PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (03/30/16)

Here's the playlist for this week's edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. This episode: "Dreams Burn Down", featuring classic shoegaze and more. If you enjoy it, be sure to also follow the show on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter!

Artist - Song - Album

Loop - Soundhead - Heaven's End

Loop - Straight To Your Heart - Heaven's End

Spacemen 3 - Starship - Transparent Radiation

Spacemen 3 - Things'll Never Be The Same - Transparent Radiation

Love And Rockets - The Light - Earth, Sun, Moon

Love And Rockets - Youth - Earth, Sun, Moon

The Jesus And Mary Chain - Some Candy Talking - Psychocandy

The Jesus And Mary Chain - Something's Wrong - Psychocandy

Solar Source - Now's The Time (Give It Up) - Now's The Time

My Bloody Valentine - What You Want - Loveless

My Bloody Valentine - Soon - Loveless

Pale Saints - Sight Of You - The Comforts Of Madness

Pale Saints - Sea Of Sound - The Comforts Of Madness

Slowdive - Brighter - Just For A Day

Slowdive - The Sadman - Just For A Day

Chapterhouse - Autosleeper - Whirlpool

Chapterhouse - Treasure - Whirlpool

Moose - Polly - ... XYZ

Moose - XYZ - ... XYZ

Ride - Dreams Burn Down - Nowhere

Ride - Seagull - Nowhere

Catherine Wheel - Painful Thing - Painful Thing E.P.

Catherine Wheel - I Want To Touch You - Painful Thing E.P.

Swervedriver - She's Beside Herself - Rave Down

Swervedriver - Rave Down - Rave Down

CONCERT REVIEW: Never Mind The Reunions, It's WMSE (Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee)

Three generations of long-gone local punk acts take the stage again to help Milwaukee radio's independent powerhouse WMSE celebrate their 35th anniversary in high style. 

Read my full review here.

PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (03/23/16)

Here's the playlist for this week's edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. This episode: "Million Dollar Riff", featuring glam rock and more. If you enjoy it, remember to also find the show on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter!

Artist - Song - Album

David Bowie - Moonage Daydream - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars

David Bowie - Suffragette City - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars

Sweet - Ballroom Blitz - Desolation Boulevard

Sweet - The 6-Teens - Desolation Boulevard

Slade - See Us Here - Play It Loud

Slade - Dirty Joker - Play It Loud

Wizzard - You Can Dance The Rock 'N' Roll - Wizzard Brew

Wizzard - Wear A Fast Gun - Wizzard Brew

Cockney Rebel - Hideaway - The Human Menagerie

Cockney Rebel - What Ruthy Said - The Human Menagerie

T. Rex - Jeepster - Electric Warrior

T. Rex - Planet Queen - Electric Warrior

The Android Sisters - Macho Robot Or The Banana Trilogy - Songs Of Electronic Despair

Mick Ronson - Only After Dark - Slaughter On 10th Avenue

Mick Ronson - Growing Up And I'm Fine - Slaughter On 10th Avenue

Mott - Broadside Outcasts - Shouting & Pointing

Mott - Too Short Arms (I Don't Care) (Remix) - Shouting & Pointing

Mud - Rocket - Mud Rock

Mud - Dyna-Mite/The Cat Crept In/Tiger Feet (Medley) - Mud Rock

Skyhooks - Million Dollar Riff - The Skyhooks Tapes

Skyhooks - Livin' In The 70's - The Skyhooks Tapes

Suzi Quatro - 48 Crash - Suzi Quatro

Suzi Quatro - Glycerine Queen - Suzi Quatro

New York Dolls - Looking For A Kiss - New York Dolls

New York Dolls - Trash - New York Dolls

Jobriath - Good Times - Creatures Of The Street

Jobriath - Ooh La La - Creatures Of The Street

Lou Reed - Vicious - Transformer

Lou Reed - Hangin' Round - Transformer

Roxy Music - Re-Make/Re-Model - Roxy Music

Roxy Music - If There Is Something - Roxy Music

Eno - Baby's On Fire - Here Come The Warm Jets

Eno - Cindy Tells Me - Here Come The Warm Jets

Sparks - Thanks But No Thanks - Propaganda

Sparks - Bon Voyage - Propaganda

PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (03/16/16)

Here's the playlist for this week's special edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. This episode: "Local/Live", featuring performances from the WMSE airwaves and more. If you enjoy it, remember to also follow the show on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter!

Artist - Song - Album
The Fatty Acids - Creature (Live) - Live On WMSE, 12/14/11
The Fatty Acids - Feathers, Beaks And Gills (Live) - Live On WMSE, 12/14/11
Kinth - Song One (Live) - Live On 91.7 WMSE, 9-3-13
Kinth - Song Two (Live) - Live On 91.7 WMSE, 9-3-13
Animals In Human Attire - Wind Waker (Live) - Live On 91.7 WMSE
Animals In Human Attire - Breaking Point (Live) - Live On 91.7 WMSE
Abominable - With A Wave (Live) - Taste Test #1
Tim Schweiger And The Middle Men - Hey Bulldog (Live) - Live On WMSE
Tim Schweiger And The Middle Men - Waiting Around For You (Live) - Live On WMSE
The Midwest Beat - High Up In The Alps (Live) - Live On WMSE
The Midwest Beat - High Life (Live) - Live On WMSE
The Delphines - Drifters (Live) - WMSE Live
The Delphines - Panic (Live) - WMSE Live
Dinny Bulca - Blanet (Live) - Live At WMSE 91.7
Dinny Bulca - General Grievences (Live) - Live At WMSE 91.7
Head On Electric - Beside These Parts (Live) - Live @ WMSE
Head On Electric - Ghost Hunter (Live) - Live @ WMSE
The Hullmen - Neptune (Live) - Live At WMSE Studios
The Hullmen - Dead-On Collision (Live) - Live At WMSE Studios
Indonesian Junk - Crimes (Live) - Live On WMSE 2-2-2016
Indonesian Junk - Shake It With You (Live) - Live On WMSE 2-2-2016
Slow Walker - Road Runner (Live) - Live On WMSE
Slow Walker - Hypnotized/City Slicker (Live) - Live On WMSE
The Rashita Joneses - We Can't Relate (Live) - Live On 91.7 FM WMSE
The Rashita Joneses - Longboard (Live) - Live On 91.7 FM WMSE
Fire Retarded - Game Of Take (Live) - Live At WMSE 4/5
Fire Retarded - Locks & Looks (Live) - Live At WMSE 4/5

FILM REVIEW: The Dicks from Texas

When it comes to documentaries, a fascinating subject can often compensate for a lack of style or technique, and that goes double for music docs. It's a category built on outsized personalities, archival footage and killer soundtracks, all of which can go a long way toward covering up the cracks in an otherwise clumsily made film. And since the viewer is there for the musical content as much as the craft, if not more so, a bad movie about a good band can still be worth watching in a lot of ways, and that's certainly the case with The Dicks from Texas, just released on DVD courtesy of MVD Entertainment.

If having a good subject is half the battle, the film certainly has that aspect covered. Though one of the most interesting early purveyors or American hardcore, the Dicks have long been criminally under-examined in the seemingly endless march of punk-era chronicles. That's probably because the Austin provocateurs' unusual music set them apart from the wider scene almost as much as geography did. A roiling mix of seething anti-authoritarian politics, blunt LGBT themes and profane gallows humor, all bubbling up through an unhinged, beer-and-blues-drenched din that is at once smart and as subtle as a fist, it was menacingly alien compared to the taut sounds of Los Angeles or DC.

Featuring plenty of interviews with the original members, as well as punk-doc regulars like Ian MacKaye and Henry Rollins, the film does a decent job of recounting their tumultuous, short-lived anti-career, their lives thereafter and, of course, the inevitable reunion shows. Unfortunately though, while it boasts just enough interesting stories and vintage footage to keep you involved, the low-budget film, directed and produced by Cindy Marabito, is also rather amateurishly shot and put together, full of grainy, poorly lit talking heads and student film-style editing. As such, It's hardly the documentary the Dicks deserve, but ultimately the band itself is engaging enough to distract you from the film's many flaws.

PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (03/09/16)

Here's the playlist for this week's edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. This episode: "Contort Yourself", featuring punk-funk, mutant disco and more. If you enjoy it, be sure to also follow the show on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter!

Artist - Song - Album
James White And The Blacks - Contort Yourself - Off White
James White And The Blacks - Off Black - Off White
ESG - UFO - Dance To The Best Of ESG
ESG - Earn It - Dance To The Best Of ESG
Bush Tetras - You Can't Be Funky - Boom In The Night: Original Studio Recordings 1980-1983
Bush Tetras - Too Many Creeps - Boom In The Night: Original Studio Recordings 1980-1983
The B-52's - Party Out Of Bounds - Nude On The Moon: The B-52's Anthology
The B-52's - Dance This Mess Around - Nude On The Moon: The B-52's Anthology
Ama-Dots - Hit Girls - History In 3 Chords: Milwaukee Alternative Bands 1973-1982
Ama-Dots - Samizdot - History In 3 Chords: Milwaukee Alternative Bands 1973-1982
James Drury And The U.S. Navy Band - Washington Signs Bill For Modern Navy - March 27, 1794 - Navy Chronicle
Material - Conform To The Rhythm - Memory Serves
Material - Disappearing - Memory Serves
The Golden Palominos - Clean Plate - The Golden Palominos
The Golden Palominos - Cookout - The Golden Palominos
Talking Heads - I Zimbra - Fear Of Music
Talking Heads - Cities - Fear Of Music
Suicide - Shadazz - The Second Album + The First Rehearsal Tapes
Suicide - Dream Baby Dream - The Second Album + The First Rehearsal Tapes
Blondie - Heart Of Glass - Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision
Blondie - Rapture - Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision
Kid Creole And The Coconuts - Going Places - Fresh Fruit In Foreign Places
Kid Creole And The Coconuts - I Am - Fresh Fruit In Foreign Places
Liquid Liquid - Cavern - Disco Not Disco
Was (Not Was) - Wheel Me Out - Disco Not Disco
The Clash - Radio Clash - Hits Back
The Clash - The Magnificent Seven - Hits Back
Slits - I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Grlz: Women Ahead Of Their Time
New Age Steppers - Fade Away - Grlz: Women Ahead Of Their Time

PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (03/02/16)

Here's the playlist for this week's special anniversary edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. This episode: "Thank God for Music", featuring tunes about tunes and talk about tomorrow's big anniversary party! If you enjoy it, remember to also follow the show on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter!

Artist - Song - Album

Blur - Music Is My Radar - The Best Of

Boards Of Canada - Music Is Math - Geogaddi

Cornelius - Music - Sensuous

Paul McCartney - Bogey Music - McCartney II

The Soft Boys - Human Music - A Can Of Bees

X - The Unheard Music - Los Angeles

Joy Division - The Sound Of Music - Still

Crime - Emergency Music Ward - San Francisco's Doomed

Suicide - Fast Money Music - The Second Album + The First Rehearsal Tapes

The Clash - If Music Could Talk - Sandinista!

Rico - Jungle Music - This Are Two Tone

Bob & Doug McKenzie - The Miracle Of Music - Great White North

Mammatapee - Let The Music Take Your Mind - On The One

M - Pop Muzik - New York, London, Paris, Munich

Kraftwerk - Musique Non Stop - Electric Cafe

Juiceboxxx - American Music - Beyond Thunder Zone

Mantronix - Music Madness - Music Madness

The Beatmasters - Hey DJ/I Can't Dance To That Music You're Playing - Anywayawanna

Reese & Santonio - How To Play Our Music - Faces & Phases: The Kevin Saunderson Collection

Aphex Twin - We Are The Music Makers - Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Leisure-B - Musicbizz - Back In Space

Wiley Feat. Leah Miller - Music Not The Money - 100% Publishing

The Nightwriters - Let The Music Use You (Club Mix) - House Masters: Frankie Knuckles

Patrick Cowley - Thank God For Music - The Ultimate Collection

Daft Punk - Give Life Back To Music - Random Access Memories

Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You - Music Sounds Better With You (Single)

Cornershop - Music Plus 1 - Handcream For A Generation

Sister Sledge - Lost In Music - We Are Family

Charanga 76 - Music Trance - Bob Blank: The Blank Generation Blank Tapes NYC 1975-1985

ABBA - Thank You For The Music - The Definitive Collection

The Shirelles - Stop The Music - The Very Best Of The Shirelles