2005/08/29

June Gardner

This one is for billy, and the hurricane headed for New Orleans.


June Gardner

99 Plus One (1965-70)
Hang on Sloopy
It's Gonna Rain

2005/08/28

Primitive Calculators, The Units

I like quickies.


Primitive Calculators

Primitive Calculators (1978)
Do That Dance


The Units

Digital Stimulation (1980)
High Pressure Days



maximum volume is recommended.

2005/08/26

Casiotones for the Painfully Alone, The Enemy, L. Voag, Music Tapes, Television Personalities

I guess like everyone else around here I was in California for a week or something a few weeks ago and since I've been back work has been all over me; not to mention the silly personal crap thats been happening. So a large "sorry" to the vslam good guys. At least in the mean time I've been able to pile up a nice stack of tracks that I want to post about, so I have ammunition. There isn't really a theme going for this post or anything, besides being totally badass.

Casiotones for the Painfully Alone is, uh I don't know...cute, sorrowful, innocent, hilarious and often all at the same time. The Enemy was according to legend the first Kiwipunk band to perform original songs, and more importantly (I think) was the very first band of the Chris Knox/Alec Bathgate projects (see also, Toy Love and Tall Dwarfs). I don't think there is enough I could say about L. Voag (aka, Amos, Vic Serf, Narki Brillians, "that guy from the Homosexuals", etc etc etc) a blatant mastermind, obvious weirdo, and DIY diety, if you don't own the Homosexuals Record stop right now and go buy it. Music Tapes are sort of part of the Elephant 6 family of bands (Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples in Stereo, etc), except way more otherwordly and juvenile in a great way, this album sounds like a what a surrealist tapestry would sound like if tapestries were inclined to make sounds. Finally, the Television Personalities; and I am tired of typing and you are tired of reading, but basically after the Swell Maps disbanded the members went off to other projects, Jowe Head went off to the Television Personalities.


Casiotones for the Painfully Alone

Answering Machine Music: A Brief Album in Twelve Parts (2000)
Baby, It's You
I am completely, hopelessly in love with album since yesterday.

The Enemy

Pull Down the Shades (1978)
Iggy Told Me
Admittedly a pretty long song, but undisputedly one of the greatest punk songs I've ever heard.

L. Voag

The Way Out (1997)
Kitchen
How can't you love a song about appliances?

Music Tapes

First Imaginary Symphony for Nomad (1999)
What the Single Made the Needle Sing
Indiepop to the max!

Television Personalities

...And Don't the Kids Just Love It (1980)
I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives
Like songs about appliances, how can't you love songs about Syd?

2005/08/08

Bettye LaVette

Hey guys. I, too, am back from LA -- or rather, a tiny LA suburb. But here is music.


Bettye LaVette

Bluesoul Belles (2005)
Let Me Down Easy
Bettye LaVette is amazing.
I Feel Good All Over
Bettye LaVette is amazing again.

Walter Gibbons

Doin' the Best That I Can 12" (1978)
Doin' the Best that I Can
Walter Gibbons remixes of Bettye LaVette are amazing.



Quick background: the lady hails from Detroit, and the first two songs I picked are off a brilliant compilation that came out earlier this year--Bluesoul Belles, with "the complete Calla, Port, and Roulette recordings" of Ms LaVette and another woman, Carol Fran. LaVette has a very interesting history, but I'm not in the mood to type it out right now (an edit is in the works, friends; I will elaborate on Gibbons too).