Statistics

It's nearly 4 AM and I can't sleep. What do I do, other than listen to the sweet indie rock of the Evens? I've compiled some statistics on my show so far, for my own weird curiosity about that sort of thing. I've done 7 shows so far, not many, but it feels like I've played so many bands. I actually didn't figure out the exact number of bands/artists I've played, though. Some other time.

Aside from my theme song and Talking Heads, the bands/artists I've played the most, at 4 times each, are: Björk, Burial, Matmos, the Ocean, and Os Mutantes. Though, arguably, I've played Matmos 5 times because they collaborated with Björk on the track "Unison."

After that, with 3 times each, are: Ellen Allien, Converge, Dälek, PJ Harvey, and Pelican.

The only single track I've played more than once is "Ghost Hardware" by Burial.

I've played Björk, Matmos, the Smiths and Discordance Axis 2 times within the span of one show.

The total number of different tracks I've played is 149 from 110 CDs.

The average number of tracks per show is 22. Low: 19, High: 25, Median: 21, Modes: 21, 25

Neato, huh?

Playlist 2.26.08

1. the Jesus And Mary Chain "My Little Underground" Psychocandy (1985) WEA
2. Konono No. 1 "Kule Kule" Live At Couleur Café (2007) Crammed Discs
3. Talking Heads "Listening Wind" Remain In Light (1980) Sire - Talking Heads Song Of The Week
4. Fugazi "Full Disclosure" The Argument (2001) Dischord
5. Los Mocosos "Bandolera Era" The Rough Guide To Salsa Clandestina (2007) World Music Network
6. Xinlisupreme "I Am A New Christ" Neinfuturer (2007)
7. Burial "Ghost Hardware" Untrue (2007) Hyperdub
8. Fatal Flying Guilloteens "Great Apes" Quantum Fucking (2007) French Kiss
9. Electric Wizard "Satanic Rites Of Drugula" Witchcult Today (2007) Candelight
10. AIDS Wolf "Vampire King" The Lovvers LP (2006) Skin Graft
11. Dälek "Bricks Crumble" Abandoned Language (2007) Ipecac
12. Aesop Rock ft. Cage & Breely Brewin "Getaway Car" None Shall Pass (2007) Def Jux

German Hour - all German artists, no songs in German!

13. Faust "Krautrock" Faust IV (1973) Virgin
14. Isolée "Text" Rest (2005) Playhouse
15. Robert Schumann/Benjamin Frith "Davidsbündlertänze - Wild Und Lustig" Davidsbündlertänze + Fantasiestücke (1837/1992) Naxos
16. Von Südenfed "Speech Contamination/ German Fear Of Osterre" Tromatic Reflexxions (2007) Domino
17. Nico "Facing The Wind" The Marble Index (1969) Elektra
18. Ellen Allien "Washing Machine Is Speaking" Thrills (2005) BPitch Control
19. the Ocean "Paleoarchaean" Precambrian (2007) Metal Blade
20. Mouse On Mars "Blood Comes" Radical Connector (2004) Thrill Jockey
21. Oval "Do While" 94 Diskont (1995) Thrill Jockey
22. Can "Peking O" Tago Mago (1971) Mute

There were some technical difficulties (computer stuff) and an alarm that I did not know how to turn off (until the next DJ came in - now I know, hooray!), so the show was a little stressful this time. But, I learned a few new things, so hooray for growth.

No show next week, sadly. I wish I were staying in BG, but it's just not possible.

the Blood Brothers

Still I'm sad to see their demise. Even Henry Rollins agreed that they were saving rock and roll. And now we have Head Wound City and Jaguar Love, with Cody Votolato being in both bands (barely noticeably, I wouldn't know it was his work just by listening to it). What happened, man? Neither band is as good as the Brothers were. It seems polarized now. Head Wound is all 'core and Jag is all goofy-weirdo-pop, and it pains me to listen to it. The Brothers seemed to reconcile the opposing genres, making some really remarkable and exciting music, despite their final album, 2006's Young Machetes, being lackluster and their weakest overall. Hey, I still liked it. "You're The Dream Unicorn" is GOLD! It was probably the usual creative differences that tear a band apart that tore the Brothers apart, and I just can't get over it.

It reminds me of At The Drive-In so much. That band reconciled the sort of proggy "experimental" music with a Drive Like Jehu-post-hardcore type of sound, though they certainly weren't that experimental, it was more post-'core. Then they split after the heavy, intense Relationship Of Command into two horribly lesser bands, Sparta and the Mars Volta. I love both post-'core and proggy weirdness, but both bands seem to do bare-bones editions of those genres, making them so mediocre and boring and not worth my time. I hate so much when bands are neither "excellent" nor "terrible," all in between and such. It's frustrating when they are simply mediocre, as Sparta and the Mars Volta are. There's better and there's worse than both in those genres they do, so why bother? Who wants pseudo-Krautrock or lazy, mod-rock-tinged post-hardcore? There's no need when Can and Fugazi have excellent albums available forever.

Anyway, I overall have some mixed feelings. I'm sad that it's over for the Brothers, but I'm glad since their last album was their worst and they couldn't continue on forever (if only Aerosmith could take a hint...). Bands must break up, otherwise they will start to suck or just end up releasing the same album over and over again, which I guess is sometimes OK, if you like that one band or that one sound or whatever so much that you can't get enough of it. But for the sake of music and originality and progress, it just gets boring when bands exist forever and make the usual old crap again and again, and again and again and again.

Playlist 2.19.08

Hour 1

1. Os Mutantes "Hey Boy" A Divina Comédia Ou Ando Meio Desligado (1970) Polydor
2. Bonde Do Rolê "Geremia" With Lazers (2007) Domino
3. Aesop Rock "Bring Back Pluto" None Shall Pass (2007) Def Jux
4. M.I.A. "Mango Pickle Down River" Kala (2007) XL
5. Konono No. 1 "Mama Liza" Live At Couleur Café (2007) Crammed Discs
6. Burial "Arcangel" Untrue (2007) Hyperdub
7. Wadaiko Matsuriza "Kabuki Gomen-Jyo" The Very Best Of Japanese Music (2004) Arc Music
8. Electric Wizard "Torquemada '71" Witchcult Today (2007) Candlelight
9. Battles "TIJ" Mirrored (2007) Warp
10. Matmos "The Stars And Stripes Forever" The Civil War (2003) Matador

Hour 2

11. Mouse On Mars "Wipe That Sound" Radical Connector (2004) Thrill Jockey
12. the Ocean "Neoarchaean" Precambrian (2007) Metal Blade
13. Talking Heads "Mind" Fear Of Music (1979) Sire - Talking Heads Song Of The Week
14. Uusitalo "Tohtori Kuka" Karhunainen (2007) Huume
15. Saviours "Raging Embers" Into Abaddon (2008) Kemando

Non-Musical Diversion: Fairy Tale: "The Journey Of Rita" by JGreer

16. Asha Bhosle & Mohammed Rafi "Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyar Tera" The Rough Guide To Bollywood Gold (2007) World Music Network
17. Solá Akingbolá "Kulumbu Yeye" Routes To Roots: Yoruba Drums From Nigeria (2008) Arc Music
18. Partners In Rhyme "Gal Sun" The Rough Guide To Bhangra Dance (2006) World Music Network
19. Matmos "Public Sex For Boyd McDonald" The Rose Has Teeth In The Mouth Of A Beast (2006) Matador

The studio was still quite cold. Otherwise, the show went well. I liked the diversion and want to make it into a weekly segment on the show (send submissions or suggestions -- any verbal creative works, original or pre-existing -- to jgreer@bgnet.bgsu.edu). I played lots of "world music" and there should be more next week, though probabaly of a different sort. And maybe some Xinlisupreme? I need to listen to their new "album."

I can't believe I forgot the theme song! And I love that song, so I'm sad.

New Matmos Track

Called "Rainbow Flag" from their new album, out May 6 (mark those calendars). It's pretty cool, I like the synth-tastic-ness. I like this idea of just doing an album with all synthesizers. Though, their ultra-conceptual albums are amazing, simplicity could be very good for this great. I'm anticipating this album quite a bit now. I didn't even know about it until just having read about it.

http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Matmos%20-%20Rainbow%20Flag.mp3

You can download it from this link, right click, save target as...

I might have to play it next week. If not, there will be old Matmos.

Playlist 2.12.08

Valentine's Day Love Song Special

1. the Jesus And Mary Chain "My Little Underground" Psychocandy (1985) WEA
2. Give Up The Ghost "AM/PM" Background Music (2001) Equal Vision
3. Shannon Wright "Dirty Facade" Maps Of Tacit (2000) Touch And Go
4. the Smiths "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" The Queen Is Dead (1986) Rough Trade
5. os Mutantes "A Minha Menina" Os Mutantes (1968) Polydor
6. Prefuse 73 "Why I Love You" One Word Extinguisher (2003) Warp
7. Julee Cruise "Mysteries Of Love" Floating Into The Night (1989) Warner Bros.
8. Sleater-Kinney "Let's Call It Love" The Woods (2005) Sub Pop
9. Ellen Allien "My Body Is Your Body" Thrills (2005) BPitch Control
10. Cursive "Am I Not Yours?" 8 Teeth To Eat You (2002) Better Looking Records
11. the Rapture "Heaven" Echoes (2003) Strummer
12. PJ Harvey "Oh My Lover" Dry (1992) Too Pure
13. Pixies "La La Love You" Doolittle (1989) 4AD
14. Portishead "Only You" Portishead (1997) Go! Discs
15. Björk "Jòga" Homogenic (1997) Elektra
16. My Bloody Valentine "Feed Me With Your Kiss" Isn't Anything (1989) Creation
17. Talking Heads "Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town" Talking Heads '77 (1977) Sire - Talking Heads Song Of The Week
18. Bad Brains "Sacred Love" I Against I (1986) SST
19. Björk "Unison" Vespertine (2001) Elektra
20. Converge "Homewrecker" Jane Doe (2001) Equal Vision
21. Discordance Axis "Loveless" The Inalienable Dreamless (2001) Hydra Head
22. the Concretes "Warm Night" The Concretes (2003) Astralwerks
23. Madvillain featuring Stacy Epps "Eye" Madvillainy (2004) Stones Throw
24. Radiohead "Fake Plastic Trees" The Bends (1995) Capitol
25. the Smiths "I Know It's Over" The Queen Is Dead (1986) Rough Trade

I played the wrong Shannon Wright song. The original intention was to play "Dirty Facade."

The show went pretty well, though. The studio was hideously cold and I felt a bit "out of it."

Next week should feature a good bit of "world music," a term I use loosely.

Memories, Or How Punk Rock Ruined My Life, Possibly Part 1 Of A Series

I remember back in 2003 when Echoes by the Rapture first came out. I'm pretty sure I bought it sometime in the fall of that year. I know I listened to it quite a bit. I first heard this band by illegally downloading some tracks, probably through Kazaa, or Limewire, or whatever was popular at the time. With a few songs, I had actually downloaded only loops of sections of the songs, though I just thought the songs were like that, very repetive and such. Though, it must be a testament to how great the songs are, if I was motivated to buy the album based mostly on hearing only loops of sections of a few particular songs. I was quite surprised when I heard the actual songs, disappointed even. But time went on, and I listened more and internalized the actual songs, eventually growing to really appreciate and enjoy them. I mention this album specifically, partially because the song "Olio" randomly popped into my head and I felt the urge to write, but moreso because it was a significant step in my musical taste evolution. Before this album, my taste was so rock-n-roll, particularly, various varieties of punk rock, -centric, but my taste started to finally expand into electronic genres once my appreciation for this album, this band, truly, came about. Echoes is a fusion album, with elements from various genres, though the main sythesis seems to be between rock and house. Critics often dubbed this band "disco-punk" or "dance-rock," which I find are fairly appropriate labels; I may even use them myself. And it was this fusion was necessary for me to expand my taste in music. I had so often abided by the long-held punk rock attitude of despising purely electronic music, claiming that it lacks any trace of humanity. It was the raw, energetic fusion of the Rapture that made me realize that any genre can have humanity and soul, whether it be made with guitars and screeching, or with computers and synthesizers.

I now truly resent the anti-electronic music attitude that claims it is robotic and unnatural. I sense no truth in that statement, considering, just as any genre can have humanity, any genre can also be devoid of humanity. On a side note, even when music is devoid of humanity, does that automatically make it bad or irredeemable? A question for another time.

In summation, I'm surprised by the fact that I'm still writing about and listening to (not right now, though) Echoes by the Rapture. I mean, nearly five years ago? And they made another album? And after how many times I've listened to it? And since my taste has expanded even more? I still love this album? Yes. It still sounds interesting to me.

For the precise, the last time I listened to it was January 24, 2008.

I haven't played the Rapture on MLU yet.

Playlist 2.5.08

1. the Jesus And Mary Chain "My Little Underground" Psychocandy (1985) WEA Records
2. Mission Of Burma "Absent Mind" OnOffOn (2004) Matador
3. Dälek "Isolated Stare" Abandoned Language (2007) Ipecac
4. Born Against "Mary & Child" Patriotic Battle Hymns (2003) Kill Rock Stars
5. Talking Heads "Warning Sign" More Songs About Buildings And Food (1978) Sire - Talking Heads Song Of The Week
6. the Good Life "So Let Go" Help Wanted Nights (2007) Saddle Creek
7. Orthrelm "Urthiln" 2nd 18/04 Norildivoth Crallos-Lomrixth Urthiln (2002) Three One G
8. Burial "Ghost Hardware" Untrue (2007) Hyperdub
9. Battles "Rainbow" Mirrored (2007) Warp

METAL HOUR

10. Saviours "Narcotic Sea" Into Abaddon (2008) Kemando
11. Pig Destroyer "Thought Crime Spree" Phantom Limb (2007) Relapse
12. Disfear "Testament" Live The Storm (2008) Relapse
13. At The Gates "World Of Lies" Slaughter Of The Soul" (2002) Earache
14. Cynic "Textures" Focus (1993/2004) Roadrunner
15. Pelican "Bliss In Concrete" City Of Echoes (2007) Hydra Head
16. Discordance Axis "A Leaden Stride To Nowhere" The Inalienable Dreamless (2001) Hydra Head
17. Converge "No Heroes" No Heroes (2006) Epitaph
18. the Ocean "Stenian" Precambrian: Proterozoic (2007) Metal Blade
19. Discordance Axis "Jigsaw" The Inalienable Dreamless (2001) Hydra Head
20. the Gathering "Fear The Sea" Mandylion (1995) Century Media
21. Botch "C. Thomas Howell As The 'Soul Man'" We Are The Romans (1999) Hydra Head

Two tracks from Discordance Axis, I was glad to get a chance to highlight such an awesome band. Now I just need to check out Jon Chang's new band, Hayaino Daisuki. Probably pretty similar grind stuff.

The show went really well today. I missed out on playing a couple of really great tracks, but that's what next week is for. I think I might do an all women hour or a world music hour. We'll see. Or maybe all noise?

Covers

Cover songs can be amazing. A favorite of mine would be the Blood Brother's version of "Under Pressure" (haven't heard Xiu Xiu's cover yet). And while I'm in that neighborhood, Melt-Banana does a rocking cover of "We Will Rock You." I ought to buy that 31G compilation of Queen covers...

But so often covers are unholy and wrong. I mention this because I was listening to the radio last night, I believe it was automation, actually (though the automation was quite good, surprisingly), and I heard Devo's cover of "Satisfaction," which I have heard before. Nevertheless, it is just plain wrong. I really don't care for Devo to begin with, but covering "Satisfaction" is just not a good idea, for anyone, not even those "garage rock revival" type artists could pull it off (not even British garage rock revival). I probably feel this way because I just love the Stones' original edition of the song and can't stand it being tampered with. And why would anyone want to? It's a perfect song, and even I despise to use the word "perfect." And then Devo decides to absolutely neuter it (I'm aware that the song is quite old, though I am talking about it as if it just came out)? They take all the rock-n-roll away and turn it into some more-Kraftwerk-than-Kraftwerk robot garbage. This is not me being against robot music or the synth-quirk-pop sort of music that Devo are purveyors of because it can also be fabulous stuff. Or irony, either. Irony is wonderful and lovely. I simply don't want one of the very best songs ever to be destroyed but a horrendous interpretation. Am I being a bit catastrophic? Yes.

Cat Power, too, she really ruined "Satisfaction." Some may say, "sulty vocals" this or "mellowed-out" that, but it's just not right.

So please, artists, leave this song alone.

Also on the subject, a few bands that should never be covered (though they probably have been): My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead, the Velvet Underground, Björk, Can (should never be sampled either, Kanye West!), Fugazi, M.I.A., etc. because some things are sacred, especially in music.

Though if they were covered, I would want to hear it if only to be a bit masochistic and then subsequently write another complain-y blog.