It's my birthday and I'll slack if I want to.

Yeah, yeah, yeah... I've been busy all week eating $1000 sundaes (video coming soon), preparing for my birthday party tonight and packing for the upcoming Florida trip, so I really haven't had time to update until today. Poor Paul (the anglophile) was carjacked at gunpoint in his neighborhood, so he hasn't been home to update either (I swear his life is a sitcom gone all wrong). We're just a messy bunch. But... I wanted to get some good finds in before I got too drunk and took flight for a few days. Hope you enjoy 'em!


Pop Levi sounds like he stepped straight out of 1976 into 2006 after being stuck in a smoking den since the sixties. That probably sounds better in my head than it does through your eyes, but I think I got a contact high from his music. I really enjoy bands that can recreate that nostalgic sound without glossing it up too much for the airwaves (other past favorites have included Ideal Free Distribution). I also find this guy oddly attractive, like the weirdo all your friends warn you about. Hey, he can pop my levis anytime...

Yes, I'm well aware of how tacky that was. Now watch this video for "Blue Honey":


From Blue Honey EP:
Blue Honey
Mornin' Light



Another great find are the lovely San Franciscoans (San Franians? San Franciscanites? San Franks? Which one is right?) of LoveLikeFire. Ann Yu has a voice sometimes similiar to Lush circa Lovelife, but it doesn't quite stick there. It's just the first thing that struck me when listening to "Bulletproof". And I have to tell you, I have a soft spot for talented bands fronted by cute girls. Don't we all?

From Bed Of Gold EP:
Radio Nurse
Bulletproof
+ Myspace

Who rocks the data?

I have recently developed a strong crush on Norway's Datarock. Although apparently they've already been written about on many blogs that I love, I'm just getting ear of it. Sometimes it's just too hard to keep up. But back to Datarock... upon first listen of "Fa-Fa-Fa", I was convinced that Talking Heads' David Byrne had gotten together with ESG or maybe The Rapture and created a side project to blow our minds. Don't support the Byrne reference? Then listen to "Sex Me Up". The songs are wonderfully catchy and sometimes funny on top of the fun (i.e. "Nightflight To Uranus"... the song title initiates a childish giggle in me). I'm really looking forward to hearing more of Datarock.

Listen:
Fa-Fa-Fa
Fa-Fa-Fa (Fa-Fa-Fast & Furious Discomix)
Sex Me Up
Princess (Morgan Z Remix)
Nightflight To Uranus

Watch:
Both this song and video are adorably cute, especially for us geeks. The twist of Grease's "Summer Nights" lyrics into a nerdy computer camp love story is genius.

Datarock - Computer Camp Love
Befriend:
+ Myspace

- LB

All Over the Map!

Another week, and another round of tunes. This week we're literally all over the map. We're in the UK, we're in New York, we're in Scandanavia, we're everywhere. Oh the joys of the internets! Thank you Al Gore.

First up on our passport free journey is New York's weirdest Klezmer band! Golem as defined by the dictionary is part of Jewish Folklore. It is a figure artificially constructed in the form of a human being and endowed with life. Golem the band is far from artificial. In fact they're one of the most interesting bands in New York. They're quite the wacky cool little Klezmer band that doesn't take itself to seriously, yet somehow they manage to honor traditional music. Golem are very entertaining to say the least.
Golem - The Rent

Next up is Favourite Sons who come to us from New York via Ireland. Powered by the commanding voice and lyrics of Ken Griffin (Rollerskate Skinny), Favourite Sons create slightly dramatic deeply thoughtful pop that might make your heart skip a beat or your mind wonder back to lost romance. Take Nick Cave mix him with the Tindersticks and there you go. It's moving stuff to say the least and while it might not catch you right off the bat, Favourite Sons' songs will drill themselves into you.
Favourite Sons - Round Here

Continuing our hop around the globe, Scanners comes to us from the UK. Here's a band that harks back to the days when spiky girly pop ruled the scene in the UK. Sleeper, PJ, Elastica, Hopper, Fluffy, you remember the names, and remember the songs. Well here's a band attempting to carry on the legacy. Truth be told, they don't do such a bad job.
Scanners - Joy

Finally hailing from Norway comes the rather tripped out, spaced out, not of this earth 120 Days. Must be something about the frozen tundra that makes this band lust for the heavens. Channeling the ghosts of Spacemen 3 through their guitars like musical soothsayers, 120 Days are most definitely on the verge of something so huge the galaxy might not be able to contain it!
120 Days - Keep On Smiling

Well there you have it, all the culture you can cram in four paragraphs and spend $0. Enjoy!

Paul the global anglophile

Going Underground

Not every band has a deal. In fact some bands don't even have a demo. That's where we come in. We get email. LOTS of email. Every nook and cranny of our addresses are loaded w/notes from bands all over who want their stuff heard. Some of it is absolute crap and some of it is actually good. So being the good filters that we are here at Who Needs Radio... here are the latest bands to have made it through are extra fine and stingy filter and deserve a listen. Enjoy, and when you see them driving around in their Escalades you can tell your friends... to quote MTV... you heard them here first.

First up is The Prayers. Before they ever played a show, the Prayers had received offers of sex and death threats via myspace.com. But, because three members of the band are in the Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower, sex and violence can be expected. The Prayrs are a garagey surfy rough and ready group that write infectious tunes that no vaccine can stop.
The Prayers - USA

Can electro be twee? If you're Recorder it sure can. Sounding like Twiggy from Buck Rogers stuck in an Africa Bambaataa song, Recorder clang and pop their way through a synthesized space odyssey. It's a bit Console, its a bit dark, it's a bit strange, but it's cool because it's so bizarre. When the Great Robot War happens, this could very well be the 'bots theme song.
Recorder - Collide

All the way from Denmark comes Skywriter DK. Not the best name in the world, but then you hear this tune and you're like, "All is forgiven." It's a dark, gritty, bass led treat that prods its way around the streets of New York. It reminds me of the old Jack, or maybe even Long Fin Killie run through St. Nick? Who knows where it all comes from it's just good stuff.
Skywriter -New York

Finally, sounding something like a band stuck in the late 70's comes a band actually from the late 70's. Behold The Student Teachers. A band so underground that only now nearly 30 years after they released their first single have I heard it! Sounding something like Orange Juice or the Monochrome Set if they lived in Los Angeles, The Student Teachers play jangly, post punky, pop that harks back to when music was pure and good and most importantly FUN.
Student Teachers - Invitation To

Until next time...enjoy!

Paul the anxious Anglophile

Guest Contributor: Mark Palgy (VHS or Beta)

I'd like to start by saying that being in the music business has totally de-mystified a lot of the magic that I felt about records and songs when I was a young lad. Being a kid, you just listen to stuff without any sort of prejudgment or cynicism and everything sounds new and wondrous. Lately, when I hear new bands I can't help but play the reference game; "they sound like so and so meets bowie meets so and so." I critique production styles; the drums sound like shit, but they're doing that on purpose to sound "authentic." I think to myself, "Psh, they wouldn't be where they are if they didn't get asked to go on tour with so and so." But before you call me a "hater" or a snob, believe me, there were and still are times when a band or song comes along that totally blindsides me and I'm transported back to being a stupid 14 year old listening to my walkman on the schoolbus not believing what's coming out my headphones. It's few and far-between, but it happens.

A friendly Lady Byrd asked me to make a playlist for her website; since we agreed that our opinions are the most important opinions in the universe... I happily obliged. I'll probably look back on this list and laugh someday, but these are some tunes (in no particular order) that I think are pretty spectacular at the moment.

1. Mew - The Zookeeper's Boy:
This band was introduced to me by my best friend (as most bands are) and I didn't know what to think at first. I find that's often a good sign, as I usually initially dislike the bands I end up worshipping later. This song is bizarre, beautiful and layered. I had the good fortune of hearing this song on a day where summer was ending and everyone could feel fall coming. I know, I know....is it getting gay in here?

2. Flaming Lips - Vein of Stars:
I saw these guys for the first time at Lollapallooza last August. I've been a fan for quite sometime, but never had the opportunity to see them until then. The sun was setting and Wayne Coyne was getting into his huge balloon about to surf over the crowd. They shot confetti, streamers, and blow-up dolphins into the crowd as they opened with "Race for the Prize." It was spectacular. They played "Vein of Stars" in the middle of the set and it just floored me.

3. Liars - A Visit from Drum:
Really the entire "Drums Not Dead" record is amazing, but this tune caught me offguard. It's really hypnotic and spooky. I hear these guys are into witchcraft and stuff.

4. The Rapture - The Devil:
My best friend and I agree on most things when it comes to music, however, we have a huge rift when it comes to The Rapture. Despite seeing a few lackluster live shows by these guys (disappointing since everyone and their mother always talk about how AMAZING they are live), I always seem to enjoy their records. I like how they can pull off a certain irreverance and have a such a carefree quality. I mean, the chorus of the song is "Heeee.....Ahhhh ooh ahhhh!" But for some reason, I feel like their disco-y-ness is honest and they may truly not give a fuck.

5. Soulwax - NY Excuse:
These guys invented the mashup. Their live shows are legendary. This tune has an AWESOME buildup with an even better payoff at the end. This one satifies the rockers who are still afraid to dance.

6. Justice - Waters of Nazareth:
I tend to disagree with most of France's politics, but FUCK they know how to make dance music. I saw Justice at WMC last year in Miami. I am lucky enough to have witnessed an actual beginning of a new movement and seeing people either freaking out or scratching their heads not really knowing what just hit them.

7. ELO - Don't Bring Me Down:
This summer was my summer of ELO. That's all.

8. Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt:
I worship this record. So psychedelic and strange. It's amazing how catchy the songs are despite how unconventionally they are written. Reminds me of a certain someone I miss.

9. Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancin':
I'm a huge fan of disco, whether it's radio bubblegum or weird Giorgio Moroder-esque underground gems. This song starts off like an ELO song, then immediately switches gears into a 4 on the floor party anthem about not really wanting to party. This band writes great songs. Maybe someday they'll find success (haha).

10. Uffie - Ready to Uff:
Bad rapping, awesome beats, lots of talking about fucking. She's so little and cute, it's a bit unnerving to hear her talk about someone waking up with a "burning coochie."

- Mark

Thanks to Jerry Seinf... I mean Mark of VHS or Beta for putting together this playlist for WNR and it's readers. And very quickly at that.

For all you Los Angeles folk, the VHS or Beta Dee-Jays (Mark & Craig) will be doing a 2 hour set at the Detour Music Festival this coming Saturday. There are a lot of great bands playing the festival, so there's a small chance I may be there. If you're lucky and aren't on the opposite coast like me, I'd definitely recommend you plop down the 35 bucks just to see Beck, !!!, Blonde Redhead and Of Montreal perform.

- LB