Posts tagged “The National

Hail To The King Of Limbs, Pt. 2: First Impressions

Well, well, well. How’s this for a pleasant surprise? After the Valentine’s Day announcement that their new album The King Of Limbs would be released on Saturday, Radiohead apparently decided that five more days was too long after making us wait for nearly three and a half years and let us download it a day early.

So now the mysteries surrounding LP8 have been resolved – well, mostly. The King Of Limbs is an 8-track affair; half the album consists of songs nobody outside the band’s inner circle even knew existed. The songs the fans already know that appear here (in completely revamped form) are “Lotus Flower,” “Give Up The Ghost,” “Separator” (formerly “Mouse Dog Bird” – thank God they changed that title), and perhaps most surprisingly “Morning Mr. Magpie,” which has been kicking around since the Hail To The Thief sessions and was only played once in a live webcast. (It’s also featured in The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth Of All Time, a collection of short films set to Radiohead songs and clips of the band performing.)

And how does the new record sound? Completely different from anything else they’ve ever done, as usual. It’s very, very far from the folksy record you might expect considering that it’s named after a tree. But where its predecessor In Rainbows is one of the most immediately accessible albums of the band’s career (and a good place to start for newcomers), The King Of Limbs challenges you from the very first note. It’s even stranger than Kid A and Amnesiac in places, and sometimes feels like a follow-up to Thom Yorke’s solo album The Eraser only with more guitars. Turns out “These Are My Twisted Words” was only a partial preview of what was to come. We’ll take a track-by-track look at this baby after the jump!

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Colin’s Collection: The Class of 2010

My last Colin’s Collection post was written about a year ago, around the time I picked up Spoon’s Transference. Over the past 12 months I’ve added quite a bit of music to the ol’ collection, though not as much as plenty of other people. I’ve seen posts by random people who don’t work for music magazines or professional music blogs who have more albums in their “favorites of the year” lists than I bought all year, period. Also, I’m one of those weirdos who still likes to have a physical copy of an album and doesn’t download much music at all.

Spoon's liner notes: Proof that I'm not the only weirdo.

So aside from the aforementioned Transference, what other music did I pick up in 2010? Don’t touch that dial — or mouse… or whatever… because the list is coming up after the jump.

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Sept. 25, 2009: Show #25

Hey everyone. I know I’ve really been slacking with the blog lately — not that anyone would notice, since I haven’t had a double-digit hit count since September 24 — but I just haven’t really felt like blogging for whatever reason. I’d like to say I had a better excuse than that for slacking off with this thing, but that’s just how it is.

Anyway, here’s the playlist from the 9/25/09 show. Hopefully one of these days I’ll actually write something more substantial than one of these playlist posts. That, however, would require me to stop being a lazy slacker.

1. Radiohead, “Bangers & Mash” (In Rainbows bonus disc)

2. TV On The Radio, “Golden Age” (Dear Science)

3. Arctic Monkeys, “Fake Tales Of San Francisco” (Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not)

4. Cave In, “Lost In The Air” (Antenna)

5. Band Of Horses, “Is There A Ghost” (Cease To Begin)

6. RX Bandits, “Tainted Wheat” (…And The Battle Begun)

7. At The Drive-In, “A Devil Among The Tailors” (In/Casino/Out)

8. Kings Of Leon, “Notion” (Only By The Night)

9. Interpol, “Slow Hands” (Antics)

10. Deerhunter, “Saved By Old Times” (Microcastle)

11. The Clash, “Lost In The Supermarket” (London Calling)

12. British Sea Power, “Down On The Ground” (Do You Like Rock Music?)

13. Thrice, “As The Crow Flies” (The Alchemy Index: Vol. 3 — Air)

14. Foo Fighters, “Cold Day In The Sun” (In Your Honor)

15. Spoon, “Jonathon Fisk” (Kill The Moonlight)

16. My Morning Jacket, “Thank You Too!” (Evil Urges)

17. Minus The Bear, “When We Escape” (Planet Of Ice)

18. The National, “Secret Meeting” (Alligator)

19. R.E.M., “Near Wild Heaven” (Out Of Time)

20. Pavement, “Major Leagues” (Terror Twilight)

21. Radiohead, “Lucky” (OK Computer)

22. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “She’s Only 18″ (Stadium Arcadium)

23. Muse, “Muscle Museum” (Showbiz)

24. Snow Patrol, “Shut Your Eyes” (Eyes Open)

25. Bloc Party, “Signs” (Intimacy)

26. Weezer, “El Scorcho” (Pinkerton)

27. The Beach Boys, “Wendy” (Endless Summer)

28. The Decemberists, “O Valencia!” (The Crane Wife)

29. Elvis Costello, “Veronica” (Spike)

30. The Beatles, “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” (Abbey Road)


Sept. 18, 2009: Show #24

All right! The new semester is well underway, and I’ve got another playlist to post here for you all. Twenty-four shows, man. And I somehow still haven’t completely run out of ideas for Top 5 lists! Which reminds me… it’s been a really long time since the last time I posted a Top 5 writeup. Maybe I’ll get around to doing it this weekend. It would make more sense for me to post the next one some time in December, seeing as how it was a Christmas special, but I’d rather just post them in the order they were aired. Makes it easier for me to keep track of which ones I’ve done and which ones I haven’t done. I might get around to finally posting it here soon… but until then, sit tight.

Also, before I begin, I would like to dedicate this playlist to the one and only Jack Bauer, what with this being the 24th show and all.

Jack Bauer is the only man to have ever survived a roundhouse kick to the face from Chuck Norris. True story.

Jack Bauer is the only man to have ever survived a roundhouse kick to the face from Chuck Norris. True story.

And now, on with the playlist!

1. Foo Fighters, “In Your Honor” (In Your Honor)

2. Radiohead, “Just” (The Bends)

3. The Fall Of Troy, “Oh! The Casino!” (Manipulator)

4. We Are Scientists, “Lousy Reputation” (With Love And Squalor)

5. Pavement, “Passat Dream” (Brighten The Corners)

6. Interpol, “Rest My Chemistry” (Our Love To Admire)

7. Modest Mouse, “Florida” (We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank)

8. Arctic Monkeys, “Brianstorm” (Favourite Worst Nightmare)

9. Early Man, “Four Walls” (Closing In)

10. High On Fire, “Cometh Down Hessian” (Blessed Black Wings)

11. Metallica, “For Whom The Bell Tolls” (Ride The Lightning)

12. Mastodon, “Naked Burn” (Leviathan)

13. Slayer, “Reborn” (Reign In Blood)

14. Gojira, “Backbone” (From Mars To Sirius)

15. The Sword, “Under The Boughs” (Gods Of The Earth)

16. Minus The Bear, “Women We Haven’t Met Yet” (Highly Refined Pirates)

17. The Whigs, “I Got Ideas” (Mission Control)

18. Kings Of Leon, “Pistol Of Fire” (Aha Shake Heartbreak)

19. Cave In, “Anchor” (Antenna)

20. Deerhunter, “Focus Group” (Weird Era Continued)

21. The Decemberists, “Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)” (The Crane Wife)

22. U2, “Staring At The Sun” (Pop)

23. Muse, “Supermassive Black Hole” (Black Holes & Revelations)

24. The National, “Slow Show” (Boxer)

25. Bloc Party, “Pioneers” (Silent Alarm)

26. Queens Of The Stone Age, “Go With The Flow” (Songs For The Deaf)

27. My Morning Jacket, “One Big Holiday” (It Still Moves)

28. Radiohead, “There There (The Boney King Of Nowhere)” (Hail To The Thief)

One last thing: I’d like to thank my parents for sending me a copy of the new RX Bandits album Mandala for my birthday. I’d been looking all over for that album, having just gotten into the band over the summer, and couldn’t find it. Oh, and thanks to everyone who listened to the show tonight as well. Keep tuning in every Friday from 4-6 p.m. on WMUC2, and keep watching this space.


Sept. 11, 2009: Show #23

I know what you’re thinking. “Hey, what the hell is this? Two 9/11 posts in a row? Wasn’t this blog supposed to be about music or something?” Well, don’t you worry your pretty little heads. This is a totally different kind of post relating to 9/11. I did my first show of the fall semester yesterday, and here’s the playlist…

1. Bloc Party, “The Marshals Are Dead” (Silent Alarm B-sides)

2. Cave In, “Come Into Your Own” (Tides Of Tomorrow EP)

3. Spoon, “The Way We Get By” (Kill The Moonlight)

4. Band Of Horses, “Weed Party” (Everything All The Time)

5. Pavement, “You Are A Light” (Terror Twilight)

6. Radiohead, “These Are My Twisted Words” (Wall Of Ice EP — just kidding, it’s a single)

7. Blur, “M.O.R.” (Blur)

8. Arctic Monkeys, “When The Sun Goes Down” (Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not)

9. The Fall Of Troy, “I Just Got This Symphony Goin’” (Doppelganger)

10. Titus Andronicus, “My Time Outside The Womb” (The Airing Of Grievances)

11. Green Day, “Murder City” (21st Century Breakdown)

12. Minus The Bear, “Memphis & 53rd” (Menos El Oso)

13. My Morning Jacket, “What A Wonderful Man” (Z)

14. The National, “Available” (Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers)

15. RX Bandits, “One Million Miles An Hour, Fast Asleep” (…And The Battle Begun)

16. Dead Confederate, “Shadow The Walls” (Dead Confederate EP)

17. Queens Of The Stone Age, “Tangled Up In Plaid” (Lullabies To Paralyze)

18. Kings Of Leon, “Soft” (Aha Shake Heartbreak)

19. Radiohead, “Subterranean Homesick Alien” (OK Computer)

20. Nirvana, “Stay Away” (Nevermind)

21. British Sea Power, “Trip Out” (Do You Like Rock Music?)

22. White Rabbits, “Percussion Gun” (It’s Frightening)

23. Green Day, “21 Guns” (21st Century Breakdown)

24. Muse, “Uprising” (The Resistance)

25. Silversun Pickups, “Panic Switch” (Swoon)

26. Thom Yorke, “The Present Tense” (live @ Latitude Festival)

27. Grizzly Bear, “Two Weeks” (Veckatimest)

28. The Beatles, “Taxman” (Revolver) — played to fill dead air

Well, that covers it for my first show of my last semester here at the University of Maryland. As always, keep tuning in every Friday from 4-6 p.m. on WMUC2 and keep watching this space for more updates and fun stuff.


May 15, 2009: Show #22

Here it is, folks… the last of my playlists from the 2008-09 school year. An emotional moment, I know. But I plan to be back for the Fall ’09 semester, having submitted my returning DJ application today. So far I’m thinking my biggest issue will be thinking up ideas for new Top 5 lists. If you’ve got any ideas for lists, I’m all ears. Check the Top 5 page on this site so you’ll know which lists I’ve already done — I’d rather not repeat myself, after all.

Anyway, here’s the playlist from May 15, 2009.

1. Mastodon, “Quintessence” (Crack The Skye)

2. Intronaut, “Australopithecus” (Prehistoricisms)

3. Slayer, “Dissident Aggressor” (South Of Heaven)

4. Metallica, “Escape” (Ride The Lightning)

5. Baroness, “O’Appalachia” (Red Album)

6. Between The Buried And Me, “Prequel To The Sequel” (Colors)

7. High On Fire, “Fury Whip” (Death Is This Communion)

8. The Sword, “March Of The Lor” (Age Of Winters)

9. At The Drive-In, “Mannequin Republic” (Relationship Of Command)

10. Green Day, “Peacemaker” (21st Century Breakdown)

11. Queens Of The Stone Age, “Auto Pilot” (Rated R)

12. Radiohead, “Where I End And You Begin (The Sky Is Falling In)” (Hail To The Thief)

13. My Morning Jacket, “Two Halves” (Evil Urges)

14. Minus The Bear, “Fulfill The Dream” (Menos El Oso)

15. Interpol, “Next Exit” (Antics)

16. Pavement, “Starlings Of The Slipstream” (Brighten The Corners)

17. Foo Fighters, “Miracle” (In Your Honor)

18. Kings Of Leon, “Revelry” (Only By The Night)

19. Blur, “No Distance Left To Run” (13)

20. The National, “Racing Like A Pro” (Boxer)

21. Weezer, “The Good Life” (Pinkerton)

22. Bloc Party, “Rhododendrons” (“Hunting For Witches” single)

23. Nirvana, “You Know You’re Right” (Nirvana)

24. The Beatles, “Eleanor Rigby” (Revolver)

25. Radiohead, “No Surprises” (OK Computer)

Well, that covers it for all the playlist posts. Be sure to watch this space for updates about next semester’s show times, and also for all the Internet-only content.


May 8, 2009: Show #21

Hey everyone! I’m finally back after yet another lengthy hiatus from the blogosphere. I just got back home last night from a nine-day vacation with my family in Ocean City, MD (we have a house down there). The weather was consistently pleasant, despite the meteorologists’ insistence to the contrary for a few days; the pool was always a bit chilly at first but would soon become comfortable; there was a nice breeze at the beach; the new Harry Potter movie was pretty solid; my dad celebrated his birthday; the Phillies have been kicking ass for the last few weeks (including tonight’s 10-1 demolition of the Cubs) and are the favorites to trade for kickass pitcher Roy Halladay; Married With Children reruns were on a lot in the morning and are still hilarious; I finally got to read Thank You For Smoking; and all in all it was a pretty good week.

So now that I’m back in the Keystone State, I bring you the playlist for my penultimate show of the 2008-09 school year on May 8, 2009. The playlist and more after the jump!

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May 1, 2009: Show #20

Hey everyone! It’s been a while since I last updated this blog, so here I am. It’s kind of sad that I have to start every other post with pretty much that exact sentence, especially considering how much free time I have. But whatever. Here we are, and to atone somewhat for my recent absence I give you Bret Michaels getting clotheslined by a Tony Awards set piece.

Oh, I kid you, Mr. Michaels. I know you’ve contributed a lot to American pop culture. Without Poison, nobody would know what “Unskinny Bop” means. And without Rock of Love Bus, we wouldn’t have been subjected to the first televised twat shot that wasn’t on HBO or late-night Cinemax or some random subscription-only porn channel. Truth be told, I’m not sure what to make of this dude. Sometimes he actually does seem like a nice guy, but then sometimes on his show he’ll make the girls do or wear something really sleazy, and one of them will be like, “I don’t feel comfortable doing this” and he’ll just say, “Oh, come on, you need to learn how to party.”

But enough about Bret Michaels. I’m not even sure why I’m writing so much about him since I’m not a Poison fan and I didn’t play any of his music on my show. And speaking of which, here’s the playlist from May 1, 2009.

1. The Clash, “Clampdown” (London Calling)

2. The Strokes, “Reptilia” (Room On Fire)

3. Foxboro Hot Tubs, “Highway 1″ (Stop Drop And Roll!!!)

4. The Beatles, “I’m Only Sleeping” (Revolver)

5. The Decemberists, “The Crane Wife 3″ (The Crane Wife)

6. Radiohead, “The Trickster” (My Iron Lung EP)

7. Interpol, “Mammoth” (Our Love To Admire)

8. Pavement, “Embassy Row” (Brighten The Corners)

9. Spoon, “Don’t Make Me A Target” (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga)

10. The National, “Trophy Wife” (Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers)

11. The Smashing Pumpkins, “Here Is No Why” (Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness)

12. Squeeze, “Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)” (Singles — 45′s And Under)

13. R.E.M., “Strange” (Document)

14. Wintersleep, “Jaws Of Life” (Untitled)

15. Weezer, “Slave” (Maladroit)

16. The Fall Of Troy, “The Dark Trail” (Manipulator)

17. Bloc Party, “Like Eating Glass” (Silent Alarm)

18. Alkaline Trio, “Mercy Me” (Crimson)

19. Muse, “Stockholm Syndrome” (Absolution)

20. Nine Black Alps, “Get Your Guns” (Everything Is)

21. Radiohead, “Bodysnatchers” (In Rainbows)

22. Nirvana, “Endless Nameless” (Nevermind bonus track)

23. Kings Of Leon, “Talihina Sky” (Youth And Young Manhood bonus track)

24. Minus The Bear, “Electric Rainbow” (Planet Of Ice bonus disc)

25. Blur, “Me, White Noise” (Think Tank hidden track)

26. Queens Of The Stone Age, “The Fun Machine Took A Shit And Died” (Era Vulgaris bonus track, certain editions only)

So since I’m starting to run low on playlist posts, what to do aside from ENJOY THE GENIUS and Top 5 posts? Don’t you worry your pretty little heads, all five of you readers who come here searching for something other than pictures of tits. I’ve got ideas, so stay tuned. And I’ll try to update more regularly, but I won’t guarantee anything. In the immortal words of Eric Cartman, “What-eva! What-eva! I’ll do what I want!”


April 24, 2009: Show #19

Hey everyone! I’ve finally returned to the blogosphere. My exams have all been taken, my papers have all been written, and an entire apartment’s worth of my stuff has been crammed into an SUV and driven back to Pennsylvania. I’m still not entirely sure how we pulled that last part off. Apparently the Ford Freestyle has more cargo room than I’ve ever given it credit for. Either that, or my mom’s a packing genius. I think I’ll go with a little of column A and a little of column B.

So on to the next playlist post! And hoo boy, do I remember this show well. This aired during a time when my computer had been all screwed up and I was relying mainly on YouTube (with some help from Myspace and Last.fm and the like) to do my shows. On April 24, 2009, I realized why relying on YouTube can result in total disaster. Stuff was taking too long to load and then there would be additional sound effects in the videos that I didn’t want being played. But as much as I’d like to give this show the Wayside School treatment — there is no 19th story in Wayside School and no 19th Listen Up! show — I can’t pretend it didn’t happen. Here’s the playlist from that show, and thankfully things went much more smoothly with subsequent shows.

1. Green Day, “Know Your Enemy” (21st Century Breakdown)

2. Blur, “Parklife” (Parklife)

3. Weezer, “Possibilities” (Maladroit)

4. Jupiter One, “Countdown” (Jupiter One)

5. Queens Of The Stone Age, “3′s & 7′s” (Era Vulgaris)

6. The Sword, “Iron Swan” (Age Of Winters)

7. High On Fire, “Waste Of Tiamat” (Death Is This Communion)

8. Between The Buried And Me, “Viridian” (Colors)

9. Metallica, “Whiplash” (live in Athens, Greece — originally on Kill ‘Em All)

10. Fierce Allegiance, “No Way Out” (The Meaning Of Sacrifice)

11. Mastodon, “Aqua Dementia” (Leviathan)

12. Radiohead, “Knives Out” (Amnesiac) — dammit, I forgot to play my cell phone ringtone on the air that day. With the help of Audacity, I made the first 20 seconds of “Knives Out” my custom ringtone. My text message alert, in case you’re curious, is the end of the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” with Ringo Starr yelling, “I’VE GOT BLISTERS ON MY FINGERS!”

13. Rancid, “Time Bomb” (…And Out Come The Wolves)

14. Deerhunter, “Agoraphobia” (Microcastle)

15. Thrice, “Image Of The Invisible” (Vheissu)

16. Solar Powered Sun Destroyer, “Some Assembly Required” (live on WMUC Third Rail Radio 4/19/09, originally on Intromission EP)

17. Interpol, “The Heinrich Maneuver” (Our Love To Admire)

18. Bloc Party, “Mercury” (Intimacy)

19. The National, “Brainy” (Boxer)

20. My Morning Jacket, “Evil Urges” (Evil Urges)

21. Kings Of Leon, “Taper Jean Girl” (Aha Shake Heartbreak)

22. The Hold Steady, “Stuck Between Stations” (Boys And Girls In America)

23. Muse, “Starlight” (Black Holes & Revelations)

24. Foo Fighters, “All My Life” (One By One)

25. Radiohead, “2+2 = 5 (The Lukewarm)” (Hail To The Thief)

26. Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nevermind)

So what was the real lesson? If you rely on your computer to do your radio shows, God help you if it gets a virus and stops working. Also, don’t leave things in the fridge. And as always, join my Facebook group if you’ve got an account and keep watching this space.


April 17, 2009: Show #18

That’s right, it’s double-post day here at the ol’ Listen Up! blog. I’m in a very bloggy mood today, which I hope passes soon because if I don’t stop adding posts tonight I’ll be out of things to post during the summer. (Not really sure where that huge rant about the Jonas Brothers came from, but hey… if it makes someone laugh, it’s all worthwhile.)

Anyway, here’s the playlist from my April 17, 2009 show on WMUC2.

1. Queens Of The Stone Age, “Monsters In The Parasol” (Rated R)

2. Blur, “Bugman” (13)

3. The Fall Of Troy, “Cut Down All The Trees And Name The Streets After Them” (Manipulator)

4. Kings Of Leon, “Slow Night, So Long” (Aha Shake Heartbreak)

5. Titus Andronicus, “Arms Against Atrophy” (The Airing Of Grievances)*

6. Radiohead, “Blow Out” (Pablo Honey)

7. The Whigs, “I Never Want To Go Home” (Mission Control)

8. Muse, “Bliss” (Origin Of Symmetry)

9. Cymbals Eat Guitars, “Wind Phoenix” (Why There Are Mountains)*

10. Interpol, “Leif Erikson” (Turn On The Bright Lights)

11. Have A Nice Life, “Bloodhail” (Deathconsciousness)

12. The Drones, “The Minotaur” (Havilah)

13. Pavement, “Stereo” (Brighten The Corners)

14. The Sword, “Maiden, Mother, & Crone” (Gods Of The Earth)

15. Others May Fall, “Napoleon”

16. Mastodon, “Oblivion” (Crack The Skye)

17. Deerhunter, “Never Stops” (Microcastle)

18. The National, “Green Gloves” (Boxer)

19. My Morning Jacket, “El Caporal” (Dark Was The Night compilation)

20. Radiohead, “Go To Sleep (Little Man Being Erased)” (Hail To The Thief)

21. Minus The Bear, “Guns And Ammo” (Acoustics EP)

22. Mountain, “Mississippi Queen” (Climbing)

23. Guns N’ Roses, “Nightrain” (Appetite For Destruction)

24. Queens Of The Stone Age, “Little Sister” (Lullabies To Paralyze)

25. The Rolling Stones, “Honky Tonk Women” (Forty Licks)

26. Blue Oyster Cult, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” (Agents Of Fortune)

27. Vampire Weekend, “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” (Vampire Weekend) — you won’t hear this in the show MP3 because I had to go long to fill dead air

Kind of strange how I seem to have made Vampire Weekend my go-to band for filling dead air.

And as always, join my Facebook group if you have a Facebook account and keep watching this space. Now that the semester’s over, I won’t be doing any more shows until the fall. I’ll be sure to update you all on any changes to my schedule. Since I don’t have any classes scheduled for Fridays next semester, it may not even have to change at all. I can’t say I’d mind having an FM gig, though…

*denotes albums I’ve been looking for but haven’t found anywhere


Capitalism at its finest

“Capitalism has made it this way — old-fashioned fascism will TAKE IT AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!”

– Marilyn Manson, “The Beautiful People”

I’m going to be pretty busy this week (two papers due Tuesday, a final exam paper due Friday, another final exam paper due Monday) so I won’t be able to update this blog as much as I would like. And you know what that means — it’s time for another filler post about music I’ve recently added to my collection. Like I said the last time I wrote a post like this, buying music will save the economy.

Trust me on this. I took a course in microeconomics back in my freshman year here at the University of Maryland and got a B. I know what I’m talking about. I’m totally qualified to discuss resolutions to the current economic crisis. If the 24-hour news networks ever stop panicking about swine flu and get back to panicking about the economy, I’m available for interviews. Now if I could just find my lecture notes from that class, I’d really be in business!

Hey, look at that! I made a pun! EVERYONE LAUGH AT MY CLEVER PUN! Otherwise I will be more depressed than I was earlier today when I found out that Megan Fox has no interest in guys under the age of 30. (She’s the girl from Michael Bay’s kind of crappy Transformers movie who made out with Shia “I Should Legally Change My Name To Oedipus” LaBeouf on top of that Camaro.)

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March 27, 2009: Show #16

Hey everyone. I haven’t updated much lately. Unfortunately, I’ve had some problems with my computer lately. Not quite Blue Screen of Death problems, but more like Blue Screen of Comatose. I only get a black screen now. I’ve had this problem before and the computer was eventually fixed, so hopefully I’ll be able to get that taken care of soon. And it actually went black minutes before I was about to do the very show I’m writing about now, so this playlist was pretty much all from memory. Here we go.

1. Radiohead, “Maquiladora” (“High & Dry”/”Planet Telex” EP)

2. My Morning Jacket, “Anytime” (Z)

3. Jimi Hendrix, “Crosstown Traffic” (Electric Ladyland)

4. Muse, “City Of Delusion” (Black Holes & Revelations)

5. The Sword, “Winter’s Wolves” (Age Of Winters)

6. Between The Buried And Me, “Informal Gluttony” (Colors)

7. High On Fire, “Turk” (Death Is This Communion)

8. Mastodon, “Divinations” (Crack The Skye)

9. Metallica, “Fight Fire With Fire” (Ride The Lightning)

10. Iron Maiden, “The Trooper” (Piece Of Mind)

11. The Dillinger Escape Plan, “Horse Hunter” (Ire Works)

12. Slayer, “Altar Of Sacrifice” (Reign In Blood)

13. Danzig, “Mother” (Danzig)

14. Nine Inch Nails, “1,000,000″ (The Slip)

15. TV On The Radio, “DLZ” (Dear Science)

16. At The Drive-In, “Invalid Litter Dept.” (Relationship Of Command)

17. The Whigs, “1000 Wives” (Mission Control)

18. The National, “So Far Around The Bend” (Dark Was The Night compilation)

19. Bloc Party, “Banquet” (Silent Alarm)

20. Snow Patrol, “Warmer Climate” (Eyes Open bonus track)

21. Minus The Bear, “Patiently Waiting” (Planet Of Ice bonus disc)

22. Thrice, “Digital Sea” (The Alchemy Index — Vol. 2: Water)

23. Radiohead, “Kid A” (Kid A)

24. The Walkmen, “Blizzard Of ’96″ (Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone)

And just because I’ve had computer problems lately doesn’t mean I can’t do my show anymore, so keep tuning in every Friday from 6-8 p.m. on WMUC2, join my Facebook group, and of course keep watching this space.


Mar. 6, 2009: Show #15

This playlist is the shortest I’ve done since the one-hour era of Listen Up! The Maryland baseball team had a game being broadcasted over WMUC2, so my show started about an hour later than usual.

I won’t be doing a show this Friday, March 20, due to me being home in Pennsylvania for Spring Break. Or as I like to call it, Winter Break Jr. The weather around here is still kind of cloudy and chilly. Still, it’s always nice to spend some quality time with the family.

Thanks to Eranga Fernando for filling in for me today. I know I had put the show on the fill-in registry a little later than I probably should have, so I’m glad to know my time slot was taken.

Here’s the playlist from my March 6, 2009 show on WMUC2. See you on the 27th, and as always: tune in every Friday on WMUC2 from 6-8 p.m., join my Facebook group, and keep watching this space!

1. The Fall Of Troy, “Mouths Like Sidewinder Missiles” (Doppelganger)

2. Kings Of Leon, “Trunk” (Because Of The Times)

3. Interpol, “C’mere” (Antics)

4. The National, “Lit Up” (Alligator)

5. Bloc Party, “Luno” (Silent Alarm)

6. TV On The Radio, “Halfway Home” (Dear Science)

7. Blur, “Out Of Time” (Think Tank)

8. Minus The Bear, “Knights” (Planet Of Ice)

9. Spoon, “Sister Jack” (Gimme Fiction)

10. Mastodon, “Joseph Merrick” (Leviathan)

11. Green Day, “Last Ride In” (Nimrod)

12. Incubus, “Battlestar Scralatchtica” (Make Yourself)

13. Radiohead, “Fast-Track” (“Pyramid Song” EP)

14. Metallica, “Orion” (Master Of Puppets)

15. At The Drive-In, “Pattern Against User” (Relationship Of Command) — you won’t hear this in the download file because I had to stay an extra few minutes until the next host arrived


Top 5 Songs I Really Wish Would Stop Getting Stuck In My Head Whenever I Meet A Pretty Girl

That is one seriously huge mouthful.

(LOL THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID LOL)

Oh, shut up, Mr. Dirty-Minded Inner Voice. You know I was talking about the title of this post.

(AMONG OTHER THINGS HA HA HA)

Um… sure.

Anyway, as if this intro wasn’t enough evidence that I’m weird, there’s also this top 5 list. It’s strange how sometimes music can provide such a fitting soundtrack to your life, as if your iPod is reading your mind or something. Like, here’s an example… the other day I had “Green Gloves” by the National stuck in my head even though I hadn’t listened to it in a while. And sure enough, my iPod started playing “Green Gloves” that same day. (Not that I’m complaining, because “Green Gloves” is a good song.)

Okay, I’ll admit that’s kind of a stretch. But my iPod also seems to put on a soundtrack of songs that fit my mood. Maybe that’s just me subconsciously choosing to play songs that suit whatever mood I’m in. Still, it’s odd to consider just how many of them seem to come up within close proximity of each other.

It even applies to the radio sometimes too. I remember I was on my way home from a counseling appointment and listening to a rock station when all of a sudden the new (at the time) Puddle Of Mudd single comes on. It’s the one that goes, “Maybe I’m the one who is a schizophrenic psycho.”

But the trend that gets to me the most is when I get a song stuck in my head that lowers my confidence when I pay attention to the lyrics. Like, for example… one of these next five songs is practically guaranteed to get stuck in my head somehow whenever I meet a pretty girl. I like all of these songs, too, so I’ll listen to them anyway. But if I listen closely and start thinking about the lyrics (or even particular lines that stand out), it can really do a number on me.

Yeah, I know it’s just music. But music can be a pretty powerful thing when you listen closely. That’s why it’s so magical. I just wish these next five songs would stop casting their particular spells on me!

And yeah, this is meant as a self-deprecating post. I figure it’s always best to have a sense of humor about yourself, because if you didn’t you’d drive yourself crazy.  That said… not all of this post is going to be funny. Now, on with the list…

(more…)


Feb. 6, 2009: Show #11

Here’s the playlist for my Feb. 6, 2009 show on WMUC2. I’ve been trying to update the Download page to add more show files, but no luck so far. Stay tuned just in case.

1. The Strokes, “Juicebox” (First Impressions Of Earth)

2. Interpol, “Narc” (Antics)

3. The Hives, “A Get Together To Tear It Apart” (Veni Vidi Vicious)

4. Led Zeppelin, “Heartbreaker” (Led Zeppelin II)

5. Pearl Jam, “Spin The Black Circle” (Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003)

6. Bloc Party, “Better Than Heaven” (Intimacy)

7. Daft Punk, “Digital Love” (Discovery)

8. Kings Of Leon, “Closer” (Only By The Night)

9. The Police, “Deathwish” (Regatta De Blanc)

10. Minus The Bear, “We Are Not A Football Team” (Highly Refined Pirates)

11. R.E.M., “I Don’t Sleep, I Dream” (Monster)

12. Foo Fighters, “Statues” (Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace)

13. Coldplay, “Don’t Panic” (Parachutes)

14. The Clash, “The Card Cheat” (London Calling)

15. The National, “Abel” (Alligator)

16. My Morning Jacket, “Off The Record” (Z)

17. Incubus, “Paper Shoes” (Light Grenades)

18. Nine Black Alps, “Behind Your Eyes” (Everything Is)

19. Citizen Cope, “Son’s Gonna Rise” (The Clarence Greenwood Recordings) — for Dan O. from the Jersey Shore

20. Breaking Benjamin, “Forget It” (We Are Not Alone)

21. Snow Patrol, “Take Back The City” (A Hundred Million Suns)

22. Battles, “Leyendecker” (Mirrored)

23. Nirvana, “Lounge Act” (Nevermind)

24. Green Day, “Longview” (Dookie)

25. Muse, “Hysteria” (Absolution)

26. Radiohead, “Dollars & Cents” (Amnesiac)

27. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Around The World” (Californication)

28. The Beatles, “Back In The U.S.S.R.” (The White Album) — you won’t hear this in the download file because I had to go over by a couple minutes to fill dead air until the next host arrived


Jan. 30, 2009: Show #10

Finally into double digits!

I know I said I was done with the “old playlist” posts. That still applies — this playlist is from last week. Lawyer logic for the win… or something like that. Here’s the playlist.

1. Radiohead, “Electioneering” (OK Computer)

2. At The Drive-In, “Extracurricular” (Relationship Of Command)

3. Kings Of Leon, “Molly’s Chambers” (Youth And Young Manhood)

4. Modest Mouse, “Ocean Breathes Salty” (Good News For People Who Love Bad News)

5. The Walkmen, “That’s The Punch Line” (Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone)

6. Dead Confederate, “Heavy Petting” (Wrecking Ball)

7. Rise Against, “Black Masks And Gasoline” (Revolutions Per Minute)

8. The Smashing Pumpkins, “Jellybelly” (Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness)

9. The Sword, “To Take The Black” (Gods Of The Earth)

10. Motorhead, “Ace Of Spades” (Ace Of Spades)

11. Metallica, “Motorbreath” (Kill ‘Em All)

12. Mastodon, “Island” (Leviathan)

13. Queens Of The Stone Age, “Medication” (Lullabies To Paralyze)

14. High On Fire, “Silver Black” (Blessed Black Wings)

15. AC/DC, “Have A Drink On Me” (Back In Black)

16. Deerhunter, “Nothing Ever Happened” (Microcastle)

17. TV On The Radio, “Dancing Choose” (Dear Science)

18. Spoon, “Someone Something” (Kill The Moonlight)

19. The Beatles, “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” (The White Album)

20. My Morning Jacket, “Masterplan” (It Still Moves)

21. We Are Scientists, “Impatience” (Brain Thrust Mastery)

22. The National, “Karen” (Alligator)

23. The Whigs, “Already Young” (Mission Control)

24. Muse, “Knights Of Cydonia” (Black Holes & Revelations)

25. Stone Temple Pilots, “Interstate Love Song” (Purple)

26. Beck, “E-Pro” (Guero)

27. Foo Fighters, “Monkey Wrench” (The Colour And The Shape)

28. Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody” (A Night At The Opera)

29. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, “Runnin’ Down A Dream” (Greatest Hits, also on Petty’s solo album Full Moon Fever)


Dec. 12, 2008: Show #9, #9, #9, #9…

#9, #9, #9, #9, #9, #9, #9, #9, #9…

So here it is! The last of the “old show” playlists! The last show of the Fall 2008 semester! And the last one before Christmas. We’re pretty much all caught up now.

1. The Whigs, “Like A Vibration” (Mission Control)

2. Coheed & Cambria, “A Favor House Atlantic” (In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3)

3. Foxboro Hot Tubs, “Mother Mary” (Stop Drop And Roll!!!)

4. Muse, “Exo-Politics” (Black Holes & Revelations)

5. Razorlight, “In The Morning” (Razorlight)

6. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Hard To Concentrate” (Stadium Arcadium)

7. Snow Patrol, “Last Ever Lone Gunman” (When It’s All Over We Still Have To Clear Up)

8. Queens Of The Stone Age, “Feel Good Hit Of The Summer” (Rated R)

9. Jimi Hendrix, “Freedom” (Experience Hendrix: The Best Of Jimi Hendrix)

10. Kings Of Leon, “Use Somebody” (Only By The Night)

11. Interpol, “Obstacle 1″ (Turn On The Bright Lights)

12. Alkaline Trio, “Mr. Chainsaw” (From Here To Infirmary)

13. Double Dagger, “Camera Chimera” (Ragged Rubble)

14. Bloc Party, “Talons” (Intimacy)

15. Rancid, “Ruby Soho” (…And Out Come The Wolves)

16. Minus The Bear, “Absinthe Party At The Fly Honey Warehouse” (Highly Refined Pirates)

17. The Fall Of Troy, “Chapter II: A Strange Conversation” (Phantom On The Horizon)

18. At The Drive-In, “Pickpocket” (In/Casino/Out)

19. Incubus, “I Miss You” (Make Yourself)

20. R.E.M., “Nightswimming” (Automatic For The People)

21. The National, “Fake Empire” (Boxer)

22. My Morning Jacket, “Wordless Chorus” (Z)

23. Radiohead, “Scatterbrain (As Dead As Leaves)” (Hail To The Thief)

24. Everclear, “Hating You For Christmas” (So Much For The Afterglow bonus track)

25. Thurl Ravenscroft, “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch”

26. The Beach Boys, “Little Saint Nick”

27. The Pretenders, “2000 Miles”

28. Chuck Berry, “Run Rudolph Run”

29. The Kinks, “Father Christmas”

30. The Lonely Island, “Dick In A Box (feat. Justin Timberlake)” (from Saturday Night Live)


Nov. 21, 2008: Show #7

Here’s the playlist for my Nov. 21, 2008 show on WMUC2. As I said before, I’m just trying to get all the “old playlist” posts done and over with.

1. Bloc Party, “Helicopter” (Silent Alarm)

2. White Rabbits, “Kid On My Shoulders” (Fort Nightly)

3. The Hives, “Here We Go Again” (Barely Legal)

4. Mute Math, “Typical” (Mute Math)

5. Pearl Jam, “Do The Evolution” (Yield)

6. Mastodon, “Sleeping Giant” (Blood Mountain)

7. The Sword, “Barael’s Blade” (Age Of Winters)

8. Jimi Hendrix, “Manic Depression” (Experience Hendrix: The Best Of Jimi Hendrix)

9. At The Drive-In, “Alpha Centauri” (In/Casino/Out)

10. The Clash, “Death Or Glory” (London Calling)

11. Green Day, “St. Jimmy” (American Idiot)

12. Interpol, “Length Of Love” (Antics)

13. Nine Black Alps, “Just Friends” (Everything Is)

14. Nirvana, “On A Plain” (Nevermind)

15. The Police, “Truth Hits Everybody” (Outlandos d’Amour)

16. Nine Inch Nails, “We’re In This Together” (The Fragile)

17. Queens Of The Stone Age, “I Never Came” (Lullabies To Paralyze)

18. R.E.M., “Pop Song 89″ (Green)

19. My Morning Jacket, “Aluminum Park” (Evil Urges)

20. Kings Of Leon, “True Love Way” (Because Of The Times)

21. Foo Fighters, “Good Grief” (Foo Fighters)

22. The National, “Guest Room” (Boxer)

23. The Beatles, “Glass Onion” (The White Album)

24. Radiohead, “Life In A Glasshouse” (Amnesiac)

25. My Chemical Romance, “You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison” (Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge)

26. Fall Out Boy, “I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me” (From Under The Cork Tree)

27. The Fall Of Troy, “We Better Learn To Hotwire A Uterus” (Doppelganger)

28. Double Dagger, “I Was So Bored I Wanted To Hang Myself On The Dancefloor” (Double Dagger)

29. Minus The Bear, “Thanks For The Killer Game Of Crisco Twister” (Highly Refined Pirates)


Nov. 14, 2008: Show #6

Here’s the playlist from my Nov. 14, 2008 show on WMUC2. I figure I’ll just try to get these “old playlist” posts out of the way as soon as I can just to get everyone up to speed and stuff. And I swear I’ll get around to that upgrade eventually so — hopefully — I’ll be able to post downloadable show files. So far, I’ve only been able to get my four one-hour shows and the show I just did on Friday. When I do get that upgrade, there will be another page button at the top of the home page that’ll say something like “Downloads” or something like that. Anyway, here’s the playlist.

1. Sigur Ros, “Gobbledigook” (Med sud I eyrum vid spilum endalaust — in English: With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly)

2. Nine Black Alps, “Cosmopolitan” (Everything Is)

3. Pearl Jam, “Comatose” (Pearl Jam)

4. Spoon, “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga)

5. The Walkmen, “The Rat” (Bows + Arrows)

6. The Fall Of Troy, “Sledgehammer” (Manipulator)

7. The Dillinger Escape Plan, “Milk Lizard” (Ire Works)

8. Double Dagger, “Luxury Condos For The Poor” (Ragged Rubble)

9. Bloc Party, “Halo” (Intimacy)

10. Drive-By Truckers, “The Righteous Path” (Brighter Than Creation’s Dark)

11. Foo Fighters, “Disenchanted Lullaby” (One By One)

12. We Are Scientists, “Let’s See It” (Brain Thrust Mastery)

13. Rancid, “Ivory Coast” (Indestructible)

14. Lagwagon, “May 16″ (Let’s Talk About Feelings)

15. Man Or Astroman?, “9 Volt” (Experiment Zero)

16. Eagles Of Death Metal, “I Gotta Feelin (Just Nineteen)” (Death By Sexy)

17. Queens Of The Stone Age, “I’m Designer” (Era Vulgaris)

18. The Whigs, “Right Hand On My Heart” (Mission Control)

19. Nirvana, “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle” (In Utero)

20. Green Day, “J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)” (International Superhits!)

21. The National, “Apartment Story” (Boxer)

22. My Morning Jacket, “Lay Low” (Z)

23. Weezer, “Why Bother?” (Pinkerton)

24. Kings Of Leon, “Charmer” (Because Of The Times)

25. Snow Patrol, “Spitting Games” (Final Straw)

26. Matthew Sweet, “Sick Of Myself” (100% Fun!)

27. Minus The Bear, “Ice Monster” (Planet Of Ice)

28. Radiohead, “Nude” (In Rainbows)

29. Vampire Weekend, “Oxford Comma” (Vampire Weekend)

You probably won’t hear any of the last song because I had to go a little longer than usual.


Oct. 17, 2008: Show #3

Here’s the playlist for my third show, which aired on WMUC2 on Oct. 17, 2008.

1. Kings Of Leon, “My Party” (Because Of The Times)

2. U2, “Numb” (Zooropa)

3. Weezer, “Tired Of Sex” (Pinkerton)

4. Minus The Bear, “Double Vision Quest” (Planet Of Ice)

5. The National, “Mistaken For Strangers” (Boxer)

6. Radiohead, “I Might Be Wrong” (Amnesiac)

7. Queens Of The Stone Age, “First It Giveth” (Songs For The Deaf)

8. Muse, “Assassin” (Black Holes & Revelations)

9. Rise Against, “State Of The Union” (Siren Song Of The Counter Culture)

10. High On Fire, “Rumors Of War” (Death Is This Communion)

11. Mastodon, “Blood & Thunder” (Leviathan)

12. Rage Against The Machine, “Know Your Enemy” (Rage Against The Machine)

13. The Sword, “Freya” (Age Of Winters)

Don’t forget to tune in to WMUC2 every Friday from 6-8 p.m. starting on January 30 for my show! And watch this space, because I’ll get around to that upgrade soon.


Hey, big spender!

Dig this blender! Rainbow suspenders! Speeeeeeeeeeeeeend some dough at table three!

(I love The Simpsons.)

So here’s a list of all the albums I’ve added to my collection since the start of the fall semester (from late August until today)…

The Beatles: Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Let It Be, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album

Metallica: Kill ‘Em All, Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets

The Walkmen: Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone

The Whigs: Give ‘Em All A Big Fat Lip, Mission Control

We Are Scientists: Brain Thrust Mastery

Minus The Bear: Highly Refined Pirates

Bloc Party: A Weekend In The City, Intimacy

Spoon: Kill The Moonlight

Slayer: Reign In Blood

Foo Fighters: There Is Nothing Left To Lose

Radiohead: Pablo Honey

Kings Of Leon: Only By The Night, Youth And Young Manhood

U2: Achtung Baby, Zooropa

Snow Patrol: A Hundred Million Suns

The National: Alligator

My Morning Jacket: It Still Moves

TV On The Radio: Dear Science

So you’re probably wondering how the hell I haven’t gone broke yet. And to be perfectly frank, so am I. Thank God for CD + Game Exchange — you can get used CDs for super cheap. I once got nine (9!) albums there for a whopping total of $54. You can’t even buy half that much music anywhere else for $54. I got two of them for my birthday in September and three of them just the other day as a late Christmas present for me. If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s make myself happy.

(Insert Beavis and Butt-head joke here.)


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