Wednesday MidDay Medley
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Wednesday, December 21, 2011:

The 111 Best Recordings of 2011
(Part 3 of 4)

Part-3, of our 4-week special: The 111 Best Recordings of 2011, based on the playlists of Wednesday MidDay Medley. In 2011 we’ve featured hundreds of New & Local Releases, we’ve featured dozens of LIVE, in-studio performances from area musicians, and we’ve interviewed over 150 local and national artists. Over 40 recordings on our list are from the KC & Lawrence area. Please Tune in to 90.1 FM every Wednesday in December for our annual 4-week special event. We’re playing nearly 8-hours of music that represent: The 111 of Best Recordings of 2011!

1. 54. Lazy – “Future Boy”
from: Lazy [EP] / The Record Machine / 2011
[Sarica Douglas, Brock Potucek, Matt Huff, and Zach Van Benthusen originally formed as Lazy K for late 2009 show in Lawrence, KS. The band eventually went on to write their own original material. In the summer of 2010 they recorded their self titled debut with the help of Mike Tuley of Ad Astra Arkestra. Local label The Record Machine signed on to release their debut ep just before the band took off on a summer tour down the west coast. Lazy is currently writing and working on material for the follow up release.The Pitch wrote: “The local art-rock band’s self-titled EP is sopped with Modern Lovers beats, Velvet Underground dissonance and lo-fi discord…” We first played Lazy back on March 23.]

2. (53. Wild Flag -“Romance”
from: Wild Flag / Merge / Sept. 21, 2011
[2nd single from the debut of the four-piece super group, of sorts, based in Portland, Oregon and Washington, D.C. that consists of Carrie Brownstein (formerly of Sleater-Kinney), Mary Timony (formerly of Helium), Rebecca Cole (formerly of The Minders) and Janet Weiss (formerly of Quasi and Sleater-Kinney). The band played the RecordBar on Oct. 5.]

3. (52.) Motorboater – “Rainy Dayz (feat. Cowboy Indian Bear)”
from: Sport / The Record Machine / June 21, 2011 [Motorboater is Kansas City’s very own Dan Eaton who performs with one of his primary instruments: a Mac laptop. Mark Schoneveld in his music blog, yvynyl (‘why-vinyl’) describes Dan Eaton as making, “frenetic mellow music. It’s got that slow rumbling bass that you feel in your solar plexus on a big system, but is just chill enough for a late night makeout sesh. Throw in some 80s synth hooks and a warped glitch-art video and you’ll understand where he’s going with this.” ]

10:15

4. (51.) Ford & Lopatin – “Emergency Room”
from: Channel Pressure / Software / June 7, 2011
[full length debut from Daniel Lopatin and Joel Ford who began working together early in 2010 on music heavily influenced by 1980s-era production techniques, including the use of digital and analog synthesizers, drum machines, and sequencers. ]

5. (50.) The Republic Tigers – “The Infidel”
from: No Land’s Man [EP] / Chop Shop Records – Atlantic / April 18, 2011
[Formed in Kansas City, Missouri by Kenn Jankowski A pastor’s son, who moved all over the US, and ended up in the Springfield, Missouri suburb of Republic. In 1999, he moved to KC where he began playing guitar in The People, a band that later changed their name to The Golden Republic. When the Golden Republic split in early 2006, Jankowski reached out to his friend Adam McGil and a new band was born. Jankowski explains on the Chopshop website that “‘The Republic Tiger’ was my high-school mascot,” “… I don’t like band names very much and I don’t like thinking about them either, so I just took something that I knew was timeless to me, and big enough that we could color it with our music and create its meaning with our songs.” guitarist/pianist Ryan Pinkston, bassist Marc Pepperman, and drummer Justin Tricomi all brought their multi-instumentalist talents to the band who were the first act to sign with Chop Shop Records (an imprint of Atlantic Records). The song The Infidel was also featured on the Grey’s Anatomy Vol. 4 Soundtrack.]

6. (49.) Dirty Projectors & Bjork – “On and Ever Onward”
from: Mount Wittenberg Orca / Domino Records / October 24, 2011
[In 2009, Björk and Dirty Projectors, were asked to perform a charity concert of seven songs written just for the occasion. A year later they recorded the songs and released a digital-only format. Now over two years later the recording was released on CD and Vinyl by Domino Records. All proceeds to the National Geographic Society for the project of creating international marine protected areas. Mount Wittenberg is located at Point Reyes National Seashore in California. The inspiration for the EP came when Amber Coffman of Dirty Projectors saw a pod of whales off the coast while hiking at that spot.]

7. (48.) Cornershop – “Natch”
from: Cornershop & The Double-O Groove of / Ample Play Records / March 14, 2011
[The follow up to their 2009 album Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast. The album had been six years in the making and is a collaboration album a previously unrecorded, New Delhi-born, Lancashire-raised housewife, Punjabi singer, Bubbley Kaur, who sings all the lead vocals. Uncut Magazine wrote, “[It] isn’t just great music, it fuses disparate cultures with such joyous irreverence that, for 40 inspirational minutes, entire notions of national borders and racial divides cease to exist”.]

10:30

8. (47.) Margo May – “Dream Boy”
from: Space/Face / Independent / July 2011
[She grew up in Kansas City and worked as an actor at The Coterie Theatre. She Studied Liberal Arts and English at UMKC. and made her national network television debut on American Idol in 2010. Margo May, first appeared on our show on March 17, 2010 where she performed live, just a few days before she traveled to Austin, Texas for the SXSW Music Fest. Her Debut recording “Summerof” was one of our favorite recordings of 2010 and has received critical acclaim. She was the winner of the 2010 Pitch Music Award for Best Emerging Act. 24-year-old singer-songwriter Margo May is now based in Portland, Oregon. Margo May played LIVE on our June 8 WMM.]

9. (46.) Ha Ha Tonka – “Lonely Fortunes”
from: Death of A Decade / Bloodshot Records / April 5, 2011
[originally formed in Springfield, Missouri their music is steeped in Ozark folk. They are currently signed to Bloodshot Records out of Chicago. Recently, Ha Ha Tonka was a guest on The Travel Channel’s flagship show, “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.” In March 2011, Ha Ha Tonka kicked off a year of touring with shows at the SXSW festival in Austin, TX. In April and May, the band toured the US with stops at Wakarusa in June. The band is named after Ha Ha Tonka state park in southern Missouri.]

10. (45.) London Transit – “Fake Figures”
from: Fake Figures [EP] / Independent / Jan 1, 2011
[Brian Schick – Vocals / Guitar / Keyboards, Rellemurd Jones – Keyboards / MPC / Vocals, Robert William Jarrett III – Drums / Percussion. Recorded from January 2010 to October 2010. All songs written and recorded by London Transit.]

11. (44.) King Creosote & John Hopins – “Your Young Voice”
from: Diamond Mine / Domino / March 28, 2011
[Nominated for the Mercury Prize King Creosote,is the stage name for Kenny Anderson, an independent singer-songwriter from Fife, Scotland, who has released over 40 albums. Anderson is also a member of Scottish-Canadian band, The Burns Unit.]

10:45

12. (43.) The Appleseed Cast – “Middle States”
from: Middle States EP / Graveface – Red / June 7, 2011
[Based in Lawrence, Kansas,with CHRIS CRISCI on guitar and vocals, TAYLOR HELENBECK on guitars, NATE WHITMAN on bass, NATHAN WILDER on drums. As part of The Middle of The Map Festival , The Appleseed Cast played The Middle of The Map Festival on April 8, at The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway]

13. (42.) Joan As Police Woman – “Kiss The Specifics”
from: The Deep Field / 101 Distribution / Feb. 1, 2011
[Joan Wasser was a professional violinist, who after the death of her boyfriend Jeff Buckley, began to sing and write songs with some of Jeff’s band mates in a project called Black Beetle. Since assuming her current moniker in 2002 she assumed her new identity – a reference to the 70’s cop show, and has toured and collaborated with Rufus Wainwright and Antony and the Johnsons. She has received critical acclaim for her three studio albums REAL LIFE (2006), TO SURVIVE (2008) and a compilation of covers aptly titled COVER (2009).]

14. (41.) Times New Viking – “No Room To Live”
from: Dancer Equired / Merge / April 26, 2011
[5th studio release from the lo-fi indie rock from Columbus, Ohio. With guitarist Jared Phillips, drummer and vocals from Adam Elliott, and Beth Murphy on keyboards and vocals. “Times New Viking,” is a play on the popular typeface Times New Roman.]

11:00

15. (40.) The Sea and Cake – “Up On The Northshore”
from: The Moonlight Butterfly / Thrill Jockey / May 10, 2011
[9th release from Chicago based band formed in the mid 1990s out of the ashes of local bands The Coctails and Shrimp Boat. Archer Prewitt and Sam Precop have both also release solo recordings.]

16. (39.) Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “Ffunny Ffrends”
from: Unknown Mortal Orchestra / Fat Possum Records / June 21, 2011
[self-titled debut from Portland based band, initially conceived by New Zealand native, Ruban Neilson, who pieced a band together, with his producer, Jake, on bass, and a teenage drummer named Julien. Their facebook page describes them as, “bring(ing) break-beats together with 60’s/70’s Beatles sounding pop harmonies and a minimal Krautrock rhythm section.”]

17. (38.) Cherokee Rock Rifle – “4 gram Shotgun”
from: …and the plains are burning / Independent / Jan. 2011
[Debut EP from KC based band fronted by Dutch Humphrey. The 5-piece band also features: Douglas Nelson on lead guitar, Scott Reed on rhythm guitarr, Bert Northward on drum, and Evan John on bass. Cherokee Rock Rifle played the Crossroads Music Fest, on Sept 10 KC Uncovered II, and multiple shows through out the Mo/Kan region.]

11:15

18. (37.) Spirit is the Spirit – “Little Bear / Wild Fox”
from: Mother Mountain / Independent / February 26, 2011
[Folk-psychedelic-rock from Lawrence, Kansas. Austen Malone, Noah Compo, Wayne Zimmerman, Josh Landau, Brook Partain, Danny Bowersox. “a Lawrence band with a cosmic hippie vibe plus horns (trumpet, trombone), lots of percussion and supernal vocal harmonies”- Tim Finn]

19. (36.) Barnaby Bright – “If I Came Back As A Song”
from: Gravity / Mishara / June 7 , 2011
[Brooklyn-based indie folk rock duo Barnaby Bright, have garnered high accolades for their lyrically captivating and impeccably balanced songwriting and sound. Finalists in the New York Song Circle Contest for two years in a row, Barnaby Bright was awarded the Grand Prize, winners in November 2010 for their song, “Don’t Look Down.”]

20. (35.) Civil Wars – “C’est la Mort”
from: Barton Hallow / Sensibility Records / July 19, 2011
[First full length from singer-songwriters Joy Williams and John Paul White. The duo met during a Nashville, Tennessee songwriting session.]

21. (34.) Mary Fortune – “The Paper”
from: Mary Fortune / Independent / May 6 2011
[Mary Fortune are: Jori Sackin- guitar, vocals, Laura Frank- vocals, singing saw, accordion; Billy Belzer- percussion; Andrew Connor- bass guitar, vocals; Liz Connor- violin. Mary Fortune played Midwestern Musical Company, 1830 Locust, Friday May 6 in a CD release concert with: Ghosty. Jori Sackin was out guest on WMM on September 28 joining us to discuss his film project with Pat Vamos called “Space Thang.” that premiered at The Strand Theatre on Troost.]

11:30

22. (33.) Vivian Girls – “I Heard You Say”
from: Share The Joy / Polyvinyl Records / April 12, 2011
[Third album by lo-fi/punk band Vivian Girls, the female trio from Brooklyn.]

23. (32.) Radiohead– “Lotus Flower”
from: King of Limbs / Ticker Tape / Feb 18, 2011
[8th studio album by English rock band Radiohead, produced by Nigel Godrich. It was self-released on February 18, 2011 as a download in MP3 and WAV formats. The King of Limbs has been nominated for five categories in the 54th Grammy Awards: Best Alternative Music Album, Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, Best Short Form Music Video (for “Lotus Flower”), Best Rock Performance (for “Lotus Flower”) and Best Rock Song (also for “Lotus Flower”).]

24. (31.) Destroyer –“Chinatown”
from: Kaputt / Merge / Jan. 25, 2011
[9th album from the Canadian indie rock band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar (pronounced /ˈbeɪhɑr/) a singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. Bejar is also a member of the supergroup: The New Pornographers. Last year we featured the Merge records reissue of 2001 release, Streethawk: A Seduction, on our list of the 100 Best recordings of 2010. ]

10:15

25. (30.) Little Dragon – “Ritual Union”
from: Ritual Union / Peace Frog / July 26, 2011
[From Gothenburg, Sweden. This is the 3rd release frpm the four-piece band that blends R&B, new wave, electronica and experimental pop with the lead vocals of Yukimi Nagano.]

26. (29.) Lykke Li – “I Follow Rivers”
from: Wounded Rhymes / LL Records / March 1, 2011
[The second studio album by Swedish recording artist Lykke Li who spent six months writing and recording the album in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, while visiting the desert, and eventually coming up with songs she calls “hypnotic, psychotic and more primal”. In an interview with Pitchfork Media on November 18, 2010, she said, “I’m from Sweden so I don’t enjoy winter at all; there’s nothing cute about it. I was totally romanticizing the idea of Los Angeles when the Doors, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young were hanging out there. I was trying to find David Lynch and Leonard Cohen with no luck. It was just more of a retreat. And Los Angeles is such a mysterious place because there’s so much evil in that city, but there’s also so much light. You can be totally alone on a hillside and I love that kind of secluded, deserted rawness.”]

27. (28.) Wilco – “Born Alone”
from: The Whole Love / dBpm Records – Epitaph Records / Sept. 23, 2011
[8th album by Chicago based band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of Uncle Tupelo following Jay Farrar’s departure. Wilco’s lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt remaining from the original incarnation. Since early 2004, the other current members are guitarist Nels Cline, multi-instrumentalists Pat Sansone and Mikael Jorgensen, and drummer Glenn Kotche. Wilco has released 8 studio albums, a live double album, and three collaborations: two with Billy Bragg, and one with The Minus 5. Wilco played The Uptown on December 3, in a show that had been sold out for months.]

Concert Calendar:
12-21 Mark Lowrey and the KC Hip Hop All Stars at recordBar
12-22 Mark Smeltzer on 90.1 FM’s Local Showcase 8 – 10
12-22 Cassie Taylor at Knuckleheads
12-22 Moaning Lisa/The Dead Girls/Dream Wolf at The Riot Room
12-22 Molly Picture Club/The Quivers at recordBar
12-23 Haunted Creepys/Cher U.K./Drop A Grand at recordBar
12-23 Sons of Great Dane/Filthy 13 Holiday show at The Brick
12-23 The Floozies/E.Z. Brothers FREE SHOW at Beaumont
12-24 American Catastrophe/Cadillac Flambe at Davey’s
12-26 Sonic Spectrum presents: ELO tribute with Be/Non, Oleo feat.members of Gardrails & Gourmet Mushroom x and more at recordBar
(Special Thanks to Chris Haghirian for concert information!)

Wednesday MidDay Medley is on the web:
WednesdayMidDayMedley.org
facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM
kkfi.org

11:59:30

28. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]

Show # 400