I am the laundry master of the house - all laundry duties are mine!

Turn Your Pockets Out

Serena-Maneesh / The Black Watch / A.C. Newman / Cut Off Your Hands / Kyle Andrews / Sparks / Metal Feathers / Travels

I'll use the relative lack of new releases during the late December/early January timeframe as my built-in excuse for ignoring the mixes. Before this morning's show it looked like there was a healthy stack of potentially engaging releases just waiting to be checked in, so if I don't create another offering in ~5 days I'll have to get more creative in excuse-making.

The Truth Won't Make You Happy

Kaki King / The Ballet / Pavement / Fire On Fire / Bird By Snow / The Tallest Man on Earth / Sean Smith / Marion Maerz

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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!

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