pick (podcast?) of the week

The Contrast Podcast is based on a cool idea. Each week, a theme is announced, and anyone is invited to pick a song based on the theme, record themselves giving a little introduction to the song, and send the intro and song in. The submissions are compiled on a first-come, first-included basis into a ~1 hour set for the week's episode. The handful of episodes I've listened to so far are somewhat hit and miss (songs by actors, for example, can range from somewhat funny to truly painful), but a good theme turns up some pretty cool stuff. My favorite so far is episode 45, My Favorite 45.

Next week's theme will be Why? (They've already apparently done who, what, when, and where.) So for kicks I typed "why" in my itunes search box. Check out what popped up.

a vinyl find

Big record store find this weekend! For ten bucks at Looney Tunes on Boylston St., in Boston:


Pixies - Velouria 12" single, promo copy!

Side A: Velouria, Make Believe

Side B: I've Been Waiting For You, The Thing

Years ago, I found the Gigantic and Alec Eiffel 12" singles within a relatively short time, the first at In Your Ear in Providence and the second I think somewhere in NY. I got excited at the thought of a budding Pixies vinyl collection, and ever after kept one eye out in every record store I visited. But this is the first one I've ever found since then, so it really made my day.

You can buy the Pixies "Complete B-Sides" collection at Amazon.

The Monks

The Monks - Black Monk Time

I don't remember how I came across this album, but I remember on the first listen being amazed that it was made as long ago as 1966 (same year as Pet Sounds and Revolver). I love this description (from here):

The one astounding album of proto punk/abrasive psych genius from the Monks! The album's wild organ washes, primitive drums and guitar, and harsh, bizarre vocal rants prefigured everything from the Stooges, to Rocket From The Tombs, to the more predictable punk stuff that arrived 18 years later. Outrageous and incredible!

I was sure that was meant to say Rocket From The Crypt, but no! Rocket From The Tombs, I subsequently learn, was a short-lived band that spawned Pere Ubu.

Wikipedia, as usual, has plenty more on The Monks. They were American G.I.'s stationed together in Germany. Interesting!



Marginally related trivia of the day: What band outsold the Beatles two to one in 1966, winning 4 Grammys and setting a Guinness Book world record with 5 albums simultaneously on Billboard's Pop Album chart? The answer's in the comments.

pick of the week

Check out the Kleptones' podcast, Hectic City. They usually do mixes and mash-ups, but the latest edition is just a great set of British 60's garage rock.

Stay tuned for more 60's proto-punk from The Monks.

Tom Waits

Musicast seems not to be able to deal with the aac format of the ripped Forget Cassettes album. So instead I put Tom Waits' recent 3-cd release Orphans on the player. I listened to most of it today, and Bottom of the World is a great song. Seems like everyone's either a lover or a hater when it comes to Tom. Which are you?



There are so many cool pictures of this guy. I used to have this one taped to the side of my computer in college. It was ripped out of Rolling Stone (I think) and on the other side was a picture of Brad Pitt in a shiny sparkly alien outfit.

some very good rock and roll music

I don't buy many new cds, but I just ordered several direct from Theory 8 records. I received Forget Cassettes' new album Salt for Christmas, and have been loving it. (I'll put it up in the streampad player soon.) Then today I was listening to their Theory 8 label-mates Apollo Up!, on their website, and they rock very much as well. So then I ended up at the Theory 8 site and just broke down and ordered a bunch of cds from both bands, plus one by The Sincerity Guild (check them out at purevolume or, sorry, myspace).

I'm going to try and completely avoid describing or reviewing bands here, since there's way too much of that clogging the tubes already. Besides, I think you get way more from 3 minutes listening to a song on a band's website than you get from reading Pitchfork. So there it is: I recommend these bands, and if you check them out I'd love to hear what you think. That's what the comments are for.

I have to stick this in here: here's a pandora station based on these bands.

Isn't this fun?