Rilo Kiley - Pictures of Success

“Pictures of Success” by Rilo Kiley // from the album Take Offs and Landings

I thought it might be the right kind of time to dig out some old favorites that might fit the vibe of the new Afterglow Show. Being that my new goal is to mix old and new into a radio show context, I realized I hadn’t dug through my old Saddle Creek (and the connecting strands) collection and lo and behold, there was Rilo Kiley’s wonderful Take Offs and Landings which needed a little dusting off for show.

The Black Angels - The Boat Song

“The Boat Song” by The Black Angels // from the album, Phosgene Nightmare

Here’s a laid back slice of psych pop from the newest episode of The Afterglow. It’s got a great little hazy comedown feel that takes its time building to a beautiful strings-filled finale. Great stuff.

Luminary Youth - Diamond Skies (Warpaint)

“Diamond Skies (Warpaint)” by Luminary Youth

Here’s a track pulled from the 39th episode of The Afterglow (get it, enjoy it, reblog it - or ignore it, if you’d prefer). It takes the excellent “Undertow” by Warpaint and chops and cuts it into a tight two minute trip-hop number that barely resembles the original but is a great listen all the same. Check it out and grab the mixtape. Fun stuff.

Arches - Spinning Around

arches - SPINNING AROUND

Arches are a great band with a dreamy sound and big harmonies reminiscent of Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear. I first posted them back on Afterglow Episode 31 with their excellent track “This Isn’t a Good Night for Walking”. They’ve since completed their debut full length, which is awaiting release. They’ve started a Kickstarter account in hopes of scaring up enough money to support a proper release.

Check out their Bandcamp page for more info and to listen to the whole album. High recommendation on this one.

Arches - “Wide Awake” Bandcamp Page

Julianna Barwick - Cloak

julianna barwick - CLOAK

One more bit of somber music before bedtime. Julianna Barwick’s haunting voice is used to supreme ghostly effect here. Not creepy. Just melancholic and distant. And those slow note piano keys. They just sound like what it feels like to miss someone. Just wow. Sad away the rest of your night.

*Featured on The Afterglow: Episode 35

The Weakerthans - Left and Leaving

the weakerthans - LEFT AND LEAVING

This is one of those tracks that used to find its way onto so many mixtapes. Hell, The Weakerthans were just that band for me. John K. Samson is a hell of a writer and it’s when he’s writing bittersweet that he brings out the best (that whole “best parts of lonely” part still kills me). It’s just a beautiful, sweet little goodbye song. And this song holds up. More than a decade later, it still hits where it counts.

Check out The Afterglow: Found Series - Slow Fade for a free mixtape with lots of great material like this track. You won’t be disappointed.

Grandaddy - Laughing Stock

grandaddy - LAUGHING STOCK

It’s been fun revisiting some old favorites so I’m doing so again. This is thirteen or so years old and really feels like it could have been released today. Maybe it’s because Grandaddy were always a bit ahead of the curve. Experimental, but lo-fi. Sounding like giants one minute and putting you into intimate head space the next. Laughing Stock was the first song of theirs that I heard that blew me away. I was floored by the spaced out soundscapes and the soft vocals that kept building into that beautiful falsetto before cresting and falling back away. It’s an amazing song and truth be told, “Under the Western Freeway” and “The Sophtware Slump” are two of my favorite albums, but later output never lived up to the promise of those early albums. There are certainly good songs to be found on later releases, but for me, this is like an old friend. This feels like where i grew up. I can always come back here and feel familiarity.

Secret Shine - It's Killing Me

secret shine - IT’S KILLING ME

Here’s a track included in the new Afterglow Mixtape. I’ve posted a couple of tracks from the new Secret Shine album already. This is more dream pop bliss. Shimmering guitars, whirling synths and melodic male/female vocals. I’ve said it already, but their new album is wonderful.

Suicide - Dream Baby Dream

suicide - DREAM BABY DREAM

This track is one of both Bruce Springsteen and James Murphy’s favorite songs. How can you argue with that? It’s a lovely little optimistic bit of experimental post punk. Alan Vega is a forgotten hero. Listen to it on repeat because fuck it, why not?

You can find this on the Afterglow: Episode 29. Or on Suicide’s brilliant second eponymous album (sometimes called Suicide (1980).

Mimicking Birds - Under and In Rocks

mimicking birds - UNDER AND IN ROCKS

Track 6 from The Afterglow: Episode 26.

Truth be told, Mimicking Birds’ self titled album is one of my absolute favorite albums of the year and I’m so surprised by how little love it gets. It’s produced by Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock (and released on his label) and actually reminds me a great deal of his quieter work. It’s a beautiful album and deserves absolutely to be mentioned in the same breath as other great debuts this year from Local Natives, Surfer Blood, and Beach Fossils (to name but a few). Maybe it’s just a bit quieter and more reflective than those albums. No matter, I love it as much as I love those albums.

The Radio Dept. - On Your Side

the radio dept. - ON YOUR SIDE

Track 3 from The Afterglow: Episode 26.

Also found on the spectacular new “Never Follow Suit EP”. The Radio Dept seem to be getting better with every little release and that’s strange for me because i always forget about them as a band after a while and then boom, they drop something else and i love it even more than the last time. Get your autumnal shoegaze on.

Elliott Smith - Pitseleh

elliott smith - PITSELEH

Track 18 from The Afterglow: Episode 26.

One of those pretty, sad tracks from years back that I can’t quite pinpoint when I found it, or why I loved it so much, but it remains one of my favorite cold weather songs.