This Wednesday on Randy Now’s Capital Garage Radio Program ( 6 to 9 PM EST)
at 8 PM, Randy will be speaking to members of LINK WRAY’S RAYMEN band from Washington DC.

Plus, Randy’s third Annual “Thanksgiving Music” Special at 7 PM until 8 PM. Songs about the turkey, the holiday, and songs that give … THANKS !
Wednesday November 18 www.wtsr.org 6 to 9 pm est 91.3 fm

Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard
“One Fast Move Or I’m Gone”
3/5 Stars

Indie figurehead Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) and alt-American forefather Jay Farrar (Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo) were asked to pen a few songs borrowing lines from Jack Kerouac’s “Big Sur” to accompany the recently released documentary on the author titled “One Fast Move Or I’m Gone.”

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the beat poet’s death, the two alternate on vocals, occasionally harmonizing, and strumming their respective acoustic guitars along with them.

Both Gibbard and Farrar make appearances in the film, discussing their admiration for Kerouac. Gibbard cites Kerouac as a major influence for a number of songs he’s written, including “Bixby Canyon Bridge,” which is speculated to be about “Big Sur.”

On this compilation though, Gibbard and Farrar both deliver excellent performances, notably on “California Zephyr,” a decidedly more upbeat track on the album with Gibbard’s distinct soft-spoken vocals. Farrar adds his signature country twang on tracks like “All At Once” and “These Roads Don’t Move.”

Key Tracks: “California Zephyr,” “One Fast Move Or I’m Gone”
-Melissa Virzi
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Tegan & Sara
“Sainthood”
3/5 Stars

Tegan and Sara Quin are identical twins who work with Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla, speak out with PETA and craft pop gems that’s made them more than appealing to the indie rock scene since their debut, 2004’s “So Jealous.”

“Sainthood,” also recorded with Walla, is the confident progression in the duo’s sound that 2007’s “The Con” only teased with. Where past standouts like “Walking With a Ghost” and “Back In Your Head” were skeletal and simplistic, “Sainthood’s” best tracks are dauntless stabs at power pop that find the sisters embracing the electric guitar more than ever before. Two-minute burner “Northshore” echoes more energetic duos like Matt & Kim and The Kills. Others like “Don’t Rush” and “Hell” ditch coy acoustics for a surprisingly straightforward new-wave rock sound.

Though they’ve changed instrumentally, the Quin’s remain refreshingly familiar in the lyrical department. Romantic ideals and their materialization in relationships are the predominant theme — forming a common thread to effectively link “Sainthood” to the band’s past work.

Key Tracks: “Hell,” “Don’t Rush”
-Chris Payne

Welcome to Songs of the Month, November edition. Here at the WTSR Music Dpt., we’ve decided to shake things up in this monthly column and make things a little more interactive for YOU, the listener. From now on, there will be TEN, yes ten, songs of the month and all will be up for streaming in a super-duper WTSR podcast. It’ll be almost as great as listening to WTSR live. In fact, you’ll be hearing our ten best songs back-to-back, so it could actually be better! The podcast isn’t quite ready yet, but enjoy the blips for now and check back soon.

King Khan & BBQ Show- “Spin the Bottle”
King Khan and Mark Sultan are underground legends for a reason- and it’s not just for reviving this and that. When they put their magic rings together, they create a sleazy sort of garage punk that takes doo-wop hooks and 50′s production to places you never thought possible. New album Invisible Girl finds the pair taking their pop sensibility to new heights, and “Spin the Bottle” is its finest example. With a sing along refrain and some handclap-driven percussion, 1957 and Music Hall of Williamsburg never seemed so close together.

The xx- “VCR”
The first time I heard The xx, i wrote them off as a boring bunch of English trip-hop revivalists. Now I sit here, having seen them conquer Music Hall of Williamsburg at CMJ and listened to their self-titled debut a dozen times, ready to put them on my year-end top albums list. Take this as the finest example of their craft: they’ll string together some skeletal guitar, synthesized beats, and in this case, xylophone, and let it sit for awhile, knowing it’ll coalesce into a song that will overcome the listener when he least expects it. Fans of -Heads, as in Radio- and Portis-, be very afraid.

Gossip- “Pop Goes The World”
Pop goes the world? Pop goes Gossip! This album cut marks the strongest contribution to date from these Portland-based NME darlings. Frontwoman Beth Ditto doesn’t just sell the hook, she takes the song over. As a whole, the song combines some of the best elements of new wave and punk rock, creating a vibe that sounds just as at home now as it would have in 1983.

Tegan and Sara- “Hell”
Just when you thought Tegan and Sara Quin were just Chris Walla’s cute and cuddly pals, they hit you with the most guitar-driven single of their careers. “Hell” packs a hook as strong as “Walking With the Ghost” or “You Wouldn’t Like Me” but replaces acoustic strumming with amped up, power pop guitars. Songs like this make Sainthood stand out from past efforts, whilst maintaining the same lovelorn lyrical themes to create a common thread throughout.

Annie- “Songs Remind Me Of You”
The fact that Annie isn’t a huge pop star makes absolutely no sense. Her songs are huge in their own right- daunting synth lines, dancefloor beats, massive pop hooks… so it’s anyone’s guess why the Norwegian sensation didn’t catch on big time with 2004′s Anniemal. At any rate, Annie is finally back with a new record, and it’s most unstoppable single channels 80′s Madonna in such a way that has me expecting big things.

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour- “Around the Bend”
If the sound of this song gives you the urge to buy iPhones, it’s no surprise. The chorus of “Around the Bend” was used in an Apple commercial that ran in during the first few months of this year. The Danish pop group just released their debut album, and surprise, surprise: It’s the highlight. Just try not to get into this song when Mette Lindberg’s voice reaches the apex of the hook right before the horns come in. Just try!

Soulico- “Exotic on the Speaker”
Soulico sounds like nothing else in rotation right now, but that’s not why you should listen to these four, forward-thinking DJs. You should listen to them because you’ve never heard hip-hop and dancehall combined with old Israeli disco LPs before, or perhaps if you’re James Murphy, this well before. This highlight track features vocals from Rye Rye, dig deeper on their debut record, and catch guest spots from Ghostface Killah, Lyrics Born, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, and more.

Temper Trap- “Sweet Disposition”
Introduced via the “500 Days of Summer” soundtrack and sustained by a little bit of rock radio-play, “Sweet Disposition” sounds like its here to stay. The Australian quintet’s opening statement sounds like it could have been left off The Joshua Tree- a statement I’m thinking would make them very, very proud.

A Place to Bury Strangers- “Keep Slipping Away”
Hey guys, could you turn the guitar sludge down just a bit? There’s an awesome indie rock hook buried beneath layers of Crystal Stilts and Jesus & Mary Chain… though it shouldn’t be too hard for the listener to latch onto it. On second thought, don’t turn those guitars down.

La Roux- “Bulletproof”
Songs of the Month has visited been all over the map, so why not finish off in France for some great electronic music. Singles like this sound like they could sell iPods, go on tour with Ladytron, or provide suitable background music for sifting through plaid at Urban Outfitters.

-Chris Payne

Hockey
“Mind Chaos”
3.5 out of 5 Stars

After a successful College Music Journal’s (CMJ) music festival, a make- or-break festival for up-and-coming bands, Hockey has established itself among indie audiences. Its weird and fantastic sound is accessible enough for casual fans of both electronica and pop.

Singer Ben Grubin and bassist Jeremy Reynolds formed Hockey in 2007 while at southern California’s Johnston Center, a free-form college, which allowed the duo to spend their time writing and creating songs for their quasi-band.

Early demos attracted the attention of Sony Records, but things fell through and the band remained in limbo. Its fortune changed when the two moved to Portland, re-found some more members and re-recorded. After finding fans in the U.K. via radio play, the two got signed to Virgin Records in Europe and Capitol in the U.S.

The group’s single “Song Away” is referenced in every review written about it, but the overlooked “Too Fake” and “Learn to Lose” are of comparable quality in songwriting and execution. For fans of MGMT or other electro-pop bands, Hockey is fun and witty dance music.

Key Tracks: “Too Fake,” Song Away,” “Learn to Lose”
-Melissa Virzi
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Devendra Banhart
“What Will We Be”
3 out of 5 Stars

On his debut with Warner Bros. Records, Banhart explores the realm of indie-folk in a way that seems primed to appease his bearded, flannel-clad followers, yet extends an invitation to those who may only know his work via the soundtrack of “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.”

For a man who’s been tagged with the genres of “psych” and “freak folk” in the past, Banhart is surprisingly succinct at times, especially in “16th & Valencia, Roxy Music.”

Just when he’s seeming a bit mundane, Banhart introduces three consecutive Spanish songs for tracks 10, 11 and 12.

Cohesiveness is the main department where “What Will We Be” trips up. Stretched out to 14 tracks, Banhart frequently asks the listener to switch between extended, experimental songs and more direct musings. With this pattern sporadically reappearing throughout the record, it becomes difficult to latch onto Banhart’s central intent. Banhart’s charm, however, likely resides within this ambiguity.

Key Tracks: “16th & Valencia, Roxy Music”
-Chris Payne

Listen in to The Cuban Cigar and the Irish Car Bomb tonight at 8pm to listen to our interview with Jon P, a senior at The College of New Jersey who is in the process of releasing his first solo effort; “DJ Wallah Presents: The Introduction”. Jon has the backing of Wallah, who is a well-known DJ on New York’s HOT 97. Got any questions? E-mail them to cubanandirish@gmail.com