June 30, 2018 CHIRP Radio playlist (Show #389)

9:00 AM Finn Brothers • Last Day of June • Finn • Discovery

9:03 AM Mahalia Jackson • He's Got The Whole World In His Hands • The Essential Mahalia Jackson • Columbia/Legacy

9:06 AM V.V. Lightbody • Jawbones • Bathing Peach • Midwest Action

June 23, 2018 CHIRP Radio Playlist (Show #388)

9:01 AM k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang • A Sleep with No Dreaming • Sing it Loud • Nonesuch

9:04 AM Bronski Beat • Smalltown Boy • The Age of Consent• London

9:09 AM Andy Pratt • Thrift Store Girl • Further Disruption • self-released

June 2, 2018 CHIRP Radio playlist (Show #387)

9:01 AM The Magnetic Fields • I Have The Moon • The Charm of the Highway Strip • Merge

9:04 AM Millie Jackson • Summer (The First Time) • Caught Up • Spring

9:09 AM La Luz • Floating Features • Floating Features • Hardly Art

9:14 AM Father John Misty • Mr. Tillman • God's Favorite Customer • Sub Pop

9:17 AM Charlie Rich • There Won't Be Anymore • Ultimate Collection • Hip-O

9:19 AM Venetian Snares x Daniel Lanois • Night MXCMPV1 P74 • Venetian Snares x Daniel Lanois • Timesig/Planet Mu

9:24 AM Stereo Venus • Scarlett • Close to the Sun • Sudden Hunger

9:30 AM Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater • Nashville Blues • Cool Blues Walk • Bullseye Blues & Jazz

9:32 AM R.E.M. • We Walk • Murmur • I.R.S.

9:35 AM Nedelle Torrisi • Good Love • Only for You • Frenchkiss

9:40 AM John Parish • Sorry for Your Loss • Bird Dog Dante • Thrill Jockey

9:43 AM Beach House • Pay No Mind • 7 • Sub Pop

9:47 AM Ken Stringfellow • When U Find Someone • Soft Commands • Yep Roc

9:50 AM Artson • We Ain't Done • Brave Star • Death Valley Entertainment

9:55 AM Canasta • Reading The Map Upside Down • The Fakeout, The Tease And The Breather • RWIM Chicago

10:00 AM Paul McCartney • Looking at Her • NEW • Hear Music

10:03 AM Kid Sister • You Ain't Really Down • Ultraviolet • Downtown

10:06 AM Courtesy • Hey • HEY • Moon Glyph

10:13 AM Neko Case • Gumball Blue • Hell-On • Anti-

10:17 AM The Byrds • Time Between • Younger Than Yesterday • Columbia

10:19 AM Sonido Gallo Negro • Tolú • Mambo Cósmico • Glitterbeat

10:22 AM Amber Mark • All the Work • Conexão • PMR/Interscope

10:27 AM Depeche Mode • Precious • Playing the Angel • Mute

10:31 AM Eleanor Friedberger • The Letter • Rebound • Frenchkiss

10:35 AM The Vertebrats • Left in the Dark • A Thousand Day Dream • Parasol

10:40 AM Modern Studies • It's Winter • Welcome Stranger • Fire

10:44 AM Earth, Wind & Fire • On Your Face • Spirit • Columbia

10:48 AM Kuwaisiana • Gashxi • Chapter 1 • self-released

10:51 AM Smoking Popes • Pure Imagination • Destination Failure • Capitol

10:56 AM Wussy • Skip • What Heaven Is Like • Shake-It

11:00 AM Spoon • The Fitted Shirt • Girls Can Tell • Merge

11:04 AM Mano Negra • La Vida (La Vida me da Palo) • Casa Babylon • Virgin Latino

11:06 AM Parquet Courts • Wide Awake • Wide Awake! • Rough Trade

11:11 AM Poptone • Go! • Poptone • Cleopatra

11:16 AM Super Neutral • Your Little Still Life • Your Little Still Life/Geek Speedball • self-released

11:19 AM Spooky Tooth • Society's Child • It's All About • Island

11:23 AM Sheer Mag • Just Can't Get Enough • Need to Feel Your Love • Wilsuns Recording Company

11:27 AM SSION • 1980-99 (featuring Patty Schemel and Sky Ferreira) • O • Dero Arcade

11:31 AM Peach Kelli Pop • Black Magic • Gentle Leader • Mint

11:33 AM Lauryn Hill • Lost Ones • The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill • Ruffhouse

11:40 AM T-Bone Burnett • I Can Explain Everything • The Criminal Under My Own Hat • Columbia

11:43 AM LITHICS • Excuse Generator • Mating Surfaces • Kill Rock Stars

11:45 AM Queen • Sheer Heart Attack • News of the World • Elektra

11:49 AM Dirty Looks • Take a Life • Dirty Looks • Stiff

11:54 AM Cheer-Accident • I'm Just Afraid • Fades • Skin Graft

May 26, 2018 CHIRP Radio Playlist (Show #386)

9:00 AM Warren Zevon • The French Inhaler • Warren Zevon • Asylum

9:03 AM Lykke Li • Time in a Bottle • single • LL Recordings

9:06 AM Damien Jurado • Marvin Kaplan • The Horizon Just Laughed • Secretly Canadian

May 19, 2018 CHIRP Radio Playlist (Show #385)

9:01 AM Solange • Weary • A Seat at the Table • Saint

9:04 AM Bob Dylan • Life is Hard • Together Through Life • Columbia

9:07 AM Orquesta Akokán • La Cosa • Orquesta Akokán • Daptone

May 12, 2018 CHIRP Radio Playlist (Show #384)

9:00 AM Beth Orton • Central Reservation (Ben Watt mix) • Central Reservation • Arista

9:04 AM Fleet Foxes • Blue Spotted Tail • Helplessness Blues• Sub Pop

9:06 AM Joachim Cooder • Everyone Sleeps in the Light • Fuchsia Machu Picchu • Temple of Leaves

Sparks in a nutshell (updated)

In the comments section of a review of the Sparks album Exotic Creatures Of The Deep, I composed this in answer to a query of where to start with Sparks. For a pithy analysis, well, it's pithy and has enough value to put it on the blog.

1. Demos/Halfnelson/Sparks/Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing: Demented neo-psychedelic rock. Songs about incest, dating Germans and smashing into cars to meet people. Dresden Dolls fans will love some of this stuff.

2. Kimono My House/Propaganda/Indiscreet: Sparks inspires Queen, Morrissey and many others, and become glam stars in the UK. Most fans think this is their best period.

3. Big Beat/Introducing Sparks: -- poor production hampers two solid collections of tunes.

4. Number One In Heaven/Terminal Jive: Sparks invents electronica/techno/gay disco and synth-pop duos. Heaven is the most influential album no one has ever heard. Jive is a shadow of that.

5. Whomp That Sucker/Angst In My Pants/In Outer Space/Pulling Rabbits: Sparks goes New Wave, becomes KROQ stars. The first two albums are great silly fun. Outer Space goes more synth, and Rabbits is hit-or-miss.

6. Music That You Can Dance To/Interior Design: Ron and Russell build a studio. Music is somewhat experimental, yielded the brilliant "Change", but is spotty. Design has even fewer spots.

7. Gratuitous Sax/Plagiarism/Balls: Sax is a Eurodisco comeback and got them on the charts in the UK again. Very good. Plagiarism is an odd self-tribute album. Balls has its moments.

8. Lil' Beethoven/Hello Young Lovers/Exotic Creatures: Baroque minimalistic orch-pomp-pop? Beethoven was so bracing in 2002 and the Maels showed they still have it. Lovers explores the approach some more. Creatures moves the approach into a more pop direction and is awesomely catchy.

9. Seduction of Ingmar Bergman/Two Hands One Mouth:L A Swedish radio musical in the style of the albums in entry number 8 above and a live album as a duo. The former is intriguing, the latter simply entertaining.

10. FFS/Hippopotamus: The Maels, with the help of Franz Ferdinand, consolidate many of the styles they've explored over the years on their rockingest LP in years, and follow that with another album of straightforward pop that brims with confidence.