Summer’s drawing to a close. There, it’s been said. Everyone’s been avoiding it, but it’s a reality. Personally, I love the fall, even more than the summer. There’s still some warm days, but not ridiculously hot and it cools off enough to sleep if you’re not blessed with air conditioning. This is what you’re hearing today:

The Stone Roses – We Are The Champions (live)

k-os – SheClipse from “The Anchorman Mixtape” (Download it here.)
Listener – Ozark Empire, Or A Snake Oil Salesman Comes To Your Town from “Return To Struggleville”
G.R.I.T.S. – Do It Again from “Quarantine”

The Vaselines – Sex With An X from “Sex With An X” (Download it here.)
Land Of Talk – Swift Coin from “Cloak and Cipher” (Download it here.)
Franz Nicolay – This Is Not A Pipe from “Luck & Courage” (Download it here.)
Birds & Batteries – Strange Kind Of Mirror from “Panorama” (Download it here.)

Sufjan Stevens – Djohariah from “All Delighted People” EP

After my show two weeks ago, you’re probably a little sick of pop-punk. I know that was a lot to get through, but I put together a set this week of some decent stuff, so hopefully you can give it another chance. I made use of my “Way-back machine” this week to break out some old stuff by Foo Fighters and Blink 182. The Newsboys playing Jesus Freak isn’t old, but just might make you feel nostalgic for the mid-90’s. Oh yeah, and there’s some new Starflyer in there as well. Here’s the show:

Foo Fighters – Have A Cigar from “Learn To Fly”

Fake Problems – Soulless from “Real Ghosts Caught On Tape” (Download it here)
Against Me! – I Was A Teenage Anarchist from “White Crosses”
Bad Religion – Live Again (The Fall of Man) from “The Empire Strikes First”
Blink 182 – New Hope from “Dude Ranch”
Craig’s Brother – Losing My Religion

Starflyer 59 – Trucker’s Son from “The Changing Of The Guard”
Gord Downie – The Hard Canadian from “The Grand Bounce”
The National – Afraid of Everyone (Live on Late Night with David Letterman)

Newsboys – Jesus Freak from “Born Again”

Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next week.

Jared

I get lots of music sent to me, ranging from downtempo to house & progressive, but because of Progressive Aggressive’s 1 hour set format I have to find a chunk of tracks that work together in that way. I’ve considered moving toward a more radio-based format where songs are broken up by chatter and IDs with maybe a 3 or 4 track set in there somewhere. That would, of course, require a little more effort on my part and I don’t really want to go down that road unless the people who listen to PA are in favour.

Please drop me a line and let me know what you’d think about shaking up the format of the show.

Anyhow, this month’s show kicks off with a great track by Schodt featuring vocalist Aida Fenhel on Silk Digital. There is a stellar remix package on this EP as well – I Highly recommend any of you trance & progressive lovers out there pick this one up.

Also in this edition of Progressive Aggressive, Some great tracks from the Nellie Recordings Imprint. Swedish duo ‘Something Good’ have followed up their highly successful Solence EP with another two track release. There are also a couple of nice ones from the Nellie Remixed Vol. 2 that I’ve featured in this mix as well.

On the production side of things, if you were wondering when my forthcoming Spark / Aura release on Silk Digital might be out, you may have to wait until November… Sad face. Things have been a little quiet for me in terms of studio output. It has been a crazy busy spring & summer so far, but there are some new and exciting projects in the works! I’ll save that for another post. I’m also working on pulling together a new website – this one is looking a little tired

Hope you enjoy the mix!

Tracklisting:
01. Schodt feat. Aida Fenhel – White Tiger (Vocal Mix)
02. BT – Forget Me (Michael Cassette Remix)
03. The One Hundred – Break Me Down (Bellatrax Remix)
04. Something Good – Cirque (Original Mix)
05. EDX – Thrive (EDX’s Fe5tival Mix)
06. Playton – Silence (G-Tek Remix)
07. Audible – Moments (Shiftone Remix)
08. Adam K feat. King Sunshine – My Love (EDX’s Ibiza Sunrise Mix)
09. JD Davis & DJ Ralph – Good Thing (George Acosta Mix)
10. Adam K & Soha – Save Us Now (Original Mix)

I recently participated in a Mix CD exchange. Everyone creates a mix, burns n-1 copies of the mix and then mails them to a singular person. This person then creates packages and mails everyone 1 copy of everyone else’s mixes. It was pretty cool to get a stack of new music like this and a great way to be introduced to new music. Usually this helps me with bands that I’ve been meaning to listen to but never get around to it. Case in point, today’s episode features Cat Power’s version of New York. People around me have extolled the virtues of Cat Power but up until a couple weeks ago, I had never actually listened to them. There were some other highlights as well that will probably get used in future shows, but that’s the only inclusion this week.

I think I need to rant a little bit about iTunes bonus tracks. It’s a pain, when you’re like me and prefer to purchase physical copies of albums. I’ve already bought the album once, why do I not get the entire thing? Weird. Also, for many of these, the tracks don’t really fit with the rest of the album and feel tacked on when listened to in sequence. So, I guess, why do I even bother? She Loves You by The Gaslight Anthem is actually a decent track, even if it doesn’t fit at the end of the album. (We Did It When We Were Young does a pretty good job of ending off the album). Whatever, this is what else you’re hearing this week:

Grand Analog – Electric City featuring Shad from “Metropolis Is Burning”

Laura Stevenson & The Cans – Holy Ghost
Cat Power – New York from “Jukebox”
Fiction Family – Friday, I’m In Love from “Fiction Family”

Arcade Fire – Ready To Start from “The Suburbs”
Blonde Redhead – Spring And By Summer Fall from “23″
The Gaslight Anthem – She Loves You from “American Slang”

Amanda Palmer – Fake Plastic Trees from “Amanda Palmer Performs The Popular Hits of Radiohead On Her Magical Ukelele”

Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next week.

Jared

How do you properly pay tribute to a band that was responsible for a major shift in listening habits? Back as a young teen, I was listening to a lot of CCM and pretty cheezy Christian rock. Then one Christmas, I got a copy of Teenage Politics and everything changed. I fell in love with punk rock. Being a sheltered kid in a rural area, I had never really heard punk music before, so hearing these short, three-chord ditties in the mid-90s was new to me. Through the years, I continued to buy everything this band put out, tracking down rare 7″ records, fan-club only singles and other rarities that were never officially released. I managed to see them 6 times from 1997 to 2008. They were the one band that could still tempt me into joining a most pit.

A couple weeks ago, they pretty much played their final show. They played their third album, Life In General, from start to finish as a send off to their original drummer. Now that he had started a family, he moved to a stage in his life that couldn’t support the endless touring that they did to make a living. It was still impressive that a band of teenagers, with one lineup change coming a year in, stayed together, continually touring and recording until their mid-30s. Now they haven’t officially retired the moniker and will probably still play random shows with new lineups surrounding their bass player/singer, but it won’t be the same. I’ll still look forward to the occasional release, but they’ll just be another of those bands that don’t die but will never come close to the peak.

I’m not sure what it was, but it always felt like they were on the cusp of greatness. They were veterans at a time when pop-punk was breaking through in the mainstream. They had a great live show and always went the extra mile for fans. I don’t know what it was, but they just couldn’t get that break that they needed. Anyways, MxPx will be missed, at least by me. Thanks to Rob and Mark for helping me get this episode together. It’s a little long, but it’s full of awesomeness. I didn’t even include everything that I wanted. These 31 tracks were chosen from more than 400 that sit on my iPod. Here’s what you get:

17 (I Saw Her Standing There) from “17″ 7″

Too Much Thinking from “Pokinatcha”
PxPx from “Pokinatcha”
Ears To Hear from “Pokinatcha”
The Opposite of Intellect from “Teenage Politics”
Dolores from “Teenage Politics”
Chick Magnet (Live on KNDD) from “Move To Bremerton” EP
Today Is In My Way from “Life In General”
Southbound from “Life In General”

Summer of ‘69 from “On The Cover”
Drum Machine Joy from “On The Cover”
No Action from “Before You Were Punk 2″
Janie Jones from “Burning London – A Tribute To The Clash” (Australian Import)
The KKK Took My Baby Away from “Live At The Show”
Blue Moon from “Oldies But Goodies”

Christmas Day

Tomorrow’s Another Day from “Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo”
I’m OK, You’re OK from “Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo”
Two Whole Years from “The Ever-Passing Moment”
Yuri Wakes Up Screaming from “The Renaissance”
Play It Loud from “Before Everything And After”
Invitation To Understanding from “Acoustic” EP
Heard That Sound from “Panic”
Sweet Sweet Thing from “Let’s Rock”
Here’s To The Life from “Secret Weapon”
One Step Further from “Left Coast Punk” EP

Scooby Doo, Where Are You? from “Scooby Doo Official Soundtrack”
Take Me Out To The Ball Game
Shout from “Animal House – Double Secret Probation Edition” DVD
Punk Rock Girl from “On The Cover II”

Punk Rawk Show from “Live At The Show”

Thanks for listening and I’ll be back to a normal show next week.

Jared

Are you ready for some more instrumental/post-rock/ambient/noise goodness? Well this week brings you 80 minutes of just this. This show was by request and since I usually only listen to this stuff in the fall and winter, I don’t have too much brand new music here. But the new stuff I do have is balanced out by some old classics by some of the greats of the genre.

I’m pretty pumped that Godspeed You! Black Emperor are back playing a couple shows this year. I’m really hoping that they stop near enough to me that I can catch them. “Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven” is probably the greatest post-rock album ever. Four tracks spread over two LPs. It’s probably a little over kill to play one track from there, but if you get sick of it at the end, you can always pause it. But I don’t know why you would. It’s just that awesome.

Here’s what we’ve got this week:

Mogwai – The Sun Smells Too Loud from “The Hawk Is Howling”
Sigur Ros – Svefn-g-englar from “Agaetis Byrjun”
Dylan Ettinger – Arn Anderson’s Beard from “Laminar Excursion Monthly #14″
Explosions In The Sky – Welcome, Ghosts from “All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone”
Hammock – In the Nothing of a Night from “Chasing After Shadows… Living with the Ghosts…”
Eluvium – Prelude For Time Feelers from “Copia”
Mono – Follow The Map from “Hymn To The Immortal World”
Do Make Say Think – Le’espalace
godspeed you! black emperor – Gathering Storm from “Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven”

Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next week.

Jared

1. “Spit on a Stranger” by Kathryn Williams (originally by Pavement)
2. “Fake Empire” by Lackthereof (originally by The National)
3. “No Cars Go” by Final Fantasy (originally by The Arcade Fire)
4. “Many Rivers to Cross” by Ted Leo & The Pharmacists (originally by Jimmy Cliff)
5. “Somewhere Only We Know” by Joy Electric (originally by Keane)
6. “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt (Dan Deacon Remix)” by Owen Pallett
7. “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead” by Ben Gibbard (originally by Stars)
8. “Here” by Tindersticks (originally by Pavement)

047, 046, 045, 044, 043
042, 041, 040, 039, 038, 037, 036
035, 034, 033, 032, 031, 030, 029
028, 027, 026, 025, 024, 023, 022
021, 020, 019, 018, 017, 016, 015,
014, 013, 012, 011, 010, 009,
008, 007, 006, 005, 004,
003, 002, 001

Not much to say that isn’t already in the show. Some good old tracks from Shad, Copeland and The 77’s with some good new stuff from Barn Owl, Cotton Jones and a very listenable track from Danielson. I know I’m shocked too. Anyways, this is what you’ll be listening to:

Shad – Out Of Love from “When This Is Over”

Barn Owl – Young Explorers from “The Roman Empire Never Ended”
Danielson – Eagle from “Moment Soakers” 7″
Zoo Seven – Hundred Ways from “Lifesaver”

Copeland – Take My Breath Away from “Know Nothing Stays The Same”
Lowry – Africa from “Guilt By Association Vol. 2″
Cotton Jones – Pressing Down The Grass from “Laminar Excursion Monthly Vol. 13″

The 77’s – Kites Without Strings from “Pray Naked”

Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next week.

Jared

Well, this summer vacation at the Brown Couch has been relatively extended but oh so memorable in real life.

Moving, working, things and other activities have meant that I haven’t been making shows. Luckily, Jared keeps it so freakin’ real with his show that STRadio rocks it out all the times.

But, to clarify, this is a new show and well, folks, it’s a good one. Loads of new music and lots of stuff to play. Bands I barely know but now DO know. It’s the miracles of life. Welcome.

And here it is…

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs – The Suburbs (forthcoming)

Best Coast – The End – Crazy For You
Dirty Projectors + Bjork – When the World Comes to an End – Mount Wittenberg Orca
Ceo – Illuminata - White Magic
The Postelles – White Night - White Night
Pineapple – It’s A Gonna Be Good – Pineapple

The Boat People – Antidote – Dear Darkly
Cats and Cats and Cats – Little Blimps – If I’d Had An Atlas
The Guggenheim Grotto – Wings And Feathers – The Universe is Laughing
Los Campesinos! – Straight In At 101/It’s Never Enough – EP
Magic Kids – Summer - Memphis (forthcoming)

The Coral – Walking In The Winter – Butterfly House
Bombay Bicycle Club – Ivy & Gold - Flaws
I Am Kloot – Fingerprints – Sky At Knight
Deer Tick – The Great Smoke Off – The Great Smoke Off
Correatown – Everything, All At Once – Correatown EP

The Chemical Brothers – Swoon – Swoon

The SUN!

It’s always fun to venture back through your music collection and stumble upon an album that you didn’t listen to much when you first got it, but then once you hear it again, you get it and really enjoy it. This happens once in a while, most notably in my life with Further Seems Forever’s The Moon Is Down and anything by The Danielson Famile. It happened to me this week with Okkervil River. I had come across their Stage Names album in my collection and decided to give it a spin. I’m thankful I did. The track Plus Ones jumped out at me and I knew that I had to include it this week. Here’s what else you’re listening to:

Craig’s Brother – The Mistake Of Caring

The Sadies – Another Year Again from “Darker Circles”
Mike Ness – I Fought The Law from “Under The Influences Vol. 1″
Metric – Gimme Sympathy from their session for Daytrotter.com

Okkervil River – Plus Ones from “The Stage Names”
The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition from “Conditions”
The Love Language – Pedals from “Libraries”

The Lassie Foundation – El Rey from “El Rey”

Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next week.

Jared