Episode 6: Sunny Day Real Estate

Notes on the 6:

Sunny Day Real Estate, or as they'll be known on this blog: 'SDRE', have been amongst my favorite bands since I was an awkward girl-lacking 16 year old. I was listening to Jimmy Eat World's 'Clarity' when my sister popped in and mentioned that I would probably like SDRE. Needless to say, old Jimmy has been collecting dust ever since. SDRE signed to the same label (Sub Pop) as 90's juggernauts Nirvana and Soundgarden had , and in 1994 they released their debut album "Diary". Furthering the emotional element set in place by bands like Rites of Spring, Minor Threat, and Fugazi, SDRE took hardcore to new levels. They merged skilled instrumentation with self-reflective lyrics and tenacious melodies, leaving behind the sloppy 3-chord punk that typified hardcore in the mid 80's.

The boyz are currently within their, what, 3rd-4th break-up now? What a shame. At least we have 4 albums and 1 live disc (not to mention a few solo albums by their lead vocalist Jeremy Enigk and a pseudo-SDRE album under the name "The Fire Theft") to carry us over until they reunite...god willing. In the meanwhile, I would encourage you to pick yourself up a copy of both "Diary" and "How It Feels To Be Something On". It may change your life.

This podcast is just a list of my favorite SDRE songs (aka. a pure disservice to the albums). In reality, I prefer listening to the full albums because each song feeds off of the next to cluster into one amazingly epic emotional breakdown. I guess it is a good sign when it pains you to create a 'best of', because the full genius of the band can only be revealed within the original context of the record. Oh glory hallelujah, do I loooooove that original context. Sexy!

Editors Note: I'll now admit that SDRE's original guitarist Dan Hoerner worked with Chris Carabba (yea, the Dashboard Confessional guy). 'Screaming Infidelities' - not my slice of pie, that is all I will say. It is very interesting, that is, the crap that has been influenced by the hardcore movement of the 80's. Although, It is very intriguing to me how one gets from Bad Brains to Fall Out Boy in 15+ years. Makes me wonder where the black metal genre will be when I am middle aged *imagine Christina Aguilera wearing corpse paint*
____________________________________________________________________

Song - Album

1. Roses In Water - How It Feels To Be Something On

2. Every Shining Time Your Arrive - How It Feels To Be Something On

3. In Circles - Diary

4. One - The Rising Tide

5. The Prophet - How It Feels To Be Something On

6. The Blankets Were The Stairs - Diary

7. Friday - LP2

8. How It Feels To Be Something On - How It Feels To Be Something On

9. Shadows - Diary

10. Guitar and Video Games - How It Feels To Be Something On

11. Seven - Diary

12. 8 - LP2

13. Song About An Angel - Diary

14. The Ocean - The Rising Tide

*by the way, I accidentally labelled the episode '#7' on the downloadable file, so don't fret, it is still #6

American Appar-hell. Witty? No? Really? Not a bit?

My wifey emailed American Apparel the other day to question them on their grotesquely sexual advertising techniques. Still waiting for a response.... check it out the scuzz fest for yourself (or just log onto facebook, either way). http://www.americanapparel.net/

(Excuse my judgement, but I can imagine the dude in the picture thinking this: "arm tattoo, check! V-Necked Shirt, Check! Knowledge that mustaches are 'so yesterday', Check! Trying to harness Rivers Cuomo's ignorance to irony, err, almost check!")

It is our onus to boycott said store. You might be saying, "Dudez! But AA is totally sweatshop free! And some of their shit is organic, n' shit! The sexuality used is a small issue. As long as it is somehow ethical, right budz?" Anytime you purchase anything, you engage in some sort of ethical issue. Often times, it is the usage of natural resources and pollution (landfills, yikes!). AA can only increase these enviromental issues because it creates new product. Lumping enviromental concerns with the objectification of women doesn't bode well with the collective spirit of my household. But do not fret! There is a ethical alternative! (read on!)


The places I shop are sweatshop free, minimize pollution/waste, helps conserve the planet's natural resources, are extremely cheap, and certainly do not objectify women. On top of all of this, these places typically manifest as community initiatives to help the needy or marginalized. Almost sounds like the gospel, huh?

Gangstars, don't ya know I be rappin' bout THRIFT STORES?

Now, I am not trying to 'guilt' people for eating up AA beautious-chested V-Necks and faux-thrift shades. Afterall, not everything we do can be completely ethical, and sometimes we need to draw a line in the sand and say, "I am doing the best I can without wanting to kill myself!" But, my friends, in light of this vague dosage of information (which is your ethical prerogative to investigate further) making the switch to thrift is something to consider. Save the planet, support your community (and its marginalized), stop objectification of women, and start wearing shirts that cover more than half your chest!

ps. For context, know that I have associated V-Necks with hedonism and the devil.

pss. Another reason I am biased against American Apparel is because they promote the use of non-prescription glasses. Not an ethical problem per se, but indeed a problem for all of us blind people who feel pillaged of the one thing we had going for us--->cool frames. Those of you with 20/20 vision, have heart!

CTLG #5: Eingya Reign

NOTES ON THE 5:

.....this episode is a bit edgier compared to previous ones, as it features some ass-melting metal by way of Abbotsford's 'First Reign', and the punk/art/pop/industrial/whatever stylings of '...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead'. 'First Reign' have just released their newest EP "As The Dead Lead The Dead", and from a very biased opinion, it KILLS! Don't listen to it if you value your life, because it will killxors (BTW, It killed me....bummer!).

...for some reason this is the third time I have put a Liars song on one of my podcasts. The truth is, they are a bit alienating to most. I mean, one cannot comprehend a market for a less emotive/low-fi version of Alice n' Chains. I guess that is where v-neckin' new yorkey hipsters come into the picture.

...even though I am a tad bit pessimistic as far as 'Cut Copy' and 'Foals' longevity (the whole post-punk/electro thing), I have put up a couple of accessible cuts that may melt your feet....or not. I guess it's like candy; you gobble that shit up when you have it, but then its gone soon after. To counter-act the candy, I am serving up a dense meatloaf (no, not "Meatloaf"), manifesting in the slow/dark sounds of 'Low', 'Grizzly Bear', and my most recent obsession, 'I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness'. Enjoy chillies!

0. Song - Artist (Album) Label

1. Belarus - Low (Drums and Guns) Sub Pop

2. According To Plan - I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness (Fear is On Our Side) Secretly Canadian

3. So Haunted - Cut Copy (In Ghost Colours) Modular

4. This Ghost Of Ours - First Reign (As The Dead Lead The Dead) unsigned

5. Caterwaul - ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead (Worlds Apart) Interscope

6. God Help Me - The Jesus & Mary Chain (Stoned And Dethroned) Blanco y Negro

7. Re-Stacks - Bon Iver (For Emma, Forever Ago) Jagjaguwar

8. Dragon Fly Across An Ancient Sky - Helios (Eingya) Type

9. Drum Gets A Glimpse - Liars (Drums Not Dead) Mute

10. Balloons - Foals (Antidotes) Sub Pop

11. Service Bell - Grizzly Bear (Horn of Plenty) Kanine

12. He Came, He Stayed, He Fell - Ef (Give Me Beauty... Or Give Me Death!) And the Sound

The Magician...and CTLG #4: Kill! Destroy!

Question:

When I head out, who the hell gun' mow yr grass? Simple question, but does it carry a simple answer? You can't just hire the grubby brat next door, nor the skinny fashionista screamo kid. The brat won't take care to ensure the job is done, and the screamo kid, although aesthetically minded, will avoid the labor as it may ruin his finely tuned hair-do whilst causing an increase in unwanted muscle mass (pushing the mower uphill). Although seemingly simplistic in theory, these small matters can get so convulted.

"The Magician", aka Nathan Moes, creates an ethereal world of melody based on this deceiving simplicity on his debut, tentatively titled "Who Will Mow The Grass When I'm Gone?". Considering the basic nature of the day's confrontations, we need to be forgiven for conceiding to the phrase, "I don't know"; a line The Magician confesses with accessible catchiness in the track "Indicator Stop Bath". The Magician seeks a certain serenity in light of confusion, which seems to manifest in his belief that relationships are paramount. If life (and the man!) is getting you down, at least you have friends (and sleep!). And yet, even these relationships may often experience the complexity of romance and the manifestation of ambiguity. Who will cut your grass when I'm gone, also, I was wondering if we're due for a DTR anytime soon?
The innocuously-poppy Belle & Sebastian infused vocals do well to help further the theme, as they create a safe and habitable environment, helping frame what is a deceivingly unassuming innocence dwelling throughout 'Who Will Mow Your Grass When I'm Gone". The album is full of what relates to friendship and romantic potential, but 'The Magician' also finds himself making light scratches on profundity as he sails through the song "Seven Seas" in search for a "bag of peas". In the song, The Magician confesses his failed search (alongside a failed pun), and yet, when he is "rotten to the core", he knows that his friends will "look inside [his] head, and put [themselves] there instead". It is only with a support network in which he will seek serenity, and in his failure, he paradoxically finds his 'peas' in the restoration offered him through community.

The Magician does an astute job throughout these songs, helping us remember how simplicity, in a turn, can actually be something soberingly difficult. We must keep this in mind as we run through our lives making "easy" decisions. "Who Will Mow Your Grass When I'm Gone?", well, maybe give the screamo kid a call. But don't count on him.

A simple quib for a very enjoyable disc.

Check out more of The Magician at www.myspace.com/themagicianmusic

____________________________________________________________________

Episode 4: Kill! Destroy!

Song - Artist (Label)

1. Time To Pretend - MGMT (Columbia)

2. Indicator Stop Bath - The Magician (unsigned)

3. 7th Son - Born Ruffians ( Warp)

4. Call It A Ritual - Wolf Parade (Sub Pop)

5. Breaker - Low (Kranky)

6. Ant Whale You & Me - The Magician (unsigned)

7. Suedehead - Morrissey (Sire)

8. Foam Hands - Destroyer (Merge)

9. Dashboard - Modest Mouse (Epic)

10. Another World - The Shaky Hands (Holocene)

11. Sailing to Byzantium - Liars (Mute)

12. Have You Seen In Your Dreams - Miracle Fortress (Secret City)

13. Hopscotch Willie - Steven Malkmus & The Jicks (Matador)

14. 4 Minute Warning - Radiohead (XL)

15. Orange Spider -mewithoutYou (Tooth and Nail)

16. Apartment Story - The National (Beggars Banquet)

CTLG Episode Three: Dance Spectaculasses

photograph courtesy of kristina solgaard van Bommel van Vloten

Please excuse the long period between now and the last episode, but the computer I am using doubles as a hunk of burning shit. This is the dance episode, featuring many horrid transitions between songs. Hey, if you'd be dealing with such a POS computer eventually you wouldn't care about the details either. Now that I am done brilliantly selling this fabulous episode, please enjoy!

PS. DO NOT FORGET...tickets for RADIOHEAD ft/ LIARS go on sale this saturday at 10am!

1. We Share Our Mother's Health - The Knife (Rabid)
2. Downtown Mayors Goodnight, Alley Kids Rule! - You Say Party! We Say Die! (Paperbag)
3. Knife (Cover of Grizzy Bear) - CSS (This song recorded with Warp)
4. Archangel - Burial (Hyperdub)
5. Innocuous - LCD Soundsystem (DFA)
6. Ready For the Floor - Hot Chip (EMI, Astralwerks, DFA)
7. Transmission - Joy Division (True North)
8. Da Funk/Daftendirekt - Daft Punk (EMI)
9. Sad Sad City - Ghostland Observatory (Trashy Moped)
10. Hold Up - Girl Talk (Illegal Art)
11. House of Jealous Lovers - The Rapture (Strummer/Universal)
12. Hurricane Jane - Black Kids (XL)
13. Big Time Sensuality (The Fluke Minimix) - Bjork (One Little Indian)
14. Three Weeks - Tiga (Turbo)
15. Life After Sundown - Glass Candy (Italians Do It Better)
16. Burning Down The House - Talking Heads (Sire)
17. Only This Moment - Royksopp (EMI)
*18. Computer (Fun 100/The Hand Split EP Version) - Fun 100 (Unsigned)
19. Idioteque - Radiohead (EMI)

*denotes local artists

CTLG Episode 2: More Of The Same.

This, CTLG's second episode, is precisely as the title suggests; more or less the same style as the debut. I have plans of creating themed episodes (aka Hip-Hop, Rock, etc Episodes), so, totally stay tuned!


0.Song - Artist (Album) Label

1.St.John - Cold War Kids (Robbers & Cowards) Downtown

2.Skinny Love - Bon Iver (For Emma, Forever Ago ) Jagjaguwar

*3.Lack of Eloquence - Jordan T West (What I Learned from the Prostitute) unsigned

4.Hedonistic Me - Born Ruffians (Red, Yellow & Blue) Warp

5.Feel The Pain - Dinosaur Jr (Without a Sound) Blanco y Negro / Sire

6.2080 - Yeasayer (All Hour Cymbals) We Are Free

7.The Chamelion - Glass Candy (I Always Say Yes) Italians Do it Better

8.None Shall Pass - Aesop Rock (None Shall Pass) Definitive Jux

9.Just Like Honey - The Jesus & Mary Chain (Psychocandy) Blanco y Negro/Rhino Records

10.A-Punk - Vampire Weekend (Vampire Weekend) XL

11.Trades & Tariffs - The Dodos (Beware the Maniacs) French Kiss

12.Watching the Detectives - Elvis Costello (My Aim is True) Stiff

13.My Old Jacknife - Ladyhawk (Ladyhawk) Jagjaguwar

14.Beautiful Ones - Suede (Coming Up) Nude

*denotes local artist

CTLG, Episode One: The Big Debut!

Pleez enjoy this debut episode. If you consider the playlist/songs stupid, pleez disregard last comment.
Shine on, you crazy diamond-studded dino's!

Ps. I am a tyrannosaurusidiot when it comes to website technology. I am not sure if the 'subscribe to Combing Through Luscious Glory' function actually works. Anywho, click on the blog title to be redirected to my archive.org site, where you can choose to stream it off of the website, or download the podcast in its entirety. To Download it, scroll to the bottom of the screen where it says 'Other Files' in bold, and click on '51.0M'. Thank you for putting up with my foolishness.

SONG - ARTIST (LABEL)

1. Whore - Low (Kranky)

2. Stay Free - Black Mountain (Jagjaguwar)

3. Always Crashing the Same Car - David Bowie (EMI)

4. One More Time/Aerodynamic - Daft Punk (EMI)

5. Houseclouds - Liars (Mute Corporation)

6. Bottle Up and Explode - Elliott Smith (Dreamworks)

7. Disaster - Besnard Lakes (Jagjaguwar)

8. Just Another Day - Brian Eno (Hannibal Records)

9. That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore - The Smiths (Sire)

10. Lovely Allen - Holy Fuck (Young Turks)

11. Brother - Annuals (Ace Fu Records)

12. Behold the River -The Snake, The Cross, The Crown (Equal Vision Records)