Here in the northeast, we’re in that peak/past peak moment with foliage. We balance precariously at this point for quite a few days before one day the weatherman pronounces decisively, “we’re past peak,” and you know it’s true. It’s also a time when we balance precariously between two radically different views of the future — […]
Independent Community Radio and Us – Rewards and Pitfalls
| Radio
Another Life – June 7, 2017
| Radio
Sometimes you just want to lose yourself in the music. Such was the case this week on Bubble Wrap Radio, moments of levity aside. It wasn’t the great depth or passion of the music itself, but the inventiveness of its authors that pulled us along. So yes, to Adriano Celetano who in 1972 released “Prisencolinensinainciusol” […]
Twisting Flippers – May 31, 2017
| Radio
As we say good-bye to rainy May and get ready to enter rainy June, Bubble Wrap Radio gets its act together and plays some new music. If you were listening, and we doubt you were, you would have heard some fresh 80s-inspired dance pop from Layla Frankel, the incredible diction of Fagelle, the gritty groove of Makola’s “This Is London,” and a featurette from Montreal’s Fixture Records. You might have danced around, scratched your head, or gazed pensively out a window. We can’t tell you — only you know.
The Courtneys – Courtneys II
| Records
On their new CD Courtneys II, The Courtneys play to my weakness for punky girl power pop by people who aren’t afraid to be vulnerable. Hailing from the Vancouver area, they share a certain guitar-driven northern mindset with other frustrated rockers from the snow belt — think Replacements and Husker Du — but with the kind of shouty girl vocals you might associate with 90s bands like Blake Babies and Kenickie. Yes, the 90s are back and it’s about time. Courtney Love is only a touchstone here — The Courtneys are no tribute band.
So Wavey – May 24, 2017
| Radio
All over the world, new music is happening and it’s up to us to catch(some of) it and bring it to y’all. This week on Bubble Wrap Radio, we played songs from Thailand, Brisbane, Pittsburgh and Croatia, among other places. Believe it or not, you can hear the difference geography makes.
Too Hot – May 17, 2017
| Radio
Indeed, it was too hot in the 3rd floor studio of WVEW on Main Street in Brattleboro where this week’s edition of Bubble Wrap beamed forth undaunted. To celebrate the heat wave (93 degrees in May!), CG played “Too Hot” by Kool and the Gang, a band that was never cool but always brought a smile. This emboldened us to follow it up with Steely Dan’s “Black Friday” which dovetailed nicely with the Dow’s 373 point drop earlier in the day.
Arabesque – May 3, 2017
| Radio
Bubble Wrap radio launched into May with new music from Charly Bliss, Couleur Dessin, Cory Hanson, Blithe Field (a new favorite) and Waxahatchee, as well as a long list of runners up. Due to a hard drive failure affecting the musical fortunes of DJ CG, there is less funk on this show than usual. Blithe […]
Insufficient Funds – April 26, 2017
| Radio
On Bubble Wrap this week, we showcased two artists new to us who have purchase-worthy albums out right now: winsome punk rockers The Courtneys and the French-North African dance outfit Acid Arab. The Courtneys (of Vancouver, Canada) take me straight back to the early days of DIY indie rock and what song could better represent […]
The Rumors Are True – April 19, 2017
| Radio
![Frog Haiku Memorial By Eckhard Pecher (Self-photographed) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.indiedisco.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Haiku-Garden-150x150.jpg)
For the better part of last week, I was haunted by Tom Courtenay — not the actor, who I don’t remember, but the song by Yo La Tengo. It came out on Electr-O-Pura in 1995 and provided melodic counterpoint to what was otherwise one of the band’s noisier, dronier phases. We started Bubble Wrap Radio with it, noting to ourselves that noisy guitar-driven rock is bound to come back one of these days. Oh wait! it already has….at least in places like Slovenia.
Swindle – April 12, 2017
| Radio
New music galore and lots of Prince marked this week’s Bubble Wrap show. On the new music front, highlights included Hurray For The Riff, Swindle, New Pornographers, and struggling artist Andrew Joslyn. From the Prince 12″ archive, we got “Hot Thing” and “U Got The Look” among others.
Spring Sing – March 22, 2017
| Radio
It’s been a little hard to tell that Spring is here, at least in Southern Vermont, from whence Bubble Wrap radio emanates, but not surprisingly, a lot of new and vernal tunes have come our way. New tracks from Albin Andersson, The Shins (“Cherry Hearts”), Peonies, and our favorite New York composer, Bill LePage, top the list. We also through a bunch of 12″ remixes out there from the ’80s, including rarely heard versions of Kraftwerk and Sade.
Scratch Pad – March 15, 2017
| Radio
This week’s Bubble Wrap radio show explodes with pop splendor from Euro Dance to songs about your bottom (and how nice it is). In between, we snuck in some Nashville country (“Carolina” by Brady Toops), a couple ballads with strong female leads (Shelby Earl’s “The Man Who Made Himself A Name” and Sallie Ford’s “Middle […]
Morning (Never) Comes – March 8, 2017
| Radio
Bubble Wrap Radio continues with new music from Baltimore, the Netherlands, Chicago, New Jersey, and the UK. The Twelve Inch Revolution carries on with numerous Talking Heads extended mixes. No particular theme, just music for the moment. Favorite song of the evening was The Courtneys “Silver Velvet.” Riot girls they ain’t but this song has […]
Save The Humans – March 1, 2017
| Radio
With the everything sliding into depressing mayhem all around, it’s good to have an escape route mapped out so you have somewhere to go when you can’t take it anymore. My map is musical. And say what you like about Donald Trump, he’s sure proved inspirational to a lot of artists, or at least, there […]