Limits of the Diaphane

Like he did for the week of Mother's Day, Mark Kozelek (aka Sun Kil Moon) opened this week's show with a meditation on parenthood, this time in the form of a belated Father's Day tribute. "I Love My Dad" isn't quite as sappy as "I Can't Live Without My Mother's Love" (and perhaps a bit more tongue in cheek), but it's got the same rambling, self-effacing honesty that runs through the whole Benji, without a doubt one my favourite releases of the year so far.

Our show originally aired the day after Bloomsday and we couldn't resist making mention of the annual celebration James Joyce's Ulysses (from which this week's rather pretentious title comes), a novel certainly interested in mothers and fathers, both real and imagined. We'll try to make more of our literary cross-overs in future episodes. For now, let's enjoy them as digressions.

This week Trevor and I were especially both captivated by the catchy garage rock of Cold Beat, the project of Lillian Maring (of Grass Widow), which I discovered through a mixtape that another featured favourite, Each Other, had put together for Under the Radar's Sled Island preview. Following the carefree melodies of Cold Beat, we met with the latest from Matador: Lower, four-piece punk ensemble from Copenhagen, whose intensity is truly chilling.

After hearing from Each Other's Being Elastic, we had a chance to play one of many highlights from the re-released Frog Eyes album Carey's Cold Spring. Former Edmontonian, now Montrealer, Sean Nicholas Savage provided the most sultry and poignant contribution to this week's playlist with "Heartless" from his recent LP, Bermuda Waterfall. "Heartless" was a fitting precursor to the moody, slow-rocking "Hotel," the centerpiece from Antlers' brand new effort Familiars.

Carey's Cold Spring wasn't the only Polaris Prize nominated album on our playlist. Manitoba-based Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq delivered an inspired cover of the Pixies' song "Caribou" from her new album, Animism. Next we heard the latest from the Dan Snaith, whose monikers Caribou and Daphni arrived back-to-back: first, with a new, impossibly addictive single "Can't Do Without You," and next with a reworking of a track by the Nigerian funk pioneer William Onyeabor, which comes courtesy of David Byrne's Luaka Bop label.

Our show ended with an additional pair of unannounced electronic artists: Tobacco (Thomas Fec of Black Moth Super Rainbow) and Germany Germany (an independent artist from Victoria, BC).

"I Love My Dad" - Sun Kil Moon
"Worms" - Cold Beat
"Lost Weight, Perfect Skin" - Lower
"Scared Witless, Really" - Each Other
"The Country Child" - Frog Eyes
"Heartless" - Sean Nicholas Savage
"Hotel" - Antlers
"Caribou" - Tanya Tagaq
"Can't Do Without You" - Caribou
"Yea" - William Onyeabor (Daphni remix)
"Pool City, McKnight Road" - Tobacco
"Find Your Way" - Germany Germany