For any of you still relying on the XML feed, the blog itself is broken whilst I figure out an upgrade. Imagine though that I don't have the keys to the car, so these words are the equivalent of me pushing the car around from week to week.

rfg #54 - Strange pillows of my wanderlust [83.8 Mb, 91:35]

This week was jammed to the gills with profiles. There were the remaining nominees for Best Original Score and Song for this year's Academy Awards: James Newton Howard for his work in Defiance and a quick look back at Thomas Newman's work for WALL·E, though featuring cues I didn't play from the last show of 2008, including Peter Gabriel's nominated song. Then, David Byrne, who's actually in Vancouver on Friday (not Thursday), and his scorework, along with his collaboration work with Brian Eno. I did a minor set to Byrne & Eno previously, which was part of a pretty solid program back in the summer.

As well, there's a tribute at the beginning to Blossom Dearie, who died a day before my previous show. I scrambled then to come up with songs of hers, but due mostly to low bitrates, opted to spend an extra week to find better versions, including a pristine-sounding version of the Schoolhouse Rock classic Figure Eight. I had no idea that she had sung that song until her death; she also sung a few other bits like Unpack My Adjectives and Mother Necessity. Most jazz people I know respected her though found her voice too distinctive to fully love; I've only recently started combing through her back catalogue and so far, her voice captures the subtext behind words few others can.

The beginning of the show had me chatting with Ben Lai, regular host of Live from Thunderbird Radio Hell and filling for Becki this week. The band he eluded to was Les Dales Hawerchuk, a reference to the great hockey player for the late great beloved Winnipeg Jets, one of the lost Canadian NHL teams and a reference point for all the Manitobans I know. I use some level of Jets gear when travelling abroad for luck.

Enough chit-chat, here's the playlist.

Bat for Lashes: Glass (Two Suns, 2009) Astralwerks
Blossom Dearie: I Like London in the Rain (Inflight Entertainment, 1996) Deram
Blossom Dearie: You Fascinate Me So (My Gentleman Friend, 1961) Verve
Blossom Dearie: Figure Eight (Multiplication Rock, 1973) Capitol
Great Lake Swimmers: Pulling on a Line (Lost Channels, 2009) Nettwerk
Born Ruffians: Kurt Vonnegut (Red, Yellow & Blue, 2008) Warp
Joni Mitchell: Amelia (Hejira, 1976) Asylum
Antony & the Johnsons: Kiss My Name (The Crying Light, 2009) Secretly Canadian
Talking Heads: Stay Hungry (More Songs about Buildings and Food, 1978) Sire
David Byrne & Brian Eno: Everything That Happens (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, 2009) Todomondo
Brian Eno & David Byrne: Qu'ran (My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, 1981) Sire
David Byrne: The Red House (The Catherine Wheel, 1981) Sire
David Byrne: Canal Life (Lead Us Not Into Temptation: Music from the film Young Adam, 2003) Thrill Jockey
David Byrne: Jungle Book (The Knee Plays, 2007) Nonesuch
Thomas Newman: Directive A-113 (WALL·E OST, 2008) Disney
Thomas Newman: Horizon 12.2 (WALL·E OST, 2008) Disney
Peter Gabriel: Down to Earth (WALL·E OST, 2008) Disney
James Newton Howard: Main Titles to Defiance (Defiance OST, 2008) Sony Classics
James Newton Howard: Survivors (Defiance OST, 2008) Sony Classics
James Newton Howard: Bella and Zus (Defiance OST, 2008) Sony Classics
James Newton Howard: Exodus (Defiance OST, 2008) Sony Classics
Venetian Snares: Dismantling Five Years (Higgins Ultra Low Track Glue Funk Hits 1972-2006, 2002) Planet Mu

As a reminder, radio free gak returns March 2; next week, I'll be pre-empted by the CKUT Montréal Homelessness Marathon, which will be broadcast on multiple stations throughout Canada.