KUCI 88.9FM in Irvine - New in the KUCI Music Library / October 6, 2008

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New in the KUCI Music Library / October 6, 2008
October 6, 2008

by: Sam Farzin, KUCI Music Director

Marnie Stern - This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That [Kill Rock Stars]
This is awesome. This is so awesome. Remember how when Marnie's last album came out you thought it was gnarly and shred-city but maybe not totally mature 100% honed in? Okay well. This is 100% mature. Marnie Stern shreds like nobody's business, juicing the pop out of abrasive and relentless riffing. AND SHE SINGS TOOOOOO and it is awesome. Zach Hill pounds the drums as well, of course. Man she is so awesome. This blurb sucks but this album is amazing. Make it number 1.

Castanets - City Of Refuge [Asthmatic Kitty]
This dude has a beard, and plays mildly-freaky folk. Get it. Anyway. This album is way different then the last one which was added late last year. The second track is just like....synth droning. That's not to say that there aren't good amounts of guitar-and-throat workouts. Mr. Raposa just seems to have broadened his pallete with this release.

Karl Blau - Nature's Got Away [K]
Karl Blau seems like such a nice guy. I would probably want to befriend him. He releases a lot of music. It seems like he is a genuine type, like he needs to make music to live. Something more than a musician but without the trappings of 'artiste.' In any case, here we have a collection of poppy nuggets that are filled with loose and loud drums, casiotones, and a whole slew of instrumentation that never feels contrived or forced for the sake of provocation.

Pretty & Nice - Get Young [Hardly Art]
The album art on this one is filled with sorta cartoon-y girls being goddamn pumped as heck for something. The record is pretty happy. Lots of start-stop instrumentation, but not for the sake amelody (I just invented a word) or dissonance but instead for fun. Exciting music that is totally accessible. Take that, Wolf Eyes!!! (Just kidding, no one likes Wolf Eyes [Just kidding, no one likes accessible music {Just kidding, no one likes music}]).

Antony & The Johnsons [Secretly Canadian]
Antony's voice stirs something in me that I can't quite pinpoint but I don't like it at all (that weird uneasiness that it stirs in me). This is probably because I don't like being sad. Also, I have no idea what genre this is. It is very....Broadway. I put it in Rock-A because, man, Antony rocks. Wait what. (This is an EP).

Department Of Eagles - In Ear Park [4AD]
Remember Grizzly Bear? First some of them had this band, in college. This album seems to be a sort of change of pace--from what I recall, it sounds a lot more like Grizzly Bear than it does older Dept. of Eagles. Which makes sense, because when you are in one band for a longer time and that becomes pretty famous you are probably going to feel more comfortable playing with that vocabulary. What?

LAKE - Oh, The Places We'll Go [K]
Poppy, boy/girl vox, catchy-as-f AND on K Records? Can this go wrong?

Holly Golightly And The Brokeoffs - Dirt Don't Hurt [Transdreamer]
Holly Golightly is cool, and British. She used to be in an all-girl garage punk band. She has a good voice. "The Brokeoffs" is a misnomer, because there is only one other person in the band. "Holly Golightly And The Brokeoff" sounds bad though. And less mysterious, and more accurate. This has that cool Tom Waits-y type instrumentation, but it doesn't sound canned. No can openers! Like Baja Fresh. I swear I'm not high.

Japanese Motors - Japanese Motors [Vice]
This band played at KUCI a few months ago. I was pretty impressed. Like, if someone has to sing the song of Cali-for-nai-ay and the 4-0-5(ay), sorta-jangly guitars and all, it might as well be Japanese Motors. They're local cats, too! This might be on KROQ soon. Enjoy it while it lasts (or don't).

Young Widows - Old Wounds [Temporary Residence]
KUCI is a great thing. Every week, we get SO many CDs. This allows me (Sam Farzin, M.D.) to pick adds that run the genre gamut. Do you like that great late 80s/early-to-mid 90s (stoner) rock/metal (but not) no-wave, (post-[post-])punk sound? Play this. I am looking at the Jesus Lizard and Melvins. I am looking at Matt Buga and George Rosales.

Pas Chic Chic! - Au Contraire [Semprini]
This is in the language of love (that's French). It has that Serge Gainsbourg sound, but also it is pretty varied across. It comes from fake France (Montreal).

Palms - It's Midnight In Honolulu [Rare Book Room]
When we got this, I thought it was a band I knew. Turns out there are two bands called Palms. Sucks. But, this CD is pretty great--girl vox over airy and sort of sparse (like, in a big room so the sounds can reverberate) instrumentation. Pretty unique (sort of like Hecuba, but more real sounding).

Rainbow Arabia - The Basta [Tiny Man/Manimal Vinyl]
This band sometimes feels like a one-trick pony. It is hard to judge such a thing when they have just a handful of tracks to their name. I feel like, if every day were Saturday Night, and everybody (in the world) went to a club (big Club), this would be the dance music. It is wildly ethnic (mostly middle-eastern). It is sample-heavy. It is preeeeeetty bangin. This band is from Los Angeles.

Golden Error - Golden Error [Shandi]
This band has a naked baby on their " class="fb_share_button" onclick="return fbs_click()" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none;">Share