Coming after last week's full-length South American episode, this show had the potential to suffer in comparison as it strove for more eclectic sounds. As well, to counteract the almost total lack of Canadian content, I had to beef up my Cancon requirements this week, which always makes me a little uncomfortable since I don't necessarily always think about nationally qualified music at first.
However, after we kicked off with the scrappy Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip track I've been holding for an opener for a long time, the show leapt to life off the script as the setlist went by. The two tracks by The Coral have been kept for a while to be timed with the Portishead album release, due to the production work on one of their tracks. And the Bobby Cole track was always ready to be the closer.
The Parkas were always a band I always held in reserve for some great Canadiana, though in the matters of full disclosure, I went to high school with two of the guys, who are brothers. From another section from our home and native land, Danny Michel was an act I caught on Thursday at the Railway Club. I lucked out after a casual work outing for darts and drinks and ran into one of my four-pitch softball teammates, who was there catch him live. Michel is a natural performer, unaccompanied save for his guitar and pedals. And yes, if you were there, that was me howling falsetto through his cover of Peter Gabriel's Games Without Frontiers, either showing my prowess in French or just plain showing my age.
I had three calls during the show, two of which come to mind immediately. The first came from the guy leaving work asking about MSTRKRFT, who have entered my mind as a mandatory act to see either live or as a DJ set based on what I heard from one morning Pacific time (hence, one night Australian time) from Triple J's show The Club a few weeks ago.
The other call came on the wings on figuring out the Elbow Beach Surf Club song, but wound up being yet another first: a request. After a quick search through the archives, I found Whitey, which I admittedly hadn't heard of before but I dug the tracks I quickly scanned through and spun one. Naturally, I had to ditch a song along the way, so expect some Sonic Youth in the near future. Another victim from the playlist due to the length of the show was Panda Bear, since the show ahead of me went into overtime, though gloriously as Radio!! Radio!! ended with some vintage radio transmissions from the 1970's.
To think: on paper, this show looked to be a bit of clunker, but it turned out to have a life of its own, as though I didn't fully understood what I created. I guess that makes it art then. From what I thought were failed hands, it took flight. Awesome show, great job!
Playlist follows:
Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip: Thou Shalt Always Kill (Angles, 2008) Lex
Shout Out Out Out Out: Dude You Feel Electrical (Not Saying/Just Saying, 2006) Nrmls Wlcm
Ghislain Poirier: Montréal dans ma tête (Beats as Politics, 2003) Pony Canyon
MSTRKRFT: Paris (The Looks, 2007) Last Gang
Nobody: Wake Up and Smell the Millenium (And Everything Else..., 2005) Plug Research
Portishead: We Carry On (Third, 2008) Island
The Coral: The Operator (The Invisible Invasion, 2005) Deltasonic
The Coral: Jacqueline (Roots & Echoes, 2008) Deltasonic
Danny Michel: Sweet Things (Feather, Fur & Fin, 2008) self-released
The Parkas: Filthy Rich Kids (Put Your Head in the Lion's Mouth, 2007) Saved By Radio
Elbow Beach Surf Club: Same Side (Billy Club EP, 2008) Burnt Oak
Plants and Animals: Feedback in the Field (Parc Avenue, 2008) Secret City
Bill Withers: Lonely Town, Lonely Street (Still Bill, 2003) Sony
Bobby Byrd: Hot Pants &mdash I'm Coming, Coming, I'm Coming (Hot Pants — I'm Coming, Coming, I'm Coming), 2003) P-Vine JP
The Beastie Boys: Shake Your Rump [Madlib Remix] (Beastie Boys Remixes EP, 2003) Stones Throw
Whitey: Tantrum (The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is a Train, 2006) Dim Mak/1-2-3-4
Akira Ifukube: Not a Chance of That (King Kong Escapes OST, 1967) ??
Riz Ortolani: Beat Fuga Shake (Beat at Cinecittà Vol. 1, 1972) Crippled Dick Hot Wax
The Chaquito Big Band: Theme from "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs" (Inflight Entertainment, 1996) Decca Pop
Bobby Cole: A Perfect Day (Gilles Peterson Digs America: Brownswood USA 1, 1964) Ubiquity
Of course, the backing track to the abbreviated concert listings was the theme to the A-Team by Mike Post. Not as rocking as the broadcast version, mind you — more like the somewhat schlocky orchestral recording.
Grab Alive from off-kilter as an MP3, jewelry man [83.0Mb, 90:35].
