Palo Alto Pop Overthrow

This week's episode of the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow will be broadcast live from Pittsburgh, from the campus of Carnegie Mellon University. It will be simulcast on WRCT Pittsburgh 88.3 FM in addition to its regular home on KZSU Stanford 90.1 FM. East coast listeners, you can tune in from 10AM until Noon, which is 7-9AM on the west coast.


In the 8AM PST/11AM EST hour we will be joined in the studio by Pittsburgh singer-songwriter and WRCT favorite Brad Yoder, a very talented musician with incredible charm and wit. His 2007 release "Someday or Never"—which Brad graciously makes available for full preview on his site's album page—further continues Brad's cheerful yet earnest approach to folksy rock and pop.

Here's what was played on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow for November 18, 2008:

Artist	Track	Album/Label
Pernice Brothers	There Goes The Sun	Discover a Lovelier You Ashmont Records
Matt Pond PA	Sunlight	Sunlight EP Altitude Records
Brilliant Mistakes, the	Stupid Love Song	Dumb Luck Aunt Mimi's Records
Finn, Neil	Rest of the Day Off	One Nil EMI Records
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals	Alone	Burn to Shine Virgin Records
Shins, the	Weird Divide	Oh, Inverted World Sub Pop Records
McCartney, Paul	Riding to Vanity Fair	Chaos and Creation in the Backyard Capitol Records
Mendoza Line, the	Fellow Travelers	Fortune Bar/None Records
von Sneidern, Chris	Don't Worry Now	wood+wire Mod Lang
Buckley, Jeff	Forget Her	Grace (Re-Issue) Columbia
Travis	Writing to Reach You	Man Who, the Epic Records
Squeeze	The Day I Get Home	Play Reprise Records (Modern)
**Belle and Sebastian	Step Into My Office, Baby	Dear Catastrophe Waitress Rough Trade Records
Sweet, Matthew and Hoffs, Susanna	And Your Bird Can Sing	Under the Covers Vol. 1 Shout Factory
They Might Be Giants	Ana, Ng	Severe Tire Damage Restless Records
Pugwash	Take Me Away	11 Modern Antiquities 1969 Records
**Belle and Sebastian	If She Wants Me	Dear Catastrophe Waitress Rough Trade Records
@Apples in Stereo, the	The Silvery Light of a Dream (Part II)	Tone Soul Evolution Spin Art
@Wiretree	Don't Need It	Bouldin Colbaltworks Music Division
Stereo, the	Tell Your Football Dad No	Rewind + Record Fueled By Ramen
**Belle and Sebastian	I'm a Cuckoo	Dear Catastrophe Waitress Rough Trade Records
Corner Laughers, The	No Shenanigans	Tomb of Leopards Sandbox Records
Copeland	Pin Your Wings	In Motion The Militia Group
Midlake	Roscoe	The Trials of Van Occupanther Bella Union
Flaming Lips, the	Fight Test	Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robos Warner Brothers (Modern)
Sweet, Matthew	I Should Never Have Let You Know	In Reverse Volcano Entertainment

** Featured Album
+ Former Feature
@ Request/Dedication

Palo Alto Pop Overthrow with Phil Andrews
Tuesdays from 7-9AM PST/10-Noon EST
KZSU Stanford, 90.1FM / http://kzsulive.stanford.edu/
Blog at http://www.palopop.org/

The album "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" was a bit of a departure for the Scottish band Belle & Sebastian. Their numerous previous releases, squarely in the realm of twee and baroque pop, were pretty lo-fi. For their 2003 release, their new label Rough Trade brought in producer Trevor Horn (who has produced for or performed in Yes, the Art of Noise, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood), who massaged the band's sound in to a distinctly more polished, poppy sound.

Favorite tracks: 1. Step Into My Office, Baby; 3. If She Wants Me; 6. I'm a Cuckoo; Piazza, New York Catcher; 8. Wrapped Up in Books

Label: Rough Trade
RIYL: Camera Obscura, The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir

Four stars.

myspace, official site, wikipedia, AMG
Amazon: album
Rhapsody

Here's what was played on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow for November 11, 2008:

Artist	Track	Album/Label
Buried Beds	Forever in You	Empty Rooms http://www.buriedbeds.com/
Simon Apple	Without a Sound	From the Toybox Trunk
Matthews, Eric	Black to Light Brown	Six Kinds of Passion Looking For an Exit Self Release
+Squeeze	Day I Get Home	Play Reprise Records
Stevens, Sufjan	Chicago	Illinois Asthmatic Kitty Records
Folds, Ben	Golden Slumbers	I Am Sam V2 Music Limited
McCartney, Paul	Jenny Wren	Chaos and Creation in the Backyard Capitol Records
+Jay, Matthew	Call My Name Out	Draw Capitol Records
Pernice Brothers	Overcome By Happiness	Overcome By Happiness Sub Pop Records
+Cash, Brent	Good Morning Sunshine	How Will I Know If I'm Awake Marina Records
Penn, Michael	Out of My Hands	Resigned Epic
The Mayflies USA	So Young	Walking in a Straight Line Yep Roc Records
**Velvet Crush	Atmosphere	Teenage Symphonies to God Creation Records Limited
+Manning Jr., Roger Joseph	Down in Front	Catnip Dynamite Pony Canyon
Sweet, Matthew	All Over My Head	Blue Sky on Mars Volcano Entertainment
**Velvet Crush	Star Trip	Teenage Symphonies to God Creation Records Limited
@Malkmus, Stephen & The Jicks	Gardenia	Real Emotional Trash Matador Records
@Belle and Sebastian	Step Into My Office Baby	Dear Catastrophe Waitress Rough Trade Records
**Velvet Crush	Why not Your Baby	Teenage Symphonies to God Creation Records Limited
@Redd Kross	Secret Life	Show World Mercury Records
von Sneidern, Chris	Annalisa	Sight & Sound Heyday Records
The Spinning Jennies	Peer Pressure	Peer Pressure Vast Records

** Featured Album
+ Former Feature
@ Request/Dedication

Palo Alto Pop Overthrow with Phil Andrews
Tuesdays from 7-9AM PDT/10-Noon EDT
KZSU Stanford, 90.1FM / http://kzsulive.stanford.edu/
Blog at http://www.palopop.org/

"I’m writing a teenage symphony to God."
-Brian Wilson

The leader of The Beach Boys once said that about his album "Smile", then very much a work in progress, which ended up not being finished for decades. In the mid-90s, the pop/rock band Velvet Crush released an album that tipped their collective hats to Mr. Wilson. The Crush brought in Mitch Easter to produce a record tinged with harder rock, moments of alt country, and lots of melodious guitar hooks.

Ric Menck drums for the band, having also worked with the likes of The Pernice Brothers and Matthew Sweet. Paul Chastain provides the vocals and bass, and Jeffrey Borchardt rocks the guitar.

Favorite tracks: 11. Star Trip, 5. Atmosphere, 3. Why Not Your Baby (originally by Gene Clark), 1. Hold Me Up


"Atmosphere" performed by Velvet Crush with Matthew Sweet
Label: Creation Records
RIYL: Matthew Sweet, Sloan
Four stars.

myspace, official site, wikipedia, AMG
Amazon: album
Rhapsody

Here's what was played on the Palo Alto Pop Overthrow for November 4, 2008:

Artist	Track	Album/Label
McCartney, Paul	Jenny Wren	Chaos and Creation in the Backyard Capitol Records
Pernice Brothers	There Goes the Sun	Discover a Lovelier You Ashmont Records
Matt Pond PA	Fairlee	Nature of Maps, the Polyvinyl Record Co.
Travis	Writing to Reach You	Man Who, the Epic Records
Simon Apple	Even Clowns Will Cry	From the Toybox Trunk
+Jay, Matthew	Call My Name Out	Draw Capitol Records
Nova, Heather	We Can Work It Out	I Am Sam V2 Music Limited
+Cash, Brent	Good Morning Sunshine	How Will I Know If I'm Awake Marina Records
Belle and Sebastian	Winter Wooksie	Legal Man Matador Records
Belles, the	Omertá	Omertá Lakeshore Records
@Wiretree	Don't Need It	Bouldin Cobaltworks Music Division
Lambchop	The Lone Official	Awcmon Merge Records
Buckley, Jeff	Forget Her	Grace (Re-Issue) Columbia
+Squeeze	Day I Get Home	Play Reprise Records
**Death Cab For Cutie	Long Division	Narrow Stairs Atlantic Records
+Manning Jr., Roger Joseph	American Affluenza	Catnip Dynamite Pony Canyon
Teenage Fanclub	The Town and the City	Howdy! Thirsty Ear Communication
**Death Cab For Cutie	No Sunlight	Narrow Stairs Atlantic Records
+Starbelly	Ordinary Now	Everyday and Then Some Not Lame Recordings
Bleu	That's When I Crash	Redhead Aware Records
**Death Cab For Cutie	Cath...	Narrow Stairs Atlantic Records
+Sweet, Matthew	Byrdgirl	Sunshine Lies Shout! Factory
+The Corner Laughers	You Two Are The Ones	Tomb of Leopards Sandbox Records
The Spinning Jennies	Tea & Apathy	The Best of the Spinning Jennies Cool Buzz Records
New Pornographers, the	Letter From An Occupant	Mass Romantic Mint Records Inc.
von Sneidern, Chris	Sun	Wood+Wire Mod Lang Records

** Featured Album
* Featured Track
+ Former Feature
@ Request/Dedication

Palo Alto Pop Overthrow with Phil Andrews
Tuesdays from 7-9AM PDT/10-Noon EDT
KZSU Stanford, 90.1FM / http://kzsulive.stanford.edu/
Blog at http://www.palopop.org/

Ben Gibbard, Chris Walla, Nicholas Harmer, and Jason McGerr, or "Death Cab" as their fans call them, released the album "Narrow Stairs" this summer on Atlantic Records. This is their second outing for the major label, but Death Cab's genesis and reputation are built on their long stint as the darlings of college radio, totaling six releases on Barsuk Records. Along the way, vocalist and guitarist Ben Gibbard has had additional indie success with his electronic and indie pop project "The Postal Service."

Favorite tracks: 9. Long Division, 3. No Sunshine, 4. Cath, 8. Your New Twin Sized Bed

Label: Atlantic Records
RIYL: The Decemberists, The Postal Service
Three stars.

myspace, official site, wikipedia, AMG
Amazon: album
Rhapsody