It's inevitable

"What's inevitable?" you ask. Birthdays. Birthdays are inevitable. Or at least, that's what a song by Royal Canoe has taught me.

I was hoping that I could make up for last year's birthday themed episode (no link, sorry!) with something less gratuitous and self-absorbed. But Trevor wouldn't let me get away it.
 

"Check in" - Cibo Matto
"Witches finger" - Babysitter
"You suck" - Hagface
"American horror" - Speedy Ortiz
"Don't let it bring you down (live)" - Neil Young
"Oh my friends" - Nap Eyes
"Caramel" - Connan Mockasin
"A simple beautiful truth" - Wild Beasts
"Don't look back" - Mark Sultan
"Dragon egg" - Diamond Mind
"Sea of white" - Tough Age
"Brother" - Mac DeMarco
"Bunker Buster" - Viet Cong

Spring succeeds

What better way to usher in the warm weather than with some swell tunes? Trevor and I have got you covered. Get ready for a lot of adjectives.

We started with the show's namesake, a gem from The Olivia Tremor Control's under-appreciated classic from 1996, Music from the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle. From there, we heard some Canadian indie jams from Montreal (Each Other) and Edmonton (Jom Comyn, Creaks). Our folk set included the frequently played Bill Callahan, the recently discovered Livingston, and the inimitable Gillian Welch. Some punkier stuff came next: from Mission of Burma's classic Vs., we entered the "Weatherbox," then heard Julie Doiron spill her lungs, and joined Thee Oh Sees for "AA warm breeze." Baltimore's Future Islands led us back to a more romantic perspective and Temples delivered a healthy dose of psych-rock before Victoria's Hush Pup took us on a weird trip through the desert.



"Spring succeeds" - The Olivia Tremor Control
"Ash mound" - Each Other
"Busy dreams" - Jom Comyn
"Daydream" - Creaks
"Spring" - Bill Callahan
"I am a weary immaterial labourer in a post-industrial wasteland" - Livingston
"Winter’s come and gone" - Gillian Welch
"Weatherbox" - Mission of Burma
"Spill yer lungs" - Julie Doiron
"AA warm breeze" - Thee Oh Sees
"Seasons (waiting on you)" - Future Islands
"Sun structures" - Temples "Dusty rose" - Hush Pup

Long Distance Four

This episode aired two weeks late, but it's definitely one of our best. I was in Toronto for Reading Week so Trevor took sole control of the show and used his newfound freedom to craft a playlist that was near and dear to his heart (it's all music from Ontario artists). He also called me to discuss the recent announcement of a Constantines reunion. As a big WireTap fan and an even bigger Constantines fan, I couldn't have been happier.

A Northern Chorus - "No Stations" from The Millions Too Many
100 Mile House - "Queen St." from Hollow Ponds
AroarA - "#14" from In The Pines
Sarah Harmer - "Escarpment Blues" from I'm A Mountain
Constantines - "Young Lions (acoustic)" from Too Slow for Love
Constantines - "Brother Run Them Down" from Kensington Heights
Elliott Brood - "Hold You" from Days Into Years
Magnetta Lane - "Good For" from Witchrock
By Diving Right - "No One Can Fix Me" from Organized Accidents
Broken Social Scene - "Windsurfing Nation" from Broken Social Scene
Austra - "Beat And The Pulse" from Feel It Break

International Women's Day

This Saturday is International Women's Day so Trevor and I thought we'd put together a playlist made up exclusively of female artists. The only exception was the show's cheeky intro, provided by Flight of the Concords (remember when they were kind of a big deal?). There was some debate about whether the track was appropriate. Eventually we agreed that it was more or less consistent with the show, given the fact that there were no women present in the recording booth; just a lot of self-aware male posturing.

My embarrassment was nearly audible, but it was soon remedied with Brooklyn funk/soul outfit Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. From there it was smooth sailing: we began with a handful of artists from British Columbia including Kandle and her pal Louise Burns, as well as garage rock duo The Pack A.D. Next, we heard the strange grooves of Argentina's Juana Molina and marked the show's halfway point with Alsara and the Nubatones.

Taking her cue from PJ Harvey and Tori Amos, Natasha Khan (aka Bat for Lashes) gave us an inspiring piano ballad (my "torch song," apparently) about refusing to compromise. We mellowed out with a track from Marissa Nadler's excellent new album, July and revisited a CJSR staple from Edmonton's Jessica Jalbert. St. Vincent's industrial beats provided a good warm-up for an infectious track by Karol Conka, and we closed with a witty number by Vancouver's Hannah Georgas. Finally, with two minutes to go, I was able to sneak in a classic from The Breeder's 1993 album Last Splash.


"Ladies of the World" - Flight of the Concords
"We Get Along" - Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
"Control Me" - Kandle
"Airborne" - The Pack A.D.
"Emeralds Shatter" - Louise Burns
"Ferocisimo" - Juana Molina
"Habibi Taal" - Alsara and the Nubatones
"Travelling Woman" - Bat for Lashes
"Was it a Dream" - Marissa Nadler
"Lack of a Lake" - Jessica Jalbert
"Every Tear Disappears" - St. Vincent
"Gandaia" - Karol Conka
"Shorty" - Hannah Georgas
"Divine Hammer" - The Breeders