Interrobang

Trevor and I found ourselves trading favourites on this week's show. He had his Japandroids and Jenn Grant, I had my Archers of Loaf and Hush Pup, and the airwaves were grateful. (The way Archers of Loaf singer Eric Bachmann sings the word "weird" is pure 90s magic.) We also heard new stuff from Timber Timbre and Chad VanGaalen among others.

If the title of this week's show is unfamiliar to you, have no fear: we explain it partway through the show. Or you could just ask the internet.

Skip ahead about four minutes to arrive at the beginning of our show.



"One" - Yamantaka // Sonic Titan
"The House That Heaven Built" - Japandroids
"Web in Front" - Archers of Loaf
"War Between" - Huron
"The Fighter" - Jenn Grant
"Curtains!?" - Timber Timbre
"Décapote" - La Patère Rose
"Sign 11:11" - Hush Pup
"Monster" - Chad VanGaalen
"Lucky" - Magnetta Lane
"Shy-Town" - Gorillaz
"Hate" - Charisma.com
"Black Panther" - Crystal Castles

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

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

Head south?

Despite the blizzard raging outside, today's show went off without a hitch, thanks in part to some familiar stand-bys. I felt pretty "on" today. It probably had something to do with the fact that my homework was done and my lunch was prepared prior to the show. (Usually I'm scrambling to make it to class on time and I end up skipping lunch.)

Following Deerhunter's already timeless "Back to the Middle" from this year's Monomania, we took an early electronic detour with a winter jam from Montreal's Braids, an off-kilter romp from Winnipeg's Royal Canoe, some sounds of isolation from Halifax's Ryan Hemsworth, and a heady new track from Beck.

Next, Winnipeg's Greg Macpherson joined Haley Primrose for slow-burner from his new effort, Firecracker. He was followed rudely by former Edmontonian Mac DeMarco (who lets out a classy belch right before launching into a romantic number from last year's 2); after Mac redeemed himself, we heard a sobering classic from Cat Power's Chan Marshall and a brand new track from Halifax lo-fi bruisers Dog Day.

Part 2 of the show began with Texas crooners Shearwater putting their stamp on St Vincent's "Cheerleader," one of a dozen covers from their just released album Fellow Travellers. From there we heard a live take of Jason Molina's Magnolia Electric Co. playing their Crazy Horse inspired "The Dark Don't Hide It." Next, Spencer Krug delivered a song based on the motif of Noah's ark and The Hold Steady's Craig Finn donated a song to Slim, the former guitarist for the Replacements and namesake of a new compilation album raising money to help him pay for his outrageous medical bills. Today's show ended without much fuss: after some acoustic grunge from Brooklyn's Palehound and we closed with sensibly titled song from Modest Mouse. Head south? For this guy, that means going to Winnipeg.



"Back to the Middle" - Deerhunter
"December" - Braids
"Button Fumbla" - Royal Canoe
"Still Cold (feat. Baths) - Ryan Hemsworth
"Defriended" - Beck
"Tourists" - Greg Macpherson
"Still Together" - Mac DeMarco
"Nude as the News" - Cat Power
"Sunset" - Dog Day
"Cheerleader" - Shearwater
"The Dark Don't Hide It" - Magnolia Electric Co.
"Everyone is Noah Everyone is the Ark" - Moonface
"Isn't It?" - Craig Finn and Friends
"Pet Carrot" - Palehound
"Head South" - Modest Mouse

Glamour in the Hammer?

Sadly, I have no MP3 to post this week. CJSR's server was down for a good chunk of time and my show was one its many victims. It's a shame not only because of the great slew of tracks you'll see listed below, but also because I got to discuss the upcoming Grey Cup final (to which I am mostly completely oblivious) with Trevor. Earlier on Monday morning, he had sent in a request for the Whitehorse song "No Glamour in the Hammer," a tribute to his hometown Tiger-Cats who'll be facing off against the Saskatchewan Rough Riders in Regina this Sunday. And although I'm pretty naive when it comes to Canadian (or American) football, I do know that when you play against the Riders in Saskatchewan, the odds will not be in your favour. Hamilton needs all the help it can get. Trevor came by the show to provide more context for his requested song. The "Hammer" refers, of course, to Hamilton (I embarrassingly failed to pick up on this) and the song contains a bunch of other references to the underdog Ontario city.

So that was the show's highlight and I'm sorry if you missed it. All things considered, I'll probably spin a bunch of these tracks again next week. Maybe we'll be celebrating a Hamilton win and I'll have another opportunity to play Trevor's request.

"This Lonely Morning" - Best Coast
"No Glamour in the Hammer" - Whitehorse
"Forgiven/Forgotten" - Angel Olsen
"Uninvited Guest" - Eamon McGrath
"Tugboat" - Joanna Gruesome
"Sleepsick" - Dinosaur Bones
"Love You Here" - Sebadoh
"Walking on Ayr" - Lab Coast
"Sure As Spring" - La Luz
"Cash In" - Solange
"Minstrel Rock" - Old and Weird
"Anytime" - Monomyth
"Can't Question Desire" - The You Are Minez
"Dust in the Gold Rush" - Swearin'
"Sleigh Ride" - Fuzz

Peace y'all

This week my show landed on Remembrance Day so I selected several songs about peace, conflict, and memory that may or may not have been relevant. Perhaps my choices reflect a greater sense of ambivalence about a day of commemoration that has, in many cases, become a celebration of Canada's ongoing militarization.

And so, for that reason, we began with a peace-themed stoner ballad from Chad VanGaalen, followed by an urgent cry for escape from Winnipeg's Cannon Bros. and a tribute to social incohesion from Women. After some great new stuff from Neko Case, La Luz, and Lou Barlow's Sebadoh, we heard some placid tracks from Deerhunter and from Winnipeg's Slow Leaves.

Sleater-Kinney's post-9/11 headbanger ("Combat Rock") asked some hard questions about political allegiance, while PJ Harvey's self-conscious remembering of the Great War ("The Colour of the Earth") seemed a fitting way to close out the program before observing a minute of silence at 11am.



"Peace on the Rise" - Chad VanGaalen
"Out of Here" - Cannon Bros.
"Untogether" - Women
"Remember" - Figurines
"Peace Signs" - Sharon Van Etten
"Night Still Comes" - Neko Case
"It's Alive" - La Luz
"Horns Surrounding Me" - Julia Holter
"Love You Here" - Sebadoh
"Memory Boy" - Deerhunter
"Calm and Serene" - Slow Leaves
"Master Hunter" - Laura Marling
"Combat Rock" - Sleater-Kinney
"Steal this Sound" - Constantines
"The Colour of the Earth" - PJ Harvey

Cold signs

Since Saturday evening's snowfall, it's been impossible to ignore the sad fact that winter is here. Indeed, we're all heading down the "Winter Road," as Bill Callahan somberly put it in the show's opening song. But it wasn't all self-pitying ballads about the cold signs of our current climate. We heard a highlight from Julie Doiron's recent classic I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day, some dreamy shoe-gaze from Philidelphia's A Sunny Day in Glasgow, and a lackadaisical jam from Kurt Vile latest, Walkin' on a Pretty Daze.

The show's centrepiece, however, was a pair of back-to-back tracks from Bruce Cockburn. After spinning his jazzy bummer "The Coldest Night of the Year," I had to let Bruce deliver a more traditional pick-me-up, this time from 1978's Further Adventures Of. I'm a real sucker for the jazz flute. From there, we headed to Montreal to hear from a 30-piece orchestra known as Land of Kush and to witness some fantastic noise work from Tim Hecker. Julia Holter's eerie track from Loud City Song allowed us to transition out of Hecker's ambient experiments into the hook-driven garage rock of Edmonton's Switches and Bass Drum of Death (with an expansive new track from Yamantaka // Sonic Titan thrown in for good measure).

Before I could continue, I was politely interrupted by Trevor, a recurring guest on the show, who had just returned from the Conservative Party convention in Calgary. Don't worry. He wasn't there celebrate our country's embarrassing status quo -- he was there as a reporter for one of CJSR's flagship news shows, Terra Informa.

We ended the hour somewhat bashfully, with a crowd-pleaser from the Arcade Fire, you know, because they're having such a rough go of it right now. And just in case you're not yet tired of hearing about them, you can follow this link to read my take on their new album.



"Winter Road" - Bill Callahan
"Heavy Snow" - Julie Doiron
"100/0 (Snow Days Forever)" - A Sunny Day in Glasgow
"Snow Flakes Are Dancing" - Kurt Vile
"The Coldest Night of the Year" - Bruce Cockburn
"Laughter" - Bruce Cockburn
"The Big Mango" - Land of Kush
"Amps, Drugs, Harmonium" - Tim Hecker
"This is a True Heart" - Julia Holter
"Roomate" - Switches
"Lamia" - Yamantaka // Sonic Titan
"Shattered Me" - Bass Drum of Death
"Here Comes the Night Time" - Arcade Fire

To a young visionary

It was election day and I was tired, so be prepared for some disjointed rambling. Lots of delicious pauses and slow chatter. I'd say that I was preoccupied with the decision of who I should vote for in Edmonton's municipal election, but that was pretty obvious and I had made it out to cast my ballot earlier that morning. I needed a pick-me-up so I went with another no-brainer, Marnie Stern, who provided a punchy start.  After some powerful new stuff from Best Coast he jams continued with Mammoth Cave favourites, the Ketamines, Vancouver's Ones + Zeros, Brooklyn's The Obits, and Hamilton's Crosss. From there it was onward to some captivating vocals from Braids' Raphaelle Standell-Preston and Glasser (aka Cameron Mesirow). We also heard some pensive new stuff from Canuck rapper, Shad, and I finally conceded to Talk Talk, who emerged from the background to deliver some chills from 1988's Spirit of Eden.

I was also very pleased to present pair of prairie-folk troubadours: Winnipeg's Slow Leaves and our own Local Haunts (aka David Janzen), who will be releasing his debut EP this Saturday evening at the Artery. The show ended with a pair of tracks from two of the most important bands to come out of the late 70s (I'd call them "visionaries" but that's a horrible pun), Television and Joy Division. Let's call it a tribute to our very hip and very young new mayor, Don Iveson.



"Year of the Glad" - Marnie Stern
"This Lonely Morning" - Best Coast
"Patients" - The Ketamines
"Life on Video" - Ones + Zeros
"This Must Be Done" - The Obits
"Mountain King" - Crosss
"Shape" - Glasser
"December" - Braids
"Y'all Know Me" - Shad
"Eden" - Talk Talk
"City of Broad Shoulders" - Local Haunts
"Careless and Serene" - Slow Leaves
"Elevation" - Television
"Disorder" - Joy Division

Seasonal fare

Thanksgiving Monday found me with my pal, DeLayne, who trained out to Edmonton from Winnipeg to spend the weekend with me. We decided against doing a show that was themed around Thanksgiving, instead trading the particular for the general: songs themed around Christmas, Easter, and birthdays. DeLayne snagged a couple records from the "Jazz" section in our library, while I stuck to my usual playlist. Sadly, there was no jazz flute, but Pete Jolly's accordion was a good substitute.



"Ruby" - Louise Burns
"I won't be long" - Beck
"Native Dreams" - Rose Windows
"Haze" - Absolute Boys
"Christmas Waltz" - Eschete
"Red, Red Rose" - Deep Dark Woods
"Feeling" - Monomyth
"Had it any other way" - Lab Coast
"Autumn Festival" - Pete Jolly
"Burning Bridges" - Willis Earl Beale
"I am sold" - James Blake
"U'n'l" - Miles Davis
"Easterween" - John Southworth & Andrew Downing
"Birthday" - Royal Canoe

Rockin' the Pycks

FunDrive is over, so it's back to business as usual for the show. Of course, you can still give CJSR your money, but I won't be taking up my airtime asking for it.

Here's the recap: after Buffy St Marie's intro we launched right into a new song from the Dodos that's been stuck in my head for a good while (I've written more about it here). Cynthia and I were eventually joined by Trevor, who came with something to prove: he can rock. So he had Sleater-Kinney blow our eardrums and dropped a classic jam from Joel Plaskett's former band, Thrush Hermit. We will never doubt you again, Trevor!

Plaskett wasn't the only East Coaster on the show. Along with a new track from Cousins, we heard a slacker anthem from Monomyth, hand-pycked by Cynthia. From there, we surveyed some expletive-filled rock 'n' roll from King Tuff, some T. Rex-inspired acoustica from Ty Segall, some beautiful pop fuzz from Calgary's Lab Coast, and some enduring dad rock from the prolific Robert Pollard.



"Confidence" - Dodos
"Coming Through (feat. Cat Power)" - Willis Earl Beal
"Breakfast + Tea" - Ghost Cousin
"Easy Easy" - King Krule
"Dog That Bit You" - The Baptist Generals
"Feeling" - Monomyth
"Laserbeam" - King Tuff
"The Man Man" - Ty Segall
"Had It Any Other Way" - Lab Coast
"I'm Closing In" - The Obits
"River" - Cousins
"He Requested Things" - Robert Pollard
"The Fox" - Sleater-Kinney
"The Day We Hit The Coast" - Thrush Hermit
"Smoke" - Crosss

Backlog

I've fallen somewhat behind with my weekly posts. Blame it on FunDrive. Below, you'll find my September 23rd episode, which features new music from the likes of Ty Segall, Delorean, Beck, Neko Case, Monomyth, and Brazilian Money. Towards the end, you'll hear a batch of folk tunes picked out by my friend, Trevor, who dropped by the station during his coffee break. We ended the hour with some aimless speculation about the 2013 Polaris Music Prize and didn't come at all close to predicting the outcome.



"Ode to subterrania" - Hooded Fang
"John the painter" - UBT
"The man man" - Ty Segall
"Animal Games" - Emiliana Torrini
"Ranchero" - Jordan Klassen
"December" - Braids
"Unhold (featuring Caroline Polachek) - Delorean
"Gimme" - Beck
"Bracing for Sunday" - Neko Case
"Coastal" - Monomyth
"Bones, bones, bones" - Brazilian Money
"Man of letters" - Hermetic
"Say darlin' say" - Corinna Rose
"West end sky" - Elliot Brood
"Ungirthed" - Purity Ring

Back in the Badlands

The last time I visited Drumheller, AB and the surrounding region I was about 9 years old. 18 years later and it all seemed new again. This time I was able to wear my 18-year-old dinosaur t-shirt from the Royal Tyrell Museum (which didn't leave my body the entire weekend) and managed to purchase its sequel (this time with a glow-in-the-dark velociraptor). The dinosaur museum was an obvious highlight, perhaps bolstered by my relatively new appreciation for Alberta's history (the first dinosaur bone was discovered by Joseph Tyrell back in 1884). But it was exploring the rugged geography of the badlands that made the trip really exceptional. A lot of the tunes you'll hear on this episode of Dyck's Pycks come from our trip down south. I was joined in the studio by Cynthia Spring, who you'll see roaming the range in the photo above.

Dyck's Pycks is back for the foreseeable future, every Monday from 10-11. I hope you'll tune in.



"In kind" - Braids
"Badlands" - Bruce Springsteen
"Smoke in the Water" - Rae Spoon
"Tiger Tank" - Speedy Ortiz
"Low F" - Superchunk
"It all feels right" - Washed Out
"Wave forms" - Islands
"Don't remind me" - Jay Arner
"Man" - Neko Case
"Adventure in the heart" - Shotgun Jimmie
"Tear it up" - The Backhomes
"The current" - The Dodos
"As I am in Tim Hortons, I realize that I hate Tim Hortons" - B.A. Johnston
"Doin' it right" - Daft Punk