Deflated Balloons

Musically, 2008 was kind of like a bunch of balloons. What is happier than a bunch of balloons? They're colorful and festive, they bring joy to young and old alike, they celebrate everything from birthdays to . You can skip along the sidewalk with a whole bunch in your hand, humming and pretending you're about to be blown up into the sky. I had some fantastic balloons in my bunch last year, and it just kept growing: Bon Iver, Grand Archives, M. Ward. 2009 is like that same bunch of balloons two days later-a slightly delfated and depressing version of its former self. I would like to think the balloons haven't changed, that I've just spent so much time thinking about and commenting on the finer points of balloon quality, I'm getting harder and harder to impress. Or maybe it really is that I'm just getting old and crotchety. But it seems to me that there are less new bands, and the old bands I used to love are, well, slightly deflated and depressing versions of their former selves. Grand Archives, Yo La Tengo, The Avett Brothers, all of them have new albums that make me wish I had a new bunch of balloons. Turns out, no one sells balloons anymore-there's a severe shortage of new bands that have yet to wow me. Last year, Bon Iver made me feel like I was falling in love with indie music all over again. His new project, Volcano Choir, is less accessible, more obscure, and leaves me feeling like I just ran into an ex-boyfriend in the supermarket and we talked about green beans and can't tell whether he still likes me or not.

One of the few balloons that's just as bright and buoyant as the day I discovered it will be gracing WRGW with it's presence this Saturday! Wyatt and I will have the esteemed pleasure of interviewing Elizabeth and the Catapult as part of Octoberfest, WRGW's month-long series of live interviews and in-studio performances. Be sure to tune in at 2 p.m. EST to catch us chatting with a Vibrations of Nations favorite!

Before we get to the podcast, the first four song songs on the playlist are not on the podcast because we were facing grave technical difficulties (Read: Our computers outsmarted us.) So in order to make up for it, here is the trailer for the most anticipated film of this year by anyone between the ages of 16 and 25, Where the Wild Things Are. On it is a version of Arcades Fire's "Wake Up" we played in that first block. It will make you weep. Quiet literally. Our Rock Director actually can't watch it without crying.



And without further ado....



1. Lover and a Friend-Eddie Bo and Inez Cheatham
2. Sweet Jane-The Velvet Underground
3. 8 Point Agenda (Feat. Latryrnx)-The Herbaliser
4. Wake Up-Arcade Fire
(Stuff White People Like: children's books.)
5. Yea Yeah-Matt & Kim
6. 40 Day Dream-Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
7. Goods (LP Version)-Mates of State
8. Ahead of the Curve-Monsters of Folk
(Wyatt's fiefdom and what happens when you meet expectations)
9. Come on Over (Feat. Afrodeyte)-Breakestra
10. Give Your Heart Away-The Black Keys
11. A Guide to the World's Most Fantastic Monster-Hallelujah the Hills
12. The Calculation-Regina Spektor
(Apparently I've invented a new word: HU-larious)
13. Can You Get To That-Funkadelic
14. Easy-Deer Tick
15. Old Hound-The Moondoggies
16. The Sun-Portugal the Man
(Beer! Cuz your friends just aren't that entertaining.)
17. The Devil Never Sleeps-Iron & Wine
18. Relator-Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johanssen
19. Get Down (Quantic Soul Orchestra Remix)-Nas
20. Out at Sea-Heartless Bastards
(Peter asked Scarlett? Zuh?)
21. Beggin'-Madcon
22. Learn to Lose-Hockey
23. Hit the Wall-Elizabeth and the Catapult
24. Kick Drum Heart-The Avett Brothers
(We mourn the deflation of The Avett Brothers)
25. Never Forget You-Noisettes

Be sure to tune in Saturday for the Elizabeth and the Catapult interview, and Sunday for good ol' Vibrations of Nations!

You're all lovely,
Eb