Sunday, May 11, 2014

Mother's Day

This week we aired our Mother's Day special: another eclectic playlist with a some semi-relevant, mother-themed tracks thrown in for good measure. From silly folk songs to heart-wrenching ballads and indictments of systemic injustices, it's an odd mix of tunes from across the map.

After Robert Pollard's tale of how he met his mother, we heard Neil Young and Crazy Horse's social commentary and Ghostface (Killa's) tribute to struggling moms. Next, we took a brief detour into some brand new stuff from Abbotsford, BC (Open Letters) and Montreal (Ought), and we heard what was arguably the creepiest song of our playlist (though Billy Corgan wasn't far off) from The Knife. The title track from Damon Albarn's new solo release was another off-topic selection that managed to make the cut. But from there onward, we stuck to songs about mothers or the lack thereof. Mary Gauthier pondered her own journey to adulthood without a mother, while Sun Kil Moon's Mark Kozelek revealed his mother's potential absence to be his greatest fear. Next, we heard an off colour song from the Yukon's Spring Breakup about mothers and wives, and, finally, we endured the rare treat of listening to Billy Corgan' remarkable tribute to his late mother from 1998's Adore.
    

"How I Met My Mother" - Guided by Voices
"Welfare Mothers" - Neil Young and Crazy Horse
"Mamma" - Ghostface
"This Song Was Supposed To Be Called 'Existence Is Futile' But Revocation Stole It From Us" - Open Letters
"Habit" - Ought
"We Share Our Mother's Health" - The Knife
"Everyday Robots" - Damon Albarn
"Mother Here, Mother Gone" - Mary Gauthier
"I Can't Live Without My Mother's Love" - Sun Kil Moon
"Mother and Wife" - Spring Breakup
"For Martha" - Smashing Pumpkins

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Unsafe, unsure

Start at 1:15 to hear Halifax ex-pats Each Other kick things off with an assortment of brash melodies. Some darker, dancier stuff came next from Calgary's Mark Mills, Toronto's Think About Life, and Brooklyn provocateurs Liars. Next, we heard from Germany's endearing indie poppers The Notwist, a new project by Gord Downie and the Sadies, and revived 90s hard rock heroes The Afghan Whigs. Our newly established "Pick of the Week" (name subject to change) was claimed by Edmonton singer-songwriter Marlaena Moore, who followed EMA's tortured concept art and Coeur de Pirate's respectable Linda Ronstadt cover. The show came to an end with a pair of torch songs: the first, Future Islands' enchanting anthem "Spirit"; the second, Germany Germany's bandcamp-approved "Reconnect."
 

"Swell Patterns" - Each Other
"Escape Artists" - Mark Mills
"The Velt" - Think About Life
"Vox Tuned DED" - Liars
"Kong" - The Notwist
"Crater" - Gord Downie, the Sadies, and the Conquering Sun
"Matamoros" - The Afghan Whigs
"When She Comes" - EMA
"Heartbeats Accelerating" - Coeur de Pirate
"Unsafe, Unsure" - Marlaena Moore*
"Spirit" - Future Islands
"Reconnect" - Germany Germany


*Pick of the Week (or something)