mix disc: Listening to the Crack of Doom on the Hydrogen Jukebox

1. the STANDELLS - Barracuda (Try It 1967)
2. the LIVING END - Tabloid Magazine (Modern Artillery 2003)
3. INFADELS - Topboy (We Are Not the Infadels 2006)
4. MODERN LOVERS Astral Plane (Modern Lovers 1976)
5. PERNICE BROTHERS - She Heightened Everything (the World Won't End 2001)
6. MY DAD IS DEAD -- Baby's Got a Problem (Let's Skip the Details 1988)
7. BEACH BOYS - Little Bird (Friends 1968)
8. TRIO - Anna - Letmeinletmeout (Trio and Error 1983)
9. BILLY BRAGG & WILCO - All You Fascists (Mermaid Avenue volume 2 2000)
10. WINGS - Medicine Jar (Venus and Mars 1975)
11. SKELETON KEY - Scratch (Fantastic Spikes Through a Balloon 1997)
12. KELLEY STOLTZ - Ever Thought Of Coming Back (Below the Branches 2006)
13. CHEAP TRICK - Love Comes A-Tumblin' Down (All Shook Up 1980)
14. HOWLIN WOLF - Killing Floor (1966)
15. TUXEDOMOON - Tritone (Musica Diablo) (Half Mute 1980)
16. BUZZCOCKS - I've had Enough (Flat-pack Philosophy 2006)
17. the ALARM - 45 RPM (In the Poppyfields 2004)
18. KEVIN AYERS Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes (Whatevershebringswesing 1971)
19. the JAM - That's Entertainment (demo circa 1980)
20. DAVID BOWIE - Yassassin (Turkish For Long Live) (Lodger 1979)
21. the SUGARPLASTIC - Sheep (Bang the Earth is Round 1996)
22. the PRIMITIVES - I'll Stick With You (Lovely 1988)
23. RED CROSS - S&M Party (Red Cross EP 1980)
24. SPARKS - Pineapple (Indiscreet 1975)
25. MESSER CHUPS - Cut Down a Tree, Seduce the Child, Burn Out the House (Vamp Babes 2000)

mix disc: Lunar Minutia

1. JOY DIVISION No Love Lost (An Ideal for Living EP 1978)
2. BUZZCOCKS Certain Move (Buzzcocks 2003)
3. TERRY REID Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace (Terry Reid 1969)
4. the KINGSBURY MANX Greenland (the Fast Rise and Fall of the South 2005)
5. WORLD PARTY God On My Side (Goodbye Jumbo 1990)
6. TOM ZE Complexo De Epico (Todos Os Olhos 1973)
7. the 88 Nobody Cares (Over and Over 2005)
8. TOM PETTY and the HEARTBREAKERS Century City (Damn the Torpedos 1979)
9. MICHAEL CARPENTER Love Is Like A Bullet (Shoe Fetish tribute to the Shoes 2001)
10. BOSS MARTIANS She Moves Me (Making the Rounds 2002)
11. CHARLES BROWN and AMOS MILBURN Educated Fool (single 1959)
12. the CRAMPS Garbageman (Song the Lord Taught Us 1980)
13. CONSTANTINES Good Nurse (Tournament of Hearts 2005)
14. JOHNNY CASH - Thunderball (1960s prev unreleased)
15. THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS She's an Angel (TMBG 1987)
16. BIG STAR Thirteen (Number One Record 1972)
17. the ROLLING STONES Rain Fall Down (A Bigger Bang 2005)
18. SUPERDRAG Hellbent (Head Trip in Every Key 1998)
19. NEW PORNOGRAPHERS Sing Me Spanish Techno (Twin Cinema 2005)
20. NOTHING PAINTED BLUE Unscheduled Train (Powertrips Down Lovers Lane 1993)
21. the DECEMBERISTS the Chimbley Sweep (Her Majesty 2003)
22. the FOLK IMPLOSION Waltzin' With Your Ego (Take A Look Inside 1994)
23. the BEATLES Fixing A Hole (Sgt Pepper 1967)
24. the OSMONDS - Crazy Horses (Crazy Horses 1972)

mix disc: the low buzz of the office

1. PLACEBO - Infra-red (Meds 2006)
2. ELVIS COSTELLO - Black and White World (Get Happy 1980)
3. the BEATLES - Boys (Mono) (Please Please Me 1963)
4. TEENAGE HEAD - Picture My Face (single 1978)
5. the FALL - I Can Hear the Grass Grow (Single 2005)
6. TERRY MELCHER Dr Horowitz (Terry Melcher 1974)
7. the VINES - Take Me Back (Vision Valley 2006)
8. the KINKS - Session Man (Face to Face 1968)
9. DON JUAN DRACULA - take me home (dj henning remix 2005)
10. the BALANCING ACT - Learning How to Cheat (Curtains 1988)
11. APB - Rainy Day (Something to Belive In 1985)
12. BOBBY WOMACK - Arkansas State Prison (My Prescription 1970)
13. ARCTIC MONKEYS - Love Machine (Girls Aloud cover) (Live on BBC January 2006)
14. XTC - Meccanic Dancing (Oh We Go!) (Go2 1978)
15. THEM - Little Girl (the Angry Young Them 1965)
16. the LEGENDARY PINK DOTS 1001 Commandments (From Here You'll Watch the World Go By 1996)
17. DEAF SCHOOL - Where's the Weekend (2nd Honeymoon 1976)
18. JENNY LEWIS with the WATSON TWINS - Big Guns (Rabbit Fur Coat 2006)
19. LEMONHEADS - Different Drum (Favorite Spanish Dishes 1991)
20. the KINGSMEN - That's Cool, That's Trash (Kingsmen Volume 3 1965)
21. GREG KIHN - Happy Man (Kihntinued 1982)
22. AUDIO BULLYS - Take You There (Generation 2006)
23. MARTIN ROLINSKI - Wig Wam Bam
24. FLEETWOOD MAC - the Ledge (Tusk 1979)
25. CHELSEA - No One's Coming Outside (single 1980)
26. PETER COOK / Drimbl Wedge & the Vegetation - Bedazzled (Bedazzled 1967)

Still more cartoons and doodles from the Moleskine

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Dale's favorite albums of 2005

1. KAISER CHIEFS - Employment (Universal) - Fun, energetic britpop loaded with memorable sing-a-long choruses and supercharged hooks. It plays like a singles collection and features my favorite song of 2005, the monstrously catchy “I Predict A Riot”.

2. SPOON - Gimme Fiction (Merge) - I was disappointed in 2002’s Kill the Moonlight, which was a poor follow up to Girls Can Tell (my favorite album of the past ten years). But Spoon are back in fine form with an album loaded with hypnotic pop melodies and innovative arrangements.

3. BLOC PARTY - Silent Alarm (Vice) - Bloc Party mix hyper dance-punk rhythms with angular guitar lines and punchy melodies in the tradition of England’s late 70’s post punk scene without being nostalgic revivalists.

4. ROGUE WAVE - Descended Like Vultures (Sub Pop) - Dreamy pop that resides somewhere between Elliott Smith and the Shins. They give their already solid songs even more depth with subtle background instrumentation and creative production experiments.

5. FRANZ FERDINAND - You Could Have It So Much Better (Sony/Domino) - Solid follow up to one of rock’s best debut albums ever. The band stretches out a little without deviating from what made the first the album so great. There are still loads of herky jerky danceable rockers, but this time there are also a few slower songs that are just as strong.

6. HOUSE OF LOVE - Days Run Away (Art and Industry UK) - The reunion of House of Love (and the return of Terry Bickers who left after their first album) seems to have been totally ignored by most, which is a shame, since this album is stronger than the their final two over a decade ago. The shimmering guitars, multi-layered melodies, and timeless choruses of their glory days are all here and the harmonies might be the best they’ve ever done.

7. EDITORS - The Back Room (Kitchenware UK) - Take equal parts Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Interpol and you have an idea of what the Editors sound like. They’re a little gloomy and could come close to being a downer if not for the driving melodies and ringing guitars.

8. PERNICE BROTHERS - Discover a Lovelier You (Ashmont) - Joe Pernice pairs his melancholy lyrics with jangley guitars and lush summery production for his most consistent album yet.

9. The 88 - Over and Over (EMK) - Second album from LA power pop band that mixes mid 60’s Beatles, Arthur-era Kinks, early 70’s AM radio pop, and a bit of glam.

10. The NEW PORNOGRAPHERS - Twin Cinema (Matador) - The pop hooks aren’t as immediate as last time, but ultimately this album is just as strong. They pull audio references from 40 years of rock and pop and turn them into very original pop gems, often cramming several diverse melodies and ideas into one song and making it sound totally natural.

11. HOT HOT HEAT - Elevator (Sire) - Quirky high energy dance pop with manic vocals and host of 80’s musical references.

12. DOVES - Some Cities (Capitol) - More anthematic pop soundscapes that sound at times like a ballsier Coldplay. As with past Doves releases, the songs are propelled by a powerful rhythm section and a sonically large sound. If the second half of this album were as strong as the first it’d be much higher on this list.

13. BRENDAN BENSON - The Alternative to Love (V2) - Straight ahead singer-songwriter pop full of finely crafted feelgood melodies, but somehow not as memorable as his previous 2 albums.

14. CONSTANTINES - Tournament of Hearts (Sub Pop) - Dissonant droney punk with a wall of guitar and rhythms that bring to mind the best Jawbox songs.

15. The GO! TEAM - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (Memphis Industries) - If you poured an entire used vinyl shop into a blender it might sound like this odd, yet fun-as-hell hodgepodge of sounds, samples, and live instruments. It’s an aural party full of guitars, rhythms that dare you not to dance, whistles, horns, scratching, and occasional vocals that sound like they came from a pep-rally. I’m not sure how fresh this will sound five years down the road, but right now there is nothing else that sounds like the Go! Team.

16. The LOST PATROL BAND - The Lost Patrol Band (Burning Heart) - If I didn’t know better I would have sworn that this album came out in 1979.The Lost Patrol Band perfectly recreates the skinny tie power pop of the Beat, the Plimsouls, Scott Wilke, and Dirty Looks. There’s nothing innovative here, but it’s a lot of fun.

17. LOW - The Great Destroyer (Sub Pop) - I’ve always loved the sound of Low records, but not many of their songs. This time the songs are stronger (more focus on melody without sacrificing mood) and more upbeat, which ultimately makes them more interesting.

18. BAND OF BEES - Free the Bees (Astralwerks) - Late 60’s influenced retro pop that’s more enthusiastic than derivative. Extra points for some killer B3 organ riffs.

19. KINGSBURY MANX - The Fast Rise and Fall of the South (Yep Roc) - Subtle folk pop that at times sounds like an American counterpart to the first Belle and Sebastian album.

20. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM - LCD Soundsystem (Capitol/DFA) - Lots of musical references and original ideas and sounds packed into an album of indie rock friendly dance beats.


CLOSE, BUT NOT QUITE:

HER SPACE HOLIDAY - The Past Presents the Future (Wichita) - Laid back electro pop with warm melodies camouflaging the lyrical stories of heartbreak.

STEVE DAWSON - Sweet Is the Anchor (Undertow) - Beautifully soulful singer-songwriter solo debut from Dolly Varden’s leader.

The HOLD STEADY - Separation Sunday (French Kiss) - Although not as catchy or dynamic as Craig Finn’s last band, Lifter Puller, the Hold Steady are an in-your-face bar band full of big ideas. The shouted vocal rants might be an acquired taste (I’m reluctant to recommend the Hold Steady to anyone), but there are dozens of great lyrics and a hell of a lot of energy on this album.

BRAKES - Give Blood (Rough Trade) - Yeah, this British Sea Power side project is really just a bunch of punky throwaway songs bordering on novelty cowpunk, but they’re also pretty catchy.

SUPERSYSTEM - Always Never Again (Touch and Go) - Dancey synth experimentation from the band formerly known as El Guapo.

the return of doodles and cartoons from the Moleskine sketchbook

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Cartoons and Doodles from the sketchbook

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