Mumford And Sons "Hopeless Wanderer"

Back in May, I wrestled with the idea of whether MVY should start playing the new Mumford And Sons song, "Babel," or take a pass, citing audience fatigue of the band/sound.

Ultimately, we did not add the single.

And a strange thing happened.  Or didn't happen.

I have received ZERO comments about this.

To my knowledge (and hey, as a qualifier, Lord knows I don't know everything) there has not been a single request for us to play the song "Babel." 

No one has called, or written, to say "How come you're not playing any more of the new Mumford And Sons?"

I find this stunning, particularly in light of the fact that their album was voted Number One in 2012 by the MVY listeners.

I mean, no requests suggests that no one cares or notices.  But voting it Number One just a few months ago also suggests the exact opposite.

What gives?

Well, the 3rd single has arrived at radio.  "Hopeless Wanderer" is in search of airplay.

Perhaps the most succinct assessment of the tune came from Barbara Dacey.  When I was about to play it for her, she asked, "Does it go to that Mumford And Sons place they go?"

Yes.  Yes it does.

Nothing new to see here.  Equally as likeable as their previous singles,  but nothing new.

So I'm back to where I was in May.

Is there Mumford fatigue?  Or are you ready for more fudge.


(Even if you can't stand the band, you're gonna love this video.  In fact, if you can't stand the band, you'll most definitely love the video!)


Hear the song on Youtube.

The Swell Season "I Have Loved You Wrong"

At last week's Laura Marling show, a few folks who had bought tickets let us know that they couldn't come, and discussion turned to reselling those tickets, meaning we would be double-dipping on some of the seats.

And I had a flashback to The Swell Season show I went to a couple of years ago . . .

I was supposed to go with my wife, but she wasn't feeling well, and as I was leaving for Boston, she decided it would be best if she stayed home.

I got on the phone and made a number of calls as I was driving up to Boston.

Did my sister want to go?  Not really.  She hadn't even heard of the band.

How about her husband?  No, he was working.

My wife's brother worked in the city, but I wasn't sure what time he got out.  Had he already left town?  Was he not getting out of the office until well after the show started?

I left him a message and told him to call me back.  I'd wait in the lobby until the show started, hoping he'd return my call.

It was a bitterly cold night in Boston.  (In fact, almost a year later I met Glen Hansard of The Swell Season at Newport Folk, and when I said, "I saw you last fall in Boston," his one sentence reply was "Yeah . . . it was really cold that night.")

I waited and waited, but didn't hear from my brother-in-law.

I hated that the ticket might go to waste, so I approached the box office, which was in the foyer between the street and the lobby.

"My wife isn't coming to the show.  Do you want to resell this?"

The young folks behind the glass looked at me like I was about to hand them a turd.

"No, No!  We can't do that."

I guess there some law about reselling.

They told me, "You're welcome to give it away though."

A small line to get in had formed behind me.

"Does anyone need a ticket?" I asked hopefully.

I got the averted eye that I'd given many, many times before, to scalpers.

"It's free."

There was one person looking at me.  He didn't say anything, but he looked and gave me a hint of a smile.

He was on the other side of the foyer space.  He was most certainly homeless.

I'd seen him in the foyer, busying himself reading the posters of coming attractions.  Looking out the glass doors, up and down the street, as if he were waiting for someone.

It was bitterly cold, and the lobby was a small respite from that.

I thought about it for a second.  Should I give this guy my ticket?  Give him 2 hours in a warm, safe space?

But then I thought, If I give him the ticket, I'm stuck with him for 2 hours.  It's not just a pass to get in.  It's a pass to sit right next to me.  What if he's weird?  What if he's unstable?  What if he wants to talk during the show?

Already feeling a bit fragile (as I wrote about in the previous post).  Was this what I was really going to substitute for a night with my wife?

I turned and went inside, the extra ticket still in my pocket.


Did I do the right thing?  I don't know.  Probably not. 

I certainly didn't do the kind thing, the charitable thing.

More than that, remembering this little moment I re-read the lengthy, "Oh I'm sad about my wife not being here" post and think about how small my problems seem, and how embarrassed that I am to have had them, when I compare them to the problems of the homeless man, whose next two hours, and his night, and his rest-of-his-winter are out in the bitter cold of an unforgiving Boston season.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Low Millions "Eleanor"

Here's another We Used To Play This post.

This is another indie-rock tune that lived in heavy rotation on MVY when it came out, and has faded away since.  Lead singer Adam Cohen (son of Leonard), put out a well-received solo album last year.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.

Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show.  They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are fun to revisit.

Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.

Wheat "I Met A Girl"

Here's another We Used To Play This post.

We've had a lot of fun indie rock-type tracks come and go.  This one was catchy and pleasing, but ultimately didn't last in our library.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.

Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show.  They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are fun to revisit.

Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.

Maktub "You Can't Hide"

I started writing another We Used To Play This post about this song by Maktub, which we played quite a bit, a good decade ago.

These One-Hit type bands always beg the question, How did a band produce such a great sounding song, and then disappear.

And once again, I learned a little something I didn't know.

Maktub's lead singer is Reggie Watts.

How did I not put the voices together?

Watts is a multi-talented performer, with success both singing and acting.  He's a co-host on IFC's "Comedy Bang Bang," makes frequent appearances on Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon, and does the music for the FX show "Louie."

So he didn't disappear.  He just grew a great beard and went on TV.


Hear the song on Youtube.


Hear Watts' TED Talk on Youtube. (If you're confused at the beginning, stick with it!)

Serena Ryder "What I Wouldn't Do"

You know what I said about Serena Ryder's first single, "Stompa"? 

It's a little more mainstream-sounding than we usually go.  But maybe we should go for it ? . ? . ? .

I hemmed and hawed about adding it.

Cut to 6 months later, when it has been one of the most successful tunes on MVY in 2013.

Now, what are my feelings about her 2nd single?

It's a little more mainstream-sounding than we usually go.

I'm wouldn't be inclined to add it, if the first one hadn't done so well.

I can't tell if it's truly not the right sound for MVY, or if I'm off base on this one.

Thoughts?


Hear the song on Youtube.

10,000 Maniacs "Gun Shy"

Last week I started a series of occasional posts called "Dismissive One Sentence Reviews By Friends."  Because sometimes when you hear a song, all you can think about is that one thing that one person once said.

In my early days at MVY, I also had a part time job at our sister-business MVOL.

In part because we were both owned by the same company, and in part because they were simply fans, the staff at MVOL usually listened to MVY in the office.

Comments about the station---sometimes thoughtful, sometimes off-the-cuff---were frequently shared with me.  And for whatever reason, it's always stuck with me that one day, Heather, who was always a positive light in the MVOL office, said, after 10,000 Maniacs' "Gun Shy":

"She's kinda preachy, huh?"


Hear the song on Youtube.

Paul McCartney "New"

You probably made up your mind about Paul McCartney a long time ago.

You either think he's a genius, continuing to do genius work.  Or you think he's kinda hacky, and he's just hacking along.

I'm not here to convince you one way or another.

Over the weekend, I was catching little snippets of updates about Diana Nyad, who was attempting to swim from Havana to Key West.

It wasn't until late yesterday, when she had achieved her longtime goal, that I heard a news report actually mention her age.

I had assumed this person so intent on such an athletic feat, was in her 20s or 30s.

Sixty-Four.

Paul McCartney zipped past 64 nearly a decade ago.  But he keeps making records, long past an age he once wonder had any worth whatsoever.

He'll likely never make another song as great as "Let It Be."  And when you are in your 70s, neither will you.

That's not the point.  It doesn't matter if, in your old age, you are achieving feats that no one thought were possible or you are creating just a shadow of your former output.

The point is, that to be alive, you need to keep jumping in the water and swimming anyway.

And in the end, that's the thing to take away.


Hear "New" on Youtube.


Hear "When I'm 64" on Youtube.

Tennessee Ernie Ford "16 Tons"

"You load 16 tons and what do you get?  One day older and deeper in debt."

Happy Labor Day!


Hear the song on Youtube.

Thurston Moore "Cindy"

Here's another Weekend Post:

After yesterday's "Tank Girl" post, this one crossed the old brain pan, as its full name is "Cindy (Rotten Tanx)."

I haven't heard this solo Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) song in over a decade, if not more.

But I still laughed when he got to the line, "Hey Cher is hot."


Hear the song on Youtube.

Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.

Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show.  They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are fun to revisit.

Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.