Rave's Raves Blog

Hey fellow raver! Here’s the playlist as well as the two hourly links to the latest Go Deep show on Moheak Radio.  Catch me live every Friday 1-3p Pacific, 4-6 EDT, 9-11 GMT.

Hour 1

Hour 2

My Morning Jacket – First Light (Album out next Tuesday)
TV on the Radio – Repetition (Pitchfork bound after European dates)
The Kills – Future Starts Now (London dates, then Australia)
Art Brut – Lost Weekend (Leader Eddie tries singing on new album)
The Strokes – Gratisfaction (Mostly overseas this summer)
Digitalism f/Julian Casablancas – Forrest Gump (Second album out late June)
The Wombats – Techno Fan (NY, LA, SF next week, then back to UK)
The Naked and Famous – Young Blood (White Sea Remix) (Beautifully done)
Belle & Sebastian – I Want The World To Stop (Dedicated to those who predicted the rapture)
Eastern Conference Champions – Atlas (Highly-regarded LA band comes from Philly)
Justice – Civilization (Song featured in Adidas campaign)
The Airborne Toxic Event – All I Ever Wanted (Played this on Carson Daly’s show)
The Belle Brigade – Sweet Louise (Deeper track as “Losers” is the single)
Elbow – With Love (Softer album might be hurting sales despite quality)
Foster the People – Miss You (Band first played in Oct of 2009)
Peter Bjorn and John – I Know You Don’t Love Me (Beginning of Hour 2))
Lykke Li – Rich Kid Blues (Produced by Bjorn of PB&J))
Friendly Fires – Hawaiian Air (Song about craziness on planes, including bad movies)
Muse – Feeling Good (10 year old track in 2011 airline commercial)
Hungry Kids of Hungary – Scattered Diamonds (Song in Best Buy ad)
Black Lips – New Direction (Title matches band’s new direction?)
Cold Cave – Confetti (Has a Depeche Mode feel)
Mumford & Sons – Roll Away Your Stone (Most talked-about band at Musexpo confernece)
Deerhunter – Memory Boy (Atlanta band hasn’t gotten their due yet)
Ida Maria – Bad Karma (3 great songs so far from upcoming album)
The Postelles – 123 Stop (Album out June 7)
Beady Eye – Three Ring Circus (Hoping for second album next summer)
My Morning Jacket – Out Of My System (Four very strong tracks on album)
Cat’s Eyes – Face In the Crowd (Cool side project of Horrors lead singer)

OK fellow Ravers, here’s last Friday’s track listing.  You can hear each hour through the links just below. Hear all current tunes on Go Deep,  live every Friday on Moheak Radio from 1-3p Pacific, 4-6 EDT, 9-11 GMT.  Check out Moheak anytime.  If you like this playlist, you’ll probably love the station.

Hour 1

Hour 2

Foster the People – Warrant (Ace debut album comes out Tuesday)
The Dodos – Black Night (Song should be doing better)
Ida Maria – Bad Karma (Rave’s Fave of the Week)
The Belle Brigade – Losers (Played this great on Conan)
Fleet Foxes – Grown Ocean (Top 5 album)
Yeasayer – Phoenix Wind (Headlining two LA shows next week)
The Wombats – 1996 (Another one of many fine tracks)
Brother – Darling Buds of May (Full album comes next month)
Black Lips – Modern Art (Produced by Mark Ronson)
Persephone’s Bees – SEX (Band’s EP is first release in 4 years)
Arctic Monkeys – Reckless Serenade (Singer Alex says this one had the best sound )
Miles Kane – Rearrange (New solo album entered UK charts at #11)
Friendly Fires – Blue Cassette (Track given away on their site)
The Joy Formidable – Austere (Strong Conan appearance)
Hunx and his Punx – Lover’s Lane (Theatrical band sold out The Echo a few weeks back)
TV on the Radio – Second Song (Beginning of Hour 2)
PJ Harvey – The Glorious Land (New single in UK)
My Morning Jacket – Holdin On to Black Metal (Album out May 31)
Poly Styrene – Thrash City (Hot new track from late X-Ray Spex singer)
The Vaccines – Wolf Pack (Album finally about to come out in US)
Royal Bangs – Grass Helmut (Deeper track as “Fireball” doing well for them)
Gang Gang Dance – Mindkilla (Good buzz on this New York band)
The Strokes – Machu Picchu (Fave track for lots of peeps)
Cold Cave – The Great Pan is Dead (Harder track from strong album)
Eastern Conference Champions – Attica (Song about the state prison uprisings decades ago)
The Airborne Toxic Event – Welcome to Your Wedding Day (On late-night TV circuit)
Raphael Saadiq – Heart Attack (Groove reminds me of Sly & Family Stone)
Foster the People – Miss You (2 tracks played today from strong album)
Gomez – Options (New album out in a few weeks)
Julian Casablancas – Rave On (From upcoming Buddy Holly covers album)

Fans appreciate Bradley's energy and warmth

It seems like LA is a home away from home for Melborne’s  Skybombers. They’ve recorded their two albums here and love the Viper Room, which was full. On their way back to Australia following their tour with Rooney, the boys delivered as always with strong songs, great energy, and fine playing. The following day, we had them visit the Moheak Radio studios for a live session. All were having so much fun that we kept the party going for 90 minutes rather than the original 40 that were planned. They truly love what they do, and it shows.

Soul original Charles Bradley thrilled friends of mine at SXSW so it was imperative that I catch his sold-out Echo show. He’s 63 this year and is a Daptone Records labelmate of Sharon Jones. The band is tight and played a few songs before the likeable, sincere Charles came out. The man may not have had a string of hits back in the day, but he’s now making up for lost time and the crowd had a great time.

Persephones Bees were a fave band a few years ago, both live and on record. They’ve finally resurfaced and came through LA to headline the Bootleg Bar. The venue’s subpar sound didn’t help their intricate playing. They still play great and put on a good show, although it was rather short. Only one song came from their debut album Notes From the Underworld, and I was hoping for more. P’s Bees are one band that has the knack of being able to extend their songs into jams that remain engaging. Their style is now a bit less quirky. The new songs are interesting and will require some more listening time to be fully digested.

Here you go, fellow Ravers. The weekly show runs Fridays 1-3p Pacific, 9-11p GMT on Moheak Radio. Yes, the Friday the 13th bug did hit me at the end of hour 2, as my music files suddenly disappeared from the computer just as I was about to start a new set around 2:40. We randomly stuck in an old Undertones cult fave, which was a cool coincidence. I worked with them a bit during my A&R years at Capitol Records.

Hour 1

Hour 2

Arctic Monkeys – Reckless Serenade (Third track from June album)
The Strokes – Taken For A Fool (New single)
The Postelles – 1 2 3 Stop (NY band discovered by Strokes’ Albert Hammond, Jr. )
Foster the People – Call It What You Want (From album out May 24)
The Vaccines – If You Wanna (They’re back in the US in a few weeks, touring w/ Arctics)
Wavves – Idiot (Need my bi-monthly fix of this song)
My Morning Jacket – Holdin On to Black Metal (Band will stream live on You Tube May 31)
The Joy Formidable – Whirring (Single doing well for them)
The Wombats – Schumacher The Champagne (Rave’s Fave of the Week)
Lykke Li – Unrequitted Love (She loves her sad songs)
Elbow – Open Arms (Band staying in Europe for summer)
Cold Cave – Icons of Summer (Dancier track on very deep album)
TV on the Radio – Repetition (Great LA show this week)
Beady Eye – Beatles and Stones (Not many summer dates posted)
Bright Eyes – Triple Spiral (In this case, Go Deep has a sports meaning)
Yeasayer – Swallowing the Decibels (Beginning of  Hour 2)
Glasvegas – Euphoria, Take My Hand (Segues beautifully into this next Kills tune)
The Kills – DNA (Jay Leno last night)
Black Lips – Modern Art (From next album)
Cage the Elehpant – Around My Head (Won’t be able to play it after it becomes a hit)
Raphael Saadiq – Radio (Album came out this week)
Eastern Conference Champions – Atlas (Love the drums)
Friendly Fires – Hawaiian Air (Entire album now streaming online)
Justice – Civilization (Second album coming later in year)
Santigold f/Karen O. – Go (Former A&R woman, so we need to talk)
The Undertones – Teenage Kicks (Tech problem caused us to dig out an older cult fave)
Steve Goodman – Go Cubs Go (Die-hard fan rubs it into the Cardinals)
Skybombers – One For Two (Played live at Moheak on May Day)

Wombats album one of year's best

Three bands released second albums that hit the spot:

The Airborne Toxic Event—All At Once…No sophomore slump for these guys. Their “Changing” single is now top 10 on the national alternative radio airplay charts. Most of the album is strong and their live show backs it up. Dave Sardy produced this one and the sound is bigger this time around. There was a certain spontaneity last time that is lacking on All At Once, but that often comes with a band’s maturity even if it’s an element that we miss. Track trips are “Numb”, “Welcome to Our Wedding Day”, and title track “All At Once”.

Fleet Foxes—Helplessness Blues…No sophomore slump for these guys, either. Leader Robin Pecknold warned us that this album would be darker and while that might hold true for the lyrics, the music and harmonies have the same beauty and warmth that work so well for the band. The songs are a little less obviously hooky this time, but I’m most liking “Battery Kinzie”, “Grown Ocean”, and title track “Helplessness Blues”.

The Wombats—The Wombats Proudly Present: This Modern Glitch…Hard to believe that this is also a second full-length release for these Brits. It feels like there’s been more, but the debut dropped in June, 2008 which songs like the UK smash “Let’s Dance to Joy Division”. This is a great album! The Wombat humor remains intact, although their sound has softened around the edges. Their single “Toyko” has done well in the UK. “Techno Fan” and “1996” show a humorous restraint while “Anti-D” and “Schumacher the Champagne” are total surprises. The band has been touring in Australia and drawing 2,000-3,000 nightly. US dates are coming very soon.

Musexpo is the annual international music conference hosted by Sat Bisla and his fine team at A&R Worldwide. The event features a combination of panels and showcases.  Most major industry topics are covered, and up and coming artists appear from all over the world.  Helpful but general knowledge is dispensed, and much of the content can be found in music business guides. Many panelists are careful about what they say. A couple of key points included the advice that artists should take their time to make sure they get everything right. Daniel Glass of Glassnote Records (Phoenix, Mumfords, Temper Trap) talked about how he slowed down the process for Two Door Cinema Club. Another advice highlight was that artists should remove all mental and creative limitations in order to achieve their potential.  Sire Records founder Seymour Stein was honored for lifetime achievement.  The man singed a ton of great artists, including Madonna, The Ramones, and Talking Heads. When asked how it was dealing with people on drugs, he replied, “I was on drugs too! I’m no angel.” Another expert reflected on how there’s only a one-letter difference between “shit” and “hit”. The most often-mentioned artists were Adele and Mumford & Sons.

A&R Worldwide has been working with artists such as Sydney’s All Mankind and Liverpool’s Luke Fenlon for awhile, and it’s nice to see them progress. UK band One Night Only has a song in a Coke commercial and they impressed live. Antoine from Montreal was a blast, and was described as Elton John and David Bowie together on acid.  The Scottish Abagail Grey soothed us with a progressive set by a band that included two harps. Norway’s pop-alternative group  John Snow is young, talented, and promising. A Million Years is a straight-forward Brooklyn alternative band with high potential, that played a high-energy, precise set.

Here it is, fellow ravers. The Go Deep With Bruce Rave show airs every Friday on Moheak Radio from 1-3p Pacific, 9-11p GMT.

Link to Hour 1

Link to Hour 2

Friendly Fires – Hawaiian Air (Second leaked song is really hot)
Wanda Jackson – Shakin’ All Over (Yup, it’s the cover)
Fitz & the Tantrums – L.O.V. (Band now in UK)
The Black Keys – Dearest (Buddy Holly cover)
Mumford & Sons – Roll Away Your Stone (More sound-alike bands now out there)
The Joy Formidable – Austere (One of my top two on album)
The Blue Van – There Goes My Love (Song from 1st iPad commercial)
The New Pornographers – Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk (Kindle commercial song)
The Morning Benders – Excuses (Reese’s commercial song)
Prima Donna – I Don’t Want You to Love Me (SF tonight, LA Sat and Sunday)
Cage the Elehpant – Always Something (Harder album continues to grow on me)
Chapel Club – All the Eastern Girls (Hoping for US summer dates, beer on warm nights)
The Vaccines – All in White (First time playing this one)
PJ Harvey – The Words that Maketh Murder (Tons of times playing this one)
Cloud Control – Gold Canary (US dates coming for these Aussies)
Justice – Civilization (Beginning of Hour 2)
The Kills – Nail In My Coffin (This track relatively undiscovered)
Ida Maria – Cherry Red (“Like You So Better When Ur Naked” Girl)
The Airborne Toxic Event – All At Once (Title track from new album)
Fleet Foxes – Battery Kinzie (Whole album getting attention)
She Wants Revenge – Take the World (Rave’s Fave of the Week)
Dum Dum Girls – He Gets Me High (Full album in September)
Skybombers – Jenny and the Night (Great live session with them last Sunday)
Jenny and Johnny – Committed (Jenny’s from Rilo Kiley)
Yeasayer – Phoenix Wind (New EP just out)
The Wombats – Schumacher The Champagne (Very different for them)
The Raveonettes – Recharge and Revolt (Great opening album track)
Kate Miller-Heidke – Are You F*cking Kidding Me (Check these lyrics)

The first annual Worldwide Radio Summit has concluded. Turnout was strong for a first year event, and kudos to to the folks at All Access and A&R Worldwide. A few highlights would include the revelation that Pandora would rank a strong #11 in the huge LA market if it were included in the ratings. Powerhouse alternative station KROQ was saying they don’t get enough really good rock records to consider in their music meeting. The VP of Promotion from a successful indie label was telling me how hard it is for an indie to even get a song considered by mainstream radio. He said the same amount of effort by a major label will land that record in the top ten. Online radio streaming would be 5-6% of total listenership at any time, but 20% of all listeners check out a stream from time to time.  In LA, 62% of those hear a stream and listening to an out of town station.  There were good pointers not only for on air presence, but online as well. Artist awards were given out, and Mumford & Sons cleaned up.  Melissa Etheridge played at the Day 2 luncheon and was also interviewed.  It was a conference highlight. A&R Worldwide’s Musexpo begins tonight and runs through Wednesday night.  Lots of fine artists from around the world are performing every evening during this 6-day marathon.