IR: UK #49 – Let Me Out

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What’s in this episode

• The Drowners – Let Me Out
• GK & The Renegades – Out Of Control
• The Casuals – Confusion
• The Idea – M.M.D.G.
• Ashley Reakes – Sucker For Punishment
• {satellite-state} – Lights Out
• Kyoshi – Strip The City
• Antiqcool – My Avatar
• Two Dollar Bash – Man In Black
• Snovonne – My Sweet Fiend
• Flaveret 3rd – My Destiny

Be sure to click on the Read more link for detailed show notes and links

Read more

The Turn-ons: Cold Boys

The Turn-ons have been performing in the Northwest, California and NY with bands like Brian Jonestown Massacre, British Sea Power, and Ulrich Schnauss, and tirelessly writing and recording new material over the past 8 years. They caught the eye of REM’s Peter Buck who described the band in his column for Q magazine, as “…simply my favourite new Seattle band. If I said that their sound was a combination of the Velvets, T. Rex and Spiritualized with a dash of Yo La Tengo, it wouldn’t do them justice.”

The Turn-ons have released three full length albums: The Turn-ons, East, Parallels and the EP, Love Ruined Us. Their songs have appeared on soundtracks, ASCAP and Uncut samplers, and featured in SPIN magazine.

Curse is the fifth release from The Turn-ons and its currently available entirely for free along with quite a few other extras at their website.

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The Crash Moderns: Where Did All The Scene Girls Go

(VOTE us to play WARPED TOUR!)

“A mix of Pop/New Wave rock and modern sound, Goodnight Glamour Good Morning Disaster, the debut release from NYC’s The Crash Moderns is full of catchy songs that will remain in your head for days. There are so many tracks on this album that have single written all over it…The electronic vibe, hand claps, and instant rock gratification is sure to turn your frown upside down…” [Melodic.net]

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Links

• thecrashmoderns.com
• Myspace

Insomnia Radio #157: Rappers Ball

Following up on the first all hip-hop episode here at Insomnia Radio back at the end of 2006 (#103 – He’s Playing WHAT???), we eagerly bring you sixteen high quality tracks from a wide selection of regional artists, including repeat performances from NYC’s Metermaids & Atlanta’s Psyche Origami.

We are also honored by a special guest appearance at the head of the show by The Iceberg himself, straight out of Inglewood, CA.

(Definitely NOT work/kid safe)

Original Photo by Mikey G Ottawa

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1) Black Ice – Chevy ‘64 (feat. Feddie DeMarco & Tash) | itunes
2) People Under the Stairs – Tuxedo Rap | e-music
3) Blue Scholars – Joe Metro | e-music
4) Blockhead – Duke of Hazzard | amazon
5) Grand Analog – Around This Town | e-music
6) Psyche Origami – Directions | itunes
7) Nine:Fifteen – Spilt Milk | e-music
8 ) Metermaids – Turn it Up (feat. Camp Lo) | e-music
9) Pic Vicious – Systematik
10) Pigeon John – Growin’ Old | e-music
11) Giant Panda – Speakers Pop | e-music
12) Junk Science – Do It Easy | e-music
13) Blueprint – Boombox | e-music
14) Shane Hunter – Stack of Bibles | itunes
15) The Saturday Knights – Dog Park | itunes
16) Mr. J. Medeiros – Constance | itunes

SHOUT-OUTS
Griffen @ Unlabeled Records
Radio BSOTS
MC Jason E.
Spita (IR: Baltimore Theme Song)
Win Ice-T’s iPod Touch!
Soundbed: Kou Chou Ching, Hostyll, Hip-Hop for Kids [Vol 1/2]

OrtzRoka: Planets

And now for a head-trip around the planetary systems.

From the UK, experimental electronic duo OrtzRoka has been recently described as ‘half mental techno, half down tempo mint and water’ by Fluokids. I have no earthly idea what that really means although it sounds like a sobering glass of water to the face at the end of a mildly eye glazing headphone session on the summer patio.

OrtzRoka cut their teeth DJing, and creating remixes for more established artists such as Simian Mobile Disco, Bloc Party, and Peter, Bjorn & John. They spent several months at the end of last year practicing live sets and working on some tracks for a demo album which you can preview three other tracks from on MySpace (another favorite is “Big City”). PLANETS slowly submerses itself into the nodes of the brain, its alien beats battling back and forth like the creeping ink in the video you are about to witness.

To fully appreciate the track PLANETS you really need to view the accompanying video. It was directed by Dan Lowe of Partizan Films, who was nominated for Best New Director at the 2007 CAD Music Video Awards. It’s definitely my pick for best video of the year to date. It’ll blow your mind.

Thanks to Scarlett for bringing this to our attention! [cs]

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Make Your Exit: Quarters

From their soon to be released EP, From Toronto, Make Your Exit, Quarters

Check their Blog and Myspace for release details of the EP. I’ve heard it and can recommend it. [SM]

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Links

• Artist Blog
• Myspace

Photosynthesis: Shadows & Sparks

PHOTOSYNTHESIS is songs. They come on CDs and in digital files that you can download from the internet. Sometimes there are these performance things that are done using a microphone and a computer. Don’t come to these unless you’re OK with that.

Anyway, the primary goal of PHOTOSYNTHESIS is to be totally awesome. Secondary goals are to cause dancing and to be mean to people who don’t dance because they think they’re too cool. The tertiary goal is to discover uncharted territories, both physical and metaphysical. Quaternary goals are being unreasonably loud, celebrating the existence of horses, and being really pissed off that 21+ concerts exist. ALL AGES FOREVER!!

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Twilight Sleep: Don’t Fire Your Guns

From their 2008 EP Race To the Bottom of the Sea

A polychromatic vision filled with synthesizers and echoey guitar, this EP combines electro-dream rock with post-punk angularity and an indie sensibility, complete with unconventional objects, such as typewriters, to lay their musical landscape. [IODA]

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Links

• twilightsleepmusic.com
• Myspace

Ride Your Bike: Sticks and Stones

Every story needs a soundtrack. Just ask Mike Getches of Fort Collins-based RIDE YOUR BIKE who penned an imaginative screenplay to serve as the foundation for his addictive brand of indie pop….as well as his band’s debut album. The musical companion to a wartime story, BAD NEWS FROM THE BAR is a lush soundscape that finds childhood friends Elliot and Lillian drifting apart due to Elliot’s big city dreams. It’s only through encounters with drug-addicted neighbors police interrogators and fiery plane crashes that the pair ultimately discover what’s really important.

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic

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The Delicious: Hokusai

From the album Postcard To My Sewing Circle – June 10 2008

The Delicious sing of social and dietary anxiety. The Delicious spin yarns of dramatic resurrection: wooing and courting soul-affirmation, the threat of vacuous failure and its resulting commodification heel-nipping the voyage. The Delicious are sarcastic doomsday soothsayers – and their cachet has been illimitably enhanced by the lead-singer’s Civil War era/Salvador Dali style mustache.

Originating in the isolated and strangely culturally-in-tune town of Bloomington, Indiana, The Delicious assembled in the fall of 2005, composed of a disillusioned art student and three students of jazz (singer/ guitarist David Woodruff, drummer Ben Fowler, bassist Julian Bransby, and keyboardist Matt Romy respectively). The Delicious have released their highly-evolved next album with Joyful Noise, titled Postcard To My Sewing Circle. Recently Nick Romy replaced Bransby, providing blood harmonies and joining his brother in a venture besides their punk, folk, and jazz ensembles.[Joyful Noise Recordings]

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Links

• Myspace
• Joyful Noise Recordings

Mike Doughty: Looking at the World From the Bottom of a Well

You may be familiar with Brooklyn NY based singer-songwriter Mike Doughty through his work in the 90’s with the group Soul Coughing. In 2000 he broke up that band and toured the country selling 20,000 copies of his acoustic solo CD, “Skittish”, and then impressed Dave Matthews with a CD of rough mixes of an album he had been working on in Minneapolis with former Semisonic singer Dan Wilson. He released “Haughty Melodic” in 2005 under Dave Matthews label ATO, and has just released his fourth solo album this year entitled ‘Golden Delicious’.

This track “Looking at the World…” from “Haughty Melodic” is available at e-music or over at Mike’s website for free. You can also pick up “Golden Delicious” at the aforementioned link. [cs]

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Mixtape: Insomnia is Warped ‘08 [Bonus Tracks]

Since I had such a great time researching specific tracks of groups performing at Warped, I thought we’d throw an extra tape together highlighting another eighteen artists performing at the festival this year.

Enjoy the overkill, and most importantly, crank it up!!

(Original Image by KanepsPhoto)

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INSOMNIA IS WARPED ‘08 MIXTAPE [BONUS CUP]
35) The Pinker Tones – Love Tape (Mash Up)
36) Every Avenue – Days of the Old
37) Mayday Parade – Jamie All Over
38) The Secret Handshake – Too Young
39) Greeley Estates – Through Waiting
40) Street Dogs – Two Angry Kids
41) The Vandals – Pizza Tran
42) Chaser – Sickness
43) Protest the Hero – Heretics & Killers
44) mc chris – nrrrd grrrl
45) Story of the Year – Wake Up
46) Entice – All I Ever Needed
47) Cinematic Sunrise – The Wordless
48) Chiodos – Baby, You Wouldn’t Last a Minute on the Creek
49) Farewell – Stay Pretty
50) Brave Citizens – The Same Way
51) The Gaslight Anthem – 1930
52) Reel Big Fish – Party Down

Human Cycle: Anankê (One shine sane)

From the album Amian

[From Portugal] Human Cycle began their cultural and musical performance in the year 2004. Influenced by different styles of musical and cultural matrix, the members of the group found in the heart of the band, a balance between rock with a touch of soul (soul rock) and electronic rhythms. Lyrics are key elements in the life of the group, since the different social, cultural and philosophical realities in which we are living, are revealed through their texts. The songs of Human Cycle expose a variety of social and philosophical issues that concern people and society in general. After many concerts in several stages and the commitment over the last 2 years, the outcome has arrived and the third record of the band will be released under the name “Lead the Way”. [Myspace]

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Links

• humancycle.net
• Myspace
• Amazon
• emusic

Mixtape: Insomnia is Warped ‘08 [Side B]

Please enjoy the second part of our Insomnia is Warped Mixtape ‘08 series, released a day after the Warped Tour opener. Apparently the festival debuted in oppressive triple digit temperatures in Pomona, CA – but the heat couldn’t do much to keep the swarming ravenous crowds at bay.

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INSOMNIA IS WARPED ‘08 MIXTAPE [SIDE B]
18) Pennywise – Living for Today
19) All That Remains – This Calling
20) Blase Debris – Jersey Devil
21) Sick City Daggers – Zombies
22) Revolution Mother – Come On
23) Gym Class Heroes – Taxi Driver
24) Set Your Goals – Echoes (acoustic)
25) The Randies – Boys in Stereo
26) The Maine – The Way We Talk
27) A Day to Remember – A Second Glance
28) The A.K.A.s – Every Great Western
29) The Color Fred – If I Surrender
30) Dodger – Dog Soldiers
31) Mo Bigsley – Randalls Candle
32) The Lordz – Outlaw (feat. Tim Armstrong)
33) The Aggrolites – Free Time
34) Phathom – Culling Song

Mixtape: Insomnia is Warped ‘08 [Side A]

The 2008 Warped Tour engine fires up today in Pomona, California (US) and the musicians invited will spend the majority of the summer nomadically performing across the country, storming toward the East Coast and then making their way back to Carson, CA for a grand finale in mid-August.

I’ve done my best to filter out the most breathy angst, gutteral Middle Earth screaming drowning out skillful instrumentation, excessive voice modulation, and tearful weeping hearts.

What’s left are around fifty of the stronger tracks from a more well balanced range of music that I could locate, spread across three mixtapes – the first of which you can listen to here. You’ll find that some artists in this compilation are playing the entire tour, while a few have been chosen to play select dates.

Please enjoy and check out the rest of this series in our festival mixtape section, right on the heels of this hourlong driverless ride. Muahaha!

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INSOMNIA IS WARPED MIXTAPE ‘08 [SIDE A]
1) Four Year Strong – Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die
2) Horrorpops – Where They Wander
3) The Academy Is… – Checkmarks
4) Saint Alvia – Don’t Wanna Wait Forever
5) A Cursive Memory – Everything
6) The Human Abstract – Crossing the Rubicon
7) Edreys – No Joke
8 ) The Dollyrots – Kick Me to the Curb
9) Patent Pending – Cheer Up Emo Kid
10) GBH – Sickboy
11) Evergreen Terrace – New Friend Request
12) Love Equals Death – Pray for Me
13) Your Highness Electric – Handing Out Hairlips
14) Alamance – Waiting on You
15) Letters Burning – Kings and Queens
16) Anarbor – Beat of the Drum
17) Bouncing Souls – Lean on Sheena

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