Well I fully admit I've been remiss in updating these mixes. An extremely aggressive work environment (I thought December was for winding down, not winding up?) combined with a heavy load of volunteer work has squeezed most of the free time from my day. Like an avalanche of molasses, it may not seem dangerous at first until you're hip deep in the murky goo. Luckily this is also the time of the year where new releases slow down so there hasn't been as much material to share. Though you can be sure only the best were selected for this rather restrained group!

The Laws of the World

Beniot Pioulard / Desolation Wilderness / Hush Arbors / Welcome Wagon / Suki Ewers / The Bye Bye Blackbirds / The Sound of Lucretia / Bubblegum Lemonade

Here's a Monday playlist for the BoCThurs, thanks to Becky for trading days with me this week! I'll be back on Thursday Dec 18th. In the meantime enjoy this December 8th 2008 edition of the Breakfast of Champions on WMBR Cambridge.

(08:00 - sifting through some recent reissues)
Allez Allez - "Allez Allez"
apb - "Talk To Me"
The Waltones - "Everything's Just Fine"
Grow Up - "Dear Isobel"

(08:15 - falling into your lap)
Mark Eitzel - "Ladies and Gentlemen"
Big Star - "You Can't Have Me"
Life Without Buildings - "The Leanover"
Sean Smith - "Palak Paneer" (background music)

(08:30 - band of the week)
The Stooges - "T.V. Eye take 4 [false start]"
The Stooges - "T.V. Eye take 5"
The Stooges - "Loose take 3 [false start]"
The Stooges - "studio dialogue"
The Stooges - "Loose take 4"

(08:45 - bad segue of the week)
Rainy Day Saints - "No Surprise"
The Bevis Frond - "Red Hair"

(09:00 - new music of the month)
Hush Arbors - "Sand"
Bird By Snow - "Domestic Freedom"
Antrilon - "Depths of Insanity" (concert report music)

(09:20 - bereft of responsibility)
The Bye Bye Blackbirds - "Shed The Skin"
The Televangelist and the Architect - "... By The Pond"
The Tallest Man on Earth - "The Sparrow and the Medicine"
Welcome Wagon - "Hail to the Lord's Anointed"

(09:40 - call me pious, don't call me pontius)
Love Is All - "Give It Back"
Crystal Stilts - "Prismatic Room"
Arliss Parker - "Besos"
Celestial - "How Does It Feel?"
Bears - "What Makes Me Happy"

(09:55 - the problematic conclusion)
Skeletons - "STEPPER a.k.a. Work"

December 4, 2008 playlist for Breakfast of Champions on WMBR Cambridge.

(08:00 - all the things you show me, all the things you know)
Sneaky Feelings - "Throwing Stones"
The Glands - "Straight Down"
Bettie Serveert - "Unsound"

(08:15 - nipping at my heels)
Idaho - "The Worm"
Low - "Sunflower"
Duster - "Unrecovery"
Dakota Suite - "Hands Swollen With Grace" (background music)

(08:30 - band of the week)
Moving Targets - "Almost Certain/Drone"
Moving Targets - "Nothing Changes"
Moving Targets - "Away From Me"

(08:45 - oh oh oh oh)
Helium - "Pat's Trick"
Those Bastard Souls - "Telegram"
Rainer Maria - "Artificial Light"

(09:00 - new music atrophy)
The Clientele - "Retiro Park"
Bubblegum Lemonade - "Tired Of Sleeping"
Like Honey - "Five Minute Dream"
Plinth/Textile Ranch - "The Rest, I Leave To The Poor" (concert report music)

(09:20 - didn't wait for the new music)
Suki Ewers - "Forever Girl"
Mia Riddle - "Echo"
Would-Be-Goods - "Temporary Best Friend"
Belle & Sebastian - "(My Girl's Got) Miraculous Technique"

(09:40 - here i go losing control)
Heartsrevolution - "Dance Till Dawn"
Ladyhawke - "My Delirium"
Los Campesinos! - "It's Never That Easy Though, Is It? (Song For The Other Kurt)"
The Sound Of Lucrecia - "De Vez En Cuando"

(09:55 - in the forefront)
Paul Collins Beat - "Ribbon Of Gold"

You can listen to an archived version of this program or just peruse the song titles and say "ooh, ahh" occasionally.

My apologies for the lack of a playlist this Thursday, but due to intermittent issues with MIT's internet service the control room connection was down and I was unable to do my usual online routine. That's also why the archive isn't available for the Oven Buster Blaster Stuffer Thanksgiving special. Oh well, it was a show best heard live anyway. To make up for it, here's another mix to help evade 30 minutes of your day.

Dizzy on the Deck

That Ghost / Her Space Holiday / Arliss Parker / Frida Hyvonen / Juliette Commagere / School of Seven Bells / The Hush Now / The Decemberists

The decision to pick up wet leaves in relatively warm weather last weekend has paid dividends as I'd prefer that set of cirmcumstances to picking up dry leaves in sub-freezing temperatures. The mulcher spews a fine dust that permeated the fibers of my jeans so tightly that the power of tide could not separate the two. Let's hope a more forceful application of colorful chemicals are able to wrest away the brown patches that make it look like I've been voluntarily wading ankle deep in a dirty brown river. Perhaps this herky jerky mix of nuts and bolts will engender a similarly disquieting feeling of knowing where you've been but not why it left such an impression.

The Grand Prize

Max Tundra / Skeletons / Three Second Kiss / The Wolverton Brothers / Final Fantasy / Telepathe / Gang Gang Dance / Starvin Hungry

On November 20, 2008 these were the playlist selections for the Breakfast of Champions show on WMBR Cambridge MA.

(08:00 - your presence is requested)
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions - "Rattlesnakes"
Scott Walker - "Mathilde"
Pulp - "Babies"

(08:15 - soylent green is people)
Keren Ann - "Lay Your Head Down"
Kings of Convenience - "Failure"
Sibylle Baier - "Tonight"
Tracey Thorn - "Simply Couldn't Care"
Alps - "Hallucinations" (background music)

(08:30 - band of the week take me away)
Devendra Banhart - "When The Sun Shone on Vetiver"
Devendra Banhart - "Hey Mama Wolf"

(08:45 - calgon is comfort food)
Mark Kozelek - "Bad Boy Boogie"
The Bathers - "If Love Could Last Forever"
The Music Lovers - "This World vs. The Next World"
Misty Roses - "Into The Sky"

(09:00 - new music is nourishing)
Misty Roses - "Into The Sky"
Winterpills - "Burning Hearts"
Fennesz - "Perfume For Winter" (concert report music)

(09:20 - after the concert report)
Max Tundra - "Nord Lead Three"
Pretty & Nice - "Wandering Eye"
Of Montreal - "Wicked Wisdom"
Telepathe - "Chrome's On It"

(09:40 - art is a battle with many survivors)
State Shirt - "Fell Out Of The Sky"
Her Space Holiday - "The New Kid Revival"
The Soft Hands - "I Hope So"
El Guincho - "Cuando Maravilla Fui"

(09:55 - wave bye-bye)
Tobacco - "Hairy Candy"

Thanks for looking it over, the archive has all WMBR programming over the past two weeks available for your listening pleasure.

I've been compiling the tracks for the end of year favourites mix and a few wordless pleasures always find their way into the sequence, so this seems like an appropriate time to dedicate another edition to instrumentals.

Another Bright Nothing

Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid / Alps / Helios / Mogwai / Jonas Reinhardt / The Present / Pierre Vervloesem / Pnuma Trio

Playlist for post-fundraising hangover edition of WMBR's Breakfast of Champions show, November 13th, 2008.

(08:00 - vaguely noodles)
Frida Hyvönen - "Birds"
Juliette Commagere - "Overcome"
Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - "Sally, Don't You Cry"

(08:15 - fawning sunset honors)
Mogwai - "The Sun Smells Too Loud"
That Ghost - "Top Shelf"
Longwave - "No Direction"
The Present - "Symbols On High" (background music)

(08:30 - band of the week)
Unrest - "When It All Comes Down"
Unrest - "Bavarian Mods"
Unrest - "Make Out Club"

(08:45 - release the hounds)
Three Second Kiss - "This Building Is Loud"
The Wolverton Brothers - "Dead Horse"
The Lines - "Have A Heart"

(09:00 - more new music if you needed it)
Cobra Verde - "Wildweed"
The Kickbacks - "Going Out To Get Home"
Grampall Jookabox - "The One Thing"
Johann Johannsson - "The Rocket Builder (Io Pan!)"

(09:20 - a few to tie us up)
Love Is All - "Give It All"
The Rosebuds - "Bow To The Middle"
Friendly Fires - "Jump In The Pool"

(09:30 - Joe Carducci interview)
The Dogs - "Younger Point Of View"

After a vigorous day of yardwork quite frankly all I'm looking forward to is a short nap. This particular mix tries to bridge the gap between manic and smooth quite gracefully, with an equal number of successes and failures. Of course the final judge of their relative merits is you!

Is The Night Too Long

The Dears * Love Is All * The Little Ones * +/- * The Sea and Cake * Margot and the Nuclear So & So's * Mascott * Copeland

This fundraising week I'll keep the on-line playlist on the track-blaster website since it's a wee bit easier than doing two of these things as once. For those who would like to donate between the hours of 8AM and 10AM just call 617-253-8810. Or feel free to use the web pledge and select Breakfast of Champions Thursday as your favorite show. Either way I'll make sure to get you the 2008 edition of the Favorites compilation. A sure hit with small dogs and indigenous fauna, tested on prisoners so you know it's safe for children.

A wee bit late, but here's the playlist. Note that on fundraising week I break between each song so not much witty to add here.

Broken Social Scene - "Stars And Sons"
Girl Talk - "Like This"
The Shangri-Las - "Heaven Only Knows"
Killdozer - "Knuckles The Dog (Who Helps People)"
Hell On Wheels - "Heard You On The Radio"
Thin Lizzy - "She Knows"
Say Hi To Your Mom - "Sad, But Endearingly So"
The Cavedogs - "La La La"
Prefab Sprout - "Appetite"
Smog - "A Hit"
Tweeds - "I Need That Record"
Chromatics - "Running Up That Hill"
Andre Previn - "Executive Party Dance"
The Dismemberment Plan - "The Face of the Earth"
Peter Laughner - "Sylvia Plath"
Laura Veirs - "Drink Deep"
The Nerves - "Hanging on the Telephone"
Vitalic - "My Friend Dario"
Menomena - "The Pelican"
Strawberry Switchblade - "Since Yesterday"

As you may have heard us mention over the past few weeks WMBR's fundraising season is coming up, with Thursday the 6th playing leadoff for the BoC crew. As always anyone who donates during the two hour span of the program will receive a personal thank you from myself, namely the traditional 2CD best of. Fret not if you don't listen live, just donate through WMBR's website within the next two weeks and select Breakfast of Champions Thursday as your favorite show - the CD set will appear with any premiums you select. Thanks as always for listening and supporting the station. Oh and before I forget ... here's a mix!

Free And Forgetful

Pivot / Manhattan Love Suicides / The Knew / Crystal Stilts / Parts & Labor / Eleanoora Rosenholm / Fight Bite / Juliana Hatfield

FYI, WMBR has been beta-testing a new playlisting program called Track Blaster, so those of you looking to follow along in real time can utilize that site to get your up-to-the-minute updates. Otherwise, this page will provide Breakfast of Champions updates every 15-20 minutes or so for October 30, 2008.

(08:00 - never know your names)
Love Is All - "Give It Back"
Grampall Jookabox - "The Girl Ain't Preggers"
Friendly Fires - "Lovesick"
Yelle - "Ce Jeu (St. Andrews Remix)"

(08:15 - hold the world in your head)
Mascott - "Nite Owl"
The Sea and Cake - "Window Sills"
Fight Bite - "Widow's Peak"

(08:30 - band of the week)
Bedhead - "Bedside Table"
Bedhead - "Lepidoptera"
Jonas Reinhardt - "How to Adjust People" (background music)

(08:45 - flying towards the unlit light)
The Dears - "Demons"
The Knew - "Coldblack"
The Decemberists - "Valerie Plume"

(09:00 - 2nd straight week with suspension of old music priviledges)
Copeland - "Not Allowed"
The Cure - "Siren Song"
Benoit Pioulard - "Ahn"
A Slow Rip - "Devil In The Well" (concert report music)

(09:20 - quite swell actually)
Final Fantasy - "The Butcher"
Lukestar - "The Shade You Hide"
Army Navy - "Saints"
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Everything With You"

(09:40 - i'm in your standard time)
+/- - "Xs On Your Eyes"
Panda Riot - "Like Flowers At Night"
Desolation Wilderness - "And All The Boys Looked"
Chop Chop - "C Train David"

Remember, the archive is always available on WMBR's website!

The leadoff track of this latest mix elicited the loudest groan of the year from Joanie, a sure sign that repeat listens are needed to fully appreciate its charms. Its jovial tone influences the rest of the selections, which range from inconsequential pop to delicate dance confections.

The Capitalist Chair

Jesus H Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse / Larytta / Yelle / XX Teens / The Rosebuds / Army Navy / Tobias Froberg / Cory Branan

Heading down to the WFMU record fair tomorrow evening, though truthfully my shopping list is not very long. Perhaps it's more the tradition of attending that compels me to make the trek, or maybe just an excuse for a short road trip. For sure I need to chip away at my stack of accumulated vacation days, a consideration in the decision. Plus I can bring back some real bagels and make a side trip to one of NYC's many fine cultural establishments. In any case here are a few fine selections worthy of adorning any excursion you may be planning.

Miracle in the Pills

El Guincho / MoHa! / Kill Surf City / Of Montreal / Sofia Talvik / Martin Rev / The Week That Was / Tobacco

Back from the southern hemisphere and ready to provide a playlist for WMBR's Breakfast of Champions show dated October 23, 2008.

(08:00 - a real sense of purpose, really)
Of Montreal - "St. Exquisite's Confessions"
Eleanoora Rosenholm - "Bolly palkkionmetsästäjä"
El Guincho - "Cuando Maravilla Fui"
Gang Gang Dance - "First Communion"

(08:15 - now is better than later)
B. Fleischmann - "24.12."
Guitar - "Free"
Ben Reynolds - "Unmighty Plumes of to Moon Shit" (background music)

(08:30 - make way for band of the week)
The Dambuilders - "Pop Song = Food"
The Dambuilders - "Drive By Kiss"

(08:45 - could you turn the bass up a bit louder)
Crooked Fingers - "Cannibals"
Surf City - "Records Of A Flagpole Skater"
Parts and Labor - "Nowheres Nigh"

(09:00 - bisecting the new music instead of starting it)
Brighton MA - "Your Sweet Time"
The Little Ones - "Morning Tide"
Pnuma Trio - "More Samples" (concert report music)

(09:20 - getting past the responsibilities)
Autodrone - "Through the Backwoods"
Crystal Stilts - "Prismatic Room"
Tearwave - "Reflection"
The Postmarks - "OX4"

(09:40 - finest quality goods fresh for you)
School of Seven Bells - "Iamundernodisguise"
Dokkemand featuring Alison Shaw - "Undulat"
Roommate - "Tea Leaves"
Larytta - "Love Love Odyssey"

(09:55 - conclusion and summary statement)
The Dirty Truckers - "*amStereo"

Thanks for visiting the playlist/blog, if you'd like to actually listen to the program visit WMBR's archives for two weeks of content awaiting your perusal.

Back from the other hemisphere and ready to return to the regular 5-day habit here's an offering with a strong foundation in cacophony adorned with some finely crafted detail work.

Admit To All These Words

Campaign for Real-Time / Marnie Stern / Pretty & Nice / Brighton MA / Deerhunter / Crystal Antlers / Ten Kens / Land of Talk

I'll be skipping a mix in our 5-6 day routine as business is curbing my music previewing habit for a short period of time. No reason to fear though, hopefully this mostly male-vocalist dominated effort will slake your hunger for new tunes during that brief respite.

Asphalt and White Lines

Lambchop / Scott Walker / Palms / Ed Laurie / Blitzen Trapper / Vic Chesnutt / Daniel Martin Moore / Boduf Songs

A majority of the WMBR Breakfast of Champions crew is now keeping the playlist live on track-blaster as well, you can go there to see the play-by-play for October 9, 2008 as well.

(08:00 - isn't it grande? isn't it?)
The Evolution Control Committee - "Isn't It Grand To Be A Christian"
David Karsten Daniels - "Oh, Heaven Isn't Real"
Northern Picture Library - "Isn't It Time You Faced The Truth?"
The Field Mice - "Anyone Else Isn't You"
Galaxie 500 - "Isn't It A Pity"

(08:15 - whatever this is, it isn't it)
Giant Drag - "This Isn't It"
Ultra Vivid Scene - "This Isn't Real"
East River Pipe - "The Club Isn't Open"
The Clientele - "Isn't Life Strange?"
Martin Rev - "Narcisse" (background music)

(08:30 - this is band of the week)
Bjork - "5 Years"
Bjork - "Unison"

(08:45 - i'm positive this isn't true)
The Chameleons - "A Person Isn't Safe Anywhere These Days"
The Radio Department - "Where Damage Isn't Already Done"
Headlights - "It Isn't Easy To Live That Well"

(09:00 - new music begins here)
Sofia Talvik - "Burning Fields"
Marianne Dissard - "Sans-Façon"
Lowfish - "DFD" (concert report music)

(09:20 - new music continues here)
Margot and the Nuclear So & So's - "German Motor Car"
Palms - "End Of Term"
Marnie Stern - "The Package Is Wrapped"
Ghost of the Russian Empire - "The Winter Soldier"

(09:40 - new music winds up here)
The Rosebuds - "Bow To The Middle"
Army Navy - "My Thin Sides"
Her Space Holiday - "Just Another Day"
Pretty & Nice - "Wandering Eye"
The Manhattan Love Suicides - "Burning Wire"

(09:55 - i am pleased to be able to end the programme)
Jesus H. Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse - "Julie on the Fung Wah Bus"

Of course the WMBR archive has this show and every show over the past 2 weeks, don't be silly.

Once again with the 8 song sampler exposing y'all to some of the new music down at the station.

Viewing Red Sox playoff games means exposure to a gaggle of erectile-dysfunction commercials. The better half and I both noticed that all the middle-aged rutters explicitly and frequently flash their wedding bling just so it's perfectly clear nothing immoral is occuring during these 30 second slices of fecund flirtation. So now we are currently assessing the content to unearth which one is most likely documenting an extra-marital affair. This is quite a bit more difficult than you'd expect as the situations are written with porn-like precision. The settings utilized potently ensure that they would only be frequented by participants with lifelong entanglements. Worry not, we are up to the challenge and considering the fine Sox play we'll have plenty of opportunity to explore this topic further.

The Pull Of This Season's Weather

Max Richter / The John Baker Tapes / Michna / Baja / Dungen / High Places / B. Fleischmann / Talkdemonic

Didn't get to update the Breakfast of Champions October 2, 2008 playlist live since our internet was down at WMBR, so post-production here it is

(08:00 - can you feel it?)
Basement Jaxx - "U Can't Stop Me
Sugar - "If I Can't Change Your Mind"
The Sidewinders - "If I Can't Have You"
Butterglory - "She Can't Hide From Radios"

(08:15 - I guess you can't)
The Autocollants - "We Can't Have It All"
The Montgolfier Brothers - "Even If My Mind Can't Tell You"
Birdie - "I Can't Let Go"
Ryoji Ikeda - "Test Pattern #1001" (background music)

(08:30 - band of the week)
The Frames - "What Happens When The Heart Just Stops (live)"
The Frames - "The Side You Never Get To See"

(08:45 - we'll have to let it go)
The Smiths - "I Want The One I Can't Have"
Gene - "Still Can't Find The Phone"
Marshall Crenshaw - "She Can't Dance"
The V.I.P.'s - "Just Can't Let You Go"

(09:00 - new music starts now)
TV on the Radio - "Stork & Owl"
Lambchop - "Slipped, Dissolved and Loosed"
Baja - "Go Wolpertinger! Go!" (concert report music)

(09:20 - new music continues now)
Deerhunter - "Never Stops"
The Week That Was - "The Airport Line"
Tobias Froberg - "Blissful"
Boston Spaceships - "You Satisfy Me"

(09:40 - new music never ends)
Ane Brun - "My Star"
Boduf Songs - "Things Not To Be Done On The Sabbath"
Jolie Holland - "Mexico City"
Sonya Kitchell - "Running"

(09:55 - oops guess I was wrong)
Anthems MA - "Adore"

Normally you'd find this show amongst all the others at WMBR's archive, but since the web was down it's probably not there.

Putting the final sequencing touches on the 2008 favourites mix, with a couple of competing playlists assisting in the final crucial selections. The discs are mixed with the intent of playback occuring within a certain sequence, though it's likely that more than a few of you just burn them to mp3 and let the portable music player take on that task. Death to the mystic art of sequencing I suppose, but for every dj it's a critical part of show prep and touches off agonizing sessions of second guessing during each set.

Made Of Straw

Marianne Dissard / Ane Brun / Jolie Holland / Jenny Lewis / Ariel Abshire / Tracy Shedd / Sonya Kitchell / Heide Marie Kjersem

The playlist for Breakfast of Champions Thursday September 25th, 2008 on WMBR Cambridge.

(08:00 - you don't think it's totally psychedelic?)
Lesley Gore - "You Don't Own Me"
Matthew Sweet - "You Don't Love Me"
Roky Erickson - "You Don't Love Me Yet"

(08:15 - you don't look to see if it's parve?)
Klaus Nomi - "You Don't Own Me"
Adult. - "You Don't Worry Enough"
The House of Love - "You Don't Understand"
Fields - "You Don't Need This Song (To Fix Your Broken Heart)"
Tobacco - "Backwoods Altar" (background music)

(08:30 - you don't know it's band of the week?)
Polvo - "Sure Shot"
Polvo - "Bombs That Fall From Your Eyes"

(08:45 - you don't know what you're looking for?)
Dusty Springfield - "You Don't Own Me"
Sing-Sing - "You Don't Know"
Squire - "You Don't See Me"
The Bigger Lovers - "You Don't Feel Anything"

(09:00 - a relief for those who value new music above all else)
Winterpills - "You Don't Love Me Yet"
All Girl Summer Fun Band - "Oh No"
Hearts of Palm UK - "Jonathan FMF"
Max Richter - "When The Northern LIghts / Jasper and Louise" (concert report music)

(09:20 - new music for sleepy people)
Jenny Lewis - "Godspeed"
Karl Blau - "Mockingbird Diet"
Dungen - "Fredag"

(09:40 - new music for post patterns)
Friendly Fires - "Lovesick"
XX Teens - "Onkawara"
The Cure - "Freakshow (Wolves At The Gate Remix)"
Pivot - "Sweet Memory"

(09:50 - new music for exit ramps)
Land of Talk - "Some Are Lakes"

Thanks for visiting the blog, if you'd like to hear what you've seen jump over to WMBR's archives where two weeks of programming awaits!

Waiting outside the hospital as a chirpy fire alarm bleated as aimlessly as the blank-faced fireman poked around their trucks while severely young mothers and fathers cradled their half-clothed children rousted in the middle of checkups with fetching (and less severely) young doctor-types (or at least pretty possibles with white coats and fashion eyeglasses), I texted whomever was willing rescue me from ennui while waiting for the shots any responsible person would consent to when traveling to India.

Cracked Right Through The Middle

The Walkmen / Pop Levi / Lykke Li / Friendly Fires / TV on the Radio / Karl Blau / Portastatic / Glen Campbell

All hail the unknown indie band. You scratch your head as you try to place the name of the supporting act on the bill of a local show. You puzzle at the guy standing behind the table, wondering if that's the driver, merch guy or bassist. You wonder if this is really their first ep / album or just a home-burn of some demos they're working on. You puzzle at strange name of their record label, trying to suss out if it will only ever be found on this self-release. You weigh the benefit of seeing the half-hour set they drove 300 miles to play versus checking out the magazine rack at the convenience store next door. All hail the unknown indie band.

Everything Elusive

Eddy Current Suppression Ring / Mason Proper / Rumi / Ra Ra Riot / Your Heart Breaks / The Shaky Hands / Your 33 Black Angels / Novillero

Back from a one-week hiatus on WMBR's Breakfast of Champions Thursday, this playlist is dated September 18, 2008.

(08:00 - it seems so real I can hear it)
Porn Orchard - "Why Can't I Touch It?"
Clem Snide - "Why Can't I Touch It?"
Elf Power - "Why Can't I Touch It?"
The Buzzcocks - "Why Can't I Touch It?"

(08:15 - it seems so real I can taste it)
Eddie and the Hot Rods - "Why Can't It Be"
Turpentine Brothers - "Why Can't I Do"
The White Stripes - "Why Can't You Be Nicer To Me?"
Van Halen - "Why Can't This Be Love" (background music)

(08:30 - band of the week)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - "The Mercy Seat (live)"
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - "Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow"
Timmy Thomas - "Why Can't We Live Together" (background music)

(08:45 - history does unfold)
Big Flame - "Why Popstars Can't Dance"
The Cure - "Why Can't I Be You?"
Aden - "Why Can't I Make You Happy?"
Patsy Cline - "Why Can't He Be You"
Thee Mighty Caesars - "Why Can't You See?"
War - "Why Can't We Be Friends?" (background music)

(09:00 - new music starts at 9)
Noah and the Whale - "Rocks and Daggers"
Sam Champion - "Lorraine"
Dot Tape Dot - "Slow Birds For Mayo T." (concert report music)

(09:20 - new music continues 20 minutes later)
Blitzen Trapper - "Sleepytime in the Western World"
Your 33 Black Angels - "New Song"
Ten Kens - "Refined"
Novillero - "Lost Possibilities"

(09:40 - who knows when they'll say when)
Secret Machines - "Underneath the Concrete"
Tracy Shedd - "Not Giving Up"
Damien Jurado - "Trials"
Tindersticks - "The Flicker of a Little Girl"
The John Baker Tapes - "Au Printemps"

(09:55 - finish him!)
Ruby Isle featuring Amy Dykes - "Solsbury Hill"

Thanks for browsing around, the aural equivalent of this playlist is available on WMBR's archive site for 2 weeks after the original airing.

This mix is a day late but packs more dust in its proverbial ball of twine than a whole bowl of superficial sentiment. Partially influenced by the playoff defeat of my once-invicible fantasy baseball team, it comes crashing to the ground in an impressive display of senseless self-destruction. Only in this case at least someone might benefit (that someone hopefully being you).

Apple Pie and Bulletproof

Firewater / Calexico / Laura Marling / Okkervil River / Chad VanGaalen / Damien Jurado / Giant Sand / The UglySuit

Thanks to Becky, normal host of the Breakfast of Champions Monday on WMBR, for switching with me on September 8th 2008. You'll get to sample her selections on the 11th! Onto the playlist ...

(08:00 - it seems that most bands don't do shouldn't)
Wilco - "Shouldn't Be Ashamed"
Five-Eight - "Shouldn't Be Here"
Girlboy Girl - "Should We Or Shouldn't We"
The Bats - "You Know We Shouldn't"

(08:15 - should they do shouldn't or not?)
Hawkwind - "You Shouldn't Do That (live)"
Fly My Pretties - "Shouldn't I Know"
Zomes - "Black Magic Band" (background music)

(08:30 - band of the week)
Meat Puppets - "Lost"
Meat Puppets - "Flaming Heart"
Meat Puppets - "Enemy Love Song"

(08:45 - I shouldn't criticize those who don't)
Anita O'Day - "Why Shouldn't I"
Fra Lippo Lippi - "Shouldn't Have To Be Like That"

(09:00 - more new music)
Juliana Hatfield - "So Alone"
Tracy Shedd - "Won Past Ten"
I Am Robot and Proud - "Storm of the Century" (concert report music)

(09:20 - after the concert report)
Death Vessel - "Bruno's Torso"
The Shaky Hands - "Air Better Come"
Mekons - "Trouble Down South"
Mason Proper - "Point A To Point B"

(09:40 - clear the way, we're coming through)
The Campaign For Real-Time - "The Game"
Rework - "I Want To Be Like You"
Fujiya & Miyagi - "Pussyfooting"
Pacific! - "Number One"

(09:55 - an aural handshake)
Eddy Current Suppression Ring - "Which Way To Go"

I'll be back on the normal Thursday schedule next week, as always the archived shows are available on WMBR's back pages.

Today's mix offering is synthetic, ebuillient, menacing, ribald and expedient. For those who prefer movement to the sedentary life the time has come again to indulge.

The Blind Purity of a Honey Bee

Fixmer+McCarthy / The Faint / Stereo Image / The Tough Alliance / The Occasional Keepers / Fujiya & Miyagi / Rework / Rafter

P.S. I'm trading Thursday for Monday this week, thanks Becky!

September 4th, 2008 is a grand day to listen to WMBR, especially the Breakfast of Champions. On to the playlist!

(08:00 - not much we can do about this)
Descendents - "Can't Go Back"
The Wasps - "Can't Wait Til '78"
The Easybeats - "Can't Find Love"
The Drags - "Can't Change My Style"
Miss Mary - "Can't Stop"
Kylie Minogue - "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (background music)

(08:15 - or we can't do much about this)
Ivy - "Can't Even Fake It"
The Red Button - "Can't Stop Thinking About Her"
Eggstone - "Can't Come Close Enough"
The English Beat - "Can't Get Used To Losing You"
The Hollyridge Strings - "Can't Buy Me Love" (background music)

(08:30 - the die is cast on band of the week as well)
Pernice Brothers - "Working Girls (Sunlight Shines)"
Pernice Brothers - "Blinded By The Stars"
Pernice Brothers - "Saddest Quo"
Electric Light Orchestra - "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" (background music)

(08:45 - it's inevitable as charlie used to say)
The Charlatans UK - "Can't Get Out Of Bed"
Sloan - "Can't Face Up"
Piper - "Can't Wait"
The Dickies - "Can't Let Go"
Village of Savoonga - "Can't Escape" (background music)

(09:00 - Let's smoothly move into the realm of new music)
Portastatic - "When Love Breaks Down"
Ra Ra Riot - "Suspended In Gaffa"
Alias - "Oakland Morning" (concert report music)

(09:20 - no excuses or coded messages)
The Rumble Strips - "Girls and Boys In Love"
Bears - "What Makes Me Happy"
Bart Davenport - "Strangelife"
Starfuckers - "Rawnald Gregory Erickson The Second"
Your Heart Breaks - "I Could Say Ark"

(09:40 - no magic missles or micro moments)
The New Year - "The Door Opens"
Ariel Abshire - "Spots"
Jennifer O'Connor - "Days Become Months"
Hilde Marie Kjersem - "London Bridge"

(09:55 - a rush and a push and the land is yours)
Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew - "It's All About The Booty"

This show, along with every other show on WMBR, is archived on WMBR's website for a two week time period.

The lady at the home depot checkout sized up my weighty load of wood and supplies and asked why I wasn't taking Labor Day off. I was ready to return the retort when a momentary flash of tact kept me from mentally reinforcing her fate for the day. Mine was already cast as well, Labor Day afforded me the last chance to complete this summer's home project - rebuild our rotting deck. It also provided me with a moment to craft this addictive pop mix. Warning: multiple handclaps await!

Nothing's Too Good For This Life

The Gordian Knot / Bears / The Rumble Strips / Correcto / The Caesars / The Coast / The Crash / Theresa Andersson

One advantage of the new muxtape-like facilitator is I can keep more than one mix live on the account. So, to make up for the reduced playlist requirement I'll update every five days instead of every seven and keep each mix alive for 10 days. That is, until the authorities catch up with my diabolical plan.

The Winners Who Walked Away

Death Vessel / Randy Newman / Jennifer O'Connor / Drone Hooligan / Small Sur / Jessica Lea Mayfield / Neil Halstead / Shannon McArdle

The Breakfast of Champions on WMBR is all about taking you higher, as evidenced by this playlist dated August 28, 2008.

(08:00 - couldn't I find a better theme?)
Todd Rundgren - "Couldn't I Just Tell You"
The Bevis Frond - "Couldn't Care Less"
The Junk Monkeys - "I Couldn't Smile"
The Litter - "He Couldn't Find One Anywhere"

(08:15 - guess I couldn't)
The 45's - "Couldn't Believe A Word"
Television Personalities - "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming"
The Field Mice - "Couldn't Feel Safer"
Tracey Thorn - "Simply Couldn't Care"
Talkdemonic - "Civilian" (background music)

(08:30 - band of the week)
Four Tet - "Tangle"
Four Tet - "Wing Body Wing"

(08:45 - if couldn't is could not then why isn't it spelled could'nt?)
Spacemen 3 - "Why Couldn't I See?"
Petula Clark - "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love"
Devastations - "The Night I Couldn't Stop Crying"

(09:00 - new music for the next hour)
Neil Halstead - "Queen Bee"
Drone Hooligan - "Son Risen Fear"
Dark Tooth Encounter - "Radio Bleed" (concert report music)

(09:20 - cruising past the concert report)
Pop Levi - "Love You Straight"
31Knots - "The Breaks"
Swim Swam Swum - "Not In Your Way"
The Broken West - "Auctioneer"

(09:40 - your ears are not in my way)
Damien Jurado - "Paper Kite"
David Vandervelde - "Old Turns"
Okkervil River - "Pop Lie"
Lykke Li - "I'm Good, I'm Gone"
Rework - "Questions"

(09:55 - inevitable conclusion)
Chad VanGaalen - "Bones Of Man"

Thanks for visiting, the audio is stashed on WMBR's archive for 2 weeks after the original broadcast date.

I'm wearing black today in sympathy for the apparent death of muxtape, though in truth we all knew it was too good to last. Once the RIAA gets its talons in something rarely does it survive. It won't completely stop the weekly mix ritual, though it will put a 33% dent in the tracks offered as this new service has a reduced playlist requirement. Not a problem, it'll just force me to put on a harsher quality filter. In respect for our dearly departed this week's mix is fully instrumental and a little maudlin (with one extreme exception).

No fancy name this week ...

July Skies / Durutti Column / Jasper TX / Belong / The Abbasi Brothers / White Rainbow / Twink / Bitcrush

I can't quite fathom the theme for the first hour of the August 21, 2008 Breakfast of Champions show on WMBR. Oh well, guess I'll have to try to divine it from the playlist.

(08:00 - on the negative tip)
Cheap Trick - "I Can't Take It"
The Barracudas - "I Can't Pretend"
The Zombies - "I Can't Make Up My Mind"
Golden Smog - "I Can't Keep From Talking"
Rumah Sakit - "I Can't See Anything When I Close My Eyes" (background music)

(08:15 - I'm a negative creep)
Hello Saferide - "I Can't Believe It's Not Love"
The Housemartins - "I Can't Put My Finger On It"
Dusty Springfield - "I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face"
Talulah Gosh - "I Can't Get No Satisfaction (Thank God)"
Luna - "I Can't Wait"
The John Buzon Trio - "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me" (background music)

(08:30 - and I'm band of the week)
Magic Hour - "Sunrise"
Nu Shooz - "I Can't Wait" (background music)

(08:45 - this is a negative trend)
X-Ray Spex - "I Can't Do Anything"
Snivelling Shits - "I Can't Come"
Hard Times - "I Can't Wait Til Friday Comes"
The Sound - "I Can't Escape Myself"
Hall and Oates - "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" (background music)

(09:00 - new music makes its way to center stage)
Calexico - "The News About William"
Firewater - "Paradise"
Eli Keszler - "R.L.K. 2." (Concert Report Music)

(09:20 - after the concert report, I'll be in love with you)
Theresa Andersson - "Birds Fly Away"
The Walkmen - "In The New Year"
Caesars - "New Year's Day"
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Come Saturday"

(09:40 - I'll be home by new year's)
The Coast - "Floodlights"
Rumi - "The Show"
One For The Team - "What Are You Gonna Cry About?"

(09:55 - and I'll be laughing, not crying)
Fixmer/McCarthy - "Look To Me"

Thanks for stopping by and gazing at the screen, as always a musical version of these playlists can be found by looking through WMBR's archives for the appropriate program and day. This offer expires two weeks from original broadcast date.

Count me among those that feel transporting the Star Wars franchise into computer animation is barely worth my attention. What I really need to force down again is David Lynch's Dune ... an aggressively bad and incomprehensible film. It contained some fantastic quotes ... remember Eon's house record Void Dweller with all the Dune samples? "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer" ... "He who controls the spice controls the universe!" ... all mixed with old video game samples. Last night I watched the Silent Hill adaptation, it had an enveloping atmosphere until they misguidedly tried to explain everything 3/4 of the way through.

Another Great American Zombie

Sunset / Faces on Film / Ex-Norwegian / Carolee / One For The Team / Darker My Love / Immovable Objects / I Heart Hiroshima / Nathan Wilkes / The Mekons / 31Knots / The Royal We

Breakfast of Champions
WMBR 88.1FM Cambridge MA3
Thursday August 14, 2008
The Playlist

(08:00 - from you can't to didn't)
Happy Flowers - "Why Didn't You Tell Me You Were Bringing Home A Baby"
Red Sovine - "I Didn't Jump The Fence"
Mecca Normal - "He Didn't Say"
Sarah White - "I Didn't Have A Summer Romance"
Don Caballero - "Let's Face It Pal, You Didn't Need That Eye Surgery" (background music)

(08:15 - didn't means you could have but you did not)
Blondie - "I Didn't Have The Nerve To Say No"
Tobin Sprout - "I Didn't Know"
Tubeway Army - "Oh! Didn't I Say"
Felt - "I Didn't Mean To Hurt You"
Magnetophone - "Didn't I Blow Your Mind?" (Background music)

(08:30 - Band of the week)
The Oblivians - "Kick Your Ass"
The Oblivians - "Robot Blues"
The Oblivians - "Alone Again Or"
Lobo - "She Didn't Do Magic" (background music)

(08:45 - so in that way I guess didn't do is better than can't do)
Silkworm - "Never Met A Man I Didn't Like"
The Brilliant Corners - "I Didn't See You"
Midstates - "Didn't Ask"
Swirlies - "Didn't Understand"
Yazoo - "Bring Your Love Down (Didn't I)" (background music)

(09:00 - new music for now)
Starling Electric - "Prince Of The Puff Of Smoke"
Faces On Film - "Famous Last Words"
The Royal We - "Three Is A Crowd"
Bitcrush - "Waiting For Something" (concert report music)

(09:20 - new music for later)
Moscow Olympics - "No Winter, No Autumn"
The Sound of Arrows - "Danger!"
Carolee - "Rainout"
Arms - "Tiger Tamer"

(09:40 - new music for lepers)
The Faint - "Mirror Error"
Jaguar Love - "Georgia"
Sunset - "Zombies"

(09:55 - closing out the show)
Katy Perry - "One Of The Boys"

Thanks for looking around, as always the aural equivalent is available on WMBR's archive site.

Waiting for summer to slide by is a time-consuming activity. There are only so many mint juleps you can consume until everything starts tasting like toothpaste. I heed the cautions of our nation's sun exposure experts very carefully and have so far been able to retain my delicate pallor. But my use of sunblock has been limited by one of our cats' newly acquired taste for it ... she can't resist licking any covered area. Fortunately, I will accept any sign of affection from her regardless of authenticity.

Watch The Numbers Slip Away

The Avett Brothers / Margot & The Nuclear So and So's / David Vandervelde / Angela Desveaux / Willoughby / Northern Portrait / Boy Genius / PAS/CAL / Marching Band / Alice Cohen / Azeda Booth / The Frequency

This is the playlist for the radio program on WMBR originally broadcast on August 7, 2008. It's called the Breakfast of Champions.

(08:00 - first hour is going to be a bit negative)
Johnny Thunders - "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory"
The Seeds - "You Can't Be Trusted"
Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments - "You Can't Kill Stupid"
The Karl Hendricks Trio - "You Can't Argue With Cash"
Billy Mahonie - "Watching People Speaking When You Can't Hear What They're Saying" (background music)

(08:15 - a theme that will continue for the upcoming months)
The Concretes - "You Can't Hurry Love"
The Go-Betweens - "You Can't Say No Forever"
Phoenix - "(You Can't Blame It On) Anybody"
The Jaywalkers - "(You Can't Be) Happy All The Time"
The Spent Poets - "You Can't Kill Michael Malloy" (background music)

(08:30 - band of the week time)
Fuzzy - "Bill"
Fuzzy - "Someday"
Fuzzy - "Summer Is Gone"
Lisa Stansfield - "You Can't Deny It" (background music)

(08:45 - more things you can't)
The Go-Go's - "You Can't Walk In Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep)"
The 6ths - "You Can't Break A Broken Heart"
Big Star - "You Can't Have Me"
The Five Americans - "You Can't Win"
Anal Cunt - "You Can't Shut Up"
Joe Jackson - "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Got)" (background music)

(09:00 - let's move on to new music)
David Vandervelde - "Old Turns"
Jessica Lea Mayfield - "Bible Days"
The Abbasi Brothers - "In A Field" (concert report music)

(09:20 - let's take this town alive)
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's - "Bookworm"
Willoughby - "Story"
Angela Desveaux - "Sure Enough"
Shannon McArdle - "This Longing"

(09:40 - blue or brown?)
CSS - "Left Behind"
The Tough Alliance - "Holiday"
The Coast - "Floodlights"
Immovable Objects - "James Trent"

(09:55 - finish him!)
Stephen Pearcy featuring The Donnas - "Round and Round"

Remember, two weeks of programming (including this show) is always available on WMBR's archive.

Stevie Nicks once asked Don Henley to exchange her lace for his leather. Why would Don agree to this? Perhaps there was some unstated potential future gain from this transaction? Stevie could certainly utilize the leather in an attractive fashion, but the lace Don would receive seems less applicable. Maybe Don's grandmother made fascinating doilies. It's unlikely this muxtape sheds any light on this conundrum, but it's just as consequential.

Make Your Tired Heart Sing

Daedelus / CSS / The Black Ghosts / Black Kids / Ratatat / Hercules and Love Affair / Satellite Lot / The Bloodsugars / Poni Hoax / Sound Tribe Sector 9 / Health / Venetian Snares

This is the playlist for the Breakfast of Champions on the Thursday July 31, 2008 through the WMBR Cambridge.

(08:00am - all new stuff today as I try to catch up)
Pacific! - "Number One"
Azeda Booth - "Big Fists"
Lullatone - "The Bedtime Beatbox"
Venetian Snares - "Koonut-Kaliffee"

(08:15am - strangely we've been deluged with new stuff in July)
Disco Ensemble - "Worst Night Out"
Clinic - "Nicht"
Apollo Sunshine - "666: The Coming Of The New World Government"
Astrid - "Beware ..." (background music)

(08:30am - break for band of the week)
Throwing Muses - "Walking In The Dark"
Throwing Muses - "Finished"
Throwing Muses - "Flood"

(08:45am - a few more before we go)
Alice Cohen - "Footsteps"
Black Fortress of Opium - "Model Cafe"
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's - "Bookworm"

(09:00 am- now the traditional start of the new music thing)
The Gordian Knot - "We Must Be Doing Somethin' Right"
Creeping Weeds - "Waits"
Goldmund - "Finding It There" (concert report music)

(09:20am - now the traditional post-concert report blur)
Brendan Canning - "Churches Under The Stairs"
The Ugly Suit - "Everyone Now Has a Smile"
Marching Band - "Letters"

(09:40am - binging and purging on the new rack)
Small Sur - "The Wind"
Windsor for the Derby - "Hold On"
Ex-Norwegian - "My Name Is Paul"
Northern Portrain - "Waiting for a Chance

(09:55 - referencing others instead of myself)
Correcto - "Joni"

You should know that WMBR has an archive of all the programming from the previous two weeks - free for your listening pleasure!

Swerving towards the center lane on this edition of the muxtape odyssey. My apologies if this seems too Paste-y for y'all but there is a sliver of my musical personality that cleaves towards the river. Let me get it out now and I swear it won't come back again (for at least two months, that is)

Bathroom Black

Beck / Sonantes / Adem / Haley Bonar / The Hold Steady / The Watson Twins / The Baseball Project / Sam Phillips / Aimee Mann / Sunfold / Paul Weller / Melanie Jane

For like the 9th or 10th year in a row we'd like to welcome Christopher and Sarah down to the WMBR studios. Once again they've donated to host the Breakfast of Champions for an hour and inflict some of their favourites on the listening audience!

Today is July 24th, 2008 and this is a playlist.

(08:00 - a few new ones to start the proceedings)
The Occasional Keepers - "Leave the Secret There Forever"
The Radio Department - "The Room, Tarzana"
Carrie - "1981"
The Watson Twins - "How Am I To Be"

(08:15 - band of the week, just a little early)
Cat Power - "Taking People"
Cat Power - "Lived In Bars"
July Skies - "See Britian By Train" (background music)

(08:30 - Christopher kicks off the proceedings)
Colin Meloy - "Summertime"
Yo La Tengo - "The Summer"
The Sundays - "Summertime"
Hunters & Collectors - "Lazy Summer Day"
Belle & Sebastian - "A Summer Wasting"
Luna - "Indian Summer"
Chapterhouse - "Summer's Gone"
Buffalo Tom - "Summer"
Throwing Muses - "Him Dancing"
My Bloody Valentine - "Summer"

(09:00 - and now Sarah gets her 30 minutes of fame)
Pernice Brothers - "Somerville"
Sleepyhead - "The Family Tree"
Belle & Sebastian - "The Boy With The Arab Strap"
Black Mountain - "Stay Free"
The Black Angels - "Manipulation"
Buffalo Tom - "Hawaiian Baby"

(09:30 - back for the concert report)
David Bowie - "Five Years"
Black Kids - "I'm Making Eyes At You"
Carolee - "Rainout"

(09:55 - closing it out)
Darker My Love - "Two Ways Out"

WMBR keeps two weeks of archived audio content on their website.

Even the most casual perusal of my playlists would lead any informed observer to the conclusion that I do not rock. This muxtape is unlikely to dissuade those opinions despite my best efforts. At the very least I hope the pace is elevated enough to inspire an occasional fist-pump on my behalf.

A Miracle That's Over

Brendan Canning / The Futureheads / Appomattox / The Gang / The Night Marchers / Me First and the Gimme Gimmes/ The Weeks / Awesome Color / The Harrisons / Blackstrap / The Pains of Being Pure at Heart / Conservative Man

The first hour of this playlist contains songs from some of my favorite albums of all time. Originally aired on July 17th, 2008 during the Breakfast of Champions program on WMBR in Cambridge.

(08:00 - the final edition in the best of the 90's series)
Long River Train - "The First"
Ween - "Birthday Boy"
The Reivers - "Keep Me Guessing"
The Ropers - "You Have A Light"

(08:15 - quite a few all-timers here)
Red House Painters - "Medicine Bottle"
American Music Club - "Will You Find Me?"
Marco Benevento - "The Real Morning Party" (background music)

(08:30 - band of the week)
Boards of Canada - "Skyliner"
Boards of Canada - "Hey Saturday Sun"

(08:45 - one last 90's album)
My Bloody Valentine - "What You Want"
Keith Canisius - "Watching Old Films With New Eyes"

(09:00 - followed by a shelf full of new stuff)
Ratatat - "Shempi"
Durutti Column - "Messages"
Jasper, TX - "Black Sleep Pt. III" (background music)

(09:20 - or the bits I've culled for airing)
The Avett Brothers - "Murder In The City"
The School - "I Want You Back"
Northern Portrait - "Waiting For A Chance"
Arms - "Tiger Tamer"

(09:40 - people I know, places I go)
Brendan Canning - "Churches Under The Stairs"
Pas/Cal - "Little Red Radio"
Conservative Man - "I, Hikikomori"
The Airborne Toxic Event - "This Is Nowhere"

(09:55 - still working on converting Joanie)
Katy Perry - "Self Inflicted"

Thanks for checking out our little jingle jangle morning, WMBR archives two weeks worth of programming on their website y'know.

Once again providing a little 12 song mix for you through the muxtape site. We've dusted off a handful of recent pop gems for your review, ranging from lo-fi to overproduced and back again. Comment and requests welcome!

Twist The Light

Vancougar / Jeremy Jay / Chocolat / Tilly and the Wall / Mates of State / Head Like A Kite / From Bubblegum To Sky / Love As Laughter / Fleet Foxes / The Awkward Stage / The School / Van Duren

WMBR in Cambridge presents the playlist for the July 10, 2008 edition of the Breakfast of Champions. We are available at your discretion!

(08:00 - thursday morning, plunging into sky blue water)
Jeannette Katt - "Wish You Were Mine"
Eggstone - "Summer And Looking For A Job"
Birdie - "One Two Five"

(08:15 - the songs we always sing, even if you're not listening)
The Black Watch - "One Two Five"
Verbena - "The Song That Ended Your Career"
The Auteurs - "Child Brides"
Pumice - "Sick Bay Duvet" (background music)

(08:30 - band of the week)
Swervedriver - "Never Lose That Feeling"
Swervedriver - "Wrong Treats"

(08:45 - so far reaching, so deceiving)
Ween - "Cold Blows The Wind"
American Music Club - "Sick Of Food"
Chris Kowanko - "Modern Daze"

(09:00 - new music for pop people)
Beck - "Chemtrails"
Paul Weller - "Cold Moments"
All India Radio - "The End Or Near" (concert report music)

(09:20 - deliver us from the concert report)
Mirah - "Slighted"
Vancougar - "Lonely Life"
The Jersey Barrier - "It's Been A Day"
Eef Barzelay - "Numerology"

(09:40 - i'm telling you i know these things)
Daedelus - "Fair Weather Friends"
Dark Captain Light Captain - "Robot Command Centre"
Son, Ambulance - "Legend of Lizeth"
Boy Genius - "Failing Gravity"

(09:55 - the sky is falling!)
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - "Mahogany"

Thanks for your attention, this program (in fact, all our programs) are archived for two weeks on WMBR's website!

This week's muxtape mixes mostly maudlin efforts with a few teaspoons of sugar to make the medicine go down. I promise that sweet residue left on your lips is purely organic. It even kicks off with a delectable John Cale cover!

Somewhere There's People Living

Arbouretum / Bonnie "Prince" Billy / Son, Ambulance / Robert Pollard / Dr. Dog / The Black Watch / The Explorers Club / Earlimart / Electric President / The Hands of the Wrong People / Vetiver / Nethers

This week's muxtape was intended to be instrumental but ... well ... a few tracks with sorta vocals kinda snuck in there. But it's like 82%+ pure! That's at least worth a B. From the electronic to the organic plus a few without a discernable plot, hope you enjoy!

An Old Key On A Rusty Chain

Tape / Dosh / Schlammpeitziger / Matmos / Flying Lotus / Depth Affect / Lowfish / Lusine / Artifact Shore / Jet Black Crayon / My Education / Sun City Girls

The Breakfast of Champions on WMBR Cambridge MA presents the playlist for June 26, 2008.

(08:00 - still wandering through the detritus of the 90's)
Joel RL Phelps - "At El Paso"
Idaho - "Save"
Red House Painters - "Shadows"

(08:15 - in the rankings I think these are 30's, some 20's maybe?)
The Bats - "Jetsam"
Yo La Tengo - "Deeper Into Movies"
Chow Chow Music - "No New Ground Broken" (background music)

(08:30 - band of the week time is nigh)
The Fugs - "Crystal Liaison"
The Fugs - "Fingers Of The Sun"
The Fugs - "Group Grope"

(08:45 - we have many options, how many of them are good?)
Belle and Sebastian - "Judy and the Dream of Horses"
Luna - "This Time Around"
The Innocence Mission - "Everything's Different Now"

(09:00 - new music begins at nine)
Dr. Dog - "The Rabbit, The Bat, and the Reindeer"
Son, Ambulance - "Juliet's Son"
Noa Babayof - "A Song For Me"
Olafur Arnalds - "Haust" (concert report music)

(09:20 - new music continues 20 minutes later)
Boyinstatic - "Where It Ends"
The Frequency - "Talk To Me"
Hercules and Love Affair - "Blind"

(09:40 - and again and again and again and again)
Monocle - "AirPhase"
John Terrill - "I'll Follow In Time"
Chocolat - "T'aurais Voulu"
Cineplexx - "Espiral"

(09:55 - last chance for love)
Katy Perry - "Hot n Cold"

Thanks for looking around, if you'd like to visit the aural version of this blog jet on over the WMBR's Archives and pick and Breakfast of Champions Thursday show!

The muxtape pose for this week strikes out seeking pure pop pleasures for now people. Some of them are smooth, s'more are savagely catchy, and at least one is overtly commercial. Hopefully a few will envelope you in a trance.

Jewels On A Chain

Arms / Violens / Dirty On Purpose / Liam Finn / Alejandro Escovedo / Eef Barzelay/ The Parson Red Heads / The Bridal Shop / The Submarines / Cineplexx / Little Beirut / Katy Perry

More of the same on the June 19th 2008 edition of WMBR's Breakfast of Champions program as evidenced by this playlist.

(08:00 - the best of the 90's as selected by me)
Slowdive - "Brighter"
Björk - "Hyperballad"
Wheat - "Body Talk (Part 1)"

(08:15 - we're somewhere in the late 30's now)
Basement Jaxx - "Yo Yo"
Eon - "Final Warning (Raucous Dub Mix)"
Saint Etienne - "Calico"
Peter Walker - "Cueva De Pepe" (background music)

(08:30 - band of the week options abound)
Sufjan Stevens - "Sister"
Sufjan Stevens - "Pittsfield"

(08:45 - maybe can fit two more in here?)
American Analog Set - "Gone To Earth"
Liz Phair - "Stratford-on-Guy"

(09:00 - new music NOW)
Earlimart - "Teeth"
Old 97's - "The Fool"
Flying Lotus - "Golden Diva" (concert report music)

(09:20 - played it THEN)
Shearwater - "Leviathan, Bound"
Sunfold - "Sara The American Winter"
Arms - "Tiger Tamer"
Van Duren - "New Year's Eve"

(09:40 - heard it LATER)
I Heart Hiroshima - "Lungs"
Ribbons - "About Them"
Artifact Shore - "Stupid Coma"
Odd Nosdam - "Ligaya (Alias & Tarsier Remix)"

(09:55 - we need a closer)
The Baseball Project - "Harvey Haddix"

This program is available in streaming audio form on WMBR's archives for two weeks after its original airing.

For this week's muxtape the bocthurs crew will do our best to bring you lazy introverts out onto the dancefloor. Mind you we didn't say we'd be joining everyone out there. No, we prefer to watch. Hopefully this gooey set of confectious songs puts some tempo in your tambourine.

Make Your Puppet Speak And Move

Scarlett Johansson / James Pants / Walter Meego / Does It Offend You, Yeah? / Vicarious Bliss / Miss Kittin / The Presets / Ladytron / The Ting Tings / Styrofoam / Saly Shapiro / Booka Shade

Welcome to the slightly challenging but hopefully edifying playlist for June 12, 2008. The radio program is Breakfast of Champions, the venue is WMBR in Cambridge MA, the frequency is 88.1FM

(08:00 - we'll do a few 90's sets, a few new music sets)
Rocketship - "I Love You Like The Way That I Used To Do"
East River Pipe - "My Life Is Wrong"
Guided By Voices - "Tractor Rape Chain"
Modest Mouse - "Polar Opposites"

(08:15 - and make some time for Cryptacize to stop by at 09:30)
Mountain Goats - "Orange Ball of Love"
Son Volt - "Tear Stained Eye"
Cardinal - "Silver Machines"
Tape - "Reperto" (background music)

(08:30 - band of the week)
Saturnine - "Nothing's Matching"
Saturnine - "Palomar"
Saturnine - "Ivan Boesky"

(08:45 - switching to the new stuff early)
Tilly and The Wall - "Dust Me Off"
Cineplexx - "A Mi Lado"
Sonantes - "Defenestrando"

(09:00 - a few more before the cr)
Adem - "Invisible Man"
Eef Barzelay - "Numerology"

(09:20 - a few more after the cr)
Head Like A Kite - "Daydream Vacation"
Bellafea - "Arctic"
Hearts By Darts - "Yardcats"
The Black Watch - "Oh Death Death Death"

(09:40 - no luck with Cryptacize unfortunately)
My Milky Way Arms - "Magneto (Aahhh!!!)"
Depth Affect - "Junior International"
Styrofoam - "No Happy Endings"
Tapes 'n Tapes - "Conquest"

(09:55 - but they left us a lovely Steely Dan cover to close with)
Cryptacize - "Peg"

Thanks for looking around, remember that WMBR's archives contains 2 weeks of streaming audio for your review!

It's still the Breakfast of Champions, but this time a fill-in Monday on June 9th, 2008. It's still on WMBR, though the playlist will focus more on catching up with the new rack than any theme. Which I guess is a theme. Oh nevermind.

(08:00 - I said new music and I meant it!)
Notwist - "On Planet Off"
Foals - "Cassius"
Windsor for the Derby - "Maladies"
J. Ralph Phillips - "90 Days"

(08:15 - I don't wanna stay up tonight)
The Gang - "Sea So."
Frustration - "Waiting For The Bad Things"
Futureheads - "Radio Heart"
Duchess Says - "Melon"

(08:30 - band of the week, who's to blame?)
Saturnine - "Had Enough"
Saturnine - "The Raven"
Saturnine - "Old Flowers"
James Blackshaw - "Infinite Circle" (background music)

(08:45 - this one's for the girl with the radio heart)
The Black Watch - "Peppermint"
The Parson Red Heads - "Out to Sea"
Sloan - "Witch's Wand"

(09:00 - continuing the new music traditions)
South San Gabriel - "Kept On The Sly"
Arbourteum - "Buffalo Ballet"
Fire Room - "Slag" (concert report music)

(09:20 - a good day for sleeping in the midday sun)
Health - "Crimewave (Crystal Castles Vs. Health)"
Ladytron - "Tomorrow"
James Pants - "Finger On The Knife"

(09:40 - a slight foray into rock)
The Night Marchers - "Whose Lady R U?"
The Weeks - "Altar Girl"
Awesome Color - "Evil Rose"
Indian Jewelry - "Temporary Famine Ship"

(09:55 - an exciting last song)
Katy Perry - "If You Can Afford Me"

Thanks for looking and listening, all of WMBR's programming is archived as streaming audio for two weeks for your listening pleasure.