Actually existing music

Let's just say it's been a busy week and at the last minute things came together as they usually do. It's radio and I can afford to be vague, let the music do the talking, you know. Some surprises today in the studio: a few new discoveries, some old acquaintances about whom I'd forgotten. To start, I fell back on Wye Oak's "Take It In": reliable, cathartic, and long enough in duration for me to get sorted. Then onward to "Saskatoon," a gritty track from a gritty band, from one of last year's more depressing albums.

All tremolo guitar and vocal layering, Warpaint earned a spot on the new True Blood Soundtrack, which has, for some reason, appeared on CJSR's shelves; Surfer Blood's new-ish release also finally arrived and, despite my best hopes for another Astro Coast, it's a bit of a dud. Crosss's Obsidian Spectre still sporadically haunts my dreams and Yo La Tengo's mature jangle-pop makes the prospect of growing older a little less daunting. Moderat's very cool Charles Burns-y album cover was enough to pique my interest in the second collab between Berlin's electronic aficionados, Apparat and Modeselektor.

And, finally, thanks to Guilt Ridden Pop for some all-girl punk abrasion (Kitten Forever) and some very American indie pop. Now that Patrick Stolley's made himself known (he also happens to be a founding member of Daytrotter.com), we haven't heard the last of the Multiple Cat, who will no doubt be coming back.



"Take It In" - Wye Oak - The Knot
"Saskatoon" - PS I Love You - Death Dreams
"Smoke" - Crosss - Obsidian Spectre
"Undertow" - Warpaint - The Fool
"Demons" - Surfer Blood - Pythons
"Black Ice" - Kitten Forever - Pressure
"The Lapping Sea" - Energetic Action - Becoming
"Ruby" - Louise Burns - The Midnight Mass
"Ohm" - Yo La Tengo - Fade
"Versions" - Moderat - II
"Vampire Bats / Mall Rats" - The Multiple Cat - The Return of the Multiple Cat
"Shake Some Evil" - Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet - Savvy Show Stoppers