Episode 35

     When two-hour shows are the norm, three hours seems like a long time. Now that the station is on its summer schedule (through the end of September) and my show is scheduled to air weekly, programming three hours really does seem daunting. My long-followed strategy of making a note of every song I might possibly play the moment the thought hits is again revealing its value. When I finished sequencing this morning’s playlist, I was surprised to see that I had enough leftover material to fill at least an hour of next week.
     In some ways, this episode is like the last in that it reflects the increased time I’ve had to listen to recordings in recent weeks. (To be sure, that listening has taken place while I was trapped in front of the computer writing or stuck, pen in hand, marking papers.) Digging deeply into my home library has helped me to loosen my self-imposed reins and play more pop-oriented material without, I hope, sacrificing consistency. I’m inclined to think I’ve been successful so far, given how much more dreamy and noisy the episodes have become, even in the presence of poppy material. Putting Björk and Cibelle alongside the Rain Parade might seem strange, but I think it worked. Ditto for following Wire with Raul Malo, or John Lee Hooker with This Mortal Coil. In some ways, I guess, it’s all about the transitions, song to song, set to set. Handled well, they are elegant or deliberately jarring. Even when they aren’t, I hope those of you who got to listen enjoyed the ride and will come along for those that are to follow....

• 12:00–1:00 a.m.:
• Mark Eitzel, “Homeland Pastoral,” Candy Ass, Cooking Vinyl
• Sigmatropic, “Haiku Nine,” Sixteen Haiku and Other Stories, Thirsty Ear
• Felix Laband, “Black Shoes,” Dark Days Exit, Compost
• Rachel Goswell, “Coastline,” Waves Are Universal, 4AD
• The Durutti Column, “Tuesday,” Keep Breathing, Artful
• Andrew Bird, “Sovay,” The Mysterious Production of Eggs, Righteous Babe
• NOMO, “If You Want,” New Tones, Ubiquity
• Jack DeJohnette (featuring Bill Frisell), “Entranced Androids,” The Elephant Sleeps but Still Remembers, Golden Beams
• Cassandra Wilson, “Last Train to Clarksville,” New Moon Daughter, Blue Note
• Robert Wyatt, “A Last Straw,” Rock Bottom, Thirsty Ear
• David Sylvian, “Late Night Shopping,” Blemish, Samadhi Sound

• 1:00–2:00 a.m.:
• The Kinks, “Wicked Annabella,” The Village Green Preservation Society (Deluxe Edition), Sanctuary
• Rain Parade, “This Can’t Be Today,” Emergency Third Rail Power Trip, Restless
• Björk, “Heirloom,” Vespertine, Elektra
• Cibelle, “Instante de Dois,” The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves, Six Degrees
• Television Personalities, “When Emily Cries,” They Could Have Been Bigger than the Beatles, Velvel
• Piano Magic, “(Music Won’t Save You from Anything But) Silence,” Writers without Homes, 4AD
• Stephen Malkmus, “Deado,” Stephen Malkmus, Matador
• Interpol, “A Time to Be So Small,” Antics, Matador
• Love and Rockets, “Love Me,” Express, Big Time
• Sinéad O’Connor, “I Am Stretched on Your Grave,” I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, Chrysalis
• China Crisis, “Here Come a Raincloud,” Working with Fire and Steel, Possible Pop Songs, Volume Two, Virgin
• The Apartments, “All the Birthdays,” The Evening Visits ... and Stays for Years, Hot

• 2:00–3:00 a.m.:
• Culture, “See Them A Come,” Two Sevens Clash, Shanachie
• Massive Attack, “Better Things,” Protection, Virgin
• Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins, “It Wasn’t Me,” Rabbit Fur Coat, Team Love
• Wilco, “Via Chicago,” Summerteeth, Reprise
• The Cure, “One Hundred Years,” Pornography, Elektra
• Wire, “Point of Collapse,” The Ideal Copy, Mute
• Raul Malo, “Since When,” Today, Omtown
• Cortijo y Su Combo con Ismael Rivera, “Si Te Contara,” Quitate de la Via, Perico, Rumba
• John Lee Hooker, “Dimples,” The Very Best of John Lee Hooker, Rhino
• This Mortal Coil, “Strength of Strings/Morning Glory,” Filigree & Shadow, 4AD
• Rachel’s, “Water from the Same Source,” Systems/Layers, Quarterstick
• Morsel, “Like a Gift,” Para Siempre, Small Stone