iPod Tour
By You Can't Hear it on the Radio
October 19, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com

This is your man...on a horse
You Can't Hear it on the Radio is a blog about the current golden age of music. At no time since the 1960s has there been such an output of quality music by so many varied artists. Add to that technology that makes it easier than ever for the curious to find good music today. But, like an unlimited selection at an all-you-can-eat buffet, there's no table service. You will have to seek it out. The old model is dead. Generally speaking, you can't hear it on the radio. You can learn about it here, though.

You know the drill. Hit play, then read about five songs that came up on my iPod's current playlist today.

1) Of Montreal - Coquet Coquette
Even though you usually kind of know what you're going to get with Of Montreal - weirdness, danceability, a relentlessly driving, building rhythm, lyrical bluntness that creeps you out at times, and more flair than a Chotchkie's waitress - the interesting thing is Of Montreal's songs usually find a way to deliver those elements in a fresh way; rarely will you find an Of Montreal song that reminds you of another Of Montreal song. It's not easy being wholly original at all times, but Kevin Barnes has the knack.

2) The Vaselines - Sex With An X
I don't have this album, yet; this song, like the Of Montreal song above, is from a recent batch of song of the day podcasts. Like a lot of what I've been listening to recently, The Vaselines play unwaveringly straightforward post-punk from which you can draw a straight line back to the Velvet Underground and all those bands that spawned from disaffected teenagers listening to The Velvet Underground in their garages and trying to learn to play their instruments, achieving a level of rudimentary success sure but more importantly making up for their lack of technical proficiency with their passion and, like, authenticity, man. There's nothing wrong of course with stripped down passionate earnest rock and roll, and that's what you get here. Hey, did you know these guys were a big influence on Kurt Cobain? OF COURSE YOU DID.

3) Jenny and Johnny - My Pet Snakes
The new album from Jenny Lewis is her contribution to the the boy-sings-with-girl "genre" that is literally everywhere, in new albums this year from Stars, She and Him, the aforementioned Vaselines, the previously featured The Young Evils, and many more. This incarnation doesn't work for me since I'm constantly reminded that a Jenny Lewis solo effort would probably be better. "My Pet Snakes" is a good example of this as the Jenny Lewis bits are great, the usual mix of spirituality and twisted observations on sex and relationships. "And I don't believe in sucking your way to the top; fingers crossed you're flipping me off," she sings, and later, "I don't believe that paradise is lost; I say this with my fingers crossed". This is all fantastic, as I would happily listen to a whole album of songs about all the things Jenny Lewis doesn't believe in. Unfortunately here and there Johnathan Rice pokes his stupid face in and ruins the mood. In summary, the best parts of this album are all the parts that are obviously Jenny Lewis touches, but they are being compromised overall by the inclusion of the mediocre talent Johnathan Rice; also I'm jealous of Johnathan Rice because he is Jenny Lewis's boyfriend.

4) I'm From Barcelona - Glasses
Usually jaunty and frenetic cousins of the Los Campesinos! clan but with more refinement, this song shows the great collective in a more contemplative mood. In this case wearing glasses is an easily related analogy for all those things in life we know are good for us but don't end up doing, usually to our detriment.

5) Dan Mangan - Road Regrets
This podcast song of the day song is not compelling because of its earnest singer songwriter stuff with lots of imagery and analogies to being on the road - it has all that, but what really sells this song for me is the chorus, "It's a shame, it's a cryyyyyying shame" that indicates the regrets being expressed here are of a more personal nature. This song is comparable to what you would get from guys like Pete Yorn, Chuck Prophet, A.A. Bondy, Grant-Lee Philips, and even someone like Bob Seger for you boomers out there. It's sentimental but not soft.

--Steve