This Sixteenth of May, 2008

Hello Radio Listeners!

Okay, I'm a bit pressed for time this holiday weekend, so I'm throwing this up quickly then slipping out for some fun, friends, and family. So no obnoxious/condescending/didactic rambling this week! Huzzah!

This Week's Featured Artist: Foals
This Week's Featured Album: A Mouthful by The Dø

Foals are a great new band out of England. Like the popular Vampire Weekend, they are ex-ivy leaguers, this time from Oxford! The Dø are from France and were recommended to me by my good friend Andrew Root who is in that fine country as I write this! Foals is fun, but I am in love with The Dø. The album is spectacular for its variety as well as its quality. Check them out!

Here's a little episode we like to call:

This Week in Braille or Nobody Knows the Wreck of the Soul the Way You Do

1. Shirley Horn; Love for Sale (3:53) from The Very Best of Cole Porter
2. The New Pornographers; Miss Teen Wordpower (3:24) from Electric Version
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs; Gold Lion (3:09) from Show Your Bones {Sorry about the advert, but this was the best version I found}
4. Polysics; Bye Bye Red Sneaker (4:22) from ENO
5. [Featured Artist:] Foals; Balloons (3:01) from Antidotes
6. Black Eyed Peas; Weekend (ft. Esthero) (4:04) from Bridging the Gaps
7. Blitzen Trapper; Summer Town (2:24) from Wild Mountain Nation
8. Modest Mouse; Florida (3:00) from We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
9. Christina Aguilera; Candyman (3:14) from Back to Basics
10. Cut Copy; Far Away (4:56) from In Ghost Colours
11. [Featured Album:] The Dø; Stay (Just a Little Bit More) (3:06) from A Mouthful
12. [Featured Album:] The Dø; Queen Dot Kong (3:14) from A Mouthful
13. Desmond Dekker; Opportunity (2:56) from ...In Memoriam 1941 - 2006
14. The Aggrolites; Countryman Fiddle (3:50) from The Aggrolites
15. The Aggrolites; Work to Do (3:02) from The Aggrolites
16. Bob Marley & the Wailers; Crazy Baldhead (3:12) from Rastaman Vibration
17. Iron & Wine; Boy With a Coin (4:06) from The Shepherd's Dog
18. The Beatles; Lovely Rita (2:42) from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
19. Big Brother & the Holding Company; Catch Me Daddy (Live) (5:32) from Cheap Thrills (Reissue)
20. Bob Dylan; It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (4:09) from Highway 61 Revisited
21. David Bowie; Miracle Goodnight (4:15) from Black Tie, White Noise
22. [Featured Artist:] Foals; Cassius (3:50) from Antidotes
23. The Primitives; You Said (2:19) from Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond 1964-1969
24. The Undertones; Hypnotised (2:31) from Hypnotised {2nd song on the set, mediocre quality, but hey, it's not like you did the leg work!}
25. The Sonics; Walkin' the Dog (2:46) from Here are the Sonics!
26. The Sonics; Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2:26) from Boom
27. Jorge Drexler; High and Dry (3:45) from 12 Segundos de Oscuridad
28. Françoise Hardy; Effeuille moi le coeur (2:07) from Soleil
29. Chinese National Orchestra; Moon Rising in the Rosy Clouds (3:21) from Moon Rising in the Rosy Clouds
30. Françoise Hardy; J'suis d'accord (2:05) from The "Yeh-Yeh" Girl From Paris
31. Jorge Drexler; Inoportuna (2:45) from 12 Segundos de Oscuridad
32. [Featured Artist:] Foals; Heavy Water (4:32) from Antidotes
33. [Featured Album:] The Dø; Travel Light (4:02) from A Mouthful
34. [Featured Album:] The Dø; Tammie (3:16) from A Mouthful
35. Richie Havens; Alarm Clock (7:15) from Alarm Clock
36. The Beatles; The End (2:20) from Abbey Road
37. Hayden; My Wife (3:02) from Elk-Lake Serenade
38. Johnny Cash; Like the 309 (4:35) from American V: A Hundred Highways
39. Janis Joplin; Half Moon (3:55) from Pearl
40. The Jacksons; Sugar Daddy (2:30) from Michael Jackson & The Jackson 5 Compact Command Performances
41. Parliament; I Can Move (If You Let Me) (2:46) from Up for the Down Stroke
42. James Brown; I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door I'll Get It Myself) (4:31) from Sex Machine (Live)
43. Christina Aguilera; Still Dirrty (3:46) from Back to Basics
44. Miles Davis; John McLaughlin (4:23) from Bitches Brew
45. Nina Simone; Blues for Mama (3:56) from Nina Simone Sings the Blues
46. Esthero; Melancholy Melody (4:36) from Wikked Lil' Grrrls
47. Of Montreal; The Actor's Opprobrium (2:36) from The Sunlandic Twins Bonus EP
48. [Featured Artist:] Foals; Olympic Airways (4:19) from Antidotes
49. [Request by Kayla!] The Dodos; Red and Purple (4:40) from Visiter
50. Beck; Jack-Ass (4:12) from Odelay
51. Midlake; You Never Arrived (1:40) from The Trials of Van Occupanther
52. Pavement; Strings of Nashville (3:51) from Crooked Rain Crooked Rain {Video contains only part of the song}
53. Metric; Soft Rock Star (Jimmy vs. Joe Mix) (4:24) from Grow Up and Blow Away {Video contains the original version of the song, not the remix. Also, some completely unrelated anime!}
54. Final Fantasy; That's When the Audience Died (4:37) from Has a Good Home {Link contains a collaboration with Beirut}
55. John Williams; The Raider's March (2:29) from Raiders of the Lost Ark Soundtrack
56. John Williams; Parade of the Slave Children (4:54) from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Soundtrack
57. The National; Fake Empire (3:27) from Boxer
58. Nick Drake; Man in a Shed (3:55) from Five Leaves Left
59. Fiona Apple; Carrion (5:46) from Tidal
60. [Request by Kayla!] Ryan Adams; Firecracker (3:13) from The Suicide Handbook
61. Neko Case; Look for Me (I'll be Around) (3:21) from Blacklisted
62. Andrew Bird; Imitosis (4:00) from Armchair Apocrypha
63. Basia Bulat; Before I Knew (1:13) from Oh, My Darling
64. Basia Bulat; La-da-da (3:19) from Oh, My Darling
65. Nina Nastasia; Ugly Face (4:10) from The Blackened Air
66. St. Vincent; Apocalypse Song (3:47) from Marry Me
67. Stars; Bitches in Tokyo (2:50) from In Our Bedroom After the War
68. Bob Dylan; One Too Many Mornings (2:40) from The Times they are A-Changin'
69. Marissa Nadler; Yellow Lights (2:59) from The Saga of Mayflower May
70. Au Revoir Simone; The Lucky One (4:31) from The Bird of Music
71. Sufjan Stevens; Romulus (4:42) from Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State
72. Sia; Sunday (4:13) from Colour the Small One
73. Leonard Cohen; Who By Fire (2:36) from New Skin for the Old Ceremony
74. Regina Spektor; Samson (3:11) from Begin to Hope
75. Radiohead; Pyramid Song (4:49) from Amnesiac
76. Iron & Wine; Radio War (1:56) from Our Endless Numbered Days

As always, any requests, comments, hate mail, and love letters can be sent to us at

thisweekinbraille@hotmail.com!

This Ninth of May, 2008

Hello radio listeners!

Okay, well we introduced two new features to the show this week, the Featured Artist and Featured Album. We'd like to expand it out into a great weekly feature, and maybe do with the featured artist what we did with Bowie on the vinyl show - sort of have them as a running theme through the show. That still needs to be decided on, though, but we were thinking it would be a good way to promote and introduce new artists to you. We'll see how it works in the coming weeks. Let us know who you liked and didn't like!

This Week's Featured Artist: Adele
This Week's Featured Album: Volume One, by She & Him

Adele is a great singer out of England. Think Amy Winehouse without the bullshit. She & Him is a collaboration between actress Zooey Deschanel (Will Farrell's co-worker from Elf) and musician M. Ward. It's a fantastic album, and one of our early favourites for 2008. We highly recommend both of these great new artists and we'll definitely be playing more of them in the weeks and months to come!

Here's a little episode we like to call:

This Week in Braille or It's Not So Bad if You Just Learn to Yearn

1. Bessie Smith; In the House Blues (2:59) from Classic Blues {Real Audio file}
2. Shadows of Knight; Oh Yeah (2:49) from Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968
3. The Monks; Bad Habits (3:02) from Bad Habits
4. The Action; Shadows & Reflection (2:53) from Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond 1964-1969
5. Apostle of Hustle; Baby You're in Luck (2:22) from Folkoric Feel {It's the second song in the video}
6. [Featured Artist:] Adele; Best for Last (4:19) from 19
7. [Featured Artist:] Adele; My Same (3:16) from 19
8. Iron & Wine; The Devil Never Sleeps (2:07) from The Shepherd's Dog
9. Andrew Bird; Spare-Ohs (4:07) from Armchair Apocrypha
10. Arcade Fire; Neighborhood 2 (Laika) (3:32) from Funeral
11. The Streets; Let's Push Things Forward (3:52) from Original Pirate Material
12. Syd Dale; Number One Spy (2:27) from Cinemaphonic: Soul Punch
13. The Tragically Hip; Save the Planet (3:38) from Phantom Power {Inane video, but it was free so who am I to complain!}
14. The Beatles; And Your Bird Can Sing (2:02) from Revolver
15. Bill Whithers; Grandma's Hands (2:02) from Just As I Am
16. Blitzen Trapper; Futures & Folly (2:14) from Wild Mountain Nation
17. Le Loup; Outside of this Car, The End of the World! (2:54) from The Throne Of The Third Heaven Of The Nations' Millennium General Assembly
18. The Beatles; Back in the U.S.S.R. (2:43) from The White Album
19. Manu Chao; Mama Call (2:20) from Clandestino: Esperando La Ultima Ola...
20. Bob Marley & the Wailers; Johnny Was (3:47) from Rastaman Vibration
21. Compay Segundo; Hey Caramba (4:15) from Gracias Compay
22. Hayden; 1939 (4:44) from Elk-Lake Serenade
23. Buck 65; 1957 (3:55) from Situation
24. Josh Rouse; 1972 (3:49) from 1972
25. The Smashing Pumpkins; 1979 (4:26) from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
26. David Bowie; 1984 (3:29) from Diamond Dogs
27. Refused; Refused are Fucking Dead (5:08) from The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombation In 12 Bursts
28. Death from Above 1979; Black History Month (3:48) from You're A Woman, I'm A Machine
29. Deftones (featuring Maynard James Keenan); Passenger (6:08) from The White Pony
30. System of a Down; Metro (2:58) from Dracula 2000 Soundtrack
31. The Clash; Overpowered by Funk (4:53) from Combat Rock
32. Creedence Clearwater Revival; Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do) (3:39) from Creedence Clearwater Revival
33. The Decemberists; 16 Military Wives (4:53) from Picaresque
34. Arcade Fire; Neighborhood 4 (7 Kettles) (4:50) from Funeral
35. Dizzy Gillespie; Swing Low Sweet Cadillac (6:35) from Salt Peanuts {The link's version is quite different from the version on the show}
36. Feist; When I Was a Young Girl (3:08) from Let it Die
37. Donovan; Goldwatch Blues (2:30) from What's Been Did and What's Been Hid
38. Gordon Downie; Canada Geese (2:27) from Coke Machine Glow
39. John Prine; People Puttin' People Down (2:51) from Anthology: Great Days
40. Javier Navarrete; Hace mucho, mucho tiempo (2:15) from Pan's Labyrinth Soundtrack
41. James Brown; Don't tell a Lie About Me, And I Won't Tell the Truth ABout You (5:13) from Hell
42. Le Loup; Breathing Rapture (2:54) from The Throne Of The Third Heaven Of The Nations' Millennium General Assembly
43. Levon Helm Band (featuring Little Sammy Davis); Sad Hours (4:12) from The Midnight Ramble Sessions, Volume I
44. Regina Spektor; On the Radio (3:22) from Begin to Hope
45. MGMT; Time to Pretend (4:21) from Oracular Spectacular {HQ video, takes a bit to load, but totally worth the wait!}
46. Miles Davis; Freddie Freeloader (9:49) from Kind of Blue
47. Oscar Peterson; Lulu's Back in Town (2:08) from The Will to Swing {No Oscar Peterson, but a good imitation!}
48. The Skatalites; Nimblefoot Ska (3:10) from Coffee and Cigarettes Soundtrack
49. The Souljazz Orchestra; Little Habana (5:04) from Freedom No Go Die
50. New York Ska Jazz Ensemble; Elegy (7:21) from Live in Europe
51. Donovan; Ferris Wheel (4:12) from Sunshine Superman
52. Feist; Limit to Your Love (4:21) from The Reminder
53. Nina Simone; Do What You Gotta Do (3:41) from The Essential Nina Simone
54. Nick Drake; Time Has Told Me (4:28) from Five Leaves Left
55. Otis Redding; Home in Your Heart (2:07) from The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads
56. Otis Redding; I've Been Loving You Too Long (2:57) from Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul
57. Sam Cooke; Ain't That Good News (2:30) from Ain't That Good News
58. Paul Simon; Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard (2:44) from Paul Simon
59. Paul Simon; Outrageous (3:24) from Surprise
60. Big Wreck; Blown Wide Open (5:55) from In Loving Memory Of... {Fan cover of the song}
61. Thee Oneironauts; St. Germain (6:36) from Night of the Lawnchairs EP
62. Pink Martini; Hey Eugene! (3:11) from Hey Eugene!
63. Rebekah Higgs; Parables (5:01) from Rebekah Higgs
64. [Featured Album:] She & Him; Sentimental Heart (2:36) from Volume One
65. [Featured Album:] She & Him; Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? (2:31) from Volume One
66. [Featured Album:] She & Him; Black Hole (2:12) from Volume One
67. Van Morrison; Gypsy in My Soul (4:05) from Magic Time
68. Neko Case; Stinging Velvet (2:56) from Blacklisted
69. Julie Doiron; The Songwriter (4:44) from Julie Doiron/Okkervil River (Split EP)
70. Au Revoir Simone; Sad Song (4:07) from The Bird of Music
71. Iron & Wine; Radio War (1:56) from Our Endless Numbered Days

Let us know what you think of the Featured Artist/Album concept, or send us any artists or albums you would like to have featured on the show! We're always open to new music here at This Week in Braille, so don't hesitate to send us an email at thisweekinbraille@hotmail.com .

Hear you next week!

This Week I[s] Vinyl!

Hello Radio listeners!

Okay, so the theme for this week's show was vinyl: that wonderful, circular, spectacular-sounding mainstay of the home music scene. From an accidental discovery by Thomas Edison in 1877, through Emile Berliner's gramophone and the Victrola ("the Steinways of sound," an unusual statement considering that Steinways are in fact the Steinways of sound), through those swingin' sixties, to its fading after the emergence of the CD format, to the remergence thanks to dj's and the rise of mp3's.

It's so wonderful to see so many current artists releasing their works on vinyl, and I really recommend that you consider switching formats if you are a CD buyer. The RIAA cries itself to sleep every night with these laments of lost revenues due to donwloading and declining CD sales, while they make nary a sound about the rise of vinyl sales. Shhh. Don't say anything though, because then they would have to put their attention on their own inadequate payments to artists instead distracting from that fact by villifying downloaders and accusing the real fans of music of ripping off the artists.

Woah, that was a rant. Sorry about that. Why don't we get back to where we're supposed to be...

So anyway, with a vinyl sellers show this Sunday in Sudbury, and my head all a-flutter from some recent vinyl purchases, I decided that I needed to do another all-vinyl show. I got a couple of requests from The Cul-de-Sac crew, but the majority of these are my own LP's. I hope the mic shows you what kind of musical variety is available to you in the wonderful world of records!

So crank the gramophone or throw another dime in the Victrola, cause on Friday May 02, 2008, it was time for:

This Week in Braille or Lasers!? Pfft. I Plays My Funk With the Groove...

1. Nina Simone; I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl (5:54) from It Is Finished
2. David Bowie; Queen Bitch (3:13) from Fashions (7" Picture Disk set)
3. Chuck Berry; Nadine (2:32) from Greatest Hits
4. Muddy Waters; I'm Your (Hoochie Coochie Man) (3:59) from I'm Ready
5. Cuff the Duke; If I Live or If I Die (3:42) from Sidelines of the City
6. David Bowie; Space Oddity (4:33) from Fashions (7" Picture Disk set)
7. Talking Heads; Radio Head (3:14) from True Stories
8. Radiohead; Paranoid Android (6:23) from OK Computer
9. Broken Social Scene; Pacific Theme (5:09) from You Left It In People
10. The Black Keys; Busted (2:33) from The Big Come Up
11. The Doors; The Changeling (4:21) from L.A. Woman
12. Boney M.; Rasputin (5:51) from Nightflight to Venus
13. David Bowie; Ziggy Stardust (3:05) from Fashions (7" Picture Disk set)
14. Diana Ross and the Supremes with The Temptations; The Weight (3:02) from Together
15. Kris Kristofferson; Me and Bobby McGee (4:20) from Me and Bobby McGee
16. Janis Joplin; [ending of] Me and Bobby McGee (4:30) from Pearl
17. Janis Joplin; Mercedes Benz (1:47) from Pearl
18. The Donnas; Too Bad About Your Girl (2:49) from Spend the Night
19. Wolf Parade; Shine a Light (3:44) from Apologies to the Queen Mary
20. Controller.Controller; Disco Blackout (5:22) from History
21. You Say Party, We Say Die!; Midnight Snack (4:03) from Hit the Floor!
22. David Bowie; Watch That Man (4:25) from Aladdin Sane
23. The Smiths; Rusholme Ruffians (4:20) from Meat is Murder
24. The Sonics; Have Love Will Travel (2:37) from Here Are the Sonics
25. Violent Femmes; Gone Dady Gone (3:06) from Violent Femmes
26. The Yardbirds; Stroll On (2:46) from Blow-Up Soundtrack
27. David Bowie; I Wish You Would (Yardbirds Cover) (2:47) from Pin Ups
28. Herbie Hancock; Bring Down the Birds (3:24) from Blow-Up Soundtrack
29. Nina Simone; Pusher Man (5:12) from It Is Finished
30. The Beatles; Got to Get You into My Life (2:30) from Revolver
31. Elton John; Bennie and the Jets (5:09) from Greatest Hits
32. Goldfrapp; Ooh La La (3:23) from Supernature
33. James Brown; Blues and Pants (9:40) from Hot Pants
34. Big Maybelle; I Just Want Your Love (3:06) from The Okeh Sessions
35. Big Maybelle; Maybelle's Blues (3:10) from The Okeh Sessions
36. Big Maybelle; One Monkey Don't Stop No Show (2:50) from The Okeh Sessions
37. Big Maybelle; Whole Lot-ta Shakin' Goin' On (2:45) from The Okeh Sessions
38. David Bowie; Golden Years (4:00) from Fashions (7" Picture Disk set)
39. Talking Heads; Once in a Lifetime (4:19) from Remain in Light
40. The Rolling Stones; Sing this All Together (See What Happens) (8:33) from Their Satanic Majesties Request
41. Donovan; [ending of] Hampstead Incident (4:40) from Mellow Yellow
42. Donovan; Sunny South Kensington (3:48) from Mellow Yellow
43. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band; Sure 'Nuff "N Yes I Do (2:15) from Safe as Milk
44. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band; Yellow Brick Road from (2:28) Safe as Milk
45. John Mayall; Brown Sugar (3:42) from The Blues Alone
46. Bob Dylan; One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) (4:54) from Blonde on Blonde
47. David Bowie; The Man Who Sold the World (3:55) from Fashions (7" Picture Disk set)
48. Jimmy Cliff; No. 1 Rip Off Man (3:39) from Music Maker
49. Jimmy Cliff; Another Summer (4:10) from I Am the Living
50. Bob Marley & the Wailers; African Herbman (2:22) from Bob Marley & the Wailers
51. David Bowie; Changes (3:37) from Fashions (7" Picture Disk set)
52. Richie Havens; Younger Men Grow Older (3:34) from Alarm Clock
53. John Coltrane; Mr. P.C. (6:57) from Giant Steps
54. Devo; Pity You (2:47) from The New Traditionalists
55. Bob Dylan and the Band; Million Dollar Bash (2:31) from The Basement Tapes
56. Fiona Apple; Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song) (4:05) from Extraordinary Machine
57. Broken Social Scene: Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl (4:35) from You Forgot It In People
58. Feist; One Evening (3:36) from Let It Die
59. Feist; The Park (4:33) from The Reminder
60. Iron & Wine with Calexico; Dead Man's Will (3:13) from In the Reins
61. Joanna Newsom; Emily (12:08) from Ys. {Part One ; Part Two}
62. David Bowie; Life on Mars? (3:53) from Fashions (7" Picture Disk set)
63. Iron & Wine; Radio War (1:56) from Our Endless Numbered Days

Don't forget to email requests and comments to us at thisweekinbraille@hotmail.com

Hear you next week!