TRAFFIK SCHOOL W/PROFESSOR PANCAKE: A FOCUS ON STEPHIN MERRITT – TODAY AT 2 P.M. (PST)
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After introducing the TRAffIK School Students (also known as “Listeners”) to Thrash Metal in his last episode, the re-broadcast of “The Rise of Thrash Metal (original broadcast date: Friday the 13th 5/13/11)” on http://intraffikradio.com. Professor Pancake changes up the tone with his latest episode of TRAffIK School.
This week’s re-broadcast focuses on Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields, the 6ths, Gothic Archies, Future Bible Heroes) (Original Air Date: 5/27/11)
Stephin Merritt created and played principal roles in the bands, The Magnetic Fields, The 6ths, The Gothic Archies, & Future Bible Heroes. Under his own name, he also recorded and released the soundtracks to the films “Eban and Charley” and “Pieces of April,” and penned the music and lyrics for a 2009 Off-Broadway stage musical of “Coraline”, based on the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman.
For more info about Stephin Merritt, visit www.houseoftomorrow.com or check out the documentary, “Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields”, which premiered in March 2010.
Playlist:
- The Magnetic Fields – “Strange Powers”
- The Magnetic Fields – “Born on a Train”
- The Magnetic Fields – “100,000 Fireflies”
- Tracey Thorn and Jens Lekman – “Yeah! Oh Yeah!” (Magnetic Fields cover)
- The 6ths (featuring Dean Wareham of Luna) –”Falling Out of Love (With You)”
- The 6ths (featuring Sally Timms of the Mekons) – “Give Me Back My Dreams”
- Future Bible Heroes – “I’m a Vampire”
- The 6ths (featuring Gary Numan) – “The Sailor in Love With the Sea”
- Astrud – “With Whom to Dance (Magnetic Fields cover)”
- Mary Lou Lord – “I Don’t Want to Get Over You (Magnetic Fields cover, live)”
- The Magnetic Fields – “Two Characters in Search of a Country Song”
- Bodies of Water – “I Don’t Believe in the Sun (Magnetic Fields cover)”
- The Gothic Archies – “Things Are Not What They Appear”
- The Gothic Archies– “Shipwrecked”
- Superchunk – “100,000 Fireflies” (Magnetic Fields cover)
- The 6ths (featuring Georgia Hubley from Yo La Tengo) – “Movies in My Head”
- Stephin Merritt – “Forever and a Day”
DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: Various Artists ‘Adventureland’
The marketing campaign for this movie lied to me! It wasn’t the fun loving goofball comedy that I was expecting. Instead the movie was full of broken hearts, broken homes, and broken promises. I was bamboozled! I’m guessing it tested poorly so the studio decided to do some re-shoots, adding in the multiple punches to the groin that were peppered throughout the movie. I lost count but there were at least five separate fist to balls in there. Comedy Gold. Needless to say I was a bit letdown by the movie. Even still I gave this movie three stars in my netflix account…. all based solely on the power of the kick ass soundtrack. Top to bottom it is chock full of goodness. The true test of a soundtrack’s skill is if it effortlessly blends the obvious hits (“Your Love,” “Just Like Heaven,” “Rock Me Amadeus”) with some lesser known neglected songs (I’m in Love With a Girl, Modern Love, Don’t Want to Know if You Are Lonely”. It’s like making a killer mix tape. You want to rope them in with something they know, then when you have them entranced with a sense of security and familiarity you drop the knowledge on them. Two people in film today stand out in my eyes for soundtrack mix tape building: Tarantino and Cameron Crowe. Their consistent mixing excellence makes them the measuring sticks for all other Hollywood mix tape makers. Whoever worked on Adventureland’s mix is now right up there with them. The movie single handedly made me go home and download a few albums I probably already should have had: (more…)
Siria Recommended: Breakfast at Sulimay’s
As I was driving back into town yesterday, I tuned into NPR’s “All Things Considered,” which is one of my not-so-guilty pleasures, and was highly amused and intrigued by the focus of their segment: Breakfast at Sulimay’s.
Breakfast at Sulimay’s: The backbooth at Sulimay’s (a Fishtown diner in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is where three senior citizen diner regulars – (Bill Able, Ann Bailey and Joe Walker) turned-music critics blurt out what comes to their heads while listening to new music. From their videos I see that they’ve “reviewed” Ghostface Killah, Animal Collective, Yo La Tengo, Raphael Saadiq, Coldwar Kids, Common, The Ting Tings, Kings of Leon, Young Jeezy, etc.
It appears they’ve been at it for at least most of this year, with over 25 YouTube episodes under their belt. Aside from that NPR segment, they’ve been featured on Pitchfork, Philadelphia Weekly, Stereogum, etc.
Some of the stuff they blurt out reminds me of the stuff my parents used to say about some of the music my brother and I used to play around the house, “How can you even understand what they’re saying?!“
You know, with as many music aficionados that I’m surrounded by I could definitely see some of them as this trio personified in their old age.
If you have time to kill, you should definitely check this out. Click here for a little more background on the trio and the show.