Eclectic Grooves

Some of the regulars didn't offer their two cents on this one, but I had a couple interesting guesses from No-Head and Sam. I'm beginning to wonder if the day and age of having creative blogging communities has gone the way of the dinosaur. At one point and time, Eclectic Grooves pulling in a decent amount of comments and visitors. My numbers are dwindling for the most part, and the overall interest is waning. With that being said, I will continue to keep plugging along until blogging becomes a chore. I realize that I haven't been posting very often lately, soI can understand why certain people would lost interest. If any of you are still out there, I would love to hear what's up, how you are doing, what music you are listening to, etc. Now, on to the mystery disc from last week... That's right, it's Bablicon's stunning debut record featuring Jeremy Barnes from Neutral Milk Hotel and members from another Elephant 6 band named The Gerbils. W...

I have received a few comments recently from folks wondering when the next Plain Brown Wrappers is going to be posted. Well... good things usually come to those who wait, and I'm sure that most of you will agree that today's post is of the highest caliber. Let me first get you up to speed on a couple of the projects that I have been working on while battling the daily distractions of life. Over the past couple weeks, I have been painstakingly compiling two lists: one for the Best Albums of 2009 and the other for the Best Albums of the Decade . Decade you say? Has this decade already come to a screeching halt. I am afraid so dear listeners, and since I happen to be a fanatic for lists and especially music lists, I couldn't resist the urge to work on an exhaustive overview of the best music from the last decade. Speaking of Fanatic, have any of you heard of the Henry Rollins radio show called Harmony in my Head? I randomly found out that this show existed when I stumbled upo...

This Halloween 2009 edition of I Hear a New World is available to be downloaded at: http://ihearanewworld.podomatic.com/ , or streamed right here in the embedded Podomatic player. I realize that this podcast is a day late, but hopefully it's not a dollar short. As I was facing numerous challenges over the past couple weeks, it was nearly impossible for me to find time to compile this year's Halloween mix. I worked on gathering the songs on Halloween during the day, and then I put the finishing touches in Audacity just before the clock struck midnight. I know there are plenty of dark souls who listen to this type of music throughout the year, so this one's for you. Then, next Halloween you can pull this one out and give it a proper spin during Halloween. This one is an eclectic mix of soul, surf, experimental, hip-hop and electronic music that is sure to keep your interest. I would love to hear what any of you think about the podcast! Until next time...

The fourteenth episode of I Hear a New World is available to be downloaded at: http://ihearanewworld.podomatic.com/ Wow! Two podcast posts within the same week. If I'm not careful, someone will accuse me of being prolific. This is the long awaited second part to the KBOO Podcast. The songs featured on this podcast were originally intended to be played on KBOO radio, but there was only time for me to play a few songs that evening. Since I was really happy with the way the songs flowed on this one, I figured it would be a shame not to share this with all of you. This mix features everything under the sun including jazz, electronic, avant garde, folk and blues. Please contact me if you would like to know what the playlist is for this show. I hope you all enjoy this episode of I Hear a New World, and your comments are always welcomed and appreciated. The Scion Garage Fest was pretty amazing, and I managed to catch the complete sets from ten bands. Simply Saucer was a huge disappointmen...

The thirteenth episode of I Hear a New World is available to be downloaded at: http://ihearanewworld.podomatic.com/ I know it's been awhile since I have uploaded a podcast on here, but I figured that it was the perfect time to showcase the talent from this weekend's garage rock extravaganza that is blowing up all over Downtown Portland. This podcast features the best of the old and new garage rockers who are playing this year's Scion Garage Fest on Saturday, Oct 17th. Even though Geno Washington and Jay Reatard had to cancel their performances, there are plenty of great bands worth checking out at the festival. Among the heavy hitters are Black Lips, King Khan & BBQ, Roky Erickson, Simply Saucer and Gris Gris. That alone is enough to make the mouth of any garage rock fan drop to the floor in utter disbelief. Please check Eclectic Grooves within the next couple days, as I will be posting the setlist for this podcast here. I would love to hear what you guys think of the ...

Since some of you have been patiently awaiting the answer to last week's Plain Brown Wrappers, I decided to reveal that for you today. Like I said before, those of you who guessed that this was not an American band were definitely on the right track. Nathan (N0) knew the answer right away, but was kind enough not to spoil the fun for the rest of the readers out there. Drumroll please... The answer is: Dun- Eros- Way Out-of Print This record was originally released in 1981, but it received a brief reissue in 2000 with four bonus tracks, and then again in 2006 as a French import. Three of the bonus tracks are early live takes from the original album. Unfortunately, this was to be the first and last album to surface from this complex prog band from France. When I checked Amazon, it only came up with one new copy at $122.61, and one used copy at $49.95. If you have the coin, this one is obviously well worth the money. Otherwise, just enjoy this copy I have uploaded for your listening ...

I know that you all have been eagerly awaiting the next episode of Plain Brown Wrappers, and I think that you will be more than satisfied with the sounds I have prepared for your ears today. This record literally landed in my sonic universe a little over two months ago, but it was as if it had always been there, simply waiting for me to acknowledge its existence. Upon first hearing this record, I will say that is nearly impossible to discern what era it was recorded, thus making it a perfect candidate for the Plain Brown Wrappers series. Considering the breadth of music that I consume in a given day, it would be understandable if an astoundingly complex record like this didn't grab my attention on the first listen. It would also be understandable that after repeated listens, I would discover that this record is an ultra mind-blower. It is the type of record that makes you grateful you have two ears to experience the goodness within. The music itself is difficult to describe when a...