It's either my router or my cable internet connection. One or both is contributing once again to a choppy upstream. Bear with me. It might take a couple more days to resolve.

I used music my son and I recorded with Elecktroplankton as my background music for my mic sets tonight, with mixed results. If you have a Nintendo DS, check out Electroplankton. Thanks to John for giving me the tip on Electroplankton back before last Christmas.

And here's another action-packed two hours of indie music. Lots of freshly-released stuff tonight. And two freebie downloads.

1. Scrawl - He Cleaned Up    Travel On, Rider
2. The Evil Queens - Year Of The Cretin    Lovesong Werewolves
3. Machine Go Boom - Niagara Falls    Music for Parents
4. The Lindsay - Life Is Fair    Dragged Out
5. Immaculate Machine - Bateau Brise    Les Uns Mais Pas Les Autres
6. Les Breastfeeders - Mini Jupe et Watusi    Déjeuner sur l'herbe
7. April March - Tu Mens    Chick Habit
8. Land Of Talk - Magnetic Hill     Applause Cheer Boo Hiss
9. The Faintest Ideas - Lose the Downside    What Goes Up Must Calm Down
10. I'm From Barcelona - Oversleeping     Let Me Introduce My Friends
11. Hari and Aino - Buy an Island     myspace.com/hariandaino
12. Salty Pirates - Common sense    Back With a Vengeance
13. The Concretes - A Whales Heart    Hey Trouble
14. Elliott Smith - New Monkey    New Moon
15. Joan As Policewoman - We Don't Own It    Real Life
16. Feist - Honey Honey    The Reminder
17. Ben + Vesper - Rockaway Twp.    All This Could Kill You
18. Miracle Fortress - Maybe Lately    Five Roses
19. Heartless Bastards - I Swallowed A Dragonfly    All This Time
20. Poster Children - Western Springs    No More Songs About Sleep and Fire
21. Voxtrot - Brother In Conflict    Voxtrot
22. Clinic - Paradise    Visitations
23. Mary Timony Band - Pause/Off    The Shapes We Make
24. Electrelane - After The Call    No Shouts, No Calls
25. Shapes and Sizes - Teller/Seller    Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner.

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26. Download "Double Dolphins On The Nickel" (mp3)
from "Mice Parade"
by Mice Parade
Fat Cat Records

• Buy at iTunes Music Store
• Buy at eMusic
• Buy at Rhapsody
• Stream from Rhapsody

More On This Album

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27. Download "Dumb Luck" (mp3)
from "Dumb Luck"
by Dntel
Sub Pop

• Buy at Sub Pop Megamart
• Buy at iTunes Music Store

More On This Album

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28. The Sea and Cake - Exact to Me    Everybody
29. Fujiya & Miyagi - Ankle injuries    Transparent Things
30. Gang Of Four - Why Theory? (Amusement Parks On Fire Remix)    Return the Gifts The Remixes

Okay...the big excitement this week in the Columbus music scene was the reunion of Scrawl, as part of the bittersweet 10th birthday party for Little Brothers. More info on Scrawl's future plans are in this Columbus Alive story.

I'm just here today to tell you that Scrawl totally rocked the house. No moss growing here. The latest drummer, Jovan Karcic, is skilled, keeping a steady, propulsive beat. If you're lucky enough to live in Columbus ( wow...never thought I'd utter that phrase ), see them if they play again in July or August, as they are hinting at in the article.

Despite some problems with a guitar amp early in the set that triggered an impromptu version of "Love's Insectside" while members of Earwig scrambled to set up another amp, Scrawl rocked out. See the set list below. The final song, a searing run-through of "Breaker, Breaker" left us all wanting more.

The Lindsay and Earwig played also. I liked both sets. The Lindsay have that big guitar and drum, sort of psychedelic sound that sounds better on disc than it did through the muddy mix last night. Earwig were tight as hell, great pop rock. I'm going to have to pick up their latest. It's on sale at Meijer. You hear me. Meijer.

Iskabibble closed out the night's festivities, but the crowd was significantly lighter and it seemed a completely different sort of folks were gathered close to the stage for that one.

And now for my sloppy pictures. Dear girl with the video camera who shot most of Earwig and Scrawl, please read this and please contact me and tell me that you've posted your stuff somewhere on the interweb. You disappeared before I could give you a card.

The Lindsay


Earwig


Marcy singing the Tom Petty part of "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" with Earwig


Marcy


Sue


Jovan, wearing a warm-up jacket with very reflective strips on the sleeves, apparently.


The set list. I like Marcy's notes to retune after certain numbers.

I have some questions for you faithful listeners this week. Your feedback is appreciated. So listen please...

1. Earwig - In My Ear    Perfect Past Tense
2. The Lindsay - Hit The #    Dragged Out
3. Scrawl - Charles    Smallmouth
4. pretty girls make graves - pyrite pedestal    Elan Vital
5. Vertigo Butterfly - Small Pleasures    1932
6. Mary Timony Band - Killed By The Telephone    The Shapes We Make
7. Electrelane - The Lighthouse    No Shouts, No Calls
8. Arcade Fire - The Well And The Lighthouse    Neon Bible
9. Imperial Teen - Baby    On
10. Maximo Park - Our Velocity    Our Earthly Pleasures
11. Arctic Monkeys - Fluorescent Adolescent    Favourite Worst Nightmare
12. Coffinberry - Earthworms In The Sun    God Dam Dogs
13. eric Metronome - Moving Water    You Should Be Happy
14. Maritime - German Engineering    We, the Vehicles
15. The Invisible Cities - Instaglo    Watertown
16. sprites - Do It Yourself    Starlings, Spiders, Tiger and sprites
17. Sondre Lerche - She's Fantastic    Phantom Punch

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18. Download "You Got Me" (mp3)
from "New Believers"
by Elk City
Friendly Fire Recordings

• Buy at iTunes Music Store
• Buy at eMusic
• Buy at Napster
• Buy at Navio Download

More On This Album

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19. Salty Pirates - Survivalist guide    Back With a Vengeance saltypirates.com
20. Jens Lekman - Julie (Remix)    Oh, You're so Silent, Jens
21. Let's Go Sailing - This Much    The Chaos in Order
22. The Icicles - Gedge's Song    Arrivals and Departures
23. The Hi-Life Companion - You're The Greatest    Say Yes!
24. The Concretes - Oh No    Hey Trouble
25. Feist - I Feel It All    The Reminder
26. Freezepop - I Am Not Your Gameboy    Fancy Ultra-Fresh
27. The Blow - Hock It    Poor Aim: Love Songs
28. Dntel - Rock My Boat (Feat. Mia Doi Todd)    Dumb Luck
29. Dean & Britta - Singer Sing    Back Numbers
30. Stars - Tru    Nightsongs
31. Au Revoir Simone - Fallen Snow (Age of Rockets Remix)    The Bird of Music
32. Fuijya & Miyagi - Collarbone    Transparent Things
33. !!! - Must Be The Moon    Myth Takes

1. The Clash - This Is Radio Clash    The Essential Clash
2. Fujiya & Miyagi - Photocopier    Transparent Things
3. Au Revoir Simone - Dark Halls    The Bird of Music
4. lcd sound system - All My Friends    Sound of Silver
5. Peter Bjorn And John - Up Against The Wall    Writer's Block
6. Laura Veirs - Don't Lose Yourself    Saltbreakers
7. eric Metronome - Something To Lose    You Should Be Happy
8. Vertigo Butterfly - 1932    1932
9. The Hi-Life Companion - Lay Your Head Down    Say Yes!
10. Hari and Aino - Your Heartache And Mine    myspace.com/hariandaino
11. Let's Go Sailing - Sideways    The Chaos In Order

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12. Download "High Times" (mp3)
from "New Moon"
by Elliott Smith
Kill Rock Stars

• Buy at Kill Rock Stars Pre-order

More On This Album

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13. Mirah - Don't Die In Me (Bryce Panic Nighttime In The Delta Mix)    Joyride: Remixes
14. Walker Kong - We Are The Falling Stars    Deliver Us From People
15. Sub Debs - Don't Mess With Us    She's So Control
16. Salty Pirates - the guy you talk with    Back With a Vengeance   saltypirates.com
17. Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers - I'm Straight    23 Great Recordings
18. Hello Saferide - Highschool Stalker (Bonus)    Introducing...Hello Saferide
19. The Velvet Underground - Coney Island Steeplechase    Another View
20. Pavement - The Sutcliffe Catering Song (Peel Session)    Crooked Rain...Crooked Rain (reissue)
21. Mary Timony Band - Sharpshooter    The Shapes We Make
22. Electrelane - Cut And Run    No Shouts, No Calls
23. The Lucksmiths - Untidy Towns    Happy Secret
24. Utah Carol - Silver Space Rocket    Comfort For The Traveler
25. Sodastream - Brass Lines    A Minor Revival
26. Coffinberry - Archibald Hoyle    God Dam Dogs
27. Foxtail Somersault - Motionland    Fathom
28. Celestial - Lake Como   Dream On
29. Marmoset - Black Cab    Various Artists: SC-100
30. Stars - What I'm Trying to Say (The Dears Remix)    Various Artists: Do You Trust Your Friends?

I went to the Peter, Bjorn and John show at the Wexner Center this evening. It was a good time. Two other bands warmed up: All-female synth-pop trio from Brooklyn, Au Revoir Simone and Fujiya and Myagi, who are neither Japanese nor a duo. F&M are another trio of musicians from England. Au Revoir Simone was well received, and group member Annie even commented on how attentive we all were. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The audience is attentive at the Wenxer because they don't sell booze. Just takes a few assholes to have a few too many, and then they decide they need to be a part of the show.

Annie was working the merch table on my way out, so I gave her a pat radio card and let her know I enjoyed their set and that their discs are in my rotation. She seemed happy to hear that. She was polite, anyway, and thanked me for coming out to the show.

Fujiya and Myagi got the crowd moving a bit more, thanks to funky bass and guitar work. "Collarbone" was probably the highlight of their set. Both openers clocked in at around 30 minutes.

Peter, Bjorn and...the guy on drums took the stage about 20 minutes after Fujiya and Myagi finished up. I had wondered earlier in the day why John didn't make it to the on-air Big Room performance at CD-101, and then, as it turned out, I got to the show tonight too early and had time to go to the autograph session ( Which NO ONE must have known about), and there were only Peter and Bjorn. An acquaintance told me he heard that John stayed back in Sweden, where he's apparently in high demand as a sessions drummer.

Whoever it was on drums filled in ably. Funny bunch of fellows, particularly bassist Bjorn. They played some numbers off their earlier album, Falling Out, as well as most of the higlights from Writer's Block. They brought Doug, the driver for Au Revoir Simone - and insiders tell me, a member of NYC band Dirty On Purpose, up to play bongos on "Young Folks", and Heather of Au Revoir Simone helped out with the female vocals on the tune that everyone came to hear. "Up Against the Wall" closed the set in rollicking fashion, and unfortunately, because of the curfew at the Wexner, the band could only come back for one encor. Their set list, which I grabbed, had two other songs listed.

Here's some pics. I was seated in the balcony. I used a flash until an usher told me I was not allowed. So the first batch of pictures are sharper, but I had to boost the brightness. The others suffer from blurred motion. Heather is all blurry in my shot of "Young Folks", but that's the best of the lot during that song.

So...do PB&J suck live? I would say absolutely not. Listen to all the songs on Young Folks, get a feel for what this band is really all about, and don't come expecting a note-for-note perfect rendition of their super smash hit.

Au Revoir Simone


Fujiya & Miyagi



Peter, Bjorn and John

1. Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm   Favourite Worst Nightmare
2. The Fratellis - Flathead    Costello Music
3. Regina Spektor - Apres Moi    Begin To Hope
4. CSS - Pony Money Honey (Live Acoustic)    American Tour CD
5. Tilly and the Wall - Bad Education    Bottoms of Barrels
6. Of Montreal - A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger    Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
7. Andrew Bird - Dark Matter    Armchair Apocrypha
8. Sonic Youth - Candle    Daydream Nation
9. Arcade Fire - (Antichrist Television Blues)    Neon Bible
10. Broken Social Scene - Love And Mathematics    Feel Good Lost

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11. Download "Fuzzy Freaky" (mp3)
from "The Visible Man"
by David Byrne
Luaka Bop

• Buy at Napster

More On This Album

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12. Brian Eno And David Byrne - Moonlight In Glory    My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts
13. LCD Sound System - Someone Great    Sound of Silver
14. !!! - A New Name    Myth Takes

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15. Download "Ageless Beauty" (mp3)
from "Do You Trust Your Friends?"
by Stars
Arts & Crafts

More On This Album

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16. Sondre Lerche - The Tape    Phantom Punch
17. The Manhattan Love Suicides - Kick It Back    The Manhattan Love Suicides
18. Aloha - All The Wars    Here Comes Everybody
19. Sister Vanilla - Totp    Little Pop Rock
20. Detroit Cobras - (I Wanna Know) What's Going On    Tied and True
21. sprites - Joel Has A Hole In His Eardrum    Starlings, Spiders, Tiger and sprites
22. The Icicles - La Ti Da    Arrivals and Departures
23. Patti Smith - Smells Like Teen Spirit    12
24. Six Parts Seven - Knock At My Door    Casually Smashed To Bits
25. Laura Veirs - To The Country    Saltbreakers
26. The Hi-Life Companion - Say Yes!    Say Yes!
27. Vertigo Butterfly - Bravest Man Cries    1932
28. Miracle Legion - The backyard    The Backyard