1/7/10 Playlist

Miles Davis - In A Silent Way/Its About That Time (In A Silent Way)
Maps & Atlases - Daily News (You & Me & The Mountain)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - 21st Century (Stadium Arcadium)
Rx Bandits - Get (Progress)
The Beatles - Something (Abbey Road)
King Tubby - Zion Gate Dub ( From the Palace of Dub)
Portugal. The Man - The Woods (The Satanic Satanist)
Anthology of Music of Black Africa - Sicco
Anthology of Music of Black Africa - Toffi
The Mars Volta - Luciforms (Octahedron)

Recommendation: Quantic and his Combo Barbaro

By far one of the best artists I've been introduced to this year is Quantic. From his solo DJing stuff to the Quantic Soul Orchestra and Flowering Inferno they all hit on various sub-genres including funk, soul, reggae and salsa while keeping the common thread of being groovy.

His newest project Quantic and his Combo Barbaro ]explores the textures of South America. He put together this group after living in Columbia for the last couple years and its nothing short of amazing.

When I made my best f list a few weeks back I totally forgot about this record, but I've been listening to it constently and its working its way up into my top 5.

Quantic & his Combo Bárbaro @ the Echoplex, LA from Quantic on Vimeo.

Tera Melos in Japan

Dear Tera Melos,

Please put out another album soon?

Top 5 Albums of 2009

My Top 5 albums of the year are;


1.Rx Bandits - Mandala

Favorite Track : "My Lonesome Only Friend"


2.Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

Favorite Track : "Temecula Sunrise"


3.Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist

Favorite Track : "Mornings"


4.The Flaming Lips - Embryonic

Favorite Track: "Worm Mountain"


5.Big D & the Kids Table - Fluent In Stroll

Favorite Tracks: "Describing the Sky", "I I I", "Down Around Here"

Honorable Mentions;
Grizzly Bear - The Veckatamist
Soulive - Up Here
Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind EP
The Mars Volta - Octahedron
Everytime I Die - New Junk Aesthetic

Rx Bandits was my far and away favorite but the rest were kinda tricky. I wrestled between Dirty Projectors and Portugal. The Man, and although The Satanic Satanist has more staying power for me, I ultimately think Bitte Orca is the superior album. What initially caught my attention and ended up setting them apart for me was the excellent use of the human voice and harmony. The beautiful and intricate arrangements that David Longsreth and the crew put together in the name of pop music is just outstanding.

Embryonic was everything I didn't know I wanted from the Flaming Lips. They brought back their noisey past by way of kraut-rock inspired grooves. The fearless and dramatic turn that the Lips took really defines why they are one of my favorite bands.



The Veckatamist was close to making the cut but I had to give it to Fluent In Stroll. Big D really went for it with this record and it fucking payed off. Its a shame, but Big D is really the only band doing something new and creative with ska. But be warned, although ska influenced, it is by no means a ska record. What it is, is a record full of sunny and up-beat inventiveness.



Octahedron, which I thought was just ok at first, has grown on me quite a bit. Although not my favorite Volta, its a new side of them and makes for a great record in their long discography. The new Animal Collective EP is also great with "What Would I Want Sky" being down-right infectious.

What ended up winning me over this year were the bands that did something new and progressive with their sound. All the records in my top 5 are departures from the respective artists usual sound. This sense of freshness and exploration is what I love in music, and these bands really embodied it this year.

Westbound Train

Above is a video of Westbound Train covering Sam Cooke's "Cupid". This summer I saw them perform at Warped Tour, and while I felt sorta depressed most of the day, their set, and this song in particular, resurrected my soul. You see just about every band I saw, I heard no sincerity. Every band was out there to be a band, not musicians. There was no soul or love in the music of A Skylit Drive, Saosin, All Time Low, or any of these other bands. It made me question, am I getting older? Am I loosing my love for music? Why don't I get this when years before Warped Tour was the highlight of my year?

However once WBT started it all came back. It showed me why I love music. Its a great memory for me and its sad to see that they are taking a hiatus now and others won't to feel the warmth that their music brought. At least they made 4 fantastic records which i'll be listening to for years whenever I need my reggae fix.

Forever - Westbound Train

S A R G E N T H O U S E: RX Bandits Videos from Fuel TV's Daily Habit

S A R G E N T H O U S E: RX Bandits Videos from Fuel TV's Daily Habit

12/3/09 Playlist

This is my last show of 2009, so I did my favorites from the past year. This was my first semester on air and it was really great! Thanks for everyone who listened, friends and family alike, and I'll be back on in January! Have a good holiday season!

Animal Collective - What Would I Want, Sky (Fall Be Kind)
Big D & The Kids Table - Describing the Sky (Fluent In Stroll)
The Flaming Lips - The Sparrow Looks At The Machine (Embryonic)
Soulive - Backwards Jack (Up Here)
Miles Davis - Freddie Freeloader (Kind of Blue)
Coconut Records - West Coast (Nighttimmin')
Portugal. The Man - Home (The Satanic Satanist)
Dirty Projectors - Temecula Sunrise (Bitte Orca)
Rx Bandits - Breakfast Cat (Mandala)