Red-Eyed and Blue

(click HERE to listen)

This weeks installment of the podcast is all about the slow burners. The slow jams. Those songs you throw on when you need to clear your head and relax a bit. Rock 'n roll is generally described as wood, wire, and whiskey ... but I'd liken this mix to a campfire and a bottle of wine type of vibe.
As an added bonus, I'll be posting another set of tunes in the very near future. My good friend and former Restless Radio cohort Chris Jackson has put together an incredible set of songs for your listening pleasure. Jackson is living out on the West coast of this fine country of ours and has been sampling a lot of what VanCity has to offer musically. Stay tuned for that set as it's guaranteed to impress.
In the meantime, lose the beans and pop in this lude of a podcast.

- I was recently introduced to the musical styling's of Midlake (thanks M&M) and my ears are all the better for it. If the Blue Oyster Cult and Ron Sexsmith had a bastard child I think he would grow up to sound a lot like these guys. I'm a sucker for subtle drum fills and a groove that doesn't quit ... an all around excellent song. On a side note, the band may have the oddest album art I've ever seen.

- You've all heard the idea of categorizing bands as either being of Beatles influence or of Rolling Stones influence, right? Mike O'Neil is definitely on the Beatles side of things, one listen to his track 'Mr Carvery' and you'll think you've popped in a Revolver era Beatles tune. He's a former member of 'the Inbreds', an excellent rock duo who recorded on Sloan's MurderRecords label back in the mid 90's. He has since release a couple of critically acclaimed solo records which are available over at www.zunior.com
Dig it.

- Ramshackle is probably the sleeper tune on Beck's masterpiece 'Odelay'. It's the album closer (if you don't count the seizure inducing hidden track) and really showcases Beck's softer more ambient side. The chorus might be one of my all time favorites of his, and the jammy little interlude before the final verse proves that this guy has always had the goods.

- Two Hours Traffic are great little band out of PEI. Joel Plaskett seems to have taken them under his wing and helped them produced a couple of albums. I only own their debut lp and it's a pretty solid outing, 'Girl Up the Stairs' being one of the more laid back tracks.

- Turner Cody has been part of the New York anti-folk scene since 2000 and has released a boat load of material (mostly self released CD-R's) in that time. In the past few years he has collaborated quite a bit with Herman Dune which is how I was introduced to his work. The Dune is Cody's backing band on this track (as well as on the rest of his 'Great Migration' lp) ... David Herman Dune's bass line is enough to make me want to play this track on repeat all day.

tracklist
1. The First Song - Band of Horses
2. Roscoe - Midlake
3. New Slang - the Shins
4. Poison Cup - M. Ward
5. These Days - Nico
6. Mr Carvery - Mike O'Neil
7. Ramshakle - Beck
8. California Stars - Billy Bragg & Wilco
9. Girl up the Stairs - Two Hours Traffic
10. Feel You Closer - the Skydiggers
11. Capri - Turner Cody
12. Holland (live) - Paul MacLeod
13. the Wrong Guy - Julie Doiron
14. Fake Empire - the National
15. Into the Night - Gord Downie