Monthly Archives: September 2012

“Growing up on an island in Sweden, I bought my first LP in one of those country stores that has a little bit of everything… you know… milk, eggs, electronics, fishing gear, ladies underwear, t-shirts, socks—and records! I bought the sound track to Dirty Dancing, insanely romantic.”

“These days I live in New Orleans where we have several awesome record stores. There is one in particular besides the obvious spots such as Louisiana Music Factory and Bayou Records that I love. It is disguised as a bookstore on Decatur street just down a few steps from Louisiana Music factory on the same side of the street.

To get to the vinyl section you have to make your way up several dusty stairs before you get to the creaky 3rd floor where there’s usually nothing but fans to cool you and the light switches are off.

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Dum Dum Girls, an act lead by songwriter Kristin “Dee Dee” Gundred, have been fairly prolific over the last four years or so. Her new EP End of Daze may not be the best place for newbies to acquaint themselves with the cut of Dee Dee’s gal-pop jib, but fans will find its five tracks hitting the familiar spots easily enough.

Smartly, Dum Dum Girls started off small, self-releasing and later hitting upon solid connections with such respected indie concerns as HoZac and Captured Tracks. Anybody wishing to get in on the ground floor regarding the work of this shape-shifting act should search around for the sounds contained on Blissed Out, a limited and naturally now out of print cassette that collects a handful of Gundred’s formative tunes. Sticklers can (and will) hold out for the vinyl, but it’s a safe assumption that at this late date the singles and EPs from which Blissed Out is drawn are going to be hard pups to locate.

If frustrating for listeners late to the game, this strategic modesty paid off via a relationship with indie empire Sup Pop, Dum Dum Girls’ home since 2010. And while I will confess to locating the highest level of appeal in the gauzy low-fi of Gundred’s earliest work, that ultimately speaks to my own disposition for bedroom derived non-production than to any major flaws in the progression of Dum Dum Girls’ thing. In fact, their recent development has been rather interesting, with Gundred’s sophomore LP from last year Only in Dreams provoking me (and others) to think upon the potential for positive influence from that sly Ohioan Chrissie Hynde.

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“If only I had known, aged nine, the significance of what I was about to do. Perhaps I would have thought more carefully as I sifted through the racks at Jumbo Records in Leeds. I like to think that I would have picked some seminal album steeped in history and shrink-wrapped in cool. The reality however was that the local roller-disco playlist had infiltrated my ears and I had only one thing in mind. Standing on tip-toes, peering over the impossibly high counter top I nervously uttered the words… ‘Do you have The Final Countdown LP by Europe please?'”

“It’s one of those defining moments in your life. One of the first things you talk about to new friends. For years I wished I had made a better choice and I probably inserted another album into its place in my memory. When I think back though, the sheer joy I had at taking home my first album and listening to Joey Tempest sing about ninjas on a track and rocking the night makes me realise that it deserves its place in my musical beginnings.

My only means of listening to music as a child was a huge coffee table, come record player which even had a built in feature to drop another record down after the first one finished. It was with this behemoth that I subjected my classical musician parents to various heavy metal albums for several years. From AC/DC to Iron Maiden, I was the quintessential geeky metal kid. I even had the stonewash denim jacket with the band patches sewn on by my mum. This was my public persona, the one I would allow kids at school to see, but beneath this, in secret, was growing a interest in older classics and “soft” music.

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It’s our weekly Twitter #MusicMonday recap of the brand new tracks from last week that the folks in the press offices want you to be hearing. We post, you download.

Ruarri Joseph – Anyway
The Pharmacy – Dig Your Grave
The Leg – Eagle To Saturn
Escort – Starlight (RAC Remix)
Fine Times – Hey Judas
Immigrant Union – My Heart’s A Joke
WHY? – Strawberries
Giant Giant Sand – Detained
The State Broadcasters – 3 Kittiwake
Mac DeMarco – Freaking Out The Neighborhood

TVD SINGLE OF THE WEEK:
Ending People – Beat of My Heart

Pati Yang – Hold Your Horses
Cold Showers – Violent Cries
Chris McFarland – Simple Selfish Plan
The New Trust – Wretched and Unwanted
Triad God – Remand
Books on Tape – Super Dr.
AbdeCaf – Never Know ft. Soft Lighting
Benbrick – They All Say
Blonde Summer – Slow Days Fast Company
Chamberlin – Thief (Rubblebucket Remix feat. Kalmia)

30 more FREE TRACKS after the jump!

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Let the party begin and hey, why not? Fall is my favorite time of year, and for whatever reason I’m having a good week. Let’s say a great week! God knows why, but I’ll take it and rock on!

The idea of a playlist based on a “celebration” is not new to the Idelic Hour. This episode and riff on the party theme started with a listening session with a friend who’s a musician. We started chatting about the sounds of Led Zeppelin III and of course immediately the famous “kinetic” volvelle on the album’s jacket came to mind. It was indeed an album to get stoned to and, yes… play with.

So, with this playful “Zeppelin III” sensibility, I set out to make a playlist of songs that reeked of celebration and sounded fun! There’s some early 60’s, some early 80’s, some Prince, Mancini, W.K., and Garden Party. Let’s throw in a bunch of stoner bands from 2012 and call it “Party the Celebration Off!”

Have a ball!

The Idelic Hit of the Week:
Band of Horses – Knock Knock