It was time for another in this series. Like the previous two, this mix is made up entirely of bands from the Vancouver area. Also like the previous two, this mix kinda goes all over the place, with the only unifying aspect being that they're all songs I like.

Terminal City Nutcluster
The Vancouver Mix - Vol. III



1. Bend Sinister Through the Broken City (the New Pornographers gone prog)
2. Lions In The Street Mine Ain't Yours (Big Star meets the Stones)
3. Yoko Casionos Gave It Away (pure pop for modern rawk)
4. Lotus Child A Night Blade (a noticable love for Britt Daniel and Spoon)
5. Black Rice Entropy (a little math and a lotta rock)
6. Vancougar Naughty (like the Organ on lithium)
7. Rich Hope & His Evil-Doers Sweet Vanilla (much pimpin' already done for this one)
8. Rodney DeCroo & the Killers White Ships (Dylan, Prine, plus bad chemicals)
9. Kinnie Starr Step Back (she was fired from Cirque De Soleil)
10. Mae Moore & Lester Quitzau Oh My (making a decent name for adult contemporary)
11. The Beige Mirror (they call it acoustic shoegazer)
12. Great Aunt Ida Little Voice (Ida Nilson's been working on the upcoming Waterboys album)
13. Bossanova French Accent (I don't know, but I imagine they dress in dinner jackets)
14. The Parlour Steps Perpetual Dream (the xylophone fits)
15. Fun 100 Roger and Me (as straightforward as these now defunct spazzes got)
16. The Irises Lo-Fi Girl (once known as Go Four 3 and then Thrill Squad, still playing the same brand of pop/punk 20 years later)
17. Bughouse 5 Bricks and Stone (a roots/rockabilly sorta group reaching out for more)
18. Herald Nix I Watch For You (He's been around longer than I have)
19. Hung Jury The Circle (these guys might be dangerously insane)
20. John Ford Bullets For Dreamers (after breaking up, half of this band became Rich Hope & his Evil-Doers)
21. The Awkward Stage The Circus Ends In Tears (from twee to "Suffragette City" in a single bound)

[quote="Radcliffe"]
10. Mae Moore & Lester Quitzau Oh My (making a decent name for adult contemporary)/quote]

Is this the same Mae Moore of Red Clay Hills?

'Tis the one and the same.

Excellent.

Terminal City Nutcluster
The Vancouver Mix - Vol. III

1. Bend Sinister Through the Broken City (the New Pornographers gone prog)

I don't know about prog...I'm getting a total "Breakfast In America" feel off this one. Oh wait, there's the prog. This one is just a mess.

2. Lions In The Street Mine Ain't Yours (Big Star meets the Stones)

Screw the free download, I'm buying a hard copy. I need to hear this one through the hi-fi. Excellent.

3. Yoko Casionos Gave It Away (pure pop for modern rawk)

It's pleasant enough, but nothing special. It's the type of thing I'd like better if I'd seen them do a really good job opening for someone and I'd bought their disc at the goodies table in the back.

4. Lotus Child A Night Blade (a noticable love for Britt Daniel and Spoon)

Song's okay, not great. I was digging it off and on, until the end. I want to think the ending was a joke (which would have been really funny), but the rest of the song is so serious that I have to conclude the ending is just crap.

5. Black Rice Entropy (a little math and a lotta rock)

This song gets off to a great start, then the vocals kick in. The vocal quality just screams "high school punk band". Still, the underlying music is top notch. Where's the math?

6. Vancougar Naughty (like the Organ on lithium)

At first this reminded me of Danielle Dax until what passes for a chorus kicks in. Very Dax-like in subject matter as well. I like this, how's the rest of their stuff?

7. Rich Hope & His Evil-Doers Sweet Vanilla (much pimpin' already done for this one)

Already on board for this one. His voice just pours sincerity and rock and roll throughout the whole album. Even when the lyrics border on the silly, the guitar and vocal quality just power the songs on through. Aces.

8. Rodney DeCroo & the Killers White Ships (Dylan, Prine, plus bad chemicals)

No shit on the Dylan, maybe a little too much. Lose the harmonica and this would be a lot better. I suspect his voice would grate on me after a few songs. Is all of their stuff subdued like this, or do they open up the throttle at times?

9. Kinnie Starr Step Back (she was fired from Cirque De Soleil)

This one's not doing anything for me...strike that, it's making me hit the "skip track" button. Dreadful, I'd fire her too.

10. Mae Moore & Lester Quitzau Oh My (making a decent name for adult contemporary)

This should appeal to fans of Crosby, Stills, & Nash. Not my cuppa. That "Spread my wings and fly" line is an abomination.

11. The Beige Mirror (they call it acoustic shoegazer)

It's better than the last two, but I doubt I could endure an entire album's worth. I keep the first Iron and Wine album around when I'm in the mood for stuff like this.

12. Great Aunt Ida Little Voice (Ida Nilson's been working on the upcoming Waterboys album)

I like the piano and guitar. The strings, not so much, but the trumpet is swell. Her voice is annoying (in a dredging up really bad Suzanne Vega memories from my chain store days), and the lyrics/phrasing are really choppy and don't fit very well with the instrumental pieces.

13. Bossanova French Accent (I don't know, but I imagine they dress in dinner jackets)

This reminds me of Tears For Fears. Not my cuppa.

14. The Parlour Steps Perpetual Dream (the xylophone fits)

I dig this track a lot. Everything fits, not just the xylophone. The x-phone is a nifty quirky touch, I must admit. How's the rest of their stuff?

15. Fun 100 Roger and Me (as straightforward as these now defunct spazzes got)

PUNK RAWK :rawk: Is any of their stuff still in print? Me likey.

16. The Irises Lo-Fi Girl (once known as Go Four 3 and then Thrill Squad, still playing the same brand of pop/punk 20 years later)

I dig this one too, and will check out more.

17. Bughouse 5 Bricks and Stone (a roots/rockabilly sorta group reaching out for more)

The Ruby Tuesday bit was a nice surprise at the end. Not awful, not great.

18. Herald Nix I Watch For You (He's been around longer than I have)

Someone who knows how to write and perform a slow, quiet song without totally emasculating it. Excellent.

19. Hung Jury The Circle (these guys might be dangerously insane)

The music's got a real nasty grind to it--a very good thing in my book. The distorted vox ain't workin' for me though--is this an effect they use everywhere? If they ditched the vocal effects, I'd buy more of this.

20. John Ford Bullets For Dreamers (after breaking up, half of this band became Rich Hope & his Evil-Doers)

See the Rich Hope comments, although I like the Rich Hope album a lot more.

21. The Awkward Stage The Circus Ends In Tears (from twee to "Suffragette City" in a single bound)

Another mess. Neither "half" of this track works for me--the twee nor the Suffragette.

As with most Radcliffe mixes, there's lots here I'm going to dig into. Thanks for this. Cheers!

I'm just now listening to this fucker and that Rich Hope song is fucking awesome.

It's already going on a mix I'm making for a buddy of mine.

Thanks for the review, Billz - that was FAST, dood!


The math is there on the rest of the songs on the album. That's why I picked this one.


The rest of it is very much like this song. Short, punchy, full of energy - I suspect you'd dig it a bunch.


They do pick up the pace here and there - but never faster than a quick trot. His band features Jon Wood (of Flophouse Jr. and the Beige) on guitar. It's good stuff, although you're probably right about his voice.


It's all very much in keeping with this song. They may be a bit too brainy for their own good - I seem to recall they come from a jazz background - but there's definitely something cool going on.


I think they only put out the one album, called Hit It & Quit - and it should still be available (for cheap). It's a lot of fun, and worth a minor investment if only for the song title "...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Preemies".


I saw these guys open for the Replacements when they were Go Four 3. Bob Stinson was still in the band back then. I brought it up to Steve Quinn (the singer/songwriter) recently, and he just shook his head and said "Oh right, that was the day we tried to outdrink the Replacements. Baaaad idea."


Unfortunately, the vocal effect is present for the entire album. I think it may have more to do with lack of cash than intent, but who knows? These are the guys that opened for the Fleshtones last year.




Thanks again for the review, Billz! Your mix is next up on my review queue.

Terminal City Nutcluster - The Vancouver Mix - Vol. III

1. Bend Sinister Through the Broken City
This is a little too prog rock for me, but the keyboards are a nice touch about a minute into the song. I’m not too fond of the vocals. They’re a little too emo meets Muse for me.

2. Lions In The Street Mine Ain't Yours
This sounds a lot like the Rolling Stones, down to the Jagger-like vocals. It’s a little too clean and polished for my tastes, but it’s so melodic, you can’t help but enjoy it.

3. Yoko Casionos Gave It Away
I’m not quite sure about this one. It just seems blah to me. The female vocals are as generic as they come and the music is too non-descript. It’s also too long.

4. Lotus Child A Night Blade
They try to sound like Spoon, but they end up sounding like Maroon 5. This is awful.

5. Black Rice Entropy
This isn’t bad at all. It’s not the best I’ve heard in the genre but it’s enjoyable in its own right. A nice change from the previous 2 songs.

6. Vancougar Naughty
This is more like it. Very catchy and fun to listen to. The vocals are fun to. It’s not as derivative as one would think. Best song on the mix so far.

7. Rich Hope & His Evil-Doers Sweet Vanilla
Nice acoustic geetars to start but they quickly segue into generic electric guitars. The song actually gets better 1:30 minutes into it, when all the instruments kick in. The handclaps are a nice touch. OK, now it’s rocking.

8. Rodney DeCroo & the Killers White Ships
I’m not quite feeling this. It’s decent I suppose but I’m not feeling a connection. The harmonica is a nice touch and the vocals are a plus. Nice ending.

9. Kinnie Starr Step Back
Whoa. I can’t quite describe this one. What is it? Carnival Rap? I don’t get it. The only positive is the occasional twang acoustic guitar. I just can’t picture Rads listening to this…hehe…

10. Mae Moore & Lester Quitzau Oh My
Nice start, acoustic guitars. The female vocals aren’t grabbing me. She sounds like every other female artist on Easy Listening stations. Please end.

11. The Beige Mirror
Is this Christian Rock? It’s awful. I feel like I’m suddenly back in the 70’s listening to AM Radio. Ugh, it’s 5 minutes long, time for the skip button.

12. Great Aunt Ida Little Voice
This is actually pretty good. Very pleasant. Nice sweet female vocals.

13. Bossanova French Accent
What is it with this mix and the awful vocals? The music is fine but the vocals are too cabaret for my tastes.

14. The Parlour Steps Perpetual Dream
Hmmm…I like this. Nice and bouncy pop rock. The vocals are appropriate for this sort of thing. Again, a little too clean but it’s still melodic enough to enjoy.

15. Fun 100 Roger and Me
Another good song, this one a little more pop punk. Again, the handclaps are a plus.

16. The Irises Lo-Fi Girl
More pop punk, this time with female vocals. I like this one better. It has better riffs and it’s more melodic. The mix has really picked up.

17. Bughouse 5 Bricks and Stone
I loooooove the vocals. Nice guitar work. Damn, those vocals, awesome. A definite candidate for best song of the mix.

18. Herald Nix I Watch For You
Well, this is pleasant. I think this was the song that grew on me the most after repeated listens. Really nice. The music, the vocals, all really work well.

19. Hung Jury The Circle
I don’t know. That riff gets annoying after a while. The vocals are decent but not enough to save the song.

20. John Ford Bullets For Dreamers
Is this a cover? I feel like I’ve heard this song before. It’s probably the most catchy song on the mix. Air guitar was made for a song like this. In fact, I’m doing air guitar right now.

21. The Awkward Stage The Circus Ends In Tears
Ugh, what’s up with the wussy vocals? The music is great. This would’ve been my favorite song on the mix if the vocals were better. Actually, the vocals get better towards the end when the song rocks.

Overall thoughts…there are quite a few bands I will check out because of this mix including Vancougar, Bughouse, and Herald Nix. In fact, Vancougar and Bughouse really blew my mind. Very nice.

Thanks Rads.

i'm kind of surprised that you're the only one that ever posts about the Awkward Stage.