Louisiana Fried Chicken & Chinese Food: 9/7

Yesterday's show was our first and we covered a lot of ground. College football, NFL, Rick Ankiel, and the entire Manning Family. If you missed it I'm including a few links so you can download it. If you are wondering why I posted the Jim Mora video below, well, check out the show and it will give you context.

To Download Click Here

Sweet, Sweet Fantasy

Frank Gore, on his way to breaking every bone in his body and fucking up my fantasy season.

This season marks the first time I've ever dabbled in the mystical world of fantasy football. Despite being an NFL fanatic for pretty much all of my life, the cyber aspect of fandom never reached me until I started joining NCAA pick 'em leagues and filling out March Madness brackets last year. At that point, I figured I may as well get a fantasy league together with my friends for this season.

Fast-forward to this season, and that became a reality when 13 friends and I joined forces and formed the Bropartment Lives On (don't ask) league. I gotta say, I'm pretty excited. With the luck of landing the 5th pick in the draft and the blissful stupidity of my former roommate picking Maurice Jones-Drew with the 2nd overall pick, I was able to land my boy Frank Gore with my first pick.

Rounding out the roster of Real Bropartment (again, don't ask) includes the likes of Donovan McNabb, Hines Ward, Edgerrin James (rebound year!), and the roided-up, Lights-Out defense of the city of San Diego. Hopefully my top two picks (Gore and McNabb) don't both end up breaking their legs like they usually do and send my season into a tailspin. Regardless, I'm looking at a top 5 finish for my team.

With the 7th overall pick, Glenn was a total homer like me and went with LSU alum Joseph "Joey, Live and Let" Addai. The rest of The Judges include Clinton "Coach Janky Broken Right Hand" Portis, Marc Bulger (who has a really funny name to me), Plaxico Burress, and Vincent Jackson.

Objectively, I'd give my team the slight edge. The Judges have reliable points in the high scoring offenses of the the Rams (Bulger), Colts (Addai), and Chargers (Jackson), but Real Bropartment has star power with Frank Gore, McNabb and Edgerrin James. The conventional wisdom is go for the stats, not the name, but these names have the numbers to back up the stature and I expect a return to form for Edgerrin James this year. If not for my sake, then at least for the Cardinals' sake.

Week 8 is the scheduled matchup of these two superpowers, and Yahoo!'s projection shows a 4 point advantage to Glenn's crew... with Edgerrin James on a bye week. With the cronies on Real Bropartment playing cupcake teams and the weak New Orleans defense, I expect large returns and, of course, the win.

May the best (fantasy) team win.

- Carman

Crunching Numbers : Sept 4

The first installment of Crunching Numbers features the Notre Dame quarterback crew and Georgia Tech d-linemen.


Irish quarterbacks were sacked 9 times this weekend.

LSU #1 in Week 2 ESPNU (Fan) Poll

Why not?

As I struggle with accepting the possibility that my school might not be the #1 team in the nation tomorrow when the AP and USA Today polls are released, I have already accepted the fact that LSU is viewed as the best team in the nation by the most vocal fans. The ESPNU Allstate Standings have already come out for Week 2 and USC is #2. No, it's not because USC let the Vandals of Idaho hang around until the 4th quarter (they didn't). It's also not because USC's keystone players underperformed (Booty looked pretty good). It's an entirely different reason not having to do with USC at all.

LSU just looked really good.

It's what I saw and it's what all college football fans saw on Thursday night. LSU looked great. Sure Miss St. turned the ball over 7 times but that shouldn't take away from the fact that LSU pitched a shutout. Yes, you can make the case that the offense wasn't all that impressive, but I would argue they did what their coaches asked for and then some. 45 points against a SEC team (away) deserves a pat on the back. The opening game of every season is bound to bring butterflies to even the strongest stomachs on the field and we probably saw that with above-average (although not outstanding) performance of the LSU offense. You may have forgotten but Flynn did lead LSU to the stomping of Miami in a recent Peach Bowl so we know he can perform under pressure. He's a veteran so we know he has a firm hold on the offense. And the talent surrounding him is more than enough to spread the attention around. Hester, Holliday, and Doucet are going to put up big numbers this season. I'd say the offense is in good hands.

Oh, and I'll give you one name on defense: Glenn Dorsey. Wouldn't be surprised to see him paralyze one or two QBs before the season's over.

The Shot Heard 'Round the... Gulf?

The following is some detailed context to one of the greatest moments in college sports history.

So growing up in Baton Rouge I didn't get all that much exposure to things outside the realm of food (damn good) and sports (also good). It's no coincidence Louisiana is prime pickin's for high school athletes... there's nothing else to do. But it's not altogether a bad thing. Watching a college baseball team with 5 national championships in 10 years is certainly rare. Well between 1991 and 2000, the LSU Tigers did just that. 1996 was a special year. The Tigers went 43-13 in the regular season including a 20-10 SEC conference record. Even thought I was only 10, I'll always have vivid memories of LSU feeling like the underdog that year. Florida swept the Tigers in the regular season and again beat them in SEC Tournament play. Disappointed with a poor SEC tourny showing, The Tigers bounced back in the first stage of the post-season, regional play. They hosted UNLV, Austin Peay, and Georgia Tech coming out on top after all was said and done. On to Omaha...

After a win against CWS-rival Wichita St. the Tigers again had to face SEC foe Florida Gators. No one thought they had a chance. Florida had beaten them all of the 4 times they faced each other that year. I think it's something in the water because LSU always seems to rise to the occasion in Omaha. They won 9-4. The Tigers then had to wait a day to see who they would play out of the losers bracket. Guess who? Florida. This one was a pitchers' duel but the Tigers again won 2-1. Although Florida had beaten the Tigers 4 our of 6 games that year, LSU won when it counted. After those two games I'm sure Coach Bertman and his crew felt on top of the world sending UF back to the Florida heat. The task was not done, though.

Regulars to Omaha, UMiami Hurricanes, had also sweep their bracket. While LSU would eventually send a handful of their players to the pros, so would Miami. Most notably, Alex Cora and Pat Burrell. Their line-up terrorized pitchers all year and batted in 8 against the Tigers to pull ahead 8-7 in the 9th inning. After batting catcher Tim Lanier around to 3rd base, Bertman opted to pitch-hit. He decided to put in Warren Morris. A year before and no one would have second guessed the decision, but Morris had sat out the entire year with a lingering wrist injury: he didn't have one recorded at-bat in 1996. Call it luck...call it... nevermind it was luck... Either way, first pitch: walk-off homerun. HOLY SHIT.

I can't stress how amazing and unlikely that outcome is in that situation. The ball cleared the right-field fence by a few inches but it cleared it. No one could believe what just happened. I was in New Jersey with my family and ran out the door and down the street screaming at the top of my lungs "Hurray!" or some other corny exclamation followed closely by my dad who was doing the same, probably with his shirt off. Miami shortstop Cora was not only amazed... he was devastated. I used to laugh and remember how just laid there, face down in the infield dirt, crying into his hat. I still kinda chuckle, but I do feel sorry for him. The odds are better to come home to Carmen Electra in your bed. To this day, his homer is the only walk-off championship-winning home run in College World Series history. In addition, it is the only 2-out, ninth inning, walk-off home run in a championship of any collegiate or professional level. It had such an impact on my dad that he decided to bring me to the CWS the next two year and skip the family vacations altogether (where I saw LSU win in '97 and, ironically, two Pac-10 teams slug it out as USC beat ASU 21-14 in '98).

I still get pumped up about the CWS even if LSU or USC aren't playing. This I have to credit to Warren Morris's one hit in 1996.

He's the Bruin

Carman hails from the concrete suburban jungles of the East Bay suburb of Castro Valley where he grew up spending Sundays (and the occaisional Monday nights) with his dad watching 49ers games on TV.

While he hardly remembers the end of Joe Montana's tenure with the team, he still holds a resentment against the Chiefs for snatching away their hometown hero but was fortunate to catch all of Steve Young's career, including a blowout of the Chargers in the Super Bowl. Also during that time was the glorious ending of John Elway's career which made Carman an instant Denver Broncos fan.

High school came and so did preparation for college so sports took a back seat as girls, music, and school came along and diverted his attention away. A brief foray back into pro sports came with the heartbreaker that was the 2002 World Series as the Giants blew the last 8 outs and lost to the then-Anaheim Angels.

His collegiate calling came when he got into UCLA, but a struggling football team and a down year for the basketball team was hardly enough to spark his interest. Around came the magical seasons of 2005 for both teams, and a resurgence of interest in sports. Call him a fairweather fan if you want, but to be fair he's even following the dismal Giants this season and eagerly anticipating a return to form for the 49ers.

Other teams he follows include the Boston Red Sox (after a visit to Boston this past summer and being a Big Papi and Dice-K fan) and the Indianapolis Colts. The charm of the quarterback easily snags Carman, as he also has high hopes for both Matt Leinart and Brady Quinn in the NFL. Admittedly not a college football fan, he still thinks it's fun to follow, and even while being a Bruin he has nothing but respect and admiration for the program they have across town at USC.

I'm The Trojan

So here's the deal. Carman and I have been working at rival college radio stations for awhile now and wanted to collaborate on a show. We agreed on a sports talk radio show focusing on CFB, NFL, and MLB. We'll also have a "other" time slot for everything else we feel needs to be given attention. Carman had the brilliant idea of trading off broadcast sites every week so we'll be at both campus and broadcasting simultaneously on both streams. Expect special guests with strong biases and even stronger personalities. Oh, and we'll play music if we feel like it.

• I hail from the swamps of Louisiana where I was raised for my 17 years. Pops started me off playing soccer (goalie), t-ball (utility fielder) and basketball ("post"/4-man) during the school year and swimming (back-stroke) during the summers. I soon dropped soccer for football in 5th grade where I terrorized QB's as a natural DE and one of the catholic school league's finest pass-rusher.

• After winning the 8th grade city 'ship in basketball and runner-up in football I graduated to Catholic High School (notable alumni: Travis Minor, Warrick Dunn, Major Applewhite). While I didn't set any records, I played two years of baseball honing my skills at catcher and saw moderate time on gridiron as a DE. I really made my mark as the kick-off team's "Wedge-buster". I basically hurled my then 6-foot, 165 lb frame at 3 or more linemen hoping to penetrate the "V" formation most return squads employed. I should really dig up that highlight tape...

• Junior year I quit sports because of problems at home and I read, wrote and watched a ton of films. Senior year my family moved to The Woodlands, Texas and I was coaxed by a desperate and newly hired baseball coach to come play ball for him. There was a catch... I would be the only senior on a team that had never made it to the playoffs. Well, that year we made it to the playoffs and I found my way onto the all-conference team.
  

• It's about now that I should mention my allegiance (up to that point) to the LSU Fightin' Tigers of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. One of my sisters went there, I lived less than a mile from campus, my dad hosted seasonal LSU Baseball radio specials... how could I not be a fan? I've witnessed many memorable events at various LSU fields and courts (will save for a later blog post) and knew more about Tiger Baseball than any other kid in my age group growing up. Even after my transfer into Texas, I still bled purple and gold.

• So then I went at USC to study film....

• After the '03 "split" CFB National Championship and my enrollment at USC in '05 none of my hometown friends talked to me for a few months and I felt very alone. Some called me a "turncoat', others "hypocrite" but what could I say? While sports was a very big part of my upbringing, my parents stressed education the most. So when I had the option to study at USC, I jumped.

• Freshman year did a lot to purge the Tiger bias from my system with Reggie Bush setting records left and right (oh, and he won this heisman thing) but I still couldn't shake my allegiance. It took until the end of sophomore year for myself to realize how truly blessed I was as a Trojan. The football team won the Rose Bowl... basketball made it to the Sweet-16... A WATER POLO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!! I finally felt like I was at home. LSU will always be my favorite SEC team, but c'mon... who would you rather have as your coach: Carroll or Miles? Floyd or Brady? I'm going with the Trojans all the way.

• I don't have any favorite MLB teams but I do love The Saints. It's easy to tell I'm more of a college sports guy, though. If you want the best pro sports analysis on college radio, you're going to have to look elsewhere like to UCLA student Carman Tse. Luckily he's also on the show...
  

Always the Runner: Not Finished

Louisiana instrumental act Always the Runner announced earlier this year that they were through with music. Well, 4 days ago they retracted this statement and said the following:

the boys are taking a break from post-rock to start grad school/new jobs. AtR is not dead, only sleeping. Exciting news is on the horizon. Stay Tuned.

Summer Programming + mini interview with a MOVIESTAR

For those of you that have been coming and going and wondering where all of the updates have been, fear no more. I'm back for the summer and stocked full of new music for everyone. Well, that's a little misleading. I have music... it's not really new, though. I'm playing power pop all summer. Most of it is from the 70s and 80s. I'm not abandoning instrumental/post-rock completely, though. July 14th I have Gifts From Enola stopping by to premier some new songs and answer some questions. This mixing of genres in blog form might not pan out, but that's for you to decide. So without further delay, here is the first show of the summer in all 2 hours. Enjoy.

Click Here To Download: Part 1
Click Here To Download: Part 2 (featuring Lindsey Garrett)

Lack of Updates

My apologies to everyone for the lack of updates. The reasons are twofold: 1) School ended so I don't have a radio show until June sometime 2) I was in Utah for the past 2 weeks digging up dinosaur bones. I hope you leave my blog bookmarked because starting in mid-June I have some exciting news everyone will be wanting to hear. In The mean time, rock on.

Beware of Safety Interview/Farewell Show

Click Here To Download: Part 1
Click Here To Download: Part 2

There's plenty to be sad about seeing as today was the last show, but there is also plenty to be happy about. Mostly the very hilarious and interesting interview I had with Steve and Morgan of L.A.'s own Beware of Safety. We talked about cereal, kurt Russel, and how to manage a full-time job and a tour at the time same. We also got a taste of Steve's solo project, ::thinkstandard::. Lastly, Don Imus called in looking for a job but only for a few minutes. Download the interview, it's worth it!

Synchronicity Series: April 19, 2007

Click Here To Download: Part 1
Click Here To Download: Part 2
Click Here To Download: Part 1 ( w/ live commentary)
Click Here To Download: Part 2 (w/ live commentary)

For lack of a better theme or idea for a show, today is "Couples' Night" !!!!! I feel like an R&B DJ or something but a lot of the time post-rock and instrumental songs aren't supposed to be taken on their own. So in an attempt to give you guys a better feel for the bands and their sounds i've "coupled" two songs together by one band throughout the show for your pleasure. You may also notice a few Los Angeles bands making their Synchronicity debut; The Lights From Here and The Antarcticans. Thanks to Joe over at radiofreesilverlake.com for giving me the heads up on them. Both are great and offer something very unique and interesting to the genre.

******Beware of Safety interview next week******

Early Morning Ambulance - Gifts From Enola
In The Company Of Others - Gifts From Enola
Shunpuu - sgt.
Moewe - sgt.
Sedna - The Lights From Here
Truth or Consequences - The Lights From Here
Ghost Of The Trees & The Erase Of Man - The Antarcticans
Let's Have Sarcasm For Breakfast - you.may.die.in.the.desert
The Writer's Audience is Always... - you.may.die.in.the.desert
Ceremony - TheAppleseed Cast
The Clock And The Storm - TheAppleseed Cast
The Closest I Ever Came To Lightning - Always the Runner
Don't Kill The Messenger - Always The Runner
Kalinihta - Maserati
This is a Sight we had one day from the High Mountain - Maserati
Moon Is Down - Explosions in the Sky
Plane Will Crash Tomorrow - Explosions in the Sky

******Beware of Safety interview next week******

Always The Runner call it quits; Gulf Coast in mourning

I could say sappy crap like Always the Runner was the heart that kept the southern Louisiana local music scene beating during hard times of recent past (which is true) and how they are almost solely responsible for me getting into the genre itself (also true) but it's all been said before. Instead, I'm going to talk about how thankful I am that the dudes in ATR even put forth the effort to record 2 albums and tour as much as they did coming from a place where I believe they were sorely under-appreciated. I'm not going to name names but , damn, some people don't know a good thing even when it's constantly playing in their own backyard. Enough from me, here's what the guys in the band had to say:

04.08.07
ya know, it's like that old Boyz II Men song goes. Or was it Bell Biv Devoe. I'm pretty sure it was Boyz II Men. Anywho, with 2 albums, 3 tours, 967 weekend trips to Texas and Arkansas, and not even 1 fist fight under tour belts, we have decided to put Always the Runner to bed. I'm sure I can speak for everyone in this rag tag group of misfits that creating and playing this music in front of you all has provided me with some of the best times and fondest memories I will ever have. The past year has brought many changes for each of us, and we have found it increasingly difficult to get together and write new material for you guys. Thus, it is best that we move on. I'm sure more music will be made in the future, just not as Always the Runner. We will be playing our last show in Baton Rouge on 4/21 w/ friends Rotary Downs and Questions in Dialect @ the Spanish Moon. Our dear friend Mr. Garrett Morley will help us put this beast to bed. Thank you all for listening and we will see you around. -ATR

No, ATR, thank you.

Signal Hill live @ The Scene

Synchronicity Series: April 12, 2007

Click Here To Download (Live Recording w/ Commentary)
Click Here To Download: Part 1 (Individual Tracks)
Click Here To Download: Part 2 (Individual Tracks)
Click Here To Download: Part 3 (Individual Tracks)

Had a great show today. A few technical difficulties (last track is cut off from the recording) but other than that the show should be enjoyable for everyone. Started off a little fast and heavy with Mechakucha and Lightning Bolt then slowed it down some brand new God is an Astronaut. The world premier of New Millennium Techtronic is also featured on the show today. They're a new band from Kingwood, Texas that make some great music with a little help from the Nintendo DS. As always, enjoy.

Episodic Déjá Vu - Mechakucha
Dracula Mountain - Lightning Bolt
Upper Ninety - Russian Circles
The World Outside - Maserati
The People From The Sky Said They'd Return - We Followed Tigers
Wrists of Kings - Isis
We All Faulter - Jesu
Television Eyes - Trans Am
ASA - Caspian
The Difference Between Wind And Rain - Beware of Safety
Behind Curtains Closing - Gifts From Enola
Pelican - Unwed Sailor
Far From Refuge - God Is An Astronaut
Riot In Thunder Alley - Eddie Beram
La Dolce Vita - Nino Rota
Stars Paint the Forest Gold - Neil on Impression
We Are From The Future - New Millenium Techtronic
Sorry About Your Irony - El Ten Eleven

Synchronicity Series: April 5, 2007

Click Here To Download: Part 1
Click Here To Download: Part 2

GOOD NEWS! So this week I should have the live recording of the show as it was broadcast over the airwaves for everyone to download. There is a downside though, it makes the music easier for me to upload but harder for you guys to play with if you want to take single tracks out and play them separately... all I can say is sorry. The show isn't meant to be a clump of singles, it's supposed to be a two-hour voyage into the heart of the instrumental being. Anyway, this week's playlist features bands from all arenas. In the later half of the show I picked some tracks from bands who aren't traditionally instrumental acts but nevertheless felt the urge to write and record vocal-less tracks. I think this fact says a lot but I'd get way off track logging it all into a blog post so I'll save it for another time. Enjoy.

Nites of Malta - Sun City Girls
Happiness Were All In It Together - This Will Destroy You
Blue Eyed and Filled With Horror - The Timeout Drawer
Etna - SunnO))) & Boris
Ningen wa Jibunjishin ga Mienai Yue ni, Tanin ni Risou no 'Sugata' o Mitome Yasui. - Té
B+T - Battles
Romany Trail - Sir Richard Bishop
Live Then Die - Silver Ray
The Box - Orbital
Choppers - Holy Fuck
Alc Levora - Schneider Tm
I'm In The Mood For Love - Enoch Light
Oo-de-lally - Roger Miller
Another Beautiful Day in the Pacific Northwest - Big Business
Mark Peril Theme - Sneakers
Stars - Nightmares on Wax
Vegas el Bandito - 23 Skidoo
Escape From Tulse Hell - Ott
Saturn Strobe - Pantha du Prince
Summer Air - Explorers Club

Grails - The Burden of Hope

Click Here To Download

I was chatting with my friend the other day and he asked me why I chose to have a completely instrumental radio show? Why not play everything I liked and not just a portion of it. I responded by telling him that I believed restrictions spur creativity. In my case, by putting an arbitrary genre restriction on my show I forced myself to delve deeper into every band of the genre I came across and to explore veins of instrumental music I wouldn't have otherwise given the time of day. I like to think it has paid off and I've gained a more cohesive knowledge of at least one type of music. I'm going to use that personal vignette to marry the theme with the band Grails, one of the longest-standing bands in the genre who somehow never disappoint me with every album. How do they do it? It's my belief that by keeping their average song length around four minutes they force themselves to find what they want to say early, say it, and say it well. You aren't going to find any mindless guitar meandering with Grails and if a song is over 6 minutes, there's a good reason. Almost all of their albums are worth possessing but I specifically uploaded this album because track 6, "Space Prophet Dogon", is one of the best instrumental tracks I know. Enjoy.

Pan Sonic - Kesto (Disc 3 & 4)

Alright. So here's the second half of the 4 disc experimental saga from Pan Sonic. I posted the 1st half in February and someone requested the rest of the album so here it is. Now, if you are looking for an album to really hold your attention as a listener... Disc 3 might not be for you. But disc 4, on the other hand, is in the same vein as, say, "Dopesmoker". One unending hour-long trip to a place you've never been to and can't describe once you have. "Radiation" is a pretty fitting name for the track that is really does give off a 3-dimensional quality and a glooming sense of no escape. I don't have anything else to so. Enjoy.

Click Here to Download: Disc 3
Click Here to Download: Disc 4

Synchronicity Series: March 29, 2007

Today's artwork compliments of J.B..

Click Here To Download: Part 1
Click Here To Download: Part 2

Today's show features most of the bands that have been receiving heavy play time on my computer at home and in the car. I took the chance to "highlight" my favorites of the past weeks. Also, Beware of Safety has confirmed their live interview for April 26 so be sure to tune in. Here's the tracklist and as always, enjoy.

Tonto - Battles
Some Are White Light - Caspian
Etäsyys / Distance - Pan Sonic
Turning Point - Kimio Mizutani
The House Where We Grew Up - Hammock
Forever Lost (Reprise) - God Is An Astronaut
Lost Horizon - Friends Of Dean Martinez
Catastrophe And The Cure (Four Tet Mix) - Explosions In The Sky
Hands in air - Scraps Of Tape
These Thoughts Break - Im Not a Gun
Sadako's Fury - Upcdowncleftcrightcabc+Start
The Understudy - Tracer AMC
Is there No Help for the Widow's Son? - Laura
Intercontinental Hustle - Magyar Posse
Keep It Gold - Maserati
The Lame Shall Enter First - Saxon Shore
The Difference Between Wind And Rain - Beware of Safety
First Movement - Glenn Branca Ensemble

God is an Astronaut - A Moment of Stillness EP

Click Here To Download


All I've been hearing about is God is an Astronaut's "Suicide By Star" accolades over and over and it has begun to bug me. That song sure is great but now I'm bearing the blog-writer's cross to expose you guys to lesser-known albums and songs. GiaA's 2006 EP is what I came up with. The 5 track EP is very similar to their full-length, All is Violent, All is Bright (check Feb. archives), but with one key difference: tracks 1-3 represent GiaA's perfection as a band. Only pieces or cameo's of this perfection are present in AiV,AiB tracks. A subtle difference, but worth noting. Enjoy.

Glenn Branca - Symphony No. 6

Click Here To Download

"I'll sell out anytime anybody wants me to" Glenn Branca once mused, "[but] there are no buyers." This accords with Branca's perennial position on that fringe between the edgier end of art music and the artsier end of rock. An admirer of Young, Glass, and Reich, and a mentor to members of Sonic Youth, Helmet, and the Swans, Branca helped pollinate the downtown New York scene in the 1980s and '90s and infused experimental rock with minimalist ideas. While he earned his reputation with a series of high-volume, microtonal works for multiple electric guitars, his oeuvre also includes works for traditional orchestral forces. In the face of Branca's eclectic output and rather ambiguous aesthetic, the label "crossover" is at once convenient and clumsy. - allmusic

Branca knows what he's doing and if you give him the time and patience his music deserves you'll be rewarded. Here's my favorite symphony of his: No. 6

Synchronicity Series: March 22, 2007

This week's artwork compliments of Hans Shen (editing by Mike Yin)

Click Here To Download: Part 1
Click Here To Download: Part 2

Synchronicity Series returns this Thursday from a week-long hiatus. I talked about my experiences (good, bad, and gruesome) at Austin's SXSW music festival and upcoming interview plans.


Nutimik - Venetian Snares
How We Smiled Again - My Beloved
New Jersey Is For Lovers - On Fire
City Of Echoes - Pelican
Crawlspace - Caspian
In Ruins - The Burning Paris
決別 - BORIS
O'Canada - Beware of Safety
Can I Get More Steel in My Monitors - You.May.Die.in.the.Desert
And How To Translate It - We vs. Death
New Sentimentality - Toe
There is So Much Love - The Timeout Drawer
Letters From the Earth - Souvenir's Young America
Everything Wrong Is Right Again - Six Parts Seven
I Kina Spiser De Hund - The Pirate Ship Quintet
Await Rescue - 65daysofstatic
Megaman (All) - Minibosses
We Flood Empty Lakes - Yndi Halda

Upcoming Los Angeles Area Concerts

For any and all of my Los Angeles readers here's a list of notable concerts in the area in the near future. Many Synchonicity-related; others not. I'll be at most of these, hope to see you there.

3/23 Explorers Club
3/24 Red Sparowes/Big Business
3/25 You.May.Die.In.The.Desert/Beware of Safety/Signal Hill
4/3 Magnolia Electric Co.
4/3-4 Brand New
4/4 Six Parts Seven
4/8 Isis/Jesu/Oxbow
4/12-13 Ted Leo
4/20 Trans am/Zombi
4/21 Art Brut
4/28 Drift /World's End GF/Mono
5/3 Caspian/Beware of Safety
6/20-21 Tortoise
6/22-/23 low

In Austin for SXSW Festival

So there won't be a show this week for 2 reasons. 1. School is canceled this week because of Spring Break 2. I'm in Austin for SXSW Music Festival.

I'll report back about any relevant bands next week.

Lastly, Rudy's is some good eatin'

Synchronicity Series: March 08, 2007

Click Here To Download: Part 1
Click Here To Download: Part 2

This week's show doesn't feature quite 2 hours of instrumental music but it was countered by the fact that Los Angeles instru-rockers Signal Hill were in the studio to chat it up with me. I apologize, I wasn't able to record the show, but I made up for it as best I could with a great playlist for everyone. A new Battles track and the first time I've featured Scraps of Tape and SJ5. Enjoy.

Bitte Baby Bitte - Turing Machine
If You Show Off the Milk, Who's Gonna Buy the Cow? - The Samuel Jackson Five
I Believe In Your Victory - This Will Destroy You
Death as it should be - Scraps Of Tape
California Is Too Long - Signal Hill
Race In - Battles
I Love The Smell Of An Autumn Forest Fire - We Followed Tigers
Flux and Form - Tracer AMC
Letters From the Earth - Souvenir's Young America
Frozen Twilight - God Is An Astronaut
Dawn Of The Dead Main Theme - Goblin
Salut! France - Errors
Birds Over Barges - Isan
You Have Cured a Million Ghosts From Roaming in My Head - Aarktica
I Hope - Laura
Everybody Daylight - Brightblack Morning Light
Suna - Radicalfashion
Tree of Life - Clint Mansell
Levee - Jack Rose

Signal Hill live interview this Thursday @ KSCR.org

The boys from USC's own Signal Hill will be stopping by the studio to chat and answer questions on this week's show. Be sure to tune in and i'll try to have the phone lines open for callers but you can always reach me live in the studio by instant messaging me at "KSCRlive" during my time slot.

Tristeza - En Nuestro Desafio

Click Here To Download

With the ex-lead guitarist focused on The Album Leaf, the other 7 members of Tristeza follow up their wonderful release of A Colores with En Nuestro Desafio. While I don't have the means of uploading the DVD footage that accompanies the CD, I can assure you that you won't be missing much. This album is not great, but it certainly isn't offensive or annoying much like what is said about From Monument to Masses with their communist speeches laid over their otherwise beautiful instrumentals (that's another topic altogether). This album is simply harmless and enjoyable. "Organ Melts You" is a superb title for track 3 which contains simple notes from an organ (in addition to some electronic and percussion) but recorded or mixed in an unrefined manner which gives it a darker and more isolated feel which resonates with the listener. Clocking in under 2 minutes, this track, surprisingly, make you feel. Perhaps Tristeza realized the limited scope of the album and kept it 28 minutes on purpose. Perhaps not. Either way it's worth a few listens. Enjoy.

Mono - Hey, You EP

Click Here To Download

Mono's on tour with world's end girlfriend probably supporting their September 2006 release of previously uploaded "Palmless Prayer..." collaboration. Many people haven't heard their Hey, You EP so I've uploaded it here. If anyone needs a tutorial on how to grab and hold the attention of a listener for 13 minutes... "Karelia" is your best bet. Enjoy.

Synchronicity Series: March 1, 2007

Click Here To Download: Part 1
Click Here To Download: Part 2

Today's show featured your usual cast of instrumental/post-rockers like Mono and September Malevolence for the first hour. The second half of the playlist was, like last week, more of an adventure into the different avenues artists take instrumental music. Bluegrass, country, electronic, noise, and even Japanese early-70s psych are all present, loud, and clear for your enjoyment.

Karelia - Mono
Firecracker - Unwed Sailor
Comfort Me, I've Lost My Heart - Upcdowncleftcrightcabc+Start
Death Rides a Horse - Russian Circles
Fire Alarm - Tungsten74
Sketch - Tone
Beauforts 9, And Rising - September Malevolence
Kaura - Beware of Safety
No Need To Cry Now - Silver Ray
Balabaristas - Tristeza
Oceans On Hold - Sickoakes
KIRAMEKI(miaou) / Below The Sea Remix - Miaou / Below The Sea
Rähinä I / Mayhem I - Pan Sonic
Cocaine Computer - Trans Am
Solar Jetman-Braveheart Level - The Advantage
We Are the Massacre - world's end girlfriend
Country Song - Dirty Three
Stones River - John Hartford & Mark Howard
I will Not Forget That I Have Forgotten

Once We Were - Contra

Click Here To Download: Discs 1 & 2


If you looking for a band with range look no further. Once We Were can play the jazzy tunes as well as the rockin' ones. They experiment a bit on the second disc but it's pleasurable and has me wondering where they are going next. Enjoy it.

"It took a long time but we are very pleased with the finished result. It is an hour-long experience divided into two discs. The first one contains some of our more established live songs, like Buckets Have Ears and Cut Corners as well as a few surprises. Disc number two covers more uncharted territories and is in places (semi-)improvised with us sometimes swapping instruments. The two Contra discs are housed in a beautiful fold-out digipak with stunning artwork courtesy of Elisa." - OWW


Full tracklisting:
Disc A
Buckets Have Ears
Hard Shoulder
Cut Corners
Left Field
Static
By Number And Skill

Disc B
Carnival
Last Trolley
Roof, Please
End Of Clear Sound
Three Minutes
It All Came Down

Synchonocity Series: Feb 22, 2007

Thanks to Oh It's Max for this week's artwork.

Click Here To Download: Part 1
Click Here To Download: Part 2


So today was my first show in my new Thursday time slot and I've uploaded the 2-hour playlist for everyone in 2 parts. The first half is mostly straight-up instrumental rock n' roll. The 2nd half starts with some electronic and ambient then closes with some jazzy tracks. Enjoy.

Track list is as follows:

Brand New - Welcome to Bangkok
Friends Of Dean Martinez - Dusk
Mogwai - Glasgow Mega-snake
Saxon Shore - With a Red Suit You Will Become a Man
Do Make Say Think - In Mind
Pelican - Sirius
Red Sparowes - The Soundless Dawn Came Alive As Cities Began To Mark The Horizon
Maserati - The World Outside
Grails - Stray Dog
Always The Runner - I Thought I'd Find You Here
Magyar Posse - Whirlpool of Terror and Tension
Once We Were - By Number And Skill
Northvia - Awake
Hammock - Before the Celebration
God is an Astronaut - Suicide By Star
Cam Butler - Brothers & Sisters
Nino Rota - Guido E Luisa-Nostalgico Swing
Six Parts Seven - Stolen Moments
Isan - Betty's Lament
Toe - ‘Ç„Æ≠̉–ˆ≤
Pantha du Prince - Moonstruck
Sir Richard Bishop - Anatolia
Tortoise - It's All Around You
This Will Destroy You - This World is Our _______
Manitoba - Kid You'll Move Mountains

Red Sparowes - At The Soundless Dawn

Click Here To Download

Well I'm still wading in this tide of sludgy and metal instrumental rock at the moment so I thought i'd upload At The Soundless Dawn, which is amazing start to finish. Fans of previously uploaded Pelican, note this band.

"Starting with beautifully intense buildups into full-on doom metal fury, At the Soundless Dawn is a lush, orchestrative affair as each member contributes wonderful sounds from their instrument, achieving what some could call a masterpiece of an album. Greg Burns of Halifax Pier manages to both relax and captivate the listener with the strangely satisfying addition of the pedal steel, which helps At the Soundless Dawn reach its full glory. It feels almost sacrilegious to try to describe what Red Sparrowes have achieved. Like the album, it has left me speechless." – Nick Walker

Beware of Safety - It Is Curtains

Los Angeles, California. I'm not going to pretend like I know the nitty-gritty about the underground instrumental rock scene over here (or anywhere, really), but I do have a radio show and have booked a few bands to do interviews sometime this Spring and talk about it. At the fore-front of the L.A. movement is this band, Beware of Safety. Their debut EP, Is Is Curtains has made the band instantly relevant in instrumental circles with emotive drum-less dramas like "Veneklasen" and 10-minute guitar-epics like "To The Roof!..." The band doesn't always rely on beauty for its identity, though. "Weak Wrists" sounds like a challenge to Red Sparowes or Pelican to pick it up a notch as BoS are riding their coattails pretty tight when it comes to pure rockin' out. With all the variety in their ~38 minute EP, BoS leave listeners guessing as to where they are headed next. My advice to you: see them live.

Check out their West Coast upcoming tour dates w/ Caspian as well:

Mar 25 2007 8:00P	The Scene w/Signal Hill, You.May.Die.In.The.Desert and Panther Attack	Glendale, California
Apr 28 2007 8:00P	Ground Zero w/Caspian, You.May.Die.In.The.Desert and Joy Wants Eternity	Seattle, Washington
Apr 29 2007 8:00P	Someday Lounge w/Caspian and Fall of Snow	Portland, Oregon
May 3 2007 8:00P	TBA with Caspian	Los Angeles, California
May 4 2007 7:00P	Parkview with Caspian	Riverside, California
May 6 2007 8:00P	The Space w/Caspian, North and Arc of the Aurora	Tempe, Arizona

Sir Richard Bishop - Fingering The Devil

Click Here To Download


I grabbed this album from my friend's blog. He gave me permission and was totally stoked when I told him I wanted to post it. Here's what Southern Records had to say about it:

"Recorded in London in July of 2005 at Southern Studios. Nine tracks of solo acoustic guitar, mostly improvised. An exploration into the shadow worlds of the Sub-Continent, North Africa, and other points on the Gypsy Trail... Sir Richard Bishop is perhaps better known for the part he plays as one third of radical feral punk-noise collective Sun City Girls. Out of this band's intense unruly free jams grew Bishop's love for solo improvisation, which along with his appreciation for global folk musics largely shapes his solo work." -Southern Records

Here's what John (Visit His Website Here) had to say about it:

"I can hardly believe that these songs were improvised. Sir Richard Bishop possesses unholy technique and dexterity that allowed him to develop his absorbingly complex style and nuance. There are no pedals or recording tricks on the album; the production is crisp and clean.

Sun City Girls may be difficult for many listeners to get into, but I guarantee that this album is impossible to criticize and difficult to dislike. Even if you know nothing about the guitar, it's pretty obvious that Sir Richard Bishop is one of the most talented and creative living guitarists." - John D


I can't add much to those two.

Gas - Pop

Click Here To Download: Tracks 1-4
Click Here To Download: Tracks 5-7


"Köln kingpin Wolfgang Voigt often waxes tyrannical about the sanctity of techno's four-on-the-floor heartbeat. In his Gas guise, though, Voigt is gradually coming to value beatless bliss. His atmospheric Gas-werks are as in thrall to the almighty kick drum as all productions bearing the redoubtable Voigt's nom de jour. But over four albums (and a vinyl-only mini-LP), Voigt has been refining the Gas concept to the point of perfection. Practice indeed has its virtues. Voigt craftily weaves string and woodwind samples that he has skimmed from obscure classical recordings into bolts of melodic mesh. Where these folds once fell freely over beds of uncompromised beats, Pop hangs them as from a lofty bough to billow in the breeze. As this shimmering material twists and tangles, shadows collect among the creases. Voigt introduces the knotlike texture of the familiar 4/4, and the intrusion of rhythm is for once absolutely justified. While uplifting and ravishingly melodic, Pop is certainly not pop. Nor is it ambient music in the strictest, Brian Eno-sired sense of the word--Voigt's still reluctant to give up those ghost drums. For now, Gas is like no other music on Earth or off it." --Gil Gershman

God is an Astronaut - All is Violent, All is Bright

Click Here To Download

" The Dublin-based band present critics with an added problem with their debut, All Is Violent, All Is Bright: the music it contains is almost impossible to describe in such a way as to do it justice. I could expound on the beauty and menace of this music for pages and pages and still come absolutely nowhere near an accurate depiction. Torsten Kinsella (vocals, guitars, piano) and his brother Niels (bass and guitar) and Lloyd Hanney (drums and synths) have created fantastically broad and lush soundscapes for their listeners to explore. The songs are crammed with atmospherics, tension, melodrama and - amazingly for a band that only includes vocals as an extra instrument - emotional draw. Repeated spins reveal All Is Violent, All Is Bright to be a meticulously assembled vision - twisting the volume knob down reveals the kinks and components of the massive walls of sound that are capable of melting your eardrums at high levels." - Nick Cowen

Russian Circles - Enter

Click Here To Download

Russian Circles will be touring with Pelican soon and I should be seeing them over my spring break in either Houston or Baton Rouge. Enter is a very exciting album that you don't want to end but when it does you are glad because you can finally take a breath. Some instrumental bands catch my ear and hold my attention so well I can't do anything else when I'm listening to them. Russian Circles is one of those bands. Chicago spawns another good one.

This Will Destroy You - Young Mountain (EP)

Click Here To Download


I'll always have a special place in my heart for TWDY. I discovered them during a difficult time in my life and Young Mountain really cemented their sound in my head over the course of a few months. I finally got around to seeing them this winter in Austin, close to their hometown of San Marcos, and their mix of electric guitar and electronica touched my heart in the cozy Emo's Lounge like only a handful of acts have ever done. I ended up meeting Andrew, the drummer, after the show and conducted an impromptu interview with him to discover they are currently recording for a full-length release in April and have plans to tour Europe around that time and possibly a US tour in the summer. Fan-boy infatuation aside, listen to this album with some good headphones late at night and you won't be disappointed.

Pan Sonic - Kesto (Disc 1 & 2)

Click Here To Download Disc 1
Click Here To Download Disc 2

Back to the music. I've always enjoyed Pan Sonic but it wasn't until I started taking a synthesizer instructional coarse that I really appreciated what they do. Disc 1 is my favorite of the 4 disc set and i'll gradually upload the rest.*

*Disc 2 now available.

OWM Recap

I know I specifically started this blog to spread good music, but I think everyone should also acquire at least a basic sense of intimidation when viewing Earth on a geologic scale. Climbing up the Old Woman Mountains with my classmates a repeating theme of immensity dominated my thoughts. Mountain chains are enormous and take tens of millions of years to form but they climb thousands of meters high against the force of gravity. The vertical motion generated is truly hard to wrap my head around unless I'm in the field surrounded by geologic formations. So here are some pictures that might help relay that whole thought process:

Weekend Sabbatical

My faithful readers,


I'm leaving for the weekend and won't be back until Sunday night (missing the SuperBowl). I just wanted to assure you of my return and the continuation of uploading in a short time. I shall return with many great pictures of the majestic Old Woman Mountains.


(A picture from the Sierras... not the mojave desert)

world's end girlfriend - The Lie Lay Land

Click Here To Download: Tracks 1-6
Click Here To Download: Tracks 7-10


Continuing the world's end girlfriend discography because of multiple requests. Just an example of how commenting works. Keep it up.

Aarktica - No Solace In Sleep

Click Here To Download


No Solace in Sleep is a somber dreamscape where sound becomes music & music becomes sound. Minimalist ambient guitar structures, utilizing treated guitar tones varying from freight trains to falling snow emerge from the shadows projecting a range of mood, being and emotion. In this dark musical terrain, Jon rolls out a remarkable new map, the kind used by adventurous travellers to move across stricken borders, through unusual terrain and down lost highways. It is a work of unresolved tension, astonishing harmonies and timbres, and spooky moments of forlorn beauty. –Ben Kettlewell

world's end girlfriend - farewell kingdom

Click Here To Download

Fulfilling my first request from the readers. Here's one of WEG's full-lengths.

1. Yes (15:06)
2. Call Past Rain (8:32)
3. Daydream Loveletter (7:32)
4. Halfmoon Girl (7:22)
5. Fragile Fireworks (5:26)
6. Fifteen White (11:51)
7. You (12:53)
8. Onepiece (5:00)


Heavily recommended. "Yes" will hook you from the first listen.

Medafire.com Tech Difficulties Fixed

All glitches have been outed and links are ready for download again.


cheers

The Advantage - Elf-Titled

Click Here To Download

prog metal+NES covers ----> The Advantage

For Minibosses fans, nostalgic 20-40 year old NES gamers, and fans of wailing guitars

Mono & world's end girlfriend - Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain

Click Here To Download

"This collaboration with fellow Tokyo native and modern electronic composer world's end girlfriend is a five-part sojourn of neoclassical grace and luminescence that defies lazy categorization. As dark as the bottom of the ocean and nearly as otherworldly, "Palmless" finds Mono inhabiting a magical world previously only hinted at in their most orchestral compositions. Forgoing their tendency to erupt into hellish bursts of speaker-destroying noise, Mono instead exhibits remarkable restraint, stretching song lengths past the 15-minute mark, turning barely-there crescendos into earth-shaking events. This record is a miniature panoramic view of the sea on an eerily still day, the current swaying at an impossibly lazy pace, and the sound of a thousand tiny waves crashing all at once." -amazon.com

Hammock - Kenotic

Click Here To Download


"Hammock makes highly atmospheric, largely instrumental music that bridges the ambient and post-rock genres. Like many ambient albums, KENOTIC is mostly concerned with textures and a sense of swirling motion, yet the instrumentation--bass, drums, guitars, and keys--is associated with traditional rock. Hammock relies heavily on production techniques and guitar effects (mostly chorus, delay, and reverb) to achieve a rich, dreamy sound that recalls Sigur Ros, My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, and Explosions in the Sky... The rhythm section and the low-end synth effects create a pulsing bottom to the ethereal guitar flights, keeping the whole thing grounded, even while each track carries the listener to a soft and gauzy realm. KENOTIC will certainly appeal to fans of experimental rock, and, because it is delicate, lilting, and provides an excellent soundtrack to meditation and yoga, it should appeal to devotees of ambient, New Age, and adult-contemporary instrumental music as well." -cduniverse.com

Isan - Meet Next Life

Click Here To Download

If you ever go to Tokyo on a vacation, I recommend listening exclusively to this album for the entirety of your trip.

Manitoba Discography

Manitoba - Hendrix With KO (EP)
Click Here To Download



Manitoba - Jacknuggeted (EP)
Click Here To Download





Manitoba - Start Breaking My Heart
Click Here To Download





Manitoba - Up In Flames
Click Here To Download

Tortoise - It's All Around You

Click Here To Download

"The LP as a whole is a remarkable collection of ideas, which manages to be overwhelmingly creative, but intrinsically listenable. Tortoise’s experimentation is geared around finding new ways of making and producing music that will reach out to listeners and pull them in. They should be applauded for working deep in the heart of music, whilst still looking to create recordings that display all the benefits of their explorations and enough superficial allure to invite people into their world." -Ollie Wright

Nino Rota - Otto e Mezzo (8 1/2 soundtrack)

Click Here To Download

That's right. You can now impress your friends not only with the $70 Criterion Collection DVD Edition of 8 1/2, but with the soundtrack as well. Nino Rota scored many of Fellini's films and made a name for himself by taking one piece of music and performing it with different combinations of orchestral sections or individual instruments. This soundtrack is a perfect example. Try and stop whistling the tune tomorrow. You won't be able to.

Pelican - The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw

Click Here To Download: Tracks 1-3
Click Here To Download: Tracks 4-7

"With their newest epic, Pelican bring on new levels of complexities to their already distinctive auditory stamp. Acoustic guitars take their place beside the group's traditional (read: highly amplified) power-droning and awe-inspiring instrumental anthems. Whether this signals the end of the underground musical landscape as we know it, or the beginning of a new one is any ne's guess. Luckily, it rules either way." - amazon.com