Second One to Know

12/14 Show
With 2009 winding down, I tried to put together a show filled with many of my favorite songs of the year. Unfortunately, two hours was not nearly enough time to fit in all of the good stuff, so don't read the playlist as a definitive list. If you listen to the show regularly, you've heard most of these tunes before, but that doesn't mean you don't need to hear them over and over and over.

There was also some new music played this week:


- Ridiculously late on this one, but if haven't yet heard Charlotte Gainsborough's "IRM" (with help from Beck), follow the link(s) to download it now. It's really good.

- Fast, loose, fun: Harlem's "Friendly Ghost". And their album is named Hippies. What could be better?

- Surf, garage & punk rolled into one. Nothing new, in fact it almost sounds like a Soft Pack song (see below). Dirt Dress: "Sonic Death"

- The Fresh & Onlys, yet another band that can't afford a proper recording studio this year: "Second One to Know"

- Denmark quintet Oh No Ono will release their self-produced album Eggs early next year. Put it on your list. "Helplessly Young"

- Belle & Sebastian influences all over this one, with even more of a 60s pop sound: Gigi's "The Old Graveyard". The second song on this post to sing about graveyards.

- I'm a fan of the Soft Pack, and now we have a studio recording of "C'mon" to go with that Laundromatinee session a while back.

- Broken Social Scene member Jason Collett is preparing to release Rat a Tat Tat this coming March. Check out the R&B influenced "Love is a Dirty Word".

Coming soon... Music Is My Girlfriend's Top Albums of 2009

Careful With That Hat

12/07 Show
Of particular note this week:

- Spoon unveiled (via NPR) the first new single from their upcoming Transference LP (out 1/19/09 in the US). The excellent "Got Nuffin" is on the album, but I guess that didn't count as the first single for some reason. Here's a live version from last summer if you're so inclined. Anyhow, "Written in Reverse" is pretty much the fuzzy, catchy, slightly cryptic power pop we've come to expect from Spoon. Not their finest, but it won't stop me from eagerly awaiting their new album.

- Citay isn't afraid to write 7 minute long songs with a wealth of instrumental solos & a dearth of lyrics: "Careful With That Hat". Bravo to them, we need more of this.

- Said the Gramophone recently posted their Best Songs of 2009. Artists I played off this list today: Micachu & the Shapes, tUnE-YaRdS, Bear in Heaven, Burning Hearts, & Bombadil. Absolutely worth checking out. In this day and age, Best Song lists seem more relevant than Best Album lists, even though we all love making them anyway.

- Both Air Waves & Neon Indian had Daytrotter sessions released this past week, and they're both worth your time.

- Van She cover Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper", and I guess I'm thankful they didn't take Christopher Walken's advice. (This "remix" did, and it makes me want to throw up).

- I have some close ties to the Portland, OR hip-hop outfit Good Biz, so I'm excited to see them coming to Crested Butte this Saturday. Should be a good time.

Check out the full playlist.

Birthday Radio

11/30 Show
In celebration of my girlfriend Heather's birthday, I played a whole lot of music that she enjoys today. Among them: Wolf Parade, Arcade Fire, The Knife, Radiohead, Red Cortez, The National, Jonathan Richman, Cut Copy & many more. Awesomely, that's also a bunch of music that I like.

Check out the full playlist.

Also, this; because "music videos are so much easier to digest than movies":

What's In It For?

11/23 Show
Of particular note this week:

- One of the great joys of the internet is that you get access to widely prolific songwriters like Bradley Cox, who seems to have another wonderful release every week. His Atlas Sound alias covers the Five Discs' doo-wop gem: "Doctor"

- This has been around for a little while, but somehow it crossed my radar recently: Avi Buffalo "What's In It For?". Reminiscent of Band of Horses, but with a little less cliched yearning.

- The new single from Beach House surfaced this week: "Norway". It might be my favorite of their work, but I'm still not sold on this band.

- Aquarium Drunkard's most recent rare-find: Kim Fowley, who incidentally produced some of The Modern Lovers early work. Check out "International Heroes".

Here's a wealth of lo-fi goodies for the week:
- Sandwitches: "Back to the Sea"
- Magic Kids: "Superball"
- Light Pollution: "Oh, Ivory!"
- Andrew Cedermark: "Hard Livin'"
I'm starting to get sick of this sound. Maybe I just need to quit going to Gorilla vs. Bear.

Check out the full playlist.

Filled in for Monday's late night "Drinking in Bed" program last night. Here's the all-jazz playlist.

Albums of the Decade

A recent round of emails between friends prompted us all to list our favorite albums of the decade. Here's my rather quick list in chronological order (I'm sure I'm forgetting several)...

Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica (2000)
The Stokes - Is This It (2001)
White Stripes - White Blood Cells (2001)
Wilco - Yankee Hotel (2002)
Spoon - Kill the Moonlight (2002)
Beck - Sea Change (2002)
The Postal Service - Give Up (2003)
Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)
Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise (2005)
Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005)
The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine (2006)
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - self titled (2006)
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (2007)
MIA - Kala (2007)
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? (2007)
The National - Boxer (2007)
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (2007)
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours (2008)

Compilations:
Belle & Sebastian - Push Barman to Open Old Wounds (2005)
Jay Reatard - Matador Singles '08

As for 2009? You'll have to wait till the end of December to see what tops this year's list.

Traveling With Moving

I'll be back in the heartland for the next week+, so there will be no Music is My Girlfriend shows on November 9th & 16th. Look for a triumphant return to my normal slot on the 23rd. I'll also be filling in later that night (10:30pm-12:30am MT). Perhaps a proper "DJ" set???!!!!

Anyhow, thanks for your undying support.

In other news, here are some roadtrip thoughts after the ~20 hour drive to Chicago:
- Iowa's "Modern" Rest Stops are outstanding. The entire Interstate system should have wireless. (The non-Modern ones are not so great, but I did urinate on some corn stalks).
- Why do people build nice houses in the country within yards of the interstate?
- Hotels are overrated. Bring a sleeping bag & nap in your trunk!
- David Sedaris solely accounted for 5+ hours of wonderful drive time listening.
- Mike's Mexolina is not nearly as delicious when it's room temp. Same goes for Green Chile Pesto.
- How did it take me so long to jump on the podcast bandwagon?
- Caribou makes a mediocre cappuccino.
- Traveling with a french press is severely underrated.

Stick Up For Yourself, Son

11/2/09 Show
Of particular note this week:


- Loving this new track from Brooklyn's Yeasayer. Seriously, check it out. Add their album to 2010's growing list of releases to potentially wet yourself over.

-Indianapolis' own Jookabox had quite a torrent of videos & music at MOKB last week. "You Cried Me" is a terribly fast acoustic stomp (thus, altogether different from the previously posted "Phantom Don't Go"). KBUT just the album, I'll let you know what I think...

- This kind of lost outsider rock seems be unearthed every week, and its almost always amazing. Psychedelic funk from early 70s Nigeria: The Strangers "Two to Make a Pair"

- Fuzzy girl-group rock courtesy of The Sandwitches: "Marry Me" & more...

- Air France adds a nice old school hip-hop feel to this dance floor ready track: "Spring (Air France remix)". IF I had any DJ gigs planned, you might hear it.

- Hadn't heard of NoahJohn until this Aquarium Drunkard post. Good for an alt-country storytellin' fix.

- The White Rabbits stopped by the Daytrotter studios recently. Also, The Antlers session is perhaps more worth your time, even if I didn't play any of their tunes on Monday.

- LO-FI WARNING: Wild Nothing "Confirmation"

Check out the full playlist