2/10/12 Philly Synth and Louisville Punks

Got some more goodies straight from the KDVS stacks for ya! I'll start'cha off with this new wave synthpop track by Philadelphia's Girls Downstairs called "Steam Rises Off The Jungle Floor" (Burn Potential Records, 1983.) Don't forget to hit up the PLAYLIST and the STREAM for more tunes and awkward tangents.

This song comes off of the LP "I'd Rather Be In Philadelphia," a compilation of indie and new wave groups from the Philly scene. Stick it in between "Cost Of Living" by I'll Be On The Fone To You and Suzy Andrews' "Scandal" and you've got yourself half a killer female vocal-synthpop set! Then follow that up with a bit 'o early UK glam rock circa 1969: "Heartbreaker" by The Baby on Spark Records. (The only info I've found on this track, and it all came from the youtube video.) It's a song that's probably best described in a chronological sense as the bridge between English bubblegum and the glitter rock of bands like T. Rex and Gary Glitter that carried the heavier stomp** associated with glam. If you like The Sweet - especially their early stuff -  you'll enjoy this track.

**The first example of a current band I thought of that's used the instantly recognizable "glam beat" was actually The Black Keys and their song "Howlin' For You."

And now for my favorite discovery of the week... a self-released 7-inch from the early underground Louisville, Kentucky punk and new wave scene by the Babylon Dance Band.

These are them Louisvillains!

The a-side, "When I'm Home," is a super catchy number that'll have you humming the riff absentmindedly in no time while the b-side "Remains Of The Beat" will lure you in within mere seconds before ending all too soon, leaving your aural rock & roll sensors craving more driving bass and guitar riffs a la Wipers.

Babylon Dance Band - "Remains Of The Beat"


Babylon Dance Band - "When I'm Home"


Formed in 1978, the Babylon Dance Band emerged from a budding art punk scene cultivated by bands whose members had already found each other via the tight-knit microcosmic Louisville School of Art music community. Bab's guitarist Tara Key was recruited from another one of the city's first punk bands, No Fun (whose members later formed Circle X), and played a pivotal role in influencing the Bab's sound. I managed to scrounge up an interview Marion Dries conducted with Key and Bab's singer Chip Nold that aired on WFPK Radio Louisville in 2007. So if you've got a couple spare half-hours I recommend taking a listen if the songs above caught your ear. The interview is interspersed with No Fun and Babylon Dance Band material while Key and Nold detail a few anecdotes about the early punk scene, ABBA covers and the band's first gigs.
WFPK Interview Part 1
WFPK Interview Part 2

Drag City Records has reissued Babylon Dance Band's Someday/Rubbertown 7-inch and a full length of re-recorded material called Four On The Floor is available through Matador Records.

Weiners!

A little tune to celebrate my recent discovery last Thursday -- another late night dining option in Davis other than the same old drive-through or the Safeway on Covell. TheHotdogger on E Street is now open 'til midnight on Tuesday and 2am on Thursday and Friday. (That's technically Thursday night/Friday morning and Friday night/Saturday morning in case you're in 24-hour radio like me and tend to get confused.) So if you're out after midnight and don't want the usual Jack in the Crack, at least you have another option a few days outta the week besides tacos and curly fries. Seeing as The Hotdogger is only feet from Sophia's and a minute's walk from De Vere's, you can likely count on it to be the hot spot for night owls and beer munchie-plagued students. The little hole-in-the-wall weiner joint is owned and operated by the Frank family, and is always staffed with an employee more than willing to carry on a conversation about the topic of your choice (which actually makes for some very interesting eavesdropped conversations if you're waiting.) They also get their buns from Davis' Village Bakery! I just might have to visit more often. Now if only Nation's would come back with a 24 hour operating agenda -- there are thousands of hungry students with irregular sleeping patterns and hangovers in this town!

2/3/2012 Focus on the pop side

A few dulcet-sounding picks this time around. For the punker side of things check out the PLAYLIST and the STREAM.

We'll start things off with something new from Bamu Express, studio project of Sacramento local Chris Anderson. Here's "Let It Down" from his latest EP Chris Plays Koto Samples, a manipulation in sampling wizardry pulled from recordings of Japanese koto player Tadao Sawai and (what sounds like) the Hawaiian guitar work of Arthur Lyman.

Our next track is from a twin sister band out of Riverside who call themselves, fittingly enough, Summer Twins. Their recently released self-titled LP will give you a dose of dreampop that makes even tunes about heartache sound sweet. Here's a couple tracks to get you started:

The duo will be heading north next month to play the Red Devil Lounge in San Francisco on March 5. (Yours truly will likely be missing class to make the hour and a half trek to the bay to see them open for Peter Case and Paul Collins.) Fortunately the venue is only a half-block away from Bob's Donuts, one of my favorite pastry shops that also happens to be open 24 hours. (The trick is to call ahead and find out when the latest batch comes out of the oven so you don't miss out on the melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. If you get there after 1am be ready for the bar crowd line as well!)

Now for a little power pop via 1979 -- "Rock And Roll Love Letter" by The Records. The original version of this song was written and recorded by Tim Moore in 1974 and covered most famously by the Bay City Rollers. However, The Records cover beats out the Bay City Rollers for my favorite version of this song... or maybe I should say the Robert John "Mutt" Lange-produced single as they've actually done TWO versions of R&RLL! This version has Lange's telltale glam guitar sound mostly associated with his work with Deaf Leppard. Er, think "Photograph"/1983's Pyromania album if that helps, or discern with your own well-tuned ear here:

(Don't look for this version on itunes folks, it ain't there!)