Twee Time's Farewell 2010

Here are some of my favourites from 2010. Tune into "Twee Time" every Friday at 20:00 on CJLO.com 1690 AM in Montreal; Concordia University's underground radio.

Fave Releases

Twee Time's favourite albums of 2010 (in order of release), with selected tracks.

01. Magnetic Fields - Realism

Listen to: Better Things; You Must Be Out of Your Mind

02. The Strange Boys - Be Brave

Listen to: Be Brave; Night Might

03. Black Tambourine - Black Tambourine

Listen to: Dream Baby Dream (cover song, originally by Suicide)

04. Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be

Listen to: Jail La La

05. MGMT - Congratulations

Listen to: Song for Dan Treacy

06. Woods - At Echo Lake

Listen to: Blood Dries Darker

07. The Apples in Stereo - Travellers in Space and Time

Listen to: It's All Right

08. The Black Keys - Brothers

Listen to: Howlin' for You

09. Best Coast - Crazy for You

Listen to: Our Deal; Goodbye

10. Play Guitar - Shields / Don't Worry About Death

Listen to: Celebration

11. Magic Kids - Memphis

Listen to: Good to Be

12. Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart

Listen to: Old Fangs; Wilderness Heart

13. The Vaselines - Sex with an X

Listen to: Ruined; I Hate the 80s; Exit the Vaselines

14. Various Artists - No More of Your Fairy Stories (an indiepop loveletter to the Ramones)

Listen to: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Don't Go; The Just Joans, Questioningly; Horowitz, Judy is a Punk

15. Belle & Sebastian - Belle & Sebastian Write About Love

Listen to: I Can See Your Future; Write About Love; I Want the World to Stop

16. Stereolab - Not Music

Listen to: So is Cardboard Clouds

17. Girl Talk - All Day (internet release)

Listen to: All of it, all day.

Fave Singles

Twee Time's favourite 7" singles of 2010.

01. The Nymphets - Slow Song

02. Bearsuit - Please Don't Take Him Back

03. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Heart in Your Heartbreak

04. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Say No to Love

05. Veronica Falls - Beachy Head

06. Seapony - Dreaming

07. La Sera - Never Come Around

Fave Old Releases

On repeat in 2010.

01. The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St.

02. Gorilla - Rock Our Souls

03. Plumtree - Predicts the Future

04. Television - Marquee Moon

05. The Slits - Cut

06. MC5 - Kick Out the Jams

Fave Independent Labels

01. Fortuna Pop!

02. Darla

03. In the Red

04. Slumberland

05. Happy Happy Birthday to Me

Best Live Show of the Year

It's a tie!

01. Devo @ Osheaga

02. The Strange Boys @ Casa del Popolo

Most Memorable Moment

Stephen Malkmus of Pavement getting hit in the face with a beer at Osheaga.

Most Annoying Moment

When the guest list for the Magnetic Fields was pulled at the last minute, causing me to miss the show at the Corona Theatre on February 6th 'cause I didn't have a damn ticket.

Live Shows to Remember

01. The Nymphets @ Divan l'Orange

02. Red Mass @ Café Campus

03. Devo, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Owen Pallett, Black Keys, Japandroids, Snoop Dog, Seu Jorge & Almaz, Arcade Fire @ Osheaga

04. Superchunk @ Le National

05. The Vaselines @ Sala Rosa

06. Asexuals @ Cabaret

On the Internet

Because I'm modern that way.

01. Arcade Fire @ Madison Square Garden Webcast (streamed on Youtube August 5th)

02. Belle & Sebastian @ Barrowland Webcast (streamed on NPR Music December 21st)

Those Who Will Be Missed

01. Ari Up (The Slits)

02. Jay Reatard (The Reatards, Lost Sounds, etc.)

03. Alex Chilton (Big Star)

04. Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse)

05. Peter Steele (Type O Negative)

06. Malcolm McLaren (manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls)

07. Sergio Vega (seriously, look him up)

08. Captain Beefheart (The Magic Band)

09. Miep Gies (shelterer of the Frank family, preserved Anne Frank's diary)

10. J.D. Salinger (author of The Catcher in the Rye, Franny and Zooey, etc.)

11. Alexander McQueen (fashion designer)

12. Andrew Koenig (actor on Growing Pains, and son of Walter Koenig "Chekov" from Star Trek)

13. Chris Haney (inventor of Trivial Pursuit)

14. Corey Haim (actor, The Lost Boys, Goonies, and the better half of the two Coreys)

15. Gary Coleman (actor, Diff'rent Strokes)

16. Tom Bosley (actor, Mr. C on Happy Days)

17. Tony Curtis (actor, Some Like It Hot)

18. Leslie Nielsen (actor, Airplane! and The Naked Gun series)

19. Blake Edwards (director, Breakfast at Tiffany's and the Pink Panther)

20. Harvey Pekar (American Splendor)

Songs about crushes

For a few months now I've had a serious secret crush on an amazing heavily-tattooed man, so here are some songs for those who are crushing too.

"Laurie" by Daniel Johnston

I can't explain such love aflame

I overcame victorious

Filled my heart with such desire

So grand and so glorious

"Boyfriend" by Best Coast

There's nothing worse than sitting all alone at home

And waiting waiting waiting waiting by the phone

I hope that he's at home

Waiting by his phone

I wonder if he knows

That I want him

I wish he was my boyfriend

I wish he was my boyfriend

I'd love him to the very end but instead he's just a friend

I wish he was my boyfriend

"Cool Guitar Boy" by Heavenly

He looks so neat with his hair which is tousled up long mess and

He acts all coy, smiles and hides. Could he like me? I have to guess

He looks so cool in this shades, hide his eyes, might be looking my way

Never speaks, which I like, doesn't have much to say

I love him lots and I wish he'd see me: the Cool Guitar Boy

He looks so brilliant when he plays his twelve-string and smiles

Oh pure joy!

And I wish he's see me

And I want him to love me

Cos I know there's heaven, heaven in his arms

"I'm in Love with a Girl Who Doesn't Know I Exist" by Another Sunny Day

So many times this has happened before

But I never knew love could make you feel this sore

I could speak to you

You could speak to me

Oh but it will never happen

What will be will be

So I'll just lie and dream of the chance I have missed

I'm in love with a girl who doesn't know I exist

"Youth" by Beat Happening

When I was young

I sought to win a young girl's heart

I chased the girl around a cherry tree

All I ended up winning was a couple of skinned knees

"Prettiest Boy" by Tiger Trap

I have a pineapple crush on a boy 

I don't know where he came from 

Or how he got skin just like snow

He's the angel I asked for in my prayers last night

He's the only one who can make my wrong life right

'Cause I know he was sent here just for me

beautiful vision is stuck in my heart

I wish I could tell him but don't know where to start

"The Way I Feel Inside" by The Zombies

But till I can see

That you'd really care for me

I'll keep trying to hide

The way I feel inside

What are your favourite songs about crushes and unrequited love?

Happy Holidays from Belle & Sebastian

Hey pop kids, great news! On Tuesday December 21 4PM EST, Belle and Sebastian's pre-Christmas "Holiday Spectacular" show in their home town will webcast live and for free with the help of NPR and The Guardian. Get the details here and here.

New Pains

Just a quick note to say that you can download the B-side track "The One" from the Pains of Being Pure at Heart's upcoming 7" release at Fortuna Pop!

The single "Heart in your Heartbreak" will be available December 14, 2010 from Slumberland records.

Another obscure indie band

The Happydeadmen

Described as "The Swedish Smiths", this jangle pop band formed in 1988 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Today's Quote is from founding members Thomas and Jan:

Swedish music sucks, let's save it.

Today's Track is "Silent Sigh City" (their first single, 1988-89)

Check out their MySpace page for information and more Happydeadmen tracks!

NME C81 Cassette

Today's History Lesson Cassette Culture

Selected tracks from the New Musical Express compilation C81, released in 1981.

"Blue Boy" by Orange Juice

"Endless Soul" by Josef K

"Shouting Out Loud" by The Raincoats

"We Could Send Letters" by Aztec Camera

My Favorite

Today's Track "Burning Hearts" by My Favorite

The songs we sung and then forgot

The hearts that would burn and the hearts that would not

This Long Island, New York band were "musicians on the verge" in 1998. What happened to you, My Favorite?

Another Ramones tribute

Underneath those leather jackets, behind the raw tireless sound and in-your-face attitude, beyond "Punk", lies some of the best pop music that has ever graced this sad and beautiful world.

Well kids, there's an indiepop tribute!

No More of Your Fairy Stories - An indiepop loveletter to the Ramones (various artists) from Precordial Catch Records.

Friday on Twee Time, I will be playing selected tracks from this sold-out compilation. For now, how about a little taste of what's to come?

Today's Track "Don't Go" by The Ramones (composed by Joey Ramone, from the album Pleasant Dreams 1981)

Today's Download a cover by The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

Thanks to Taylor for the heads up!

Twee Things

Today's Quote is from my friend Sam:

You know you're an old washed up indie pop scenester when you listen to some new band and it sounds like Aislers Set or Talulah Gosh to you but all the reviews compare it to Best Coast and Vivian Girls.

Today's Track "Dream Baby Dream" by Black Tambourine. From the compilation Black Tambourine (Slumberland), released in 2010, which has their complete recordings and six new songs.

Today's Tweevia "Dream Baby Dream" is a cover, originally recorded by the protopunk band Suicide.

CJLO DJ of the Week!

Today I was named DJ of the Week at CJLO, 1690 AM in Montreal.

Here is the write-up from the CJLO website:

A five-year veteran of the CJLO set, Twee Time host Stephanie Dee characterizes her CJLO stint as "the only thing that makes me cool." Her hour-long show from 8 to 9 on Friday nights is a fun and charming, as well as charismatic program.

From her humble beginnings, where she specifically remembers the date of her first broadcast (5 p.m. on August 29, 2005) and the first song she ever played ("Son Of A Gun" by the Vaselines) until now, her quiet storm of all things twee (and C-86 and anorak and any other of indie rock subgenres).

"I play under-appreciated music for the part time punks who play their records very loud, and pogo in the bedroom in front of the mirror, but only when their mums gone out," explains Miss Dee, "And for the kids who know which band I nicked that description from."

Always ready to help out and ensuring that her Friday night slot is always great, Steph is this week's DJ of the week!