W E I R D _ P O P _ v a n c o u v e r

Long time no podcast // Weird Pop Waste 2011

2011-05-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

Not that I suspect many of you have been checking this Blogspot page religiously (what do people actually use these days? Wordpress? Tumblr? I am so not a real blogger) ...but clearly I have not made a podcast in quite some time. This has not been for lack of great music coming out of Vancouver, but rather for lack of computer access. Or rather, lack of money to purchase the computer that would make it easy to make podcasts again. I've been saving my pennies, but I can't promise I won't spend them on putting out the Hermetic record first. This, I promise you, is considerably more overdue than the next podcast.

More importantly, Music Waste 2011 is just around the corner and I am putting together a Go Your Own Waste show this THURSDAY, JUNE 2ND at NYALA. It will feature SO YOU THINK YOU CAN SLEEP (members of Bad fate; think Cap'n Jazz with powerviolence-length songs), NARWHAL (one of the most original bands in Vancouver; sloppy, epic, theatrical two-piece brilliance), and NO AURA (milking the 90s with considerable skill and reverence; think Hole.) It's ALL AGES and on the early-ish side: doors at 8:30, first band on around 9:15. The Facebook event page is here.

A quick note on local records: y'all should buy the No Gold LP if you haven't already. It will be your summer soundtrack, whenever that season arrives. Johnny Dylan Hughes' album Arms Legs Feet came out over a year ago now, but was recently made available as pay-what-you-want via Bandcamp. It's a beautiful record that honestly helped me through the dark winter months (that seem to be creeping into late spring). Finally, Victoria's Slam Dunk simply rule, but you probably know that already. They are about to go on tour forever, so see them when they hit your town and pick up their LP or listen to it here.

At long last: Episode Four!

2011-01-25T11:50:00.000-08:00

Alright! After a brief absence, the podcast is back and ready for you, the discerning listener. Musically this month it's all over the map, but anchored by my trademark lackluster commentary. Or at least, lackluster when my head hurts.

One correction: I claimed the Kick Evrything (sic) song was from their debut, which is false. "Stay In, Slow Now" is their second full length. I just heard of them recently.

Without further ado, please download and listen. Here is the tracklist!

Defektors - Shadow of Fear
What's Wrong Tohei? - Nails
Crystal Swells - Burn it Electric
My Friend Wallis - Running
Flash Palace - moveice=blueair
Kick Evrything - Motion Man
Medications - Long Day
Women - Heat Distraction
Olenka and the Autumn Lovers - No Coins
Red Hot Icicles Burning on Fire - High Bridge
Melted Faces - Hey Honey
Rudolf - A Catchup War
Paper Lanterns - Amelie
Organized Sports - Old Daughters
The Vaselines - Overweight but Over You
Faux Amis - Rain Song
Inhabitants - Journey of the Loach

Episode 3.5: A very half-assed Christmas Special

2010-12-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

Greetings faithful listeners! First off, apologies for the lack of a "real" December episode. This month's been a bit marred by moving stress, seasonal affective disorder, and a good old fashioned concussion - just in time for the holidays! Turns out loud music sounds a bit like getting kicked in the face when one has postconcussive syndrome, but before I knew what it was I pushed through and made this Christmas mini-episode. Here is the tracklist:

Painted Thin - Holiday
Animal Names - 99 Luft Einkaufstasche / Santa's Bday
B-Lines - I'm Watching TV on Christmas Day
The Clarendon Hills - Syracuse
Onward Voyageur - The Christmas Song
Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)
Douglas Hoyer - How I Learned to Hate the Snow
Low - Little Drummer Boy

I had originally planned to make a best-of-2010 December episode, but aside from the above excuses it turned out not to be terribly fun playing the same bands I'd just played from September through November. Still, for those of you who like this sort of thing I've compiled a list of my favourite Vancouver releases this year. Keep in mind I've yet to check out a ton of records that I suspect are also quite good (by Woolworm, Babe Rainbow, Phonecalls, Red Hot Icicles Burning on Fire, Ahna, Boogie Monster, etc.) At any rate, here is what I listened to most, in alphabetical order:

Animal Names - Let it Been
Apollo Ghosts - Mount Benson
Bad Fate - Olympic City
Collapsing Opposites - In Time
Crystal Swells - Crystal Mountain Girls EP
Fine Mist - Public Domain
Like Animals Again - Comfortable Dungeon
Makeout Videotape - Weird Meats EP
Onward Voyageur - s/t
SSRIs - Effeminate Godzilla-Sized Windchimes
Vincent Parker - Prism Myst
World Club - Two Inputs EP

Yes I realize technically it's a "Top 12" list. Couldn't decide which two to cut...

Finally, a few free links from the Christmas episode: The Eggnog Experience (and Mental Beast web series) is available here, Onward Voyageur's Christmas song can be downloaded here, and Edmonton's Old Ugly Christmas compilation is available here.

Thanks for listening, and see you in the new year.

Episode Three, Bitches! (since when do I say that?)

2010-11-10T15:25:00.000-08:00

Well, it's here... and excuse my sexist exuberance, but this one almost killed me (not literally), from a purely technical standpoint. Insert something clever about the fallibility of advanced technology, etc. The important thing is it's now DONE and ready to be listened to. Lots of great tracks here that I'm excited to share and in some cases debut... Not much else to say that I didn't blather on about in the podcast, so please just download it here!

Tracklist:

The Luyas - Flickering Lights (Will Likely Fail You)
Like Animals Again - Like Animals Again
Fine Mist - I Can't Stand It
Healthy Students - Mystics
Baby Control - Best War
2up - Sauce
Sgt. - すばらしき光
Man Your Horse - Old Selves on Bookshelves
Needles//Pins - Failures
Dustin Cole with The Specialist - Oh! My Captain
Infinite~Complete - Photo Cop
The Units - High Pressure Days
Tassels - Box of Delights
Kraftwerk - Radioactivity
Pineapple - NYC
Tight Solid - I'm Fallin' Apart
Buffaloswans - A Spark

New! Improved! Episode Two!

2010-10-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

After much anticipation (by me), episode two has arrived! Pretty guitar-centric this time around, and I don't think there's a single song without acoustic drums. Perhaps November will bring only experimental synth-pop, but for the time being let's enjoy the rock!

The podcast can be downloaded here.

Tracklist:

Safety Show - Ship of Sorrows
Owl Drugs - Here We Are, Here We Go, U.F.O.
Collapsing Opposites - Diamond Mind
The Montecarlos - No Man Is An Island
The Ovens - Puke In the Sink
Search Parties - #8
Mass of the Fermenting Dregs - このスピードの先へ
Susquatch - Spin the Words
Ford Pier - Sick of the Good Times
Purple Rhinestone Eagle - The Queen of Rain and Gray
Aunts and Uncles - Price of You
Chris-a-riffic - Hunting
Plus Perfect - Carriers
Onward Voyageur - Landmine
The Aquarium - Waiting For the Girl
Nomeansno - Faceless May

In other news, I made a Facebook Page for you to "like," so please "like" it.

That's all for now!

VOLUME BOOST

2010-09-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

On a technical note, apparently last week's podcast was too quiet. I turned off GarageBand's normalizer and remastered it manually, so it should be significantly louder. If you're still having trouble, try downloading the file and playing it in iTunes rather than your web browser, if you haven't already.

Thanks to Vincent and Alanna for the heads up.

THE FIRST PODCAST

2010-09-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

It is done! I made my first podcast. I feel like I could edit it forever and I wish I made it funnier and I'm certainly distraught by what a dork I sound like when I talk, but that's all par for the course. It is finally GOOD ENOUGH, for my ears and hopefully yours.

It is available here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/11663433/Episode%2001%20-%20September%202010.mp3

Here is the tracklist:

Bad Fate - This Olympic City

Eric's Trip - Happens All the Time
Makeout Videotape - Lasagna Sunset
Apollo Ghosts - Coka-Cola Admen
SSRIs - Certain Set Configuration
Owarikara - Otherside KANATA
Goomi - 静寂の家
World Club - Eagle
Vincent Parker - Slippery
Thor - Keep the Dogs Away
Tight Phantomz - Protection
The Jolts - Caffeine Heartbeat
Dylan Thomas - Heard Your Mother Call
JDH - The Crystal Lake (Grandaddy cover)
The Roots of Orchis - Bishop's Hostel
Catamaran - Haunted

Thanks to all the above bands for making sweet music. Special thanks to Alanna Scott for making the logo. And thanks of course to anyone who listens!

I forgot to mention that I welcome all feedback at weirdpopvancouver@gmail.com.

THE PLAN

2010-09-09T02:12:00.000-07:00

Okay! So this is my first attempt at a World Wide Web Log, or "blog" for short. But actually the blog is mostly a vessel for a World Wide Web Log iPod Broadcast, or "blogcast." But actually please just call it a podcast. Please.

So yes, this "blog" will bring a "podcast" to you, the reader/listener, approximately once a month. That is the plan. Said podcast will feature songs by some of my favourite bands, mostly from right here in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It will be available for free, of course, and whenever possible I will get permission from said bands to play their music for free. Often, though, their music is available for free anyway. Legally, even. But it never hurts to ask.

Expect the first podcast within a few days. Not that anyone will be reading this before the first podcast arrives, because I will keep this blog a secret until that day. But if you've arrived here, now you know the backstory. Some of it, anyway. Consider yourself half-informed.