2017 Highlights & Shows # 702 & 703

For my best of 2017, me and my co-host selected 10 albums that we each liked and played these and other selections from 2017 across two episodes. You can download these episodes under the playlists below. I’ve included each of our top 10 lists in this post, followed by a little write-up of each of our top five albums that we liked from 2017.

Dave’s Top 10 Albums of 2017:

1. The Sadies - Northern Passages
2. Chad VanGaalen - Light Information
3. Ty Segall - Ty Segall
4. Dion Lunadon - Dion Lunadon
5. King Khan Murderburgers
6. Oh Sees - Orc/OCS - Memory of a Cut Off Head
7. Protomartyr - Relatives In Descent
8. The Courtneys - II
9. Black Lips - Satan’s Graffiti or God’s Art?
10. Teenanger - Teenager

Adam’s Top 10 Albums of 2017:

1. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me
2. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream
3. Ty Segall - Ty Segall
4. King Krule - The Ooz
5. Slowdive - Slowdive
6. Priests - Nothing Feels Natural
7. Perfume Genius - No Shape
8. The Courtneys - II
9. Protomartyr - Relatives In Descent
10. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy

A Few Write-ups From A Selection of Our Top 10 Lists:

Dave's Top Five:

1. The Sadies – Northern Passages

Northern Passages is the 10th full-length album released by Toronto’s The Sadies, who formed in 1994. This album makes connections with the band’s past, musically and spiritually as well as connecting with the present and future. Several of the songs on Northern Passages are like walking into a wide-open field. With each track The Sadies make new paths and breathe new life into previous paths that they’ve travelled through in the past. “Riverview Fog” opens Northern Passages in a psychedelic folk fashion. It is slow and conjures up the feeling of walking on an overcast day prior to a rainfall. Lyrically the song acts as a letter and combination of thoughts to an old reclusive friend that you haven’t spoken to in a while. “Riverview Fog” is said to be about Rick White of Eric’s Trip/Elevator, who alongside Greg Keelor (of Blue Rodeo), Dallas Good, Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky of The Sadies played in The Unintended. With lyrics such as “I know that’s not where you’re at today/Stay calm in your quiet getaway”, “Long gone are the days/They’ve all passed away” and “But I know you’re where you need to be/Out in the country”, “Riverview Fog” mixes up a complex pairing of thoughts and reflectiveness, while at the same time displaying a hopefulness. With an overall sound that can be described as an “acid-folk-country-punk trip”, Northern Passages finds The Sadies navigating through familiar and new territories. The Sadies are not travelling through a path less travelled here, but they are creating their own.

2. Chad VanGaalen – Light Information

Chad VanGaalen has always been known for his own unique style, one many call off-kilter indie rock. Recorded and produced by himself (with the exceptions of a few parts on a few tracks), the music on Light Information predates 2014’s Shrink Dust. As usual, VanGaalen’s music provides the listener with a different, often darker perspective on many things. Musically, the album produces its own unique rhythms, but at the same time seeming to have more catchy melodies, combined with many of the creepy, paranoid induced lyrics. “Mind Hijackers Curse”, is a warbly post-punk inspired track, “Locked In The Phase” gets more psychedelic, as “Host Body” tells the haunting tale of parasitic demons that “Eat me from the inside/I can already hear them chewing”, but one that seems to bring forth a tale of someone taken over by one of these parasites, to represent and save (or doom) the others. This can be seen as a look into our modern, Internet, quick spread information driven world. A subject that is touched upon in many different ways on Light Information.

“Mystery Elementals” is a fuzz driven track, “Old Heads” is an off-kilter pop song that only VanGaalen could write. It is a song about how technologies need to constantly replace, or regenerate themselves. “Golden Oceans” dips into garage punk waters, as “Pine And Clover” is a haunting ballad, as the album closer “Static Shape”, combines folk with synthesizer sounds. Light Information as VanGaalen stated in a press release is about “not being comfortable with anything really”. As a result, Light Information revels in unease, producing tales of paranoia, isolation, and alienation, among other themes reflecting our modern technological landscape.

3. Ty Segall – Ty Segall

Following Ty Segall’s 2016 noisy concept album Emotional Mugger, Ty Segall released a self-titled full-length album in 2017. This album, is not as noisy as its predecessor, however, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t noisy moments found on this album, there are plenty. This album is also the second full-length album released by Ty Segall that is also a self-titled release. His first was in 2008, at the beginning of his recording and musical garage adventures as a solo artist, with Segall playing the majority of the instrumentation. 2017’s Ty Segall release seems like a new beginning of sorts for Segall. This is the first full-length album where it was recorded with a live band in a room since 2012’s Slaughterhouse, which was recorded with the Ty Segall Band. Despite being produced (or recorded by) Steve Albini, this does not get in the way of the album. It has its own feel. This album isn’t a concept album as was the noisy horror punk of Emotional Mugger and it’s not as glossy sounding as 2014’s Manipulator, but despite what his previous albums have to say, this one has its own thing to say. There is no overarching concept here and the last twelve seconds of this album provide us with a glimpse of an answer to the points I’m bringing up here. The eleventh track on Ty Segall is a twelve second song titled “Untitled”. It is clearly a false start of one of the other songs found on this album, followed by laughter. This ending may seem odd to some, but it also provides a simple sonic example, that Ty Segall may be trying new things and has released multiple albums throughout his career, but, he’s still Ty Segall. He hasn’t forgotten his beginnings and we don’t know where he’ll go next musically.

4. Dion Lunadon – Dion Lunadon

For the past seven years, Dion Lunadon has been playing bass in New York’s A Place To Bury Strangers. Prior to exploring the noisy world of A Place To Bury Strangers, Dion played in numerous bands. The D4 are now known as garage legends from New Zealand and were part of the garage revival of the late 90s/early 2000’s. Dion played guitar in this band and would take lead vocals on several tracks at times, trading off with Jimmy Christmas, The D4’s other singer/guitarist. Following the end of this band, Dion relocated to New York, where he started a new group, The True Lovers. This band adopted a more soulful approach, but after about a year and one album they ended too. Beneath the noisy waves and bass grooves in A Place To Bury Strangers, something was rising to the surface. For Dion and was a raw, unbridled blast of songwriting. During a recording/touring break with A Place To Bury Strangers, Dion wrote fifty new songs and from this list he culled eleven tracks (twelve if you count the B-side to 2016’s Com/Broke single) to create what would become his first self-titled and debut album. The songs that make up Dion Lunadon are filled with a certain raw, visceral aesthetic. Dion Lunadon explores a noisy world encompassing a variety of influences drawing on punk, garage, psychedelic, post-punk and others while lyrically it taps into urban life and the frustrations and determinations that come along with it. Dion Lunadon is an album that was created within a certain moment in time and it is something that not only grabs, but demands your attention.

5. King Khan - Murderburgers

Murderburgers is the first solo album released by King Khan. Khan, who has been releasing music usually of the garage, punk and soul/R&B variety since the early 2000’s, has been part of many bands including King Khan & The Shrines as well as The King Khan & BBQ and countless others. For this album, Khan was backed by Oakland, California band The Gris Gris. Recorded in about a week, the album was produced by Greg Ashley at his Creamery Studio, which is no more. At just ten tracks, the album shows a new depth to the music created by Khan. “Discrete Disguise” is a soulful island ballad, “It’s Just Begun” gives the listener a taste of folk rock, “Run Doggy Run” adds some psychedelic soul sounds to this album’s palate, while “It’s A Lie” brings garage rock flavours. “Born In 77” is a proto-punk Stooges rave-up, “Teeth Are Shite” is a sleazy garage punk track, “Desert Mile” delves into the blues, and “Winter Weather”, the album’s closer, is a slow garage soul ballad. When all ten tracks are put together, the combination of musical ingredients may surprise some, but Murderburgers provides the listener with an eclectic platter of King Khan’s musical abilities.

Adam's Top Five:

1. Mount Eerie – A Crow Looked at Me

There is a clear distinction between A Crow Looked at Me and other recent releases that address leaving behind this mortal coil, such as Blackstar or You Want it Darker. The later albums are exercises in accepting mortality. Elverum’s record details the experience of losing a loved one. In 2016, Elverum’s wife Geneviève Castrée the Washington based singer, performer, and visual artist passed away from pancreatic cancer. A Crow Looked at Me is the aftermath of this loss, recounting in excruciating detail the process of mourning Phil Elverum went through. There is something so pure and raw in his depiction of the day-to-day aspects of life after his wife’s death that truly underscore the loss. It is these minor details, the eruption of grief that comes from the most seeming mundane of events, that tangibly relay this experience: trying to remember whether she liked Canadian Geese, sorting items in her vacant room, and crying after receiving a backpack in the mail she had ordered for their daughter.

For anyone who has dealt with the death of a loved one, A Crow Looked at Me will resonate all too strongly. Elverum never obfuscates or embellishes, but gives direct and impactful descriptions in his songs. On the album’s final song, Elverum recounts a trek with his daughter where they spot a crow circling overhead. Rather than a sign of resolution, the crow acts as a reminder of the presence death constantly has over them. It is a sobering admittance that there is neither consolation nor closure. To the album’s credit it offers no instructions on how to deal with grief, for there are none. A Crow Looked at Me is a painful record. However, it may be the most crucial record of 2017. During a polemic year in which the divisions of politics, race, class, gender, and privilege have been reminded to us again and again, Elverum has produced a work that talks about one of the few truly universal subjects that crosses all divisions and boundaries. By articulating his personal pain, Elverum reminds us of the one aspect in which we are the same.

2. LCD Soundsystem – American Dream

If you would have asked me at the beginning of the year whether the world needed another LCD Soundsystem album, my answer would have been a resounding “no.” I thought I had my full of the nostalgia-drenched, new wave tinged dance-rock that the band helped to popularize in the late 2000’s. Yes, Murphy is still pilfering riffs from late 70’s art-rock (the grinding guitars of “Change Yr Mind” take liberally from Brian Eno’s “No One Receiving”). Yes, the album still permeates with fat, warm sounding synths. And yes, Murphy still waxes philosophically over his growing alienation from the youth culture he once inhabited. However, for all the familiarity there is also a lot of change. The album is less dance-oriented than its predecessors, marked by slower paced songs and darker textures. There has never been so much atmosphere on an LCD Soundsystem record before. As a result the album projects a very serious mood that is all too appropriate for the matured lyrical focus of James Murphy.

As one would suspect from a title like American Dream, the album sees Murphy casting a critical eye towards the society around him. Online, commercial, and youth culture are thoroughly scrutinized, all the while Murphy tackles these subjects with humour, nuance, and refreshing self-awareness. Some topics broached include government surveillance (“Other Voices”), the escalating political and ideological rifts within America (“Call the Police”), and the false promises of individual identity offered by consumer culture (“Tonite”). While darker in scope than any of the band’s previous releases, the album’s bleakest moment is left for its closer: “Blank Screen,” a slow pulsing eulogy for Murphy’s deceased friend and musical idol David Bowie. More than just an acceptable return to the studio, American Dream acts as a revitalization for the group. It is a warts-and-all snapshot of what it means to live in America in 2017, and perhaps the band’s best and most mature record.

3. Ty Segall – Ty Segall

Ty Segall is the logical culmination of the artist’s past ten years of output. For 36 glorious minutes the garage-rocker rummages through the sounds of The Beatles, Stooges, and Syd Barrett to create a kaleidoscopic sonic experience.“Break a Guitar” is not so much a song but an anthem, celebrating the destructive and creative powers of rock. “Orange Colour Queen” is Segall’s most beautiful and emotive ballad to date. Then there is the 10 minute freak out “Warm Hands (Freedom Returned)”, the definitive moment of the rocker’s career - Ty sounds like he is exorcising the ghosts of Hendrix, Bolan, and Ashton throughout with his incendiary playing. In a year when rock music seems to be losing its presence in the van guard of modern popular music, Ty Segall is an electrifying reminder of the energy, passion, and rawness that makes this music so powerful.

4. King Krule – The Ooz

On The Ooz, Archy Marshall does the inexplicable: the artist doesn’t so much create an album, but a country of sound. In this new land the searing psychobilly of the Birthday Party sits comfortably beside icy Wu-Tang hip-hop, ambient soundscapes merge into indie-guitar freak outs, and the line between dissonance and melody is irrevocably blurred. This 70 minute downer-rock suite takes the best of what Marshall did in the past and magnifies it; Marshall has never sounded as melancholic as on “Slush Puppy,” as contemplative as on “Half Man Half Shark,” or as vicious as on “Dum Surfer.” An epic and immersive listen.



5. Slowdive – Slowdive

Slowdive could have been a simple cash-in, banking on 90’s indie nostalgia for the band’s signature guitar based dream-pop. Instead, it turned out to be one of the most powerful statements of the group’s career. Familiar shoegaze guitars and hazy vocals are paired with more innovative arrangements, vaster atmospheres, and an increased focus on volume. While most bands tend to soften with age, Slowdive have never sounded as explorative or self-assured as on “Roving Star” and “Slomo.” These intense numbers are aided by the album’s production, which relies on live-recording rather than the processed textures of their earlier work. The result is Slowdive’s rawest record to date, an album that pays homage to the band’s legacy while simultaneously striving for innovation.


Show 703 (Best of 2017 Part Two):

1. James O-L & The Villains - Back Then (Wild Goose Jack EP - Famous Last Records - 2017)
2. Diane Motel - Get Through To You (Lonesome For The Colour - 2017)
3. Ariel Pink - Bubblegum Dreams (Dedicated Bobby Jameson - Mexican Summer - 2017)
4. Tough Age - Everyday Life (Shame - Mint Records - 2017)
5. Cellos - Demagogue (The Great Leap Backward - Harbour House - 2017)
6. Tobin Sprout - Future Boy/Man of Tomorrow (The Universe and Me - Burger Records - 2017)
7. Sprinters - Young As Me (Sprinters - Icecapades - 2017)
8. Thee Rum Coves - Behind Your Smile (Out Tonight EP - Aeroplane - 2017)
9. Chain & The Gang - Rome Wasn't Burned In A Day (Experimental Music - Radical Elite Records - 2017)
10. Alvvays - Hey (Antisocialities - Polyvinyl Record Co. - 2017)
11. Kevin Morby - 1234 (City Music - Dead Oceans - 2017)
12. Slowdive - Star Roving (Slowdive - Dead Oceans - 2017)
13. King Khan - Winter Weather (Murderburgers - Khannibalism - 2017)
14. King Krule - Half Man Half Shark (The Ooz - True Panther Sounds - 2017)
15. Dion Lunadon - Com/Broke (Dion Lunadon - Agitated Records - 2017)
16. Ty Segall - Paper (Ty Segall - Drag City Records - 2017)
17. Ty Segall - Warm Hands (Freedom Returned) (Ty Segall - Drag City Records - 2017)
18. LCD Soundsystem - Emotional Haircut (American Dream - DFA Records/Columbia - 2017)
19. Chad VanGaalen - Old Heads (Light Information - Sub Pop - 2017
20. Mount Eerie - Ravens (A Crow Looked At Me - P.W. Elverum & Sun - 2017)
21. The Sadies - There Are No Words (Northern Passages - Yep Roc Records/Dine Alone Records - 2017)
22. The Sadies - It's Easy (Like Walking)(Northern Passages - Yep Roc Records/Dine Alone Records - 2017)

Download this episode here!

Show 702 (Best of 2017 Part One):

1. The National - Turtleneck (Sleep Well Beast - 4AD - 2017)
2. Tim Darcy - Tall Glass of Water (Saturday Night - Jagjaguwar - 2017)
3. Aron D'Alesio - Where You Going To (Aron D'Alesio - Paper Bag Records - 2017)
4. Paul The Tailor - Two Brains (Paul The Tailor - 2017)
5. Lucille Furs - Please, Give Her The Letter (Lucille Furs - 2017)
6. (Sandy) Alex G. - Judge (Rocket - Domino Recording Co. - 2017)
7. Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Fear Is Like A Forest (Lotta Sea Lice - Matador Records - 2017)
8. Daniel Romano - Roya (Modern Pressure - New West Records - 2017)
9. Deer Tick - Jumpstarting (Vol. 1/Vol. 2 - Partisan Records - 2017)
10. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Judy (Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Burger Records/Dine Alone Records - 2017)
11. Guided By Voices - Keep Me Down (August By Cake - Guided By Voices Inc. - 2017)
12. Dusty Mush - I Ate your Dog (Cheap Entertainment - Stolen Body Records - 2017)
13. Wolf Parade - Valley Boy (Cry Cry Cry - Sub Pop - 2017)
14. Father John Misty - Total Entertainment Forever (Pure Comedy - Sub Pop - 2017)
15. Teenanger - Fun Forgot (Teenager - Telephone Explosion - 2017)
16. Protomartyr - Here Is The Thing (Relatives In Descent - Domino Records - 2017)
17. Black Lips - Crystal Night (Satan's Graffiti Or God's Art? - Vice Records - 2017)
18. Black Lips - Wayne (Satan's Graffiti Or God's Art? - Vice Records - 2017)
19. The Courtneys - Silver Velvet (II - Flying Nun Records - 2017)
20. The Courtneys - Country Song (II - Flying Nun Records - 2017)
21. The Courtneys - Minnesota (II - Flying Nun Records - 2017)
22. Perfume Genius - Slip Away (No Shape - Matador Records - 2017)
23. Protomartyr - A Private Understanding (Relatives In Descent - Domino Records - 2017)
24. Priests - Appropriate (Nothing Feels Natural - Sister Polygon Records - 2017)
25. OCS - The Chopping Block (Memory Of A Cut Off Head - Castle Face Records - 2017)
26. Oh Sees - Jettisoned (Orc - Castle Face Records - 2017)

Download this episode here!

Ty Segall & Shows # 671, 672, 673

Following Ty Segall’s 2016 noisy concept album Emotional Mugger, Ty Segall released a self-titled full-length album in 2017. This album, is not as noisy as its predecessor, however, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t noisy moments found on this album, there are plenty. This album is also the second full-length album released by Ty Segall that is also a self-titled release. His first was in 2008, at the beginning of his recording and musical garage adventures as a solo artist, with Segall playing the majority of the instrumentation. 2017’s Ty Segall release seems like a new beginning of sorts for Segall. This is the first full-length album where it was recorded with a live band in a room since 2012’s Slaughterhouse, which was recorded with the Ty Segall Band. For the most part all of Segall’s solo albums did not have a steady standard lineup. His live band has switched around several times, but usually featured Mikal Cronin in the lineup. The current band featured on this record consists of Mikal Cronin (bass), Charles Moothart (drums), Emmett Kelly (guitar), Ben Boye (piano), along with Ty Segall (on guitar/vocals). This also seems to be the current live band lineup for Segall, which he is dubbing The Freedom Band.

Ty Segall begins with the song “Break A Guitar”. This fuzz-driven, noisy garage number with a dash of Marc Bolan influence, tells the story of a character who was given a guitar amongst all the other obstacles and represents a shattering of expectations. In the context of this album, Ty Segall shatters the expectations of previous Segall releases. It combines a mixture of all of his styles, noisy, hard rock, glam, garage, punk, psychedelic, acoustic-pop and picks up the pieces to create a warm sounding mix of Segall’s musical abilities and styles. “Freedom” is a striped down acoustic dominated track with fuzzy choruses that builds as the song progresses. With lyrics such as “Taking my freedom/Now I can feel it/I’m getting closer to breathing/I can repeat it over and over/In my head”, this song showcases a determination to a finding of a certain kind of freedom and being comfortable within it. It also serves as a prelude to the album’s third track “Warm Hands (Freedom Returned)”. Clocking in at almost 10 and a half minutes, this song encompasses a collection of Ty Segall’s musical styles into one lengthy song, that doesn’t seem so long. It is definitely a strong point and centrepoint on this album, “Warm Hands (Freedom Returned)” tells the story of jealously, fame, shame and the conquering over those things as it switches styles drawing comparisons to Black Sabbath, The Doors, Cream and a variety of others. Overall, it may seem to have these styles to some, but it is a unique Ty Segall original that has its own things to say musically and lyrically.

“Talkin’” takes the listener into a more folky, twangy, country dynamic. Drawing comparisons to Harry Nilsson with a dose of Neil Young & Crazy Horse, this track is a catchy example of the range of the songwriting abilities of Ty Segall. “The Only One” is a heavier dirge of a song with sludgy guitars, along with “Thank You Mr. K” which is a faster paced song drawing on more punk, Ramones-like influences. Around the 1:20 mark of this song the music stops as something heavy is heard sliding, which is then followed by a series of smashing noises. It appears that these sounds originate from a video that was posted online in November 2016 as an announcement about this album prior to its release. Titled “A Flush Down The Tylet”, the video features Ty Segall waiting with a sledgehammer as recordist/producer Steve Albini pushes a toilet off a ledge. “Orange Color Queen” takes down the pace and tempo next. Written about Ty’s girlfriend who also has orange coloured hair, this song is reminiscent of songs from 2013’s Sleeper, but overall has psych pop elements to it. Segall has stated in interviews for this release that he “rarely write songs like this, because it is so easy to sound disingenuous, but I think this one is pretty good”. The song is more than just a love song, it provides something different from what Segall has been doing lyrically and is a new avenue in which he has ventured down.

“Papers” is a piano and acoustic dominated track. The piano parts on this track played by Ben Boye really sets it apart from other songs on this album. While lyrically it may seem to be a simple statement, the piano parts it is coupled with, provides a complex look at keeping things together. The track as many do on the album contain a Beatles influence, among other influences such as Marc Bolan, Syd Barrett, The Stooges and Dinosaur Jr. “Take Care (To Comb Your Hair)” is a playful song that is one part acoustic, two parts garage rock. The song has a simple message, make the most of what you have and appreciate them now before they “disappear” as it is stated in the chorus of this song.

This album was recorded/engineered by Steve Albini. While coming off with a warm 70s sound and feel, Ty Segall lends itself to a different area of production. Ty has for the most part produced and recorded all of his own material. Despite being produced (or recorded by) Albini, this does not get in the way of the album. It has its own feel. This album isn’t a concept album as was the noisy horror punk of Emotional Mugger and it’s not as glossy sounding as 2014’s Manipulator, but despite what his previous albums have to say, this one has its own thing to say. There is no overarching concept here and the last twelve seconds of this album provide us with a glimpse of an answer to the points I’m bringing up here. The eleventh track on Ty Segall is a twelve second song titled “Untitled”. It is clearly a false start of one of the other songs found on this album, followed by laughter. This ending may seem odd to some, but it also provides a simple sonic example, that Ty Segall may be trying new things and has released multiple albums throughout his career, but, he’s still Ty Segall. He hasn’t forgotten his beginnings and we don’t know where he’ll go next musically.



Playlist for Show 673 (Originally Aired On June 24th, 2017):

1. Pixies - Gouge Away
2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - There She Goes, My Beautiful World
3. Teenanger - Pay It Forward
4. Chad VanGaalen - Old Heads
5. Big Thief - Capacity
6. Algiers - The Underside of Power
7. The Saints - (I'm) Stranded
8. Betrayers - The Devil Doesn't Want You
9. Rolling Blackouts C.F. - French Press
10. Alvvays - Adult Diversion
11. (Sandy) Alex G - Proud Rocket
12. Chuck Berry - Lady B. Goode
13. Juliana Hatfield - Touch You Again
14. Damaged Bug - Bog Dash
15. Priests - Nicki Nothing
16. Hooded Fang - Paramaribo Prince
17. Kim Gray - P.I.G.
18. The Clean - Big Soft Punch
19. The Bats - Antlers
20. Needles/Pins - Sleep
21. Walrus - In Timely Fashion
22. Dion Lunadon - Hanging by a Thread
23. Oblivians - Mad Lover
24. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Altered Beast III
25. Teenager - It Works With My Body
26. Paul Jacobs - How Did You Find Out

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for June 24.

Playlist for Show 672 June 17 2017 (Repeat of Episode 613: Kid Congo Powers, Allen Vega and Leonard Cohen)

1. Mission Of Burma - Tremelo
2. Sonic Youth - Wolf
3. Vallens - Karen
4. Hot Hot Heat - Sad Sad Situation
5. Heaven For Real - Kill Your Memory
6. Suicide - Ghost Rider
7. Suicide - Mr. Ray
8. Allen Vega - Kung Foo Cowboy
10. Suicide - Jukebox Baby 96
11. Allen Vega - Ghost Rider
12. Nickel Eye - Hey That’s No Way To Say Goodbye
13. Beck - Suzanne
14. Nick Cave - I’m Your Man
15. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Avalanche
16. Leonard Cohen - Jazz Police
17. Leonard Cohen - Bird On A Wire
18. Weird Lines - There Are Never Too Many Matches
19. The Replacements - 20th Century Boy
20. Luau Or Die - Mojave Chaser
21. Atomic 7 - That Leftover Savior Faire
22. The Black Lips - Leroy Faster
23. The Cramps - Don't Eat Stuff Off The Sidewalk
24. The Gun Club - Eternity Is Here
25. Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds - Chicano Studies
26. Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds - La Arana

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for June 17.

Playlist for Show 671 (Originally Aired On June 10 2017):

1. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Nature Boy
2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Midnight Man
3. Daniel Romano - Roya
4. Nap Eyes - Don't Be Right
5. The Jam - Batman Theme
6. Tape Wolves - Mysterio
7. The Flamethrowers- Suzette
8. No Museums - Surfers Leave
9. Kevin Morby - Tin Can
10. Walrus - Tell Me
11. Planet Creature - Get Along
12. Courtneys - 25
13. 13 Engines - Clean (Brave New Waves Session)
14. The Pursuit of Happiness I'm An Adult Now (Brave New Waves Session)
15. Ty Segall - Warm hands (Freedom Returned)
16. Ty Segall - Pan
17. Iggy Pop - Fortune Teller (79 Rehearsal)
18. Johnny Thunders - Alone In A Crowd
19. Cartoon Lizard - Punk Not Raw
20. Father John Misty - Total Entertainment Forever
21. Flin Flon - Swift Current
22. Hooded Fang - Sister and Suns
23. Thurston Moore - Cusp
24. Black Lips - Rebel Intuition

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for June 10.

Ty Segall Emotional Mugger, Middle Sister Shows # 606 & # 607

Ty Segall’s latest release Emotional Mugger differs from all the albums in his catalogue. Being his eighth full-length album Emotional Mugger slides into a seedy world of temptations, desires, addictions and reactions to the world that is instant social media. The accompanying music video for Emotional Mugger is actually a 14-minute short film. In the film Ty Segall wanders through Los Angeles and as he experiences the less than honest characters in the story, he begins to decay and become physically more grotesque looking as the video comes to an end. On the album Emotional Mugger, Ty Segall explores a similar world within the songs he creates that at times are like little short stories themselves. Musically, this album blends elements of garage, hard rock and noise rock. Synthesizers buzz in and out throughout the album’s eleven-song landscape. Additionally, the album and context presented throughout this creative eleven song venture resemble the elements of Devo’s theory of De-evolution. As we jump further into technology people seem to be digressing.

“Squealer” flirts with seductive keyboard sounds, fuzzy bass octaves and synthy guitar sounds as Ty Segall sings in both his normal tone and a deeper, creepier vocal style. The first two songs are a bit slower paced and less heavy and provide more ominous undertones of what is to come. “Californian Hills” lyrically seems to be a commentary on the typical image of the nuclear family in a modern context. As the song picks up with a frantic pace we are taken into the title track “Emotional Mugger/Leopard Priestess”. The song bends with distorted guitar solos, mechanical sounding keyboards, drums and bass drones. This song with lyrics such as “Shotgun, sugar and spice”, “I am emotional mugger/Like a bag of candy” and several others that are delivered on this track, exemplify the frustrations and complications of instantaneous social media based relationships where “people are victims of their emotional purpose”, as stated in one of the promotional videos released prior to this album. As the album progresses, it gets more aggressive with its explorations in fuzz, distortion and noise. “Breakfast Eggs” is loaded with double entendre and is the first track that the wall of noise begins to intensify.

“Diversion” is a song featuring Dale Crover of The Melvins on Drums and bass from fellow Segall collaborator Mikal Cronin. The song is almost unrecognizable as a cover song. It is actually a cover of The Equals song of the same name. The song’s lyrics seem to portray a miss-step in life choices that eventually brings two people back together again. Although the original is a blend of soulful glam rock and fuzzy guitars, Segall’s noised up version of this song is rather fitting in Emotional Muggers orbit. “Big Baby Man (I Want A Mommy)” musically is a song that provides the listener with an overall unsettling tone. “Mandy Cream” is a bit funky featuring drumming by Charles Mootheart and features additional vocals provided by King Tuff. “Candy Sam” is another noisy, yet catchy track. Segall returns to a fuzzy, funky groove with “Squealer Two”, while “The Magazine” ends the album.

“The Magazine” features dominant futuristic and pulsating sounding basslines, handclaps, distant sounding guitars and vocals displaying Segall’s vocal range. The lyrics “You don’t need a reason/It’s all in the magazine” are loaded with several potential meanings. Emotional Mugger is a step in a noisier, more creative direction from Ty Segall. While it does share some of the very same glam rock and more accessible elements that presented themselves on 2014’s Manipulator, this album has the ability to be seen both as a conceptual album and it doesn’t. If you care to look closely into the lyrics that lurk beneath the heavy sounds on Emotional Mugger’s surface you will find a world of characters and meanings inspired by the frustrations of modern society. If not, the album stands on its own as something different, yet provoking within Segall’s catalogue musically. Unlike the character at the end of the 14-minute “Emotional Mugger” video, Segall doesn’t fall flat here. Emotional Mugger builds itself up with the negative energy from which it draws inspiration and is less accessible in many ways than 2014’s Manipulator. With Emotional Mugger Ty Segall steals from his surroundings and showcases a new noisy depth.

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Additionally, this week’s episode of Revolution Rock featured a recording from a CJAM Session done with Windsor’s folk rock group Middle Sister. This is the first in what I plan to be a series of videos featuring live off the floor recordings from bands in Windsor and other parts that come to the area. Check out the video below.



Show 607 Playlist:

1. Parquet Courts - Dear Ramona
2. Meat Puppets - Animal Kingdom
3. Meat Puppets - I Can’t Be Counted On
4. Holding Hands - A Tree Without Its Leaves
5. The Pastels - Up For A Bit
6. Courtney Barnett - David
7. Jerry Jerry & The Sons Of Rhythm Orchestra - Yap Yap
8. South River Slim - Blind Lemon Girl
9. Teenage Geese - Howler
10. Middle Sister - I Want To Be The Man (Alternate Take)(CJAM Session January 2016)
11. The Jesus & Mary Chain - Girlfriend
12. Odonis Odonis - Are We Friends
13. The Dirty Nil - Violent Hands
14. The Cramps - People Ain’t No Good
15. Peanuts Wilson - Cast Iron Arm
16. Bruce Springsteen - State Trooper
17. Shotgun Jimmie - Walkman Battery Bleed
16. Five More - Avalanche
18. Special Edisons - Windingo Psychosis
19. Holy Wave - Night Tripper
20. No Age - C'mon Stimmung
21. Iggy Pop - Break Into Your Heart
22. Teenanger - Big Spirit Payback
23. Noble Savages - She’s So Serious
24. Newtown Neurotics - No Sanctuary
25. The Beat - Rock ’N’ Roll Girl
26. Pointed Sticks - It's O.K.
27. Ty Segall - Californian Hills
28. Ty Segall - Candy Sam

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 2. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Show 606 Playlist:

1. Combomatix - Another Shakin’
2. The Malibus - Cry
3. The Hard Times - I Can’t Wait Till Friday Comes
4. Roxy Music - The Thrill Of It All
5. The Pixies - Broken Face
6. The Yips - Orbit
7. Century Palm - Reasons
8. Pavement - Jackals, False Grails: The Lonesome Era
9. Telegram - Rule Number One
10. The Chills - Silver Bullets
11. The Radiation Flowers - Psychic Attack
12. Safeword - Underwater
13. Trout - Salty Waves
14. Tea Leaves - Bipolar Skies
15. Beck - I Just Started Hating Some People Today
16. Mission Of Burma - Academy Fight Song
17. The Undertones - Mars Bar
18. Pere Ubu - I. Will Wait
19. Randy Rampage - Cheap Tragedies
20. Wire - Too True
21. Wire - Just Don’t Care
22. The Hives - Abra Cadaver
23. Ramones - Endless Vacation
24. Ramones - Howling At The Moon (Sha-La-La)
25. The Scenics - Wild Trout
26. Pylon - Recent Title
27. Milk Toast - Ears Around You
28. The Ronald Reagan Story - Revolutionary Girl
29. The Ronald Reagan Story - Just Another Warning

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 26. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

2014 Highlights & Show # 540

The following is a collection of some of my favourite releases from 2014. Songs from these albums plus several others can be heard in the podcast below. It can be downloaded below the play list.

As a bonus, this year Revolution Rock featured a co-host on several occasions. I have included Adam’s (my occasional co-hosts) top ten in this post as well.

1. Thee Oh Sees - Drop

After announcing that the band will be taking a hiatus last year, Thee Oh Sees released their eighth full-length album at the end of April. Entitled Drop, the album brings in an intense focus to the band’s already established San Franciscan psychedelic garage sound. Apparently recorded in a banana ripening factory, there’s gritty garage sounds with scruffy guitars, psychedelic solos, a bit of kraut rock and elements found on 2012’s Putrifiers II and 2013’s Floating Coffin. Drop is victorious in its savage, primitive and unrelenting garage psych riffs, while the pop elements sink in deeper amongst the synthesizers and crude album cover artwork.

2. Teenanger – E P L P

E P L P is Teenanger from Toronto’s fourth studio album. The album has an undeniable garage punk sleaze to it. The sound on this album is one that is difficult to describe specifically, it is the sound of a band in their element. On E P L P the new wave/post punk influence from previous albums is still apparent, but there seems to be more voluminous guitar riffs that are like shards of shrapnel. Basslines sound thick and at times fuzz addled, as analog sounding drums, snotty vocals by Chris Swimmings and backing vocals provided by Melissa Ball add to the overall battlefield of dynamics found here. With E P L P Teenanger does not misfire. Throughout this nine-track launch the band hones their sound and are right on target.

3. White Fence - For The Recently Found Innocent

Aesthetically, For The Recently Found Innocent finds a balance between the last two releases from White Fence, 2013’s Cyclops Reap and Live In San Francisco, the later of which was an album that showcased White Fence in a full band and in a more revved up fashion. The album features not only Segall on some drum tracks, but also Nick Murray from White Fence’s live band further connecting his last set of releases. On the album’s front cover we see a painted self-portrait of Presley, not unlike Bob Dylan’s own self-portrait cover image from the 1970 album Self Portrait, but those two albums only have a connection with the artwork, not the music. We can see the same gritty canvas beneath the smeared messy painting on the cover, it is still the same White Fence. On For The Recently Found Innocent, Tim Presley has merely stepped out of his home and upgraded to a more proper studio environment utilizing an 8 track recorder (instead of a 4 track) with the help of Ty Segall and in the process, displays a new type of innocence.

4. The Black Lips - Underneath The Rainbow

Recorded with Patrick Carney (The Black Keys) and Tommy Brenneck (Budos Band), The Black Lips take their “flower punk” garage sound adding some southern and country influences. There is a brief moment in the music video that was created for the song “Justice After All” that perfectly describes what to expect from Black Lips on this album and more than likely in the future. In the video, we see shots of the band performing live and running down a street. At one point during the solo we see a shot of guitarist Ian Saint Pe playing a solo as another shot of guitarist Cole Alexander slides in and he pukes on the ground. This moment shows the listener and viewer that while they are trying new things, they are still the same band that we have all known. They may have branched out on Underneath The Rainbow, showcasing a slightly different spectrum of sound with Southern twang influences, but they are still the same Black Lips.

5. Ty Segall – Manipulator

Manipulator is a double album that contains a multitude of layers. This 56 minute double album also took fourteen months to record, every other Segall release was recorded and released quickly. Musically the album combines elements of Segall’s most recent projects Fuzz, sounds from the album Slaughterhouse with the Ty Segall Band, acoustic elements, and the garage sounds that he has been known for. Additionally, the influence of 70s glam rock and classic rock sounds dominate this seventeen track release.



6. James O-L & The Villains - On The Banks Of The Detroit River

On The Banks Of The Detroit River was recorded in Kingsville, with Brett Humber at Sound Foundry Studios and overall the album has “More of a bigger sound” and “In general the songs have gotten more aggressive”, as James tells me. Lyrically, this album pulls inspirations from its surroundings. Songs on the album seem to evoke a certain tone, one that comes with living in Essex County. Musically this album draws from the folk/country dynamic that James O-L & The Villains have displayed in the past, but it also mixes with an aggressive, punk/90s rock edge. The songs that make up this album portray the subtleties of a band mixing elements of folk, country and the heavy rains of aggressive feedback.

7. Paul Jacobs - Do It Again

Do It Again was the fourth release by the prolific garage rock machine Paul Jacobs in 2014. His first two releases, a split with Vaguess entitled I’ll Listen To This Later and the full-length I Need A Place To Keep My Stuff, both featured Paul Jacobs in his one-man band setup. Paul released the Mouldy Love EP in June of 2014, doing things a bit differently recording with a traditional full band set up and bass, something that has been absent from his solo recordings. Released in October 2014, Do It Again featured the same full band more traditional setup. This release was a collection of re-recordings from Paul Jacobs back catalog even featuring a song from Raised By Weeds, a three-piece band that he played with back in 2012. With Do It Again, Paul Jacobs reworks some of his best songs, presenting them in a compilation-like fashion. The songs still sound as fresh, exhilarating and sometimes better than the original versions. Paul Jacobs does it again, in more ways than one.

8. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Gates Of Hell

Four of the album’s tracks were recorded with Ben Cook of the band Fucked Up. Sam Coffey covered the rest of the production, recording in the band’s practice space and a variety of other locations adding to the album’s character, as he has done with previous Iron Lungs recordings. Gates Of Hell covers a lot of topics lyrically and musically adds to the Iron Lungs palate. Sam Coffey originally from Waterloo, Ontario, recently relocated to Toronto and expanded his band to a six-piece group. More people in the band means there could be more complication in the overall sound of the group. The band does not fall into this trap here. The band’s sound may have expanded with more members and higher production values, but on Gates Of Hell, Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs deliver an album that deals with many hellish complex subjects, whether metaphorically or bluntly throughout the album’s lyrical content. Musically they still keep the rowdy, pub-crawl spirit that drew us to them in the first place.

9. Guided By Voices - Motivational Jumpsuit

The first of two albums that Guided By Voices released in 2014, before their eventual split. This album finds the band in one of their unique, prolific creative pockets featuring songs drawing comparison to 1994’s Bee Thousand, 1995’s Alien Lanes and 1996’s Under The Bushes Under The Stars. With Motivational Jumpsuit, Guided By Voices zip up all the loose ends, but not too tightly. Featuring twenty tracks under forty minutes, this album proves that they can still make a great album twenty-one albums into their career.



10. Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal

Sunbathing Animal, the band’s third full-length album was recorded in between touring, the sessions also produced an EP beforehand entitled Tally All The Things You Broke. With Sunbathing Animal, Parquet Courts lean more towards the punk, post punk and garage elements of the band with hints of their early noisy beginnings. The band also released another album Content Nausea near the end of 2014 under the band Name Parkay Quarts. The band features a slightly different line-up, but is primarily the work of Andrew Savage and Austin Brown from Parquet Courts.



Adam’s Top Ten for Revolution Rock:

1. Sun Kil Moon – Benji
2. Swans – To Be Kind
3. Perfume Genius – Too Bright
4. Iceage – Plowing Into The Field Of Love
5. St. Vincent – St. Vincent
6. Aerial Pink – Pom Pom
7. Mac DeMarco – Salad Days
8. Ty Segall – Manipulator
9. White Lung – Deep Fantasy
10. Ought – More Than Any Other Day

Best of 2014 Play List:

1. Parquet Courts - Instant Disassembly (Sunbathing Animal - What's Your Rupture? 2014)
2. Parkay Quarts - Content Nausea (Content Nausea - What's Your Rupture? 2014)
3. Guided By Voices - Planet Score (Motivational Jumpsuit - Guided By Voices Inc. 2014)
4. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Hold Me Close (Gates Of Hell - South Paw Records 2014)
5. Paul Jacobs - Waking Up (Do It Again - Self Released 2014)
6. James O-L & The Villains - Late Night Drive (On The Banks Of The Detroit River - Famous Last Records 2014)
7. Ought - Weather Song (More Than Any Other Day - Constellation Records 2014)
8. White Lung - Just For You (Deep Fantasy - Domino 2014)
9. Ty Segall - Connection Man (Manipulator - Drag City 2014)
10. Mac DeMarco - Blue Boy (Salad Days - Captured Tracks 2014)
11. Ariel Pink - Nude Beach A Go-Go (Pom Pom - 4AD 2014)
12. King Tuff - Magic Mirror (Black Moon Spell - Sub Pop 2014)
13. OFF! - I Won't Be A Casualty (Wasted Years - Vice 2014)
14. Chad Vangaalen - Leaning On Bells (Shrink Dust - Sub Pop 2014)
15. The Black Angels - The Flop (Clear Lake Forest EP - Blue Horizon Records 2014)
16. Kestrels - Wide Eyes (The Moon Is Shining Our Way EP - Noyes/Sonic Unyon 2014)
17. Ty Segall - Manipulator (Manipulator - Drag City 2014)
18. St. Vincent - Birth In Reverse (St. Vincent - Loma Vista/Republic Records 2014)
19. Iceage - Forever (Plowing Through The Field Of Love - Matador 2014)
20. Perfume Genius - Longpig (Too Bright - Matador 2014)
21. The Black Lips - Dorner Party (Underneath The Rainbow - Vice 2014)
22. White Fence - Anger! Who Keeps You Under (For The Recently Found Innocent - Drag City Records 2014)
23. Swans - A Little God in My Hands (To Be Kind - Young God/Mute Records 2014)
24. Sun Kil Moon - Pray for Newtown (Benji - Caldo Verde Records 2014)
25. Teenanger - Sky Saxon (E P L P - Telephone Explosion 2014)
26. Thee Oh Sees - Drop (Drop - Castle Face 2014)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 27. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

For those keeping track, episode number 538 was a repeat of show number 531.  It can be downloaded here.

Ty Segall Manipulator & Show # 527

In late August, Ty Segall released Manipulator, which is his longest album to date. On September 22nd, he played with his Ty Segall Band to a packed house at Trinosophes in Detroit, Michigan in support of this release. The show featured three opening bands and the venues stage featured a series of amplifiers, which after each set disappeared in layers until only Segall’s combination of Fender and Music Man amplifiers remained. Like the amplifiers, the album Manipulator also contains a multitude of layers. Musically the album combines elements of Segall’s most recent projects Fuzz, sounds from the album Slaughterhouse with the Ty Segall Band, acoustic elements, and the garage sounds that he has been known for. Additionally, the influence of 70s glam rock and classic rock sounds dominate this seventeen track release. This 56 minute double album also took fourteen months to record, every other Segall release was recorded and released quickly.

As the Ty Segall band took the stage, they all came out displaying their new look, which could be called psychedelic glam. Segall wore A Clockwork Orange droog-like costume combined with early glam-era David Bowie. Lyrically the album is a journey featuring a cast of characters, the concert was no different. Following a quick sound check, a man came out in a cowboy hat talking to the crowd. Further adding to the myth of the album’s cosmic senses, he began playing the organ part to the album’s opener “Manipulator”. The song’s infectious organ riff accents the hammer-on guitar lines and crunchy choruses that reflect Segall’s garage rock influence combined with his newer 70s Bowie glam-era sound. When the song began the audience erupted. Several fans were jumping around as if they were being controlled by the loud noises from the stage. One of the PA speakers also could not contain itself, it fell over during the opening number.

Photo By Mike LeClair

“Tall Man, Skinny Lady” features salty acoustic guitars, with some guitar fuzz and is reminiscent of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” “The Singer” combines glam acoustic sounds with electric guitar stabs and orchestral string accompaniments, while lyrically it could be a commentary on Segall’s loud rock past. “Green Belly” reintroduces the character dynamic with lyrics “He’s going to make a movie/Of his entire life” and acoustic interplay, “Who’s Producing Who?’ features infectious maracas, drum beats, fuzzy bass and Thin Lizzy styled guitar solos. The album’s louder dynamics pull in the influences of bands such as Black Sabbath, Hawkwind, The Stooges and early Motorhead. “It’s Over” features a Black Sabbath influence while drawing on sounds explored on last years Fuzz album and 2012’s Slaughterhouse, “The Crawler” adds more scuzz the mix adding elements of the band Blue Cheer, while “The Connection Man” is more like a slow dirge of sounds.

At one point during the concert, La Luz was playing and the drummer got up from the drum seat. Ty Segall stepped in on drums as she crowd surfed to the back of the venue and then returned to the stage in reverse. This song seems to contain the same uninhibited chaos. “Susie Thumb” attacks with a fuzzy garage crunch that borderlines on 90s alternative rock, while lyrically it further adds to the character elements found on this album. “The Feels” is a song that plays with Segall’s acoustic, heavy rock dynamic with haunting lyrics such as “And when I look into your eyes/I realize you’re the same as me/You’ll never be free.” After launching through a large majority of the Manipulator album, another cast of characters were introduced to the live set, songs from previous Segall albums. The ending track on Manipulator, “Stick Around” features battling guitar solos with string sections. During his live set Segall battles his sounds even fighting with them with every inch of feedback and subtlety until he shapes them the way that he wants them. Prior to Segall’s live set some fans in the audience threw handfuls of glitter at each other, during the erupting opening number it was launched throughout the audience. There is a certain mystery to Segall, whether it is his lo-fi garage beginnings or his multiple side projects. On Manipulator we are taken through a journey into a world of sounds that are familiar, but new and exciting at the same time that hits us as the dust and glitter settles.

Saturday Night Play List:

1. James O-L & The Villains - The System
2. Peter & The Silhouettes - Claudette Jones
3. Great Scots - Ball And Chain
4. Allah-Las - Had It All
5. Coachwhips - 1000 Years
6. Death From Above 1979 - Government Trash
7. The Cinch - Fade Out
8. EX~PO - Your Sunny Days
9. Neil Jarvis - Young As Me
10. Tea Leaves - Death Drive
11. Karen O - Body
12. Johnny Cash - Mama, You’ve Been On my Mind
13. Stark Naked And The Fleshtones - I Broker Her Heart, She Broke My Arm
14. The Pretty Things - Get A Buzz
15. The Almighty Defenders - She Came Before Me
16. The Black Lips - Modern Art (Live At Third Man Records)
17. King Khan & The BBQ Show - Fish Fight
18. The Velvet Underground - I Heard Her Call My Name (Alternate Take)
19. She Wolf - I’m So Glad You Don’t Know What’s On My Mind
20. Guided By Voices - Chicken Blow
21. Guided By Voices - Cool Planet
22. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Hold Me Close
23. The Cigarettes - They're Back Again, Here They Come
24. Talking Heads - First Week/Last Week … Carefree (Acoustic Version)
25. The Outcasts - Self Conscious Over You
26. The Normals - Reruns (1978 Demo)
27. The Polymorphines - Saucer Eyes
28. Ty Segall - Manipulator
29. Ty Segall - Green Belly
30. Ty Segall - The Connection Man
31. Ty Segall - Susie Thumb

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for September 20. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Our Boy Roy & Show # 506

In 2010, Telephone Explosion, a record label based out of Toronto, Ontario put out a tribute album to Roy Orbison. Titled Our Boy Roy, this was not your average tribute album, it was a Garage Rock tribute to Mr. Roy Orbison. The album featured many bands from the labels roster such as Teenanger, Holy Cobras, and other popular newer Garage artists such as Ty Segall, Charlie & The Moonhearts, Jacuzzi Boys and six others. For those of you who are not familiar with the label or the above aforementioned bands, they are not only Garage bands, but they also venture into noisy, distorted territory at times pushing high thresholds of volume and Punk Rock attitude.

The first track on this eleven-song album “Problem Child” originally appeared on Roy Orbison’s 1961 album At The Rock House. Camero Werewolf Band covers this track in a gritty, lo-fi take on the Orbison original and starts the album off on an offbeat note. This one track, which at times sounds like a bootleg recording sets the tone of what to expect on the Our Boy Roy compilation. It's going to be dirty, loud and different from what you might expect from a Roy Orbison tribute album. Jacuzzi Boys offer up their take on “You Got It” as the next track. This lush cover is one of the highlights of the album with its clean scratchy guitar in the verses and fuzzy guitar lines at the end of each of the catchy choruses. Montrealer Bloodshot Bill covers the obscure 1958 Orbison song “Cause of It All” in his Garage/Rockabilly style following this.

Throughout each of the eleven tracks found on Our Boy Roy, we travel from distorted, noisy versions of Orbison songs, classics and some obscure. On the noisy, sludgy side we have Haunted George’s version of “Rock House” that has garbled vocals and oozes with a primitive sludge that sounds like a cross between The Phantom, The Sonics and something that has crawled out of a radioactive sewer. There is also the Holy Cobras version of “Domino” almost unrecognizable as a Roy Orbison song here. It sounds musically as if it was recorded with one microphone at the back of a room, while slightly more audible vocals rest on top. Ty Segall tackles “Pretty Woman” adding his trademark fuzz, echo and reverberations to this track with the addition of psychedelic yelps that pop up at various points before leading us in to “You’re My Baby”. This song is done by Toronto’s Garage Punkers Teenanger.  They deliver this track with the original soul and emotion that Roy Orbison first showed us back in 1956, but with a dash of Garage and a pinch of Rockabilly showcasing an edge similar to early music by The Gun Club. Oh and if that isn’t enough this song was originally written by Johnny Cash, but performed by Roy Orbison.

Demon Claws add depth to this album with their jangly Garage/Indie take on “It’s Over”, providing a wonderful rendition of this Orbison ballad deterring us from what we might expect based on their ominous band name. Cheater Sticks perform an aggressive version of “Crying”, while still maintaining the melody and emotion of the original. This version musically sounds like a mixture of early Velvet Underground and a Surf band. Surf licks lay overtop the Garage Rock foundation of this song. Charlie & The Moonhearts, a band featuring Mikal Cronin, who is not only a solo artist, but he also plays frequently with Ty Segall’s live band and has recorded some material with Ty cover “Chicken Hearted”. This track is a bastardized version of the original “Chicken Hearted” and comes off with the feel of something on the Reverse Shark Attack album by Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin.

1000 copies of Our Boy Roy were originally pressed in 2010 on vinyl only by Telephone Explosion. It sold out quickly. But the thought of Roy Orbison and Garage Rock is not something completely foreign. Back in 1966, Roy Orbison released the single “Twinkle Toes” for the MGM record label, reportedly in an attempt to sound current at the time. The song features a prominent and ominous fuzz guitar line amongst the rowdy crowd noise filling in the background of this track. On this tribute album, Roy Orbison’s complex and dark ballads take on a new life just as it did on his song “Twinkle Toes” in 1966. The rowdy crowd noise and ominous fuzz guitar is pushed forward from the background into the foreground on this compilation album and it was all inspired by our boy Roy Orbison.

The Play List:

1. The Stand GT - Cool As Me
2. Famines - Faux Famous (Live July 14, 2008)
3. The Ugly - Alley Cat
4. OFF! - Void You Out
5. The Coathangers - Merry Go Round
6. Sabers - Big Fish
7. Natural Child - Rounder
8. Chris Bell - I Am The Cosmos (2012 Movie Mix)
10. Big Star - September Gurls (2012 Movie Mix)
11. Roxy Music - Street Life
12. Scattered Bodies - Rain On The Red Tin Roof
13. Particle Wave - Grand Unifier
14. Laughing Clowns - Diabolic Creature
15. Roy Orbison - Twinkle Toes
16. Bloodshot Bill - Cause Of It All (Roy Orbison Cover)
17. Teenanger - You’re My Baby (Roy Orbison Cover)
18. Mystics - So Cold
19. Ty Segall - Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison Cover)
20. Raised By Weeds - Fun And Games
21. Sex Pistols - Whatcha Gonna Do About It
22. Supergrass - Mansize Rooster
23. Ramones - Teenage Lobotomy
24. Radiohead - Bodysnatchers
25. Weirdonia - Don't Move To New York
26. Fergus & Geronimo - Uncanny Vision/Spies
27. Nirvana - Stain

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 29. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

2013 Highlights & Show # 490

The following is a collection of some of my favourite albums, EPs, and local releases from 2013.  The podcast below has all of these bands plus a few others.  It can be downloaded in the link below the play list. 

Albums of 2013

1. The Mark Inside – Dark Hearts Can Radiate White Light

The sessions for Dark Hearts Can Radiate White Light began in January 2012. They took place at Chris Levoir’s loft space on College St. and were surrounded by a sense of urgency as stated on Mark Insides bandcamp page “Chris and his roommates were facing imminent eviction: the space was probably only semi-legal to begin with, and the landlord was planning major renovations”. Recording sessions for this album were initially dubbed Exile On College Street. The recordings were produced by the band themselves and they reportedly recorded eighteen tracks at the sessions, eight appear on this release. After years of dealing with record companies, and just one month after the passing of Chris’s roommate the band decided to record a collection of songs, many of which had been played amongst many of their ferocious live performances over the years. The album as stated once again on Mark Insides bandcamp page expanded on lyrical themes of “Fear mixed with bravery, victory after defeat, pain and pleasure, love”, all of which were themes that had developed further and further with each release over the band’s ten year run. Dark Hearts songs were mixed and ready to go for a July 2013 release date and a tour to support it, but in June 2013, Chris Levoir, The Mark Insides lead singer/guitarist passed away suddenly.

“Shark Attack (I Can See Them Circling)” starts off the album with the band’s brand of visceral Alternative/Garage sound, with lyrics conveying a sense of urgency and claustrophobia. “Don’t Wake Daniel” a song written about Levoir’s fallen roommate shows off the band’s melodic side along with “The Heat”, which also shows off the band’s slower and more soulful side. “Dead Heart” has been a part of the band’s live set for sometime and takes on a rather poignant note here, “Balloons” ends the album. A song initially that went by the name “Roman Candles” and it had been in and out of their live set for some time. I once described this song as a Pop song with grit, but here it has been more developed and more structured. It is haunting, yet uplifting and has all the power and momentum of the bands live performances. Dark Hearts Can Radiate White Light contains the band’s Garage Rock sound infused with elements of 90’s Alternative Rock, Punk and has more melody, hooks and lyrical prowess than their previous releases. It is the sound of complete artistic freedom and even amongst the dark subject matter and the tragic passing of Levoir, white light radiates bright on this one.

2. Papermaps – Darker Lights

Papermaps Darker Lights builds from the momentum and direction that was introduced on 2012’s Inferior Ghost EP. The band brings in an atmospheric and for the most part darker sound, compared to their first self titled album that was released in 2011. The album features songs such as the atmospheric “Shadow Theatre” featuring the mood setting universal lyrics “And when I find myself most of the feeling was gone” that starts the album off on a strong note. “The Hedonist” is a fuzzy, guitar driven song, filled with 90’s tinged angst, while “I’ve Closed A Door” features strong harmonies and backwards sound effects. The watery guitar sounding “Vanauley Walk” features the lyric “When you see me fall/you'll watch me turn around/you’ll see my body twist/my feet land on the ground". Parts of this lyric demonstrate the direction and change in the bands dynamics since 2011. Darker Lights shows us a new side of Papermaps and shows us albeit these changes that they face Papermaps will land on their feet.

3. Thee Oh Sees – Floating Coffin

With Floating Coffin Thee Oh Sees may have gotten heavier musically, but they also show off a dynamism which lyrically can bring us back to elements of the bands earlier Folk based work. Musically the album mixes in elements of Carrion Crawler/The Dream even drawing some comparisons to sounds on 2008's The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In. It also adds more of a jam element extending the songs and bringing more Psychedelic and Pop elements. With so many releases coming out, it would be easy for someone to say that this album sounds just like the others that Thee Oh Sees have been releasing, it is similar in some respects, but it also shows a new development in the bands dynamic. The band builds on their already established sounds while still sounding fresh. The title of the album may be Floating Coffin, but with this release Thee Oh Sees show that the end for this prolific band is not near, it’s not even close.

4. Ty Segall – Sleeper

After releasing three albums last year of Psychedelic, Garage and general loud proportions in 2012, the first release from Ty Segall in 2013 was the acoustic filled album entitled Sleeper. While many critics and fans mention Segall’s ability to write more melodic Pop songs on albums such as Goodbye Bread and even last years Hair that he recorded with White Fence, Sleeper takes that to another level. Sleeper is ten songs all acoustic, with the exception of electric guitar at the end of “The Man Man”, all of which reflects a stripped down approach to Segall’s sound. The songs all reflect the recent passing of his adopted father and the aftermath which included a fall out with his mother. This album serves as a sort of therapy for that time, as Segall has also stated in interviews. The words amongst the acoustic melodies are veiled in words that are more universal, but we do get brief glimpses into Segall’s frame of mind at different points throughout the album. Sleeper started off 2013 showing us a stripped down version of Ty Segall we haven’t heard before. The title of the album may be Sleeper, but is just as exciting as even the loudest Ty Segall album.

5. Dead Ghosts – Can’t Get No

Vancouver trio Dead Ghosts released their second full length album Can’t Get No in April of 2013. The album mixes elements of fuzzy Garage Rock, Surf, Psychedelic, Country styled Rock & Roll riffs and strong Pop hooks with a lo-fi aesthetic. Stand out tracks include the Psych-Surf of “Summer With Phil”, the shimmering Psychedelic strut of “Roky Said” and the title track. The second track “That Old Feeling” proves to be a point to focus on when looking at this album aesthetically. With its hyper Surf/Garage riffs, reverb drenched vocals and lyrics like ”Well it’s calling your name/That shit’s all the same/If you’re planning a west coast trip/Then I hope that the feeling remains”, this song emphasizes the comparison to Can’t Get No being another Garage album with nothing to say, hinting at quite the opposite. Can’t Get No sinks deep with a variety of influences, especially halfway through the album where we get some honky tonk piano, providing you with that gritty old Rock feeling of excitement.

6. The Ketamines – You Can’t Serve Two Masters

The Ketamines released their second full length in 2013, You Can’t Serve Two Masters. The album features several rough around the edges sounding songs mixing elements of Garage, Bubblegum Pop, Punk and Psychedelic music. The title track is a ramshackle Garage track that is complete with catchy guitar hooks and vocals, “Spirit Rebellion Time” is a positive short and fuzzy, heavy track, “So Clean” addresses Bubblegum and Pop influences, “Don’t Stop (Go On)” channels early 60’s garage organ driven music, while “Double Elevens” attacks it fuzzy 60’s Garage mono style. You Can’t Serve Two Masters has the effect of a shaken up can of pop that has burst and has been left out in the sun too long. It is sticky, gritty and catchy as hell.

7. Teenanger – Singles Don’t $ell

Toronto’s Teenanger branch out on their 2013 LP entitled Singles Don’t $ell. They build from 2012’s heavy 70’s Punk influenced album Frights. This album pulls in new sounds from many New Wave grooves, starting off with the title track. A strong album opener and extremely catchy attacks with its buzz saw Punk Rock riffs and New Wave sounding guitar effects as the lead singer shouts “Singles don’t sell/ Yeah that’s a shame” calling out a past generation of music releases, the single. Songs such as “Teenanger” and “Surveillance” recall the bands early Garage Punk rumblings. “Zons” starts off with electronic sounding drums before launching into razor sharp guitar riffs, “Confident Idiocy” channels the spooky synthesizer sounds of Manchester’s Post Punk group Magazine, while the album’s final track “Time’s Up” sucks you in with its atmospheric keyboard sounds. Don’t let the synthesizers scare you, Singles Don’t $ell adds texture to Teenangers already established aggressive sound and there is still plenty of feedback to go around.

8. The Oblivians – Desperation

Desperation was released in June 2013 on In The Red Records. The best way to perhaps describe the band's sound of the past would be something like dried up alcohol that was spilled on the floor in some grimy bar, baked in the Memphis heat. The band's blend of Garage, Punk and Soul has not been lost here. The album starts off with the slow Soulful Garage burner “I’ll Be Gone” sung by Greg Cartwright, with lyrics such “Is it for real this time/I’ve seen the signs/your dreams ain’t got nothing to do with mine” addressing their return and getting older with lines such as “There ain’t no way to know/How life will treat you so/Let’s Rock and Roll as we get old”. The song is a thoughtful and reflective start to not only this album, but the band's return, this being their first new album in 16 years. “Loving Cup” follows next. It is a raucous cover of a song originally by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, done in a fashion to songs they’ve done in the past on previous albums such as “Vietnam War Blues” from Soul Food. While at times Desperation does draw from sounds that each of the respective band members have had with their other music projects, this album lets us know at the end of the album that The Oblivians feel remains.

9. The Black Angels – Indigo Meadow

Austin, Texas Psych Garage Rock band The Black Angels released their fourth full length album Indigo Meadow on April 2nd, 2013. On this album the band shows us their heavier Psychedelic side, adding more organ and Pop hooks, all mixed up in a sun baked Texas style haze. Many critics have claimed that this album isn’t really different from their previous releases, but this album slowly builds on the Psychedelic sounds of Phosphene Dream adding a new type of heaviness that some may classify as Grunge influenced, while at the same time reverting to catchy Garage Nuggets styled hooks. Overall, Indigo Meadow may have similarities to previous releases from the bands past, but it also gleams with its super production supplied by John Congleton (Explosions In The Sky, David Byrne & St. Vincent) emphasizing the growing development and journey that the band is to and has taken. While it may not be that obvious to some Indigo Meadow, blooms and burns slowly with profound insights, incandescent thoughts and Psychedelic goodness.

10. Obits – Bed & Bugs

Bed & Bugs is Obits third full length release on Sub Pop. The album leans towards Garage Rock, Post Punk, Surf and even some Blues. This band features members of Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes and Edsel and all of the members are well versed in the Rock game, but on this album they pull in new genres. Differing from 2009’s I Blame You and 2011’s Moody, Standard and Poor, Bed & Bugs seems to focus more on melodic elements while the dual guitar attack members of this band have been known for seems to be not as prominent as before. The album builds from the 2012 single “Let Me Dream If I Want To”, highlights include the Garage opener “Taste The Diff”, the Surf melodies of “Spun Out”, the angular “It’s Sick”, and “I’m Closing In”.

11. Guided By Voices – English Little League

Following a long absence Guided By Voices reunited their classic 1993-1996 line up and released three full length albums in 2012. In 2013, we saw just one GBV album, the seventeen track English Little League. The album picks up where The Bear’s For Lunch left off, featuring extremely catchy, sometimes short tracks and a few rough odds and ends. In July of 2013, Robert Pollard hinted that this could be GBV’s last album, but in September he announced there would be yet another coming in 2014. Several reviewers have stated how this album is hit or miss, but Guided By Voices are not an easy band to pin down. They are very prolific and while there may be a small backlash, English Little League does have some great moments such as “Know Me As Heavy”, “Crybaby 4 Star Hotel”, “Flunky Minnows”, “W/ Glass In Foot”. Several moments on the album seem to have a connection to the Robert Pollard solo album Honey Locust Honky Tonk, which is worth checking out as well. However ,for English Little League, there are also plenty of ballads such as the Tobin Sprout written track “The Death of Epstein’s Ways”, a catchy ramshackle Beatles influenced track, which is rather fitting considering the lyrics.

12. Daniel Romano – Come Cry With Me

Daniel Romano’s Come Cry With Me once again continues his tradition of creating classic Country music. In the style of artists such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings, Come Cry With Me has all the grit and feeling of the old AM radio days bringing in themes of heartbreak, bad choices, alcohol consumption and the like. Highlights include such as “He Lets Her Memory Go (Wild)”, with its low baritone voices and vivid lyrical imagery, the upbeat honky tonk reverb guitar riffs of “Chicken Bill”, and the bitter “Just Before The Moment”. Daniel Romano has come a far way from his days in Attack In Black, but with Come Cry With Me, Romano proves why he is still seen as one of the best Country artists in Canada today.

13. Jay Sad – Disappears

On February 19th 2013, Jay Sad released his full length album entitled Disappears. The album is an eleven track construction of songs ranging from genres such as lo-fi Indie Pop to Alternative and a variety of atmospheric sounding concoctions. Jay Sad has released several recordings starting in 2002. The band for this album was primarily Dean Pomeroy (drums, vibraphone), Rob MacDonald (guitar) and Jay Sad on vocals, guitar and a variety of other instrumentation. The album also features guest musicians from The Elwins (Mathew Sweeney), Dilly Dally (Katie Monk), and Drew Smith (The Bicycles). Disappears first seven tracks were recorded live to analog tape by Dean Marino who also helped to produce those tracks at Chemical Sound in Toronto. The other four songs on the album were produced and recorded by Jay Sad. The songs on Disappears suggest a growing or building, if you will, towards a new beginning, something different. Even if it means you have to disappear for a while from parts of your past that have been built up in order to get there.

EPs

1. The Bell Peppers – Sizzling Hot Bell Peppers

Manchester’s Surf combo The Bell Peppers offered up two EPs this year. First up was the covers EP entitled Seeds of The Bell Peppers in March, then again with the seven track EP Sizzling Hot Bell Peppers in November 2013. Sizzling Hot Bell Peppers definitely added more spice to the mix of The Bell Peppers sound. “The Spray” opens the EP and moves along with all the speed of a classic 60’s Surf song. You can feel the sand and waves on this upbeat sun drenched opener. “Soda Pop” gallops along with the feel of an old Spaghetti Western film soundtrack, “Tanline” wears the mark of 60’s British Invasion Garage Rock, while “Whiskey & Cigarettes” adds Blues to the mix, featuring harmonica clocking in at five minutes. “Campfire Waltz” ends in a sound not unlike slow 50’s Rock and Roll ballads. In addition to these songs, there are also elements of Rockabilly, Country, Do Wop, and more Surf Rock throughout this seven track tantalizing offering.

2. Monomyth – King, Does This Not Please You? (Behold The Power)

Monomyth is a Halifax based group. This EP entitled King, Does This Not Please You? (Behold The Power) has drawn comparisons to Psychedelia, Shoegaze and Punk. Monomyth takes all of these genres, but also adds a 90’s Alternative slant in the vein of groups like Thrush Hermit and Eric’s Trip. Songs like “Cigarette” recall a 90’s nostalgia drawing in harmony comparisons with early Sloan and Thrush Hermit, but at the same time pulling in a fuzzy Garage guitar sound. “Vision” is a short track less than two minutes that has a heavy bassline and Shoe Gaze/Garage combination, while “10,000” recalls catchy jangly Pop sounds and harmonies.



3. The Replacements – Songs For Slim

In 2013, The Replacements reunited for a five track EP that was recorded to raise money for the band’s former guitarist Slim Dunlap, who suffered a stroke in 2012. The EP entitled Songs For Slim, featured mostly cover songs “Lost Highway” by Hank Williams, ”I’m Not Sayin’” by Gordon Lightfoot and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from the Broadway musical Gypsy. It also featured two covers of Slim Dunlap songs, “Busted Up” and “Radio Hook Word Hit”, a song that only features former Replacements drummer Chris Mars on all instruments. The rest of the tracks featured Paul Westerberg (vocals/guitar), Tommy Stinson (bass) Peter Anderson (drums) and additional guitarist Kevin Rowe. This EP was executed in true Replacements fashion, sloppy, and as if they hadn’t missed a step. This was followed by a series of triumphant reunion concert dates as part of Riot Fest.

Local Releases (Releases from Windsor, Ontario)

1. Paul Jacobs – Drug Theaters

Drug Theaters album cover features a collection of different images, a hand with a cigarette, a dog, a skateboard, a snake and a head among other things. The cover can be seen as a hint as to what’s to come on this album, a collection of different elements that make up a unique whole. “Sharp Dress” is a catchy fast paced Garage/Punk track with lots of echo Thee Oh Sees style that will stick in your head for days. The breakdown is a theatre of noises including, but not limited to distortion, drums, reverb and echo. “Electric Dollar” ends off Drug Theatres with a longer track (over six minutes) which addresses the transfers of electronic funds and lack there of and a desire for something new. Overall, Drug Theaters brings Paul Jacobs songwriting abilities and style to the fore while portraying visceral thoughts of boredom, drug use, relationships, and differing views that blur what is and what is not reality. While Paul Jacobs may have released three albums this year, all of which have their own strong points, Drug Theaters encompasses a style and creates a theatre all its own.

2. James OL – For The World Is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky

James O-L released his third solo album this year entitled For The World Is Hollow And I have Touched The Sky, an album of Folk based songs inspired by a backpacking trip to South America. The album’s title originates from the episode of Star Trek: The Original Series and all of the songs reflect a desire for searching and travelling. Musically the album touches on elements of Folk and lush and at times Orchestral based arrangements. The album was recorded and mixed by James himself and features an ensemble cast of musicians from Windsor, Ontario. “One Horse Town” starts off the album in a slow calming fashion, with slow galloping guitars, clarinet and violin and at times there are even exotic conga drums. The lyrics convey the searching desire that was mentioned as the album’s inspiration, lyrics such as “Oh, I dream of ocean waves/Blowing around in a haze of delays, distorted grains/A feedback loop sent to the brain” show this desire for something different from the norm of a one horse town. “Yellow Gold” follows next and is definitely one of the strongest songs on this album, with its lush arrangements and James soft vocals which build up when the chorus comes in with rich background harmonies. These lyrics display like crystallized imagery with words such as “The dock is a place you come and go/We blew through the night like yellow gold/Tasted the summer rain as the music played”. Other highlights include the upbeat and bouncy “San Juan Song” and “SK8 Or Die” a song with electric bass, guitar, horns and acoustic elements that sounds like it could be inspired by actual skateboarding events. James also plays in James O-L & The Villains, who have also recorded a full length album and plan on releasing it sometime in 2014.

The Play List:

1. Night Beats – Rat King
2. Wavves – Dog
3. Mudhoney - I Like It Small
4. The Strokes – 50/50
5. Deerhunter – Back To The Middle
6. Fuzz – Preacher
7. James OL – One Horse Town
8. Paul Jacobs – Sharp Dress
9. The Replacements – I’m Not Sayin’
10. Monomyth – Vision
11. The Bell Peppers – The Spray
12. Jay Sad – Three Floor’s/It’s Over
13. Daniel Romano – He Lets Her Memory Go (Wild)
14. Guided By Voices – Flunky Minnows
15. Obits – It’s Sick
16. The Black Angels - Indigo Meadow
17. The Oblivians – Pinball King
18. Teenanger – Time’s Up
19. Dead Ghosts – That Old Feeling
20. The Ketamines – Double Elevens
21. Ty Segall – The West
22. Thee Oh Sees – Toe Cutter- Thumb Buster
23. Papermaps - The Memory Song
24. The Mark Inside – Panegae (Before The Split)
25. The Mark Inside – Shark Attack (I Can See Them Circling)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 31. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.