Palo Alto Pop Overthrow

This Monday - an interview with Kathleen McNamara and John Wesley Harding

2010-01-24T18:49:00.000-08:00

Greetings power pop fans,

I'm pleased to announce that on this week's Palo Alto Pop Overthrow, I'll be joined in studio by producer Kathleen McNamara of Academy Avenue Films, and on the phone by John Wesley Harding, a prolific musician as well as proprietor of the Popover Corps label.

We'll be talking about the film "A Bloody Show - John Wesley Harding & Friends Live at Bumbershoot 2005." Here's a trailer for the film:

Tune in this Monday from 6-7pm on the west coast, and 9-10pm on the east coast. If you're in the wonderous Bay Area, listen at 90.1 on your FM dial, otherwise tune in online at kzsulive.stanford.edu. If you have questions you'd like me to ask Kathleen and John, email me at phil AT palopop DOT org.

Till then!
Phil Andrews

New show time: Mondays 6-7pm

2010-01-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

The new quarter schedule at KZSU is up - and the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow has moved to its new time: Mondays from 6-7pm PT, 9-10pm ET. Check out all of the great programming that KZSU has to offer, and listen in online at kzsulive.stanford.edu.

Featured albums in Q4 2009

2010-01-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

Well folks, I'll be the first to admit that I've been behind on posting each weekly featured album to the blog. So, let's go back and review the previous quarter's worth, so that we're up to date.

October 1st - Scotland Yard Gospel Choir

Credit: Casey Black for Bloodshot Records

Due to recent events, the first week of October we opted to feature an artist, rather than an album. The band in question was the Scotland Yard Gospel Choir from Chicago. They've been featured on the PAPO before, but we felt it was important to bring them back up: they had just debuted a new album, entitled "...and the horse you rode in on," and were out on tour supporting it, when they ended up in a very bad accident involving their touring van. The members of the band spent considerable time in the hospital - and like many fledgling independent bands, some members of the band were without health insurance. Since then, guitarist/vocalist Mary Ralphs has written some reflections on being suddenly disabled. For more information about how you can help the band members recover, please visit their donations page on the web site of Bloodshot Records. Playlist.

October 8th - Kirsty MacColl

Source: 1gl@flickr

Once again breaking with our custom of featuring an album, we had our second annual tribute to the late, great singer and performer Kirsty MacColl. Kirsty has been referred to as a "female Elvis Costello", or even as the "Dorothy Parker of pop." Born as the daughter of folk singer/songwriter Ewan MacColl, she had the pleasure of working with David Byrne, Johnny Marr, Shane McGowan, Neil Finn among others. On October 10th she would have celebrated her 50th birthday. We played a wide sampling of her music, and gave a historical overview of her career, her collaborations, and her life. Playlist.

October 15th - Camera Obscura: "My Maudlin Career"
Three years after the release of their first album, the band Camera Obscura comes back with "My Maudlin Career", produced by Jari Haapalainen, of The Bear Quartet. Featured tracks: French Navy, My Maudlin Career, The Sweetest Thing. Playlist.

October 22nd - "Why Isn't Chris von Sneidern Famous?" with Director Kathleen McNamara

credit: Charlie Homo Photography

Kathleen McNamara, the director of "Why Isn't Chris von Sneidern Famous?" stopped by the PAPO to chat about her film debut. See the blog post for more information.

October 29th - The Corner Laughers: "Ultraviolet Garden" and live in-studio performance

Credit: Ivy

For the second time in as many years, our good friends The Corner Laughers stopped by to chat and perform several of their delightful pop tunes. Angela, Charlie, Karla, and Khoi had just released their new album, "Ultraviolet Garden" on John Wesley Harding's Popover Corps label, so we were pleased to hear stories from its inception, along with live renditions of many of their new songs. Playlist.

November 5th - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: "Higher Than The Stars"

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are an Indie pop band from NYC. Their short, four song EP, "Higher Than The Stars" was a part of KZSU's new music rotation, having been released two months prior on Slumberland. In case you're curious, the band's name came from a children's story written by a friend of the band, that has never been published. Featured tracks: Falling Over, 103, and Twins. Playlist.

November 12th - The Clientele: "Bonfires on the Heath"

The Clientele originally formed in 1991 in suburban Hampshire, and was originally called 'The Butterfly Collectors'. Who knew?! Their music strongly recalls Archer Prewitt. If you're curious about the inspirations for this album, you should check out a great interview that self-titled did with The Clientele. Featured tracks: Never Anyone But You, Three Month Summers, and Share The Night. Playlist.

November 19th - Wiretree: "Luck"

Wiretree is Kevin Peroni (vocals, guitar, keys), Rachel Peroni (bass), Joshua Kaplan (guitar), and Daniel Blanchard (drums). They're an indie pop band from Austin, TX with equal parts Matthew Sweet and Elliot Smith. Their first album, "Bouldin," is one of the most played albums of all time on the PAPO, so we were very excited to highlight their latest work. Featured tracks: Falling, Satellite Song. Playlist.

November 26th - Dreaming in Stereo: "Dreaming in Stereo"

Dreaming in Stereo is the project of singer and songwriter Fernando Perdomo. His music is equal parts power pop and 70's era art rock, which Perdomo has wistfully self-labelled as "progressive pop." Despite being highly successful in his work for other artists, he has no reservation with taking himself less than seriously, as you'll see in this music video for our favorite track, "Steal This Song." Featured tracks: Steal This Song, Smile, and Decisions, Decisions. Playlist.

December 3rd - Manic Street Preachers: "Journal for Plague Lovers"
Going on for nearly a quarter century now, The Manics are back with another album full of glam hooks and zany lyrics. It seems nothing is off limits for this band; case in point, our favorite track off of the album is called "Me and Stephen Hawking." Featured tracks: Marlon J.D., Me and Stephen Hawking, and This Joke Sport Severed. Playlist.

December 10th - The Raveonettes: "In and Out of Control"

Featured tracks: Bang, Last Dance, and Breaking Into Cars. Playlist.

Featured Album: Psonic Psunspot by The Dukes of Stratosphear

2010-01-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

On January 18th, we featured the "Psonic Psunspot" album from a band you know better than you think you do - The Dukes of Stratosphear.

The band lineup is:
Sir John Johns - singing, guitar, brain buds
The Red Curtain - electric bass, song stuff
Lord Cornelius Plum - mellotron, piano, organ, fuzz-tone guitar
E.I.E.I. Owen - drum set

Still not ringing a bell? You might instead know these musicians as:
Andy Partridge
Colin Moulding
David Gregory
..otherwise known as XTC, along with Ian Gregory (David's brother.)

The Dukes of Stratosphear were an interesting diversion in XTC's musical history. Donning psuedonyms, they worked with producer John Leckie on two albums in the mid 1980s, of which "Psunspot" was their second. Under this secret arrangement, the members of XTC were able to dabble in the more psychedic pop influences of the 60s, without having the pressure of delivering "another" XTC record. When The Dukes released their first album, XTC repeatedly denied that they had authored these works, but by the time "Psunspot" was released, they were starting to admit openly that they were living a double musical life.

Favorite tracks: 1. Vanishing Girl, 4. You're a Good Man Albert Brown, 6. You're My Drug, 8. Brainiac's Daughter.

Label: Geffen Records
RIYL: XTC, The Three O'Clock, Todd Rundgren
Three stars.

myspace, XTC fansite writeup, wikipedia, AMG
Amazon: album
Rhapsody

Featured Interview: Kathleen McNamara / "Why Isn't Chris Von Sneidern Famous?"

2009-10-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

credit: Charlie Homo Photography

Today we spoke with Kathleen McNamara about her new film, "Why Isn't Chris von Sneidern Famous?" Chris is a prolific power pop musician from the Bay Area, who has played with everyone from John Wesley Harding to Neko Case. Kathleen discussed Chris's career, the making of the film, and some of the powerful questions raised by the piece, such as "What is the meaning of 'success' as an artist?"

For more information about the film, visit Academy Avenue Films. Tickets for a local screening of the movie can be purchased at the San Francisco Film Society, for a 6:30pm showing at Landmark's Clay Theater in SF.

Playlist for October 22nd, 2009

2009-10-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

Here's what was played on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow for October 22, 2009:

Artist	Track	Album/Label
Pernice Brothers, The	There Goes the Sun	Discover a Lovelier You Ashmont Records
Posies, the	Solar Sister	Frosting On The Beater Geffen Records
Yacht	Psychic City	See Mystery Lights Dfa Records
+Squeeze	The Day I Get Home	Play Reprise Records (Modern)

+Belles, the	Never Said Anything	Omerta' Lakeshore Records
+Kirsty Maccoll	Children of the Revolution	Electric Landlady Charisma (Modern)
+Light FM	Black Magic Marker	Black Magic Marker Devil in the Woods
Sloan	Will You Ever Love Me Again?	Action Pact Koch Records

+Newman, A.C.	The Palace at 4AM	Get Guilty Matador Records
Assistants, The	Stop Dead	Fiction Self
Finn, Liam & Eliza Jane	Won't Change My Mind	Champagne In Seashells Yep Roc Records
Fruit Bats	The Hobo Girl	Ruminant Band, The Sub Pop Records
Apples In Stereo, The	Energy	New Magnetic Wonder Yep Roc Records

McNamara, Kathleen	Introduction	Interview on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow http://www.academyavenuefilms.com
Von Sneidern, Chris	Big White Lies	Big White Lies Heyday Records

McNamara, Kathleen	Meeting Chris, deciding to make a film	Interview on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow http://www.academyavenuefilms.com
Von Sneidern, Chris	Doctor	Big White Lies Heyday Records
Harding, John Wesley	Kiss Me, Miss Liberty	New Deal Rhino Records

McNamara, Kathleen	Naming the film, Chris's Mother	Interview on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow http://www.academyavenuefilms.com
Von Sneidern, Chris	Life Start Living	Sight & Sound Heyday Records
Matt Pond PA	Snow Day	Winter Songs Polyvinyl

McNamara, Kathleen	Ticket Giveaway	Interview on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow http://www.academyavenuefilms.com
Von Sneidern, Chris	Mindreader	Big White Lies Heyday Records
Beach Boys, the	Wouldn't It Be Nice	Pet Sounds Capitol Records (Jazz)

McNamara, Kathleen	Goodbye!	Interview on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow http://www.academyavenuefilms.com
Von Sneidern, Chris	London Pain	Searching the Muse self
Von Sneidern, Chris	Symphony of Love	California Redemption Value Mastromonia Records
Islands	Disarming The Car Bomb	Vapours Anti- / Epitaph

** Featured Album
+ Former Feature
@ Request/Dedication

Palo Alto Pop Overthrow with Phil Andrews
Thursdays from 7-9AM PST/10-Noon EST
KZSU Stanford, 90.1FM / http://kzsulive.stanford.edu/
Blog at http://www.palopop.org/

...and we're back!

2009-09-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Friends, music geeks, and loyal power pop enthusiasts, we are back.

Tune in tomorrow for the next season of the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow, at the same time you've come to know at love: Thursdays from 7-9AM on the west coast (that's 10 to noon on the east coast.)

As always, Bay Area listeners you can tune over the airwaves at 90.1FM, and listeners around the world can check out the streams at KZSU live.

p.s. Special thanks are in order to Gabe McClelland for taking the Thursday morning shift while I was on vacation this summer.

Splitsville: "Let's Go!" interview

2009-04-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow, we've talked a lot about Splitsville, and thus we were delighted to have two members of this heroic power pop band, Tony Waddy and Brandt Huseman, on the show. We chatted with them about their release, "Let's Go! The Best of Splitsville."

We touched on:

The "Splitsville Sound."
The Baltimore power pop scene.
Working with Dave Nachodsky at Invisible Sound Studios.
The coda at the end of "I Wish I Never Met You.".
Progress on the new album and their schedule appearance at the Los Angeles IPO on August 1st.
...and much more!

Here is the interview, for your listening pleasure:

Splitsville interview

Recommended tracks: all!

Label: Zip Records (SF), Popboomerang (Aus), Airmail Recordings (Japan)
RIYL: The Churchills, Ben Folds Five
Four and a half stars.

facebook, official site, myspace, wikipedia, AMG
Amazon: album (mp3)
cd baby
Rhapsody

The Rocket Summer: "Do You Feel" [featured album]

2009-04-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Rocket Summer, incredulously, is just one person: Bryce Avary, a 26 year old multi-instrumentalist and musical prodigy from Dallas, Texas. The name of his band was inspired by the Ray Bradbury story, "The Martian Chronicles." Bryce's sound is a mix of power pop, emo, piano pop, and alt rock.

Bryce Avary
Source: Amanda Munoz

While The Rocket Summer's sound has increasingly zeroed in on the tragically fashionable "emo" sound, Bryce's musical origins are definitely piano-heavy power pop. He credits Superchunk and a lot of indie rock as inspiration while growing up. His first album, "Calendar Days," was snapped up by The Militia Group, with whom he released one additional record before jumping to the majors.

On his album from 2007, "Do You Feel," Avary sings, plays bass, guitar, harmonica, drums, and a smattering of keys including organ, moog, wurlitzer, and piano. With all of those credits going to Bryce, there was "only" room enough on the disc to include the horn section from Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life", and a surprise credit of Patrick Warren on Chamberlin (keyboard,) a highly established session musician originally known for his work with Michael Penn.

The Rocket Summer - So Much Love

Favorite tracks: 2. So Much Love, 1. Break It Out, 5. All I Have, 3. Do You Feel

Label: Island Def Jam
RIYL: Copeland, Ben Folds, Weezer
Three and a half stars.

myspace, official site, wikipedia, AMG
Amazon: album
Rhapsody

Playlist for April 23rd, 2009

2009-04-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Here's what was played on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow for April 23, 2009:

Artist	Track	Album/Label
+Case, Neko	People Got A Lotta Nerve	Middle Cyclone Anti, Inc.
Hanlon, Darren	Operator... Get Me Sweden	Hello Stranger Drive-In Records
Modern Skirts	Yugo	All Of Us In Our Night None

Belle And Sebastian	Dog On Wheels	Push Barman To Open Old Wounds Matador Records
Byrne, David & Brian Eno	Everything That Happens	Everything That Happens Will Happen Today Todomundo Ltd.
Shins, The	Sleeping Lessons	Wincing the Night Away Sub Pop Records

@Leo, Ted/The Pharmacists	Six Months in a Leaky Boat	Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead Lookout Records
Squeeze	Third Rail	Five Live Love Records
+Falkner, Jason	I'm OK... You're OK	NYC Noise McCartney Records

+Nines, The	Insanity (The Sanest Thing You've Got)	Gran Jukle's Field T.A.S. Gold Recordings
Phair, Liz	Somebody's Miracle	Somebody's Miracle Capitol Records
XTC	The Loving	Oranges and Lemons Virgin Records
Long Winters, The	Shapes	When I Pretend To Fall Barsuk Records

**Rocket Summer, The	Break It Out	Do You Feel? Island Def Jam
Splitsville	Dayjob	Repeater Big Deal
@Fountains of Wayne	Bright Future in Sales	Welcome Interstate Managers Virgin Records

**Rocket Summer, The	Do You Feel	Do You Feel Island Def Jam
New Pornographers, The	Twin Cinema	Twin Cinema Matador Records
+Jones, Kelly	Same Songs	SheBANG! Good Morning Monkey Records

**Rocket Summer, The	All I Have	Do You Feel Island Def Jam
Animal Collective	My Girls	Merriweather Post Pavilion Domino Recording Company
+Travis	Song to Self	Ode to J. Smith Red Telephone Box
Mann, Aimee & Penn, Michael	Two of Us	I Am Sam V2 Music Limited

@Buckley, Jeff	Grace	Live a L'Olympia Columbia
@Nilsson, Harry	Me And My Arrow	Everybody's Talkin': The Very Best Of Rca Records (Modern)
Antony And The Johnsons	Kiss My Name	Crying Light, The Secretly Canadian Records

** Featured Album

+ Former Feature
@ Request/Dedication

Palo Alto Pop Overthrow with Phil Andrews
Thursdays from 7-9AM PST/10-Noon EST
KZSU Stanford, 90.1FM / http://kzsulive.stanford.edu/
Blog at http://www.palopop.org/

Papas Fritas: "Buildings and Grounds" [featured album]

2009-04-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

This week's featured album is "Buildings and Grounds" by pApAs fritAs.

Donna Coppola, Tony Goddess, Shivika Asthana, Keith Gendel, and Chris Colthart

Tony Goddess (guitar, vocals), Shivika Asthana (drums, vocals), and Keith Gendel (bass, vocals) originally met while students at Tufts University in Boston, and went on to form Papas Fritas. "Buildings and Grounds" is their third and final full album, not including the retrospective released in 2003.

Favorite tracks: 7. I Believe in Fate, 8. It's Over Now, 1. Girl
Label: Minty Fresh
RIYL: The Gay, Camera Obscura
Three stars.

myspace, official site, wikipedia, AMG
Amazon: album
Rhapsody

Playlist for April 16th, 2009

2009-04-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Here's what was played on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow for April 16, 2009:

Artist	Track	Album/Label
Camera Obscura	If Looks Could Kill	Let's Get Out Of This Country Merge Records
New Pornographers, The	Sing Me Spanish Techno	Twin Cinema Matador Records
Long Winters, The	Shapes	When I Pretend To Fall Barsuk Records

+Lovely, Brian	Disappear	Superimpose The Beat Parlor
Animal Collective	My Girls	Merriweather Post Pavilion Domino Recording Company
Bleu	Feet Don't Fail	Headroom Lunch Records

Byrne, David & Brian Eno	Everything That Happens	Everything That Happens Will Happen Today Todomundo Ltd.
+Case, Neko	People Got A Lotta Nerve	Middle Cyclone Anti, Inc.
+Falkner, Jason	This Time	I'm OK... You're OK... Noise McCartney Records
+Handcuffs, The	Somebody Somewhere	Electroluv Oofl Records

+Wondermints	Hypnolove	Bali Varese Sarabande
+Crowded House	Don't Stop Now	Time on Earth ATO Records
+Travis	Song To Self	Ode To J. Smith Red Telephone Box

**Papas Fritas	I Believe in Fate	Buildings and Grounds Minty Fresh
+Difford, Chris	The Other Man In My Life	Last Temptation Of Chris, The Airline Records
+Belles, the	Never Said Anything	Omerta' Lakeshore Records

**Papas Fritas	It's Over Now	Buildings and Grounds Minty Fresh
+Fountains of Wayne	Please Don't Rock Me	Fountains of Wayne Tag Recordings
Smiths, The	Panic	The Sound of The Smiths Warner Music

**Papas Fritas	Girl	Buildings and Grounds Minty Fresh
+Jones, Kelly	Rooftop	SheBANG! Good Morning Monkey Records
+Viola, Mike	When I Hold You In My Arms	Lurch Good Morning Monkey Records
Shins, The	Phantom Limb	Wincing the Night Away Sub Pop Records

Hanlon, Darren	Operator... Get Me Sweden	Hello Stranger Drive-In Records
Splitsville	Manna (Say You Believe)	Repeater Big Deal
+Blue Sky Secret, The	In Your Eyes	What We Are EP http://www.myspace.com/tbssmusic

Playlist for April 9th, 2009

2009-04-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

Here's what was played on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow for April 9, 2009:

Artist	Track	Album/Label
Odds	Make You Mad	Nest Elektra Records (West Coast)
+Jellybricks, The	Eyes Wide	Goodnight To Everyone Primitive Records
+Manning Jr., Roger Joseph	The Quickening	Catnip Dynamite Oglio Records

Sweet, Matthew	Into Your Drug	Blue Sky on Mars Volcano Entertainment
International Espionage!	Deaddrop	Transmissions Noise To Infinity Records
Von Bondies, The	Pale Bride	Love Hate And Then There's You Shout Factory

Sloan	Gimme That	Action Pact Koch Records
Churchills, The	Sometimes Your Best Isn't Good Enough	EP Near Records
Stereo, the	Don't Say Uncle	Rewind + Record Fueled By Ramen
+Wondermints	Hypnolove	Bali Varese Sarabande Records

+Nines, The	Insanity (The Sanest Thing You've Got)	Gran Jukle's Field T.A.S. Gold Recordings
Wendy & Lisa	Red Bike	White Flags Of Winter Chimneys Self
+Travis	Song to Self	Ode to J. Smith Red Telephone Box
+Bleu	I won't go Hollywood	Redhead Columbia

**Splitsville	Ponce de Leon	Let's Go! (best of) Zip Records
**Splitsville	White Dwarf	Let's Go! (best of) Zip Records
**Splitsville	I Wish I Never Met You	Let's Go! (best of) Zip Records

+Hillis, Cliff	Elevator	Long Now, The Self
Dressy Bessy	Anyone Can See	Holler And Stomp Transdreamer Records
+Handcuffs, The	God Is Sure One Funny Girl	Electroluv Oofl Records

+@Ben Folds	You Don't Know Me (Featuring Regina Spektor)	Way To Normal Epic Records

Splitsville on the P.A.P.O. this Thursday morning!

2009-04-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

Join our host, Phil Andrews, as he interviews the boys from the quintessential power pop-punk band Splitsville, on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow this Thursday. As usual the show runs from 7-9AM on the west coast, streaming live at kzsulive.stanford.edu. Folks from Splitsville will be dropping by in the 8 o'clock hour - that's 11 o'clock for those of you playing along on the east coast. We'll be talking about their best of album, "Let's Go!" Be there or be square!

Here's a video of the Splitsville crew performing their ever so catchy song "Forever," which we featured on the P.A.P.O. last July.

Featured album: "SheBANG!" by Kelly Jones

2009-04-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

Favorite tracks: Rooftop, Subway Song, Same Songs, There Goes My Baby, Fire Escape, Lovers

Tinges of country (There Goes My Baby) provide pointers to Kelly's musical past, while tons of 60s pop influences, channelled by Mike Viola--who cowrote and played on nearly all of the songs, and whose record label released the disc--make this album quite possibly one of my top five albums of the last two years. Like many awesome albums of late, this one was produced and recorded by Ducky Carlisle (of The Major Labels) at Ice Station Zebra in good ol' Medford, Massachusetts.

Label: Good Morning Monkey Records
RIYL: Lisa Loeb, Letters to Cleo
Five stars.

Trivia: the song “Crazy Talk” was penned by Kelly with Adam Schlesinger, who we all know for his band, Fountains of Wayne.

myspace, official site
Amazon: album
Rhapsody

Playlist for April 2nd, 2009

2009-04-02T09:15:00.000-07:00

Here's what was played on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow for April 2nd, 2009:

Artist	Track	Album/Label
Sweet, Matthew & Hoffs, Susanna	I See The Rain (The Marmalade)	Under The Covers Shout Factory
Modern Skirts	Yugo	All Of Us In Our Night None
Matt Pond PA	St.Andrews	I Thought You Were Sleeping File 13

Jayhawks, the	Big Star	Sound of Lies American (Modern)
Apples In Stereo, The	Avril En Mai	Electronic Projects For Musicians Yep Roc Records
Buried Beds	Forever In You	Empty Rooms http://www.buriedbeds.com/
Mann, Aimee & Penn, Michael	Two of Us	I Am Sam V2 Music Limited

Camera Obscura	If Looks Could Kill	Let's Get Out Of This Country Merge Records
+Corner Laughers, The	Everybody Knows	Tomb of Leopards Sandbox Records
Beach Boys, the	Wouldn't It Be Nice	Pet Sounds Capitol Records (Jazz)
Splitsville	I Wish I Had Never Met You	Incorporated Houston Party

+Difford, Chris	The Other Man In My Life	Last Temptation Of Chris, The Airline Records
+Nines, The	Virginia	Gran Jukle's Field T.A.S. Gold Recordings
Byrds	Turn! Turn! Turn!	Essential, the Columbia Legacy
Dire Straits	So Far Away	Brothers In Arms Warner Bros

**Jones, Kelly	There Goes My Baby	SheBANG! Good Morning Monkey Records
+Wondermints	Hypnolove	Bali Varese Sarabande
XTC	Mayor of Simpleton	Oranges & Lemons Virgin

**Jones, Kelly	Subway Song	SheBANG! Good Morning Monkey Records
+Bleu	Could Be Worse	Redhead Columbia/Aware
Odds	Make You Mad	Nest Elektra Records (West Coast)

**Jones, Kelly	Rooftop	SheBANG! Good Morning Monkey Records
Animal Collective	Summertime Clothes	Merriweather Post Pavilion Domino Recording Company
+Case, Neko	People Got A Lotta Nerve	Middle Cyclone Anti, Inc.
Dressy Bessy	Anyone Can See	Holler And Stomp Transdreamer Records

@Gay, The	Opulent Canine	You Know The Rules Mint Records
Toy Matinee	Things She Said	Toy Matinee Reprise
+Blue Sky Secret, The	In Your Eyes	What We Are Ep http://www.myspace.com/tbssmusic

Beirut: March of the Zapotec [featured album]

2009-04-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin: I'm Gabe McClelland: lover of maraschino cherries, haberdasher-about-town and life enthusiast. You may have heard another (substantially deeper) voice alongside your regular host last week; those succulently sanguine vocal chords belong to me. I'll spare you from the nascent details of my rise to radio fortune and fame; suffice it to say that Howard Stern was Howard Aloof before he met me.

Let's step back in time to last Thursday: The dollar was advancing against the yen, and DJ Phil Andrews had just handed me a CD that was surprisingly thicker than your everyday jewel case. I tried not to make eye contact with the young man on the cover, and opened the case to reveal not one, but two compact discs of equal shape and proportion. One, chosen at random, was pronounced our featured album of the week. "Which disc did we choose?" you inquire; hands clasped under your chin in eager anticipation.

We chose the one on the left, which happened to be "March of the Zapotec" by Beirut. Featuring the 19-piece "Jimenez Band," who hail from beautiful Teotitlan del Valle in Oaxaca, Mexico, this album takes us on a sonic journey of epic scale and largely departs from what you normally hear on Palo Alto Pop Overthrow.

Our first taste of the 'Zapotec' came to us in the form of The Akara, which introduces itself as what sounds to be a funeral dirge and ends up as a nostalgic tune from the old country. When we came back to our featured album with The Shrew, I was immediately reminded of the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack and the music of Devotchka (who, if you get a chance, is EXCELLENT live.) We said farewell to this album with My Wife, where I learned that Russian folk dancing is best performed in a space with a minimum of 6 feet in all directions.

Favorite track: My Wife

Label: Ba Da Bing
4 stars (but only because I went home and listened to the other EP in this album.)

official site, wikipedia
Last.fm: album

Playlist for March 26th, 2009

2009-03-26T09:31:00.001-07:00

Here's what was played on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow for March 26, 2009:

Artist	Track	Album/Label
Belle & Sebastian	The State I Am In	The BBC Sessions Matador Records
+Cash, Brent	Digging the Fault Line	How Will I Know If I'm Awake Marina Records
+Brown, Chris	Right on Time	Now That You're Fed http://www.chrisbrowntunes.com/
Hang Ups, The	One of These Days	The Hang Ups Contact Records

Animal Collective	My Girls	Merriweather Post Pavilion Domino Recording Company
+Belles, the	You Can't Have It All	Omerta' Lakeshore Records

+Starbelly	Ordinary Now	Everyday and Then Some Not Lame Recordings
Royal Purple, The	I Can't Explain This Feeling	Time Element, The Umbrella Records
+Manning Jr., Roger Joseph	The Turnstile at Heaven's Gate	Catnip Dynamite Pony Canyon

Byrne, David & Brian Eno	Everything That Happens	Everything That Happens Will Happen Today Todomundo Ltd.
Falkner, Jason	Revelation	Can You Still Feel? Elektra Entertainment Group
Modern Skirts	Yugo	All Of Us In Our Night None

**Beirut	The Akara	March Of The Zapotec/Realpeople Holland Self
Dressy Bessy	Anyone Can See	Holler And Stomp Transdreamer Records
Big Star	The Ballad of El Goodo	Live Rykodisc

**Beirut	The Shrew	March Of The Zapotec/Realpeople Holland Self
+Handcuffs, The	Wonderful Life	Electroluv Oofl Records
+Case, Neko	People Got A Lotta Nerve	Middle Cyclone Anti, Inc.
@Fountains of Wayne	Red Dragon Tattoo	Utopia Parkway Atlantic Records (Modern)

**Beirut	My Wife	March Of The Zapotec/Realpeople Holland Self
Smiths, The	Panic	The Best of The Smiths Rhino
+Difford, Chris	The Other Man In My Life	Last Temptation Of Chris, The Airline Records
+Wondermints	Cellophane	Bali Varese Sarabande
+Blue Sky Secret, The	In Your Eyes	What We Are EP http://www.myspace.com/tbssmusic

+Corner Laughers, The	Everybody Knows	Tomb of Leopards Sandbox Records
+Travis	Song to Self	Ode to J. Smith Red Telephone Box
+Viola, Mike	When I Hold You In My Arms	Lurch Good Morning Monkey
Lovely, Brian	Captain Righteous	Superimpose The Beat Parlor

Chris Difford: The Last Temptation of Chris [featured album]

2009-03-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

One half of the incredible duo behind Squeeze, Chris Difford, is back with his second solo album. Hot off the heels of a Squeeze reunion tour, Chris hit the studios and came up with a laregly ambling, all over the map album of awkward rhymes and occasionally catchy tunes. The album is co-written and co-performed by Boo Hewerdine. Lyrically, you can definitely tell Chris Difford penned these tracks -- they cover all conceivable topics, from weight gain, to his mother's handbag, to the topic of a reverse vasectomy. Quite odd, Chris, quite odd.. but my toes were tapping on a few tracks nonetheless!

Favorite tracks: 6. The Other Man in my Life, 10. Reverso

Label: Stiff Records
RIYL: Squeeze, Michael Penn
2.5 stars.

myspace, official site, wikipedia, AMG
Amazon: album
Rhapsody

Playlist for March 19th, 2009

2009-03-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Here's what was played on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow for March 19, 2009:

Artist	Track	Album/Label
+Yoder, Brad	1 Excuse	Someday Or Never Reverie Records
Smiths, The	There is a Light That Never Goes Out	The Sound of the Smiths Rhino Records
Toy Matinee	Turn It On Salvador	Toy Matinee Reprise Records

+Hillis, Cliff	She Sees	Long Now, The Self
Penn, Michael	Cover Up	Resigned Sony Music/57 Records
Matthews, Eric	Black to Light Brown	Six Kinds of Passion Looking For an Exit Self Release
Byrne, David & Brian Eno	One Fine Day	Everything That Happens Will Happen Today Todomundo Ltd.

Belle and Sebastian	The State I Am In	The BBC Sessions Matador
+Case, Neko	This Tornado Loves You	Middle Cyclone Anti, Inc.
Margot & The Nuclear So And So's	Hip Hip Hooray	Animal!/Not Animal! Epic Records
+Cash, Brent	Digging the Fault Line	How Will I Know If I'm Awake Marina Records

+Wondermints	puppet grrls r go	Bali Varese Sarabande
+Handcuffs, The	Resurrection	Electroluv Oofl Records
Ben Folds Five	Uncle Walter	Ben Fols Five Caroline Records

**Difford, Chris	The Other Man In My Life	Last Temptation Of Chris, The Airline Records
+Light FM	Shame	Black Magic Marker Devil in the Woods
+Lovely, Brian	Feeling Scorpio	superimpose The Beat Parlor

**Difford, Chris	Reverso	Last Temptation Of Chris, The Airline Records

Neko Case: "Middle Cyclone" [featured album]

2009-03-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today we had guest host DJ Denton from WRCT in the studios, and he brought along his favorite new alt-country and pop album, "Middle Cyclone" by Neko Case.

Neko Case
source: chadwadsworth@flickr

DJ Denton had the following to say about "Middle Cyclone:"

The so-named "Queen of Alt.country", Neko's first studio album since 2006's excellent Fox "Confessor Brings the Flood" continues to showcase her growth as a songwriter, if only because she's had the voice-of-an-angel thing perfected for some time now. Compared with "Flood", the lyrics penned here aren't nearly as obtuse, but still reflect a depth of songwriting that stands in relief against her early works. The album's instrumental arrangements, likewise, pay meticulous attention to detail; "Cyclone" is her most intricately-produced album to date, and it shows. Like most of Neko's albums, the true charm of these songs is revealed with repeated listens, so play them often! Covers on the album include songs by Sparks (#6) and Harry Nilsson (#12).

Favorite tracks: 3. People Got A Lotta Nerve, 1. This Tornado Loves You, 12. Don't Forget Me

Label: Anti
RIYL: The New Pornographers, Wilco
Four and a half stars.

myspace, official site, wikipedia, AMG
Amazon: album
Rhapsody

Playlist for March 12th, 2009

2009-03-12T09:30:00.000-07:00

Here's what was played on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow for March 12, 2009:

Artist	Track	Album/Label
Matt Pond PA	Snow Day	Winter Songs Altitude Records
Squeeze	The Day I Get Home	Play Reprise Records (Modern)
Modern Skirts	Radio Breaks	All Of Us In Our Night None
Sweet, Matthew	Time Machine	Sunshine Lies Shout Factory

Athaenaeum	Suddenly	Athaenaeum Atlantic
Hanlon, Darren	Hiccups	Hello Stranger Drive-in Records
Ben Folds	Free Coffee	Way To Normal Epic Records
Manning Jr, Roger Joseph	The Quickening	Catnip Dynamite Oglio

Light FM	Black Magic Marker	Black Magic Marker Devil in the Woods
Antony And The Johnsons	Another World	Crying Light, The Secretly Canadian Records
Wondermints	Cellophane	Bali Varese Sarabande
Brown, Chris	Now That You're Fed	Now That You're Fed
Semisonic	F.N.T	Great Divide Mca Records (Local)
Smiths, The	Panic	The Sound of The Smiths Rhino

**Case, Neko	People Got A Lotta Nerve	Middle Cyclone Anti, Inc.
Jellybricks, The	Goodnight to Everyone	Goodnight to Everyone Primitive Records
Viola, Mike	So Much Better	Lurch Good Morning Monkey
Yoder, Brad	New Pill	Someday Or Never Reverie Records

**Case, Neko	This Tornado Loves You	Middle Cyclone Anti, Inc.
Travis	Something Anything	Ode To J. Smith Red Telephone Box
Wilson, Brian	Heroes and Villains	Smile Nonesuch Records
XTC	Frivolous Tonight	Apple Venus Tvt Records

**Case, Neko	Don't Forget Me	Middle Cyclone Anti, Inc.
Wilco	When You Wake Up Feeling Old	Summerteeth Reprise Records (Modern)
Nines, The	Dance Just for Me	Gran Jukle's Field TAS Gold Recordings

Belle and Sebastian	I Could Be Dreaming	The BBC Session Matador Records
Pas/Cal	You Were Too Old For Me	I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura Le Grand Magistery
Animal Collective	Guys Eyes	Merriweather Post Pavilion Domino Recording Company

The Handcuffs: Electroluv [featured album]

2009-03-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Palo Pop listeners, I'm Alan, a trainee here at KZSU, and I've been sitting in on the last few of Phil's shows while I learn the ropes of this DJ business.

But I'm not here to talk about myself. I'm here to tell you about this week's featured album from The Handcuffs.

The album is "Electroluv," and it's the second release from Chicago-based duo The Handcuffs, which consists of vocalist Chloe F. Orwell and drummer/songwriter Brad Elvis. Never taking themselves too seriously, but releasing some seriously good music, The Handcuffs carry a unique and diverse sound that stems from influences ranging from Eno to Iggy Pop.

The album is produced by Orwell and Elvis in combination with Mike Hagler, who is well-known for his work with Wilco and Neko Case. It's an aural treat of a release from a band that we here at Palo Pop will be sure to keep an eye on.

Favorite tracks: 5. Somebody Somewhere 9. Wonderful Life 11. Resurrection

Label: OOFL Records
RIYL: The Dresden Dolls, The Breeders
Three stars.

myspace, official site, AMG
Amazon: album
Rhapsody

Playlist for March 5th, 2009

2009-03-05T09:45:00.000-08:00

Here's what was played on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow for March 5, 2009:

Artist	Track	Album/Label
Animal Collective	My Girls	Merriweather Post Pavilion Domino Recording Company
Breakup Society, The	Robin Zander	James at 35 Get Hip Recordings
Pale, The	Wake-Up Call	Gravity Gets Things Done Sidecho Records
Broken West, The	Perfect Games	Now Or Heaven Merge Records

+Wondermints	Cellophone	Bali Varese Sarabande
Byrne, David & Brian Eno	Strange Overtones	Everything That Happens Will Happen Today Todomundo Ltd.
+Manning Jr., Roger Joseph	Down in Front	Catnip Dynamite Oglio Records

Hanlon, Darren	Punk's Not Dead	Hello Stranger Drive-in Records
Dressy Bessy	Automatic	Holler And Stomp Transdreamer Records
Backsliders, The	Wedding Day	You're Welcome (No Label Information)
+Blue Sky Secret, The	In Your Eyes	What We Are EP http://www.myspace.com/tbssmusic

Rosebuds, The	Bow To The Middle	Life Like Merge Records
+Brown, Chris	Right on Time	Now That You're Fed http://www.chrisbrowntunes.com/
Belle and Sebastian	Judy and the Dream of Horses	The BBC Sessions Matador
+Folds, Ben	You Don't Know Me (Featuring Regina Spektor)	Way To Normal Epic Records

**Handcuffs, The	Somebody Somewhere	Electroluv Oofl Records
+Tilbrook, Glenn	This Is Where You Aint	The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook Quixotic London
+Pas/Cal	Glorious Ballad Of The Ignored	I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura Le Grand Magistery

**Handcuffs, The	Resurrection	Electroluv Oofl Records
Apples In Stereo, The	The Apples In Stereo Theme	Electronic Projects For Musicians Yep Roc Records
Teenage Fanclub	I Don't Want Control of You	Four Thousand Seven Hundred And Sixty-Six Seconds Jetset Records

**Handcuffs, The	Wonderful Life	Electroluv Oofl Records
Finn, Neil & Friends	There Is a Light that Never Goes Out	7 Worlds Collide Netwerk America
+Travis	Something Anything	Ode to J. Smith Red Telephone Box
+Jellybricks, The	Eyes Wide	Goodnight to Everyone Primitive Records

+Corner Laughers, The	Thunderbird	Live on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow http://www.palopop.org
+Corner Laughers, The	You Two Are The Ones	Live on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow http://www.palopop.org

Felumlee, Mike	Halfway	64 Hours Double Zero Records
+Viola, Mike	It Comes In Waves	Lurch Good Morning Monkey Records
Pernice Brothers, The	There Goes The Sun	Discover a Lovelier You Ashmont Records

Interview with A.C. Newman

2009-02-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

This week, Phil had the opportunity to talk with A.C. Newman of The New Pornographers about his experiences playing solo and the motivation behind his recent release, "Get Guilty."

A.C. Newman interview

Throughout the interview, we were featuring tracks from A.C. Newman's new solo album, "Get Guilty."

Favorite tracks: 3. Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer, 4. Prophets, 7. The Palace at 4 a.m.

Label: Matador
RIYL: The New Pornographers, Zumpano, Destroyer
Three stars.

myspace, official site, wikipedia, AMG
Amazon: Get Guilty
Rhapsody