Free WFMU stuff:

Marie Osmond Does Hugo Ball

"Marie Osmond became co-host with Jack Palance. In the format of the show, little topic clusters (like "weird language") were introduced by one of the hosts. In this case, the frame was Cabaret Voltaire. Marie was required to read Hugo Ball's sound poem "Karawane" and a few script lines. Much to everybody's astonishment, when they started filming she abruptly looked away from the cue cards directly into the camera and recited, by memory, "Karawane." It blew everybody away, and I think they only needed that one take. A year or so after it was broadcast, Greil Marcus approached me, wanting to use Marie Osmond's rendition of Hugo Ball for a cd produced in England as sonic companion to his book Lipstick Traces; so I was delighted to be able to arrange that."

Faust's Lost Album V + TV footage

Wow, gawd bless the internet for serving up recordings of legendary Kraut pioneers Faust that I'm sure many of us hadn't heard before (or knew existed). Turns out that after the band recorded their album IV for Virgin and had a somewhat chaotic tour, Richard Branson had his fill of their shenanigans and cut them loose once again in 1975. Although, at this point the band had gone ahead and run up some expensive hotel and studio bills at Giorgio Morodor's Araballe studios....

Cool lists!

I was wanting to check out that Thea Gilmore too. Just the prompt I need.

The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes

I had way too high expectations on this record. I loved the early singles and their radio gigs -- and then this came and... I just have a really hard time getting past the tin shed aesthetics on the vocals.

Nicklas, buffistarawk info has been sent to your profile address.

Your list gives me much to consider, CI. For instance I am going to download this:

Isis & Aerogramme - In the Fishtank 14

right now.

I love end-of-the-year best-ofs!

Btw, I tried a new dim sum place tonight - boo. Everything was salty and yet still bland.

I didn't know about this:

22. Greg Graffin - Cold As the Clay [Anti]

either, but I am downloading it now as well. Sounds great:

Following a solo album released in 1997 under the alias American Lesion, Cold as the Clay comes as the first effort from Bad Religion frontman Greg Graffin issued under his own name. Unlike the simple singer/songwriter approach of American Lesion, this album finds Graffin -- backed by members of the Weakerthans, among other musicians -- paying homage to his early upbringing in Wisconsin (where family singalongs were prevalent) with what the album sticker proclaims as "a heart-rending collection of old-timey American folk." And essentially, that's exactly what Cold as the Clay is. Recorded and mixed in a week with players sitting in the studio as though around a campfire, the reflective songs range from mere acoustic numbers to ones that further incorporate banjo, mandolin, harmonica, and more.

[link]

I just have a really hard time getting past the tin shed aesthetics on the vocals.

Oh, I like it. It sounds oh-so-Shangri-Las to me.

Tina, be forewarned that the Isis/Aerogramme disc is somewhere between Sabbath and Tortoise.

And Tommyrot, thanks for the Faust!

Faust is one of those "always meant to listen to" bands, so this is the first I've actually heard them. Hmm... eMusic has some of their stuff...

off to download...

Go for Faust IV if you can. It's your best way in.

Yeah, that sounds like the one to get, although eMusic doesn't have it.

So far, I'm really rocking on "J'ai Mal Aux Dents" (from The Faust Tapes ).

So, for the first time since 2003 I did an end-of-year-ish mix CD for family and friends. 2004 I was in the midst of moving, and last winter I just dropped the ball, but I finally got around to it. The wacky numbering was just to keep the songs in the order I wanted them in, but I decided to keep them as it makes it a "Top 10" even though that's not what these are.

0. Battle Without Honor or Humanity - Tomoyasu Hotei
0.5 Who's Joe? - New Order
1. An Honest Mistake - The Bravery
1.5 Scientist - The Dandy Warhols
2. Slip Away - Laurie Anderson
2.5 I Don't Wanna Fall in Love - She Wants Revenge
3. Something Bigger, Something Brighter - Pretty Girls Make Graves
3.5 After Dark - Le Tigre
4. Good Boys - Blondie
5. Girls - Tricky
5.5 Bad Boyfriend - Garbage
6. Wounded World - Mission of Burma
6.5 Burn the Witch - Queens of the Stone Age
7. The Sweets - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
7.5 Kiss you Off - Scissor Sisters
8. Destroy Everything you Touch - Ladytron
8.5 We Get Low - The Dead 60s
9. Light's On - Secret Machines
10 Every Planet we Reach is Dead - Gorillaz