Featured encores of my Monday night summer show, The Monday Music Club. It's a 60s/70s music show, focusing on deep tracks (with a few hits thrown in, too).
You can hear it Monday nights through late August via the stream at wiupfm.org. Or, install the TuneIn app on your smart phone and take us (me included) with you wherever you go.
Monday, July 15, 2019
Sunday, July 07, 2019
Show #704--7/7/19
Cinema/Leave It--Yes
Tinfoil--Limblifter
My Kinda Lover--Billy Squier
Trombone--Nick Lowe
Workshop--JIM ALXDNR
Fallout--Euphone
Worst Thing--Sebadoh
Worst Way--Ayelle (feat. Naji)
Dreamin'--Vanessa Williams
P.C.--Famous in Japan
Honey and Tar--The Cornshed Sisters
Let it Carry You--Jose Gonzalez
Back and Forth--Hearts and Minds
The Girl from Ipanema--Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto/Astrud Gilberto
HOUR 2
Don't Let Go--Molly Tuttle
A Mistake--Fiona Apple
Be Brave Go On--Big Sir
Beautiful--Lisa Papineau
Question--The Moody Blues
Fire Back About Your New Baby's Sex--Don Caballero
Blend--Aldous Harding
Peace One--John McLaughlin
Tell Me a Tale--Michael Kiwanuka
Freetime--Trashcan Sinatras
Fire Temple (from "Midsommar")--Bobby Krlic
HOUR 3 11 TO 11: DL
Tinfoil--Limblifter
My Kinda Lover--Billy Squier
Trombone--Nick Lowe
Workshop--JIM ALXDNR
Fallout--Euphone
Worst Thing--Sebadoh
Worst Way--Ayelle (feat. Naji)
Dreamin'--Vanessa Williams
P.C.--Famous in Japan
Honey and Tar--The Cornshed Sisters
Let it Carry You--Jose Gonzalez
Back and Forth--Hearts and Minds
The Girl from Ipanema--Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto/Astrud Gilberto
HOUR 2
Don't Let Go--Molly Tuttle
A Mistake--Fiona Apple
Be Brave Go On--Big Sir
Beautiful--Lisa Papineau
Question--The Moody Blues
Fire Back About Your New Baby's Sex--Don Caballero
Blend--Aldous Harding
Peace One--John McLaughlin
Tell Me a Tale--Michael Kiwanuka
Freetime--Trashcan Sinatras
Fire Temple (from "Midsommar")--Bobby Krlic
HOUR 3 11 TO 11: DL
Tuesday, July 02, 2019
Movie Musing: "Midsommar" (2019)
Lots of spoilers here, in order to make it interesting for me to get in and interpret the movie:
Ari Aster's latest exercise in endurance. This one's more straightforward in plotting than his previous, Hereditary. Here we have a simple tale of a young woman, grieving the horrible suicides of her mother, father, and sister, paired with her almost-quitting-her boyfriend, who is planning on going to Sweden with a friend native to the country to attend a solstice celebration. She's in no condition to go along, but there'd be no movie if she didn't, so after some consideration (she's committed to keeping the relationship going, if he's not) they're off, with a few other friends/victims-to-be (oh come on, like you couldn't figure that out).
These opening scenes, for me, believe it or not, are the most affecting of the entire film. Grief figures prominently in both of his movies so far, and to see Dani wrestle with it is quite touching, and the situation of one partner trying (a little) to deal with another's crazy family and the fallout from them (there must be some wild-ass backstory to THEIR family issues) felt sadly real.
It's when they arrive in Sweden that the film shifts into an analysis of cults and ritual, and, unsurprisingly, from this point on, the characters (well-acted and cannily written as they are) become sole property of the machinations of the plot. Anyone who's seen any version of "The Wicker Man" (and there's a prominent subtext from "Rosemary's Baby" at work here, too) know pretty well what's going to happen, and the film follows through on the no-mercy stylings of those films, to the nth degree. It doesn't take long to establish that they're all in deep trouble, though as usual, the viewers are multiple steps ahead of the players.
What do the guys expect out of it? One is a college-level researcher, fascinated with this subculture. One (the biggest fool of the lot -- I was waiting for him to get his, for sure) seems to be going along for the possibility of tripping on drugs and making it with Swedish women. So we get an early scene with introduction of psychedelics, and Dani's first oblique scene of peril, when she's unconscious for an undetermined, suspicious amount of time and something may have happened to her "while she was out."
If we haven't considered it even before the movie started, we soon come to realize that the Swedish friend has corralled his friends and their lovely, troubled female companion to the countryside not just to take part in, but to be vital parts of this insane ritualistic celebration. One of the interesting things about the movie (which may have been bolstered by some skillful edits in the screenplay and/or the film itself) is how it's cagey about how amongst the team may have been confederates. There's little suggestions throughout regarding the "who can you trust" issue, left cleverly opaque and unresolved. Some might say this is a weakness, that we don't have bolder red lines defining who is a villain and who isn't. I take the opposite opinion.
We get another recruited couple (from London) who sound the WTF alarm and, understandably, freak out once the first sacrifices occur. You have to roll your eyes and laugh (if that's possible) at the sheer audacity of the situation and how Aster has the elders run and try to explain ("you mean Pelle didn't tell you about how we do things here" and the like). Yeah, I'm sure that's what got them to Sweden -- telling them they'd be witnessing death and carnage.
The guys make dumb mistakes, of course, defiling the heritage of the village, and they die (for the most part, modestly, sometimes offscreen) for their errors. In any case, after the stakes get higher and the rituals get batshit crazy and homicidal, there's only Dani and Christian (the boyfriend) left. Will they escape? Ahem -- no. This isn't that kind of movie.
I alluded earlier to the possibility of future work by Aster that might be a challenge, or maybe something that's not necessarily a priority for him, the idea that his characters might exert some free will, instead of being pawns in a sequence of escalating, horrific scenes. I suppose the titiillation for those who aren't exactly interested in Aster's anthropological take on customs and mores regarding sex, death, regeneration and twisted tradition will be in the seats waiting to observe just in what creatively horrible ways many of the main characters will die. Much of the violence is unapologetically personal and visceral. It's kind of disappointing considering the quality of the opening scenes that there isn't more time to dig deeper into who these people are. But we must get from point A to point B, so the horror machine must keep rolling.
The cinematography is beautiful, the imagery something to behold. The hype from A24 about the horror being much more shocking "because it takes place in broad daylight" is a silly way to tout a movie's bona fides, but I suppose it gives the studio something to hang its hat on. I didn't find it to be so, but I knew pretty much what to expect. (How do we actually horrify a country nowadays? Our day to day life is pretty sobering. Fiction can't compare in some ways).
It's a credit to the intelligence at work here that you look for signs and signals across the frame as the movie plays. You think you might find something. It makes the incongruities like Dani's piece of "belated" birthday Bundt (really? uh huh!) cake or why that lighter just doesn't want to ignite ripe for interpretation or at least knowing chuckles.
The ending is a bit forced. Yeah, of course we expect her to smile, in the "I was cured, all right" style, but after we've seen her nearly catatonic on her throne at the end, and contorting with emotion as her boyfriend goes up in flames, I suppose by this time we are waiting to come full circle, and this is the most natural way to exit. I appreciated the echo of the group mourning moans reflecting Dani's howls on the couch in the beginning. Nice symmetry.
Lots of good stuff here. There's rarely a misstep, and the director clearly knows how to assemble an effective, savage film. It didn't shock me, but undoubtedly, it's a movie that you feel deeply. I came away drained. There's no getting around it. Being this committed to such a nihilistic, no-hope worldview takes it out of you. Recommended for viewers who like (or at least who don't mind) a large amount of art house in their horror choices. Others may find it slow-moving, didactic, and unconvincing.
Ari Aster's latest exercise in endurance. This one's more straightforward in plotting than his previous, Hereditary. Here we have a simple tale of a young woman, grieving the horrible suicides of her mother, father, and sister, paired with her almost-quitting-her boyfriend, who is planning on going to Sweden with a friend native to the country to attend a solstice celebration. She's in no condition to go along, but there'd be no movie if she didn't, so after some consideration (she's committed to keeping the relationship going, if he's not) they're off, with a few other friends/victims-to-be (oh come on, like you couldn't figure that out).
These opening scenes, for me, believe it or not, are the most affecting of the entire film. Grief figures prominently in both of his movies so far, and to see Dani wrestle with it is quite touching, and the situation of one partner trying (a little) to deal with another's crazy family and the fallout from them (there must be some wild-ass backstory to THEIR family issues) felt sadly real.
It's when they arrive in Sweden that the film shifts into an analysis of cults and ritual, and, unsurprisingly, from this point on, the characters (well-acted and cannily written as they are) become sole property of the machinations of the plot. Anyone who's seen any version of "The Wicker Man" (and there's a prominent subtext from "Rosemary's Baby" at work here, too) know pretty well what's going to happen, and the film follows through on the no-mercy stylings of those films, to the nth degree. It doesn't take long to establish that they're all in deep trouble, though as usual, the viewers are multiple steps ahead of the players.
What do the guys expect out of it? One is a college-level researcher, fascinated with this subculture. One (the biggest fool of the lot -- I was waiting for him to get his, for sure) seems to be going along for the possibility of tripping on drugs and making it with Swedish women. So we get an early scene with introduction of psychedelics, and Dani's first oblique scene of peril, when she's unconscious for an undetermined, suspicious amount of time and something may have happened to her "while she was out."
If we haven't considered it even before the movie started, we soon come to realize that the Swedish friend has corralled his friends and their lovely, troubled female companion to the countryside not just to take part in, but to be vital parts of this insane ritualistic celebration. One of the interesting things about the movie (which may have been bolstered by some skillful edits in the screenplay and/or the film itself) is how it's cagey about how amongst the team may have been confederates. There's little suggestions throughout regarding the "who can you trust" issue, left cleverly opaque and unresolved. Some might say this is a weakness, that we don't have bolder red lines defining who is a villain and who isn't. I take the opposite opinion.
We get another recruited couple (from London) who sound the WTF alarm and, understandably, freak out once the first sacrifices occur. You have to roll your eyes and laugh (if that's possible) at the sheer audacity of the situation and how Aster has the elders run and try to explain ("you mean Pelle didn't tell you about how we do things here" and the like). Yeah, I'm sure that's what got them to Sweden -- telling them they'd be witnessing death and carnage.
The guys make dumb mistakes, of course, defiling the heritage of the village, and they die (for the most part, modestly, sometimes offscreen) for their errors. In any case, after the stakes get higher and the rituals get batshit crazy and homicidal, there's only Dani and Christian (the boyfriend) left. Will they escape? Ahem -- no. This isn't that kind of movie.
I alluded earlier to the possibility of future work by Aster that might be a challenge, or maybe something that's not necessarily a priority for him, the idea that his characters might exert some free will, instead of being pawns in a sequence of escalating, horrific scenes. I suppose the titiillation for those who aren't exactly interested in Aster's anthropological take on customs and mores regarding sex, death, regeneration and twisted tradition will be in the seats waiting to observe just in what creatively horrible ways many of the main characters will die. Much of the violence is unapologetically personal and visceral. It's kind of disappointing considering the quality of the opening scenes that there isn't more time to dig deeper into who these people are. But we must get from point A to point B, so the horror machine must keep rolling.
The cinematography is beautiful, the imagery something to behold. The hype from A24 about the horror being much more shocking "because it takes place in broad daylight" is a silly way to tout a movie's bona fides, but I suppose it gives the studio something to hang its hat on. I didn't find it to be so, but I knew pretty much what to expect. (How do we actually horrify a country nowadays? Our day to day life is pretty sobering. Fiction can't compare in some ways).
It's a credit to the intelligence at work here that you look for signs and signals across the frame as the movie plays. You think you might find something. It makes the incongruities like Dani's piece of "belated" birthday Bundt (really? uh huh!) cake or why that lighter just doesn't want to ignite ripe for interpretation or at least knowing chuckles.
The ending is a bit forced. Yeah, of course we expect her to smile, in the "I was cured, all right" style, but after we've seen her nearly catatonic on her throne at the end, and contorting with emotion as her boyfriend goes up in flames, I suppose by this time we are waiting to come full circle, and this is the most natural way to exit. I appreciated the echo of the group mourning moans reflecting Dani's howls on the couch in the beginning. Nice symmetry.
Lots of good stuff here. There's rarely a misstep, and the director clearly knows how to assemble an effective, savage film. It didn't shock me, but undoubtedly, it's a movie that you feel deeply. I came away drained. There's no getting around it. Being this committed to such a nihilistic, no-hope worldview takes it out of you. Recommended for viewers who like (or at least who don't mind) a large amount of art house in their horror choices. Others may find it slow-moving, didactic, and unconvincing.
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Show #703--6/30/19
Spellbound--Siouxsie and the Banshees
Zakuska--The Inner Urge
A Little More Love--Juliana Hatfield
Young Freedom--Francis Lai
Not the News--Thom Yorke
Shame--Sego
Diggin' Yourself--The Guess Who
Paradise--Abe Hollow
Without Her--Johanna Warren
Ex Lover--Friendly Fires
Electricity Explorer--Spirits Having Fun
Mellow Down Easy--Billy Branch & the Sons of Blues
Burn You Up, Burn You Down--Big Blue Ball
Pulling All the Facts Together--The Stevens
HOUR 2
Paperlate--Genesis
Crocodile--Paperghost
Only You--Yaz
Questionable Things--Modified Man
Resavoir--Resavoir
Bring Water--Deb Talan
In Motion (Pretty Girls)--Lion's Den
Cigarette Dangles--The Pursuit of Happiness
Rollin' and Tumblin'--Johnny Winter
Stoned and Starving--Parquet Courts
Alcohol--The Kinks
Beautiful--Michael Penn
The Lottery Song--Nilsson
Weird Glow--Sarah Bethe Nelson
Burger and Fries--Andy Statman
HOUR 3 11 TO 11: MINOR & MAJOR MALADIES
Zakuska--The Inner Urge
A Little More Love--Juliana Hatfield
Young Freedom--Francis Lai
Not the News--Thom Yorke
Shame--Sego
Diggin' Yourself--The Guess Who
Paradise--Abe Hollow
Without Her--Johanna Warren
Ex Lover--Friendly Fires
Electricity Explorer--Spirits Having Fun
Mellow Down Easy--Billy Branch & the Sons of Blues
Burn You Up, Burn You Down--Big Blue Ball
Pulling All the Facts Together--The Stevens
HOUR 2
Paperlate--Genesis
Crocodile--Paperghost
Only You--Yaz
Questionable Things--Modified Man
Resavoir--Resavoir
Bring Water--Deb Talan
In Motion (Pretty Girls)--Lion's Den
Cigarette Dangles--The Pursuit of Happiness
Rollin' and Tumblin'--Johnny Winter
Stoned and Starving--Parquet Courts
Alcohol--The Kinks
Beautiful--Michael Penn
The Lottery Song--Nilsson
Weird Glow--Sarah Bethe Nelson
Burger and Fries--Andy Statman
HOUR 3 11 TO 11: MINOR & MAJOR MALADIES
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Show #702--6/23/19
Sympathy--Rare Bird
One--Cleo Sol
Jubilee--Freddie Douggie
I Get No Joy--Jade Bird
Angelina--Pinegrove
Thumbelina--Pretenders
Natural One--The Folk Implosion
Gift Horse--Andrew Synowiec
Heretics--Andrew Bird
Change--Tears For Fears
On the Turning Away--Pink Floyd
Secondhand--The Small Glories
To Say That is Easy--Yves Jarvis
Justice--Kim Milford
HOUR 2
The Knife Feels Like Justice--Brian Setzer
Permission--Joseph Arthur
Persimmon Song--The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
Temptation--Raymond Scott
Love and Feeling--Chet Faker
Carrie--Cliff Richard
Good Friend--Mary MacGregor
Giving Up--Whitney
Clovers--Barrie
Love and Anger--Kate Bush
Gay Sons of Lesbian Mothers--Kaki King
Drug--Katie Herzig
I'm Happy That Love Has Found You--Jimmy Hall
Psycheground--Calibro 35
White Hot--Red Rider
I See it Coming--Guards
Love & Revelation--Over the Rhine
HOUR 3 11 TO 11: FROM KAMA SUTRA RECORDS
One--Cleo Sol
Jubilee--Freddie Douggie
I Get No Joy--Jade Bird
Angelina--Pinegrove
Thumbelina--Pretenders
Natural One--The Folk Implosion
Gift Horse--Andrew Synowiec
Heretics--Andrew Bird
Change--Tears For Fears
On the Turning Away--Pink Floyd
Secondhand--The Small Glories
To Say That is Easy--Yves Jarvis
Justice--Kim Milford
HOUR 2
The Knife Feels Like Justice--Brian Setzer
Permission--Joseph Arthur
Persimmon Song--The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
Temptation--Raymond Scott
Love and Feeling--Chet Faker
Carrie--Cliff Richard
Good Friend--Mary MacGregor
Giving Up--Whitney
Clovers--Barrie
Love and Anger--Kate Bush
Gay Sons of Lesbian Mothers--Kaki King
Drug--Katie Herzig
I'm Happy That Love Has Found You--Jimmy Hall
Psycheground--Calibro 35
White Hot--Red Rider
I See it Coming--Guards
Love & Revelation--Over the Rhine
HOUR 3 11 TO 11: FROM KAMA SUTRA RECORDS
Monday, June 17, 2019
Show #701--6/16/19
This Time I Know It's For Real--Donna Summer
Real Love--The Beatles
Easy Money--Old Man Luedecke
Easy Money--Billy Joel
Tiny B--Jukka Eskola Soul Trio
Walk it Out--Tensei (feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow)
As I've Heard--Bryony Jarman-Pinto
Hard Coming Love--The United States of America
Hurry on Home--Sleater-Kinney
Magic Man--Heart
It's the Magic in You Girl--Steam
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye--Bananarama
Coming Down for You--Joan Shelley
Father and Son--Cat Stevens
HOUR 2
Generation Sex--The Divine Comedy
Pigments--Ava Luna
Weak For Me--Nite Jewel
My Body--Milly Upton
The Problem is Me--The Get Up Kids
Comedown--Bush
Go--Comm
Comfortable Enough--Kitty O'Neal
Thought We Turned a Corner--Cool Explosions
ABC [The Reflex Revision]--The Jackson 5
Under Pressure--Queen feat. David Bowie
My Lonely Feeling--Milton James
Daddy's Little Girl--Warfield Spillers
HOUR 3 11 TO 11: WANNA
Real Love--The Beatles
Easy Money--Old Man Luedecke
Easy Money--Billy Joel
Tiny B--Jukka Eskola Soul Trio
Walk it Out--Tensei (feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow)
As I've Heard--Bryony Jarman-Pinto
Hard Coming Love--The United States of America
Hurry on Home--Sleater-Kinney
Magic Man--Heart
It's the Magic in You Girl--Steam
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye--Bananarama
Coming Down for You--Joan Shelley
Father and Son--Cat Stevens
HOUR 2
Generation Sex--The Divine Comedy
Pigments--Ava Luna
Weak For Me--Nite Jewel
My Body--Milly Upton
The Problem is Me--The Get Up Kids
Comedown--Bush
Go--Comm
Comfortable Enough--Kitty O'Neal
Thought We Turned a Corner--Cool Explosions
ABC [The Reflex Revision]--The Jackson 5
Under Pressure--Queen feat. David Bowie
My Lonely Feeling--Milton James
Daddy's Little Girl--Warfield Spillers
HOUR 3 11 TO 11: WANNA
Friday, June 07, 2019
Show #700--6/9/19
What a Fool Believes--Rubblebucket
Rainy Day Parade--Jill Sobule
Steps--Somepling
The Low Hum--Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards
I'll Find Another (Who Can Do it Right)--The Payola$
How Do I Get to the Morning--Maya de Vitry
Prelude/Angry Young Man--Billy Joel
Hey Now!--Oasis
Vacation--Sebadoh
626 Bedford Avenue--The Drums
One Step Closer--The Doobie Brothers
These Are the Laws--Judie Tzuke
Everlasting Love--Robert Knight
Magnetic Love--Genevieve Racette
HOUR 2
I'd Have You Anytime--George Harrison
Anemone--Slenderbodies
The Great Defector--Bell X1
Jumper--Third Eye Blind
Toronto Tontos--Max Webster
Morricone Dancehall--Burning Airlines
West End Girls--Pet Shop Boys
Pieces--The Bridges
Bridge to Nowhere--Sam Roberts
Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson--Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Goodbye--Night Ranger
Conditions--Rozi Plain
The Morning Blues--Paul Jones Quartet
HOUR 3 11 TO 11: YOU ___ ME
Rainy Day Parade--Jill Sobule
Steps--Somepling
The Low Hum--Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards
I'll Find Another (Who Can Do it Right)--The Payola$
How Do I Get to the Morning--Maya de Vitry
Prelude/Angry Young Man--Billy Joel
Hey Now!--Oasis
Vacation--Sebadoh
626 Bedford Avenue--The Drums
One Step Closer--The Doobie Brothers
These Are the Laws--Judie Tzuke
Everlasting Love--Robert Knight
Magnetic Love--Genevieve Racette
HOUR 2
I'd Have You Anytime--George Harrison
Anemone--Slenderbodies
The Great Defector--Bell X1
Jumper--Third Eye Blind
Toronto Tontos--Max Webster
Morricone Dancehall--Burning Airlines
West End Girls--Pet Shop Boys
Pieces--The Bridges
Bridge to Nowhere--Sam Roberts
Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson--Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Goodbye--Night Ranger
Conditions--Rozi Plain
The Morning Blues--Paul Jones Quartet
HOUR 3 11 TO 11: YOU ___ ME
Saturday, June 01, 2019
Show #699--6/2/19
Laughing Cavalier--Clinic
Soul Fugue--100 Knights Orchestra
Semi-Simple Variations--The Bad Plus
Modern Times--Jefferson Starship
Pony--Charlie Hilton
QP Funk--Cro Magnon & DJ Jin
Boys--Lizzo
Genius of Love--Tom Tom Club
Sexy Mama--The Moments
If I Should Lose My Mind--Wild Belle
If I Ever Lose My Faith in You--Sting
Such Great Heights--Joy Kills Sorrow
I Can Change (wiidope Remix)--Lake Street Dive
You're Still Laughing--Fee Waybill
Living in the Wrong Time--Ike Reilly
Stand By Your Man--Lyle Lovett
HOUR 2
Perfect Way--Scritti Politti
Wingbeat--Caroline Davis
Broke a Couple of Rules (from "Booksmart")--Dan the Automator
I Can Change--LCD Soundsystem
When the Curtain Calls for You--Jonathan Fire Eater
Icarus--Alice Jemima
Girls--Dwight Twilley
Love Fool--Tanika Charles
Take Time Enough--HANDS IN
Pride (in the Name of Love)--U2
Un-Becoming--J. Robbins
Datsun Commercial--Van Dyke Parks
Murmuration Song--Eric Bachmann
Shaker Song--Spyro Gyra
HOUR 3 11 TO 11: EARLY JOHN & TAUPIN
Soul Fugue--100 Knights Orchestra
Semi-Simple Variations--The Bad Plus
Modern Times--Jefferson Starship
Pony--Charlie Hilton
QP Funk--Cro Magnon & DJ Jin
Boys--Lizzo
Genius of Love--Tom Tom Club
Sexy Mama--The Moments
If I Should Lose My Mind--Wild Belle
If I Ever Lose My Faith in You--Sting
Such Great Heights--Joy Kills Sorrow
I Can Change (wiidope Remix)--Lake Street Dive
You're Still Laughing--Fee Waybill
Living in the Wrong Time--Ike Reilly
Stand By Your Man--Lyle Lovett
HOUR 2
Perfect Way--Scritti Politti
Wingbeat--Caroline Davis
Broke a Couple of Rules (from "Booksmart")--Dan the Automator
I Can Change--LCD Soundsystem
When the Curtain Calls for You--Jonathan Fire Eater
Icarus--Alice Jemima
Girls--Dwight Twilley
Love Fool--Tanika Charles
Take Time Enough--HANDS IN
Pride (in the Name of Love)--U2
Un-Becoming--J. Robbins
Datsun Commercial--Van Dyke Parks
Murmuration Song--Eric Bachmann
Shaker Song--Spyro Gyra
HOUR 3 11 TO 11: EARLY JOHN & TAUPIN
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