Episodes
Tuesday Oct 29, 2013
Weird Party Aftermath: Transmission 68, 2013 October 23
Tuesday Oct 29, 2013
Tuesday Oct 29, 2013
As I say in one of this episode's voice-overs, a few of these tunes might have been more timely had I played them closer to Halloween. However, segues trump everything else--even if "Elvis Costello into Jawbox" was not the best idea ever--and BOMBAST has an uneasy relationship with time. Also, as we all know by now, history and death have intervened, so the show that airs the night before Halloween will be one of those "theme" programs.
The other day I was just helping someone brush up on their board training, and I said that the thing I like about live radio is the feeling that something could go wrong at any minute. And yet I kick myself over the mistakes that dog my program. I will have to work on this. At any rate: yes, I give out an incorrect phone number at the beginning; yes, I botch the Talking Heads segue; yes, I stumble over words; yes, I forget how the Legendary Pink Dots song ends; yes, I allow the computer to play a timed ID and a shuffle track [which would have made a good segue, btw] alongside the program's final song. This kind of thing added to John Peel's charm. Is it wrong of me to lament that it doesn't add to mine?
One positive takeaway is that Catharsis Junior was pleased to have the opportunity to say "Shut Up!" Daddy's girl.
BOMBAST playlist, 2013 October 23, 2100-2300:
- "Switchblade" | The Mono Men | Shut Up! | Estrus | "Physical Evidence"
- "Mr Evil" | Live Skull | EP | Desire
- "Something To Be Done" | Master Plan Inc. | Something To Be Done | Soul Spectrum
- "Somebody to Love" | Kyrill & Redford | Somebody | Burlesque
- "I Think I Love You" | The Partridge Family | The Partridge Family Album | Bell | "Listening Parlour"
- "Little Miss 3-B" | The Mono Men | Shut Up! | Estrus | "Physical Evidence"
- "Magnetic Ribbons - Mollono.Bass Remix" | Marcus Sur | Zachow | Acker
- "Lesbian Wife" | Scott & Charlene's Wedding | Any Port in a Storm | Fire
- "Wrecker!" | The Mono Men | Shut Up! | Estrus | "Physical Evidence"
- "Spirit - Prins Thomas Diskomiks Remix" | Frederic Mercier | Cosmic Machine (Remixes) | Because
- "Phantom on Lane 12" | The Mono Men | Shut Up! | Estrus | "Physical Evidence"
- "Night of the Vampire" | Roky Erickson | Gremlins Have Pictures | Light in the Attic
- "Mirage" | New World | Night Stalker | Riotvan
- "Haunt / Alive" | Whore Paint | Swallow My Bones | Load
- "Reset" | The Mono Men | Shut Up! | Estrus | "Physical Evidence"
- "Private Drive" | Few Nolder | Private Drive | Best Kept Secret
- "I Zimbra" | Talking Heads | Fear of Music | Sire - Rhino
- "Baby It's You" | Nick Lowe & Elvis Costello | Out of Our Idiot | Demon | "Listening Parlour"
- "Freezerburn" | Jawbox | Grippe | Dischord
- "Warm Piston" | The Mono Men | Shut Up! | Estrus | "Physical Evidence"
- "Julie With" | Brian Eno | Before and After Science | Virgin Japan
- "The Region Beyond" | The Legendary Pink Dots | The Whispering Wall | self-released
- "Rumble" | Thee Mighty Caesars | Beware the Ides of March | Damaged Goods
- "The Juice" | Causa Sui | Euporie Tide | El Paraiso
- "Henderson Island" | Saroos | Return | Alien Transistor
- "Rumble" | The Mono Men | Shut Up! | Estrus | "Physical Evidence"
Tuesday Oct 22, 2013
The Hall of Legends - The Dub Syndicate: Transmission 67, 2013 October 19
Tuesday Oct 22, 2013
Tuesday Oct 22, 2013
We herewith induct The Dub Syndicate into the BOMBAST Hall of Legends, where they join A.R.Kane, Little Annie, Dif Juz, Prince Far I, Coil [part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4], Billy Childish, Stereolab [charter members], and The Fall [charter members]. Here is a hastily-assembled program, thrown together on account of DJ Helen Stride's sudden illness. As I mention during the show, it's been a while since I've done this sort of thing. The madness of this past summer exhausted my "reserve" of tunes, at least those which had been sorted into "coherent" programs [LOL-ed.]. The Dub Syndicate are definitely Hall-worthy and were very much in the proverbial pipeline for induction. It was a good night for dub--when is it not?--so when opportunity knocked, I opened the door.
I'ma go off on a tangent for a sec., but I'll return to the point soon enough. I don't know if this "Arthur Parker" fellow who wrote the liner notes for Lonely Is An Eyesore was really Tom Friedman in disguise, but sure enough, he deploys a fictional "cab driver" to share this bit of wisdom: "The only incandescent pearls of light within a mile radius of the Cocteau Twins...are in their music. Not your gob, mine, or anyone else's." I was recently reminded by Rudy Tambala that this is true of any great band. SO--getting back on topic--I have nothing to say regarding The Dub Syndicate's music that the music can't tell you itself. I'm happy to reiterate, perhaps needlessly, that L.V. "Style" Scott is an absolute monster drummer, and that I can't think of any percussionist-led bands that are even in The Dub Syndicate's league. [Sorry, Genesis and Rush fans.] Come to think of it, African Head Charge is close at hand, but that's another program for another day.
Anyway, my life would be much emptier had I not stumbled upon Tunes From the Missing Channel in my local record store, during my first term at college. "Friend of Bombast" Mr. D will attest that we used to blast "Ravi Shankar" and "The Show is Coming" from our dorm room, much to the consternation of the Eddie Money and Van Halen fans living close by. When I attend a party, I usually arrive late, and this case is no exception: TFTMC was my first On-U Sound record, and what a gateway it proved to be. The Pounding System seemed like ancient history then, but still sounds like the future now. As do the other Dub Syndicate records. So much for not saying anything.
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I've figured out something about the Hall of Legends. Would you like to know what that is? Of course you would. It struck me, around the time of our last induction, that we had played about 800 different musical acts on the program, and that we had inducted 8 acts into the Hall. That seems to me a good ratio. And here we are, on our ninth induction, having played about 900 different musical acts at this point. [If we're not careful, we'll break the 1000-act barrier before the show's first birthday--how great does that "anti-rotation policy" look now?] Bill James has observed that roughly 1 out of every 10 plate appearances in the history of Major League Baseball have been taken by a Hall of Fame player, so let no one accuse us of having low standards. At any rate, doing an induction special at or around the time we pass each of these milestones feels about right. Bombast: a program for the musical 1%.
Also--I was excited to receive, around the time of our last induction, our first listener nomination for the Hall of Legends. How awesome is that? Very awesome IMO. I won't give it away, but let's just say the label which released this act's records begins with "4" and ends with "AD." And not one of the obvious choices either. Anyway, that is a thing that will happen sooner or later--probably later, as I am hoping to digest this book before going down that path again, and I don't want to be pigeonholed as "that guy" who rhapsodizes about all "those bands." We are mostly a "current music" program, after all.
That said, Dub Syndicate, you're still going, right? Feel free to swing through Ithaca, anytime.
BOMBAST playlist, 2013 October 19, 2000-2200:
- "Train to Doomsville" | Lee Perry & Dub Syndicate | Pay It All Back Volume 2 | On-U Sound - Nettwerk
- "Humourless Journalist Works to Rules" | The Dub Syndicate | The Pounding System | On-U Sound
- "10K at 0 VU - 60Hz - Mind Boggles!" | The Dub Syndicate | The Pounding System | On-U Sound
- "Stoned Immaculate" | The Dub Syndicate | Stoned Immaculate | On-U Sound
- "Lighthouse" | The Dub Syndicate | Night Train | Industrie Discografiche Lacerba
- "Chapter 4" | The Dub Syndicate | Pay It All Back Volume 4 | On-U Sound
- "The Precinct of Sound" | The Dub Syndicate | Classic Selection Volume 2 | On-U Sound
- "African Landing" | The Dub Syndicate | Murder Tone | On-U Sound
- "Haunting Ground" | The Dub Syndicate | Pay It All Back Volume 2 | On-U Sound - Nettwerk
- "Ravi Shankar" | The Dub Syndicate | Live At The T + C - 1991 | On-U Sound
- "93 Struggle" | The Dub Syndicate | Echomania | On-U Sound
- "Shout It Out" | The Dub Syndicate | Strike the Balance | On-U Sound
- "The Show Is Coming" | The Dub Syndicate | Tunes from the Missing Channel | On-U Sound
- "Can't Stop Dancing" | The Dub Syndicate | Classic Selection Volume 2 | On-U Sound
- "Mafia" | The Dub Syndicate | Strike the Balance | On-U Sound
- "Man of Mystery" | Dr. Pablo & The Dub Syndicate | North of the River Thames | On-U Sound
- "Dr. Who?" | Dr. Pablo & The Dub Syndicate | North of the River Thames | On-U Sound
- "Vibrate On" | Lee "Scratch" Perry | From My Secret Laboratory | Island Jamaica
- "Over Board" | The Dub Syndicate | Tunes from the Missing Channel | On-U Sound
- "Forever More" | The Dub Syndicate | Tunes from the Missing Channel | On-U Sound
- "2001 Love" | The Dub Syndicate | Echomania | On-U Sound
- "I'm the Man for You Baby" | The Dub Syndicate | Strike the Balance | On-U Sound
Monday Oct 21, 2013
Trouble Every Day - I'm Working On It: Transmission 66, 2013 October 16
Monday Oct 21, 2013
Monday Oct 21, 2013
Tonight, we forgo "The Listening Parlour" and "Junior Selector," but we do see the return of "Physical Evidence" in the form of the new Fuzztones tribute record. This brings the tally in our contest against iTunes to a gazillion to one, give or take a few, in our favor. Someone actually called and asked what year one of the songs was recorded, and it delighted me to be able to answer, "2013." In the beginning, the dream was to play "old" music that sounded new. New music that sounds old, though? I guess that is a corollary, and I should be happy about that. Also, I did manage to stay away from the salty snacks. More or less. I had three pita chips on my way out. Don't you judge me.
Indeed we had staged a party the previous evening, following a tumultuous station meeting that involved a stunt--and not a friendly one. Let's just say for now that both program directors were this close to quitting this week. That's quite an achievement for the hijacking troll in our midst. I'm sure there's room for improvement, though. WRFI is a young station. We're just learning, and there are growing pains. I don't think our meetings are up to snuff. We haven't yet matched the notorious Park Slope food co-op meeting, or the WBAI station meeting--look that stuff up yourself, I'm not doing your homework for you--but we're close. Yay? I've said it before, but it bears repeating: radio attracts crazy people, and it brings out the crazy in sane people.
Speaking of which, I don't receive many phone calls during the show. Sometimes I am sad about this, and feel jealousy toward those hosts who seem to get more love [the peeps in Ithaca really adore their righteous, pre-electric, "nu-Mennonite" folk music, make of that what you will]. However, just last night I was in the studio with a DJ duo who were receiving their sixth call of the evening from the same drunk guy. I thought to myself, "thank goodness the people who like my show aren't messed up." Quality over quantity. I was happy to get a reasonable request on this program, and even happier to fill it. Good times.
BOMBAST playlist, 2013 October 16, 2100-2300:
- "In Times" | The Blue Angel Lounge | 10 Years 8MM Music | 8MM
- "Nine Months Later" | Vagrants | In Fuzz We Trust | Stag-O-Lee | "Physical Evidence"
- "Air" | Talking Heads | Fear of Music | Sire - Rhino
- "Fevered" | Whore Paint | Swallow My Bones | Load
- "Inner Place" | Laura Jones | Rebel Rave 3 | Crosstown Rebels
- "Taste" | Ride | Original Album Series | Rhino UK
- "Smoke" | Dapayk & Padberg | Smoke | Mo's Ferry
- "Ward 81" | The Pretty Things (w/ Zacherley & Plasticland) | In Fuzz We Trust | Stag-O-Lee | "Physical Evidence"
- "M.B. Williams" | Response Pirituba | Daora: Underground Sounds of Urban Brasil | Mais Um Discos
- "Heartbeat" | Night Plane | Heartbeat | Soul Clap
- "Trouble Everyday" | Tumbleweed | Daddy Long Legs | Waterfront
- "Black Box" | Vanilla Fudge | In Fuzz We Trust | Stag-O-Lee | "Physical Evidence"
- "Night Stalker (Lauer Remix)" | New World | Night Stalker | Riotvan
- "Kether Hot Knives" | A Certain Ratio | Sextet | Universal Sound
- "Black Octagons" | Call Super | Black Octagons | Houndstooth
- "Serenity 021" | Esa | Serenity in a Forbidden Place | Burek
- "Romilar D" | Shy Guys | In Fuzz We Trust | Stag-O-Lee | "Physical Evidence"
- "Aching Bones" | Nadine Shah | Love Your Dum and Mad | R & S - Apollo
- "I See It" | Sauce81 | All In Line | Catune
- "Avalanche" | Dave Allan & The Arrows | In Fuzz We Trust | Stag-O-Lee | "Physical Evidence"
Saturday Oct 12, 2013
Very, Um, Very Cute: Transmission 65, 2013 October 9
Saturday Oct 12, 2013
Saturday Oct 12, 2013
This time out, BOMBAST goes from being a show about features to being "merely" a show about segues. These transitions work out quite well, all things considered. It has been one of those weeks, and I have had it up to here with people, which probably explains why I was eager to play that Vedagor record. I enjoyed this episode, and was pleased to give Archie Bester and Whore Paint a spin [it seems a shame that time and geography prevented them from collaborating--what a great band name that would be]. I can say with confidence that we will hear from them in the future.
BOMBAST playlist, 2013 October 9, 2100-2300:
- "FFF" | Public Image Ltd. | Compact Disc | Elektra
- "Cookie Road" | The Julie Ruin | Run Fast | The Julie Ruin
- "Broadway" | The Clash | Sandinista! | Sony UK
- "One Smile" | múm | Smilewound | Morr
- "Weightless" | John Daly | One More City | SecretSundaze
- "Para Mulatu" | Amabis and Criolo | Daora: Underground Sounds of Urban Brasil | Mais Um Discos
- "Train Song" | 14 Iced Bears | Hold On Inside | Cherry Red
- "Energy Fools the Magician" | Brian Eno | Before and After Science | Virgin Japan
- "More Evil Ways - Senking Remix" | Guido Möbius | Though The Darkness Gathers | Karaoke Kalk
- "Malunguinho" | Abayomy Afrobeat Orquestra | Daora: Underground Sounds of Urban Brasil | Mais Um Discos
- "Seadance" | Saroos | Return | Alien Transistor
- "Scattah" | Etch | Keysound Allstars 2 | Keysound
- "This Body" | Whore Paint | Swallow My Bones | Load
- "Euporie" | Causa Sui | Euporie Tide | El Paraiso
- "Floating" | Nadine Shah | Love Your Dum and Mad | R & S - Apollo
- "Shining O and Jupiter ∞" | Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno | Doobie Wonderland | Parallax
- "Untitled III" | Vedagor | Untitled | Burek
- "Mulato" | Iconili | Daora: Underground Sounds of Urban Brasil | Mais Um Discos
- "Jurte" | Larkin & The S.K.Y. | Polyrhythmic Series #2 | SVS
- "all made up" | Pinkcourtesyphone | Foley Folly Folio | Boomkat Editions
- "Reach for the Skylon" | Archie Bester | Soundcloud self-release
Friday Oct 04, 2013
I Made It Through the Wilderness: Transmission 64, 2013 October 2
Friday Oct 04, 2013
Friday Oct 04, 2013
Like The World's End, which I reference at some point in the program, this show takes us back to 1990-91, albeit inadvertently, and the Creation sound, which was dominant then. Teenage Fanclub supplies the "Physical Evidence" with a single too good to have been a promotional freebie, although that is what it was. [Does anyone else remember when SPIN Magazine named Bandwagonesque the best album of 1991, and everyone thought they were just trolling us in what was most assuredly Nirvana's year? Does anyone else now think they were on to something?] Lady Catharsis drops the tune that "began" Primal Scream as we now know them, and as they apparently want to be remembered. And the mighty Ride chime in with another reissued song from that golden time. Oh, and there's a bunch of high-quality new stuff too.
There's another song I really wanted to play, one that also uses that soundbite from Wild Angels, but it turns out that Mudhoney are pottymouths, so the best I can do is embed it here:
Also, if you don't get the Guy LeBatard reference, you need to be part of the Bombast facebook experience. You'll never miss a reference again!
BOMBAST playlist, 2013 October 2, 2100-2300:
- "What You Do to Me (Satan Version)" | Teenage Fanclub | What You Do to Me | DGC | "Physical Evidence"
- "Dance with Space Gypsy Queen" | Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno | Doobie Wonderland | Parallax
- "Motel Show" | Pierre Bachelet | Cosmic Machine | Because | "Junior Selector"
- "Paper and Pen" | The Dub Club | Foundation Come Again | Stones Throw
- "Loaded" | Primal Scream | Screamadelica | Creation - Sire | "Listening Parlour"
- "Teasel - tobias. remix" | Hiver | Blue Aconite | Curle
- "Dreary Town" | Nadine Shah | Love Your Dum and Mad | R & S - Apollo
- "Life's a Gas" | Teenage Fanclub | What You Do to Me | DGC | "Physical Evidence"
- "Lonely Ritournelle XIII" | rRoxymore | Precarious / Precious | Human Level
- "Be Right Too" | White Fence | White Fence | God?
- "Kaleidoscope - Psychemagik Remix" | Mirror People | Discotexas Picnic II | Discotexas
- "Maharishi Dug the Scene" | Teenage Fanclub | What You Do to Me | DGC | "Physical Evidence"
- "Privatise the Air" / "Privatise the Air Pt. 2" | Gary Clail & On-U Sound System | End of the Century Party | On-U Sound
- "Force" | Ozgur Can | Folkets Hus | We Manage With Love
- "Send the Ark - Daniel Padden Remix" | Guido Möbius | Though the Darkness Gathers | Karaoke Kalk
- "We Walk Around the Streets" | Colourbox | Colourbox | 4AD | "Listening Parlour"
- "Envoye (live)" | The Young Gods | The Young Gods | Two Gentlemen
- "Long Hair" | Teenage Fanclub | What You Do to Me | DGC | "Physical Evidence"
- "Dreams Burn Down" | Ride | Original Album Series | Rhino UK
- "Electric Guitar" | Talking Heads | Fear of Music | Sire - Rhino
- "The Magnificent Seven" | The Clash | Sandinista! | Sony UK
- "Like a Virgin" | Teenage Fanclub | What You Do to Me | DGC | "Physical Evidence"
Wednesday Oct 02, 2013
Under Attack from Some Kind of Malware: Transmission 60, 2013 September 7
Wednesday Oct 02, 2013
Wednesday Oct 02, 2013
The season's final "test pattern" gives us an opportunity to play some
neglected tunes, uncluttered by "Listening Parlour" and "Physical
Evidence," love those features though we do. As one would expect,
BOMBAST detritus is every bit as good as a regular BOMBAST selection,
whatever that might say. I was definitely "up" for this one, and I sound
it.
Since there's no reason to cloud the experience with additional words, I won't. Au revoir!
BOMBAST playlist, 2013 September 7-8, 2300-0100:
- "No Guns to the Wedding" | Fanfara Tirana & Transglobal Underground | No Guns to the Wedding | World Village
- "Dinosaurs (Wareika Remix)" | Alex Flatner & Lopazz | Burnin | Formresonance
- "Yuba Reprise" | Date Palms | The Dusted Sessions | Thrill Jockey
- "Squash" | Soft Drinks | The Thing from the Crypt | Dark Entries
- "Lover" | TG Mauss | Dear Stranger | Karaoke Kalk
- "Eyes" | 14 Iced Bears | Hold On Inside | Cherry Red
- "The Mysterious Ashley Bickerton" | Gray | Shades Of... | Plush Safe
- "Wicked Babylon Must Go Down" | Horace Andy | Broken Beats | Echo Beach
- "Isabelle" | Boom Bip & Charlie White | Music for Sleeping Children | Lex
- "Spirit" | Frederic Mercier | Sadar Bahar Presents Soul in the Hole | BBE
- "Nostalgia" | The Chameleons | Dreams in Celluloid | Blue Apple
- "Potential Light" | Steven Tang | Disconnect to Connect | Smallville
- "Lullaby (live)" | The Durutti Column | Treatise on the Steppenwolf | Factory Benelux
- "Spicy Stick" | Red Axes | Caminho de Dreyfus | Correspondant
- "Campestral" | Greg Davis | Kompilation | Kranky
- "Dream When It's Wrong" | Pulshar | Different Drum | Desolat
- "Walking on the Streets" | Beach Day | Trip Trap Attack | Kanine
- "Too Big to Fail" | Dub Spencer & Trance Hill | Live in Dub | Echo Beach
- "Supermoon" | The Men | New Moon | Sacred Bones
p.s. the vault is now empty!
Tuesday Oct 01, 2013
Too Much Workload: Transmission 56, 2013 August 24
Tuesday Oct 01, 2013
Tuesday Oct 01, 2013
This selection from the archive finds BOMBAST in excellent form on a night that is neither a regular program, nor a "test pattern," but rather a substitute slot for "Hip Hop Don't Stop." Since I more or less gave up on hip-hop 20 years ago [what has it done since?] it is hardly like-for-like, but it's quality stuff from the vault, perfect for "retro August."
In case you can't tell, I'm into those old On-U Sound records. They are a perfect conceptual fit--blending of styles, futuristic yet not current, difficult to pin down in time and space. I would much rather see these records made readily available than languishing in the "Physical Evidence" eligibility pool, but I'm always happy to take advantage of a bad situation.
Also, in case you can't tell, my mood swings regarding the program are pretty wide--I'm feeling pretty philosophical about this program, which isn't supposed to make me unhappy, is it, "Friend of Bombast" Iain? And yet it does, a bit. This was a fun night, as I was in contact with many listeners, both friends and strangers, so the vibe was good. And yet it was the "retro" thing that inspired all of this bonhumeur, not the "usual" thing. The past was a good place to visit on this particular night. I don't want to live there. And yet in a structural sense the program does represent my "living" there. TMI?
I'll stop now and let the tunes take over. They're pretty good.
BOMBAST playlist, 2013 August 24, 2100-2300:
- "Program for Light" / "Desert" | Section 25 | From the Hip | Les Temps Modernes
- "Somewhere in China" | Shop Assistants | Will Anything Happen | Overground
- "Porpoise" | Pale Saints | Flesh Balloon | 4AD
- "Dungeon" / "Merchant Ship" / "Jah Army Band" | Singers & Players | Revenge of the Underdog | On-U Sound | "Physical Evidence"
- "Other Side - Stuck Together Remix" | Atoms for Peace | 50 Weapons of Choice #30-39 | 50 Weapons
- "Chock (Shock)" | Skogen-Brinner | 1st | Subliminal Sounds
- "Tomorrow (Steve Peck Mix)" | Morrissey | Volume Five | Volume
- "Too Much Workload" | Singers & Players | Revenge of the Underdog | On-U Sound | "Physical Evidence"
- "Let's Sail Away" | Honey Tongue | Nude Nudes | Playtime
- "It's All But An Ark-Lark" | Cocteau Twins | CD Single Box Set | Capitol
- "Say So" | Augustus Pablo | King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown | Shanachie
- "You Show Great Spirit" | Prurient | Through the Window | Blackest Ever Black
- "Oriental Nightmare" | Rodney & The Blazers | Warpaint | TT Shaker
- "New Blue Noon" | Scarper! | Unfurl | Plexus
- "Sirens" | oOoOO | Without Your Love | Nihjgt Feelings
- "Boys" | Beach Day | Trip Trap Attack | Kanine
- "Holocaust" | Big Star | Nothing Can Hurt Me | Omnivore
- "Prodigal Son" / "Follower" | Singers & Players | Revenge of the Underdog | On-U Sound | "Physical Evidence"
- "Freedom" | 400 Blows | The New Lords on the Block | Concrete Productions
- "Moonlight in Glory" | Brian Eno & David Byrne | My Life in the Bush of Ghosts | Sire