Cameron Crowe's Singles Turns 20

Lately it seems like the sole purpose of the internet is to remind me that I'm old. Case in point: IMDB has informed me that Cameron Crowe's Singles hit theatres twenty years ago today.


It seems like only yesterday I was sitting in the theatre while my date Tracey drooled over Chris Cornell's bare chest and I played Spot The Album Cover during the scene where Campbell Scott showed his record collection to Kyra Sedgwick. "Look! That's a Smithereens album!" (Tracey and I had different priorities.)

Singles is one of those Cameron Crowe projects where the soundtrack tends to overshadow the movie, which I think is unfair. The soundtrack was essential in exposing Seattle bands to a wider audience, but the movie is an excellent relationship dramedy that's well worth seeing, or revisting if you haven't seen it a while. Mr. Sensitive Ponytail Man gives it two thumbs up.

It also served as a warm-up for Almost Famous, providing an insider's look at a struggling young band trying to make it in a music scene that was just about to explode.

And on a personal note, Singles provided me with several sound bites that are used on Dynamic Range Radio. Have you ever heard that one about traffic jams being God's way of saying listen to the radio? That came from Singles, and there are a couple of memorable quotes from Cliff Poncier, played by Matt Dillon, that I've used as well.

I'd like to think that Citizen Dick is still plugging away somewhere, waiting for that big break. Maybe Cliff cut his hair to fit in with modern fashions, and maybe they moved to Belgium to capitalize on their loyal following over there.

With a Soundgarden reunion album set to hit stores this fall, I can't think of a better time to revisit Singles, which is a snapshot of a moment in time that was an important part of my youth.

Shearwater - Immaculate

A belated thanks to Shearwater for a terrific show this Saturday night at the Media Club here in Vancouver. It was the best show I've seen in years, but I don't get out much so take that for what it's worth.

I complain about the sound quality at live venues even more than I complain about the sound quality of modern albums, but the Media Club had better overall sound than the last show I attended -- British Sea Power at the Biltmore -- and the drums sounded great, even if some of the subtleties were lost on quieter numbers like "Castaways".

The high-tempo single "You As You Were" got quite a reaction from the crowd, as did the hard-rocking number "Immaculate" which, coincidentally, has new official video. This is probably the most accessible, mainstream-friendly track the band has ever recorded -- not that that's a bad thing -- so hopefully this single will help the band play in a bigger venue next time. A sold-out show at the Commodore Ballroom is the least they deserve.

Happy 4th Of July From Neil Young

I've been waving the Canadian flag a lot lately in honour of Canada Day, but I didn't want my American listeners to feel left out, so here's a classic piece of Americana given a modern twist by a true American hero, Neil Young.

(Just kidding. Neil Young is Canadian, but us Canucks enjoy a bit of Americana now and then as well.)

Alabama Shakes - Hold On

It looks like we have a new contender for rock song of the year. Look out Heartless Bastards, here comes the Alabama Shakes.

They don't look like rock stars, but they sound like rock stars and that's all I've ever cared about. This is a killer track.

Now In Heavy Rotation: The Heartless Bastards - Parted Ways

Following up on the body paint theme from my last blog post, here's the video for "Parted Ways", the incredible new single from The Heartless Bastards.

All my female listeners had a chance to savour Gotye's quivering stomach and pasty thighs in the video for "Somebody That I Used To Know", so it's only fair that the guys should get to enjoy a little eye candy now, because this time it's ladies sporting the body paint.

Boobs, body paint, and a Gibson SG. What more could a guy ask for from a rock video?

Now In Heavy Rotation: Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know

It's already been #1 in the UK and in Gotye's native Australia, and now the album, Making Mirrors, is climbing the charts in North America. This song also hugely popular on YouTube, Rdio, Last.FM, and probably every other online service you could name. And now it's soon to be #1 on Dynamic Range Radio.

It's rare for my tastes to sync up with something so popular, but it does happen occasionally, and I'm not too elitist to play a popular hit when it does. But if I hear this song every time I'm buying groceries, riding in someone else's car, or grabbing a slice of pizza, I might get sick of it pretty quickly, and then it might drop off the playlist sooner than most tracks I put in heavy rotation.

Hopefully that won't happen.

Dynamic Range Radio Recommends: The Head And The Heart

I've been putting together this year's list of Dynammy Award Nominees and I realized that one album I overlooked this year was the debut from The Head And The Heart. It's a really terrific addition to the folk/rock revival typified by bands like Fleet Foxes, Mumford And Sons, or The Avett Brothers, and I would recommend it for fans of any of the above.

Here's the official video for Lost In My Mind:



And here's a live performance of the two opening tracks from the album, including my favourite on the disc, Couer D'Alene:

Or buy from Amazon.ca

The Return Of Wilco

Now that the Halloween show is over I can refocus on adding new music to the playlist, and number one on my to-do list is the new Wilco album The Whole Love. Here's the official video for the first single, "Born Alone":



I must admit I'd given up on Wilco after their last few albums, but the new one is a real return to form, and a return to the sound and vitality of Summerteeth.

And speaking of Wilco at their peak, here's a terrific live performance of "Monday" from their epic double album Being There.






Buy From Amazon.ca

Happy Victoria Day

Most Canadians are enjoying the unoffical start of summer right now because of the Victoria Day long weekend, aka that holiday in May where many people don't know why they're getting a day off, but who cares because it's a long weekend! Give'r!

For the record, Victoria Day is in honour of Queen Victoria and Canada's historical ties to the British Commonwealth. I'm far from a monarchist, but I'm happy to use Victoria Day as an excuse to post this excellent live performance from the Kinks:

Iron & Wine: Hear The New Album Now!

I can't remember the last time I was this excited about a new album, but Sam Beam always brings the goods and all the pre-release teases have brought my anticipation to a fever pitch. Or as close to a fever pitch as a laid-back Iron & Wine fan ever gets.

Use this nifty little flash widget to hear "Kiss Each Other Clean" in its entirety. And then use the Amazon links at the bottom of this post to help support Dynamic Range Radio. You will be buying this album, I promise you that, so you may as well help support DRR at the same time.

Iron & Wine: New Music Live

The always-reliable Sam Beam (aka Iron & Wine) recently dropped by WNYC to play a bunch of new tunes from his upcoming album. One of the amazing things about Iron & Wine is that Beam always manages to deliver what you'd expect from him, but his revolving door of bandmates offer enough new flourishes to make it seem fresh. The second track is funkier than anything I've heard from Beam, yet it's unmistakably Iron & Wine. And the third song makes them sound like Vampire Weekend's hippie uncles -- with oboe!

You can watch the full hour-long concert here, then use the links below to pre-order the first must-have album of 2011.

Polaris Music Prize: 2010 Short List

The Polaris Music Prize always piques my interest every year since it's one of the few awards that celebrates music I actually like as opposed to whoever sold the most product.

The list is the usual mix of Canadian indie darlings and artists so obscure that their mothers probably keep wondering when they're going to get a real job.

There are several albums on the list that have gotten heavy rotation on Dynamic Range Radio this past year from artists like Tegan And Sara, The Besnard Lakes, Caribou, and Broken Social Scene, plus there are a few artists I'd never even heard of prior to the short list.

Higher profile bands have very little chance of winning this award, so Broken Social Scene and Tegan And Sara are probably out, while Caribou has already won this prize so the voters may want to spread the love around this time. I'm rooting for the Besnard Lakes but wouldn't be surprised if one of the wildcards walked away with the award.

The Polaris write-up of each artist can be found here. I discover a lot of new music every year by checking out the artists who make the list, so I recommend that you do the same.

New Music - Avi Buffalo

No matter how much you love something you need to take a break from it every now and then so you can re-discover what you loved about it in the first place.

That explains why I haven't been working on the station these past few weeks, apart from routine maintenance to keep the music flowing. Now I'm back and feeling the urge to start adding new music again, starting with Avi Buffalo's "What's In It For?"

My only regret about these past few weeks is that I didn't spend them frolicking in a hippie/Pandora-esque paradise with either one of Avi Buffalo's female band members.



Thanks to loyal listener KurtFromLaQuinta for recommending Avi Buffalo to me. Your tips are always welcome.

New Blur - Fool's Day

I never thought I'd get the chance to say this, but the new Blur single has just been added into heavy rotation on Dynamic Range Radio.

I'm usually pretty cynical about reunions, so I didn't get my hopes up when I heard that Blur had gotten back together, but Fool's Day is a lot better than I expected. Hardly earth-shattering like the first time I heard Parklife, but certainly worthy of airplay.



There's also a new Gorillaz album out, so Damon Albarn's been a busy boy. I haven't quite decided what to do with the new Gorillaz stuff, but Stylo and a few other tracks have been growing on me, so you may be hearing something from Albarn's other project soon as well.

Coming Soon: Mumford And Sons

I caught this excellent performance on Letterman a while back and immediately decided to track down the album. There are several other tracks that I'm liking a lot in addition to "Little Lion Man", which is what they performed for Dave...



I posted this because I'm not certain whether I should put the song into the playlist. It's a terrific tune but the album version has quite a bit of profanity and I know that many of my listeners tune in from their place of employment. I usually allow the occasional swear word to sneak through, but when the f-word appears in the chorus of a song that's a different matter. They cleaned it up for Letterman, but if you also want to hear the NSFW version you can find it among the related videos at the end.

You'll defintely be hearing other tracks from the album soon, and I very much recommend checking out the album as well.

Dynammy Award Winners 2009

I've been laid up for the past week with an injured elbow and too much computer use will only aggravate the problem, so I'll keep this short.

After much consideration, I can't possibly choose just one winner in any of these categories, so consider them all winners.

Sorry for the anti-climax, but there really wasn't a single song or album that stood out this year. Some were more emotionally satisfying, some were more fun, some had better dynamics, but when I put it all together it was impossible to narrow it down any further. I recommend each and every one of these songs and albums whole-heartedly and let's leave it at that.

Here's the complete list of nominees winners for anyone who may have have missed it the first time.

Song Of The Year

The Airborne Toxic Event - Innocence

Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes

The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You

Dido - Us 2 Little Gods

Editors - Bricks And Mortar

Florence And The Machine - Dog Days Are Over

Great Lake Swimmers - Pulling On A Line

Handsome Furs - All We Want, Baby, Is Everything

Monsters Of Folk - Ahead Of The Curve

Muse - Undisclosed Desires

Joel Plaskett - Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

One Hundred Dollars - Nothin's Alright

Rae Spoon - I'll Be A Ghost For You

School Of Seven Bells - Half Asleep

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero

Album Of The Year

The Airborne Toxic Event - The Airborne Toxic Event

The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You

Depeche Mode - Sounds Of The Universe

Handsome Furs - Face Control

Monsters Of Folk - Monsters Of Folk

Best Sound Quality

Depeche Mode - Sounds Of The Universe

One Hundred Dollars - Forest Of Tears

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz

Dynamic Range Radio's Top 100 Artists of 2009 (part 2)

Continuing the year-end recap that started last week, here are the top 50 artists on Dynamic Range Radio in 2009 based on airplay.

1. Bloc Party [+1]
2. Led Zeppelin [+2]
3. The Beatles [-2]
4. Big Country [-2]
5. Steve Earle [no change]
6. Big Sugar [-2]
7. U2 [+11]
8. Eurythmics [+5]
9. The Smithereens [+8]
10. TV On The Radio [+26]
11. Sinead O'Connor [+1]
12. Bob Marley [+2]
13. Wilco [+8]
14. Bob Dylan [+1]
15. The Pogues [-6]
16. My Morning Jacket [+6]
17. The White Stripes [-11]
18. The Tragically Hip [-10]
19. Kings Of Leon [-9]
20. Yeah Yeah Yeahs [+69]
21. Depeche Mode [+111]
22. The Clash [-2]
23. Yo La Tengo [-12]
24. AC/DC [-8]
25. Bruce Springsteen [-6]
26. Old 97's [+18]
27. Goldfrapp [+3]
28. Chris Isaak [-3]
29. Crowded House [no change]
30. Bat For Lashes [+27]
31. Everclear [-8]
32. Against Me! [+10]
33. Supergrass [+41]
34. The Rolling Stones [+1]
35. Iron & Wine [-1]
36. Ron Sexsmith [+34]
37. Aerosmith [+21]
38. Radiohead [+24]
39. Yazoo [-6]
40. Sons And Daughters [-12]
41. Blur [no change]
42. Santogold [+82]
43. Dire Straits [-11]
44. The Smashing Pumpkins [-13]
45. The Skids [-19]
46. XTC [+68]
47. R.E.M. [-8]
48. ...Trail Of Dead [-24]
49. Beck [-22]
50. Pure [-10]

Bloc Party claimed the #1 spot on the charts last year thanks to their latest album Intimacy which was released in late 2008 and spent a significant part of 2009 in heavy rotation. Throw in all the outstanding tracks from their two previous albums and it's no surprise at all to see Bloc Party at the top of the charts.

The next three bands on the list also come from the UK, and even though I'm one of the few DJs who would mention Big Country in the same breath as Led Zeppelin or the Beatles, all three bands are perennial favourites of mine and will probably remain at or near the top of the charts for a long time to come.

Steve Earle prevents the UK from sweeping the top 5, while Big Sugar is the highest charting Canadian band at #6. Other homegrown acts making the cut were The Tragically Hip (#18), Ron Sexsmith (#36), and Vancouver's own Pure who clung to a spot in the top 50.

The biggest jumps were made by Depeche Mode, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Santogold, and Supergrass, all of whom had albums in heavy rotation for at least part of 2009.

Among older bands, XTC had the biggest jump, climbing 68 spots to crack the top 50 for the first time. I'd always liked the band's better known singles, but 2009 was the year when I dug deep into their catalogue and came to appreciate many more of their songs, and also the consistently outstanding sound quality of their albums.

Looking ahead to 2010, I'd say that the band most in danger of falling out of the top 50 is ... And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead. Their last album, Century Of Self, was a disappointment, both artistically and sonically, so they'll have to rebound if they want to start climbing instead of dropping.

Another band to watch for in 2010 is the Avett Brothers who might crack the top 50 on the strength of their debut album, I And Love And You.

To view the bottom half of the top 100 click here, and then come back next week for the announcement of the 2009 Dynammy Award nominees.

Dynamic Range Radio's Top 100 Artists of 2009 (part 1)

With 2009 behind us, I decided to take a look at the top 100 artists played on Dynamic Range Radio last year and, thanks to a nifty tool called Last FM Extra Stats, see how they compared to 2008.

It's a lengthy list so I decided to break it up into two parts, with a little analysis at the the end of each post. The bottom half of the list is being published today, and you can come back next Monday for the top 50.

And now, on to the list of runners-up:

51. Stars [+12]
52. David Bowie [no change]
53. Lucinda Williams [-8]
54. The Police [-4]
55. The Decemberists [-2]
56. Arcade Fire [+19]
57. Coldplay [-1]
58. The New Pornographers [-21]
59. Peter Gabriel [-21]
60. Cornershop [-9]
61. Beirut [+33]
62. Manic Street Preachers [+11]
63. Billy Bragg [-14]
64. The Airborne Toxic Event [NEW]
65. Talking Heads [-5]
66. Paul Simon [+97]
67. Death Cab For Cutie [-2]
68. Ben Harper [-1]
69. The Dandy Warhols [-5]
70. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club [-24]
71. Joy Division [+16]
72. Tom Waits [+19]
73. The Pretenders [+5]
74. Caribou [-20]
75. Hard-Fi [-27]
76. The Raconteurs [+3]
77. 54-40 [-27]
78. Prince [+8]
79. The Ramones [+5]
80. Matthew Sweet [-8]
81. The Beach Boys [-20]
82. Soundgarden [-11]
83. James [+21]
84. Fleet Foxes [+372]
85. LCD Soundsystem [+31]
86. The Cult [+17]
87. Little Man Tate [+10]
88. Hooverphonic [+20]
89. Bauhaus [-34]
90. Black Mountain [+6]
91. Morphine [-32]
92. Pearl Jam [+69]
93. Violent Femmes [+22]
94. MGMT [+28]
95. Neil Young [+182]
96. Southern Culture On The Skids [-16]
97. The Jam [+30]
98. Iggy Pop [+39]
99. Interpol [+68]
100. Camera Obscura [+30]

The first thing that leaps out is The Airborne Toxic Event, who had the year's highest debut at #64. The next highest debut was School Of Seven Bells at #135 followed by Martha Wainright at #191.

Fleet Foxes also made huge strides this year, jumping 372 spots to #84. Only a handful of artists climbed higher than Fleet Foxes in 2009, but one who did was Cold War Kids who jumped a whopping 437 spots to rank just off the list at #101.

Artists like The New Pornographers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Bauhaus who had new albums in heavy rotation in 2008 experienced predictable drops in 2009, but I can't for the life of me explain why Morphine dropped 32 places to #91. If anything, I feel like I should be playing them a lot more often.

The huge leaps by Paul Simon and Neil Young are proof that I spent less time in 2009 searching for the next big thing and more time focusing on the classics, where good dynamics are more likely to be found. Or maybe it just means I'm getting old.

Assuming I don't drop dead from some illness that only affects the elderly, I'll be posting the top 50 artists next Monday, January 11th, and the week after that will be time to release the 2009 Dynammy Award nominees, so check back soon for that.

Dynamic Range Radio's Recently Added Tracks: September

Another month has come and gone, so it's time once again to list all the songs that got added to Dynamic Range Radio's playlist in September. Lots of classics, some alternative gems from the 80s, and a few new tracks that made it into heavy rotation. The full list below:

Aerosmith – No More No More
The Rolling Stones – Beast of Burden
Fairport Convention – Come All Ye
The Police – King of Pain
Paul Simon – Born at the Right Time
Blondie – Heart of Glass
Patti Smith – Dancing Barefoot
The Pretenders – Don't Get Me Wrong
Muse – Guiding Light
Stevie Wonder – Uptight (Everything's Alright)
Muse – Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1 (Overture)
R.E.M. – The One I Love
Beast – Devil
Muse – Undisclosed Desires
Beast – Satan
Ray LaMontagne – Henry Nearly Killed Me (It's a Shame)
Pixies – Wave of Mutilation
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Slowdive
Neko Case – Star Witness
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Shadowtime
Gang of Four – He'd Send In the Army
Pixies – Gigantic
My Morning Jacket – Where To Begin
Beast – Microcyte
Andy G. & Tobiak - Latin Wave
Gorillaz – 5/4 FiveFour
Jurassic 5 – Canto De Ossanha
Rae Spoon – I'll Be A Ghost For You
Cowboy Junkies – Stars of Our Stars

And coming in October you can expect to hear new stuff from Mew, Monsters Of Folk, and a Canadian indie/alt-country band called One Hundred Dollars. Now that those have been added, it's time for me to start working on this year's Halloween show, so there won't be a lot of new music being added in late October. And if you're guessing that a few of those tracks added in September will also be a part of the Halloween playlist, you'd be right.

Dynamic Range Radio's Recently Added Tracks

As mentioned in my last post, I haven't been adding new music into heavy rotation lately, but that doesn't mean I've been idle. I've been adding a lot of older music, so I thought I'd post the list of songs that got added into the playlist in August:

Cowboy Junkies – Rock and Bird
Cocteau Twins – Sugar Hiccup
The Temptations – Papa Was a Rollin' Stone
Mary Gauthier – The Sun Fades The Color of Everything
Patsy Cline – Crazy
Cowboy Junkies – Misguided Angel
k.d. lang – Constant Craving
Mary Gauthier – Long Way To Fall
Lucinda Williams – Lake Charles
XTC – Another Satellite
Marvin Gaye – Let's Get It On
The Cinematic Orchestra – Familiar Ground (ft Fontella Bass)
TV on the Radio – Province
Dusty Springfield – Son of a Preacher Man
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas – Nowhere to Run
The Cramps – Goo Goo Muck
Link Wray & His Ray Men – Rumble
Odds – Make You Mad
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas – (Love Is Like) A Heat Wave
Morphine – Radar
The Cure – Close to Me
Al Green – I Can't Get Next To You
Otis Redding – Mr. Pitiful
Great Lake Swimmers – Falling Into the Sky
Indio – Hard Sun
The Pogues – The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
Big Country – Come Back To Me
Great Big Sea – Excursion Around the Bay
The Lowest of the Low – St. Brendan's Way
Great Big Sea – Recruiting Sargeant
Ian Brown – Solarized
Charlie Sexton – Ugly All Day
Tom Waits – Big Black Mariah
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Breakdown

And after focusing on old favourites for a while, I'm back in a new music frame of mind, so look for recent tracks from two fine Canadian artists -- Great Lake Swimmers and Joel Plaskett -- to appear in heavy rotation this week