MOG - watchbatteries's Posts

Presenting: the weekly Pretentious Pitchfork Poll

watchbatteries — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:12:42 GMT

As a fan of college football, I get worked up over polls. They can make or break your team's status. My school, Virginia Tech, finally got back in to the Top 25 this week following a victory over Nebraska. I feel this should be applied to music review site Pitchfork and their end of the year poll. I know you hate Pitchfork, think it's pretentious, and is in no way a barometer of "taste". Except when it is, and you need the concert dates. I've based the poll off of a few parameters 1) Garnering an 8.0 or higher, 2)name recognition and 3)total fucking guessing. The list takes into account records that were reviewed through the time of this writing (12:38 Eastern time, Tuesday, or Monday's Conan episode)

10. Lil Wayne-Tha Carter III This year's Clipse record, but from their enemy. Weezy's crossed over into P4k territory, and this album has universal acclaim. Score: 8.7

9. The Mae Shi-HLLLYH Smell scene stuff is in style this year. Starting with last year's debut from HEALTH, the LA noise venue's acts have made a definite impact. The Mae Shi-the most fun-loving of the bunch-have one of the lowest scoring acts on the top 10, but were celebrated in the earlier part of the year. Score: 8.1

8. Why?-Alopecia I love this record. It's my album of the year, and P4k's love affair with Yoni this year is only matched with their love for Britt Daniel. Yoni's lyrics and the band's innovative sound have made one gem. Score: 8.2

7. Fuck Buttons-Street Horrsing The first proper debut to make the top 10, from this English noise duo. Abrasive as fuck (heh), with one of the loudest live shows you'll see. Challenging music returns. Score:8.6

6. M83-Saturdays=Youth Anthony Gonzalez loves John Hughes more than anyone should. So, he decided to make the soundtrack no one asked him to make. It's full of synths, of course, but pretty damn good. Score:8.5

5. Fleet Foxes-Fleet Foxes Bands from Seattle are supposed to be loud, or in the new era of Sub Pop, poppy. Fleet Foxes are a folk-inspired rock group with the most enchanting vocal melodies of the past decade. It's charming music that will either enchant you or make you fall asleep (I mean that in a nice way). Score: 9.0

4.No Age-Nouns This album tied for the highest score this year on Pitchfork, but that may not be enough for this Smell scene duo's Sub Pop debut. No Age are the heirs apparent to Sonic Youth, alternating random noise compositions with left-field pop songs. The album is damn good, but maybe lacking in widespread appeal. Score:9.2

3. Vampire Weekend-Vampire Weekend I really don't want to talk about this band. There are several reasons not to, but everyone loves them! They make poppy pop poppy pop pop with Peter Gabriel, too! Peter Gabriel, too! Score: 8.8

2. Portishead-Third Well, we haven't heard a new My Bloody Valentine record yet, so here's Portishead. On their, ahem, third album, they've brought back a loyal fanbase. People love them, and rightfully so. Score: 8.8

1. TV On the Radio-Dear Science, In 2006, TV on the Radio's majestic Return to Cookie Mountain finished at number 2 on Pitchfork's list to The Knife. While The Knife are cool and all, do you really hear people talking about them like TVOTR? The new album is solid, and a step in a different direction. TVOTR tied for highest score with No Age, and this album is too damn good not to be number 1. Score: 9.2

Also Receiving Votes: Titus Andronicus-The Airing of Grievances (8.6), Cut Copy-In Ghost Colours (8.8)

Yet to be Released/Reviewed: Deerhoof-Offend Maggie, Deerhunter-Microcastle, Of Montreal-Skeletal Lamping

Put your votes in the comments below. This list will change from week-to-week, and will reflect any votes.

About that Kanye album...

watchbatteries — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 02:06:32 GMT

...apparently it might be titled "808s & Heartbreak". I wonder why it would be released the week before Christmas-typically death for any artist's sales. Big ups to SOMB.

Is this Kanye's new album?

What was that?

watchbatteries — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:12:56 GMT

Kanye might be suffering from depression.

While Mr. West is without a doubt one of the biggest musical acts that in this decade, he certainly could have some personal demons to face. He's grown from producing classic cuts for Jay-Z, to producing a classic debut and a well-respected discography. The sound was uniquely Ye though.

He had a swagger about his rap, clever lyricsim you could count on, and a certain sense of humor when it came to singles like "The New Workout Plan" and "Stronger". His self-doubt was there in "Can't Tell Me Nothing", his spiritualism in "Jesus Walks", and his sense of issues in the remix of "Diamonds from Sierra Leone". He covered a wide range of topics, but damn it was interesting.

Sometime this week, there was word that Kanye would be performing a new song at the VMAs. Hell, there might be a new album this year! It was the only reason for me to tune in, really. Of course, he ended up being the closer.

It's a dark shot, a wide-sweeping one to Kanye. He's framed at what looks to be a waist shot, and it's just him, at the microphone. He starts singing the hook, or what I think is the hook-but damn, it's the...verse? The hook comes in, and there's a long line of drummers behind him. They play on large timpanis when Kanye brings in the hook, nonchalantly saying "Keep your love locked down". But...there's no rapping.

For someone who is branded as a rapper, and worked hard to overcome the producer label, this is an odd career move for West. "Love Lockdown" features no rapping whatsoever, and his performance lacked energy. It's as if Ye decided that he needed to listen to Elliott Smith or a similar artist associated with depression and make a song. It's a love song, but a sad one all the same. It makes me think that something's going wrong with him, seriously.

Here's hoping for a great album.

the only VMA guide necessary

watchbatteries — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:31:08 GMT

MTV runs their VMAs every year, and this year, even indie kids like myself have a reason to watch. That one reason is a performance from Black Lips, King Khan and The Shrines, and Deerhunter. Fantastic. Here are the will and should wins.

Video of the Year

Nominees

Chris Brown-"Forever", Jonas Brothers "Burnin' Up", Pussycat Dolls, "When I Grow Up", Britney Spears, "Piece of Me", The Ting Tings "Shut Up and Let Me Go"

Should: This category gets worse with each year. I feel obliged to let The Ting Tings sort-of ripoff of "Seven Nation Army" because of the Art Direction.

Will: Since this shit is voted on these days, let's just go with the Jonas Brothers. Why the hell is their bodyguard in a song?

Best Male Video

Nominees:

Chris Brown "With You", Flo Rida f. T-Pain "Low", Lil Wayne f. Static Major "Lollipop", T.I. "No Matter What", Usher f. Young Jeezy, "Love in this Club"

Should: "Love in this Club" for the production that reminds me of fuck buttons, Jeezy's odd-as-hell verse, and some art direction.

Will: Weezy, for the simple fact people like him.

Best Female Video

Nominees:

Mariah Carey, "Touch My Body"; Katy Perry, "I Kissed a Girl"; Rihanna, "Take a Bow"; Jordin Sparks w/Chris Brown, "No Air"; Britney Spears, "Piece of Me"

Should: Mariah Carey is still good. Her video is the "cute not clever" that's en vogue with society, but it's the best of the nods.

Will: Perry. She kissed a girl! It tasted like chapstick!

Best New Artist

Nominees:

Miley Cyrus, "7 Things"; Katy Perry, "I Kissed a Girl"; Jordin Sparks w. Chris Brown, "No Air"; Taylor Swift "Teardrops on My Guitar"; Tokio Hotel, "Ready, Set, Go!"

Should: Gah. This category is unbelievably bad. I'll just go with uh... Sparks and Brown. Odd to see Swift there.

Will: Miley has the Jonas voting bloc down, so expect her "10 Things I hate About You"-inspired screed to take home the crown.

Best Pop Video

Nominees

Danity Kane, "Damaged"; Jonas Brothers "Burnin' Up"; Panic At the Disco, "Nine in the Afternoon"; Britney Spears "Piece of Me"; Tokio Hotel, "Ready, Set, Go!"

Should: After getting simpler with their songwriting, and listening to Sgt. Pepper's, it's Panic at the Disco. I still don't like these guys, but at least they've gone to bearable.

Will: Jonas Brothers, who all play guitar. Guys, learn to play drums and bass.

Best Rock Video

Nominees

Fall Out Boy f. John Mayer "Beat It"; Foo Fighters "The Pretender", Linkin Park, "Shadow of the Day", Paramore "Crushcrushcrush"; Slipknot, "Psychosocial"

Should: The Foos have the simplest visual approach, and have written the same album since There is Nothing Left to Lose. So, I'll throw a curve and give it to Paramore (too bad they couldn't submit "That's What You get", it's a better song)

Will: FOB. They have the internet presence of the Jonas kids, but they're so much more emo.

Best Hip-Hop Video

Nominees

Mary J. Blige, "Just Fine"; Lupe Fiasco f. Matthew Santos "Superstar"; Flo Rida ft. T-Pain, "Low", Lil' Wayne f. Static Major "Lollipop"; Kanye West f. Chris Martin, "Homecoming"

Should: It's a toss-up between the two Chicago MCs. "Superstar" was one of the better tracks from The Cool, "Homecoming" has a nice little piano feel. I'll go with Lupe.

Will: Weezy can make a lot of sales, and probably votes.

Best UK Video

Nominees

Coldplay "Violet Hill"; Duffy, "Warwick Ave"; Estelle f. Kanye West "American Boy";Leona Lewis "Bleeding Love"; The Ting Tings, "Shut Up and Let Me Go"

Should: My VOTY picks, The Ting Tings are quite possibly the weakest band in this new strange category. I'm going with Estelle, because Ye's verses are fantastic, and the song is great.

Will: Coldplay, because they have the name recognition.

I doubt anyone really cares about any of this, but it's gotta have substance for someone. Technical shit tomorrow. Weigh in with your picks in the comments. Find nominees here.

this week's article

watchbatteries — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:07:12 GMT

Mixtape shit. Also!

Turn your interweb box to www.wuvt.vt.edu/listenlive Thursday at 6PM for The Specialist Show. I'm on it.

http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/2008/07/30/twelve_must-have_summer_songs

another album review for the paper, hell yes

watchbatteries — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 02:50:09 GMT

yeahhhhh man.

also, that new TV on the Radio album is either gonna be awesome or suck. It can't just be "this one isn't as good as Desperate Youth or Cookie Mountain".

oh shit.

watchbatteries — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:02:45 GMT

http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/2008/07/16/review_stay_positivebuilds_on_earlier_success

Low content, high on fun. Or a meme.

watchbatteries — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:16:41 GMT

This is a meme that I believe I've done before, and that I took from my friend Phil's facebook. I have some instrumental stuff, so that gets skipped.

Step 1: Put your music player on shuffle.

Step 2: Post the first line from the first 50 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing.

Step 3: Strike through the songs when someone guesses both artist and track correctly.

Step 4: For those who are guessing -- looking the lyrics up on a search engine is CHEATING!

BONUS: Points to anyone who can complete the next line of the song.

1. (Chorus) Power and equality, and I'm out to get it

2. If you think that a kiss is on the lips, c'mon, you've got it all wrong man

3. (Chorus) I'm so sick because I'm infected, but I don't need a medic

4. And It feels Like It won't come off

5. God, what a mess, on the ladder of success

6. Hi Mom and Dad, I guess my schedule's going to be like this for the next seven months or so

7. The State. The Church. The Plans. The Waste.

8.Wash away what we create.

9. Climes, they heat me with deciet

10. Got a lot of questions for me

11. What a difference a day makes

12. Things have changed, but we're still __

13. Too much ___ Driving Late at Night

14. I smell like time (good people)

15. Who came along for the ride?

16. I've been waiting, I've been waiting for this moment all my life

17. You Don't have to deal with the dealers, let your boyfriend deal with the dealers

18. You Compromise once or twice, but you made yourself a promise

19. Don't get any big ideas

20. I am the last person you can call

21. If Only I could clear my eyes

22.We ain't going to the town

23. When we walked in, we were all alone

24. Hi, I'm 17 and my name is ___

25. I don't know just where I'm going

26. Don't wanna work in a building downtown

27. How are things on the West Coast?

28. It's whatcha all been waiting for ain't it, i what people pay paper for ain't it?

29. Ride it out in the mezzanine

30. I'm at a party with a girl I slept with

31. You just lost a __

32. She's always funny in the morning

33. There's nothing like the dealer's feeling (what beat is this originally from?, get bonus)

34. think about what you've got compared to what I've got and whaddya think my girl wants

35. Six Six Six am on the weekend, she's creeping out of the east end

36. _, Wake up Mr __, Mr Fresh, by himself he's so impressed

37. Here comes the __, and the waves down by the shore

38. I can't sing it strong enough, cause that kind of strength I just don't have

39.I hear my angel mounted baby

40.Wipe the blood from you lip, With the flesh of your hand

41. __ to fall in love

42. Plane driver, the forces against you

43. I feel uptight when I walk in the city

44. Something for the rag and bone man

45.All the lights we were

46. I spend my evenings alone talking to your picture

47. Hollywood cops shoot each other in bed

48. Anything she wants, everything she thinks just died tonight

49. There is no castration fear

50. A heart that's full up like a landfill

probably won't strike anything...go!

Life. On the back row.

watchbatteries — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:26:52 GMT

Summer in a college town is a unique thing. Half of the season, the streets are empty, with a sense of a community or some other motivational poster bullshit. The other half is filled with what can be best described as working tourists, usually students and professionals who gather around the campus for random conferences, and larger events like student orientation.

Student orientation at a large state university such as Virginia Tech is vital. It can make or break what school some students will go to, and acts as the bridge between high school and college for new freshmen. While they're being fed University-fed rhetoric about shit they'll probably never do, I'm trying to sell my brand.

My brand is College Media, the name we call the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, Inc. I could go on, but I'll spare you. The media companies are hard to sell. Between myself and the Yearbook editor, we're not good at talking to people. Such a fact is odd, since I can talk for days on end. Hopefully we get some more people interested in the station tomorrow (by the way, if you'd like to donate to WUVT-FM, message me for info. We're doing a transmitter upgrade, and it costs a pretty penny. Help us out!).

At night, I'm working a job I'm not enjoying. I do what I did all of spring semester, but with different professors. It's a mock lecture to explain a large class to kids who aren't used to it. Sometimes it's good, but honestly, the whole job itself isn't working out. Doing the Life on the Front Row series is ok, but I need something more fulfilling.

No Age's Nouns has been in my car's CD player nonstop, and it's a fucking fantastic album. It's remarkably good. I'd say more, but Monday has worn me out.

harder than it looks.

watchbatteries — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:07:52 GMT

Based off of an idea from the indispensable Idolator, let's do this for the weekend.Out down your favorite album for every year that you were born. Yes, you'll figure out how damn young I am.

1988-Sonic Youth : Daydream Nation

1989-Pixies: Doolittle

1990:Happy Mondays: Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches

1991: Fugzazi-Steady Diet of Nothing

1992:Pavement-Slanted and Enchanted

1993:Nirvana-In Utero

1994: Built to Spill- There's Nothing Wrong with Love

1995: Radiohead-The Bends

1996: DJ Shadow-Endtroducing...

1997: The Dandy Warhols: Come Down

1998: Beastie Boys: Hello Nasty

1999: Built to Spill: Keep it Like a Secret (yeah I like BTS, a lot)

2000: Modest Mouse: The Moon and Antartica

2001:Radiohead: Amensiac

2002: N.E.R.D.-In Search Of...

2003: Bear Vs Shark: Right Now, You're in the Best of Hands. And If Something Isn't Quite Right, Your Doctor Will Know in a Hurry

2004: Kanye West: The College Dropout

2005: M.I.A. : Arular

2006: TV on the Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain

2007: LCD Soundsystem: Sound of Silver

2008: Why?-Alopecia

So. The 90s as whole were hard for me to do, since I didn't really start getting into music until about middle school (late nineties). 1995 was especially hard, sicne I'm not that big on the Bends. 2004 was the hardest year. I had to choose between Ye's debut (still my favorite of his), Interpol's Antics, and Funeral by the Arcade Fire. Damn. And yes, I stand by the Bear Vs Shark decision.

Why I like my albums.

watchbatteries — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 02:34:51 GMT

Here are the albums I put in SA's top 10, and why.

10. Chris Joss-Teraphonic Overdubs

On Joss' most recent release, he creates the ultimate cool. A record so cool in fact, that it uses its disc as the club it wants to be played at. If you want a summer record that's a bit more substantial than Girl Talk, this is a good pickup.

9. Steven Malkmus and the Jicks-Real Emotional Trash

Malkmus is this guy, in this band, on Matador, they're indie rock, and they have Janet Weiss from Sleater-Kinney on drums. Yeah, this is reminiscent of a Pavement album, but that's not a bad thing. Steven and his Jicks are a more mature version of his seminal band, but the creative songwriting still remains.

8. Subtle-ExitingARM

If there's a record label I love that most people don't listen to, it's anticon. Their most famous output may very well be cLOUDDEAD, but damn that band is over. Two members of that group make the list, and the first is Doseone. Enter the band Subtle, who are composed of Dose and a band of others who make truly alternative pop songs. Damn catchy and strange.

7.The Cool Kids-The Bake Sale EP

Remember when hip-hop was all about the 808 and some nice rhymes? Mikey and Chuck do, self-producing their beats and telling you just how gangster they aren't. A 10-song EP is ordinarily considered long, but this one felt short. Turn it on and keep it on repeat, for a long time.

6.Jamie Lidell-Jim

Duffy, Adele, Estelle, Winehouse and the like all bore me. They all fill the unnecessary gap of "soul-ifluenced British female singer", with cookie-cutter songs. Duffy, I'll have some mercy on you and myself by just listening to Jamie instead. On his most traditional album to date, Lidell makes perfect pop songs. I've got the irrestibly catchy chorus to "Greenlight" stuck in my head, and then it becomes "A little bit of feel good", and it's great. Pure vocalists need to get familiar with this record.

5.Cut Copy-In Ghost Colours

I was born in the late eighties, and if I wanted to know what the few years before it sounded like, two albums on the list will definitely help me out. One is In Ghost Colours, the second album from Australian group Cut Copy. A great dance album, with pure pop ideas.

4. Fuck Buttons-Street Horrrsing

You can't pronounce this band's full name on air, and chances are you're being challeneged. Melodically noisy, this Englsh duo use everything at their disposal to make long, sweeping epics that have more composition than drone. Live, they're actually really entertaining-because it's LOUD. The debut from Fuck Buttons isn't as scary as it might appear, in fact, it's quite rewarding.

3.M83-Saturdays=Youth

Another album about the 80s. As I said in another thread, this sounds like a John Hughes movie. It also sounds like an M83 album, a fact I find more important. I liked M83 beforehand, as Anthony Gonzalez's mutli-layered keyboard attack was drenching and enjoyable. This disc might sound like Judd Nelson dissecting his family life, but it's a fantastic composition nonetheless.

2.Cadence Weapon-Afterparty Babies

Hip-hop isn't dead, it just moved to Canada. twentysomething rapper Cadence Weapon shines on his breakthrough sophomore album, a mix of clever hooks, pop culture references, and solid songwriting. Solid start to finish, with instrospection and (failed) attempts at the club banger, this album is destined to be a hidden classic.

1. Why?-Alopecia

Damn. No album has quite had a hold on me as this anticon release from former cLOUDDEAD member Yoni Wolf (who was named Why?) and his band. Yoni's lyrics have something new every time, a new meaning to every song. Alopecia has some deep shit, but it's all wrapped up in crafty style-shifting songs. "The Vowels, Pt II" lets you know right at the start how optimistic this album is gonna be : "I'm not a ladies man/ I'm a landmine, filming my own fake death". Scattered among the album are more pessimistically optimistic words of wisdom, such as "I haven't seen you in a long time but yours is a funeral I'd fly to from anywhere". "Billy the kid did what he did and he died", Yoni matter-of-factly states in "Song of the Sad Assassin". Dark lyrics, but sometimes you need darkness to find the light.

Damn, a review: Girl Talk would like to Feed you

watchbatteries — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:34:53 GMT

Giving away things for free is awesome, especially when you yourself make your music for free. Such is the case for Pittsburgh's very own Greg Gillis, who's better known to the world as Girl Talk. Gillis is the name when it comes to mash-ups in the modern era. With Feed the Animals, his fourth full-length on Illegal Art, his marketing seems more important.

Resembling more of the method offered by Trent Reznor and the release of the last Saul Williams (and NIN) albums, Illegal Art and GT offered the album for free, five dollars, or ten dollars (or more). Nothing got you 320kbps mp3 files, five bucks got you the FLAC, and ten bucks plus 3 dollars shipping got you the cd. I decided on nothing, because I couldn't afford more of it, and I'm just going to burn this to a CD later anyhow. Girl Talk was a name before this, but deliberately releasing his album in this method definitely gave him more attention. While Gillis is no Thom Yorke, his album has made noise among the music community, at least. That all said, is it good?

The formula is simple: take well-known mainstream rap songs (most that fit easily into the rhythmic hits format I was raised on) set them against pop or indie songs some might not get. Instantly, there's an accessible album for everyone. Instantly, anyone can realize that this is a noveltly disc, not the newest Sigur Ros in terms of high art. Gillis is good at what he does, no doubt.

Feed the Animals starts off with a mix of "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)", gving the idea that yep, you're going to hear interesting stuff like that. What you get is more mix fun, with a few highlights here-and-there. Gillis does just enough to make it work, barely trying to speed up anything or make it glitchtastic. A great example of this is the simple use of having Jonny Greenwood's menacing guitar from "Paranoid Android" serve as the background to Jay's smooth swagger on the first verse "Roc Boys" in the song "Set it Off". While having the two most respected icons of their respective genres go against each other makes sense, the rest of the album is a grab bag. "Tell Me When to Go" against "I Want You to Want Me", alrightm then. Gillis did make one fantastic improvement-urgency of modernity.

We get to learn that he watches TV, as he includes Yael Naim's "New Soul", the song that sounds like Feist but isn't Feist from that MacBook Air commercial, as the background to a verse from Eminem (speaking of, what happened to Marshall Mathers? At this point he's gonna have an album out at the same time as Detox). Where Gillis succeeds in being ultracurrent, though, is with the hip-hop samples. "Love in this Club" and "Lollipop", arguably this year's biggest singles, make appearances. Also showing up to the party are Timbaland, Timberlake and Madonna with "4 Minutes" (thankfully not in the album for that long), and my favorite sample, "Gold and a Pager" by the Cool Kids.

Recognition of the contemporary sound is one thing, but it's only going to last so long. This is the mix you were too lazy or too uninformed to make, the mix you give to your friend who loves music but has never heard of Radiohead or something. For the price, it's right. Is it the end-all, be-all of 2008? Of course not. Is it fun to listen to, as background music? Yeah, sure is.

Condensed: Girl Talk gives away album for free, has more current singles, fun to listen to, good for the summer. RIYL: Steinski. dj/rupture, WNVZ-FM 104.5

We all have a last.fm

watchbatteries — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:34:52 GMT

From the Top Listened Artists lists at my Lastfm

http://www.last.fm/user/flashfantastic

1. How did you get into 29?
M.I.A.-From reading about her, actually.

2. What was the first song you ever heard by 22?
er. Girl Talk-none really; Bear Vs Shark-Ma Jolie, Ghostface-i donno, Gravel Pit with Wu

3. What’s your favorite lyric by 33?
Clipse-all of Hell Hath No Fury is good.

4. What is your favorite album by 49?
NMH-IOTAS, Lewis Black-The Carnegie Hall Performance, Guided By Voices-Earthquake Glue, The American Analog Set-Know by Heart

5. How many albums by 13 do you own?
One by each (Mac Lethal, Patton Oswalt)

6. What is your favorite song by 50?
"Aaaron and Maria" by the American Analog Set

7. Is there a song by 39 that makes you sad?
"When was the Last Time" by Gnarls Barkley can be.

8. What is your favorite album by 15?
Minutemen-Double Nickels on the Dime

9. What is your favorite song by 5?
"Mardy Bum", "505", or "When the Sun Goes Down"

10. Is there a song by 6 that makes you happy?
"Swimmers", which is probably my favorite song by the group.

11. What is your favorite album by 40?
Snowden-Anti-Anti

12. What is your favorite song by 10?
"DVNO" is good

13. What is a good memory you have involving 30?
The Roots/Lupe show in March 07.

14. What is your favorite song by 38?
Say Hi (to your mom)-Sweetheart Killer

15. Is there a song by 19 that makes you happy?
Fugazi-Waiting Room (obvious answer right)

16. How many times have you seen 25 live?
Once, last summer (Interpol)

17. What is the first song you ever heard by 23?
er, I'm pretty sure it was "How Soon is Now" (the Smiths)

18. What is your favorite album by 11?
The Hold Steady-Separation Sunday is good, but Boys and Girls In America has great hooks

19. Who is a favorite member of 1?
Lupe Fiasco because he's the only one.

20. Have you ever seen 14 live?
Not Patton Oswalt. Also, D Boon has been dead for a while so there goes the Minutemen idea.

21. What is a good memory involving 27?
Well I saw ZOX at a good Flogging Molly show.

22. What is your favorite song by 16?
ah man. Q and Not U-Beautiful Beats or Hooray for Humans.

23. What is the first song you ever heard by 47?
hm, Two-Headed Boy pt 2.

24. What is your favorite album by 18?
we'll just say TV on the Radio-Return to Cookie Mountain

25. What is your favorite song by 21?
Girl Talk-Bump That, Bear Vs Shark-Michigan, Ghostface-Kilo

26. What is the first song you ever heard by 26?
We Are Scientists-hmm, The Great Escape. I think.

27. What is your favorite album by 3?
None Shall Pass is solid, but I think I'd have to go with Float

28. What is your favorite song by 2?
hahahhaha Radiohead. um, let's just do this
The Bends-Just
OK Computer-Paranoid Android
Kid A-The National Anthem
Amnesiac-Like Spinning Plates
Hail to the Thief-There There (I guess)
In Rainbows-Weird Fishes/Arpeggi

29. What was the first song you ever heard by 32?
The Simpsons theme song.

30. What is your favorite song by 8?
I really liked Kings of the Kilburn High back in the day.

31. How many times have you seen 17 live?
Once, and it was awesome. Why? kicks so much ass.

32. Is there a song by 44 that makes you happy?
The Channels-New Mandarins, simply because of "We've got to give it to the bastards"

33. What is your favorite album by 12?
Buck 65-Situation

34. What is the worst song by 45?
I honestly don't know enough Magnetic Fields to give an honest answer.

35. What was the first song you ever heard by 34?
Stars-Set Yourself on Fire.

36. What is your favorite album by 48?
the above lewis black

37. How many times have you seen 42 live?
Spoon-none, but seeing them in July

38. What is your favorite song by 36?
Soccer Team-Traffic Patterns or That's Why Dancers Smoke

39. What was the first song you ever heard by 28?
I don't remember, they were live though.

40. What is your favorite album by 7?
Goo by Sonic Youth.

41. Is there a song by 31 that makes you happy?
Condoleeza, Check My Posse by The Majestic Twelve kicks ass.

42. What is your favorite album by 41?
M83, either Saturdays=Youth or Red Cities, Dawn etc

43. What is your favorite song by 24?
The Smiths-Rusholme Ruffians

44. What is a good memory you have involving 46?
well, Fly or Die got me through the second semester of sophomore year of high school.

45. What is your favorite song by 35?
Built to Spill-Big Dipper or Twin Falls.

46. Is there a song by 9 that makes you happy?
School Spirit by Ye. All the time.

47. What is your favorite album by 4?
Surfer Rosa, right? Right.

48. Who is a favorite member of 37?
Modest Mouse. Issac Brock is pretty constant, but hey they got Johnny Marr now.

49. What is the first song you ever heard by 43?
Out of Step, by Minor Threat.
50. How many albums do you own by 20?
Bloc Party-Silent Alarm and A Weekend in the City

you can add me etc

Being Interesting is Imperative.

watchbatteries — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 06:20:42 GMT

My body sort of aches when I lie down. It isn't enough to complain about, I'm sure. I've known people who've been through more in their lifetimes. Getting a metal bar in your chest is probably not the most enjoyable thing to go through in your teenage years. It's good to have friends like that. People who have some sort of uncommon thing like Marfan's syndrome. You tell yourself having extreme skin conditions and dysthimia isn't that cool. The dysthimia isn't causing the aches. Work is. I didn't do much heavy lifting, in fact that was marginal. What was difficult was backing the box truck up in a small space. I could do it, but I could do without the mocking. It wasn't even funny, anyway. Still, the aches are somewhat there. Not too bad, really. I've had to build a stage on random patches of grass, lift bulky CRT monitors, and other tasks of general moving stuff. Songs move through my head, but none of them are sticking now. Some sounds overrule the others. Maybe it's being away from the station too long. I need to get back to the job I love, the one I signed up for because of how I care. Time to rest soon, the body does ache.

Trivia: Bradford Cox of Deerhunter has Marfan syndrome.

Summer. And music.

watchbatteries — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:38:52 GMT

Thunderstorms finally happened tonight. After a heatwave that had been going on for several days, we finally got rain. Now, I wouldn't mind the heat that much if it didn't cause other problems. Such as the fact that if the temperature gets a bit too high, the transmitter doesn't like it and shuts down. Electronics don't like heat. Despite the sweltering atmosphere, I'm alright with it. Summer in a college town isn't what most people would call normal. It appears as if the amount of traffic is the same as it was during the school year (but luckily not a football game). It's not as bad as the suburbs I'm used to, but it's not dead empty either. It's nice being able to walk most places, and well, then there's the most important thing. I'm in the apartment by myself, no roommates. It gets lonely, but there are plenty of distractions. I now have every Wes Anderson film except Rushmore, which I want to get on Criterion. Films provide a temporary escape, something to do. Then there are books, and I'm on my second this summer, do to my attention to news of the United States. Work, in which I work for the government (in a roundabout way as a stagehand), takes up some time. My other job, as business manager of WUVT-FM is fun, and I can go in whenever needed. I'm also doing a radio show with my friend (and General Manager) Jared. It's Thursdays, 6-9PM Eastern. Check it out. We play music there, like the Cool Kids. The Cool Kids Bake Sale EP is damn good. It's 10 tracks but feels too short when you're done, a fun half-hour party. Homemade beats, interesting lines (the concept of rocking shows is so old/just keep 'em off the wall like vans logos), and it knows not to take itself seriously. You should listen. I've also been told I need to write more, for reasons unbeknown to me. I'm enjoying seeing everyone new and old though.

Album of the year you're not listening to.

watchbatteries — Fri, 23 May 2008 04:31:21 GMT

So far, 2008 has provided albums that are simply new releases from established artists (The Magnetic Fields, Xiu Xiu, The Mae Shi, Atmosphere, Portishead) with a few debuts (No Age, Santogold, Vampire Weekend). A few have made waves, but nothing's been pegged as the album of the year. I think this is different after listening to the new album by Bay Area indiekids Why?, titled Alopecia. Fresh off of their Hollows EP, former cLOUDDEAD member Yoni Wolk (aka Why?) and his band released Alopecia in March of this year. Combining a traditional indie rock backbone with Wolf's stream-of-conscience lyricism, Why? create a sound that is undeniably enjoyable. Opener "The Vowels, pt. 2" is both a perfect opener and a great example of the band's style. It contains a string of traditional verses, but ultimately ends in a catchy anti-chorus. "Cheery-a, cheery-e, cheery-i, cheery-o, cheery-u", echoes throughout the end of the song. "Vowels" has two different styles to it, a structure that dominates the album. Where this structure is most prominent is "These Few Presidents". The majority of the song is bright (for a Why? song, at least), and it ends with the most bittersweet line put to record in a long time: "Even though I haven't seen you in years, yours is a funeral I'd fly to from anywhere". More tracks stand out on the album: the single, "Song of the Sad Assassin", the ironically upbeat "Fatalist Palmistry", the succinct "twenty-eight", the dark narrative of "Good Friday", and the aforementioned "Hollows". This isn't a two-month old album review, though. Alopecia is by far my favorite record of the year. From start to finish, nothing misses. I have found myself returning to this album on repeated listens, never disappointed. Other releases this year have been entertaining, but not as solid. I also had the chance to see Why? live, and that sold me on the band. If you get the chance, see them. Great live, probably my favorite performance of the year (maybe even more so than Radiohead). Alopecia will be this year's most under-appreciated album.

Once Again...

watchbatteries — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:55:51 GMT

I have been on quite a long hiatus, it seems. I used to frequently post something, but that was a year, year and a half ago. It was different back then, you know. Things have been changed around here a bit, but still remain mostly the same. There seems to be a new wave of MOGgers, one I haven't been keeping up with. Musically, a lot of stuff has happened this year, personally. I've become enveloped with Why?'s Alopecia, experienced the simultaneously best and worst concert event of the year, known as Radiohead in Bristow, and had other live music adventures. Some of this is late, some of it is right on time. I'm still on the radio, over the summer, starting Thursday, the 29th from 6-9pm (www.wuvt.vt.edu/listenlive).

I'm back.

BACK ON THE AIRWAVES!

watchbatteries — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 05:42:54 GMT

removed from the loop MAKES ITS TRIUMPHANT RETURN ON MONDAY JANUARY 14TH (TODAY!) NOON TO TWO WWW.WUVT.VT.EDU

you can follow along on the website with what's playing!

Hear me talk!

watchbatteries — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 22:44:53 GMT

Check out on my podcast:

removed from the loop podcast

It's the Top 10 of 2007. I'd go ahead and just upload the MP3 here, but that's on the laptop, and I don't feel like turning it on. I'm on break after all.

Nostalgia

watchbatteries — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:43:31 GMT

I've decided to check back in here, because I feel the need to. It seems that I've been so far removed from the loop over the past couple months. Discussion about the most random things seems to be waning around this part of the internet. Did we create our own fad only to destroy it because we grew tired? While Pitchfork was slurping up Radiohead, we were being just a bit too nice to the Arctic Monkeys (I mean, when the b-sides are better...). I miss that and have no idea what happened.

Ah, well, let's go to the positives. I have a whole week and a half left of class and then the exam train's a comin'. I also have TWO (2) shows left this semester. Tomorrow will be business as usual, but I'm going to do a year end wrap-up show next Tuesday. Tune in if you can:

Removed from the Loop WUVT-FM Blacksburg 90.7fm www.wuvt.vt.edu/listenlive Tuesday, 9-Noon.

Wait

watchbatteries — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:48:40 GMT

What happened to everyone?

Now you can see what I played

watchbatteries — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:19:18 GMT

Yes, that's right, you can see what I played on my last show.

Playlist

On!Air!Heath!Tomorrow!

watchbatteries — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 02:19:06 GMT

I'm gonna do new music tomorrow! WOOO

2-330pm www.wuvt.vt.edu/listenlive

TOMORROW

Everyone doesn't like this album.

watchbatteries — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:32:52 GMT

I should have written this post about a month ago, really. But, the album I'm about to talk about has just recently grown on me. Said work of songs is that of Architecture in Helsinki and their most recent work, Places Like This. The songs that stick out most are "Hold Music" and "Heart It Races", both of which are more or less singles. Each song is catchy in its own right, and good to cheer you up. I thought, hey, it's good.

Maybe my station is the only one that cares? No, they're number five on the most recent CMJ charts. So, they're clearly very popular. The reviews, however, have been really lukewarm. I put off the Pitchfork review. The people behind that place just throw themselves behind long. elaborate prose and limiting reviews to a graf or two. The review I always measure it up against, AllMusicm, was less hopeful. It made me feel as if I had no taste. Well, I don't, ha.

My question is: is it ok to like this album, in all its mediocrity?

Technically it's Friday

watchbatteries — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 04:54:00 GMT

As far as I'm concerned, you just need to answer these questions:

Kim Deal or Frank Black? Antics or Turn on the Bright Lights? Whatever People Say or Favourite Worst? What Smiths album? Desperate Youth or Cookie Mountain? Paul's Boutique or Hello Nasty? Closing Time or Flagpole Sitta? Pitchfork or No? Kanye or Common? Simian Mobile Disco or Justice? Mac or PC? DC or LA hardcore?

Should I or shouldn't I?

hmm.

Me on the radio, again

watchbatteries — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 04:10:48 GMT

Removed from the Loop TOMORROW 9 AM to Noon www.wuvt.vt.edu/listenlive

Radio ice cream truck?

watchbatteries — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 01:45:24 GMT

College radio is fun and all, but we don't have an ice cream truck. Friday, the Class of 2009 is putting on the annual kickoff concert (despite the fact that we did earlier). It's featuring the act Virginia Coalition, a downgrade from the Pietasters. What struck me is that there is seriously a K92 Ice cream truck. Apparently, K92 has a deal with PET ice cream which is fucking weird. Radio stations with ice cream trucks. Why.

make up for what you missed.

watchbatteries — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 01:21:12 GMT

Today started my new show on the radio, entitled "Removed from the Loop", from nine to noon. Sorry I didn't send out or post about it last night...shaving my face is quite the ordeal. To accompany that, I will be getting my hair cut Live! On Air! tonight at MIDNIGHT on WUVT.

www.wuvt.vt.edu/listenlive

Letter to the local alternative station.

watchbatteries — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 01:18:11 GMT

In less than 12 hours, I will be on the road towards my home for the next 10 months. Thus, I will begin my sophomore year at Virginia Tech. Hey, I also got my season tickets today. But before I leave, I want to sat some things to my local alternative radio station, as civilly as possible.

Dear WROX-FM,

For almost 15 years you have existed as the sole "alternative" rock provider in the Hampton Roads area. While there was a small time in the late Nineties went to an urban format, the rock format ultimately won out. This is a good thing, because it provided a competitor to the other option, WNOR (FM99). 96X has proven to be musically formative in my teen years, especially when I discovered The Late Late Rock Show (TLLRS).

TLLRS with Chad was a true gem of radio, spotlighting what would otherwise not be heard in the area. Hampton Roads lacks a true "college" radio station, meaning that exposure to new sounds was limited at best. In the past year, this line-up has changed hands from Chad to Sachin to Kyle and Ross. While these single-named DJs do their best, the musical quality of the show has gone down. Indie rock as it is classically defined is gone, and has given way to more fare like Chiodos. While a band like Chiodos is on an indie like Equal Vision, they have a sound that could be easily be inserted in to the mid-day line-up. TLLRS needs more bands with new material like Spoon, the New Pornographers, and Stars. This is more a personal opinion than what I think is a problem with the station.

What strikes me as a problem are the recent changes to the line-up and music that have ruined the idea of alternative music. I commend keeping Kristi Michael, who if not held to a corporate style of DJing, could make her show much more enjoyable. Also, the move of Mike and Bob to the morning is a sensible one that I endorse. Instead, I have a list of things-in no particular order-that I would like to see removed from the station. -The biggest change is a slight variation of the music. Currently, the Fray and Matchbox 20 are in rotation. Commercial radio is robotic enough. Adding these vanilla acts waters down the possibility of talented acts being played. -With such bland music taking over WROX's airwaves, it's only fitting that a promotion take place with two very bland bands. One is with the Dave Matthews Band. DMB is not an alternative band, but a musical uniform for college students that is unspeakably bland. 96X should not be sponsoring a band like this, but rather one that speaks more of being realistically different. Why not play more TV on the Radio? Apparently the answer to this is that the Seven Cities needs more Nickelback. The Canadian band is the subject of a new promo that makes light of the fact that the band is Canadian. Like the act themselves, it is overtly unoriginal. Nickelback is in no way part of "everything alternative". They are standard issue formulaic rock that can thank ProTools for sounding oh-so-the-same and being rich. -Standard issue is not just a term that can be applied to the music currently being added to the rotation, but also the DJs. When Mike and Bob moved to the mornings, some change was to be expected in the late afternoon and night time slots. Instead of having DJs that were interesting and original, we got Zach Fox, Damien, and James Steele. Fox and Damien are harmless, without a personality. James Steele, though, is just bad. -Steele sounds like such a stereotypical DJ, it's sad. While you can't change someone's attitude, you can change their technique. His breaks are nothing more than sounding cocky, with an air of "Yeah, you're going to get entertained". I wish I could restrain from using this phrase, but he sounds like a frat boy with a microphone. He needs to go.

I'm currently in college radio, training to get better at what I'm doing. After a year in this experience, coming back to 96X is a let-down. A few things here and there can be changed, for the better of the listening audience.

Thanks. Heath.

"A Concert for Virginia Tech"

watchbatteries — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 19:24:08 GMT

Before I begin this, I want to admit that this is not a straight up news story. I've decided to link to the Collegiate Times. They say it as it is, instead of the flowery language of the press release from Virginia Tech. In essence the concert is a tribute for those injured and lost in the tragic events last spring. Participating in the concert are Nas, Phil Vassar, John Mayer, and the Dave Matthews Band. It will take place at Lane Stadium, and be free for all undergraduate and graduate students at Tech. Such a great idea for a great cause.

This is the part where I divert from the news. While this concert is a great undertaking and a fantastic idea, it's nothing new. A couple of key people at the station were working on this months ago, dealing with a major ticketing organization and a large television outfit that in organizing something. It eventually happened that we couldn't do it-especially at Lane Stadium, concerts were against the contract-but we dealt with it. The station went ahead and did their own concerts for the upcoming semester. It was all well and good, and now this happens. At least Nas is going to be there.

Because you (don't) need it: An analysis of the MOG top 10

watchbatteries — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 01:31:18 GMT

First off, this post would not have happened if Dale's Best of did not exist.Thanks for the work, it's pretty awesome. As such, I want to look at the collective minds (once again!) of the MOGOS and their choices. I'll only be talking about the first ten albums.

MOG's choice for album of the half year is: Wourst Favorite Nightmare by Arctic Monkeys. While I'm a fan of the Sheffield, UK outfit, this baffles me. They did put out a solid outfit in their second offering, but I don't see it living up to their debut. Solid, but not spectacular. I have a feeling that if singles were included, Wourst would be battling "Fluorescent Adolescent" for top honors. 2 and 3 are favorites of it seems like everyone, with The White Stripes Icky Thump and Arcade Fire's sophomore work Neon Bible taking those spots. Coming at 4 is the latest album from Red Hook, NY act The National. Boxer is the first legitimate surprise, I think, to the chart. Then we get Modest Mouse. I don't hate Modest Mouse, I put them in the top 10. However, they're featured in one of those music hunter commercials for Verizon wireless and I don't think that woman knows who Isaac Brock or Johnny Marr is. How did they get that high,with that injustice? At 6 are standbys Wilco, who, along with Spoon, will most likely grace year-end top 10s with their always solid performances. But then comes problem 2. Nine Inch Nails part one Year Zero. My only problem with this is that LCD Soundsystem is number 13. Listen to the newer NIN stuff and tell me there is no James Murphy influence. Does trent Reznor get it because he spends his album talking about Capital G and such as opposed to James Murphy trying to remind people that they're North American, and not Canadian? Methinks this is the answer. Next up are The Shins. I will admit I'm not a big fan of the Shins, because Garden State, Garden State, hey did you ever watch Garden State? It charted at number 2, which is pretty impressive, even though you probably have to take out 10,000 girls who bought it because Zach Braff is dreamy. Next are Queens of the Stone Age and Era Vulgaris. While QOTSA have a pretty bad-ass cowbell in "Little Sister", I've never really understood the appeal of the band. No harm, no foul here. Finally, Feist. I approve, because she's Feist and yum.

YOUR iPOD is DANGEROUS!

watchbatteries — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:14:01 GMT

Back in elementary school, at least middle school, they taught us about things that conduct or insulate electricity. While I'm not fantastic at science, I do remember some of the basics. One of those is that lighting and water don't mix. Well, neither do lighting and iPods.

Far be it for me to believe that everyone has the common sense (because common sense is objective) not to use electronics in a thunderstorm. However, I think it's safe to assume that most iPod owners don't listen in a heavy rainstorm. But in case you do,the esteemed New England Journal of Medicine (via ComputerWorld) is reporting that listening to your iPod (or Walkman or Rio or PSP or what-have-you)makes lightning strike injuries worse. I'd also like to point out that the injured were doing activities that produce sweat (which is a conductor) and in a thunderstorm. The lesson? Don't listen to your musical playing device in a thunderstorm.

Fact checking: DO IT!

watchbatteries — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 21:23:18 GMT

Hey, I fucked up yesterday/last night. I was going from memory and screwed a few things up. So, I corrected them. Sorry

Interpol!

Maybe grad school before that Good Ass Job?

watchbatteries — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:08:28 GMT

Kanye West exists in the sphere of music as something of a crossover, a traditional hip-hop artist with the occasional pop hit. His last two albums have been well-received, with several critics saying that Ye had improved his flow on Late Registration. I wasn't one of those people.

With his second album, I thought Ye had lost of the originality in his song concepts from The College Dropout. The best singles from Registration, "Heard 'Em Say" and "Touch the Sky" were buried after the massive hit that was "Gold Digger". But, "Sky" did allow for the emergence of Lupe Fiasco, who had a solid debut with "Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor". I liked Ye's first album, an album produced under his GOOD label Common's fantastic Be(Lupe's debut was on his own, thank's BenJourn85), I was hyped for the next album. Graduation comes after Ye's largest gap between albums (nearly two years). Unusually, he has released two singles before the release of his new album.

This tactic might be too little, too late. On "Stronger", Ye samples Daft Punk ...and plays the same song over again. It sounds like a half-baked remix track, with Kanye just kind of there. At least there's Daft Punk, right? IF "Stronger" is the "Get 'Em High"/"Celebration" Ye, "Can't Tell Me Nothing" is, well, I don't know. It's a beat got ad libs lifted from Young Jeezy (let that go through your mind, hit rewind, then hit play, alright, o k) that fails to really have a hook. Now, I like down-tempo stuff, but Kanye doesn't exactly strike me as The American Analog Set. Every time I hear the song, I wait for the pre-chorus or a hook, or a tempo change, and I'm bored. And so are several others.

Edit: I messed up some stuff. Thanks to Ben Journ85 for getting that across.

Yeah, that's what I want to hear in a hook.

watchbatteries — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 01:41:17 GMT

A few days ago I thought about making a post about a song you might have heard. Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls", which I'm quiet tired of because of its hook. Well, Maura and everyone over at Idolator already posted that, on Monday. So, while it would be redundant of me to ask why I should dance to "suicidal, suicidal", I ask some other questions. Did he actually do his first crime in '99, or was that just to rhyme? Did he actually commit a crime? Why is his name so damn unoriginal? Why would he put "suicidal, suicidal" in a hook? It doesn't fly with some of us. Also, how did he get beautiful girls to "do his dirt"? I don't believe it. Here's the video:

In other news involving the "washed-up" tag

watchbatteries — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 01:43:46 GMT

Want to get great ratings for your shows in the summer? One route to take is to make low-production programming that's easy to pick up on-thus the glut of reality game shows. The other? Copy it.

NBC has been running promos for a show entitled "The Singing Bee" which has a fairly simple premise. Take some contestants-they're always screened, the crazier the better!-who like to sing and ask them to just recite the lyrics along with music until BOOM a capella and you have to finish it. It's hosted by everyone's favorite member of *NSYNC (outside of Chris Kirkpatrick, obviously), Joey Fatone. Alright, then, starts July 10th, looks interesting enough. Then, there's the FOX network.

FOX is known for many things in its network TV programming, mainly fictional characters with superhuman powers who aren't superheroes, cookie-cutter dysfunctional families in the vein of the Bundys and Simpsons, and a long, drawn out "talent" competition that I could care less about. Also, they copied WifeSwap and Supernanny. ABC, as much as FOX might love them-imitation and flattery and what not, has lost out this summer. FOX has a show that sounds EERILY SIMILAR to The Singing Bee, called "Don't forget the lyrics". The idea? Well, FOX has apparently dumbed down their titles (perhaps taking a cue from FOX'News'Channel's inability to write "with") by telling you what's going to happen before you tune in, like "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?", by asking people to NOT FORGET THE LYRICS. Hosting will be the man who loves to choke a bitch, Wayne Brady. The show premieres on the 11th, and one wonders what show will be better. So far, The Singing Bee has a more realistic promo featuring contestants singing Vanilla Ice, Smash Mouth, and Aretha Franklin. While Aretha's a nice touch, the others aren't exactly Clipse and Pixies, it looks fine. Don't Forget the Lyrics' website has Journey as a hint of things to come. I think the shows will be based out of access to song libraries, but what do I know?

I know that I'm tired of Journey, and it's time to Stop Believin(g).

Damn you Lily Allen.

watchbatteries — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:38:41 GMT

I'm very late on this, by a year or so, but it came up last night on Subterranean. Out of nowhere, Lily Allen was on and it was song that I don't believe I had heard before. Allen doesn't strike me as someone I havetoknow, but rather someone that they're hyping for no reason. "LDN" came on, and she made me like it, damn it, because of the way she said "I believe that's called al fresco".

Damn you Lily Allen.

"Yeah I sell out arenas"

watchbatteries — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 04:27:24 GMT

Commercialism is supposed to be the bane of the artist in the music industry despite major label artists taking in all that cash and spending it. When they do that, though, the public expects them to do it for the music-for the music, man. What am I getting at?

Selling out is no longer an act in which you violate your roots (sounds dirty) by taking the money instead of lopving your art, but you know, securing your bank account despite being on a sponsored tour. I say this because of two TRL-friendly acts (one with talent, one that needs to be punched) and a couple recent things. One of the acts, T.I., was recently on, well, TRL, of all places, promoting his new album, "T.I. v s T.I.P". During the course of the interview, the host asked Cliff what he thought about being considered a "Sell Out" by fans due to his endorsements with brands like Chevy. T.I. responded by talking about how he would "sell out" on the streets and such. The host dropped the old "some people say 'I sell out arenas'" line. Unless you're the Kidz in the Hall or the like, I don't see how you can consider a major label artist a sell out. T.I. constantly raps about how much money he has (Ok, not that much, he's not a 'bling' rapper, he's the HOVA of the South, et cetera) and doesn't hide it. he can't be considered a sell out, but maybe someone should look into head case, with his new album's idea, though it might be good. Rappers getting money is nothing new, hell, 50 Cent is in no damn way gonna have good sales for Curtis, which has been pushed back to September. But he is gonna make hella cash thanks to his stake in (delicious) vitaminwater, after Coke bought its parent company, Glaceau. Is 50 selling out? No, he's just getting money no one wants to give him anymore. (Obligatory Die Tryin' joke).

On the flip side is the Ultimate Foe of Our Musical Existence (UFOME), Fall Out Boy. PT WNTZ and the guys from the UFOME have a new video for their single "The Take Over, The Break's over". It's sponsored by HONDA THE OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF THE HONDA CIVIC TOUR FEATURING FALL OUT BOY COBRA STARSHIP THE ACADEMY IS... PAUL WALL AND HOSTED BY DIRTY and has a message in the otherwise pretty bland video. Fans (real ones!) come up to a dog with signs reading "FOB ARE $ellout$" and such shit. The dog, being the moral high ground, asks them to understand that they've changed. Where do I begin? UFOME are in no ways indie, they take their moniez and go, writing superfluous song titles all for kids who are too damn lazy to turn off the radio and do some work on the internet. Or hell, go to a record store that doesn't also specialize in laptops that run Windows Vistas and refrigerators. Calling UFOME sell outs? How non-original.

Selling out is no longer a valid criticism. When all else fails, the band just sucks.

Late Night Find 2

watchbatteries — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 01:27:14 GMT

This is the work of Rodrigo y Gabriela. A fantastic duo. Great stuff. The Song is "Diablo Rojo".

Lupe, Ye, Skateboard P, a sample of Thom.

watchbatteries — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 18:51:28 GMT

Check this track out:

awesome

Late Night Finds number 1: Radiohead, "Knives Out"

watchbatteries — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:51:33 GMT

I stay up late, and you win! I present the first video I saw late last night that was awesome. Directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep), it's Radiohead's "Knives Out" from their album Amnesiac.

More later

Last.fm vs MOG on Facebook

watchbatteries — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 04:02:00 GMT

Redesign is war. War is hell. Thus Redesign is hell. Modifications and new editions have hit everything from this site to my local newspaper. One site, though, has gone batshit crazy with it.

That site is facebook, the creation of a guy from Harvard. At first, it was simply a social network for people in college, and it was fine. Then came last summer, with the addition of global groups. After that were the high schoolers, and then in the fall the first really fucking annoying thing: the feeds. Too stalkerish! Ahh! People got over it, and got used to it. In the beginning of the year, facebook added gifts, and then slowly thereafter, the complete redesign. We got used to it...until a few weeks ago. FUCKING APPS. One of the first apps out of the gate was from MOG. I've been with MOG almost a year now, and loved it. I felt like part of something.

MOG, not wanting to alienate itself, put out an app on facebook. Makes sense, fb is popular, and it's a great way to get your brand out. However, when you have an unfamiliar brand that asks users to scan their hard drives and wait? You have some ornery folks. The few of us like MOG, because we're familiar with it. The rest of the population? They want something familiar, something like...audioscrobbler. Thus, the users decry it and want it. Last.fm has their application, people like it, and it's winning. Guess I'll have to stay here.

Get it?

watchbatteries — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 03:35:40 GMT

Much respect to R Stevens, who created it as part of Diesel Sweeties, which might be in your newspaper.

How to have your post about a number 1 song stand out.

watchbatteries — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 02:12:00 GMT

Many of you are probably familiar with the song "arty Like a Rockstar", the infectious hit which begs you to well, Party Like a Rockstar. While I could go on with the inaccuracies with the song, I'd like to point you in another direction. I have a blog about other stuff, called Just Bought a Car. I did a music-related post, about "Rockstar". It's not flattering, to say the least. I moderate comments (to keep out the spam, haha) and this one came up: "THIS IS "BINGO" CEO OF THE SHOPBOYZ, WE ARE HERE TO CHANGE THE GAME AND UP GRADE THE FIELD ,I THINK PARTY LIKE A ROCKSTAR IS THE BEST SONG TO COME OUT IN YEARS AND A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THE SAME WAY ,THE ALBUM WILL BE IN STORES 6-19-07. PS, "WE ARE THE FUTURE"..."

I can only laugh.

strangely fascinating

watchbatteries — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 22:01:00 GMT

I am tired of "Young Folks"

watchbatteries — Thu, 31 May 2007 02:35:29 GMT

Though the song was released last time, I'm officially tired of the song "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John. Yes, they're a nice Swedish trio. But dammit, they've been on Vh1's Nocturnal State, I heard them in Radio Shack (well they had satellite radio), and today was the deal breaker. My local alt rock station is going the opposite of where it should, and playing straight up shit (Maroon 5 (sorry?), The Fray, other shit). Today, I heard Young Folks by PBandJ. That's it, I'm officially tired of the fucking song.

How are things

watchbatteries — Sun, 27 May 2007 23:58:30 GMT

On the West Coast?

I need to write something

watchbatteries — Tue, 22 May 2007 02:45:10 GMT

Recorded Music=friends

One hits

watchbatteries — Fri, 18 May 2007 03:21:30 GMT

One of the cool things for Mozilla Firefox is the ability to add numerous extensions. I have DownThemAll!, UnPlug, and the facebook toolbar for one. I also have something called StumbledUpon. Unlike digg or reddit, which list the sites based on popularity, StumbledUpon uses a toolbar interface to bring you random stuff based on your interests. I found this link:

One Hit Wonders

It looks suspiciously like VH1's "100 Greatest One hit Wonders" list. So, what's your favorite one hit wonder?

Hip-hop Thursday one-hit:

Who wants salad? :The Great MOG Survey results

watchbatteries — Wed, 16 May 2007 03:19:16 GMT

So, a week ago, I posted The Great MOG Survey. The results were great, with varied people giving great answers. The following are what I consider some of the best that I received.

1.What's the one album you can listen to from start to finish?

Question one had a lot of "Only one?" answers (total cop outs, each and every one of them). MOG tastemaker Anna at least defends her answer: "1. To say that I fancy an album, means that I listen to it with pleasure from start to finish. I could name more than 50 albums here."

2.Best purchase of the past 6 months?

A lot of usual suspects here, but my rival/adversary/advocate/commenting duelist Ashley provides some humor: "2. That Cliks album I just bought. I forgot the title, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good." I confuse them with the Kooks.

3.What are you looking forward to in the next 6 months?

The most anticipated is Interpol's third disc (and I must say it looks good). Everyone had a good answer here, but FlowerPower111 starts a string of three consecutive "?" answers. Alright,then.

4.Out-Coachella Coachella.

It's festival season in America (we're still not at the level of Europe), so this is timely. The Legendary Roots Crew were a popular pick in this category. I like belle du jour's idea:"am guessing these folk must also be with us in the flesh, so I think Jack and Meg White, The Roots Crew, and Sly & Robbie could set it off—especially for the collabo set (yes set, not song)...ah in my dreams."

5.With our powers combined...

Reunion tours are big money these days. Who do we reunite for a one-off show, album, etc? A few people didn't read the whole instruction and wanted bands who have recently got back together to play. That still counts as reunited. My favorite answer belongs to TroyPowers: "5) Band that I’d have reunite: T.a.t.U."

6.If you were a musician.

Varied answers here. I don't think I got the same answer twice. Except Matt Bellamy from Muse. The best answer which is probably unintentionally comic in retrospect goes to charm and strange: "6. Sufjan is kind of Jesus.". Well, he's closer to Jesus than me at this point. And also, it is the cool thing to post in my comments. They're the awesomespot on MOG.

7.Give up their day job.

I'm glad to see that many people want NickelHinder to stop. It's so damn annoying. The only educator I know of on MOG, the one who goes by Rawkkiddo offers this piece of advice: "7. anybody who puts out crunk albums". Exactly. I don't know who can like "Pop Lock and Drop It". I also like Groon's answer: 7. I don’t think they’re active anymore, but if I could erase all memories of Journey from my head I’d be a lot happier." Actually, I saw their stuff last year at the Oceanfront.

8.What are you listening to?

I saw this somewhere else, and multiple times on random MySpace surveys. It seemed appropriate on a music website. Decent answers, none really hitting the humor touchstone other than Ashley.

9.Other Music would punch me.

We've all purchased shit over the years. We were young, innocent, and uninformed. Repent my friends, repent! Come to the front of the congregation, ProlixRush! "What’s embarassing, really? I bought ABBA Gold on vinyl for $0.25 at my favorite local indie record store (52.5 Records) and got a snicker…does that count?" Oh yes and you can be joined by charm and strange! C&S, I knew (but never purchased, thankfully) about HoKu! Dale Ice Ice No! On an unrelated note, this has nothing to do with Jerry Falwell dying because I don't think like he did. I use facts.

10.Show your kids these records.

I got more comments about how someone wouldn't be "proud" of a purchase. I think I really meant "What album would give you credibility?" or "Favorite purchase ever?". I still got good answers. The best comes from faeriedamzer19talks about a Saddle Creek artist not named Conor Oberst: "+ cursive. without a doubt. buying all there music was actually lifechanging. they are the one band i never regret buying products, music and tickets for. they really just fit me so well."

This was a fun idea, and I hope you enjoted the results. Talk back in the comments about your thoughts, etc, etc.

My MOG Survey answers

watchbatteries — Wed, 16 May 2007 02:17:46 GMT

The great MOG survey has gone from just something to do to the most productive thing I've done in the past week and a half. I'm going to post a little collaborative thing, but that might be before midnight. I think I have most of the answers in. I suppose I should give a shout out to Kate at the MOG Gazette for my first appearance evar. Hopefully, the results make the e-mail list again so that people can keep up. While you're at it, read last night's post and contribute some.

the great MOG survey-My answers

1. What is the one album you can listen to from start to finish? Q and Not U, Power. Not necessarily my favorite album, but there's no need to shuffle it.

2.What is the best album you have purchased in the last six months? LCD Soundsytem, Sound of Silver great music to drive to, to throw on, whatever.

3.What album are you looking forward to in the next six months? This is a difficult one. I wanna be different than anybody, but Interpol and TI have been mentioned. I'll be near-sighted and go with The Fragile Army by The Polyphonic Spree.

4. You have been put in charge of a concert. You are to have three top-billers, of any genre you choose. Who do you get to play? There have been lots of good choices for this one, all over. I'll go with Cold War Kids, Ghostface, and Squarepusher.

5.If you could have any band that is not currently reunite, reunite who would it be? All band members must be alive. Easily Q and Not U.

6. If you could be one musician for a day, who would it be? Again, the artist needs to be alive. Ian MacKaye. Enough said, really.

7.What band or artist do you wish would quit the music business altogether? All my usual suspects have been named. So, hmm, T-Pain?

8. What are you currently listening to? Anything's gotta be better than this Bulls-Pistons series. Someone just win the damn thing.

9. What is the most embarrassing musical purchase you have ever made for yourself?

Lots most likely. Maybe that one underOath album I gave away. But as far as ones I kept? Senses Fail, Let it Enfold You 10. What musical purchase are you most proud of? VHS or Beta, Night on Fire. Great whim purchase.

RESULTS POST SOON!

That is incorrect.

watchbatteries — Tue, 15 May 2007 03:32:19 GMT

The media is slowly devolving into a cesspool of overfishing the same stories to get a different results. My local CBS affiliate, WTKR, had a feature tonight about "emo". Once again, adults are out out of touch with youth. To start with, they cited Rites of Spring and My Chemical Romance as "emo" bands. I hate to break it to you, but Rites of Spring made one record, Embrace never called themselves emo, and MCR sounds more straight-ahead-rock-and-roll than anything these days (if a bit whiney). They think that they sing about killing themselves and advocating it. Actually, most emo bands don't advocate it and I've heard of more people in bands dying from drug overdoses than the "deaths" expressed in emo songs. They're not even deaths, they're poorly constructed metaphors for lyrics. The best part of the piece was the random kid outside a Relient K show saying "This is music that says I broke up with my girlfriend and that sucks, emo is like I broke up with my girlfriend and I'm going to go kill myself". Ha. No. Emo is fake depression (those kids will never know what it feels like) put to music to sound cool. Getcha factz straight.

And to think I want to work in radio.

The Polyphonic Spree at the NorVa, May 12, 2007

watchbatteries — Mon, 14 May 2007 03:23:11 GMT

"Enough with the fucking confetti" spoke the bouncer, reminding us to head towards the door after the last remaining members of the Polyphonic Spree left the stage. White strips of paper lined the floor of the NorVa, adding to the usual decor of spilled beer and broken plastic cups. Tim DeLaughter and his modern symphony had come in, spouted confetti, and made me want their new album.

As someone who usually goes to concerts outside of festivals featuring bands I know, the Polyphonic show was a bit of an exception. The most I knew of them was that they figured prominently in a commercial, and that they had allegations of being a cult. Under the urging of a couple friends and a desire to see a live show in a venue that wasn't a bar, I bought my ticket the day before the show.

I arrived at the venue right around the time doors opened, expecting a small line, at least, trying to get in. I saw nothing of it beyond ten or so people wanting to buy tickets from the box office. I got X'd up, went in, and noticed something odd. Tables and chairs.Every previous show I've been to at the NorVa lacked chairs, save the upstairs bar area. I was disappointed with this aesthetic to say the least. I let it go, and decided to wait for the opening act. While listening to the radio throughout the week, I heard that Mike Federali and "Fat Spider-man" would be making an appearance. Much of this was from the local program "The Mike and Bob Show" on 96X (WROX-FM). I actually saw Mike and Bob, and they seemed to do nothing more than show up, watch Federali, and leave. Wow, good attendance guys. Federali was the opener, a local guy-with-an-electric-guitar act who sounded more generic than store-brand cola. He capped his set with "Fat Spiderman" and then left. Thankfully.

Between sets, I did a whole lot of nothing, waiting for the next act to come. Originally, the act The Pierces were set to play. For reasons unbeknown to me, they weren't there. Instead, the venerable Astropop 3 took the stage. The trio has been playing the local round for over 10 years, having their greatest exposure as background music for a few shows on MTV. All said, they put on a good set and I like the bass they had.

When an ominous sound was being emitted over the speakers, you knew something big was coming. From out of the side of the stage came Tim DeLaughter, and from behind the giant white screen that said "HOPE", more members! By the time they had settled in to their positions, there were 20 members, including two percussionists, two keyboardists, and a six-woman chorus called the Polyphonettes. To start the first song, a burst of confetti was put in to the crowd, and it was impossible not to get it on you. DeLaughter and the Spree played an almost continuous set, free of most gags, save the confetti. During the set's last song, DeLaughter kept reminding the audience that thing s might happen if they just have a little hope. One by one, Spree members left the stage,with the crowd singing the refrain of "We'll raise our voices", and once again the Spree took the stage. There were more gags in the encore, with the percussionist taking a snare drum in the crowd, a costume change, and at one point the whole Spree (save the frontman) freezing. The last song of the set-of course-was the only one I was familiar with, "Light and Day/Reach For the Sun". I was so impressed that I actually want a physical copy of their album "The Fragile Army". Wanting to support the band, I went to the merch table, and got a CD. Unfortunately, I only got their "Wait" EP, leading me to want more. The night was best summed up in the words of another concert-goer: "It was like they were trying to out-happy each other on stage."

MOG Survey updating

watchbatteries — Fri, 11 May 2007 02:48:31 GMT

So, you haven't done it?

You should. the great MOG survey
is going on until next Tuesday at Midnight. Got it? Good.

The great MOG survey.

watchbatteries — Tue, 08 May 2007 23:57:51 GMT

Here's what I want to do. I want to pick the collective minds of those on MOG by asking simple questions about musical taste that you and you only embody. Taking my cue from the Bernard Privot "10 Questions" (all my respect to my friend Aydin's facebook) and an old EDSBS feature, I'm going to ask a few questions. I want to see as many people as possible answer. If you want to devote a whole post to your answers, please link them in the comments. I want to cull the best responses and show them on a post. I'll answer mine in another post.

=================== The Great MOG Survey

1. What is the one album you can listen to from start to finish?

2.What is the best album you have purchased in the last six months?

3.What album are you looking forward to in the next six months?

4. You have been put in charge of a concert. You are to have three top-billers, of any genre you choose. Who do you get to play?

5.If you could have any band that is not currently reunite, reunite who would it be? All band members must be alive.

6. If you could be one musician for a day, who would it be? Again, the artist needs to be alive.

7.What band or artist do you wish would quit the music business altogether?

8. What are you currently listening to?

9. What is the most embarrassing musical purchase you have ever made for yourself?

10. What musical purchase are you most proud of?

Answer away.

Chart Sweep

watchbatteries — Tue, 08 May 2007 02:33:48 GMT

My MOG Sn is derived from an old article I used to e-mail, entitled "Watch Batteries". Well, I revived it and christened it Chart Sweep. Here's the newest one.

The feature you love is back after a way too long hiatus. There's been so much utter and complete shit on the radio that I don't know where to start. I don't have enough time for Hinder or Daughtry. Well, I could write about the one and it could easily be about the other. So, where should I go? I'm gonna have to go with Justin Timberlake and "What Goes Around Comes Around".

In an attempt to create some sort of hip-pop Stairway to Heaven, JT and Timbo craft a long-ass opus complete with a random breakdown that makes me wish Weezy F (please pronounce the) Baby was on the track. Well, he's not. Ok, here's the back story: the song is about Timberlake's friend who broke up with Elisha Cuthbert (because she decided she wanted to embrace her Canadian-ness and fuck a hockey player). At this point, the song sounds kinda pointless. Instead, it gets a featured World Premiere on MTV. Why do people like this song besides the fact that it has that kid from *NYSNC?

Oh, I know why, must be the complex-yet-catchy hook, "What Goes Around, goes around, comes all the way back around". Or maybe the verses? Our protagonist gave his girl "the world"! The Whole world! Nah, it's gotta be what LyricWiki calls the "Comes Around" interlude. Instead of having Rapper of the Year Lil' Wayne on it, we get JT! Woo! he "paints a picture" with an accented, syncopated, stuttering sc-sc-scenario! Fucking Porky Pig finally gets paid homage in a major pop song! YES!

Comment me with your Chart Sweep suggestions.

Number one on your birthday

watchbatteries — Fri, 04 May 2007 03:21:28 GMT

Mine was Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" while the number one song on my 18th Birthday was Ne-Yo's "So Sick". You?

http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/member/birthdayno1.php

Jin's tribute song

watchbatteries — Thu, 03 May 2007 20:39:04 GMT

This is Jin's tribute song. It's actually interesting and original.

Lil Flip's tribute song.

watchbatteries — Thu, 03 May 2007 18:07:10 GMT

As you might new, Lil' Flip has written a song in tribute to Virginia Tech. I don't know how to take it, personally. The hook features a hook that samples Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time". I don't know how to take it, as a student. As an amateur critic, Flip ad libs too much. Decide for yourself.

If I can find Jin's tribute song, I'll post it.

What Jeff Mangum and Liam Gallagher have in common.

watchbatteries — Thu, 03 May 2007 01:41:53 GMT

And that something is having a built in song (or in Mangum's case, songs) that are perfectly suited to people with acoustic guitars. It seems to be a requirement for anyone with an acoustic to play "Wonderwall", yet not own a copy of "(What's the Story) Morning Glory". This seems to apply more to those with a mainstream sense of taste, but then there are those who know who the Elephant 6 are. Ah, Jeff Mangum and Neutral Milk Hotel. NMH is most famous for their album "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" an acoustic opus inspired by Anne Frank. Today, Idolator posted a story about the lead singer of emo rockers Brand New doing a cover of "Oh, Comely". I got to thinking, and there's no difference, really. Two bands with song(s) that are easily covered, and from what I gather, don't take much to play.

This will get more comments: There is a band called Dogs Die in Hot Cars

What I've learned from a year in radio.

watchbatteries — Wed, 02 May 2007 19:30:19 GMT

When I first entered WUVT, I didn't know what to expect, really. I soon became involved with an organization that has long been a community institution and a great learning experience. I went through the ranks, from AM DJ and staffer to being heard throughout the world via internet and right here in the New River Valley.

I saw the end and beginning of eras-the end of the couch, the start of two chairs and a lack. The end of Harriet, the start of a new transmitter. I've formed friendships with some awesome people, and got job experience for a lifetime. Right now, I'm in the position of being Co-AM Program Director and FM DJ again. I've dealt with a change-up in time slots, no calls to a call a week (at least) and more. It's gonna be a helluva ride.

Also, housing here is getting under my skin.

Go put on a record.

uh

watchbatteries — Tue, 01 May 2007 23:59:30 GMT

Kick out the jams, motherfucker.

new VMars tonight and Warriors-Mavs in a pivotal Game 5.

Adventures in College Radio series concludes soon. Cuz it, like my show, needs a name.

Last show of the semester!

watchbatteries — Tue, 01 May 2007 18:31:58 GMT

I'm listening to the Smiths here in our AM Studio-which I'll have a large hand in next year. It's the Smiths' debut on vinyl. Anyhow, last show of the semester.

Today 3:30-5PM www.wuvt.vt.edu (54)231-9888 to request a ditty

Last show of the semester tomorrow.

watchbatteries — Tue, 01 May 2007 01:49:20 GMT

Tomorrow is my last show of the Spring 2007 semester, so listen in to the Show Yet To Be Titled (which will have a real name next semester) for one last time before I go home and work for my rent (which I'll be paying next year here in Blacksburg). Call in-no collect calls-and request something good. Like the Smiths. Can't go wrong with those guys. Here's the important stuff:

The Show Yet To Be Titled Tuesday, 3:30-5 P.M. 90.7 FM in VA's New River Valley (we're up to full power, 3kW of broadcasting genius) www.wuvt.vt.edu on the internet (540)231-9888(WUVT) to request things, like the Smiths. or the new 65DaysOfStatic.

yeah.

also

watchbatteries — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 01:07:10 GMT

We've got everything We've got everything We've got everything down to a science so I guess we know everything We know everything We know everything We know everything was built to expire so I guess we've done everything If we carried it out to sea Pushed it over the edge we'd have all been through, Well first off Gary got drunk fell asleep in his car til about noon Flat Top Tony got all messed up split his lip chasing cheap perfume Well look at our boat in the bay it looks like some sad ass little canoe We've done everything We've done everything We've done everything like trial by fire so I guess we'll stop trying now We've tried everything We've tried everything We've tried everything half assed and as liars and thats how we've got everything If we carried it out to sea pushed it over the edge we could have all been through Well no one even bothered showin' up but we still did what we should have thought through We crashed in like waves into the stars Didn't want it didn't need it but we knew that we Could see it so we opened up the door We receded like waves out of the stars Didn't want it didn't need it but we knew that we could steal it left it dying on the Floor We've got everything We've got everything We've got everything down to a science so I guess we know everything We've got everything We've done everything We've tried everything We've got everything We've got everything

since I can't have a LIVE hip-hop Thursday

watchbatteries — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 01:04:09 GMT

Roots Show at VT cancelled

watchbatteries — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 03:06:43 GMT

As many of you know, I go to Virginia Tech. I was looking forward to the show at Burruss Hall tomorrow night. The show, however, was canceled. Perusing over the Okayplayer website, commenters (who go to Tech, I actually know who one of them is) have seemed to point out that Burruss can't be used. Why? The FBI is using the administrative building/concert venue as a base. Sigh.

Okayplayer Thread

radio show

watchbatteries — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 19:25:07 GMT

330 www.wuvt.vt.edu 540-231-9888

What is it like.

watchbatteries — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:10:22 GMT

What is it like to be the source of information.

What is it like to have everyone ask you if you're OK.

What is it like to judge the reported facts and wonder if they're right.

What is it like to be stranded in civilization.

What is it like to experience a life-changing movement.

What is it like to want to go anywhere but home.

I know what it is like.

I am fine and alive here at school. My condolences to the families of the victims.

That was cool.

watchbatteries — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 03:32:13 GMT

Another entry into the Adventures in College Radio saga. Tuesday marked my first Radiothon, WUVT's semi-annual fundraiser to help our operating costs. To help drive people in, we do theme shows. My theme show was A Quick History of Dischord records, which went over smashingly. I raised $60 for the station, and got a Bad Brains request. Good stuff, really.

RADIOTHON IS COMING

watchbatteries — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:06:49 GMT

If you notice my posts, a lot of them end with "RADIOTHON IS COMING", and for good reason. Starting Monday at 12:00 A.M. (when Sunday ends) we'll be on the air twenty four hours a day, all week, with a DJ. We do this because we need your help to raise operating costs. So, here's the info:

What: Radiothon, WUVT's semi-annual fundraising marathon When: ALL DAY APRIL 9-15 WHO: WUVT and You How to help: listen at www.wuvt.vt.edu, and call to pledge at (540)231-9888.

It's Year 59 at WUVT, let's make it 60.

Your guide to college radio.

watchbatteries — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 04:26:55 GMT

As a college radio DJ, I have some of the greatest freedom in the world when I play selections. I enjoy doing this, and like requests. But, every now and then, people want some random shit. I want to use my show as an example.

Every week, I play 45 minutes of electronic and 45 minutes of new rock. I do this to vary it up a bit, and give my listeners something they might not have thought of before. As such, I'm exploiting the free form genre, mixing and matching as best as possible. My show is 90 Minutes, and I love requests-that is, when they fit in to the show.

Today, I had a caller who wanted some James Brown. Here's my problem: I want to honor requests, but I want them to fit into my show. Don't just randomly call in without at first listening for a few minutes, possibly fifteen minutes if you know the time block. Always request after the DJ plays the next song, it helps. Since this is the internet, here's the list:

1.Listen before you request.2 2.Request within the genres you hear or know the DJ plays. 3.Call after the DJ goes off air. 4.Keep listening.

RADIOTHON IS COMING

Radio show w/other important things

watchbatteries — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 02:43:32 GMT

The Show Yet To Be Titled airs Tuesdays at 330-5. You're going to hear me talk a lot about RADIOTHON, our semi-annual fundraiser. It's important to our operations, and is especially necessary this year due to the surge in contributionsat the ned of the year that helped our transmitter. We still need help. Sum it up: The Show Yet To Be Titled Tuesday 330-5PM www.wuvt.vt.edu

RADIOTHON IS COMING (540)231-9888 will be a vital number.

Hell, call me tomorrow, it'll make a good show.

Multiply.

watchbatteries — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 04:05:35 GMT

Sorry for bombarding you guys with Multiply adds and such. In return. the new !!! is up. Get it.

Multiply

"Why are you wearing headphones?"

watchbatteries — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 14:03:51 GMT

I came across this on the WUVT ListServ. This is courtesy Len, our librarian, who's kind of like the cool uncle,ombudsman, and guy in the corner combined. Anyhow, this is pretty damn funny, and describes indie DJs and people in a way I can't.

Thats Pretty Underground - Click Here for more great videos and pictures!

This is why MSM music kinda sucks.

watchbatteries — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 02:37:38 GMT

So, I'm equally into sports as I am music. Music in itself is a great discussion piece, but the sport that creates the best conversation in America is baseball. One of the best blogs out there is The Dugout, which specializes in fake AIM chats about teams. I'd like to provide you with one about the Baltimore Orioles. Look closely at the comments 1B Kevin Millar provides, like this: "MillarsCrossing: THIS AIN'T A TEAM, IT'S A GOD DAMN ARM BRACE!"

here's the link: The Dugout.