Saturday, June 14, 2008

This (Friday the) Thirteenth of June, 2008

Hello Radio Listeners!

We're back!
My two-week contract is finished, I got a good chunk of my tuition paid for, and we've got three weeks of music sitting in the This Week In Braille pool, ready to get passed on to your eardrums!

This week I am testing out a CD mix I'm making for someone. I originally was going to simply make a Sonics mix, but that blew up into 4+ hours of music, so I thought I'd try it out on you. The idea that I am going for is summery music; by which I don't necessarily mean music about summer, but music that breathes well. Summer to me is about open windows, whether in cars, at home, or out and about, there's something magical about the way the air moves in the summer, especially at night. So this is my first stab at a mix of music entirely meant to be breathable. So let me know what you think, if I'm going to make a four CD mix tape for someone, I want to know its going to be listened to!

This Week's Featured Artist: The Sonics
This Week's Featured Album: ( The Alan Lomax Collection ) Southern Journey Volume 08: Velvet Voices

The Sonics are the original Seattle garage band. They emerged on the scene with their driving guitars and screaming lyrics in 1965 with their stellar debut Here are the Sonics! It's fun, lyrically and musically, and its great when you need a break from the music it inspired. As for Alan Lomax, every day I wake up I am thankful for the work this man did. As a field agent for the American Library of Congress, he and his father travelled around the U.S. with portable recording units going into communities, work fields, even prisons, in order to record American folk music from its sources. He later travelled around the world recording traditional folk music in England, Spain, Italy, The Carribean, even as far away as Yugoslavia and Romania! He preserved a musical legacy that the world is quickly forgetting, and he left important marks both on musicology and the history of human music. Southern Journey Volume 08: Velvet Voices is a devastatingly incredible collection of traditional songs from America's Eastern shores recorded live by Lomax. I lack the words to describe how incredible and moving this album is. Go buy it now, and see the power of music in the hands of everyday people!

Here's a little show we like to call:

This Week in Braille or Songs in the Key of Summer

  1. Anita O'Day; Love Me or Leave Me (2:34) from Verve: The Divas Series {Neither of the songs in the video is for this song, but its too damn good not to play!}
  2. Richie Havens; Here Comes the Sun (3:44) from Alarm Clock {This isn't the video for this song either, but Anita reminded me of another great 60's music documentary!}
  3. Third Rail; Run, Run, Run (1:56) from Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968
  4. Willy Deville; It's So Easy (2:11) from Death Proof Soundtrack
  5. [Featured Artist:] The Sonics; Shot Down (2:13) from Boom
  6. Betty Davis; F.U.N.K. (4:26) from Nasty Gal
  7. Parliament; Up for the Down Stroke (5:10) from Up for the Down Stroke
  8. Françoise Hardy; La fille avec toi (2:40) from The "Yeh-Yeh" Girl from Paris
  9. Dusty Springfield; Sunny (1:56) from Where Am I Going?
  10. Patti Smith; Gloria (5:58) from Horses
  11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs; Down Boy (3:54) from Is Is
  12. Girl in a Coma; Clumsy Sky (3:50) from Both Before I'm Gone
  13. King Khan and the Shrines; Land of the Freak (3:33) from What Is?!
  14. [Featured Artist:] The Sonics; Have Love, Will Travel (2:40) from Here are the Sonics!
  15. MGMT; Time to Pretend (4:21) from Oracular Spectacular {Video takes a while to load, but it sure looks purty!}
  16. Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin; Modern Mystery (4:20) from Pershing
  17. Bill Callahan; The Wheel (4:04) from Woke on a Whaleheart
  18. Adele; My Same (3:16) from 19 {I think I'm in love with this woman!}
  19. Basia Bulat; In the Night (2:58) from Oh, My Darling {I already knew I was in love with this woman!}
  20. Bessie Smith; I'm Down in the Dumps (3:15) from Mother of the Blues
  21. Syd Dale; Walk and Talk (2:23) from Spiderman The Animated Series
  22. Stevie Wonder; Superstition (4:24) from Supa Funky
  23. 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
  24. Wimple Witch; Save My Soul (3:06) from Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond 1964-1969
  25. [Featured Artist:] The Sonics; Dirty Robber (2:03) from Here are the Sonics!
  26. The Amboy Dukes; Baby, Please Don't Go (5:39) from Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968
  27. Modest Mouse; 3rd Planet (3:59) from The Moon and Antarctica
  28. Anita O'Day; Sing, Sing, Sing (3:32) from Verve: The Divas Series
  29. Carmen McRae; Sunday (4:09) from The Great American Songbook
  30. The Beatles; And Your Bird Can Sing (2:02) from Revolver (UK Pressing)
  31. Bill Whithers; Heartbreak Road (3:05) from Justments
  32. Andrew Bird; Imitosis (4:00) from Armchair Apocrypha
  33. Devendra Banhart; At the Hop (2:15) from Niño Rojo
  34. The Coasters; Down in Mexico (3:23) from Death Proof Soundtrack
  35. The Birds; Say Those Magic Words (3:15) from Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond 1964-1969
  36. The Gossip; Night (2:27) from Movement
  37. The Dø; On My Shoulders (5:21) from A Mouthful
  38. Compay Segundo; Chan Chán (4:15) from El Compadre Again
  39. Bob Marley and the Wailers; Coming in from the Cold (4:30) from Uprising
  40. The Aggrolites; Countryman Fiddle (3:50) from The Aggrolites
  41. Creedence Clearwater Revival; Pagan Baby (6:25) from Pendulum
  42. David Bowie; I Wish You Would (2:48) from Pin Ups
  43. The Deadly Snakes; Make a Fool Out of Me (3:24) from I'm Not Your Soldier Anymore
  44. Eartha Kitt; I Want to be Evil (3:32) from That Fabulous Eartha Kitt
  45. Indigo Girls; Romeo and Juliet (4:48) from Rites of Passage
  46. Frank Zappa; Trouble Every Day (5:49) from Strictly Commercial
  47. Gogol Bordello; Occurrence on the Border (Hopping on a Pogo-Gypsy Stick) (3:26) from Multi Kontra Culti Vs. Irony
  48. Gogol Bordello; Start Wearing Purple (3:43) from Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike
  49. The Jacksons; ABC (3:00) from Motown's Greatest Hits 1969 - 1975
  50. Joe Dassin; Les Champs Elysees (2:39) from The Darjeeling Limited Soundtrack
  51. Jens Lekman; Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo (4:16) from Night Falls Over Kortedala
  52. Kimya Dawson; Tire Swing (3:07) from Juno Soundtrack
  53. Smog; The Well (7:01) from A River Ain't too Much to Love
  54. Le Loup; To the Stars! To the Night! (3:14) from The Throne Of The Third Heaven Of The Nations' Millennium General Assembly
  55. Moriarty; Jimmy (4:25) from Gee Whiz but this is a Lonesome Town
  56. [Featured Album:] Ed Young & Hobart Smith; Joe Turner (3:23) from The Alan Lomax Collection - Southern Journey Volume 08: Velvet Voices
  57. [Featured Album:] Robert Beane & The Bright Light Quartet; Hey, Hey, Honey (2:12) from The Alan Lomax Collection - Southern Journey Volume 08: Velvet Voices
  58. [Featured Album:] Nat Rahmings & Ed Young & Hobart Smith; I Got a Home (2:32) from The Alan Lomax Collection - Southern Journey Volume 08: Velvet Voices
  59. Regina Spektor; Your Honor (2:10) from Soviet Kitsch
  60. The National; Apartment Story (3:35) from Boxer
  61. Sufjan Stevens; The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us! (5:23) from Come on Feel the Illinoise
  62. Neutral Milk Hotel; King of Carrot Flowers Part 1 (2:01) from In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
  63. New Buffalo; It's True (3:33) from Somewhere, anywhere.
  64. M. Ward; Chinese Translation (4:01) from Post-War
  65. Sia; The Girl You Lost to Cocaine (2:40) from Some People Have Real Problems
  66. She & Him; Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? (2:31) from Volume One
  67. Nina Simone; Ain't Got No/ I Got Life (Take 3) (3:10) from Saga of the Good Life and Hard Times
  68. Miles Davis; It Never Entered My Mind (5:27) from The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions
  69. Anne Briggs; Summer's In (5:16) from Sing a Song for You

Let us know what you think of this mix at thisweekinbraille@hotmail.com !

Hear you next week for an all-new set of your weekly fix of music!

This Sixth of June, 2008

Hello Radio Listeners!

Still sleeping!

Hear you next week!

This Thirtieth of May, 2008

Hello Radio Listeners!

I'm asleep! Sorry, but we'll be back in two weeks!

Send your complaints and poetic evocations of your disappiintment to thisweekinbraille@hotmail.com !

This Twenty-third of May, 2008

Hello Radio Listeners!

My humble apologies for the delay in posting these, and for my absence these last two weeks, but Post-Secondary education doesn't get paid for in charm, so I had to take a two-week contract to make some moolah.

Anyhoo, we are most definitely back, and here's what Alex has been waiting for!

Featured Artist: Okkervil River
Featured Album: Weapons of Jazz Destruction by Nostalgia 77 Octet

Okkervil River I just heard about last month, and I'm really starting to get into the band. Their 2007 album the Stage Names got great reviews, and made many best of '07 lists, and with good reason. Nostalgia 77 Octet is the live version of Nostalgia 77 (aka Ben Lamdin), one of the most innovative jazz artists performing today. Nostalgia 77 Octet is, in my opinion, the best jazz being made right now, and if you like complex pieces, with swinging rhythyms, and an all-star lineup of musicians, than this is the band for you!

Here's a little show we liked to call:

This Week in Braille or Old Love 'Em and Leave 'Em Luke Strikes Again!

  1. Peggy Lee; Black Coffee (3:10) from Black Coffee
  2. The Angels; Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again? (4:05) from The Angels
  3. The Coasters; Down in Mexico (3:23) from Death Proof Soundtrack
  4. The Amboy Dukes; Baby, Please Don't Go (5:39) from Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968
  5. Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick And Tich; Hold Tight! (2:47) from Death Proof Soundtrack
  6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs; Cheated Hearts (4:00) from Show Your Bones
  7. Shiny Toy Guns; Le Disko (3:21) from We Are Pilots
  8. Annie; Chewing Gum (3:57) from Anniemal
  9. The Dø; Coda (1:58) from A Mouthful
  10. Rilo Kiley; The Moneymaker (2:52) from Under the Black Lights
  11. Esthero; Bad Boy Clyde (3:37) from Wikked Lil' Grrrls
  12. Lily Allen; Knock 'Em Out (2:54) from Alright, Still
  13. Outkast; Rosa Parks (5:24) from Aquemini
  14. M.I.A.; 10 Dollar (4:04) from Arular
  15. M.I.A.; Come Around (feat. Timbaland) (3:53) from Kala
  16. Outkast; Skew it on the Bar-B (3:15) from Aquemini
  17. Of Montreal; Jimmy (3:51) from
  18. M.I.A.; Jimmy (3:29) from Kala
  19. B.B. King; Ghetto Woman (5:15) from His Definitive Greatest Hits
  20. The Deadly Snakes; Graveyard Shake (3:34) from I'm Not Your Soldier Anymore
  21. Cuff the Duke; Belgium or Peru (3:22) from Cuff the Duke
  22. Old Crow Medicine Show; Hard to Love (2:31) from O.C.M.S.
  23. Levon Helm; Single Girl, Married Girl (3:19) from Dirt Farmer
  24. [Featured Artist:] Okkervil River; You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man (4:54) from The Stage Names
  25. [Featured Artist:] Okkervil River; Unless It's Kicks (4:39) from The Stage Names
  26. Barry Louis Polisar; All I Want is You (2:38) from Juno Soundtrack
  27. Otis Redding & Carla Thomas; Tramp (3:06) from King & Queen
  28. Fela Kuti; Mr. Follow Follow (5:53) from Underground Spiritual Game
  29. James Brown; Talkin' Loud And Sayin' Nothing (Remix) (7:46) from In the Jungle Groove
  30. Funkadelic; Eulogy and Light (3:31) from Free Your Mind...And Your Ass Will Follow
  31. Parliament; Unfunky UFO (4:24) from Mothership Connection
  32. New York Ska Jazz Ensemble; I Mean You (4:03) from Live in Europe
  33. [Featured Album:] Nostalgia 77 Octet; Chola (4:04) from Weapons of Jazz Destruction
  34. [Featured Album:] Nostalgia 77 Octet; Journey Home (6:39) from Weapons of Jazz Destruction
  35. Glenn Gould; G.f. Handel. Suite No.3 In D Minor, Hwv 428_Variatio 3 (0:41) from The Glenn Gould Edition: Handel
  36. Django Reinhardt; Hallelujah (3:07) from Djangology
  37. Iron and Wine; Free Until They Cut Me Down (4:35) from Our Endless Numbered Days
  38. Donovan; Barabajagal (3:26) from Barabajagal
  39. Carole King; Where You Lead (3:20) from Tapestry
  40. The Format; Matches (2:10) from Dog Problems
  41. Raising the Fawn; The Matador (5:51) from The Maginot Line
  42. Beirut; Nantes (3:50) from The Flying Club Cup
  43. Radiohead; Airbag (4:44) from OK Computer
  44. Ludwig van Beethoven; Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3, I - Allegro (8:55) from Piano Sonatas Op. 31 Nos. 1-3 - Brendel
  45. Bill Whithers; Another Day to Run (4:38) from Still Bill
  46. Sam Cooke; Summertime (2:23) from Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964
  47. Big Brother & the Holding Company; Summertime (4:01) from Cheap Thrills
  48. Bessie Jones & Hobart Smith & The Georgia Sea Island Singers; The Titanic (3:34) from The Alan Lomax Collection - Southern Journey Volume 08: Velvet Voices
  49. Unknown Singer; Rock Me Mama (3:35) from The Alan Lomax Collection - Negro Prison Blues and Songs
  50. Os Mutantes; A Minha Menina (4:42) from Os Mutantes
  51. Funkadelic; I'll Stay (7:19) from Standing on the Verge of Getting it On
  52. Bat for Lashes; The Wizard (4:17) from Fur and Gold
  53. Miles Davis; It Never Entered My Mind (5:27) from The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions
  54. Cannonball Adderley; Yours Is My Heart Alone (6:04) from Cannonball Adderley and the Poll Winners
  55. [Featured Album:] Nostalgia 77 Octet; Stars (6:17) from Weapons of Jazz Destruction
  56. [Featured Album:] Nostalgia 77 Octet; Solstice (4:19) from Weapons of Jazz Destruction
  57. Nina Nastasia; Dumb I Am (2:01) from On Leaving
  58. [Featured Artist:] Okkervil River; A Leaf (3:32) from Julie Doiron/Okkervil River Split EP
  59. [Featured Artist:] Okkervil River; He Passes Number Thirty-Three (5:59) from Julie Doiron/Okkervil River Split EP
  60. New Buffalo; It's True (3:33) from Somewhere, anywhere.
  61. Regina Spektor; Lady (4:45) from Begin to Hope
  62. Bob Dylan; Buckets of Rain (3:22) from Blood on the Tracks
  63. Iron and Wine; Radio War (1:56) from Our Endless Numbered Days

Happy listening, and, as always, email your requests, comments, anonymous love letters, and suggestions to us at thisweekinbraille@hotmail.com !

Hear you next week!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

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!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

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!

Saturday, May 3, 2008

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!