Boogiepop Does Not Smile

the impersonal touch

Edit: I will be filling in for Count Lupone's show Wednesday night/early Thursday morning this Wednesday (the 29th) from 11 to 2 a.m. Tune in if you're staying up late that night for some reason.

I thought today would be a nice day to attempt an all-voice synthesized show. It was going okay until around the top of the 10:00 hour. I don't know what happened there. I'll totally have this shit together for the top 12 next week.

I decided to make this a long countdown because I thought there was a lot of good stuff this year, and I didn't want to overlook it. Oh, and I wanted to be able to fit in a couple of really long songs (like the Microphones song). And I don't think I'd have much new stuff to play next week, anyway.

And for the avid WCSB listeners, I just want to inform you that No Money Mark is not dead. I named the countdown after him because he called last week at the end of the show to say something like, "I liked how you pronounced 'year-end review' because it sounded like 'urine review'." Usually, he's quite serious, but the 669 influence was active within him that day. So, that's the explanation of the name of the countdown.

I got Grand Theft Auto San Andreas for Christmas, so I don't know if I'll post before next week. ^_^

Happy New Year!

boogiepop does not smile's 2004 no money mark memorial urine review countdown (part one)

Edit: Because a song was added inside the top ten of the countdown after the airing of part one of the countdown, the numbers of the songs as they were played on the show are now one number higher than what they're supposed to be. The numbers in this post have now been changed to reflect the corrections.

41. Racetrack "Epitaph" City Lights
40. Tilly and the Wall "Fell Down the Stairs" Wild Like Children
39. Denise James "No More Goodbyes" It's Not Enough to Love
38. Sekiden "All Ordinaries" Junior Fiction
37. Palomar "Albacore" Palomar III: Revenge of Palomar
36. Nedelle and Thom "Lullaby" Summerland
35. Asobi Seksu "It's Too Late" Asobi Seksu
34. Mirah "Jerusalem" C'mon Miracle
33. Ulysses "Push You Away" 010
32. The Color Bars "We're a Tag Team" Making Playthings
31. L.A. Tool and Die "Jesus Saved Me at the Record Show" Fashion for the Evildoer
30. I am the World Trade Center "Different Stories" The Cover Up
29. Slomo Rabbit Kick "This Long Parade" Horatory Examinations EP
28. Chester Copperpot "Whine, Women and Song" The Kings of Kirby
27. Marzipan featuring Strong Bad "Sensitive to Bees" Strong Bad Sings and other type hits
26. Boyracer "I Thought Even More of You When You Told Me That You Wanted Me Dead" Happenstance
25. The Frenchmen "Flake For You" Sorry We Ruined Your Party
24. Kiddo "This Could Take Forever" Boompa Vol. 1
23. Lil' Pocket Knife "Disco Dancer"
22. Camera Obscura "A Sisters Social Agony" Underachievers Please Try Harder
21. 14 Year Old Girls "Game Trafficking" Strategy Guide
20. Morrissey "America Is Not the World" You Are the Quarry
19. The Microphones "Universe Conclusion" Live in Japan
18. Freezepop "I am Not Your Gameboy" Fancy Ultra-Fresh
17. Le Tigre "Viz" This Island
16. Boyskout "Secrets" School of Etiquette
15. Jens Lekman "You Are the Light" When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog
14. Kimya Dawson "I Will Never Forget" Hidden Vagenda

fa la la la

I guess I'll give you one last pre-Christmas post here...

So, you heard all the stuff that I was spouting about Christmas being a sign of right-wing hypocrisy thanks to its pagan aspects. But maybe you wonder how I feel about celebrating it myself.

Well, I don't know. I'm sort of ambivalent about it. The courts have allowed it to be a federal holiday thanks to the secular Santa Claus aspect of the holiday, and I guess that makes sense. Non-Christians do celebrate it without the religious aspects of Christmas.

Really, I'm just not sure if I want to get rid of Christmas because it would make obsolete all the great Christmas songs I've been playing for the past couple of weeks. I don't want the Kindercore Christmas comps to be obsolete!

I just want the right-wing Christians to admit that they get Christmas off thanks to Santa Claus, not Jesus. Sorry guys, it's not a foothold for the establishment of religion in government.

I don't know what else to say about that. I don't know if I won't to discuss it any further at the moment.

The real reason I'm making this post is because I just wrote a couple Christmas record reviews, but Mundane Sounds doesn't seem to be updating, so I'm going to post them both there. First, I'm posting a review of the Seasons Greetings from Pas/Cal & Asobi Seksu 12", and right after that will be a review of Cwistmas Twee.

So... here are the reviews. Merry Christmas everyone! And a Happy Krimble.

Various Artists
Season's Greetings from Pas/Cal and Asobi Seksu
Romantic Air

For the first release on Pas/Cal's new Romantic Air label, Pas/Cal and Asobi
Seksu have each contributed a Christmas cover song for this 12". Detroit indie
popsters Pas/Cal covered the mega-kitschy "Last Christmas" by Wham, and New
York shoegaze pop band Asobi Seksu covered the great Ramones classic, "Merry
Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)".

I'll address "Last Christmas" first. I have a little history with this song.
The first version of the song that I heard was by the female-fronted indiepop
band, Sarge. For those who don't know the song, its main lyrical sentiment
goes like this: "Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day you
gave it away. This year, I'm giving it to someone else." I'm not a huge fan of
Sarge, but I loved that cover. They did a great rendition, driven by slow,
heavily distorted guitar stabs and sweet, melodic vocals sung with an amazing
amount of passion. It seemed like they took the words seriously.

Oh yeah, I should mention that when I first heard Sarge's version, I thought
it was an original.

I don't know if you can imagine the disappointment and embarrassment that I
felt a little while later when I heard the original version by Wham come on the
radio. "You mean this song is actually a kitschy piece of '80s dance pop
shit?!" Needless to say, I felt very ritually unclean and bereft of indie cred
after that.

But really, it wasn't the song itself that was the problem, it was the people
who sung it. In the hands of Wham, it sounded like another heartless piece of
mass-produced pop tripe, delivered as casually as yet another one of your
aunt's Christmas fruitcakes. In the hands of Sarge, it sounded like a sugary
sweet, yet surprisingly sincere expression of heartbreak. An ironic cover that
didn't sound ironic at all.

So, what does it sound like in the hands of Pas/Cal?

Simply put, it sounds like fun. If you have some sort of Christmas-themed
indie DJ dance night, this is the version you're going to want to play. Pas/Cal's
version is done in a very upbeat '60s-influenced indiepop style, neither
taking the lyrics too seriously, nor singing them lackadaisically. When you hear
the cover, it's apparent that they put much effort into making it. It's
actually over 6 minutes long, but it's hardly repetitive. Lots of tempo and dynamic
changes abound, there are some rocking guitar solos, and they subtly and deftly
add and change instruments and riffs as the song progresses. Clearly, Pas/Cal
put more effort into arranging this cover than Wham put into writing,
arranging, and recording the original.

"Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)" is another story. Written
and performed by one of the most important, credible bands of all time, it
obviously has an agreeable pedigree. The song is a sentimental, yet realist plea
begging a significant other for a daylong cessation of relational discord. The
Ramones seemed to have been resolved to the idea that conflicts in
relationships are sometimes unavoidable... but damn it, it's Christmas, we love each
other (or I at least assume so), and Christmas is supposed to be a happy time.

For this cover, Asobi Seksu was wise enough not to mess with perfection, and
ladies and gentlemen, if you don't think "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to
Fight Tonight)" is is perfection, you simply have horrible music taste. I simply
refuse to accept the idea of relativist musical taste in this case. Anyway,
Asobi Seksu, knowing that significant modification of this song would be both
pretentious and unnecessary, play the cover almost completely straight and true
to the original. They play it with the same tempo and song structure. However,
they do manage to make it unique by playing the guitar part with the standard
distortion- and reverb-drenched shoegaze guitar, which adds an interesting
twist. And the other good twist is that, in case you didn't know, Asobi Seksu
has a female lead singer. Fans of female indiepop vocals know that having a
woman sing a song originally sung by a man can make that song sound better (or
maybe not better, just equally great in its own right). I dare say that I think
this version sounds cute, but I don't know if I should say that because
shoegaze isn't supposed to be cute. Then again, Asobi Seksu isn't your normal
shoegaze band.

And before ending this review, I should mention the cover art. It's
definitely not your normal cover art. As you can see, it features clay models of all
the members of Pas/Cal and Asobi Seksu, minature replicas of their instruments,
and a gingerbread house. It's just really cute, and it's a great incentive to
buy the album.

Oh, and now that I think of it, since Asobi Seksu allowed clay models of
themselves to appear in a snowy Christmas landscape in front of a gingerbread
house on the cover of this record, one could probably assume that they're just
asking to be referred to as "cute".

Artist website: http://www.pascalgoespop.com
Artist website: http://www.asobiseksu.com
Label website: http://www.romanticair.com

-------------------

Various Artists
Cwistmas Twee
Total Gaylord

There's a little blurb from Don Shumai in the liner notes where he mentions
hating the word "twee". I just want to make it known that unlike other people,
I actually love the word "twee" and mention my affiliation with it as much as
possible. To be honest, there was a time when I thought that "twee" was a
moronic-sounding word. But then I changed my mind.

What made me change my mind, you might wonder? I realized that when you say
"twee" with a high-pitched voice and extend the syllable (like saying
"wheeeeee!" when you go down a slide), it sounds really cute. Tweeeeeee!

Now, do you understand why "twee" is such an appropriate moniker for
hypercute pop music?

So, unlike other people, my only objection to the title is that pronouncing
it makes you sound like Elmer Fudd. People act funny when you start talking
like Elmer Fudd for no apparent reason, so I like to avoid that.

Damn you, Mr. Shumai! I reject your ironic mockery of my beloved subgenre!

Anyway, Cwistmas Twee is exactly (or almost exactly for reasons we'll get
into later) what the title implies. It's Kindercore Christmas Volume 3. Big,
important names from the newest school of tweepop bring you eleven delicious
(actually, ten... for reasons we'll get into later) cups of holiday cheer.

Actually, the name Cwistmas Twee is somewhat inaccurate because some of the
tracks on here are about winter, and there's also one Hanukkah song. Still, the
comparison to the Kindercore Christmas CDs is apt because the songs on the
Kindercore CDs weren't all about Christmas, either.

Since this is a special CD, I think it calls for a track-by-track review.
Let's go!

1. Colin Clary "Meow Meow"

Colin Clary, aka "The Prolific Smitten", starts off the CD with this
Christmas song dedicated to all the kitties out there. "I wish you love and lots of
tuna juice." There's also a little bit of a theme of tolerance for other
religions ("And if you don't believe in Christmas, that's okay. I still respect your
holiday."), as the time around the winter solstice is a time of celebration
for various faiths. A very cute start to the album.

2. The Icicles "Snowman Song"

I was disappointed with this one because the Icicles are one of my favorite
bands on this CD, and this song is previously released. I was hoping for a new
song by them to directly address Christmas. Anyway, if you're cool, you
already have this on MP3. If you're really cool, you bought their new CD, which
features this song.

For those who don't have this song, it's an upbeat song with a female
vocalist reflecting on the happiness she felt playing in the snow with her
significant other. The glockenspiel line on this one is really catchy.

3. Spoilsport "Snowball"

An '80s college rock-influenced (I mean that they sound kind of like the
Replacements) song in which the singer implores a significant other to go out into
the snow hand in hand with him instead of staying inside. I like this better
than anything by the 'Mats because it has great female backing vocals.

4. The Specific Heats "Winter Fashions"

A catchy '60s-style pop song with some great organ. Like the title says, this
song glorifies sweaters, earmuffs, and other pieces of winter clothing. This
song makes the controversial assertion that "Girls look cuter in winter
clothes." I'm not sure if I agree, but it's an interesting statement to make
nonetheless.

This song is probably in a Gap or Old Navy commercial in an alternate
universe.

5. The Lil' Hospital "Dear Scrooge"

A nice low key acoustic/electric hybrid with great use of melodica. The
lyrics to this song are in the form of a letter to Scrooge begging him for an early
paycheck because the money is needed for rent and Christmas.

6. Shumai "California Christmas"

I don't know why Don Shumai is making fun of tweeness in the liner notes
because this is a cute boy-girl pop song. As you might infer from the title, the
song is about going to California for Christmas in order to escape the snow.

I just don't know what's with your posturing, Mr. Shumai. This song is quite
twee, and I think I'm going to find you and hug you someday just out of spite.

7. The Smittens "Good Migrations"

Another previously-released track, and the sole Hanukkah song on here. I was
hoping that they'd try their hand at a Christmas song. Anyway, if you're cool,
you already have this on MP3. If you're super-duper, ultra-indie hipster
cool, you already have this on 7". This was supposed to be on the sequel to I Made
It Out of Clay, the excellent indiepop Hanukkah compilation that Little
Shirley Beans released a few years ago. No, I have no idea if that's still coming
out.

Anyway, this song is extra cute. Yes, extra cute. It's about moving to a
warmer climate to avoid a snowy, cold Hanukkah, because "When you feel the sun on
your skin and a warm breeze through your hair, you'll never want to let the
light go out." The female backing vocals during the parts where they list
possible sites of relocation (Cape Town, Santiago, Auckland, etc.) are just precious.

8. The Sheets "The Fruit of the Spirit of Christmas"

Acoustic pop backed with electronic drum tracks. This is a very sentimental
song about the warmth of Christmas in the midst of the cold, and the singer
reminisces about building snowmen with his family before going off to see his
grandparents. A very Norman Rockwell-esque nondysfunctional portrayal of family
togetherness at Christmas, and they don't sound like they're being ironic about
it at all.

9. The Diskettes "Noel"

The Diskettes were one of the main reasons why I was excited about this CD.
They're probably the best band in Canada at the moment because Sloan just sucks
now. They have a minimalist acoustic approach to pop with lots of boy-girl
dueting.

At first, I thought this song was some sort of traditional French-Canadian
Christmas carol, but a search for all the lyrics online yielded no results, so I
guess this is original. I love this song, but I don't know if I could
describe it in a way to do it justice. The verses have lyrics like "You heard it
carried by the wind, you heard it rising from the creek," followed by the words
"With love" (but sung like "lo-o-o-o-ve"). The chorus is "Noel, noel" followed
by some lyrics in French. This appeal of this song is subtle, and mostly in the
delivery, so this is probably one that you have to hear to appreciate. And if
you do hear it, I'm sure you definitely will appreciate it.

10. Snoozer "Sub-Zero"

A moog-driven song about the torturous cold of winter. These lyrics say it
all: "Sub-zero. I'm all alone. My feet are buried in the snow. If I can make it
through another winter, I can make it through anything."

11. Thee Moths "Summer Tastes Wrong"

Remember when I said there were only ten, not eleven, delicious cups of
holiday cheer on this CD? Here's why.

Is it just me, or is there some alarming trend with theme compilations where
some band will submit a boring IDM/noise track that has very little to do with
the theme of the compilation, if at all? Well, this is the album's boring IDM
track.

I'm surprised that this would suck so much because I've heard a couple of
Thee Moths tracks, and they were pretty good pop songs. Listen, Thee Moths, I
know you could do better! I can't believe that you'd just cop out like this. You
should have just gone back and actually tried to make a good pop song that
fits this compilation's theme. Hell, a straight, a capella rendition of "Jingle
Bells" would have been preferable to this. Save the IDM/noise stuff for the
unlisted track at the end of your CD.

And a note to all compilation arrangers... I don't know if there's some sort
of ironic joke connected with this putting unrelated IDM/noise tracks on theme
compilations trend, but it's not funny, and it has to stop. Why can't you
have some standards and draw the line somewhere? The songs on your compilation
don't have to all be mindblowingly great, but they don't have to be boring and
unlistenable either.

Anyway, that's it. I'm sorry the CD had to end on that note, but the other
ten tracks are worth it. This album is the successor to the Kindercore Christmas
comps, and it's a must-have for any indiepop fan.

Label website: http://www.totalgaylordrecords.com

------------------

As a reward for reading through all this stuff, here's a link to MP3s of the Beatles' Christmas records.

playlist for december 20, 2004

set 1 (9:05-9:37)

The Microphones "Silent Night" Live in Japan
Colin Clary "Meow Meow" Cwistmas Twee
Busytoby "Hyun's Snowy Night" Kindercore Christmas Two
The Catskills "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" Kindercore Fifty
Silkworm "Merry Christmas" The My Pal God Holiday Record
Of Montreal "Christmas Isn't Safe For Animals" If He Is Protecting Our Nation, Then Who Will Protect Big Oil, Our Children?
The Lil' Hospital "Dear Scrooge" Cwistmas Twee
Yo La Tengo "It's Christmas Time" Merry Christmas From Yo La Tengo
The Ramones "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)" (UK single version) Punk Rock Xmas
They Might Be Giants "Santa's Beard" Lincoln
Dressy Bessy "All the Right Reasons" Little Music
The Simpsons "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (from the first episode of the show)
Lunchbox "Christmas Time Is Here" Kindercore Christmas Two]
Harry and the Potters "Wizard Chess" Harry and the Potters

set 2 (9:53-10:27)

Pas/Cal "Last Christmas" Seasons Greetings from Pas/Cal & Asobi Seksu
Juan Schwartz and the South Park Children's Choir "Dead, Dead, Dead" Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics
The Frogs "Merry Xmas" Here Comes Santa's Pussy 7"
Wesley Willis "Gingerbread Knocked Me Out" Greatest Hits Volume 4
Kristin Hersh "Jesus Christ" The Holy Single
James Kochalka Superstar "Frosty Medusa" The Tarquin Records All Star Holiday Extravaganza
James Kochalka Superstar "Beautiful Xmas Lights" The Tarquin Records All Star Holiday Extravaganza
The Philistines Jr. "Angels We Have Heard On High" The Tarquin Records All Star Holiday Extravaganza
James & Kling "A Terrorist Christmas" Dr. Demento Holidays In Dementia
The Simpsons "O Whacking Day" (from that one episode with Barry White)
Junior Varsity "Don't Believe In Christmas" Kindercore Christmas Two
Shumai "California Christmas" Cwistmas Twee
Boyracer "Boxing Day" A Christmas Present to You From Zero Hour

set 3 (10:35-11:00)

Archers of Loaf "Assassination on X-mas Eve" All the Nations Airports
Asobi Seksu "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)" Seasons Greetings from Pas/Cal & Asobi Seksu
The Pogues "Fairytale of New York" If I Should Fall From Grace With God
Mr. Mackey "Carol of the Bells" Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics
The Diskettes "Noel" Cwistmas Twee
Shonen Knife "Space Christmas" The Birds & the B-Sides
Yo La Tengo "Santa Claus Goes Modern" Merry Christmas From Yo La Tengo
The Simpsons "Simpsons Christmas Boogie" (from that episode where the Simpsons have that variety show spinoff)
Kiki & Herb "People Die" (?)

"you're just about my everything"

A few quick notes...

I didn't get a chance to say on the air that about 15 minutes before the end of the show, someone in the Netherlands tuned into the webstream. That's really cool because the Netherlands is a liberal paradise. They know how to keep government out of people's bedrooms.

My review of the new Icicles CD is on Mundane Sounds today. That's what I wanted you to check out when I mentioned it on the show today.

More Christmas songs next week. I had a lot of good stuff that I didn't get to next week. The Colin Clary solo song on the Cwistmas Twee album is really cute. And hopefully, that Pas/Cal / Asobi Seksu split 7" will show up before Monday.

I don't think I have anything else to say right now...

playlist for december 13, 2004

set 1 (9:07-9:35)

Neutral Milk Hotel "Three Peaches" On Avery Island
Dressy Bessy "All the Right Reasons" Little Music
The Smittens "Good Migrations" Cwistmas Twee
The Icicles "Snowman" A Hundred Patterns
Kisswhistle "Verhanukkah" I Made It Out of Clay
The Ghetto Squirrels "O X-mas Tree How Have We Forsaken Thee" In a Nut Shell
Eric Cartman "O Holy Night (cattle prod version)" (?)
Metronome "Hanukkah Girl" I Made It Out of Clay
The Diskettes "Noel" Cwistmas Twee
They Might Be Giants "Feast of Lights" Festival of Light 2

set 2 (9:53-10:19)

Shonen Knife "Space Christmas" The Birds and the B-Sides
Yo La Tengo "Rock N Roll Santa" Merry Christmas From Yo La Tengo
Gumdrop Alley "It's All Hanukkah from here on in" I Made It Out of Clay
Six Cents and Natalie "Secret Santa (You Could Be the One)" Kindercore Christmas Two
Winterbrief "Menorah Mall" I Made It Out of Clay
The Sheets "The fruit of the Spirit of Christmas" Cwistmas Twee
Wesley Willis "Merry Christmas" (?)
Harry and the Potters "The Yule Ball" Harry and the Potters
Harry and the Potters "The Missing Arm of Viktor Krum" Voldemort Can't Stop the Rock!

set 3 (10:31-11:00)

Harry and the Potters "Wizard Chess" Harry and the Potters
Sonic Youth "Santa Doesn't Cop Out on Dope" Just Say Noel
The Rondelles "Angels We've Heard on High" Shined Nickels and Loose Change
Boyish Charms "Theme for a Defiled Temple" I Made It Out of Clay
Sarge "Last Christmas" Distant
Of Montreal "My Favorite Christmas (In a Hundred Words or Less)" Kindercore Christmas In Stereo
Eric Cartman "O Holy Night" Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics
The Swirlies "Christmas In Kenmore Square" The Tarquin Records All Star Holiday Extravaganza
Miracle Legion "Little Drummer Boy" New Wave Xmas
The Icicles "Sugar Sweet" A Hundred Patterns


fin

okay, seriously... can any right-wingers really stand to listen to this show for more than 10 seconds?

So, yes, today I got another right wing call. I was talking about why I was considering not playing any holiday songs this year, and I mentioned being angry at religion for getting Dubya re-elected. So, after I got off the air, a caller asked me why I'm "angry at the religion of Hanukkah". And I told him that I guess I'm more angry at Christianity because it was more responsible for the unfortunate outcome of the election. But guess what... he was a Dubya fan! Yes, a right wing Jew listened to my show today. (I wish I had left wing Jews listen to my show. Like Dana from the Smittens. Or Mirah. That would be so cool if they listened to my show.) Anyway, he said something about admiring Bush and what he's done for our nation in respects to social policy. So, in answer to that, I had to mention homosexuality. So, he said the usual rhetoric about protecting marriage, but then he brought up an interesting point. It was a variation of the domino theory (if you redefine marriage to allow gays to marry, then you can't discriminate and you have to allow everyone else to marry). What he did was ask me if a consensual relationship between a father and an adult child should be considered marriage. Now that's a conundrum. When it comes to the domino theory, I can easily give reasons for discounting bestiality (animals can't give informed consent) and polygamy (the economic implications are too difficult to deal with). But incest is trouble for the secularist. So, when he asked me what I thought about that, I said that I didn't know.

A couple people have mentioned genetic defects from inbreeding. That's actually a rhetorical trap. If you say that genetic defects in offspring are a reason for denial of marriage, you pretty much admit that marriage is meant for procreative purposes. However, someone in addition said that such marriages could be allowed if the spouses are sterilized. That's also trouble, though. At that point, you're saying that you believe in eugenics. You probably want to avoid saying that. That takes the conversation into different territory. Very crafty.

So, this brings up a dilemma. Either, you find another objective, non-religious reason for rejecting incestual marriage, or you admit that it's okay. Of course, admitting that it's okay is trouble. Is it just me, or is the stigma attached to inbreeding stronger than the negative feelings people have for homosexuality? If you say that inbreeding is okay, people will stop taking you seriously and lose all respect for your arguments.

I guess I have to figure out another scientific reason why consensual relationships between family members are bad. Can anyone think of any?

And at some point in the conversation, I said something about the alliance between right wing Christians and Jews, how Christians are supporting Israel because they want Israel to fulfill its role in bringing about the events foretold in Revelations. He just said something about it being good that Christians and Jews are getting along and that it's good to support Israel because it's the only democracy in the Middle East. I just said that I hope Iraq becomes a democracy, too. Which I do. I certainly don't want it to be a totalitarian Muslim state.

Anyway, because of that, I dedicated "The Palestianians Are Not the Same Thing as the Rebel Alliance, Jackass" by Atom and His Package to him. I don't know if he heard it.

He was actually nice throughout the whole conversation and said he was enjoying the show. He also said something about being able to be right wing and listen to "far out music" at the same time.

I'm not sure how much programming he's listened to before on the station. ^_^

In other news, I got notification that the Cwistmas Twee comp was put in the mail today. That should mean that I'll get it before next week's show. YAY!

That's it for now. I hope you liked that 14 Year Old Girls interview that I played today and that it was enjoyable even without the visual component.

playlist for december 6, 2004

set 1 (9:07-9:48)

Geoff Pickering "Love Is Sweet, But Candy Is..." Candycore!
Kisswhistle "My Date With Rachael Sweet" First String Teenage High
Murder Beach "8 Great Ways" First String Teenage High
Earl-Jean "I'm Into Something Good" Tomorrow I'll Be Sixteen (finally I'm playing something else from those tapes I bought from Calvin)
Dinosaur Jr. "Show Me the Way" Fossils
The Icicles "Rock and Roll Girl" A Hundred Patterns
Oval-Teen "Flying Silver Rocket Ships" A Million Shades of...
Oval-Teen "Eight Great Days" I Made It Out of Clay
William Shatner (w/Henry Rollins) "I Can't Get Behind That" Has Been
Le Tigre "Don't Drink Poison" This Island
The Blow "Come On Petunia" Poor Aim: Love Songs
The Icicles "I Wanna Know" A Hundred Patterns

set 2 (9:58-10:23)

Boyracer "I Thought Even More of You When You Told Me You Wanted Me Dead" Happenstance
Boyracer "The Others Way" Happenstance
Ash "Goldfinger" 1977
Snoozer "Sweaterweather" Winter Stops All Sound
They Might Be Giants "Feast of Lights" Festival of Lights 2
The Icicles "Ralphy Rodiguez" A Hundred Patterns
The Smittens "Gentlefication Now! (the La La La Song)" Gentlefication Now!
The Smittens "Good Migrations" download from their website
Mirah "Jerusalem" C'mon Miracle

set 3 (10:38-11:00)

Atom and His Package "The Palestinians Are Not the Same Thing as the Rebel Alliance, Jackass" Attention! Blah Blah Blah!
Atom and His Package "What WE Do on Christmas" Making Love
14 Year Old Girls "Game Trafficking" Strategy Guide
14 Year Old Girls "GEM Interview" EGM EP
14 Year Old Girls "Grand Theft Auto 3" Zombies Out, Robots In
Morrissey "I Have Forgiven Jesus" You Are the Quarry
The Icicles "Pretty" A Hundred Patterns
The Icicles "Snowman" A Hundred Patterns

fin

cwistmas twee?!

Okay, I definitely have to play Christmas music this year. There are a couple important reasons why. One of them is this new Pas/Cal/Asobi Seksu split 7". One side is Pas/Cal doing Wham's "Last Christmas", and the other is Asobi Seksu doing the Ramones' "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)". The sample MP3s sound so fucking good. I hope they ship it to me before my last show before Christmas. The other reason is this compilation called Cwistmas Twee (not a typo). It's Christmas songs from a bunch of great bands like the Smittens, the Diskettes, Snoozer, Colin Clary, and the Icicles. It's probably what Kindercore Christmas Volume 3 would sound like. I hope that gets here soon, too.

Speaking of the Icicles, I just got their new CD... OMG! teh Icic135 r teh r0x0rz! Of course, it's great and I'm going to play multiple songs from it tomorrow.

Hopefully they'll tour soon and we can have that show with them and the Twilight that we've been trying to get to happen since last summer.

In other news, Black Cabbage is no more. They are now calling themselves Iron Oxide. I guess the name change is warranted. They do sound like a different band. They abadoned their duo-based method, have less lyrics, and seem more like all-out noise. (MP3's are at http://www.blackcabbage.com if you don't know what I mean.) I'm going to miss Black Cabbage, but I guess it's inevitable. All part of the Moebius Strip of Sucking. It sucks out one side of the ass, goes back in, and sucks out the other side of the ass. And so on.

Maybe I'll start a band called Black Cabbage and play all their old songs. I don't have a bass, though. I'll have to EQ the fuck out of my guitar. It'll sound like shit.

And I'll probably have to do it solo. So, I think I'll have to use a crazy delay on my guitar to make it sound like two are being played at the same time. So, it'll sound like echoey shit.

Anyway... I don't know when I'll start playing holiday stuff. I don't know if I want to play any tomorrow or if I'll want to wait another week. Hanukkah starts at sundown on the 7th. So, maybe I'll play some of the few Hanukkah songs that I have. Or not. Does anyone care? I don't think any Jewish people listen to me because I've alienated religious people.

People will care about Christmas songs, though, since Christmas has been bastardized into a steaming heap of secular consumerism thanks to good Ol' Saint Nick. That's why they get away with Christmas being a federal holiday. The courts said Santa Claus made it secular. Of course, we'll see if they stuff Jesus back into Christmas thanks to the control that the religious right has.

But I digress... we'll get that classic Run-DMC on for you and that cute Dressy Bessy song where they sing "Driedel, dreidel", too, at some point.

If someone happens to suddenly release an indiepop Kwanzaa album, I'll make sure to get that on, too.

Okay, somebody request something good now...

Edit: I can't find my Icicles CD this morning. This show is going to fucking suck because of that. Don't bother listening now.

Edit of the Edit: Never mind. I found it! It was hiding inside my notebook! Go ahead and listen! This show is going to kick ass now!