1. Intro/In the Limelight – Whitey – Starts out with a little beat, sorta blippety and curious at the sametime. Then a really fuzzed-out, trashy guitar comes to fill it in. The vocals come a second later and to me they cramp what was already a pretty sweet thing. There’s a break or two thrown in there, which makes me think that this is the sort of song I would really rock out to while driving alone, then get caught rocking out, then self-consciously turn it down and try to hold still. I don’t get embarrassed of rocking out in the car, but for songs like this I tend to look like a hyperspastic four-year-old on a sugar high behind the wheel. And that’s unsettling enough, y’know? I like this song, though. I think it would be better as an instrumental, personally, but that’s because the guitar here is so powerful.
2. Ph 6.5 – King Creosote – While I definitely enjoy this more than his brother’s album (Lone Pigeon for the non-Betaphiles), there’s definitely a great similarity. Is this his first or second album? The lyrics are slightly clearer here than with LP, and the instrumentation is slightly less out there. I thought this would be a great beach tune, and I was totally right.
3. A Smack on the Lips – Mark Mulcahy – This guy used to front a band I’ve never heard of. I only know this because of Nick Hornby. This guy reminds me of Badly Drawn Boy, only with a bit more of a soul. I like this shuffling beat and little guitar fills. This song reminds me intensely of a song from the first Konstantimix I got like 3 years ago, a song with a chorus mentioning “lottery winner on acid”. I should remember the title and artist (and I probably do), but the disc is at home and thus I can’t think of it.
4. Soothing Music for Stray Cats – Edgar “Edgar” Jones – Before I even mention the song, I want to say that using your name as a nickname is the coolest idea ever. This is a jazzt instrumental that doesn’t suck. I know that isn’t the most descriptive phrase, but coming form me that speaks volumes. This could’ve been the theme song to a late-60s British spy show if it was just a little more outgoing.
5. O Telescope You – Fog – Slow, with guitar and vocals. Fog’s career has really spooked me out in a lot of ways. He goes from acoustic and neurotic to frantic and confident in seconds. It’s odd. This is of the former. Nice enough guy, though. I love that he just forgets to actually say several words in this song. A nice quiet little tune.
6. Lonely For You – Sam Dees – This is great. Easily one of the best songs I’ve heard all week. Soul song, this guy has a great Pickett-esque voice and the horns punctuate everything they should. Awesome. I don’t know anything about Sam Dees, but I will very soon.
7. Straight Aero – Jeff Thomas – I could swear to you that the first five seconds of this song were in Kill Bill. That bass line is unmistakable. I wrote that this reminded me of a funky Harry Nilsson, but I blame that on lots of beers and listening to “Me & My Arrow” the night before. I like this song except where they actually say the song’s title, which kinda scares me for some reason. The rest of the song is awesome, though.
8. 28-8-78 – Scritti Politti – I will be totally honest in saying that despite several recommendations of this band to me I’ve never checked them out solely because of their name. I am aware of how stupid a sentiment that is, but I’m that way with a lot of stuff. I don’t even know that it means. Their name could mean “Glue-sniffing angels on a Bender” in some made up language and I still wouldn’t know. Anyways, this is…. Can something be jangly without being pop music? I suppose I should use some hack word like “angular” in this instance, but I don’t really feel that either. I’m not reall sure how to feel about this song. I don’t dislike it, but it’s not climbing up my spinal cord, either. Yes, that’s a good thing. The samples are from a news broadcast? It seems like the band is just sorta jamming here. It does make a solid transition, though, into…
9. It’s Alright – Jah Whoosh – Dub and I have a tumultuous relationship. While I like this better than most I’ve heard, It still just sounds like a really, really stoned Lee Perry is just slamming his hands down on a bunch of studio controls. Whie I should’ve been playing this one the beach, it was shouted down by my sister, who then went on to pariase the Pioneers disc I put on for 15 minutes.
10. Living Sin – Broken Family Band – Fun, folky song. This seems like a great song to play in a crowded car. It’s got enough bounce and odd harmony to make it easily likeable upon first listen, and it grows with each thereafter.
11. Brahimy Kite – Caribou I spent a lot of my weekend listening to the Dictators' Go Girl Crazy and getting pissed off about the lawsuit that took place between Handsome Dick and this guy and how unfair it is. Mostly because I don’t know if I should combine my Caribou and Manitoba discs or keep them separate. And if I do combine them, which should they go under? Anyways, I love the drum sounds he gets. This record has a slightly different feel than the last one, enough to make it sound fresh, but not enough to make a dramatic departure. That 60s pastiche pop thing is downplayed, but the drums are still frenetic and shimmery. Yum.
12. Rockin’ It – the Fearless Four – God I know this from somewhere. I’m pretty sure the sample was used in one of those Future Primitive sets, but I can’t say that with any certainty. I’ve never actually hear of the Fearless Four that I know of (I was expecting gospel for some reason), but it’s painfully obvious that I should’ve. Golden age rap is so awesome. Seriously, they just had so much fun without having to prove how hard they are. I can’t believe these guys got by without Bentleys. It’s like they were cavement!
13. Save Your Day – José Gonzalez – There were a lot of Nick Drake comparisons in the last review I read of this record. I hear none of them. I think anyone with an acoustic guitar that isn’t Jack Johnson gets this and it’s unfair. This reminds me more of David Grubbs than anything. Anything that starts out about poking bodies with sticks should be celebrated. My only issue with this song is that it’s too short. Otherwise it’s perfect.
14. the Statue – the Go-Betweens – Once in college I fell in love with a rabid Go-Betweens fan and I learned two immensely important lessons. One, falling in love with a rabid anything is a bad idea, and two, I can only take so much pop music before I hate life. This isn’t what I remember or expected. I think this song would be pretty damned good if it wasn’t produced to sound like a hit record from 1989.
15. Falling and Laughing – Orange Juice – the first OJ song I’ve ever heard other than “Rip It Up”. I didn’t like this song really until the end where it got louder and shoutier. There’s something about Edwyn Collins’ (?) voice that doesn’t really hit home with me.
16. Hot Box – New Black – Alright, this song shows up right in time to clear my head out. This is quick and loud, and has the strangest little sound effects chiming in throughout the intro. I can’t tell if they make me love or hate this song. But disregarding that, This is just what I needed.
17. Please Stay – The Cryin’ Shames – I could’ve sworn that the Cryin’ Shames was the first name of The Stooges (or was that the Dirty Shames?). which is obviously not the case. This sounds like a 50’s ballad. It just might be. I like it either way. Songs like this always make me think of just how totally different the musical landscape was 50 years ago. A song like this could never be popular now unless there was a striptease in the video somewhere. Which is a shame, because it really is a lovely little tune.
18. The Way of the Stuff – 80s Matchbox B-Line Disaster – Darrin loves these guys. I only say this because I know how serious the guy takes making these mixes, and to put them on two separate mixes can only indicate true love. Also, he’s said as much on these boards. This track goes from trebly britnoise/pop to loud-ass screaming thrash. Which is super by me. I’m glad this ends the album, because it’s so all over the place I would never know how to follow it (which I will do today with progressive talk radio). I’m pretty sure this sounds nothing like the last 8MBLD song I heard, so more power to these guys. This is the sort of song that, like several Mclusky tunes, I could use as a soundtrack for driving through public parks and generally terrorizing the local community with. And I just might.

So job well done, Darrin!
Favorite songs: 4, 6, 10, 12
I like these a great deal as well: 1, 2, 3, 11, 17, 18
Songs I like more than dislike: 5, 7, 13, 15, 16
Songs that I’m not really getting: 8, 9, 14

This is from the second album 'Rocket D.I.Y' released earlier this year.



Guitar fills by none other than J Mascis. The band you refer to were (are?) The Crimea. They released three great singles and disappeared.




Apparently 'The Show Must Go On' LP released 1975 on Atlantic is the one to go for.



I will not cease pitching the Broken Family Band.



All I know about the Cryin' Shames is that they may have come from Liverpool and the record was released in 1965.

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You know when I asked for feedback all you had to do was say "hey, I liked track 2 and 7 and 11, c'ya" and I would have been happy with that so thanks for going to the trouble to think stuff up and writing a review. Looks like I gave you a couple of musical leads to follow up, so I guess it was a success.

Thanks again, Darrin.

indeed it was. and I thought i'd go overboard to make up for my lack of bringing anything new to the board well, ever.

An excellent review. Nice, well thought out comments.


Now I feel somewhat guilty as a music fan for not doing more of these myself.

it was this same guilt that insired me to go so all out.