It's the almost all-Swedish version of The Breakfast of Champions on WMBR! This playlist is good for November 29, 2007 only.

(8:00am - very proud to be an unoffical partner of the Swede Stampede)
ABBA - "Knowing Me, Knowing You"
Eggstone - "Taramasalata"
Jens Lekman - "Sipping On The Sweet Nectar"
Waltz For Debbie - "He Loves Anna"

(8:15am - if only I were blonde like you)
The Wannadies - "You And Me Song"
Popsicle - "Hey Princess"
The Merrymakers - "April's Fool"
The Knife - "The Captain" (background music)

(8:30am - a slight break for the band of the week)
Cloud Cult - "All Together Alone"
Cloud Cult - "Purpose"

(8:45am - back to our regularly scheduled theme)
The Embassy - "Hurt"
Firefox AK - "Cardiac Arrest"
The Mary Onettes - "Lost"
The Concretes - "You Can't Hurry Love"

(9:00am - screwing off the new music hour for more Swedish stuff)
Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - "Parakit"
Vapnet - "Thomeegrand"
Sagor & Swing - "Aventyr i Alperna" (concert report music)

(9:20am - post concert report fun)
Hello Saferide - "Long Lost Penpal"
Edson - "Sunday, Lovely Sunday"
Club 8 - "When I Come Around"
Honeymoons - "Would You Believe"

(9:40am - trying to jam in the rest of the errata)
El Perro Del Mar - "It's All Good"
Girlfrendo - "First Kiss Feelings vs. Everyday Sensations"
Komeda - "It's Alright, Baby"
Envelopes - "Sister In Love"
Montt Mardie - "Prom Night (Dancing By Myself)"
Cinnamon - "A Hopeless Case"

(9:55am - closing it with a flourish)
Europe - "Halfway To Heaven"

Thanks for looking, if you wish to live this aurally you have 2 weeks from the original airdate to visit WMBR's archives for the streaming audio.

It's the special same-as-every-other-Thursday Thanksgiving edition of the Breakfast of Champions on WMBR! Seems kinda early doesn't it? Sorry for those who expected something a little more. It's November 22, 2007, and here's the playlist.

(8:00am - firing up the generator)
Belly - "Dusted"
Lakuna - "Lemongrass"
Love - "Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark And Hilldale"
The Waves - "Hey Boo"

(8:15am - always nice to have Joanie participate in the crossover)
Durutti Column - "Requiem For My Mother"
Those Bastard Souls - "Telegram"
Static North - "The Maintenance Of Hope" (background music)

(8:30am - band of the week)
Modest Mouse - "Polar Opposites"
Modest Mouse - "Bukowski"

(8:45am - freedom of choice, it's what you got)
The Wipers - "Tragedy"
Rubber City Rebels - "Childeaters"
Plimsouls - "A Million Miles Away"
Thin Lizzy - "Killer Without A Cause"

(9:00am - nothing new, it's the new music hour)
Cars & Trains - "Further From Home"
Neon Neon - "Raquel"
Vapaa - "Varjoista" (concert report music)

(9:20am - keep on truckin')
Breezy Porticos - "I Guess I'm An Amateur"
Please Quiet Ourselves - "Say I Won't"
Wussy - "Mayflies"
Maritime - "Pearl"

(9:40am - more special goodness)
Fram - "Ice Age"
Serpent Rainbow - "Our Escape"
Elephant Micah - "Send Lightning Bugs"
Garland of Hours - "Dear Henry"

(9:55am - closing it out with some vintage wear)
These Animal Men - "Speeed King"

Thanks for checking out the playlist, the audio companion is available for two weeks from airdate on WMBR's archives.

The Breakfast of Champions Thursday surfaces every week on WMBR Cambridge. Here's the playlist for November 15th, 2007.

(8:00am - I studiously did my homework last night, then promptly left it all at home)
Human Sexual Response - "Jackie Onassis"
The Skids - "Masquerade"
Mika Bomb - "Contact Tokyo"
The Darling Buds - "Sure Thing"

(8:15am - which makes filling out this thing while OTA slightly more hectic)
The Bartlebees - "Never Found A Woman Worth To Die For"
The Jazz Butcher - "Girlfriend"
Liz Phair - "Divorce Song"
Don Lennon - "Bass Guitar"
The Polish Ambassador - "The Sweet Potato Shuffle" (background music)

(8:30am - let's move on to band of the week)
Luna - "Slide"
Luna - "I Know You Tried"
Luna - "Math Wiz"

(8:45am - what's worse, to be completely unprepared or to be completely prepared and screw it all up anyway?)
The Belltower - "In Hollow"
Red Red Meat - "Gauze"

(9:00am - let's move on to the new music why don't we?)
Ween - "Woman and Man"
Zs - "Nobody Wants To Be Had" (concert report music)

(9:20am - one good 10+ minute long song deserves another)
Kirsten Ketsjer - "The Bridge"
PJ Harvey - "Grow Grow Grow"

(9:40am - let's see if we can make sense of this new music)
John Wolfington - "Wired"
Brad Laner - "June Gloom"
Selfish Cunt - "Authority Confrontation"
Club 8 - "When I Come Around"
Salford Jets - "The Last Bus"

(9:55am - closing it out with a closer)
Bobb Trimble - "Oh Baby"

Thanks for perusing, if you'd like to like just navigate over to WMBR's archives and select any Thursday show.

The late-October update debuting later than I thought it would, as I ended up spending Saturday ensuring our fundraising data entry efforts will be more accurate than last year and Sunday making and assembling the batch of 2007 samplers for those who pledged during the show (or directed their web donation to bocthurs). Hopefully the double-disc set will more than make up for my tardiness!

Lightspeed Champion - "Xanadu"
In preparation for the year-end covers show I've been studiously accumulating candidates, including this far too reverential cover by a Test-Icicles member. The chimey chimes and insistent replication of the source material's backing vocals reveal a lack of the imagination needed to pull off material of this cheese level. The non-cover cuts are similarly faux-fragile with overly earnest vocals.

Winter Flowers - "Live To Tell"
From the new Madonna tribute Through The Wilderness which allows faux-folk bands to take on Madonna's best with lackluster results. Predictably none of the acts excavate the delicious gooey center of the originals, this one was selected from the bunch for its doubling of the original running length with two loping guitar solos and the doubled female vocals that most effectively evoke the early 70's.

Coheed and Cambria - "The Running Free"
This was the other half of the new music challenge posed to Christopher Vyce during the 11/1 fundraising show trope of "which song should I play?" He picked Freezepop for those not taking copious notes at home. I would have gladly accepted the new single by these incomprehensible prog-rockers, as they manage one super-catchy Rush ripoff per record. Does anyone really slavishly listen to each of their impenetrable sci-fi concept records attempting to divine wisdom from lazy drivel? Wait, don't answer that one.

Tokyo Music Club - "Box"
Leadoff track from a new ep by this non-Japanese band ... if you guessed Canadian give yourself a cred checkmark. While attempting to muster up a rocker, it betrays their emopowerpop notions behind jumpy guitar hooks and spoken backing vocals seemingly lifted from another song. Just can't bring myself to pull the trigger.

Anna Ternheim - "Today Is A Good Day"
The breathless press material that escorted this ep into the station touted her hitmaking status in Sweden, a sure sign of pandering to the bocthurs deejay if you ask me. This has more of a non-USA worshipping Broadcast feel to it in the both the beatific vocals and the glistening jangle of the instruments. However the backing vocals betray a friendlier sensibility and the rest of the disc tries for mystic moodiness with less success. Enough of an appetite whetter to earn a spin on 10/26.

The Whiles - "Spanish Steps"
A band from Columbus OH that S2C Patrick didn't try to sell me, that alone should have been sufficient warning. The type of vocally challenged pop that never wafts beyond a single harmonious key. At first its intentions seem rather twee with a sparse backing but slowly the guitar intrudes with some James-style muscle until eventually bursting into dual solo strutting with a freaky synth break in the bridge to provide some spice. Regardless of how pretty the portrait has been painted before with colors more vivid than these men can muster.

Serpent Rainbow - "Our Escape"
Quite simply the only song I could stomach on this release, but well deserving of attention nonetheless. In the midst of some unfocused supersoft sub Damon & Naomi rambling is this Felt-like meanderfest that is at least smart enough to let the introspective guitar take a primary spot in the recording process instead of burying it beneath layers of haze. Much appreciated, friends.

Frightened Rabbit - "Music Now"
Well there was the year of the Wolf band and I think Horse had a good six month or so run and of course Black never goes out of style but here we witness the dawn of the age of the Rabbit band. If you surmised Rabbit bands as a collective sound like meek-but-shaggy-bangs-combed-over-their-eyes-with-striped-shirts-staring-up-from-their-guitars-in-the-hope-of-catching-a-swoony-girl's-eye then you've got Frightened Rabbit by the ears. The total lyrical substance of this song announces "This is music now" and I'm still doubting if I should double back for confirmation.

White Rabbits - "The Plot"
Doing a far better job of providing the new genre of rabbit music with a reasonable reputation is White Rabbits, who have the sense to mate jumpy guitars and catchy whoa-ah-oh-ah-oh-ah-ohs together into an infectious paste that won't quite wash off in warm water. These gentlemen are worthy of the doubleback for this song alone, which surfaced on WMBR airwaves 11/8. I'm still a little hesistant to provide a enthusiastic thumbs up vote based on the previous rabbit experience but we've come a long way baby.

Last Days - "Two Halves Of A Line"
This instrumental band favors pictures of abandoned rowboats on frozen lakes with leafless trees suffering in the background. Concert report fodder on 10/26, chilly electronic blurbs are punctuated by a haze of drone and plainly repetitive guitar with a few unexpected piano baubles and tempo shifts for flavor. It gives me chapped lips just listening to it.

Club 8 - "When I Come Around"
Quite pleased to announce this Swedish indiepop concern continue to provide high quality hummable pop with inoffensively produced midtempo tones that smooth over all rough edges with a layer of delicious white frosting. There are no overt dance beats or bleating vocals, just a persistent pace and smoothly engaging execution across the musical and vocal landscape that play like a happy counterpart to a Trembling Blue Stars triphop effort. Spun on 10/26.

The Brother Kite - "Half Century"
The hit from this Providence RI's otherwise superfluous new ep which distills their infectious brand of shoegazer pop through a turkey baster full of joy. If you crave the shimmering overdubbed vocals and verses that mimic a choral chanting of Beach Boys praise this one song will compel you to plunk down some cash for the chance to claim ownership of an instant classic. It's not an undiscovered early Teenage Fanclub classic circa Catholic Education but with no foreknowledge you could probably be convinced of such stellar lies about its lineage. Played on 11/8, you'll probably hear it again.

The Beautiful Girls - "Generals"
Generally a flaccid and lackluster record but splash a sub-Police reggae beat with some spikey new wave guitars and I'm predictably swayed to spin. Still I made sure to bury my guilty pleasure spin on an unplanned JDDCE sub session sometime around 10/20. They really don't do much with the promising start but relatively effective distillations of nostalgia is obviously enough for me these days.

Ravens & Chimes - "General Lafayette! You Are Not Allowed"
Mating the impenetrable title of a Decemberists song with the choppy piano-driven sweep of an Arcade Fire tune the fake ending on this one embarrased me during the 11/8 spin and eroded any good will I had for these competent NYC copiers of the latest indie music trends. Truthfully if this record had been released under the Neon Bible moniker I would've bought it, but then again my ears aren't very sharp. And considering the passel submissions by bands with 8+ members that arrive at our studios monthly anything that can step beyond hopelessly muddled execution and murky production wins an a-ok from me.

Saturday Looks Good To Me - "Edison Girls"
Just when I've started to become addicted to the Fred Thomas helmed tracks on the previous SLGTM records he comes along and puts out a relatively polished collection of songs that steps away from his frenzied lo-fi channeling of 60's soul. As previous efforts pop up randomly thanks to my mp3 player dousing me in endorphins, this new effort removes the imperfections with sonic care and consequently drowns my excitement levels in unfortunate "that was nice"isms.

Digital Leather - "Fancy Lad"
Knowing my addiction to new new wave leaves me helpless to bands of this ilk, I surprised myself by staying away from this Tucson group's last record while the rest of our dj population fawned. Removing the subversive dance elements of The Faint with overmodulated synths and a dirty mouth, this band accurately answers the question "what if OMD started out as punks?" Damn if they don't make those synth lines catch hold, though the lyrics are best left ignored.

Loney, Dear - "Le Fever"
Speaking of resisting uncontrollable addictions, here's a Swedish band that actually doesn't impress me! Loney Dear are the rare Swedish confection that barely meets the one-song-per-record requirement to get mentioned in this blog, and this overlong fey pop song barely makes an impression.

Euros Childs - "Horse Riding"
Gorky's alums gather together to temper their psych-prog urges while pushing the fader up on the English pop and glam aspects of their former band. These songs are short and sharp, earning the type of initial interest that predictably wanes upon repeated exposure. For enthusiasts of the genre only, played on 10/25 but not likely to see the light of day again.

Sic Alps - "Bells (With Temelo & Distortion)"
I remember this band as a freaky art-punk burst of hammer & sickle pain, but the home-burned disc they dropped off to promote a recent show displays unforeseen range. The title is more of an accurate description than the promise of a song, as it takes less than 100 seconds for the elements to present themselves and subsequently resolve what little mystery there was.

The Go - "Refrain"
I believe this is the same Detroit based retro 60's psych-blues band that featured the talents of Jack White on a Sub Pop release before the Stripes found fame. Truthfully I enjoyed this new release of theirs more, as it plays up the pop aspects of their influences while still retaining the authentic 60's garage sound. Vascillating between Moody and Move-y the tunes are of consistent quality and will certainly please those who appreciate (not so) obscure references.

Hundred Air - "All The Lights Are On"
Can't claim this NC area pop group are particularly inspired to venture beyond the jangle pop made famous decades early in approximately the same region. At the same time they're not intense enough to rank as slavish copiers either, those hoping for an enjoyable Let's Active swipe or two are likely to leave disappointed as well. Nondescript college basement shows await.

Thanks to everyone for your generous donations during the fundraiser.

Here's the playlist for November 8th's edition of the Breakfast of Champions on WMBR.

(8:00am - if Wednesday issues a challenge I will live up to it)
Kate Bush - "Army Dreamers"
Butthole Surfers - "Lady Sniff"
Matthew Sweet - "Teenage Female"
Chris Brokaw - "My Idea"

(8:15am - meandering through the detritus of pledge forms and leftover food)
The Radio Dept. - "This Past Week"
Red House Painters - "Cruiser"
The Darbuki Kings - "Tuareg" (background music)

(8:30am - band of the week time)
Lali Puna - "Rapariga da Banheira"
Lali Puna - "The Daily Match"

(8:45am - fulfilling the requirements of sucking up)
Bows - "Britannica"
Lambchop - "Why Won't You Stay?"
10cc - "The Worst Band In The World"
Shocking Blue - "Never Marry A Railroad Man"

(9:00am - the comfort of the new music hour)
Magick Markers - "Empty Bottle"
Ravens & Chimes - "General Lafayette! You Are Not Alone"
Ph0n0n - "Drone #6" (concert report music)

(9:20am - successfully past the concert report)
White Rabbits - "The Plot"
The Dragons - "Amplified Emotion"
Wussy - "Mayflies"
The Brother Kite - "Half Century"

(9:40 - following the new music mantra)
Aarktica - "Seventy Jane"
Elephant Micah - "Send Lightning Bugs"
The High Violets - "Love Is Blinding (Three Years of Plenty Mix)"
The Caribbean - "Do You Believe In Dinosaurs?"

(9:55am - close out with a flourish)
The Pipettes - "It Hurts To See You Dance So Well"

The archived version of this show is available on WMBR's website for 2 weeks after the original broadcast date.

Here's a belated mid-October update, I should catch up with the latest releases sometime this week.

Sally Shapiro - "Hold Me So Tight"
Blonde and Swedish isn't what I'd expect from someone with the last name Shapiro, but other than that there are few surprises here. The album is called Disco Romance and indeed it's pure dance music, more early 90's Italio than late 70's American but still absolutely clubworthy. If you fondly remember Waltz For Debbie this will migrate to the top of your stacks. Played on 10/18/07.

The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir - "Then And Not A Moment Before"
Bloodshot Records is not the label I'd expect for this jumpy indiepop outfit as they have little in common with their labelmates. There is some light slide guitar, otherwise this is pure late 80's janglepop complete with peppy horns. Y'know, the type resurrected in the late 90's by Swedes and Scots alike. Played on 10/18.

Pre - "Greasers"
Noisy stop-start mayhem in the style of Melt-Banana complete with high-pitched wailing and screaming from a fashion-challenged lead singer who (at least) visually compares favorably to YYY's Karen O. The type of band where the shorter the song the better the song ... anything beyond 3 minutes seems like a prog rock epic in comparison. Played during a JDDCE fill-in on 10/20.

AA Bondy - "No Man Shall"
Lo-key alt-country that worked better for my ears when more backing instruments were added to the mix. Regardless, there's a smoothness to the execution which seems to ache for The River scene, where I would appreciate a little more fuzz in the amps.

Southeast Engine - "Quit While You're Ahead"
Energetic rock that unfortunately puts it somewhere between the BoC and LRC demographic here at WMBR, consequently insuring it was ignored by our dj's. The vocals have a processed sing-along appeal while musically the guitars build solidly if not memorably to a crashing chorus. Like the Medonza Line in their most upbeat and blandest moments.

Shipwreck - "Kiss In The Dark"
There are always a few releases that test my snap judgment about their worthiness, this is one of them. Upon first listen I went with my customary "if it has any potential whatsoever, save it" rule only to realize later there was no potential. Deep throated lead singer attempts to transmit emotion across late 80's UK guitar soundscapes and comes up well short of The National standard.

Aarktica - "Seventy Jane"
On the other side of the street here's a release I keep meaning to air but haven't yet pushed play for OTA. Deliciously patient moody rock that uses the heavy bass/distorted guitar/deep voice pattern with a frog-in-a-frying-pan build until the wave finally culminates creeping up on the listener by crashing with choral certainty.

Plumerai - "Avernal"
Local Boston band that does a reasonable job of recreating the mid-period vibe of Concrete Blonde complete with expressively deep female vocals and moody rock accompaniment that scrapes the sides of the goth genre while adding a touch of dark Americana. Impressively sprawling with flow that certainly pays off for listeners with a bit of patience. Played during A Distored Reality fill-in on 10/10.

Citay - "On The Wings"
This early 70's inspired tune was initially considered 'too long' to play by this host, but repeated exposure swayed me to spin it on 10/25. A lovely country/folk-rock sun-dappled early FM radio tune with impressively meticulous guitar work that consistently impresses across its 7+ minute frame. If I could convince the Pontoon Palace to give a listen it certainly would fit in with Rich's musical sensibilities.

Jimmy Eat World - "Here It Goes"
Another step backwards from the earnest connection forged by Bleed American. The hit-making pressure of Interscope seems to weigh heavily on this forced arena-rock effort, their previously effortless ability to connect with the emotional state of their audience has completely abandonded them, morphing into forced chant-along catchiness. So sad, so sad.

Holy Fuck - "Lovely Allen"
Instrumental band from Nova Scotia that appropriately builds urgent bass-driven efforts that feel much longer than their tidy song lengths due to the casual build-and-flow of multiple organic and electronic instruments working together in an animated fashion. Spun on 10/11, after which it promptly disappeared from our shelves (sob).

Prints - "I Wanna Know"
Pinback side project follows a similar strict punchy rhythmic template but with a reduced tempo and a late 70's funk feel, nevermind the occasional appearance of a prog-rock style vocal. Good groove-along-while-driving-in-the-car music.

The Most Serene Republic - "Why So Looking Back"
Repesentitive of the "too much is too much" musical school, as of late I've been hearing bands enamored with bands like Broken Social Scene that seem to think "if we have 24 tracks, let's include 24 instruments!" The result may be fitfully captivating but rest assured the moment will pass in seconds as another sparkly bell or a 2nd piano or a 3rd backing vocals forces its way into the song.

Samara Lubelski - "Parallel Suns"
Another solo release from the MV & EE member is more focused in Edith Frost style pop and less folky that the previous release. Everything but the vocals has a sparkly folk-psych pop energy, as Samara is still relatively laid back and obscured in her execution.

Monster Bobby - "Beyond The Reach Of Arms"
The actual musical genius behind the pop confection that is The Pipettes, this release sonically has little to do with 60's girl groups. His limited vocal pallette certainly demostrates why he stays behind the scenes in his more popular incarnation, though it's certainly not without charm. These songs are short bursts of energy seemingly inspired by anything from new wave energy to anarchic fuzzpop, rarely settling into a predictable groove. Played to close the 10/18 show.

Dri - "You Know I Tried"
The separate efforts of the now dispersed Anniversary have disappointed, including this solo effort by Adrianne. The production effort adds a mannish quality to her voice and the ebullient glitchpop on this particular song gets too gummy and glossy for me on the other songs contianed by her new release. Played on 10/25.

Maritime - "Pearl"
A slight sonic tweak to the formula forged by this post-Promise Ring effort. Nothing major, just a little more space in the production that allows the guitar to get a bit of grit and provides some space for the rhythm section to work their propulsive magic. In other words, its the slightly chunky peanut butter, not the previously super-smooth version. Still just as tasty though, for those willing to approach the gates of emo-pop (where we can hang out with the Weakerthans) without actually having to go through.

The Clientele - "Your Song"
A very short ditty from the soundtrack album Songs For The Bigtop. Devon Reed's new musical includes a baker's dozen of songs penned by himself, but he intelligently sought indie rock stalwarts like Tullycraft, Damien Jurado, Eleventh Dream Day and many more to put them to music. This is the Clientele's rather brief offering, spun on 10/11.

Freezepop - "Do You Like Boys?"
Another fine new wavey dancepop effort from our local treasure, played on 11/1. Their charm has not dimished, neither has their ability to match the efforts of historical markers like Depeche Mode or Yaz.

Unfortunately the demands of Fundraising kept me from updating the playlist real time this morning. It also adjusted the breaks from every four songs (or so) to every song ... so here's a quick rundown.

Hall and Oates - "Portable Radio"
Swan Lake - "All Fires"
Kitchens of Distinction - "Drive That Fast"
The Pop!- "Down On The Boulevard"
The National - "All The Wine"
Lubricated Goat - "Spoil The Atmosphere"
Even As We Speak - "Swimming Song"
Disco Inferno - "A Crash At Every Speed"
The Go-Betweens - "Streets Of Your Town"
Freezepop - "Do You Like Boys?"
Paul Westerberg - "Crackle and Drag (Original Take)"
Swirlies - "Pancake"
Rebecca Odes- "Honey Gets Hard"
Kursaal Flyers - "Television Generation"
Richmond Fontaine - "Two Broken Hearts"
Cocteau Twins - "Ella Megalast Burls Forever"
The Go! Team - "Keys To The City"
Future Bible Heroes - "Real Summer"
The Primitives - "Stop Killing Me"
Robert Palmer - "Johnny And Mary"

Thanks to everyone who donated during the show. If you missed out but still would like to pitch in some cash and receive the best of 2007 2CD set, just head over to WMBR's fundraising page and make sure to select Breakfast of Champions - Thursday as your show option.

The archived version of the November 1st show can be found on WMBR's website as well.