Saturday, April 27, 2024

Apollo Ghosts: Amethyst & Shows # 1036, 1035, 1034, 1033, 1032, 1031, 1030 and 1029


Forming in 2009, Apollo Ghosts are from Vancouver, BC. Described as an indie rock jangle-punk band, fronted by musician Adrian Teacher (guitars/vocals), the band has gone through many different lineups throughout the years, but in almost every lineup the band has also featured Amanda P. on either drums or a variety of other instruments. The original lineup of the band featured Adrian Teacher (guitar/vocals), Amanda P. (drums), James Oliver (bass/guitar), and at one point Jarrett Samson (later of Tough Age) played bass with the group. The current live lineup of the band is Adrian Teacher (guitar/vocals), Amanda P. (bass), Hasan L. (guitar) and Dustin B. (drums). 

After releasing a series of albums, singles and EPs, including 2010’s Polaris Prize nominated album Mount Benson, the band announced they were splitting up in 2013, not too long after their 2012 album Landmark. Teacher went on to play and record with COOL TV, who exhibited a more funky nature and the rock/power pop driven Adrian Teacher & The Subs. Apollo Ghosts returned in 2019 with Living Memory, an ambient, piano and instrumental driven record dealing with themes of death and loss. Teacher performed all of the instruments on this record. In 2020, Apollo Ghosts released the 35 song collection of covers of Vancouver based artists called Local Delivery Only. For every download the band donated one dollar to the DTES Response.

In 2022, Apollo Ghosts returned bringing back elements of their jangle-punk sound with something new. On the stunning double album Pink Tiger (released on You've Changed Records), Apollo Ghosts featured one album (Pink) that was primarily acoustic with lyrics of loss, illness, death and memory in eleven tracks, while the other album (Tiger) leans towards more jangle-punk, garage sounds and features the remaining songs in this 22 song epic collection. Lyrically, this side of the album celebrates friendship, music and hope. It was recorded primarily as a three-piece band featuring Teacher, Amanda P. and Robbie N. In 2023, ahead of a European tour they released the psych tinged digital single Gave Up the Dream. And in February 2023, a surprise mini-album/EP arrived digitally ahead of a Japanese tour titled Amethyst, released on You've Changed Records.

A collection of jangly punk songs, the brief selection of songs packs a mighty punch pulling from influences of Built To Spill, Pavement and Yo La Tengo. Along with the combination of jangle pop, indie, garage and punk, when combined with the witty lyrics of Adrian Teacher, gives Amethyst extra weight. Musically, the ever evolving sound of Apollo Ghosts in addition to the already mentioned influences, also adds elements of bands such as Go Betweens and The Bats. “Ripping Invasives” starts off Amethyst and is a hard-hitting punk and post punk track with lyrics contrasting lies, dishonesty to dangerous invasive plants that need to be ripped out and destroyed to protect nature. The theme of killing parts of nature in order protect it operates on many levels here. “Fake Nurse” channels Teachers’ inner Stephen Malkmus with lyrics such as “The world is sick and so am I,” that talk of societal ills.

“Strawberry Moon” is a faster track with themes of a complex shift in domestic life, “Faded Neil Young Shirt” features lyrics such as “Let’s ask Bobby/Wasted all of your time/Like a privileged piece of shit” and a chorus of “I’ll never forget you,” that are layered, creating a song that is not only a catchy jangle pop earworm, but haunting. “Rave Heaven” features a locked in mid-tempo groove with crunchy distorted guitars as lyrics such as “I’ll be the sun/And you’ll be the moon/Wildfires start/They’re starting so soon,” and “I’ll be honest/That I felt the healing coming/But I’m not sure it is or if the sentiment is gone,” about environmental factors such as climate change in a sardonic way, contrasting them to stormy elements of a relationship. Amethyst ends with “No One Knows Your Mind,” a strong, raucous track featuring chiming guitars and lyrics that draw on elements of loneliness and human connection.

Throughout Amethyst, lyrics deal with near death experiences, struggling with a world with leaders unmotivated by change, gentrification, among other things. Musically, the album is their loudest to date. On this EP, Apollo Ghosts show us that sincerity exists in a world of dishonesty, contrasting the dark with the light in a way that only they can.
 
Show 1036 (Originally Aired On April 27th, 2024)(Richard & Linda Thompson, Blur, Wine Lips, La Luz):

1.  Alan Vega - Mercy 
2.  Fontaines D.C. - Starburster 
3.  La Luz - Poppies
4.  Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God
5.  Richard & Linda Thompson - I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
6.  Richard & Linda Thompson - The Calvary Cross
7.  Middle Sister - East 80 
8.  The Wesleys - A Lot To Lose 
9.  Apollo Ghosts - Rave Heaven 
10. Jon McKiel - Everlee 
11. Blur - Tracy Jacks 
12. Blur - Magic America 
13. Ariel, Mathius & Shotgun Jimmie - That Job 
14. Little Window - Glue
15. Sheer Mag - Golden Hour 
16. The Particles - Remington Rand 
17. Private School - Rock & Roll Radio
18. Theee Retail Simps - Keeper of the Fire 
19. The Routes - Inside Out 
20. English Teacher - Nearly Daffodils 
21. Cloud Nothings - Running Through the Campus 
22. Dial Up - No Shame 
23. Wine Lips - Derailer
24. Trophy Knife - Blue Dog 
25. Drive Like Jehu - Super Unison 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the April 27 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 1035 (Originally Aired On April 20th, 2024)(Night Court, Sheer Mag, The Panama Papers, Devo):

1.  Night Court - Cellphone 
2.  Wine Lips - Fried IV 
3.  Dion Lunadon - Grind Me Down 
4.  The Scientists - Raver 
5.  Daniel Romano’s Outfit - That’s Too Rich
6.  Sheer Mag - Expect the Bayonet 
7.  Sheer Mag - Hardly To Blame 
8.  Sheer Mag - Don’t Come Lookin’
9.  Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Powderfinger
10. Barzin - Queen Jane 
11. Beck - Hollow Log 
12. Sonny & The Sunsets - Rhinestone Sunset
13. The Standells - Riot On Sunset Strip 
14. Julie Doiron - You Gave Me the Key 
15. You’ll Never Get To Heaven - Eternal Present 
16. Claire Rousay - iii 
17. The Panama Papers - About Your Father 
18. The Panama Papers - These Neutered Streets 
19. Lumpy and the Dumpers - Gnats in the Pissa 
20. Psychic Void - Hear Me Out 
21. Bad Breeding - Survival 
22. XTC - Life Begins at the Hop 
23. The Specials - Doesn’t Make It Alright 
24. The Adverts - One Chord Wonders 
25. Total Control - Flesh War 
26. Fire Engines - Get Up and Use Me 
27. Devo - Secret Agent Man 
28. Viagra Boys - Creatures

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the April 20 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 1034 (Originally Aired On April 13th, 2024)(Cindy Lee, Meat Puppets, The Wesleys, The Rolling Stones, Leonard Cohen):

1.  Cindy Lee - Stone Faces 
2.  Packs - 89 Days 
3.  Sunglaciers - Kafka 
4.  Metz - Superior Mirage 
5.  Cola - Keys Down if You Stay
6.  The Wesleys - I’ve Been Waiting 
7.  Middle Sister - The Woodland Sneak 
8.  Zeus - Air I Walk 
9.  Meat Puppets - Lake of Fire 
10. Meat Puppets - Plateau 
11. Meat Puppets - Oh Me 
12. Meat Puppets - Lost (Demo) 
13. The Stooges - No Fun 
14. The Black Keys - No Fun
15. The Sonics - The Witch 
16. The Gruesomes - The Witch 
17. A. Jacks & The Cleansers - Stronger Than Dirt 
18. The Mummies - Stronger Than Dirt 
19. The Rolling Stones - Tell Me (You’re Coming Back) 
20. The Rolling Stones - Little By Little
21. Willie Dixon - So Long
22. Carl Perkins - Lonely Street 
23. Lead Belly - Where Did You Sleep Last Night? 
24. Lonesome Lefty - Texas Blues 
25. Lonesome Lefty - Rhythm King 
26. Leonard Cohen - The Butcher 
27. Leonard Cohen - Tonight Will Be Fine 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the April 13 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 1033 (Originally Aired On April 6th, 2024)(R.E.M., Soundgarden, Motorists, Ron Leary, Daniel Romano):

1.  Dana Gavanski - Ears Were Growing 
2.  Dana Gavanski - Song for Rachel 
3.  Vampire Weekend - Gen-X Cops
4.  Ducks Ltd. - Harms Way 
5.  R.E.M. - Harborcoat 
6.  R.E.M. - Pretty Persuasion 
7.  R.E.M. - Walters Theme 
8.  R.E.M. - So. Central Rain (Live) 
9. Wine Lips - Six Pack 
10. Motorists - Phone Booth in the Desert of the Mind 
11. Mad Ones - What It Takes 
12. Roye Trout - Deceiver 
13. Apollo Ghosts - Strawberry Moon 
14. Soundgarden - Black Hole Sund (Demo Version) 
15. Soundgarden - Superunknown 
16. Soundgarden - Kickstand 
17. Soundgarden - She Likes Surprises 
18. Waxahatchee - Bored
19. Allison Brown - Scavengers 
20. Ariel, Mathias and Shotgun Jimmie - Casual Friday
21. Ron Leary - Communist CafĂ© 
22. Cindy Lee - Glitz 
23. Ekkstacy -I Guess We Made It This Far 
24. Daniel Romano’s Outfit - Chatter

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the April 6 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 1032 (Originally Aired On March 30th, 2024)(Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds, Adrianne Lenker, Television Personalities, Kim Gordon, The Scenics):

1.  Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds - Wicked World 
2.  Jesus and Mary Chain - Girl 71 
3.  Yard Act - Fizzy Fish
4.  Kim Gordon - Dream Dollar 
5.  The Cramps - Under the Wires 
6.  The Gories - Charm Bag (Live) 
7.  The Scenics - Garthuson 
8.  Corridor - Mon Argent 
9.  Television Personalities - Picture of Dorian Gray
10. The Auras - The Peacock
11. Adrianne Lenker - Vampire Empire 
12. Big Thief - Capacity 
13. Spectres - Dominion
14. Little Girls - Youth Tunes 
15. Stuck - Freak Frequency
16. Priors - I’m A Lush 
17. Port Juvee - Bleached Out Soda Pop 
18. Shonen Knife - I Wanna Eat Chocobars 
19. Cult Crime - I’ve Been Go For Too Long 
20. Metz - Negative Space (7 Inch Version) 
21. Bog Moss - I Am Here 
22. The I Don’t Cares - King of America 
23. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Skunk 
24. Captain Beefheart - Moody Liz 
25. Blue Oil - Unwind 
26. Generation X - Day By Day (Alt. Version) 
27. Cub - Sweet Pea (Album Cut)
28. Dirty Pretty Things - The Enemy 
29. B.A. Johnston - Truffle Shuffle (CJSW 2012) 
30. The Stranglers - Sometimes 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the March 30 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 1031 (Originally Aired On March 23rd, 2024)(Black Flag, Deadbeat Beat, Pissed Jeans, The Fall):

1.  Sunglaciers - Fakes 
2.  Fog Lamp - You Prove Yourself Wrong 
3.  Dumb - Quarter Stereo 
4.  Heavenly Sweetheart - Another Sunny Day 
5.  Wabi Sabis - Upload to the Cloud 
6.  Crash 80s - Waiting for the Heat 
7.  Hurray for the Riff Raff! - Alibi 
8.  Skinny Dyck - Can’t Change the Colour of Your Eyes 
9.  Dawson Forsey - Don’t Believe Me 
10. Tractor Beam - Bedroom Antics 
11. Mekons & Kathy Acker - My Song at Night 
12. Faye Webster - Ebay Purchase History 
13. Mexican Knives - Tick Tock 
14. Deadbeat Beat - Baphomet 
15. Deadbeat Beat - From What I Can Tell 
16. The Hypos - All Summer 
17. The Fall - Shoulder Pads 1 
18. Swell Maps - Real Shocks
19. Black Flag - My War 
20. Black Flag - Forever Time
21. Pissed Jeans - Sixty-Two Thousand Dollars in Debt
22. DVTR - DVTR 
23. Bad Egg - Beat Egg 
24. Golden Shitters - Wear Black (Live) 
25. Mary Timony - Summer
26. Jeen - Making Me Mad 
27. Brtittany Howard - What Now 
28. Shadow Show - Clown Song 
29. Squiggly Lines - I Don’t Really Care and That Bothers Me 
30. Pearl Harbor - Alone in the Dark
31. Pearl Harbor - Losing to You 
32. R.E.M. - Maps and Legends

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the March 23 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 1030 (Originally Aired On March 16th, 2024)(Tandoori Knights, The Smiths, Beck, Ty Segall, Thee Headcoats):

1.  Hot Garbage - Look at My Phone 
2.  Tandoori Knights - Goin’ Down 
3.  Tandoori Knights - Je Me Souviens 
4.  Bloodshot Bill - Tik Tik Love Call 
5.  Polaris! - Euro Star 
6.  The Revels - Intoxica 
7.  The Smiths - What Difference Does It Make? 
8.  The Smiths - Still Ill 
9.  Sandie Shaw - Hand in Glove 
10. Beck - Nitemare Hippy Girl 
11. Sonic Youth - Pay No Mind 
12. Chad VanGaalen - I’m Sick
13. Astral Swans - Filler 
14. Ty Segall - Hi Dee Dee 
15. Ty Segall - Reflections 
16. La Luz - Strange World
17. Thee Headcoats - The Kids Are All Square 
18. The Delmonas - You Did Him Wrong 
19. Mannequin Pussy - Sometimes 
20. Idles - Hall & Oates
21. Brass Lip - Father Yod
22. Pack Rat - New Kind of Love
23. Vypers - Loser 
24. Vypers - Lashes and Lead 
25. Mononegatives - Testing Capability 
26. Hooper Crescent - Wrong Direction 
27. A. Savage - Thanksgiving Prayer
28. The Bug Club - Antique Heirlooms 
29. Beck - Green Light
30. The Smiths - This Charming Man 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the March 16 file to download/stream the episode.


Show 1029 (Originally Aired On March 9th, 2024)(Pavement, Flat Duo Jets, Can):

1.  Ducks LTD. - A Girl, Running 
2.  Freebie - Yes Ma’am 
3.  Dial Up - Take Another Walk on the Wild Side
4.  Golden Lava Club - The Big Dance 
5.  Pavement - Elevate Me Later 
6.  Pavement - Unfair 
7.  Pavement - Range Life (Alt. Version) 
8.  Pavement - Cut Your Hair (BBC Session) 
9.  Flat Duo Jets - Riot In Cell Block #9 
10. Flat Duo Jets - Wild Wild Lover (Outtake) 
11. Flat Duo Jets - Harlem Nocturne 
12. Flat Duo Jets - Apple Blossom (Time Mix) 
13. Dex Romweber Duo - The Wind Did Move
14. Can - Paperhouse
15. Can - Vitamin C 
16. Can - Spoon 
17. Can - Moonshake
18. The Smile - Read the Room
19. Jon McKiel - Hex 
20. Autogramm - Diana 
21. The Trampoline Delay - Excuses, Excuses 
22. Apollo Ghosts - Ripping Invasives 
23. Rip Van Winkle - The Metal Clip Goes Over 
24. Daniel Romano’s Outfit - All of Thee Above

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the March 9 file to download/stream the episode.

No comments: