Thursday, November 26, 2009 ... 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ... KZSU, 90.1 FM

(Return to playlists.)

A Thanksgiving special! Spinning whatever kinds of music happen to stike my fancy, and, for a lark, I'm putting the results into this old format. Feels pretty good to be back in this more free-form vibe (Wordpress is easier, but more restrictive).

Format:
ARTIST -- "TRACK TITLE" -- ALBUM TITLE (LABEL, YEAR)
Horizontal lines denote microphone breaks.

Tim Berne -- "Huevos" -- Science Friction (Screwgun, 2002)

An old standby, to kick things off. Briefly mentioned here.

* My First Earthquake -- "Sleep in the Sea" -- Downstairs (self-released, 2009)

Setting the stage for what would be a mostly indie-pop show. An upbeat midtempo number that ends this particular album, in snappy 6/8.

A spoken little ditty riffing on the beginning of mankind, backed by fun, old-timey jazz music. Sunset is mostly singer-songwriter stuff with occasional piano, and a couple of outlier tracks like this one; great stuff that shows a depth of musical knowledge.

Previously noted here. Their newest work is a radio play (released as a double vinyl album!) having to do with Ingmar Bergman coming to Hollywood.

A driven, chugging, breezy rocker of a song. It's good, but it's got the kind of sheen that would make it good for a banking or airline commercial someday.

* The Assistants -- "Stop Dead" -- Fiction (self-released, 2009)

Nicely energetic pop, a bit breezy/wistful, with a nice horn riff to the chorus. Sung with an indie-rock accent that makes the title line sound like "I stopped it" rather than "I stop dead," which is a pity -- this is the kind of song you'd seek out after hearing on the radio.

A serious chamber jazzist's bar band. I blogged about this particular album here, and it's gotten a too-brief mention before on this site.

More pop (I let pop dominate the first hour). A very easy pop sound scrunched under thick layers of guitars, very wall-of-sound.

Snappy pop, hard-driven in the chorus. Maybe there's a touch of '80s goth in the guitar sound during the verses, but that's not the dominant mode here.

Mates of State -- "Halves and Have-Nots" -- Our Constant Concern (Polyvinyl, 2002)

From the second album of this boy/girl, keyboards/drums duet. Already exhibits the spare sound and tight harmonies that have been their signature. In picking possible music for the show, I let myself grab familiar pop names more than I usually do. Don't know why, but a lot of them piled into this set.

OK, you wouldn't count this as "familiar," but it's a fave discovery of mine from the library. Crisp, straightforward pop with strong vocals like a more forceful Natalie Merchant. I gave this a listen about a year ago and was immediately itching to get it on the air. Evidence here.

Gloriously messy; mid/fast, throttling rock. I didn't dip into the punk/metal bin this time, like I usually do, but this came kind of close, right?

Oh come on, I don't have to explain this one, do I? Yes, GbV had their lo-fi glory days in the late '90s and all, but I discovered them circa 2000 and got to see some amazing shows with some wonderful new friends. It's not Bee Thousand good, but it's still good.

Guitar pop again, with a strong pulsing beat. Fast stuff, relatively light, like someone's been influenced by lots of late '60s music. It's a toss-up between this track, The Assistants (above), and Pet Lions (below) for the best find of the show.

* Pet Lions -- "Roman History" -- Soft Right (self-released, 2009)

Hook-laden pop, fast, with a rich melody. Irresistably catchy, the kind of song that gets stuck in your head even though the lyrics are too speedy to remember.

Introducing some of the genre-hopping that I normally infuse into these "pop" shows. Bluegrass! Strings, banjo, a country-fried melody, and tight harmonies, from an all-male band.

A Deerhoof-related band that does avant-gardish guitar instrumentals. This particular one is a sly, funky little number, 90 seconds of good fun.

Yes! A bouncy, jazzy number with vocals, from a prog band that sports the usual guitar histrionics and complex written parts, but adds an earnest horn section (bass clarinet and sax, usually) and doesn't take itself too seriously. More people need to hear these guys. I blogged this one over here.

A go-to CD whenever I want to break with something different, yet still poppy. Retro '60s instrumentals, real go-go stuff with lots of keyboards, and some spoken vocals by a British girl (adding to the whole retro environment). You can find them on old, un-annotated playlists here and here, if you really want to.

* Mac Arnold and Plate Full o' Blues -- "Country Man" -- Country Man (Plantation #1, 2009)

Like I have to tell you what kind of music this is. Big, burly blues, with lyrics about wanting to live in the country -- not a pairing you hear every day.

Gotta love Ted Leo. This one's got a big, anthemic opening that made for a nice transition out of the rockin' blues.

Dance/rave music, upbeat enough to mesh with Ted Leo, spacey enough to serve as intro to ...

Robert Pollard shows off his weird side. Actually, the music for Circus Devils is mostly by Todd Tobias, who produced the last few Guided by Voices albums and infused them with odd, sometimes shrill sound effects. (Tim Tobias, Todd's brother and a GbV alumnus, rounds out the band and probably contributes some music as well.) Circus Devils builds from those effects first -- abrasive, distorted sounds -- adding some recognizable guitar and Pollard's melodies. The result is strange and twisted. Circus Devils has enough of an output that there's apparently a limited-edition box set of their four or five CDs now.

Spare singer-songwriter stuff with mostly a lone or overdubbed vocal and a guitar. Melberg's got a quiet, sweet voice that makes for a peaceful acoustic listen. This is an undiscovered gem in rotation right now; part of what I love to do is look up the least-played items in rotation and give them a chance. This album's a gem, but its stillness makes it a difficult fit with a lot of shows, admittedly. Here, Melberg's placid voice made a perfect contrast with the other-dimensional Circus Devils sound. Odd lyrics, too: "You are the moon singer / And I am only a raccoon."

Very '70s-sounding piano pop, with even a touch of drama ... but then you realize it's literally about the soda machine at work. Blogged here. For what seems like a goofy one-off project on the surface, Rowland came up with some admittedly catchy songs.

? The Flying Luttenbachers -- "Violent Shade" -- Incarceration by Abstraction (ugEXPLODE, 2007?)

Big loud thrashing stuff, angry prog/metal. Gave it a spin after reading the news that Weasel Walter is leaving the Bay Area, as noted here.

More prog! On the more melodic side this time, but still instrumental and six minutes long. Wonder how many people stopped listening at this point (their loss; this track is rather catchy).

Back into straight pop. Upbeat, with a female lead singer. The EP we got is apparently a prelude to an upcoming full-length.

Here's an interesting one: A set of Hersh songs backed by a string quartet (or some set of strings, anyway). Makes for a spare, dramatic sound, but the music stays catchy and rocking; they did a good job matching the (probably pathetically easy) string arrangements to the music.

Ending the show with a local pop favorite. I don't know if Dealership is still active, but their work is worth seeking out in any event. Very poppy with traces of punk attitude and some great male/female harmony vocals.

* = Item in KZSU rotation
! = Jazz anomaly
? = Item not in KZSU library

-- Go back to Memory Select playlists.
-- Bay Area free/improv music calendar: http://www.bayimproviser.com.