Left of the Dial Radio Playlist - 2/15/13

Thanks to everyone who tuned in and the people who made requests during my radio show last night on WNHU. Check out the full playlist below, and stream the available tracks via Spotify through the embedded link at the bottom. Tune in again next Friday from 6 to 8 PM for another live broadcast.

• 1. The Thermals - “I Might Need You To Kill”
• 2. David Bowie - “A New Career In A New Town”
• 3. Broken Social Scene - “Fire Eye’d Boy”
• 4. By Surprise - “Criteria”
• 5. My Heart To Joy - “Giving My Hands Away”
• 6. Sondre Lerche - “Modern Nature” (Requested by anonymous)
• 7. LVL UP - “Graveyard”
• 8. Elvis Costello - “No Dancing”
• 9. Cymbals Eat Guitars - “…And The Hazy Sea”
• 10. Yo La Tengo - “Paddle Forward”
• 11. My Bloody Valentine - “Who Sees You”
• 12. Ducktails - “Sedan Magic”
• 13. Foxygen - “Shuggie”
• 14. Serge Gainsbourg - “Ballade De Melody Nelson”
• 15. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - “Push the Sky Away”
• 16. Cat Power - “Metal Heart”
• 17. Beat Happening - “I Love You” (Requested by dbldblwhmmy)
• 18. LVL UP - “Nightshade”
• 19. Infinity Crush - “Sleeping In On A Snow Day (In 2011)”
• 20. Julia Brown - “Virginia”
• 21. Teen suicide - “Falling In Love”
• 22. Perfume Genius - “Normal Song”
• 23. Giraffage - “All That Matters”
• 24. Elvis Depressedly - “Cry Babies”
• 25. The Tallest Man On Earth - “Wind and Walls”
• 26. The Decemberists - “Odalisque”
• 27. The Comsat Angels - “Independence Day”
• 28. Crystal Castles - “Suffocation”
• 29. Destroyer - “Downtown”
• 30. LCD Soundsystem - “Great Release”

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Stream via Spotify:

Lewis and his Blog January 2013 Mix

Congratulations! You made it through the first month of 2013. Give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it. Honestly, we both do. In celebration of your success at surviving this cruel and confusing world, give a listen to my first Monthly Mix of 2013. If you’re unfamiliar with my monthly mix series, the concept is fairly self-explanatory; every month, I publish a 10 track mix via 8tracks, featuring some of my favorite new music that I heard that month. You can find all of my monthly mixes HERE, at my “Monthly Mix” tag.

This month’s mix features tracks that came out in January, many of which are from forthcoming albums. Stream the entire think at the embedded link below, and read up on each track below that. Thanks for listening and reading!

Lewis and his Blog//January 2013 Mix

1. Milo - “Sweet Chin Music (the fisher king’s anthem)”

Permanently-disaffected mumblecore rapper Milo (aka Rory Ferreira) kicked off his new EP Things That Happen At Day with an uncharacteristically hopeful cut that seems to promote self-acceptance even in the face of an unwelcoming world. On “Sweet Chin Music,” Milo waxes poetic about his love for pro wrestling, Delta Force 3, and “egg fried rice and fruits,” occasionally dipping out of his distinctive monotone and into a sumptuous half-sing. He reminds himself, rather soothingly, that he “[doesn’t] feel the need to be the best thing ever.” That self-awareness is not entirely anomalous within Milo’s body of work, but it does stand in stark contrast to the material on his darker accompanying EP, Things That Happen At Night. Pick up both of the records at the HellFyre Club bandcamp page.

2. A$AP Rocky - “Long Live A$AP”

Unlike the lyrically-focused and DIY-motivated Milo, Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky bases almost the entirety of his appeal on image and aesthetic. Frankly, the extremity of this image is what makes Rocky such an interesting figure; he is very much a mirror of rap’s fascinatingly narcissistic cutting edge. “Long Live A$AP” is the title track from his major label debut, a triumphantly hi-fi explosion of a record that manages to say absolutely nothing substantial in the best way possible. The song itself is representative of Long.Live.A$AP as a whole, presenting Rocky as the 2013’s greatest hip-hop paradox. He is, at once, a youthful legend, a geographically-transcendent New Yorker, an underground sellout, and a deeply insecure popular kid, both as self-conscious and self-obsessed as only a true narcissist can be. It’s not conceit if you’re right, and Rocky forces us to wonder just how right he may be. Pick up Long.Live.A$AP via iTunes.

3. Beach Fossils - “Generational Synthetic”

With their forthcoming LP Clash The Truth, Beach Fossils are poised to once again usurp the throne of Brooklyn’s guitar pop scene from their overrated labelmates DIIV, who are led by former Beach Fossils member Zachary Cole Smith. Beach Fossils might not have DIIV’s marketably nihilistic look or vague conceptual coherence, but they make up for it in song quality. “Generational Synthetic” toes the line between pop and punk, and although the singer doesn’t lyrically commit himself like a true punk frontman, there’s enough grit to rock out to. Clash The Truth is out February 19th via Captured Tracks.

4. Bleeding Rainbow - “Pink Ruff”

One part shoegaze, one part noise pop, and one part sugary female vocals, Philadelphia’s Bleeding Rainbow are a delectable duo with a lot of potential. Formerly called Reading Rainbow, the band had to change their name in lieu of a potential lawsuit from PBS, but the name change shouldn’t do much to stop them from winning over your heart. Fans of Dum Dum Girls should enjoy “Pink Ruff,” off their latest LP Yeah Right, for its subtle juxtaposition of garage-rocking minor key power chords and infectious pop melodies. Pick up Yeah Right via Kanine Records now.

5. Iceage - “Coalition”

Iceage’s sophomore LP You’re Nothing leaked well in advance of its release, but if you haven’t gotten on the bandwagon yet, now is the time. Lead single “Coalition” is probably poised to be the consensus standout track on the new record from these Danish, mostly teenage punks, and for good reason. In just over two minutes, the band reaches peak levels of catharsis, thrashing about with dualing guitars and cymbals blaring while frontman Elias Rønnenfelt drags himself out of his usual nihilistic apathy and lashes out in an impressively vigorous display of energy. Like the best moments of their last LP New Brigade, “Coalition” is also deceptively catchy, but this track manages to accomodate aggression and pop sensibility in nearly equal measure. You’re Nothing is out February 19th via Matador.

6. Comadre - “Hack”

The best description I’ve heard of Comadre’s aesthetic is that they “graduated from the Fucked Up school of yelling over what is essentially straight up indie rock.” It’s a true description, but the comparison to Fucked Up ends there; unlike their Canadian contemporaries, this Californian punk group doesn’t seem to take themselves so seriously. Their sound benefits from this looseness, allowing them to experiment with sounds and themes that are generally considered ‘outside’ of the realm of punk. On “Hack,” from their new self-titled record, the vocals are as throat-shreddingly aggressive as anything, but the instrumentals contrast starkly, blending shoegazy guitars with a theremin-reminiscent organ patch. Pick up Comadre via Vitriol Records.

7. Junip - “Line of Fire”

Although I’ve grown increasingly apprehensive about listening to sad singer/songwriters playing solo with acoustic guitars over the past few years, I think I’ll always appreciate the presence of a great songwriter singing over full band instrumentation. For this reason, I like Jose Gonzales’ group Junip more than his solo material, although I appreciate the precedent that he set on his own. Though a great song in its own right, “Line Of Fire” just benefits tremendously from the added texture and energy of the synths, drums, and backing harmonies; they actually make Gonzales’ signature Spanish guitar sound even better. Junip’s self-titled LP is out April 23rd via Mute.

8. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - “So Good At Being In Trouble”

This single from Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s sophomore LP (creatively titled II) is deceptively, subtly infectious. Stripping away some of the more psychedelic aspects of their sound, the group took a decidedly low-key approach on “So Good At Being In Trouble,” an analog R&B jam that harks back to the more soothing, gentler side of 70’s Northern Soul. With an earworm chorus and an arsenal of effects pedals at their disposal, Unknown Mortal Orchestra could have easily turned this cut into an anthemic, festival-ready banger, but they didn’t; this restraint is admirable, even though part of me would like to hear them rock out on this track. II is out now on Jagjaguwar.

9. Yo La Tengo - “I’ll Be Around”

New Jersey stalwarts Yo La Tengo may be the most dependable band in indie rock. Until the release of their new LP Fade, I was hesitant to fully commit myself as a fan, but it’s hard to deny the appeal of their genre-sweeping aesthetic on this record. Fade veers, calmly and tactfully, from the psychedelic heft of “Ohm” to the horn-laden grace of closer “Before We Run,” stopping briefly to catch its breath on tracks like the lovely, gentle “I’ll Be Around.” It’s a mostly acoustic piece with subtle inflections of modulated keyboard — the perfect aesthetic for a great romantic mixtape. It’s a respite on the record, but a highlight in its own right as well. Pick up Fade via Matador Records.

10. Christopher Owens - “Part Of Me (Lysandre’s Epilogue)”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I actually like Christopher Owens debut solo album Lysandre quite a bit more than some of Girls’ material. Girls’ records had the ambition and aesthetic prescience, but Lysandre has the heart. As evidence, look no further than the highlight closing track “Part Of Me (Lysandre’s Epilogue),” a heartbreakingly bittersweet Dylanesque anthem that subverts the guitars and harmonica of “I Want You” into something entirely personal to Owens and yet entirely relatable to us. As a songwriter, Owens’ greatest strength has always been forging this balance, and that above all is what comes through on Lysandre.

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Stream the whole mix HERE via 8track. Thanks for listening and reading, and have a great February!

Left of the Dial Radio Playlist - 1/4/13

My first radio broadcast of 2013 went off without a hitch. Thanks for everyone who tuned in and enjoyed some of my early pickings of great new music for the new year. January is a great time because there aren’t too many high-profile new records coming out, but I’ve found that the ones that do get released or leaked around this time are often very good. Last year we had that Cloud Nothings album, the Sharon Van Etten LP, and Perfume Genius all within the first month or so, and this year I’ve already heard solid-to-great new records from Low, Yo La Tengo, Christopher Owens, A$AP Rocky, and more. I’ve also gotten a chance to listen to some stuff that I missed in 2012, such as that terrific Bat For Lashes album. 

Check out the full playlist below and stream it via Spotify at the embedded link at the bottom. Unfortunately, since much of the material was new, unreleased, and/or rare, not many of these tracks were available in the Spotify database.

• 1. By Surprise - “Who’s To Say This Year Will Be Any Different?” 
• 2. P.S. Eliot - “Mood Ring”
• 3. Aye Nako - “Molasses”
• 4. Beach Fossils - “Generational Synthetic”
• 5. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - “From The Sun”
• 6. Tame Impala - “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”
• 7. Yo La Tengo - “Ohm”
• 8. Bomb The Music Industry! - “Big Kisses”
• 9. Into It. Over It. - “A Curse Worth Believing”
• 10. Jake Shaker - “Hard To Find”
• 11. Christopher Owens - “Everywhere You Knew”
• 12. Milo - “Sweet Chin Music (The Fisher King’s Anthem)”
• 13. Big Boi - “Higher Res” (feat. Jai Paul & Little Dragon)
• 14. jj - “From Africa To Malaga”
• 15. Junip - “Rope & Summit”
• 16. Crayon - “Snow Globe” (Requested by fistfuckthesky)
• 17. Crystal Castles - “Sad Eyes”
• 18. Grimes - “Vowels = Space and Time”
• 19. cLOUDDEAD - “Rifle Eyes”
• 20. Burial - “Truant”
• 21. Teen Suicide - “xxxxxxx”
• 22. Jens Lekman - “Silvia”
• 23. Bat For Lashes - “Laura”
• 24. Low - “On My Own”
• 25. Christopher Owens - “Part Of Me (Lysandre’s Epilogue)”

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Stream via Spotify:

Left of the Dial Radio Playlist - 11/30/12

Thanks to everybody who tuned in to my broadcast of Left of the Dial on WNHU last night. I won’t be on the air next week, but I will return on the 14th to start playing some of my favorite songs of the past year in a three part radio series that will take place over the next three Fridays. 

The full playlist from last night’s show is below, along with a Spotify link to stream the available songs at the bottom*. Thanks again for listening! 

*Edit: Spotify’s embed code doesn’t seem to be working with tumblr today. I will update this if it starts working again in the near future. Until then, I’m afraid you won’t be able to stream this playlist. Oh well! Enjoy it anyway.

• 1. Bomb The Music Industry! - “25!”
• 2. Sufjan Stevens - “Alphabet St.” (Prince cover)
• 3. Anamanaguchi - “Overarrow”
• 4. Parquet Courts - “Borrowed Time”
• 5. Title Fight - “Numb, But I Still Feel It”

— Interview with Jamie Rhoden of Title Fight —

• 6. Title Fight - “Head In The Ceiling Fan”
• 7. Title Fight - “Sympathy”
• 8. Tigers Jaw - “Between Your Band And The Other Band”
• 9. The Guru - “Cow”
• 10. Yo La Tengo - “Avalon Or Someone Very Similar”
• 11. Red House Painters - “Lord Kill The Pain”
• 12. Low - “Words” (Live, feat. Benjamin Gibbard)
• 13. Elliott Smith - “Waltz #2 (XO)”
• 14. Snowing - “Pump Fake (Demo)”
• 15. My Heart To Joy - “That Ungodly Arch-Villain Voltaire Is Dead”
• 16. Joie De Vivre - “Sundays”
• 17. Koji - “Matches”
• 18. WHY? - “Gnashville”
• 19. Radiohead - “These Are My Twisted Words”
• 20. Elvis Depressedly - “A Bible In A Bath of Bleach”
• 21. Paul Baribeau - “How Could That Be True”
• 22. Cat Power - “Empty Shell”
• 23. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - “Love Letter”
• 24. Carissa’s Wierd - “Low Budget Slow Motion Soundtrack Song For The Leaving Scene”
• 25. Sharon Van Etten - “Tornado”
• 26. Waxahatchee - “Bathtub” (Requested by firewalkwithmel) 

odd-spirit asked: could you please play any yo la tengo song?

For the betterment of every person who might be listening to my show and secondly for you I will definitely play any Yo La Tengo song. I’ll do it after the next mic break.

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Tune in to Left of the Dial on WNHU HERE.

Lewis and his Blog Back To School/Fall 2012 Mix

Since so many people started reblogging that Carissa’s Wierd song recently, I thought it might be a good idea to make a little mix for going back to school and just for the fall in general. I put this together pretty quickly, but I think it serves its purpose. 

I mostly made this for myself, so I apologize to those of my followers who aren’t in school or won’t be returning to school this fall. Still, I hope that everyone who listens to this finds it enjoyable and appropriate for the fall. This summer was pretty cool, and I’m a little sad to see it go.

I’ve made this mix available to stream via 8tracks, but you can also download it via mediafire HERE. Everything is properly tagged and arranged and it all has the above album artwork, so you don’t have to worry about anything being out of order. Check out the tracklist and give it a spin at the embedded link below.

• 1. Serengeti - “Greyhound”
• 2. WHY? - “Strawberries”
• 3. Desaparecidos - “What’s New For Fall”
• 4. The Get Up Kids - “I’m A Loner Dottie, A Rebel”
• 5. Jens Lekman - “Maple Leaves”
• 6. Tawny Peaks - “With Steps”
• 7. Yo La Tengo - “Autumn Sweater”
• 8. Sun Kil Moon - “Among The Leaves”
• 9. The White Stripes - “We’re Going To Be Friends”
• 10. Ty Segall - “Goodbye Bread”
• 11. The Shins - “September”
• 12. Paul Baribeau - “When You Go Back To College”
• 13. Carissa’s Wierd - “September Come Take This Heart Away”
• 14. Destroyer - “Streethawk II”
• 15. Joie De Vivre - “Autumn In New London”

»DOWNLOAD HERE«

Left of the Dial Radio Playlist - 8/10/12

Thanks for tuning in to my radio show Left of the Dial last night on WNHU. I hope everyone who listened liked the show.Here’s the full playlist below. If you’d like, you can stream the Spotify version of the playlist at the embedded link below that. 

• 1. Destroyer - “Streethawk I”
• 2. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy - “I See A Darkness” (Now Here’s My Plan version)
• 3. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - “Mature Themes”
• 4. The Mountain Goats - “Cry For Judas”
• 5. Defiance, Ohio - “Horizon Lines, Volume and Infinity”
• 6. Yo La Tengo - “Autumn Sweater”
• 7. JEFF The Brotherhood - “Country Life”
• 8. Now, Now - “Thread”
• 9. Dum Dum Girls - “Lord Knows”
• 10. Hop Along - “Tibetan Pop Stars”
• 11. Liars - “No.1 Against The Rush”
• 12. Ethan Uhl - “self help books”
• 13. Crystal Castles - “Plague”
• 14. Animal Collective - “Today’s Supernatural”
• 15. The Antlers - “Drift Dive”
• 16. Mount Eerie - “Waves”
• 17. Desaparecidos - “MariKKKopa”
• 18. Desaparecidos - “Backsell”
• 19. Wavves - “Hippies Is Punks”
• 20. I Kill Giants - “Life Instead of Sleep”
• 21. Punch - “Time Apart”
• 22. White Lung - “Thick Lip”
• 23. Grizzly Bear - “Yet Again” (requested by sea-fence)
• 24. Jens Lekman - “I Know What Love Isn’t”
• 25. Ty Segall - “Goodbye Bread”
• 26. Slow Warm Death - “Kill You”
• 27. Modest Mouse - “Paper Thin Walls” (Requested by anonymous)
• 28. Jaill - “Horrible Things (Make Pretty Songs)”
• 29. Perfume Genius - “Dark Parts”
• 30. TNGHT - “Bugg’n”

Stream via Spotify: