The Lucksmiths - Warmer Corners

Shared a story last night about Katheryn and got around to thinking about an album I listened to a lot after our breakup.

The Lucksmiths album - Warmer Corners got me through a pretty rough spot when I had just moved to San Antonio.  The songwriter of the band was in a long distance relationship (Australia and California) himself so there's a lot of lyrics that I related to easily. 

It's been a while since I've listened to this album from beginning to end...  I didn't really think of Kathie while listening to it, which I found kinda surprising because I used to space out to this album a lot in the dark.  It's still pound for pound, the best breakup album I have ever owned tho'.

Stand out tracks:

• The Lucksmiths – A Hiccup in Your Happiness
  
• The Lucksmiths – Great Lengths
  
• The Lucksmiths – Now I'm Even Further Away
  
• The Lucksmiths – The Chapter in Your Life Entitled San Francisco
  
• The Lucksmiths – Sunlight in a Jar
  
• The Lucksmiths – If You Lived Here, You'd be Home Now
  
• The Lucksmiths – Putting It Off and Putting It Off
  
• The Lucksmiths – The Fog of Trujillo
  

Artist: The Lucksmiths
Album: Warmer Corners 
Producer: Craig Pilkington
Label: Candle Records
Recorded: Audrey Studios

Late Night Conversations - Episode 2 (Tonight)

If you happen to be near the internets you can listen to me spin some records and make an ass of myself at 9:00pm CST tonight.

You can listen by clicking on this link - http://mixlr.com/september29th/

Plan to Spin 9ish songs tonight...   did the show prep earlier today and I'm pretty sure the quality of the recording will improve.

Update: Episode 2 in the Can

Just recorded the show and you can listen to it here.  Want to quickly thank Jaime/Ted/Joker for listening live...

Still working out a few bugs in respect to Audio quality...   it's kinda hard to do because the live feed everyone hears is on a 10 second delay.

Anyhoo you can hear the 2nd episode it its entirety here:  I completely forgot that I made a passing reference to being reincarnated as a well hung Swede.

http://mixlr.com/september29th/showreel/late-night-coversation-episode-2/

Playlist for episode two:

Kevin Devine - Between the Concrete and Clouds

Despite getting up well after 9 AM, I had an unusually productive day.   The highlight of the weekend was getting to exchange Valentines Day gifts with my niece, Hobbes.   

Had to cut my visit a little short because of some urgent correspondence needed for work...  so I spent time this afternoon at home spinning records while cursing aloud in the empty apartment.

Listened to a Kevin Devine album I picked up last year on vinyl, but never got around to listening to it.  I had a vintage Technics turntable that was gifted to me over a year ago and it's been known to not want to work every now and again.

The issue with the turntable has to do with the design of the automatic direct drive technology. It's designed to be fully automated and it inexplicably bottoms out in its process...   according to the web, it's a quick of sorts with the turntable, so you have to live with that or replace it.

I had an opportunity to sell back some vacation time at work so I spent some of that hard earned money on a new Stanton turntable.  I plan to do a proper write up on it in the near future...  I can't express how happy I am with the purchase.

Anyhoo, no more temperamental record players at the apartment - which means more obscure Album A Day Reviews in the near future.

The Kevin Devine album was an enjoyable listen...  I was familiar with a number of the songs because they've been re-arranged on the amazing Kevin Devine & the Goddamn Band – Matter of Time: Kd&Gdb Tour EP 2012.

Stand Out Tracks:

•  Kevin Devine – The First Hit
  
• Kevin Devine – Between The Concrete & Clouds
  
• Kevin Devine – 11-17
  
• Kevin Devine – Wait Out The Wreck
  
• Kevin Devine – A Story, A Sneak

 Artist: Kevin Devine
Album: Between the Concrete and Clouds
Producer: Chris Bracco
Label: Razor & Tie / Favorite Gentlemen
Recorded: ? (Chris Bracco's house?)

September29th Broadcast? (Late Night Conversation)

At 1:30 A.M. I broadcasted a webisode to an audience of 0 people...  

A fellow blogger tipped me off to a website called www.mixlr.com that allows you to easily broadcast yourself to the internets.

Seeing how I've been stuck at home attempting to recover from a very nasty cough, I decided to put together 9 songs that I've been listening to a lot in 2014.

It's the perfect format I think for hopping online and just banging out a quick show where I get to talk about stuff I've been listening to lately and rant about other shit on my mind.

The first episode can be heard here: Pilot Episode - there's a number of audio issues, which is to be expected, I don't really know what I'm doing.

Kinda wish I had a name for the show...   oh well, something to think about before I hop online and record another show.  EDIT: "Late Night Conversations" will be the name of the show... it's a reference to this Josh Rouse song that once got me into hot water with an ex-girlfriend

What I need to do is talk to Jaime and see if he's be interested in doing a podcast with me where we basically do the show I just described, but do it correctly.  I think he stalks this website so if you're reading this - call a brother.

Here's the playlist for the first episode...

Braid/Get Up Kids - Post Marked Stamps No. 4 (extended play)

Been trying to figure out how to incorporate some of my favorite 7" into the album a day entries... and have decided to tag these as "extended plays".

I've done a few entries tagged as "inches of love" where I highlighted some 7 & 12 inch records so I'll tag it as that also...

n-e-ways...  Picked this 7" up on ebay about a year or two ago?  I never spun it for some reason so I had no idea what songs were actually on this fucking thing.   I scored my copy for under 25 dollars, which was a little bit of a steal, these typically fetch north of 40 bucks on ebay.

Learned this evening that both bands recorded songs that I like verily.

The Get Up Kids - do a version of I'm A Loner Dottie, a Rebel - that I was unfamiliar with.  I never picked up the Eudora release on CD when it came out...  I listened to their cover of Beer for Breakfast by the Replacements and vowed to never own it. (The Original - by the Mats)

I did however get the covers of Close to Me (the Cure) and On With the Show (Motley Crue) from iTunes because they were freakishly good.

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Anyhoo... I really love the way the drums sound on the 7" version of this song.  There's a backing vocal on one of the chorus that I could do without tho'...  the song was re-recorded for the full length Something to Write Home About.

The real goodness on this seven inch comes from Braid.  The song "Forever Got Shorter" is one of my top 10 favorite Braid songs ever recorded.   The dueling guitars and drum fills are intoxicating....  the song also has one of my favorite braid lyrics -

frustration can be gorgeous
but can i keep my mouth shut
cause sometimes
gorgeous can be frustration
when you life is nothing
but an honorable mention
on a radio. on a radio!

Artist: Braid & The Get Up Kids
EP: Post Marked Stamps No. 4
Producer: ?, ?
Label: Tree Records
Recorded: Red House Studios, Private Studios

Girls Against Boys - Freak*on*ica

The funny thing about GVSB is that I discovered this band by accident after reading a review of this album (Freak*on*ica) in Alternative Press.  I then found a copy of the album on CD for 8.99 later that week and thought that this was going to be the future of music.

It was Don Deluxx that turned me onto their earlier stuff and was completely floored by their double bass guitar sound.   He put on Kill the Sexplayer from the seminal album Cruise Yourself  and I knew instantly that I had to pick up everything they ever put out.

I didn't realize how many people (retrospectively) were so down on Freak*on*ica.  At the time, a number of bands sprouted from that lapse between Rage Against the Machine albums like Korn, Deftones and Limp Bizkit.   

I'm not comparing GVSB to any of the mention bands... but the sound on this record was surprisingly polished, danceable and much better than the stuff you would find on Korn's Follow the Leader. 

Anyhoo...  it was an incredible gateway album.  I discovered Cop Shoot Cop, Soul Coughing, Jesus Lizard and a little band called Firewater - which introduced me to an incredible group of life long friends who all were a part of the Firewater Circus.

Stand out tracks:

• Girls Against Boys – Park Avenue
• Girls Against Boys – Pleasurized
• Girls Against Boys – Psycho-Future
• Girls Against Boys – Black Hole
• Girls Against Boys – One Firecracker

Artist: Girls Against Boys (GVSB)
Album: Freak*on*ica
Producer: Nick Launay
Label: Geffen Records
Recorded: Seedy Underbelly Studios

The Cure - Wish

Spent an unusual amount of time debating what album to select on this very special day...  Valentines Day 2014.

Curiously enough... I'm now missing two Cure albums in my collection.  Perhaps someone borrowed them and hasn't returned them.  Hint. Hint.

This may come as a surprise to many, but I've always been a big fan of Valentines Day.  I've had a number of memorable ones over the years and enjoy equally whether I'm in a relationship or not.

I had originally intended to select the Belle and Sebastian album - Belle & Sebastian – Write About Love.   It seemed kinda fitting and I've never technically listened to the album in its entirety.  The disc itself was a catalyst in a break-up I had and it sorta got shelved and has never been given a proper listen.   It would have been hard to write about the album and not revisit that morning...  so I opted to pull out of doing that and focused my attention on selecting an album I loved with all my heart.

I settled on the Cure album "Wish"....  An album that seems to run hot & cold with fans of the Cure.  I think its easier to revisit than say Disintegration or Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me.  I'm apparently in the minority...

Never quite understood the sleeve art on the album...  its quite possibly the ugliest album cover for an LP that I adore.   The album contains the regrettable hit single - Friday I'm In Love - but I don't knock the band for putting out a catch number.   It's tracks like Doing the Unstuck that I wish more people would go out of their way to discover.

Yes...  a number of the songs are bloated and some border on outweighing their welcome, but it's still a very rewarding listen.

A number of the deep tracks like Trust and A Letter to Elise (my favorite on the album and the namesake of my electric guitar) continue to level me nearly 25 years after its release.

At the height of grunge... this album became a welcome change to the Soundgarden/Alice In Chains/Nirvana/Pearl Jam loop that everyone seemed to in.

Take for example the song Cut.   If I were ever shot into space on a rocket, this is the song that I would like to hear in my cosmonaut helmet.  In the event of a fiery crash, this is the song that I want blaring in my head as my life flashes before my tired eyes.

Seek it out if you've never listened to it:

• The Cure – Open
• The Cure – High
• The Cure – Apart
• The Cure – From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea
• The Cure – Doing The Unstuck - every time I hear the word "make out" i think of this song
• The Cure – Friday I'm In Love
• The Cure – Trust
• The Cure – A Letter To Elise
• The Cure – Cut
• The Cure – To Wish Impossible Things

Artist: The Cure
Album: Wish
Producer: Robert Smith, David M. Allen
Label: Elektra
Recorded: The Manor

The Causey Way - Causey Vs. Everything

So I've had this album on my mind for a couple of weeks now...  when I purchased my copy of the Metropole (the Lawrence Arms) I noticed that the LP came with a copy of the record on CD.

Something I wish more labels would do...  I rarely get around to downloading the digital files when I buy records and I have a short stack on my dresser.  The best thing about the CD is that I can gift it to a friend in hopes they dig them and seek out their other albums.

Nearly 15 years ago, my friend Donald gifted me an album by the Causey Way that had a nickname of "the causey seed".  Alternative Tentacles (their label) packed the album with a second disc.   A promotional give-away of sorts...

The Causey Way sorta presented themselves as a "cult" operating under the guise of a punk rock band.  I missed out on an opportunity to catch them in Detroit and heard people talk about how amazing they were live.  Every story I heard about the performance was better than the last...  check out this article I found on Razorcake.

Just spent half an hour reading a number of bizarre stories about the dissolution of the band... I can't believe that they haven't reformed and toured.

Give these tracks a listen and remember, the Causey Way is not a Cult!

• Causey Way – Geo Logical Lust
  
• Causey Way – Commandments
  
• Causey Way – Money
  
• Causey Way – Jesus Loves You
  
• Causey Way – I Know Happy
  
• Causey Way – Suckers
  
• Causey Way – Ufo -  "U....  f....  o....  you're all suckas"

Artist: The Causey Way
Album: Causey Vs. Everything
Producer: ?
Label: Alternative Tentacles 
Recorded: ?

††† - ††† (crosses)

Finally got around to listening to the new "crosses" album today...  a musical side project for Deftones singer Chino Moreno.

Sometime around the release of White Pony - I recall reading an article about his musical influences.  He referenced the Cure, Depeche Mode and a few other bands that sorta surprised me.

Prior to today, I didn't know that he had other side projects (Palms, Team Sleep) - so I assumed this was an artistic release of sorts to put out something that didn't sound like his work with the Deftones.

I read a number of really bad reviews of the album and I don't exactly know why people were so especially harsh on the record.   I listened to it twice today and found it pretty pleasant to listen to.

I wouldn't go out of my purchase it...   I also learned that the album is a compilation of their first two EPs and 5 new songs.   I guess if I were a bigger Deftones fan I would probably care more.

Stand Out Track: 

• ✝✝✝ (Crosses) – Bitches Brew

Artist: †††
Album: †††
Producer: Shaun Lopez, †††
Label: Sumerian Records
Recorded: The Airport Studio 

Modern Baseball - You're Gonna Miss It All

When I started to map out early 2014 releases in the month of January, I circled the 11th of February for this new Modern Baseball record.

They're from Philly and sorta fall into a crop of new bands that I've been pretty stoked about:  Everything Everyone, Tiger's Jaw, Look Mexico, You Blew It!, Dikembe, Snowing, This Town Needs Guns

 I think I've given it about 6 full listens today...  I've sorta picked out a number of favorite tracks. The songs are crafted by guys in their early 20s so its a little hard to get behind as I get closer to 40 with every setting sun.

Allot of promise in these boys tho'.   Favorite Tracks:

• Modern Baseball – Fine, Great
  
• Modern Baseball – Broken Cash Machine
  
• Modern Baseball – Rock Bottom
  
• Modern Baseball – Apartment
  
• Modern Baseball – Going To Bed Now
  
• Modern Baseball – Your Graduation
  
• Modern Baseball – Two Good Things
  
• Modern Baseball – Pothole
  

Artist: Modern Baseball
Album: You're Going Miss It All
Producer: 
Label: Run for Cover Records
Recorded: Studio A