March 26, 2010 (Playlist)

March 26, 2010 (Playlist):
"Our Forty-First Show!"

The Stars Of Track And Field – The Breaking Of Waves
Radiohead – Electioneering
OK Go – This Too Shall Pass
The Hold Steady – Hurricane J
Jane's Addiction – Stop
Tokyo Police Club – Breakneck Speed
Polaris – She Is Staggering
Rilo Kiley – With Arms Outstretched
Broken Social Scene – World Sick
The Good Life – I Am An Island
Fever Ray – When I Grow Up
*"Allen Reed Memorial Cover Of The Week": The Fruit Bats – Never Tear Us Apart (INXS Cover)

The Vaselines – Son Of A Gun
Weezer – Why Bother?
*"Punk Trunk!": Nick Lowe – Heart Of The City
*"Punk Trunk!": The Clash – The Guns Of Brixton
The Radio Dept. – Heaven's On Fire
The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio
Screaming Trees – Nearly Lost You
*"The Mighty Mighty Boss-Tune": Bruce Springsteen – Adam Raised A Cain (Live)
Spoon – The Mystery Zone
Beat Happening – Indian Summer
The Smiths – Rubber Ring/What She Said (Live).

*Background music consisted of various instrumental alternative rock tunes from the 1980s and 1990s. The list features acts the likes of The Meat Puppets, New Order, Pixies, R.E.M., and Sonic Youth.

Old dogs can learn new tricks. This old saying could be said for Big Jim and myself, as our mighty tandem radio force took an unorthodox approach to our forty-first installment of NMTM. The approach: we planned nothing in advance. This is because of a few reasons. One being that we simply could not settle on a time and date earlier in the week to put the show together. Another being that I was too focused on comprehensive exams to give the show a fair amount of my week's attention. And last, we wanted to test ourselves, to see how we could manage a spur-of-the-moment playlist. Jim said it right when we were flying by the seat of our pants. The show, however, was stellar. It also started on time with the both of us ready for action (unlike an hour later, as predicted earlier in the week). Check out that list. We couldn't have added more variety, new music, and risky numbers if we had tried (Beat Happening isn't entirely radio friendly, but hey, that's why we're college radio). We spoke about how excited we are for the Spring because some of the biggest names in the world of independent music are releasing new material. That being said, we sampled some of that music this week: The Hold Steady, Tokyo Police Club, Broken Social Scene, and The National all shined on our program. We also spun a breed of alt-rock classics: Jane's Addiction, The Vaselines, Screaming Trees, The Smiths, and more. We also threw in some live tracks. And as always, our special segments were important in their own way. Thanks again for tuning in to most random show ever. Tune in next week for another great set.

Radiohead - "Electioneering"


Broken Social Scene - "World Sick"


Spoon - "The Mystery Zone"

New Radiohead/Thom Yorke LP(s) Finished?

Read, read, read! Now, now, now! Our good buddy David Greenwald from Rawkblog.net (a Los Angeles alternative music blog) has the scoop. Just to clarify: nothing is set in stone, but Radiohead has been known for busting out surprises as of late, so maybe we'll be in for a shocking release soon.

New Thom Yorke, 3 New Songs

Get a load of this. I take one weekend off from blogging (after our show's semester debut on Friday night) and all of a sudden, I get more news than I know what to do with. How convenient. But the great thing about all of this is that everything I'm reporting on is really positive. We'll start off with one of our favorite frontmen in modern rock: Thom Yorke of Radiohead.

Remember his solo record, The Eraser back in '06? I do, because it was a touching record and it was uber cool to see him do his own thing away from the boys in the band. Well low and behold, he's doing solo things again. And just when you thought he was going to chill out or lay low after working on the Wall Of Ice EP, he's releasing new songs. First off, we have to discuss his Mark Mulcahy cover track for the upcoming tribute in his honor. The song, "All For The Best", is one that many Miracle Legion fans hold near and dear. But fret not those fearing any blasphemy to the legacy of MM, because Yorke and his little brother, Andy, do the track justice. Here's the video:

Thom Yorke (Feat. Andy Yorke) - "All For The Best (Miracle Legion Cover)"

As much as I enjoy this, I still wish more Polaris tracks made the cut onto the CD. Maybe on the B-sides? Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy comes out September 29th.

Up next, the physical release of his latest personal work. And for the record, let's just throw it out there and say we, as the music fan community, should no longer be shocked by out-of-the-blue Thom Yorke releases (despite having a month's notice on the latest two songs). Because they are just going to happen whenever. Is it a bad thing? Absolutely not.

"Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses" is side A, "The Hollow Earth" is side B. Together, they make for one fascinating Thom Yorke release. "Feeling" reacquaints us with a "Reckoner"-type style. As it should, because according to Stereogum, "'Reckoner' was said to be born out of the coda to the song, a six-and-a-half minute sketch that pairs a funky, repetitive bassline with Thom's heavily echoed, reliably cryptic poetry." The striking percussion stands out immediately, followed by Yorke's spacey vocals, and then coated with a repetitious, jungle excursion-themed bass (or at least that's how I can describe the image that comes to mind when I close my eyes). And after 7 minutes, you have felt definitely been through something; maybe not a painful death via wild horses, but definitely something.

Thom Yorke - "Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses"

"The Hollow Earth". I'm high on the vocals. Also the ticks and taps on this make me move a little more than it's A-side. And the return of the "House Of Cards" atmospheric moans are welcomed back with open arms. The song, as a whole, feels very schizophrenic and unstable, but who says giving into the urges is so bad? It's the B-side, so take it as you will.

Thom Yorke - "The Hollow Earth"

Both tunes are available via TBD from w.a.s.t.e.

What is going on inside the mind of Thom Yorke? No one knows. But the music that comes of it sure is special.

MTV VMAs Are On Tonight

This guy is hosting again. He's funny, I guess. I'm not too high on the awards themselves, though. I expect a whole lot of flare and screwing. I wrote a post a while back about the important categories. It's here. What will happen? Well I know Muse is performing and that should be exciting. Other than that, I think I'll just switch to the show when there's a commerical break in Sunday Night Football.

It pains me to write this post... I just know it's going to be awful. But I hope I'm surprised.

Radiohead - "Optimistic"

The VMAs are on tonight. On MTV. Check your local listings.

Pitchfork Concludes Decade Countdown

So Pitchfork finally filled us in on their picks for the 500 Greatest Songs of the 00's (isn't the decade still going on?). The countdown is complete and I have to say, people who commented on other blogs were pretty accurate. Their guesses were right. Here's the page with all the info your dying to find out about. And to save time, I'll just post the Top 20. Deal?

20. The Walkman - "The Rat" (2004)
19. R. Kelly - "Ignition (Remix)"
 (2002)
18. Hercules And Love Affair - "Blind" (2008)
17. Annie -"Heartbeat" (2004)
16. The Rapture - "House Of Jealous Lovers" (2002)
15. The Knife - "Heartbeats" (2002)
14. Jay-Z - "99 Problems" (2003)
13. LCD Soundsystem - "Losing My Edge" (2002)
12. OutKast - "Hey Ya!" (2003)
11. Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy" (2005)
10. Arcade Fire - "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" (2004)
9. Animal Collective - "My Girls" (2009)
8. Radiohead - "Idioteque" (2000)
7. Missy Elliott - "Get Ur Freak On" (2001)
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Maps" (2003)
5. Daft Punk - "One More Time" (2000)
4. Beyoncé (Feat. Jay-Z) - "Crazy in Love" (2003)
3. M.I.A. (Feat. Bun B and Rich Boy) - "Paper Planes (Diplo Remix)" (2007)
2. LCD Soundsystem - "All My Friends" (2007)
1. OutKast - "B.O.B." (2000)

I see a lot of hip/hop, R&B, and electronic music here. That has to be expected. They were very much apart of the decade. And whoa, a remix? I don't think I've ever heard the original "Ignition". Good to see Gnarls Barkley, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Daft Punk ranking high. But OutKast gets number one? I think Daft Punk deserved it over them.

What are your thoughts? Did Pitchfork do justice to this awkward decade? In my opinion - yes. But hey, we still have a few months to go in the decade. Anything can happen.

No "Wall Of Ice"

So today came and there was no "Wall Of Ice" EP released by Radiohead. Just the official (free) release of the single for "These Are My Twisted Words". A complete rundown of the timeline and story are here, at one of my favorite blogs, The Rawking Refuses To Stop.

Recent Stuff Wrap-Up

How have all you been? Good? That's good. How about that Radiohead? Pretty wild, eh?

It's been a busy week for me, personally. I officially feel like a grown-up workin' man after knocking out a 40+ hour work week. That sucked. But now it's over, and I'll have a nice paycheck in time for school (leaving for Kutztown on August 30th), and I can finally catch up on sleep/the world of rock 'n' roll. Let me see what I can muster up for a respectable post:

First, Woodstock was 40 years ago this weekend. I can't think of anything more anti-mainstream than the late 60's counterculture/hippie movement and the greatest concert of all time (I like to think Tim & Eric live in Philadelphia this past February was a close second). Have you seen the trailer for Taking Woodstock starring Demetri Martin, Emile Hirsch, and Eugene Levy? It looks really cool. And it's getting some nice reviews. Here you go:

My dad has a close friend who actually made it up to Bethel, New York back in '69 for the "3 Days of Peace & Music". He said it was incredible, and from all the footage and documents I've seen and read, I believe him. And my envy for those born in past generations that experienced great events like these, continues to soar to higher levels of jealousy. Dang.

Joe Cocker - "A Little Help From My Friends"

Next. Did you hear about Bob Dylan in my homeland, peeking into houses and spooking the natives? I'll go to CNN for this one. "Like a complete unknown". The man can do no wrong, despite his wacky antics. Check out this dude's quote at the end: "Dylan was really cool about the whole incident," Ahart said. He said he asked the singer why he had been walking in the rain and was told, "I just felt like going for a walk." Weird NJ.

Moving on. Be on the look out for new music coming out soon. The latest from Destroyer and Jay Reatard (August 18th); Arctic Monkeys and Imogen Heap (August 25th); and Whitney Houston (September 1st). Guess which one I'm really excited about. And though it hasn't been proven yet, Radiohead might slip us a surprise EP or a single tomorrow. Read Jim's post to get filled in. What an exciting time for good music.

In live music news, (I should've covered this while it was happening), KUR recently broadcasted live from Musik Fest in Bethlehem, PA. The whole thing lasted from July 31st til August 9th. Our manager did a lot of the work himself, covering the artists and the festival as whole. That's a bit of a distance for me, but I heard it was great. A lot great bands: The Wallflowers, Yes, Third Eye Blind, The B-52's, and a ton of local acts.

Yes - "I've Seen All Good People"

That's all for me. But like I said, the summer really is flying by. I can't believe it. I'm getting so old...

Newer Radiohead???

So here's the deal. A song kind of popped up online that may or may not be Radiohead's. It's called "These Are My Twisted Words". And it sounds a lot like Radiohead. It was found online with a little hidden message in it's ASCII code as well (nerds, unite). Within that code it says "Wall Of Ice" is a new Radiohead EP/LP/Single to be released August 17th, that's this Monday, folks. At this point however, it is all conjecture. But if you remember back when In Rainbows came out, you could go to inrainbows.com to order the CD. Well, go ahead to wallofice.com and where do you end up? The official Radiohead store. Coincidence? We won't know until Monday, but for right now, here's "These Are My Twisted Words" for you to enjoy/theorize about.

Radiohead - "These Are My Twisted Words"

News For Radio Heads (...Radiohead)

The year is 2009. Worldwide panic is not at a Cold War level yet, but things are getting a little crazy. Old people complaining about health care, soldiers dying overseas in what many people believe to be a senseless war, and the world almost destroyed due to swine flu, which was really just a bad cold that people blew out of proportion. But what else? This: an innovative rock band from England, known as Radiohead, continues to cause a stir in the music business. Because they are such legends and have such a mass following, that they have the power to trick and tease and plug and unplug new music.

Those cheeky bastards.

Of course, Radiohead is one of the most dominant bands in the world, even after their early 90's debut, and they continue to amaze and astonish audiences around the world. It seems as though they'll never hit a "prime era", because they've been great since their beginnings. And now, after seven records, many world tours, and being hailed as the future movers and shakers of the world, the band has released two songs that signal debate: a new record? just singles? merely songs? TRIBUTES? RADIOHEAD, PLEASE TELL US YOUR INTENTIONS!

"Harry Patch (In Memory Of)" came out last week. No big buzz beforehand, just a song released on Stereogum with millions of comments and Internet quarrels that follow the post. It's a slower tune about the last surviving WWI veteran, Harry Patch. He died recently, you know. What a war. And I'm not just saying that just because it was a "war". I've done my research. When I can't sleep at night I watch "The Great War In Colour" on YouTube. History buff, right here. Anyway, here you go:

Radiohead - "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)"

The next: "These Are My Twisted Words". Thom Yorke's vocals kick in about 3/4's of the way through, but the instrumentals are what reigns supreme throughout it. Again, a Stereogum hot post. Here you go.

So what's to be said about Radiohead in the later years of this decade? Mischievous? Obscure? Just in so much power, and so aware, but so humble, that they can rule the world with their wit? This is madness. But if it's so wrong, then I don't want to be right.

OK Computer: 12 Years Later

12 years ago today, one of my favorite albums was released in the US. Radiohead's OK Computer took Radiohead from England's best guitar rock band, to one of the best bands in the world. With their previous release, The Bends, they set themselves up for a harder rocking, loud follow up. But as we know expect them to do, Radiohead for the first time, went against expectations. Instead, they made one of the most interesting albums of the "modern rock" era. This album, year after year, consistently finds itself in my Top 5 albums of all time. But instead of talking about it, I'll let you see for yourself. Here are some selections from the album, along with my favorite B-side ("Polyethylene").

"Airbag"

"Paranoid Android"


"Climbing Up The Walls"


"Polyethylene"

Another MTV Screwing Music Situation

They've done it again. MTV found another way to make sure no music videos are played on their station or any others in the MTV/Viacom family. This time it's with MTV2, which I used to hold in such high regard, until the ended music countdowns, ended the Subterranean production crew, ended being cool, and ended being anything worth watching (what the fuck is "Bully Beatdown" and what does that have to do with music television?)

The other night, as I was in bed, trying to get comfortable, I turned on MTV2 to see Beavis and Butthead. "All right", I thought. Some vintage programming and fairly funny, if I say so. I like dumb humor. But MTV2 found a way TO EDIT ALL MUSIC VIDEOS OUT OF BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD. Now the show just looks retarded without any cutaways and you start to understand how stupid the show really is without them. Why get rid of the music? We enjoyed the banter. We enjoyed the two dimwitted teens comment on both mainstream and underground videos. Shit. Why?

MTV sucks. Fact. Now I will go dig a hole in my backyard and bury myself. Here's a classic B&B music video clip for your entertainment:

"Let's get a little mellow" with Radiohead.

All Points West Announced! Praise Jersey!

Holy shit.

Folks, Jersey is known for a few great things in rock 'n' roll: The Boss, naturally. And with that comes The Stone Pony. We also got Billy Joel, Yo La Tengo, Taking Back Sunday, and some idiots that call themselves My Chemical Romance. Now that's just a small handful. And recently, Jersey City (New York City's awkward cousin from across the pond) has opened up it's gritty arms to The All Points West Music & Arts Festival. Now last year, it was headlined by Radiohead and Jack Johnson. Impressive, Newj. Though I'm sure most people left after Radiohead corrupted the guidos who thought they were heading to a legit beach site. So anyway, this line-up looks great. Stereogum's got the rap. $199 for the whole weekend, $89 for any which specific day. My money's going on Saturday. Kool Keith, Tokyo Police Club, The Ting Tings, Arctic Monkeys, Gogol Bordello, (Tool), and most importantly, TIM & ERIC, all in one venue, is going to fucking rule. Sorry for the rash language, but we are talking about great music in New Jersey here. I am putting my cash down Friday, April 3rd, which is when tickets go on sale. New Jersey and All Points West, I have a feeling this once small fest is going to continue to blow up and gain more credibility, especially with this magnificent weekend line-up. It's going to be a sick summer!

(Plus I'll be 21. I will be poor, if not homeless, but next September.)

Radiohead brings "Idioteque" to Jersey City back in '08.

The Biggest Night In Music (Besides Every Friday)

Get ready for another year of major disappointments and heavy robbing. I'm hyped though. I'm pulling for Radiohead. Word on the streets is that they'll be playing with a marching band. Interesting, but not new. Let's get the gold! In Rainbows - Album of the Year! RECKONER FTW! And Bruce, you gotta take Best Rock Vocal Performance for "Girls In Their Rummer Clothes" or the Grammy's are un-American.

Tune in tonight, on CBS, at 8, for the 51 Annual Grammy Awards. Performances by a bunch of shitty acts besides Katy Perry, M.I.A. (she's due for her baby tonight. Drama!), & Radiohead. Recap and reaction tomorrow. Take a deep breath and get ready to be saddened.

Forget about the Grammy's, and I'll do mine.

A Better Cover Than Mike Posted

I like John Mayer just as much as the next guy (assuming the next guy hates John Mayer). So I will say this...

The man can play a mean guitar, I will give him that, but also, he is a douche. And not just on the 'Hey, I'm famous look how much tail I can get' level, but also on the 'Hey, my music doesn't matter as long as my fans are high just like Dave Matthews' school of music' level.

So while I'm on the topic of hating people, let me give someone some love. Cee-Lo Green is fucking great. He is a good father, as evidenced on one episode of My Super Sweet 16, and one hell of a damn singer. So, without further ado, because I can't type as I am more focused on the Lost premiere tonight, here is Cee-Lo and Gnarls Barkley covering Radiohead's "Reckoner"

Phenomenal Cover: John Mayer - "Kid A"

Ah, it feels great to blog again. Especially about whatever I feel like, although, I'm still very ecstatic for our return show coming up at the end of the month. But I'll keep that down for awhile. I have a quick story:

I recently found a treasure. Like a bottle that rushes a shore, this was something to be examined and marveled over. It came to me from a torrent. A FREE torrent, people. It was this amazing cover of one of my favorite songs (and for such few lyrics, it's truly an orchestral masterpiece of surrealism and the supernatural). The tune: Radiohead's "Kid A", the title track from their monumental 2000 record (best record of this bizarre decade, anyone?). Who covered this masterpiece and did such justice to it? John Mayer! ...?

I guess John boy has always been a cooler dude than what his pop music makes him out to be. He plays a lot of soul and blues, which is important, because if you forget rock's roots then your just a dickhead. He's also been on Chapelle's Show and Tim & Eric; so he's a TV star, as well. And lastly on his cool list (I'm sure there's more, like how he gets with amazingly hot chicks as the ultimate rebound man, but...) he does benefits! Really, really nice benefits!

I took this crappy picture from my crappy phone cirva Christmas time 2008. I was working with New York's 95.5 WPLJ, where I had interned this summer, on an extroadinary benefit at Blythedale's Children's Hospital in Valhalla, NY. Granted I chipped my tooth the night before (don't ask) and I got like, no sleep (waking up at 2 AM...that's when I usually go to bed!), it was a great thing to be apart of. Here's John acousta-rockin' out with Matchbox 20's prodigal son, Rob Thomas.

I told Rob I was his biggest fan. I lied, but only to get this picture. I think he would've gotten in it even if I wasn't a lying jerk, but I didn't want to blow it. Also, I really did enjoy 1996's Yourself Or Someone Like You. "3 AM", great tune. I don't care who you are; it's good.

So anyway, back to my main point. John Mayer covers Radiohead's "Kid A". This wasn't realeased on any compilation of anything, but shitty CW or ABC Family teen dramas should pick it up if they haven't already (I only watch The Colbert Report religiously. I saw that show live over break, too! Epic.). It's a great cover, it truly is. He doesn't piss on it or add any unessecary moans, trying to be like Thom Yorke, who he most certainly is not. But it's majestic in its own right. John hits every emotion, just as much as Radiohead did. I'm not sure anyone will truely ever understand the more profound meaning behind "Kid A" that we all know is out there. Whether or not Thom had writer's block at the time, this allegory of leaving a strange town as a wayward soul is solitified as ambient genuisness. A+ to you Radiohead. And an A to you John Mayer, for not being such a cool dude and realizing the true rock 'n' roll of the times.

Rats and children follow me out town...

The Economy is...Bad. Real Bad.

(Blurry...yes...that's exactly what I was going for...)

Things aren't looking so great here in the States, economically. Banks are being bought on a daily basis. Jobs are being lost. Homes - no one can pay their mortgages. Gas is expensive as hell. And low and behold: we have the money to build new sports stadiums. Now I love arenas and athletics and whatnot, but hey, our country needs to get things figured out. I don't want my grandparents living through 2 "Great" Depressions, let alone myself and everyone else.

"Infrastructure world collapse." Is it upon us? Yeah, unfortunately.

But hey, we got good music (videos) coming your way!

NEW: TV on the Radio
Afros, dancing cops, sky, mountains, weird things in unison.

NEW: Jenny Lewis
Cutest (in actuality: hottest) female indie rocker of our time.

NEW: Jack White...and Alicia Keys (?)
007 won't know what hit 'em.

NEW: Oasis
Hopefully they're album won't take a spill off stage like the lead vocals, Noel Gallagher.

NEW: Everything! (Check out our fun-loving, cool parents at Stereogum...we steal from them when they're out.)

And hey, check this out: It's this week's poster, dumb-dumb:

Good stuff, eh? Well tune in this week and you'll be happy. And not depressed. Promise.

Here's last week's poster, too. Because we were lazy and forgot. Fun collectibles - no?:

P.P.S. Our blog is getting some serious changes done to it! It's going to look legit! Not all Microsoft Paint-esque. Keep it here, at NMTM.

Video: (Summer Favorites - Part 6)

"Infrastructure world collapse"

Means: the failure of all worldly communications. Forget your fancy phonographs and talking pictures, check out the future. The future belongs to lasers and Radiohead.

Radiohead - House Of Cards

Thom Yorke doesn't want to be your friend, merely your lover. This video uses no cameras or lights (a.k.a., none of that primitive 21st century mumbo-jumbo). We now have "3D plotting technologies collected information about the shapes and relative distances of objects." Furthermore, "the video was created entirely with visualizations of that data."

Does that not blow your mind?

When I first read the comments for this video, people on YouTube we're like, "this sucks", "what the fuck", "I miss old Radiohead videos".

Well, I think that sucks. This is the first of its kind. Its snowy, but let's see you do any better. Plus, it's supposed to be this way. It's art. It's over people's heads. Including mine. Complicated computer technology makes me want to go play original Nintendo and be content with that time's technology.

A beautiful, surreal song. Got into it in the middle of my summer, when things kind of leveled off and I go used to being at home. Brings up strange, raw emotions. Then again, it's only a song, right?

Off "In Rainbows". In stores now.

We are Standing on the Edge

There are some bands I will be proud to tell my grandchildren about. Some I will not. If I have anything to do with it, my descendants will have no idea who Metro Station or Boys Like Girls Are. And I pray to God if they do find them, they are saddened and disgusted. One band that I will however be quite proud to mention is Radiohead. It is a rare occurrence that I talk to someone who doesn't like some album or some song by Yorke, Greenwood, and Co. Some people hate the electronic aspect of it, but still really like their "guitar music". Some, like myself, just love it all. Now what is the point of this poorly written post? Radiohead had a live web cast from the final show of their American tour on Thursday night. And while classmates and friends were getting drunk and dancing to Girl Talk, I was watching the Democratic National Convention and watching Radiohead live online, which is hopefully not the closest I ever get to seeing them in person. I leave you now, although there is no "you" since we have no readers, with my favorite Radiohead "guitar song" off the brilliant Ok Computer. From the Santa Barbara web cast, here is "Lucky".