Artist - Song - Album (Label) * indicates Canadian Content
Listen to Do Not Touch This Amp every Friday 8-9 PM Pacific at www.thex.ca
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Beef Terminal - January Sun* - The Isolationist (Noise Factory)
Trio - My Sweet Angel - What's the Password? (Mercury)
Nathan Shubert - Fencing* - Folds (Independent)
The Flowers of Hell - Eulogy* - Symphony No. 1 (Optical Sounds)
Dead or Alive - Lover Come Back to Me - Youthquake (Chrysalis)
Shura - What Happened to Us? - Nothing's Real (Polydor)
Austra - I'm a Monster* - Future Politics (Domino)
Marla - Remember - Madawaska Valley (Melting Pot)
l.n. baba - Internet Princess* - No Man is an Internet (Independent)
Phern - Pebble* - Cool Coma (Fixture)
Shhh - Pick of the Week* - Be Quite! (Independent)
LNZNDRF - Hypno-Skate - LNZNDRF (4AD)
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Best of 2016 #6: David Bowie - Blackstar (Columbia)
It's cliche to put this kind of an album on a year end list. The last album from a legendary artist, as a last hurrah for his stellar career. One last celebration of his long career. Like the Grammys did with Ray Charles, giving him the best album Grammy for a mediocre album, because he'd been snubbed so often in the past.
But this is not that kind of entry, nor is Blackstar that kind of album.
In a lot of ways, David Bowie's swan song reminds me of Warren Zevon's last album, The Wind. Warren Zevon knew he was dying of cancer, and made no attempt to hide it. Instead, he celebrated it. With his last three albums, he mused endlessly about death, his own mortality and joked about the experience. 2000's Life'll Kill Ya was a celebration of his life, albeit in a morbid sort of way. 2002's My Ride's Here had the cover art of Warren sitting in the back of a hearse. 2003's The Wind ended his long career with the brutally sad "Keep Me in Your Heart for a While."
Bowie's last album was similar. Bowie knew he was dying, but kept it secret from all but his closest friends. Blackstar came out just a week before he died. The initial reaction to the album was positive, seeing it as a dark, spacy album of Bowie's typical output. Once his death became reality, the depth of the album opened up.
Blackstar seems to echo all of David Bowie's career, from his psychedelic pop and mod 60s, the angular prog-pop of the 70s, the disaffected new wave of the 80s, into his dabbling into electronics of the 90s. Blackstar brought all of his personas together with a forward looking album, melding his influences with electro-jazz and hipster indy pop. His previous album, 2013's The Next Day, was also a backwards and forwards looking album, using the artwork from Heroes on the cover, with the music a space-age mix of 70s prog/electronics and pop with modern pop influences.
The lyrics mirror Bowie's struggle and acceptance of the coming end of his life, and reflect upon his legacy as a musician and as a person. He faces his fate with dignity, with humility and with grace. This album is a masterpiece, a fitting testament to Bowie's career and his weight as a musician and cultural figure.
As a piece of art, the album still continues to give. Early after his death, fans were finding secrets hidden in the album's artwork, and those easter eggs are still being discovered today. Just how much did David Bowie hide in this album? How much is hidden in the music itself?
But this is not that kind of entry, nor is Blackstar that kind of album.
In a lot of ways, David Bowie's swan song reminds me of Warren Zevon's last album, The Wind. Warren Zevon knew he was dying of cancer, and made no attempt to hide it. Instead, he celebrated it. With his last three albums, he mused endlessly about death, his own mortality and joked about the experience. 2000's Life'll Kill Ya was a celebration of his life, albeit in a morbid sort of way. 2002's My Ride's Here had the cover art of Warren sitting in the back of a hearse. 2003's The Wind ended his long career with the brutally sad "Keep Me in Your Heart for a While."
Bowie's last album was similar. Bowie knew he was dying, but kept it secret from all but his closest friends. Blackstar came out just a week before he died. The initial reaction to the album was positive, seeing it as a dark, spacy album of Bowie's typical output. Once his death became reality, the depth of the album opened up.
Blackstar seems to echo all of David Bowie's career, from his psychedelic pop and mod 60s, the angular prog-pop of the 70s, the disaffected new wave of the 80s, into his dabbling into electronics of the 90s. Blackstar brought all of his personas together with a forward looking album, melding his influences with electro-jazz and hipster indy pop. His previous album, 2013's The Next Day, was also a backwards and forwards looking album, using the artwork from Heroes on the cover, with the music a space-age mix of 70s prog/electronics and pop with modern pop influences.
The lyrics mirror Bowie's struggle and acceptance of the coming end of his life, and reflect upon his legacy as a musician and as a person. He faces his fate with dignity, with humility and with grace. This album is a masterpiece, a fitting testament to Bowie's career and his weight as a musician and cultural figure.
As a piece of art, the album still continues to give. Early after his death, fans were finding secrets hidden in the album's artwork, and those easter eggs are still being discovered today. Just how much did David Bowie hide in this album? How much is hidden in the music itself?
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
DNTTA Playlist for February 3, 2017
Artist - Song - Album (Label) * indicates Canadian Content
Listen to Do Not Touch This Amp every Friday 8-9 PM Pacific at www.thex.ca
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Ivory Towers - Purity Control* - Vile EP (Independent)
Johann Johannsson - Hazmat - Arrival OST (Deutsche Grammophon)
Psychic Pollution - Exaggerated Freedom Study* - AI Existential Intelligence Report (Eat Glass)
Enigma - The Die is Cast - Fall of a Rebel Angel (Republic)
Isao Tomita - Space Fantasy - Kosmos (RCA)
Dr. Janowitz - Fontaste* - Complete Unabashed Sensual Euphoria (Independent)
DIANA - What You Get* - Familiar Touch (Culvert)
Beautiful Nothing - The Unknown* - Sleep Walk (Independent)
Haelos - Dust - Full Circle (Matador)
Listen to Do Not Touch This Amp every Friday 8-9 PM Pacific at www.thex.ca
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Ivory Towers - Purity Control* - Vile EP (Independent)
Johann Johannsson - Hazmat - Arrival OST (Deutsche Grammophon)
Psychic Pollution - Exaggerated Freedom Study* - AI Existential Intelligence Report (Eat Glass)
Enigma - The Die is Cast - Fall of a Rebel Angel (Republic)
Isao Tomita - Space Fantasy - Kosmos (RCA)
Dr. Janowitz - Fontaste* - Complete Unabashed Sensual Euphoria (Independent)
DIANA - What You Get* - Familiar Touch (Culvert)
Beautiful Nothing - The Unknown* - Sleep Walk (Independent)
Haelos - Dust - Full Circle (Matador)
Saturday, March 4, 2017
DNTTA Playlist for January 27, 2017
Artist - Song - Album (Label) * indicates Canadian Content
Listen to Do Not Touch This Amp every Friday 8-9 PM Pacific at www.thex.ca
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Cawama - 4th Dimension* - Sea Sick (Independent)
Hypnolovewheel - Antmusic - Freedom of Choice (Caroline)
Black - Wonderful Life - Wonderful Life (A&M)
David Bowie with Pat Metheny - This is Not America - Best of Bowie (Virgin)
La Conversion des Sauvages - Le Balcon Vert* - La Conversion des Sauvages (Independent
The Maras - Muddy Susan* - Welcome to Wax Beach (Independent)
James O-L - Sleeping in the Streets* - Cancer in Treble City (Independent)
The Flintettes - The Choice is Ours* - La Ti Da 2016 Singles Club (La Ti Da)
Faith Healer - Cry* - Quarter Life Crisis (Mint)
The Thermals - My Heart Went Cold - We Disappear (Saddle Creek)
The Thermals - Hey You - We Disappear (Saddle Creek)
Bobby Cleveland - Heartbreak and Neon Lights* - Loretta (Independent)
Lt. Frank Dickens - We Don't Have to Lie* - Sunburned (Jaz)
Listen to Do Not Touch This Amp every Friday 8-9 PM Pacific at www.thex.ca
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Cawama - 4th Dimension* - Sea Sick (Independent)
Hypnolovewheel - Antmusic - Freedom of Choice (Caroline)
Black - Wonderful Life - Wonderful Life (A&M)
David Bowie with Pat Metheny - This is Not America - Best of Bowie (Virgin)
La Conversion des Sauvages - Le Balcon Vert* - La Conversion des Sauvages (Independent
The Maras - Muddy Susan* - Welcome to Wax Beach (Independent)
James O-L - Sleeping in the Streets* - Cancer in Treble City (Independent)
The Flintettes - The Choice is Ours* - La Ti Da 2016 Singles Club (La Ti Da)
Faith Healer - Cry* - Quarter Life Crisis (Mint)
The Thermals - My Heart Went Cold - We Disappear (Saddle Creek)
The Thermals - Hey You - We Disappear (Saddle Creek)
Bobby Cleveland - Heartbreak and Neon Lights* - Loretta (Independent)
Lt. Frank Dickens - We Don't Have to Lie* - Sunburned (Jaz)
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Forgotten Music #24: Martini Ranch - How Can the Laboring Man Find Time for Self Culture? (1988)
The recently passed away Bill Paxton was a well respected actor in SF genre films like Terminator, Aliens and Weird Science. But he had a history in weird music too.
Bill Paxton sang vocals for the band Martini Ranch and Andrew Rosenthal. The band had a new wave bent, with a sound very similar to Devo or Oingo Boingo. They released 2 EPs and just one full length album, Holy Cow, released on the Sire label in 1988.
Not only did Martini Ranch sound like Devo, but Devo was very intimately involved with Martini Ranch, with three members performing on Holy Cow. The album also featured contributions from The B-52s' Cindy Wilson, composer Mark Isham and Patrick O'Hearn of Missing Persons, amongst other guest stars.
Paxton was also the director for Barnes and Barnes' infamous early video, "Fish Heads", put out in 1980. Paxton was also instrumental in getting it played on Saturday Night Live for the first time.
Paxton's connections as an actor are well represented in the video for "How Can the Laboring Man Find Time for Self-Culture?", which features appearances by Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Beihn and Judge Reinhold. The video was directed by Rocky Schenck, who had photographed hundreds of record covers, as well as directing dozens of videos for mainstream and non-mainstream artists, including, yet again, Devo.
Bill Paxton sang vocals for the band Martini Ranch and Andrew Rosenthal. The band had a new wave bent, with a sound very similar to Devo or Oingo Boingo. They released 2 EPs and just one full length album, Holy Cow, released on the Sire label in 1988.
Not only did Martini Ranch sound like Devo, but Devo was very intimately involved with Martini Ranch, with three members performing on Holy Cow. The album also featured contributions from The B-52s' Cindy Wilson, composer Mark Isham and Patrick O'Hearn of Missing Persons, amongst other guest stars.
Paxton was also the director for Barnes and Barnes' infamous early video, "Fish Heads", put out in 1980. Paxton was also instrumental in getting it played on Saturday Night Live for the first time.
Paxton's connections as an actor are well represented in the video for "How Can the Laboring Man Find Time for Self-Culture?", which features appearances by Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Beihn and Judge Reinhold. The video was directed by Rocky Schenck, who had photographed hundreds of record covers, as well as directing dozens of videos for mainstream and non-mainstream artists, including, yet again, Devo.
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