That Generic Variety Show 09-24

Victor's picks are in ORANGE. Aileen's picks are in LIGHT BLUE.

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irgolva - Falling Slowly
Colbie Caillat - Midnight Bottle
Thrice - In Exile
Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
She & Him - I Was Made For you
Polar Bear Club - Living Saints
Hinder - Lips of an Angel
Circa Survive - Stop the Car
Coldplay - Viva la Vida
Mew - Introducing Palace Players
The Academy Is... - We've Got A Big Mess In Our Hands
Between the Buried and Me - Mirrors
Vienna Teng - Whatever You Want
RX Bandits - Mientras La Veo Sonar
James Blunt - Goodbye My Lover
Sirsy - Leftover Girl
Brand New - At the Bottom
Jason Marz - Curbside Prophet
Dillinger Four - AMERICASPREMIERFAITHBASEDINITATIVE
Solas - Just You
Anthony Green - First Day of Work at the Microscope Store
Saosin - I Keep My Secrets Safe
Kate Bush - Joanni
Muse - Uprising
Maria Talyor - Cartoons and Forever Plans

Weird Noises 9/23

Petr Kotik - Many Many Women (Performed by the S.E.M. Ensemble), Excerpt

Ambient Signal - 9/22/09

WRPI 91.5fm!
http://www.wrpi.org/ for webcast
Tuesdays 4-6pm

Green = In stores today! 9/22!

Br'er - Catch a falling knife (Playing at ground zero this friday! www.gzbasement.net for more info)
Balmorhea - Dream of thaw
Dark Dark Dark - All the things Dosh Remix
Wesafari - Credit
Denali - The Instinct
WHY? - The Blackest purse
Ramona falls - Salt sack
Le Loup - Family
Volcano Choir - Island, IS
Mew - Beach
Monsters of Folk - Dear God (Sincerely, MOF)
Speech Debelle - Searching
Slaraffenland - Meet and greet
Raveonettes - Last dance
Langhorne Slim - I love you but goodbye
Orba Squara - Very very (snow in june)
Vivian Girls - I have no fun
Choir of young believers - Under the moon
itsnotyouitsme - Great day
Bright Eyes - No one would riot for less
Cat Power - Maybe Not
Grizzly Bear - Two weeks
Battles - Atlas
Talkdemonic - Human til born
The Velvet Teen -Gyzmkid

Darling Tuesday - 9/22/2009

Join us on Tuesdays 2-4pm. Listen online at wrpi.org/listen.

Today's playlist:

Rival Consoles - iO - 1985
Islands - Tender Torture
Os Mutantes - O Careca

Simeon Mobile Disco - Cruel Intentions
Dungen - Saat Att Se
Felix Da Housecat - Do we move your world
Health - Die Slow

Air - Redhead Girl
Nadia Ali - Fine Print
Claude VonStroke - Aka aka - Nightingirl

Vivian Girls - Can't Get Over You
Chromeo - I Can't Tell You Why
King Cannibal - Dirt ft. Daddy Freddy

Crystal Castles - Crimewave
Boys Noize - Starter
Sondre Lerche & Regina Spektor - Hell No
New Young Pony Club - Get Lucky
Depeche Mode - Wrong

Mew - The Magic Cars
Boozoo Bajou - Flickers
Royksopp - Royksopp Forever
Justice - Waters of Nazareth
Arnaud Rebotini - 777

Ladytron - Tomorrow (port-royal Remix)

New music reviews: Good time grooves

The Wild - The Wild EP

Looking to extend summer past its September 22nd expiration date? The Wild's debut EP was released over Fourth of July weekend and as such is full of songs ideal for campfires, the beach, and other summery locations. The EP's five tracks are full of harmonica, twangy guitar (both acoustic and electric), and wistful vocals singing about singing along to songs and missing friends and, well, summer. See the theme here? Unfortunately, the final two tracks sort of just plod along and are less interesting than the first three. But hey, considering the EP's available to download for free, you have no excuse not to download the album to see how big of a smile emerges on your face from hearing the first three songs.

You can download the EP for free from Quote Unquote Records.

Girls - Album

Sporting the retro lo-fi sound that's so popular in 2009, Album by the much talked about San Francisco band Girls succeeds by making songs that would be catchy and powerful with or without member Chet White's production trickery. First track "Lust for Life" is neither a Stooges cover nor about a lust for life (just for romantic companionship, a common theme in the album), but that won't stop you from singing and dancing along to the song. Later, singer Christopher Owens tells a girl named "Laura" that he wants to be "friends forever" despite the fact that she's been "a bitch" and he's been "an ass." Whatever, right? Then the beautiful Beach Boys-esque outro hits and once the song ends, you're left wondering how 4 minutes and 44 seconds passed by so quickly. Other moments, like the percussion in "God Damned" and the lyrics and overall mood of "Hellhole Ratrace" ("And I don't wanna cry my whole life through/I wanna do some laughing too/So c'mon and laugh with me"), serve to keep your ears perked throughout the course of the album. Overall, Album is big, bold, and bashful. Don't get turned off by the hype - make sure to check it out.

Album will be released on September 22nd by True Panther Records. You can stream the whole album on True Panther's website right now.

That Generic Variety Show (09-17)

Aileen's songs are in yellow; Victor's are in black.

"Do You" ~ Portugal. The Man
"The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" ~ Jason Mraz
"Head For the Hills" ~ Saves the Day
"Out Tonight" ~ from Rent
"Feathers" ~ Coheed & Cambria
"The Church of Hot Addiction" ~ Cobra Starship
"Cryptograms" ~ Deerhunter
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" ~ Cyndi Lauper
"There's No Penguins in Alaska" ~ Chiodos
"Every Time You Lie" ~ Demi Lovato
"Sweetness" ~ Jimmy Eat World
"Be Prepared" ~ from The Lion King
"Pacucha Sunrise" ~ Minus the Bear
"Coming to Terms" ~ Carolina Liar
"Bloodmeat" ~ Protest the Hero
"Waiting Up" ~ Remember Maine
"Between the End and Where We Lie" ~ Thrice
"The Waiting" ~ Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
"Friends in the Armed Forces" ~ Thursday
"She Is" ~ The Fray
"Backfire" ~ Mutemath
"Holly (Would You Turn Me On?)" ~ All Time Low
"Don't Hate Me" ~ The Get Up Kids
"Unwell" ~ Matchbox Twenty
"Repeater Beater" ~ Mew

Weird Noises 9/16

Charlemagne Palestine - Cataclisma 3
The Cure - Pornography
Lucky Rabbit - performed by Seymour Wright and Ross Lambert
Gyorgy Ligeti - Le Grand Macabre, Act 2
Pere Ubu - Go
This Heat - Health and Efficiency
Jacques Lejeune - D'Une Multitude En Fete
Tandem Electrics - Intaglio

Ambient Signal - 9/15/09

WRPI 91.5fm!
http://www.wrpi.org/ for webcast
Tuesdays 4-6pm

Code.

Pre show- Code in the clouds - Don't go awash

The Octopus Project - Malaria Codes
Four Tet - My angel rocks back and forth
Q and not U - Sleeping the terror code
WHY? - Against me
Bright Eyes - Arc of time
Tiesto - Kaleidoscope (Featuring Jonsi of Sigur Ros)
itsnotyouitsme - Throne built for the past (playing wednesday at RPI at 7:30! Visit arts.rpi.edu for more info!)
Ramona falls - Going once, going twice
Le Loup - Morning song
Slaraffenland - Open your eyes
Mew - Introduction palace player
Yo la tengo - Avalon or someone very similar
Amy Millan - Towers
Windmill - Ellen save our energy
Orba Squara - All the colors (picture perfect)
Alan Singley and the pants machine - Lean in
Vivian girls - Walking alone at night
Port o' brien - Oslo Campfire
Grizzly Bear - While you wait for the others (Playing Sept 25th at Skidmore!)
Annuals - Springtime
Cmaera Obscura - Away with murder
Feist - Let it die
Orenda Fink - Let it die
Halou - Morsecode
I'm from barcelona - Paper planes

Darling Tuesday - 9/15/2009

Hey WRPI listeners,

This is the first post on ilikewrpi for my new show, Darling Tuesday. A grand mixture of electronic, indie, and pop, you can listen in every Tuesday aternoon from 2-4pm. Listen online at wrpi.org/listen or 91.5 FM in the Capitol Region.

Here's the playlist:

Artist - Album - Track
port-royal - dying in time - hva (failed revolutions)
port-royal - dying in time - nights in kiev
Helado Negro - Awe Owe - Venceremos
Arnaud Rebotini - Music Components - The Spirit of Boogie
Grafton Primary - Eon - Telling Lies
Radio Knox Five - Radio Free DC Remixed - The Party Pushers
Radio Knox Five - Radio Free DC Remixed - Sao Funky
Kevin Saunderson - History Elevate - Diva Drive / Agoria
Shantel - Planet Paprika - Citizen of Planet Paprika
Picture Plane - Dark Rift - Solid Gold
Gus Gus - 27/7 - Hateful
Royksopp - Happy Up Here: The Remixes - Holy Fuck Remix
I Fight Dragons - Money
Infected Mushroom - Smashing The Opponent - Smashing The Opponent (J.Viewz Remix)
Mew - No More Stories... - Introducing Palace Players
Scratch Perverts - Beatdown (first 4 tracks)
Paul van Dyke - The Best Of - New York City
Chromeo - DJ KiCKS - Gonna Get Over You by Donna Allen
Hot Chip - Made In The Dark - One Pure Thought
Arnaud Rebotini - Music Components - Horns 0f Innocence

Plan B, 9/14/09

Well, well, well. I've finally decided to join the herd here at ilikewrpi. I'm not sure whether to call it coming around or caving, but however you or I choose to see it, here's this week's playlist. Focus albums for the week are Cougar's Patriot, Choir of Young Believers' This Is For The White In Your Eyes, and Codes In The Clouds' Paper Canyon. I'm feeling especially post-rocky this week.

(Plan B can, of course, be heard Monday evenings from 10pm until midnight.)

((Track - Artist - Album))

We Are Water - Health - Get Color
Stay Famous - Cougar - Patriot
Hollow Talk - Choir of Young Believers - This Is For The White In Your Eyes
Armslength - Moving Mountains - Foreword
Flaming Arrow - Jupiter One - Sunshower
Sitting Nearly Invisible Off In The Jagged Distance - Andrew Spink - Speak Away
Easy To Persuade - Sondre Lerche - Heartbeat Radio
Daunte v. Armada - Cougar - Patriot
Don't Go Awash In This Digital Landscape - Codes In The Clouds - Paper Canyon
In Violet - Health - Get Color
Closing In - Imogen Heap - Speak For Yourself
Why Must It Always Be This Way - Choir of Young Believers - This Is For The White In Your Eyes
Burden - Mute Math - Armistice
The Distance Between Us - Codes In The Clouds - Paper Canyon
Growing - Laredo - Bury For Growth
Technicolor - Nurses - Apple's Acre
Rhinelander - Cougar - Patriot
Beggar's Bowl - Polvo - In Prism
2-1 - Imogen Heap - Ellipse
Wintertime Love - Choir of Young Believers - This Is For The White In Your Eyes
Fractures - Codes In The Clouds - Paper Canyon
The Road - Frank Turner - Poetry Of The Deed

If you've been smitten by the talented man behind the microphone but would rather have your ears bleed and/or be mildly entertained, check out "The Pete and Brian Show" on Thursdays from 6pm to 8pm.

Video from Phantogram show in Saratoga Springs 9/5/09

Phantogram - When I'm Small (Live @ Saratoga) from blair neal on Vimeo.

This is video from one of the sets I did with Saratoga's own Phantogram (formerly "Charlie Everywhere"). This was a street performance they did for The Final Stretch festival, and they were performing in a drive through banking tunnel. I performed improvised video for their 3 sets that night, using custom software and a couple projectors and a lot of screens. A very fun show! Phantogram is going on tour in Europe and other select stops in the US coming up soon.

Hear more at www.myspace.com/phantogram

That Generic Variety Show 09-10. NOW WITH NEW COLORS

Aileen is now PINK!!!!. And Victor is BLUE. YEAH COLORS!!!!!!

Mew - Snow Brigade
The Academy Is... - Everything We Hold
Lemuria - Pants
Steve Perry - I Stand Alone
Saves the Day - Anywhere with You
Don McLean - American Pie
Weezer - Buddy Holly
Celine Dion - Ten Days
Rx Bandits - Only For The Night
From Repo! The Genetic Opera - Genetic Emancipation
Dillinger Four - Gainsville
Shania Twain - Man! I Feel Like a Woman
Coheed and Cambria - Neverender
Hinder - Better Than Me
AFI - Medicate
Hey Monday - Set Off
Portugal. The Man - People Say
Semisonic - Who's Stopping You?
fun. - Be Calm
The Temptations - My Girl
The Mars Volta - Teflon
Harry Nilsson - Jump Into the Fire
Jimmy Eat World - Hear You Me

Weird Noises 9/9

Alvin Lucier - In Memoriam Jon Higgins (performed by Thomas Ridenour)
Billy Gomberg - Verse
David Tudor - Neural Synthesis
Allen Kaprow - How To Make a Happening
Morton Feldman - For Philip Guston (performed by The S.E.M. Ensemble)

Ambient Signal - 9/8/09

WRPI 91.5fm!
http://www.wrpi.org/ for webcast
Tuesdays 4-6pm

Yeaah, the blog is getting slowly refilled

Wolf Parade - Soldier's Grin
The Strokes - Soma
World's End Girlfriend - Birthday resistance
Why? - Early whitney
Son lux - Do
Alias - Weathering
Slow Six - These rivers between us (live recording at GZ)
Why? - Into the shadows of my embrace
Ramona Falls - Russia
Antlers - Sylvia
Dodos - Fable
Amy Millan - Old perfume
Windmill - Big Boom
Tyondai Braxton - Uffe's woodshop
Cougar - Stay famous
Orba Squara - Trouble with flying
Alan singley and the pants machine - Little by little
Caspian - Mie/La Cerva
Grand archives - Oslo Novelist
Softlightes - The Ballad of Theodore and June
Azeda Booth - Big Fists
Conor oberst and the mystic valley band - White shoes
Bibio - Haikuesque (When she laughs)
The Album leaf - Twenty two fourteen
Bitcrush - Every ghost has it's spectre

...And The Battle Begun 09/07 - NOW WITH FLAVOR

On every Monday from 2PM-4PM

artist - song name

fun. - All the Pretty Girls
The Syncope Threshold - Sunflower Avenue
Saves the Day - In Reviere
Mew - Beach
Portugal. The Man - Lay Me Back Down
Thrice - The Earth Isn't Humming
Daft Punk - Digital Love
RX Bandits - Its Only Another Parsec...
A Perfect Circle - Orestes
Why? - Into The Shadows of My Embrace
Death Cab For Cutie - Title Track
Coheed and Cambria - God Send Conspirator
Radiohead - Jigsaw Falling Into Place
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - Isis Unveiled
Slint - Good Morning Captain
The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
Minus the Bear - Knights
Thrice - Between the End And Where We Lie
The Unicorns - Tuff Ghost
The Get Up Kids - Ten Minutes
The Mars Volta - The Widow
Placebo - Sleeping With Ghosts
MGMT - Kids
Between the Buried and Me - Prequel to the Sequel
Junior Senior - Move Your Feet

That Generic Variety Show 09-03

On every Thursday from 4PM-6PM. Aileen's selections are in purple. Victor's selections are in green.

Artist - Song

Saves the Day - Cars & Calories
David Cook - Lie
Tool - Aenema
Hanson - Runaway Run
Weezer - Why Bother?
Kings of Convenience - I'd Rather Dance With You
Coheed And Cambria - Everything Evil
Demi Lovato - Catch Me
Mew - Rebeaterbeater
Blackmore's Night - Loreley
Mastodon - Colony of Birchmen
From Newsies - Seize the Day
Anthony Green - Babygirl
Tommy and the High Pilots - Bluesy Floozie
Portugal. The Man - Work All Day
Jim Croce - Lover's Cross
Ok Go - A Million Ways
A-Ha - Take on Me
Queen - Killer Queen
Laura Branigan - Gloria
Thrice - Firebreather
Enrique Iglesias - Heroe
Between the Buried and Me - Prequel to the Sequel
Jesse McCarthey - Just So You Know
Hello Seahorse! - OK!...Lobster
Alkaline Trio - Stupid Kid
House of Freaks - 40 Years

Rabble rabble rabble

I know everyone usually gets upset about certain pitchfork reviews. Sometimes they can be right, sometimes they can be way off..its the nature of reviewing. I was particularly upset this week that they gave a 15 year old album the title of Best new music (I know its a Sunny day real estate re-issue and an important album, blah blah blah). Meanwhile, my #1 album of the year contender, Intuit by Ramona Falls, scored a very respectable 8.0 but I suppose doesn't warrant a "best new music" title. It was bad enough a few weeks ago when they were giving the titles to Radiohead re-issues and giving Kid A a 10.0. I still use the site for various music news things, but I'm increasingly disappointed in their reviewing when they seem to be hailed as the be all, end all of indie music knowledge.

I was also going to whine about their top 500 songs of the 2000's but was just linked to this fantastic buddyhead article that does a much better job than I could:
http://www.buddyhead.com/lil-wayne-2000-pitchfork-snorts-a-decade/

Post some of your favorite alternative music review websites!

Weird Noises 9/2/09

First playlist of the semester:

Stephen Vitiello - Light Readings
Horaflora - A Win, Din, Thud Or...
Disband - Rebel
Tom Johnson - Abundant Numbers
Gruppo di Imrovazzione Nuova Consonanza - Eflot, Percussion per Tutti
Beat Furrer - Fama (Scenes IV & V), performed by Klangforum Wien
Billy Gomberg - Into
John Cage - Cheap Imitation III (performed by Paul Zukofsky

Ambient Signal - 9/1/09 - New Month, New Time!

WRPI 91.5fm!
http://www.wrpi.org/ for webcast
Tuesdays 4-6pm

New time and you know what that means...

Yes..my graphic displays the wrong times again, but that's ok..it can stay like that..I think i was on wednesdays 6-8 last yearand didn't change it

So weird being on the air this early. Plus this blog is a little lonelier this fall because of so little DJ's on it, but hopefully participation will pick up.

Pre-Show - Tyondai Braxton - Platinum Rows

Son lux - Raise (Playing at Mass Moca this friday at 8pm! Going to be great!)
Denali - Gunner
Camera Obscura - Tears for affairs
Cat power - Metal heart
Doves - Winter Hill
Morcheeba - Ten Men (Request)
Feist - Sea lion Woman
Sigur Ros - Festival
Ramona Falls - Clover - SEE MY VIDEO HERE
The Antlers - Kettering
Amy Millan - Bruised Ghosts
Choir of young believers - Under the moon
Darlings - Eviction party
Dodos - Longform
Alan Singley and the pants machine - Le Rain
Phantogram - When I'm Small (Playing in Saratoga this saturday at Final Stretch festival! Free show!)
Inner Banks - Pyramids
Mew - Repeater beater
Health - Die slow
Balmorhea - Attesa
Brand New - The boy who blocked his own shot
Bright Eyes - Tourist Trap
Grizzly Bear - Knife
Starfucker - Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second
Why? - The Vowels pt. 2
The Velvet Teen - Building a whale

...And The Battle Begun 08/31

Hey hey everybody out there. This is my the first And The Battle Begun for the semester. So I will be on Mondays at 2PM-4PM. Today I'm on a bit longer because Capitol Report won't be playing afterward. Here is the playlist for the show:

Artist - Title

Rx Bandits - ...And the Battle Begun
The Get Up Kids - Holiday
Mew - Introducing Palace Players
Jimmy Eat World - Lucky Denver Mint
Circa Survive - Stop the Car
Weezer - El Scorcho
The Mars Volta - Teflon
Interpol - Obstacle 1
Piebald - King of the Road
Pavement - Gold Soundz
Coheed and Cambria - Time Consumer
Saves the Day - At Your Funeral
Dillinger Four - Noble Stabbings
Animal Collective - My Girls
Pixies - Trompe le Monde
Coheed and Cambria - The Velourium Camper III: Al the Killer
The Ergs! - Introducing Morrissey
Between the Buried and Me - Informal Gluttony
Mastodon - The Czar
Built to Spill - Car
Explosions in the Sky - First Breath After Coma
Aha - Take on Me
Sunny Day Real Estate - Song About An Angel
The Dismemberment Plan - A Life of Possibilities
Silversun Pickups - Common Reactor
Jawbreaker - Bivouac
None More Black - Oh, There's Legwork
Moving Mountains - Foreward
The Fall Of Troy - The Hol[ ]ly Tape
And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Another Morning Stoner
The Appleseed Cast - Hanging Marionette
Saosin - It's Far Better to Learn
The Sound of Animals Fighting - The Heraldic Beak of Manufacturer's Medallion