In fact, I have more than a few in some form or another still waiting to be heard. It's a crushing time for any music fan. Natch, I'll be weighing in here with my picks pretty soon, but only for the purposes of the show. I already tipped everybody off last Monday with my number one for the year, not like it's any big surprise or anything.

yet another quick one

2006-12-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

If you are over at the WBER website and looking at the playlist for the show, the date still says December 11, but really, it was indeed last night's Xmas show. Bit of a snafu in the template so far, so to speak.

BTW, for a dizzying array of the blogosphere's tsunami of top ten lists, stop here.

incredibly quick update

2006-12-07T11:28:00.000-08:00

12/11: Annuals, Hi-Risers, Shortbus soundtrack

3-posts-in-a-week shocker!

2006-11-26T12:07:00.000-08:00

I coudn't resist this meme about science fiction books floating around; let's see if my cut n' paste is working:
The most significant SF/F novels from 1953-2002 according to the Science Fiction Book Club. Bold the ones you have read, strikethrough the ones you read and hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put a star next to the ones you love. Note that only the top ten are in rank order, and after that they're alphabetical by title.1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien *2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov *3. Dune, Frank Herbert *4. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein 5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin *6. Neuromancer, William Gibson *7. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke *8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley 10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury *11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe *12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr. *13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras15. Cities in Flight, James Blish16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison *18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison *19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester 20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany *21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey 22. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card 23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl *26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams 28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice *30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin *31. Little, Big, John Crowley **32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick 34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke *39. Ringworld, Larry Niven40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien42. Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester *46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks49. Timescape, Gregory Benford50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

Not on the Spotlight Review: new Gwen Stefani

2006-11-21T08:27:00.000-08:00

Not quite as good as L.A.M.B., but enough jaw-droppingly silly moments to qualify as pretty great nonetheless. My favorite moment so far is the part on "Yummy" where she starts making the donuts.

In flux

2006-11-20T11:53:00.000-08:00

Since this blog has evolved for the time being into an announcement forum for the Monday night show, I figure I'd better keep the playlist updates fresh. And yes, they change all the time, depending on what comes to the station, who will be playing live soon, general good feeling about music, etc etc. So starting with tonight, and again, subject to change:
11/20: Comets on Fire, Lullabye Arkestra, Noel Ellis
11/27: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jarvis Cocker, Karen Dalton
12/4: The Harry Smith Project, Pere Ubu
12/11: Annuals, Grates, Pink Nasty, other odds-and-ends
12/18: Neko Case, Xmas
12/25, 1/1: no show, spend time with family
1/8: Best of 2006
1/15: Sleater-Kinney, Reputation, Rainer Maria (bands we lost in 2006)

whew!

2006-11-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

The High Falls Film Fest has ended, and my wife and I had a great time, but I think we exhausted ourselves: 11 films in 5 days. I don't think we've seen that many movies all year. Here, for the sake of posterity, is a list of what we did see:
Copying Beethoven (opening night), Ten Canoes (loved this one), Shoot the Messenger, The Treatment, A Coat of Snow, Children's shorts program, What Remains (the Sally Mann documentary), The Lives of Others (awesome, they're showing it again tonight as the Best of the Fest), Emily Hubley films (with soundtracks by Yo La Tengo!), The Cats of Mirikatani, and Lonesome (silent film with accompaniment by the Alloy Orchestra, even Sheila was won over by this one). We even did some of the parties too. Loads of fun, but I'm not sure we'd choose a schedule like this again next year (of course, come next year, we'll be all refreshed and rarin' to go).

Quick playlist addition:
12/4: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jarvis Cocker, Comets on Fire
I thought I'd have Lady Sovereign in my hands by now, but not yet, so Comets may move up to next week.

blah blah blog

2006-11-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

Once again, little time to update, but a revised playlist presents itself:
11/6: Robyn Hitchcock, Shout Out Out Out Out, Klaxons
11/13: Tom Waits, Under Byen
11/20: Lullabye Arkestra, Noel Ellis, Lady Sovereign
11/27: The Harry Smith Project, Pere Ubu

The Quitters show at the Bug Jar was expectedly fun, though it felt strange to be out in a club setting after so long a time. Ah, the vagaries of aging. This week, Sheila and I hit the High Falls Film Festival, doing it up big time as we really didn't get a chance to go to too many movies last year. I'll try and report in the interim.

Is there anything cooler than the CBC Radio on a Saturday afternoon? Even though I catch bits and pieces of it during my workday while at my desk, I think I get more from an hour of Sook-Yin Lee's Definitely Not the Opera than a whole week of local radio. And it's even better when I take a trip over the border for a little shopping and cruise along to it. Again, the vagaries of aging: it used to be 102 the Edge as the car soundtrack but they haven't been half as exciting for a few years now.

More to come, hope everyone is having at least a halfway decent fall (though it seems like we went right into winter, doesn't it?).

The blog that dares not update

2006-10-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

Upcoming playlists:
10/23: Califone, Yeti, Quitters, Uncut
10/30: Tortoise, Joanna Newsom
11/6, Robyn Hitchcock, Shout Out Out Out Out, Under Byen
11/13: Lullabye Arkestra, Noel Ellis
11/20: The Harry Smith Project?
11/27: Tom Waits?
12/18: Neko, Xmas

Still dithering on those last few and the December ones, but its hard to believe the end of the year is here already. A great year for music, as usual. In the meantime, get thee over to the GaragePop site for info on the new Quitters CD and Saturday night's CD release party. Their new CD is jaw-droppingly good, and I'm not just saying that because they are local and I know Rob.

the playlists for October yet again

2006-10-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

The Bettie Serveert phone interview went off with a hitch, no typo, as I had trouble wrestling with the mechanics of our legendary board. Once everything settled down though, we had a lovely talk with Ms. Carol VanDyck of said band, who called from a van that just happened to be in Rochester (Henrietta, in fact). Why can't we get bands to stop here, I ask you? Anyway, the new CD, Bare Stripped Naked, is destined to be an underrrated gem from this year, so check it out.

Once again, an attempt at organizing a playlist or three:
10/9: Viva Voce, Grizzly Bear, Tanya Donnelly
10/16: Hidden Cameras, Sadies, Noel Ellis
10/23: Califone, Tortoise, Quitters

And in the too-good-to-be-true dept, a DVD of Neko at Austin City Limits comes out Tuesday, to what seems like relatively low fanfare. I'll be checking all the same.

How's this for cool?

2006-09-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

Next Monday, we will be doing a phone interview at the start of the show with the fine and underrated band Bettie Serveert, who will be in Buffalo the next day. Should be fun; yeah, I was surprised to hear they are still around too, but glad as well.

So yours truly hit the half-century mark yesterday, and celebrated quietly and happily. On Saturday, Sheila and I went up to the Niagara Wine Festival in St. Catherine's and then headed over to Port Dalhousie for some fine dining and general happiness. Even got to ride the Carousel too. I feel pretty darned blessed at this point in my life, and I owe it all to my wonderful bride. Yes, it's pretty darned corny as well, but c'est la vie.

The playlists are obviously already getting revised, but expect at least Tortoise and Tanya next week for sure, and Viva Voce and Emily Haines the following. We'll see what else lands in my lap soon too.
UPDATE: No sooner did I write the above then I stop out to the station and find a whole pile of stuff awaiting me, including Grizzly Bear, Robyn Hitchcock, another new Sadies CD (! a soundtrack), a Billy Bragg sampler, and a couple more I can't think of at the moment. Got the new issue of Yeti the other day too. All shall find their way into the show over the next several. Now I just have to hit up Rob Filardo for an advance of the new Quitters CD (which he's promised me for two years now).

tentative playlists for october part 1

2006-09-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

10/2: Akron/Family, Tortoise, Tanya Donnelly
10/9: Viva Voce, Emily Haines?

subject to change, availability, and whatever else might land in my hand.

I am really not kidding

2006-09-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

The new Justin Timberlake album is amazing.

the playlists for September

2006-09-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

9/4: Rogues' Gallery, the Long Winters, Shearwater, Luca, Velvet
UPDATED:9/11: My Brightest Diamond, Birdmonster, Yo La Tengo
9/18: Silversun Pickups, The Mountain Goats
9/25: my birthday (still no show, really)

forgot to mention....

2006-08-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

The Sadies show at the Eastman House was loads of fun, and the Lobster Quadrille is one of the best local bands in recent memory (first time I had seen them, link two entries below).

meager attempts at a playlist

2006-08-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight's show is a variation on First Impressions and the Indie Show: a bunch of new music thrown against the wall to see what sticks. And, as we do with fair regularity, we showcase some fine new stuff largely from our northern neighbor, Toronto in particular. Among the folks:
The Unintended, the Hylozoists, Republic of Safety, Cities in Dust, The Creeping Nobodies, and Stars. Should be fun (and easier on yours truly).

Next week, for the holiday, some more odds and ends before we return to our regularly scheduled programming, featuring: Luca, the Velvet, Shearwater, the Long Winters, and Mountain Goats (subject to change of course, depending on what lands at the station).

Mostly just been catching up with things, especially watching the rest of summer's TV bounty. I'm still 3 eps behind on Deadwood, but they sit comfortably awaiting me and Sheila on the DVR.
And then the new Fall Seasons shows begins, yipes! TV addiction is fun but troublesome. And I'm happily awaiting the 3rd season of Slings and Arrows courtesy of my kind taper in Saskatchewan.

Haven't heard from my friends in Canada yet either, with a little bundle of joy that was due any second. Michelle and Cam, if you're out there, give me a holler! (That goes for anybody who I haven't heard from in a bit).

More to come, hopefully we'll have the new Yo La Tengo in physical, complete totality for the show before it comes out Sept. 12. I happily ordered my Beat Your Ass Season Pass, and got to hear (most of) the streaming version of the complete album, but I still need it in its pristine completeness, as it is really one of the year's best.

Not enough days in the week

2006-08-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

Add Jon Langford to next week's playlist (it's the marginal Sadies connection don't ya know). Still thumping for next Thursday's Eastman House concert, check out the Sadies and these fine local folks for what promises to be a heck of a show.

Should have more formal playlists and stuff for the next few shortly. Meantime, the summer is just racing by, and in a good way, but doesn't do much for blogging. Hope to do a First Impressions/Indie Show style thing for Labor Day, and even an entry on the stuff that doesn't make the show for one reason or another. Stay tuned.

playlists

2006-07-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

7/31: Camera Obscura, Paul Weller (live), Jamaica to Toronto
8/7: off
8/14: The Sadies, The Lobster Quadrille
8/21: Junior Boys, w/Morgan Geist, Johnny Dark
8/28: all-Canada show

updates soon

2006-07-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

promise, and really I'm not depressed depressed, just sad about not being able to see Sleater-Kinney again in the near future ( i was hoping to break my record for number of times seeing a particular nationally-known band (five)). And now Broken Social Scene is taking a break too, but there was still that magnificent concert that we got to see from January.

My best of the mid-year picks should be up on the WBER site until tonight, but I'll try and summarize them here this week. As for the next couple of weeks schedules:
7/17: Amy Millan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, Muse
7/24: Mission of Burma, The Dears, Jolie Holland
7/31: Camera Obscura, Cansei de ser Sexy, The Lobster Quadrille
8/7: off
8/14: The Sadies
8/21: Junior Boys
with of course, subject to additions and changes.

Hi to everyone out there, including Michelle & Cam, John & Julie & Pat, and anybody else stumbling across this. More later.

I am now officially depressed

2006-06-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

link

Dog days

2006-06-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

Catching up on a ton of listening, here's what's shaking down for next week:
6/26: MSTRKRFT, Best of 86/06 (from Q Magazine), Wed-Rock.

All sorts of stuff coming across the desk, and we hope to get to it in July, including new Junior Boys, Amy Millan, Jolie Holland, Matmos, and maybe, belatedly, Foo Fighters. I actually have a copy of the new Yo La Tengo (out in September) and am positively transported, but it appears to be a cheeky advance copy that cuts off the last several seconds of the songs (I thought the fades were a bit too abrupt). I'm on the one hand annoyed and on the other kind of applauding this because all it does is whet my appetite even further for what will be one of the best albums of the year. (I would have bought it no matter what.)

Speaking of which, no show on July 3 as we'll be out of town at Sheila's family's annual bash down near Corning, but July 10 should see the Spotlight Review's annual mid-year report, the best CDs of 2006 so far. We'll reveal a bit a little closer to the date, but it will be an extra-long one, as several of my favorites haven't even been officially released yet.

I haven't posted on here any books lately because mostly it's been reading a slew of short stories and several books simultaneously. I will reiterate though, the best book so far this year by far is Julie Philips' masterful bio of James Tiptree Jr. It works on so many levels, but some of the best parts are reading the lengthy selections of letters from and to Tiptree by a variety of authors, including some of my favorites like Joanna Russ and Ursula Le Guin. The highest recommendations.

Got to see this last week: go support what is becoming one of the finest theatre companies around. And in the great Distillery District to boot.

next week

2006-06-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

6/12 (which also happens to be my wedding anniversary): Smoosh, Thom Yorke, Forward, Russia! (I guess the upside-down exclamation point doesn't work in Blogger).

Spotlight Review

Honorable mentions 2011.5

200

Best of 2010

Honorable mentions 2010

Best of 2009: Baker's Dozen

Best ofs, updates, etc.

Honorable Mentions 2

Best of 2009 (so far): the Honorable Mentions

Playlists

Every word is true

Guiltiest pleasures

No apologies

playlists

Twenty

2008: a Baker's Dozen

How can I resist this?

2008: Honorable mentions

2008: Best concert

2008: Best television

2008: Best reissue

Best albums of 2009 already

Just in time for the 20th anniversary

Mea culpa

October

September part two *updated*

September part one

August

Best of 2008 (so far)

Mid-Year Report: the Honorable Mentions

Yippee!

Bloglines

two-posts-in-one-day shocker!

If a blog falls in a forest, does it make a sound?

Our High Falls Film Festival

Best laid plans

on the run, new playlists

more smatterings

smatterings

March playlists

Nininininininininin Nineteen

lower-case updates

February playlists

three-posts-in-three-days shocker!

le sigh...Neko in Ithaca 26 Jan 2008

Best of 2007: the shortlist

Best of 2007: the beginning

quick links

Tweaks

Happy post-Thanksgiving

O why can't I live a life for me

Your homework for Monday

Ship comes in

Bits and Bobs

playlists, subject to change

this is sort of an update

this is not an update

the playlist for monday

Sublime

more HMs

e-postcard

links

Interfictions

gotta get this in

wow, New York, just like I pictured it....

quickies

We interrupt....

subject to change

the (tentative) playlists for April

So much music, so little time

updated

le sigh

and some more

playlists, for now, i think

footnotes

Best

I'd rather be John Crowley

tsunami part 2

yet another quick one

incredibly quick update

September part two updated