WSND set list: Throwback Thursday January 02, 2024

Thanks to all who tuned in for my first of three radio shows at WSND for the 2024-2025 Christmas break. It was the return of Throwback Thursday. Here’s the set list for you.

  1. Toto – Hold the Line (1978)
  2. Johnny Cash – Oney (1973)
  3. Robin Trower – Daydream (live) (1974) (requested)
  4. The Who – Substitute (live) (1970)
  5. 1970s radio ad for TV Guide
  6. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Run through the Jungle (1970)
  7. Radio spot of Year of the Cannibals (1970)
  8. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)
  9. Blue Oyster Cult – (Don’t Fear) The Reaper (1976)
  10. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (1970)
  11. The Clash – Janine Jones (demo version) (1977)
  12. 1970s radio ad for 7-Up
  13. Elton John – Rocket Man (1972)
  14. The B-52s – Planet Claire (1978)
  15. Earth, Wind & Fire – Shining Star (1975) (requested)
  16. Betty Davis – Come Take Me (1973)
  17. Queen – Another One Bites the Dust (1980) (requested)
  18. Five Letters – Tha Kee Tha Tha (1980)
  19. Laura Branigan – Self Control (1984)
  20. The Psychedelic Furs – Imitation of Christ (1980)
  21. Motley Crue – Shout at the Devil (1983)
  22. Robin Trower – Back It Up (1983) (requested)
  23. 1980s radio ad for Bubblicious Paradise Punch Gum
  24. Agent Orange – A Cry for Help in a World Gone Mad (1981)
  25. Alice Cooper – He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask) (1986) (requested)
  26. 1980s radio ad for Campbell’s Chunky Chili Beef Soup
  27. Alison Krauss – Too Late to Cry (1987)
  28. Dolly Patron – 9 to 5 (1980)
  29. The Human League – Don’t You Want Me (1981)
  30. 1980s radio ad for New Coke
  31. David Bowie – Let’s Dance (1983)
  32. The Smithereens – Tracey’s World (1983)
  33. Nu Shooz – I Can’t Wait (1985)
  34. Salt ‘n’ Pepa – Whatta Man (1993)
  35. The Rolling Stones – You Got Me Rocking (live) (1999) (requested)
  36. 1990s radio ad for Dodge Ram quad-cab truck
  37. Gas Hufer – Rotten Egg (1998)
  38. Buzzcocks – Fast Cars (live) (1995)
  39. Ween – The Mollusk (1997) (requested)
  40. Morphine – Cure for Pain (1993)
  41. Us3 – Cantaloop (1993) (requested)
  42. Cassius – Interlude (1999)
  43. Fluke – Electric Guitar (1993)
  44. Blur – Girls and Boys (1994)
  45. 1990s radio ad for Acuvue contact lenses
  46. Nine Inch Nails – Even Deeper (1999)
  47. Love & Rockets – Trip & Glide (1995)
  48. Primus – Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweakers (1991) (requested)
  49. DJ Random – Stimulation (2002)
  50. D:Fuse – Plasma (2002)
  51. Madvillain – The Illest Villains (2004)
  52. The Fabulous Thunderbirds – The Things I Used to Do (live) (2001) (requested)
  53. 2000s radio jingles for various insurance companies
  54. The Allman Brothers Band – Don’t Want You No More (live) (2000)
  55. Beck – We Dance Alone (2006)
  56. A Place to Bury Strangers – Keep Slipping Away (2009)
  57. 2000s TV ad for Mighty Putty
  58. Radiohead – Nude (2007)
  59. The Raveonettes – Dead Sound (2008)
  60. The Flaming Lips – The Impulse (2009)
  61. Bad Religion – The New America (2000)
  62. Bad Religion – Atheist Peace (2004)
  63. Sabaton – Primo Victoria (2005) (requested)
  64. Imarhan – Alwa (2018)
  65. Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings – People Don’t Get What They Deserve (2014) (requested)
  66. Bloc Party – Day Four (2012)
  67. M.I.A. – The Message (2010)
  68. Crystales – Agrias (2018)
  69. Tamaryn – No Exits (2012)
  70. SsingSsing – Noraegarak (2017) (requested)
  71. Chromatics – Love Theme from Closer to Grey (2019)
  72. The Hu – Wolf Totem (2018) (requested)
  73. The Duke Spirit – In Breath (2017)
  74. Dead When I Found Her – Curtains (2010)
  75. EMA – Milkman (2012)
  76. Holy Serpent – Lord Deceptor (2019)
  77. Chelsea Wolfe – Iron Moon (2015)
  78. Oh Sees – Toe Cutter – Thumb Buster (2013)

I’m back on air January 05th at 7pm for another Deep Dive / Nocturne show. The Nocturne show (10pm to midnight) will be a Best of 2024 set.

Keep your mind open.

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Top 25 live shows of 2024: #’s 25 – 21

As always, it was a fun year for live music and there were plenty of great shows that I was lucky enough to catch in 2024. Who made the top 25? Let’s get started.

#25: Dry Cleaning – Far Out Lounge, Levitation Austin, November 01, 2024

It was a nice warm night in Austin, just a day after Halloween, when Dry Cleaning played a wild, fascinating set at Levitation Austin. They’re always intriguing, and they rock harder than most people realize.

#24: Mac Sabbath – Bell’s Eccentric Café, Kalamazoo, MI, August 27, 2024

This was part of Mac Sabbath‘s tenth anniversary tour, and the crowd was really into it. A lot of people at this gig hadn’t seen them before, and most of them were laughing the entire time.

#23: Death Valley Girls – Parish, Levitation Austin, November 02, 2024

This was my first time seeing Death Valley Girls‘ new guitar-less lineup, and the uplifting spooky music they now create is stellar. They were one of the most talked-about bands at the 2024 Levitation Music Festival.

#22: Grocery Bag – Hotel Vegas, Levitation Austin, November 02, 2024

These Austinites were a pleasant discover this year. They threw down a strong set, changing instruments multiple times, and fired up everyone at Hotel Vegas…and they did all of this opening for Osees no less. I hope they get out of Austin for a tour soon.

#21: Meatbodies – Far Out Lounge, Levitation Austin, November 01, 2024

This was the second time I saw Meatbodies in 2024, and this fun, loud set at Levitation was a blast and even had added bonus tracks I hadn’t heard in their first set.

Who’s in the top 20? Come back tomorrow to see!

Keep your mind open.

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Top 25 albums of 2024: #’s 25 – 21

It’s a new year, so that means it’s time to look back at my top picks of 2024. Let’s get started.

#25: Tropical Sludge – Astral Mind

This album by Rick Burke, the guitarist of Comacozer, is a psychedelic trip loaded with cool riffs and meditative synths that will take you out of the moment and drop you into some kind of spiritual temple that has Orange amps in it.

#24: Temporal Waves (self-titled)

Wait…You’re mixing stunning tabla work with synthwave music? I’m there. I’m there all day long.

#23: Blake Fleming – The Beat Fantastic

This is another wild percussion-driven record that adds synths for psychedelic effect and has so many amazing beats that it’s almost overwhelming.

#22: Goodbye Meteor – We Could Have Been Radiant

This album of French post-rock and psych is a stunning record that came to me almost out of nowhere and immediately caught my attention. The waves of it are both powerful and subtle.

#21: Doug Richards – Project 85 EP

This was a great return for a rave DJ from the 1990s who became a lawyer and then decided to get back into music after the COVID-19 pandemic and ended up dropping a stunning techno EP as a result.

Who makes the top twenty? Come back tomorrow to find out!

Keep your mind open.

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Roi Turbo blow up the dance floor with “Bazooka.”

Photo Courtesy of Roi Turbo

Roi Turbo is the new project of South African-born, London-based electronic duo of brothers Benjamin & Conor McCarthy. Today, they release a new single, “Bazooka,” via Maison Records. Born out of their shared love for dance music from around the world, the brothers infuse a hybrid of African and Western influences from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. Today’s new single, “Bazooka,” packs an explosive punch with its catchy synth and guitar leads. Inspired by ‘80s South African Bubblegum disco, its cheeky bass line and bouncy piano are sure to shake up the dance floor. “Bazooka” follows the previously released single “Dystopia.”


Listen to “Bazooka”
 

Roi Turbo was formed in their home city of Cape Town in 2020. Ben came from an electronic background as a producer and DJ, and became a mainstay in the club circuit in and around their hometown. Conor, meanwhile, came from a band background, playing in alt-rock and alt-pop outfits. The two had always wanted to start a dance project together, dating back to when they were in high school. During COVID lockdown, the chance presented itself. The brothers moved back in together and wrote music with no real agenda, just the two of them with time on their hands, having fun writing music that felt the most natural to them. “We were listening to ‘70s and ‘80s African disco and funk records at the time, and the contrast between the synths and raw live elements of these records really inspired us,” say Ben & Conor, who are also quick to note the likes of Larry Levan, William Onyeabor,  Air and Pino D’Angiò as musical inspiration. “Over the years we bought as many synths, drums, guitars and microphones as we could get our hands on and would experiment for weeks on end until we got the sound we were going for. This combination of analog gear has now become a staple in the Roi Turbo sound.”

They continue: “We wanted to create a project that encompassed all our niche tastes in music, fashion, automobiles and design, free of any pretentiousness, just quality music that gets you moving!”

Roi Turbo will perform at Electric Forest in Rothbury, Michigan next June, with more live dates to come.
 

Listen to “Dystopia”

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR!]

Aesthetic Perfection release live version of “S E X” from 2023 Wembley Arena concert.

Daniel Graves, the Austrian-American industrial pop trailblazer, returned with his most ambitious project yet: the Bad Vibes EP (released October 11, 2024) This 3-song sensory assault delivers a disorienting punch of 90s nostalgia, where dial-up modems hum alongside samples of televangelists and infomercial hosts, all set against a backdrop of blistering guitars, guttural screams, and relentless mechanical rhythms. Anchored by Graves’ signature melodies and sharp pop sensibilities, the Bad Vibes EP is both a reflection on American culture during the Satanic Panic and a commentary on our present moment.

Wearing its influences proudly, the Bad Vibes EP evokes the raw energy of The Downward Spiral-era Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson’s Portrait of an American Family while remaining undeniably Aesthetic Perfection. Mixed by the legendary Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Guns N’ Roses) and featuring the searing guitars of Sebastian Svalland (PAIN, Lindemann, Letters from the Colony) with live drums by Mike Schopf (Cil City), this EP bridges the gap between past and future with unparalleled intensity.

Aesthetic Perfection recently wrapped up their Fall Goth Tour 2024 which had them headlining many special shows plus major arena performances supporting Rammstein’s Till Lindemann with special guests Twin Temple.

Aesthetic Perfection celebrated the kick off of the Fall Goth Tour by dropping “Into The Void“, the first single from the Bad Vibes EP which premiered at Revolver on September 13th.

Revolver writes “Sonically, it leans into a Nineties-era, retro-futuristic slam of crunch-dustrial guitar chordage, mechanically-manned marching rhythms, and mega-screams from bandleader Daniel Graves. Visually, the accompanying music video presents the creepiest aerobics routine imaginable. A flashy sweatsuit-sporting Graves saunters into the scene with a beer in hand, but he puts the bottle down to work those carbs off via a limbs-pumping, grin-widening exercise routine. As this goes on, we hear a bunch of found-footage samples about demonic possession.”

On October 4, 2024, Aesthetic Perfection premiered the industrial pop single “Self Inflicted” at Outburn. Daniel Graves says “Over the course of my life, I’ve come to realize that my own greatest enemy is… well… me. ‘Self Inflicted’ explores all the unhealthy coping mechanisms we develop to navigate life’s challenges. While we can’t control what happens to us, we can choose how we respond.”

The third single and title track “Bad Vibes” was released on October 11, along with the full EP, and the video, chock full of live and backstage footage from the Fall 2024 tour with Till Lindemann and Twin Temple, premiered at Metal Injection, who writes “If you’re looking for a solid, electronic-heavy banger with a retro-styled music video, you’re gonna love this.”

Aesthetic Perfection – S E X (Live at Wembley 2023)

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Karkara – All Is Dust

Back in the spring, when you were trying to choose which bar to get drunk in during spring break, or finally cleaning out your damn garage, or planning a garden that, let’s face it, you knew you wouldn’t properly care for anyway, three lads from Toulouse known as Karkara (Maxime Marouani – drums and vocals, Hugo Olive – bass and synths, and Karim Rihani – guitar and vocals) were releasing an album about a man in search of an imagined utopian city somewhere in the desolate wasteland of what was modern-day civilization. That album’s title sums up the themes of the concept album, and your planned garden and the crap in your garage — All Is Dust.

The King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard comparisons are valid, as the trio unleashes a lot of wild guitar work and beats in what sound like ever-changing time signatures and discuss heavy concepts of end times and spin wild sci-fi tales. Opening track “Monoliths” is a wallop as soon as the first chord. You’ll have no idea how three guys produce that much sound. They’d be a great double-bill with King Buffalo.

Olive’s bass on “The Chase” is outstanding and the song might cause you to drain your car’s gas tank from mashing the pedal to the floor and not letting up for the next seven minutes. Jérome Bievelot‘s guest saxophone solo on this is on par with Captain Beefheart psychedelic chaos.

“On Edge” hits with doom-heavy bass riffs and drum as the protagonist in Karkara’s story is almost to the point of madness in his quest to find paradise. Rihani’s guitar solo on it is the sound of a frantic mind trying to figure out what’s happening while also struggling to avoid a slip into paranoia. “Moonshiner” has nothing to do with racing across Kentucky hillsides with illegal hooch while revenue men are chasing you, but everything to do with mesmerizing guitar work and mind-altering sounds to help you drift to the moon if you wish.

“Anthropia” is the name of the mythical city our hero has sought, and now he’s finally catching sight of it on the horizon. The song becomes a passionate race to get there, avoiding dangers the whole time. When he does finally get there, however, he discovers the title track — a blaster of a track that summarizes the hero’s rage and then determination to build on what has been destroyed.

It’s a heavy record, both in concept and riffs, and one of the fiercest I’ve heard all year.

Keep your mind open.

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[Merci à Angéla à NRV Promotion.]

Review: Blushing – Sugarcoat

Need some great shoegaze that sounds like it was unearthed from a music studio that was shuttered in 1994? Look no further than Blushing‘s excellent new album, Sugarcoat.

It’s difficult to choose a favorite track on this album, as all of it hits all the right notes. “Tamagotchi” lays down surefire guitar riffs designed to hypnotize and impress. “Seafoam” has gorgeous vocals and deceptively heavy bass while guest guitarist Jeff Schroeder sheds on it. It’s over far too soon. The choppy guitars on “Slyce” become roaring beasts in the blink of an eye while the dual vocals of Christina Carmona and Michelle Soto spin around each other like dancing ghosts.

“Silver Teeth” pushes a message of hope (“You never lost the light at all.”) while the guitars and drums just crush you. The title track’s bass riff and smoky-sunbeam vocals are intoxicating. The drums on “Fizz” hit hard and seem designed to wake you up from whatever is distracting you.

“Say When” is a song about how time tends to get away from us, while “Pull You in Two” is a solid rocker with ballad touches that would fit right into your 1990s rock playlist. “Charms” ebbs and flows with soft dreampop riffs one moment and then hits you with a deluge of fuzz the next. The album ends with “Debt,” which sends us out feeling like something cool is around the next corner, no matter how blue the day has been.

Sugarcoat is sweet in the right spots, shiny in others, and seriously savage from time to time. Give it a spin.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jaycee at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Dion Lunadon – Memory Burn

If you need a blast of frenetic garage rock, look no further than Dion Lunadon‘s newest EP, Memory Burn. Lunadon specializes in this kind of wild, near-panicked rock and roll that’s designed to make you stomp your boots or shake you out of them.

“Goodtimes”(a song about how too much of a good time usually becomes a bad time) starts with growling bass, then kicks in hammering drums, sand-blaster guitars, and fuzzy freak-out vocals. “New York” could’ve been a New York Dolls song in a previous life, and Lunadon’s love of that glam-garage band is evident throughout the track.

“Out in My World” practically throttles you from the first note as Lunadon claims that he’s “livin’ in a scam” while the guitars around him either sound like they’re on fire or being played with hand mixer. Lunadon rails about communication, or the lack thereof, on “Get Back to You,” which has some of the rowdiest riffs on the whole record.

Whereas that track might be the rowdiest, “Hollywood Blues” is the grimiest with Lunadon claiming “I lost my halo.” The EP closes with “Zenith Forever,” a raucous burner that barely leaves anything left behind when it’s over.

The whole EP is about fifteen minutes in length and feels like a high intensity aerobic workout by the time it’s done. It will burn your memory and calories.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Dion Lunadon!]

Review: Aaron Frazer – Into the Blue

What do you do when you move across the country in search of something new and also ache for what you’re leaving? If you’re modern-day soul crooner Aaron Frazer, you play practically every instrument on a new record, Into the Blue, and sing about it. Frazer moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, and it’s difficult to determine by the album’s cover if he’s standing on an east coast beach and looking toward his future, or on a west coast beach and looking at his past.

“Thinking of You” starts the album, hinting that the cover image might be of the latter. “I’m still thinking of you,” he sings as lush string arrangements and (new for him) samples of R&B soul jams surround him. The spaghetti western guitar of the title track bounces around Frazer’s falsetto like a happy bee in a meadow.

The hip hop sampling and beats on “Fly Away” are another great, new touch for Frazer. “Payback” will get you on the dancefloor, and Frazer’s drumming on it is slick. “Dime” (“Tell Me”) with Cancamusa on guest Spanish vocals is super sexy. “Perfect Strangers” isn’t the theme to the TV show of the same name, but is a gospel-influenced love song.

“Time Will Tell” brings in disco elements as Frazer sings about possibly finding love in his new environment, and probably if he’s made the right choice to switch coasts. “I Don’t Wanna Stay” seems to indicate his choice was right, or at least the best option available at the time. The song is a great, slow soul jam with snappy drums and sultry backing vocals. “Play On” is another good soul tune, and “Easy to Love” is downright groovy.

“Sad boy, you loved and lost, but you keep trying,” Frazer sings on the closing track, “The Fool,” which incorporates jazz flute with its seduction-ready bass and cool lounge guitar into an ode to unrequited love and a song of hope. It’s a cool way to end the record, with encouragement to keep at it until love arrives.

Frazer has given us another soulful, slick, sexy record, and not many are doing music like this or as well as he is right night.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Jake Xerxes Fussell – When I’m Called

I love that Jake Xerxes Fussell starts off his newest album, When I’m Called, with “Andy” – a tribute to Andy Warhol. Fussell’s simple guitar work and vocals (“You can tell Andy Warhol the ghost rider’s on his way.”) make the approach of a mysterious rider who probably brings death seem like the return of a welcome friend.

Fussell has long been a fan of traditional folk music, bluegrass, sea shanties, and field recordings of regional musicians across the country, putting his own spin on tracks that seem both new and ancient at the same time. I mean, “Cuckoo!” was originally written by the people who penned “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” and Fussell makes it sound like a modern-day folk track he just wrote.

“Leaving Here, Don’t Know Where I’m Going” is a song to which everyone can relate, which seems to be a special knack Fussell has with his singing and playing. “Feeling Day” could fit right into a mostly empty pub on a Sunday night (probably because it’s Fussell’s version of a field recording in Scotland from 1971). The title track is a wonderful track showcasing Fussell’s guitar work while Anna Jacobson‘s horns provide a soft, beautiful backdrop.

James Elkington‘s string arrangements on “One Morning in May” make the song feel like a happy bird drifting on a wind current. “Gone to Hilo” is a song of heartbreak with Robin Holcomb on backing vocals and continues a theme of travel (sometimes for pleasure, other times for necessity, and other times because it’s the only option left in an already bad situation) throughout the album.

“Who Killed Poor Robin?” is a tale of death in the animal kingdom, and an allegory of how we’re remembered after we’re gone. The album closes with its final traveling song – “Going to Georgia,” as Fussell sings about earning love and how difficult that can be when one is wounded.

The album’s cover features a young man riding on a horse while he looks back to what he’s leaving behind, so much so that his head is turned backwards. He’s leaving, but doesn’t want to leave. He doesn’t want to fully acknowledge that the only way is forward. We’re all traveling. Jake Xerxes Fussell reminds us that we’re all on the same road, really, moving toward “the stars in the sky,” as he sings in the final track. We just need to turn our heads around from a past long gone and that never truly existed. We need to go when we’re called. This doesn’t mean When I’m Called is a depressing album about death. It’s, like all of Fussell’s work, ultimately uplifting and listening to it is an opportunity to be present while you ride ahead.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]