Take the time to read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy if you haven’t already done so. The Road was a quick and fun read (as much as the apocalypse can be fun) and it received a ton of attention thanks to Oprah, but Blood Meridian shows off why McCarthy is held in such high esteem. The myth of the wild west fascinates me, and this book does everything it can to reveal it in all its gritty (un)glory.
Anyways, to the music. The time of year has arrived at WZBC where interns begin populating the station, insuring that another generation of student DJs will realize they know so very little about music. As a result, you’ll be hearing from my interns over the next few shows. They’ll also be selecting music for the show each week and, in general, contributing their knowledge and love of music to Laughter for at least the next month, if not longer.
The last two shows, posted below, contain mostly new music from records I’ve either enjoyed a ton over the last 10 months or that I’ve ignored for no good reason. I’m starting to think about the records I’ve liked the most this year, but each time I do so something amazing comes out and reminds me that I need to be patient. The new Fuck Buttons, for instance. It completely caught me off guard considering I wasn’t much of a fan of their last album. New releases from Kurt Vile, The Dutchess and the Duke, Pink Mountaintops, No Age, and The Twilight Sad have me equally excited. Throughout November I’m going to be thinking more about all the great music 2009 has given us. This seems like a year with an unusually high number of quality releases…
I think over the next couple of weeks I’m going to devote some of the show to one record or another. I’ll play multiple songs from that record and try to give each of my favorites a little more air time. First up will likely be Nudge, but perhaps I’ll have come up with a more coherent plan by the time Monday rolls around and thus have chosen a different band.
In any case, you’ll find a ton of new music below. Write me or leave a comment if you think there’s a record I absolutely need to hear or give my attention t0, especially if you notice it missing from either of the below broadcasts.
Until next time:
DOWNLOAD 10/26 SHOW, HOUR 1
DOWNLOAD 10/26 SHOW, HOUR 2
01. The Dutchess and The Duke “Hands” from Sunset/ Sunrise (2009) on Hardly Art
02. Magnolia Electric Co “Hope Dies Last” from Josephine (2009) on Secretly Canadian
03. Pink Mountaintops “Vampire” from Outside Love (2009) on Jagjaguwar
04. Kurt Vile “Hunchback” from Childish Prodigy (2009) on Matador
05. No Age “You’re A Target” from Losing Feeling EP (2009) on Sub Pop
06. Bear in Heaven “Fake Out” from Beast Rest Forth Mouth (2009) on hometapes
07. Digital Dance “Cleaned Mind/I’m So Shy” from Treatment (2009) on LTM
08. Mohamed Abdel Wahab “Sahara City” from Eastern Standard Time (2009) on Weltraum Disk
09. Ad Frank “Last Night Mark Eitzel Saved My Life” from Mr. Fancypants (2001) on Stop, Pop, and Roll
END OF HOUR 1
10. The Octopus Project “Crying at the Aquarium” from Identification Parade (2002) on Peek-a-boo
11. Caspian “Ghosts of the Garden City” from Tertia (2009) on The Myclene Sheath
12. Six Organs of Admittance “Jade Like Wine” from Shelter from the Ash (2007) on Drag City
13. Fuck Buttons “Surf Solar” from Tarot Sport (2009) on Atp
14. Animal Hospital “Paralarva” from S/T (2005) on Mr. Records
15. Language of Light “Double Helixes Up To Heaven” from Cortez / Language of Light (2009) on Anti-Clock
16. Zomby “Expert Tuition” from One Foot Ahead Of The Other (2009) on Ramp
17. Telefon Tel Aviv “Stay Away from Being Maybe” from Immolate Yourself (2009) on BPitch Control
18. Songs : Ohia “How To Be Perfect Men” from Axxess & Ace (1999) on Secretly Canadian
19. Calexico “Letter To Bowie Knife” from Garden Ruin (2006) on Quarterstick
20. Alec K. Redfearn and the Seizures “Isle of Swine” from Exterminating Angel (2009) on Corleone
21. The Twilight Sad “I Became a Prostitute” from Forget the Night Ahead (2009) on Fat Cat
———
DOWNLOAD 10/19 SHOW, HOUR 1
DOWNLOAD 10/19 SHOW, HOUR 2
01. Michael Hurley & Pals “The Werewolf” from Armchair Boogie (1971) on Warner Brothers
02. Six Organs of Admittance “Strangled Road” from Shelter from the Ash (2007) on Drag City
03. Michael Flower “Lake of Fire” from Open Strings (2009) on Honest Jons Records
04. Oneida “10:30 at the Oasis” from Rated O (2009) on Jagjaguwar / Brah
05. Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe “Tercirkauitaamaso” from Fazo IV: La Kvalito de Speguloj (2009) on Rainbow Body Records
06. Castanets “Dance, Dance” from Texas Rose, the Thaw & the Beasts (2009) on Asthamatic Kitty Records
07. Califone “Salt” from All My Friends are Funeral Singers (2009) on Dead Oceans
08. Foetus “Sjogren’s Syndrome” from Limb (2009) on Ectopic Ents
09. Tim Friese-Greene “Untitled 3” from 10 Sketches for Piano Trio (2009) on LTM Recordings
10. Nightmares “We Were Melded Together” from Floating Above the Tracks / We Were Melded Together (2009) on Bloodlust! / Fatal Beliefs / Malsonus
END OF HOUR 1
11. Dinosaur Jr. “I Don’t Wanna Go There” from Farm (2009) on Jagjaguwar
12. Sunn O))) “Alice” from Monoliths & Dimensions (2009) on Southern Lord
13. The Black Angels “Science Killer” from Directions to See a Ghost (2008) on Light in the Attic
14. Health “Eat Flesh” from Get Color (2009) on Lovepump United
15. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words “This Room Seems Empty Without You” from Lost in Reflection (2009) on Killer Pimp
16. Six Organs of Admittance “Saint Cloud” from School of the Flower (2005) on Drag City
17. Lichens “Tempered Restorations (Re-edit Of HOSS007)” from Tanith (2009) on Self Released CDr

Making a mix tape of good music from the 1980s is not particularly difficult. The real challenge is creating a mix that will fit on one CD and catching a significant chunk of the diversity to which those 10 years were witness. I’ve yet to put together any kind of comprehensive mix, but what you’ll find below is a sample of what I enjoy.
Steven R. Smith is one of the most fascinating guitarists and writers this country has. Along with talents like Glenn Jones, Jack Rose, and Ben Chasny, he has composed a remarkable and singular body of work grounded in the history and spirit of America (guts and all). After nearly 15 years and well over 30 albums Smith has composed one of his best records yet, one that approaches the greatness of Tableland. Economical and sharply focused, Cities plays out like the soundtrack to humanity’s slow and sad funeral.
The far off screaming of a tortured mass inaugurates Nightmares’ 7″ EP, sending a chilly wave of numbing synthesizer noise out into the world. Jonathan Canaday, David Reed, and Mark Solotroff’s work together is as severe and indomitable as the product of their solo productions might suggest. Though not as frightening as their namesake implies, Nightmares’ noise is oppressive and dense and more than a little uncomfortable.
This week there were no issues with the transmitter, but for some reason the ZBC Archives failed to record the first half of my show. Hopefully you had the chance to listen live, though. Naturally, the one show that wasn’t recorded in its entirety was one of my better shows this year. The second half has a ton of great stuff, however, so all is not lost. This week’s show features new music from Magnolia Electric Co. with Centro-Matic member Will Johnson as well as new stuff from Ganglians, Burial & Four Tet, Six Organs of Admittance, and Boston’s own Glenn Jones (pictured left, at Brainwaves 2008).