Friday, December 29, 2006

 

Life On Mars Rocks!



Physical State: gym aches
Mental State: lazy
Music: CBC Radio 3
Fashion sense: black sweatshirt, blue sweats


Life On Mars is my newest British show to check out. I have been faithfully watching every episode on Showcase here in Canada since it debuted. I think it is a really great show and I can't wait for some dvd action as well.

Life on Mars is a cop drama with a twist. Manchester police officer Sam Tyler (played expertly by John Simm) is a cop who, after having an accident, is thrown back in time to 1973. He makes his way as a cop who has all the new techniques of 2006 but must act like he's living in the 70s. His ways of working as a detective make him both an outsider (because he's so different to a cop in the 70s) but also regarded, quite reluctantly, as something of a guru among his force. Every now and then Sam get's a window into modern day when he hears a radio broadcast or has a dream. In 2006 he is in a coma and he must one day make it back.

While the concept sounds truly bizarre it works. As an outsider to 1973, Sam takes notice of the things that most people of that time would take for granted: the fashions, the music (and the soundtrack is awesome btw) as well as the outmoded ways of investigating. But at the same time he is becoming a better cop because he is humbled by his restrictions.

Set in Manchester, this BBC show is one of the coolest Brit shows to come along in a long time. I think that Showcase will be rerunning it again by next Spring. Keep your eyes open for it.

Happy new year to everyone!

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

 

My Top 40 of 2006


Physical State: cold
Mental State: groovy
Music: RadioSteven on Live365
Fashion sense: black hoodie, blue sweats


After much deliberation, constant listening, fevered whittling down and many hours of rearranging I have finally posted my favourite albums of 2006 at Live 365 (link above). In this show you'll hear two tracks from each of my favourite 40 albums of 2006. This is followed by a seasonal compilation of Christmas tunes for y'all.

Here is a list of the albums that made a difference to me in 2006 (not the order that they appear on the playlist btw). In fact there is no distinct order in the playlist, just as I saw them going together sonically. Be sure to check out this show which will be up for a month at least for you all to enjoy. While you're checking it out perhaps you can email me some of you favourites that I should check out (nothing like that year end list when you realize you missed something crucial, ha ha).

01. Ms. John Soda - Notes and the Like
02. Broadcast - Future Crayon
03. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
04. Gentlemen Losers - s/t
05. Boards of Canada - Trans Canada Highway
06. The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls In America
07. Amy Millan - Honey From The Tombs
08. I'm Not A Gun - We Think As Instruments
09. Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
10. Mojave 3 - Puzzles Like You
11. Asobi Seksu - Citrus
12. The Radio Dept. - Pet Grief
13. 120 Days - s/t
14. Joanna Newsom - Ys
15. Au Revoir Simone - Verses of Comfort, Assurance and Salvation
16. James Figurine - Mistake, Mistake, Mistake, Mistake
17. Cat Power - The Greatest
18. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
19. The Rogers Sisters - The Invisible Deck
20. Audrey - Visible Forms
21. CSS - Cansei de Ser Sexy
22. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Ballad of the Broken Seas
23. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
24. The Long Blondes - Someone To Drive You Home
25. Hot Chip - The Warning
26. Tom Waits - Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
27. Beirut - Gulag Orkester
28. The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes
29. Chad Vangaalen - Skelliconnection
30. M. Ward - Post-War
31. The Rapture - Pieces of the People We Love
32. Delta 5 - Singles and Sessions 1979-1981
33. Be Good Tanyas - Hello Love
34. The Black Angels - Passover
35. Shout Out Out Out Out - Not Saying Just Saying
36. Isan - Plans Drawn In Pencil
37. The Pink Mountaintops - Axis of Evol
38. TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
39. The Boyfriends - s/t
40. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of the Country

Thanks so much for listening. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! - Steven

 

RadioSteven #4: Nov. 25 - Dec. 12 Playlist


Here is my previous playlist for December for my station over at Live365. Check out the list above for what will appear in the new show (not in the order it's displayed).

Live365/stations/radio_Steven - Nov.25/2006

Track - Artist - Album

Music To Watch Space Girls By - Leonard Nimoy Orchestra
Future Resident - DJ Me DJ You - L'âge D'or De Tricatel
Twiggy Twiggy/Twiggy Vs. James Bond - Pizzicato Five - Made In USA
Race For The Prize (Remix) - The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
Doctor Blind - Emily Haines - Knives Don't Have Your Back
Specialist - Interpol - Interpol ep
Broken Plates - Magenta Lane - Dancing With Daggers
Headstream - Cities - s/t
Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind - Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
No Satisfaction - Black Mountain - s/t
How Can I Love You (If You Won't Lie Down) - Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers
This Year - The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
Old Fashioned Morphine - Jolie Holland - Escondida
House Of The Rising Sun - The Be Good Tanyas - Chinatown
He Stopped Loving Her Today - Knoxville Girls - s/t
In The Pines - Smog - A River Ain't Too Much To Love
Forget Marie - Lee Hazlewood - Cowboy in Sweden
Alone Again Or - Calexico - Convict Pool
Amour Fou - Vetiver - s/t
Running With You - Mojave 3 - Puzzles Like You
Trying to Find a Home - Tindersticks - Waiting for the Moon
Let's Get Out of This Country - Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country
Streets Of Your Town - The Go Betweens - 16 Lovers Lane
White Collar Boy - Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
The Coast Is Alway Changing - Maxïmo Park - A Certain Trigger
Warsaw - Joy Division - Substance 1977-1980
What Difference Does It Make? - The Smiths - s/t
Blue Boy - Orange Juice - The Glasgow School
Return The Gift - Gang Of Four - A Brief History Of The 20th Century
Jimmy Jimmy - The Undertones - The Very Best of The Undertones
No Tomorrow - The Boyfriends - s/t
Comedienne - Cinerama - Va Va Voom
Twist Barbie - Shonen Knife - Let's Knife
Locket Love - The Ramones - Rocket To Russia
White Light/White Heat - The Velvet Underground - Velvet Underground
Sparta #2 - The Fall - Real New Fall LP
K-O - Shesus - Narnack Records Is... A Fist-First Sampler Of New Music
Ping Pong Affair - The Slits - Cut
Le Pain Perdu - Cibo Matto - Viva! La Woman
Sugar Your Mind - Swallow - Blow
Baby Astrolab - Drugstore - s/t
Fait Accompli - Curve - Pubic Fruit
Play For Today - The Cure - Seventeen Seconds
Cuts You Up - Peter Murphy - Deep
Pull The Wires From The Wall - The Delgados - Peloton
Goodbye - Asobi Seksu - Citrus
Fine Friend - Pale Saints - Slow Buildings
Wide Awake - The Meeting Places - Find Yourself Along The Way
The Worst Taste In Music - The Radio Dept. - Pet Grief
Ex-Cowboy - Mogwai - Come On Die Young
The Fleeting Skies - Samara Lubelski - The Fleeting Skies
Here - Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted
When It Flows - Great Lake Swimmers - Bodies And Minds
The Greatest (eMusic Solo Version) - Cat Power - eMusic Session EP
Song For Nico - The Angels Of Light - How I Loved You
In the Drugs - Low - Trust
November Tree - Tanakh - Dieu Deuil
'Til The Death - The Places - Call It Sleep
Tiny Cities Made Of Ashes - Sun Kil Moon - Tiny Cities
Cosmia - Joanna Newsom - Ys
The Fucking Bleeding Hearts Brigade - Remote Viewer - Let Your Heart Draw A Line
Gold Dust Afternoon - The Gentlemen Losers - s/t
Where Youth And Laughter Go - Broadcast - The Future Crayon
Through the Backyards - Au Revoir Simone - Verses of Comfort, Assurance and Salvation
Grin and Bear - Lali Puna - Faking the Books
Come Out, Come Down, Fade Out, Be Gone - 120 Days - 120 Days
No. One - Ms. John Soda - Notes And The Like
55566688833 - James Figurine - Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake
Sheltered Life - Erlend Oye - Unrest
Eple - Röyksopp - Melody A.M.
Get The Balance Right (Combination Mix) - Depeche Mode - Remixes 81-04
Blue Monday - New Order - Substance
Mondo '77 - Looper - The Geometrid
Disconnected - Funkstörung - Disconnected
Solo Buttons for Joe Meek - Matmos - The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast
Recording A Tape… (Typewriter Duet) - Bell Orchestre - Recording A Tape The Colour Of The Light
Turbo Dreams - Ellen Allien & Apparat - Orchestra of Bubbles
On My Mind - Colder - Heat
Wheneveryouready - Clickits - Express Gifts
Twentytwofourteen - The Album Leaf - In a Safe Place
Lilac Wine (The Album Leaf Remix) - Nina Simone - Verve Remixed 3
As Far As Forever Goes - I'm not a Gun - We Think As Instruments
Lonely Lonely (Frisbee'd Mix) - Feist - Open Season
As Serious as Your Life (Remix) - Four Tet - Remixes
Swarming - Efterklang - Tripper
Saturday Afternoon Plans - I Am Robot And Proud - The Catch
Pae Paoe - Bola - Fyuti
Da. Viromint - Proem - Socially Inept
Monster - Piana - Snow Bird
Triton - Loscil - Submers
Sun Drugs - Stars of the Lid - The Ballasted Orchestra

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