New Year, New Music Batch

SICK OF SARAH
Sick of Sarah

Score: 3 out of 5

I know that a lot of people will like this. Mostly women. It’s got the attitude of AVRIL and the quality of ALANIS with a hint of punk (a la the YEAH YEAH YEAH’s). I enjoyed this album, as well, if only because of the effort put into its variety and production.

I Liked:
“Daises”
“Not Listening”



CORE EFFECT
Armored Shades of Light

Score: 2 out of 5

Wow. I used to love this music. This is BREAKING BENJAMIN meets SEETHER meets CHEVELLE meets ALL THOSE OTHER ROCK BANDS. It’s not bad. It blends in rather effortlessly into that endless well of guitar riffs and smoker-voiced vocalists. I actually liked it a lot, if only because of how it struck chords of nostalgia from my angsty high-school days. However, the rock-heavy focus takes it out of the running because it’s a bit too “101.7 The Fox” for us.



LONELY DEAR
Dear John

Score: 3 out of 5

I kept wanting to really like this album. It’s not bad. It’s not an instant groundbreaking sensation, either. It’s a hybrid combination of THE SHINS and JOHN MAYER (a better comparison eludes me…). The variety is decent although I think they sound the best when they’re being loud. The softer tracks weren’t very good. A few gems, though.

I Liked:
“I Was Only Going Out”
"Violent”



STEPHANIE CHAPMAN
This Song Is To You

Score: 2 out of 5

Sorry STEPHANIE, but I had to cut you short. This is pretty country music (not that there’s anything wrong with that…) and it just won’t fit in the playlist. But I’m sure fans of THE DIXIE CHICKS might enjoy this… She could use a little more practice, though, in my opinion.



FUGITIVE KIND
You’re Being Watched

Score: 4 out of 5

It’s like the lead singer of FLEETWOOD MAC met with THE WHITE STRIPES and started playing indie-rock shows in basement venues. This is surprisingly good. I say “surprisingly” because once you realize that you’re enjoying the music, you realize that the last time you liked something like this was EVANESCENCE. But this is much better than EVANESCENCE, trust me.

I Liked:
“Don’t Waste My Time”
“Break Now”
“Wait”



JUST LIKE HEAVEN: A TRIBUTE TO THE CURE
Various Artists

Score: 5 out of 5

It’s THE CURE meets the indie-rock scene of 2008. Each cover song is done with unique flair from the sixteen bands, few of which I’d heard of before this. I gave this album a 5 because I am a pretty big fan of THE CURE. I am biased. But these are good covers, which is sometimes rare. So the score is a deserved one, I believe.

I Liked:
“Just Like Heaven”
“The Walk”
“Lovesong”


OH NO NOT STEREO
Oh No Not Stereo

Score: 2 out of 5

This is like BLUE OCTOBER meets LIT meets BLINK 182. Not a bad sound… A little too close to something they’d play on a more rock-focused station. The score reflects that fact and not the quality of the band, therefore, because OH NO NOT STEREO does what it does quite well. If I were channel surfing for music and came across a song from this album, I’d probably stop to listen.

KYLE ANDREWS
Real Blasty

Score: 4.5 out of 5

KYLE ANDREWS belongs on the shelf between JACK JOHNSON and ELLIOT SMITH. This is a fantastic thing, in case you were wondering. This is going into my top five for sure. The variety and tempo of this album makes it a solid listen all the way through. A real feeling that the artist put effort into his work.

I Liked:
“I Wanted To Paint A Rainbow”
“Sushi”
“Blow It Out”


ROKIA TRAORÉ
Tchamantché

Score: 2 out of 5

Beautiful music, for the most part, especially when more instruments are introduced as the album plays through, but there’s not a trace of English anywhere but the lyric pages. Not exactly what we’re looking for. The score does not represent the quality of this commendable world music. If I did have to recommend a track, however, I would recommend:

I Liked:
“Aimer”


ANNE HEATON
Blazing Red

Score: 1 out of 5

Nope. Didn’t like it. I tried to like it in the way I like FLEETWOOD MAC or the occasional country slow-dance tune, but even if I had come around to enjoying this album it still wouldn’t have made it onto the playlist. Sorry ANNE HEATON. I tried.


GLASVEGAS
Glasvegas

Score: 4 out of 5

They start the album with an obnoxiously epic first track that lasts seven minutes and the rest of the album follows accordingly. It’s almost too epic-sounding. This makes it hard to pick one track out from the others because they all feel connected in the experience. Their cover of BECK’s “Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime” was a nice addition, too.

I Liked:
“S.A.D. Light”
“Geraldine”


MYLES TURNEY
Ordinary Suffering

Score: 2 out of 5

Yep. It happened. I got tired of this kind of music. This is acoustic guitar played behind some guy singing rather poorly, yet oddly alluringly in the notable angsty tone. This is BRIGHT EYES and THE GOOD LIFE. This is the guy who assumes he is very talented who sings with his eyes closed while playing mostly sad songs and depressing the crowd.


ALICE RUSSELL
Pot Of Gold

Score: 4 out of 5

If you close your eyes and imagine that ARETHA FRANKLIN was brought into the studio and given a healthy dose of funk and jazz and a LAURYN HILL booster-injection, you’d get something along the lines of ALICE RUSSELL (who probably doesn’t look anything like you’d think, considering the voice that you hear through the speakers). The name of the album doesn’t lie. It’s another generation’s music brought back with a powerful singer and dance-inducing tracks.

I Liked:
“Living the Life of a Dreamer”
“Hesitate”
“Universe”

HABITAT
Two-Disc Compilation

Score: 2.5 out of 5

Little did I know that there were so many bands making this kind of music. This compilation is made up entirely of music of the ANIMAL COLLECTIVE realm (which is the only band I know of to compare this to, since I had no idea there was such a market for it). But here were have about thirty songs that consist of mostly sound effects and repetitive noises. Some of it is high-quality stuff, I admit, and some of it’s just creative. But still a bit too abstract for my taste.


THE REFUGEES
Unbound

Score: 2 out of 5

I was going to be mean and give this one a 1 out of 5, but I gave it a second listen and figured it wasn’t so bad. It’s standard country-music fodder: songs about heartbreak and hope and love. Nonetheless, we’re not looking for country, so it gets a 2.


TAMARAMA
Wonderland City

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Finally a band that matches the laid-back attitude of JACK JOHNSON and challenges his position as my favorite lazy day artist of choice. Unfortunately this album is way too short. The music is uplifting and calming and simply wonderful. Comparable perhaps to JOSEPH ARTHUR and EARLIMART, as well as the often-mentioned JACK JOHNSON.

I Liked: All tracks.


GARTH MELVIN
Ketch One Sessions

Score: 1 out of 5

This was just not very good. GARTH MELVIN doesn’t have a good voice. He probably knows that. And the instruments backing him up don’t help. Maybe the quality’s poor because it was recorded live. I’m all for singers not having smooth singing voices (I’m a huge MODEST MOUSE fan), but some people just shouldn’t sing.

FIRES OF ROME
You Kingdom You

Score: 4 out of 5

This has the fun of OK GO mixed with the rock of WOLFMOTHER and the aggressive vocals of IMA ROBOT. It’s the birth-child of some of my favorite bands. A bit rough for the casual indie listener, but awesome nonetheless. I recommend this one with two thumbs up.

I Liked:
"I’ll Take You Down”
“Monkey in a Cage”
“Down Lament”


NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST
Official Soundtrack

Score: 3 out of 5

A pretty decent compilation. Based on what I know about the movie, the music fits right up there next to your Garden State soundtrack. Like most compilations, the tracks are hit and miss. I picked out my favorites and gave the album a decent score for effort.

I Liked:
“Middle Management” by Bishop Allen
“Xavia” by The Submarines
“After Hours” by We Are Scientists


YOU ME & IOWA
The Adventures Of You Me & Iowa

Score: 3.5 out of 5

I was intrigued to see if this band sounded different after I heard them two or three years ago at the Phoenix in Petaluma. They do, for the most part. The vocalist has matured. They sound like a blend of PANIC! AT THE DISCO and JIMMY EAT WORLD. It’s an improvement for the band. It’s hard to tell if I like them for nostalgia or for real talent. I’ll be fair and give them a 3.5.

I Liked:
“Dress The Stage”
“The Song Entire”


JAGUAR LOVE
Take Me To The Sea

Score: 3 out of 5

I’ve already commented on JAGUAR LOVE before when we got a smaller sampling of their stuff a few weeks ago. My favorite of those three tracks makes a comeback on this album and it’s just as catchy as it was before. It’s also the best track on this album, too, if only because the admittedly grating vocalist is subdued and meshes better for the ears. Overall, they are a little too rough to garner a wide audience, but a portion of listeners will enjoy the AFI / MARS VOLTA / BLOOD BROTHERS blend.

I Liked:
“My Organ Sounds Like…”
“Georgia”

Batch 7

It was a light week last week. I just dropped off these CD's with Natalie earlier today and met Robin (the boss of my boss) and filled out my first official form for volunteers. Now that my name is on record somewhere this feels less like a dream and more like a real situation. I was a bit overwhelmed by the idea that this seemingly innocent exploration into the world of non-profit radio might actually carry me away on some vocational adventure. Am I ready for that? I think so. I hope so. I've had the expression of a kid in a candyshop for eight weeks since Mark first got me involved with KRCB and once next year starts, I'm going to have to grow up a little. Natalie's been more than helpful in my transition from clueless, yet avid music listener to the position of official Music Director. Check this out: Natalie sends out weekly e-mails to everyone* and this time she mentioned me by name:

Next year you will meet Chris, who will be assuming most of my duties as
Music Director over the next months.

Neat.

Here's an excerpt of my interview with Robin:

"So which kind of music do you find yourself most familiar with?" Robin--I could see from all of her pictures around her cluttered office--has a librarian's grace mixed with first-grade teacher charm. She is intimidating whereas Natalie is inviting. She is business when Natalie is gut. She spent the first few moments flipping through her desk drawers looking for a form I had to fill out while Natalie rambled on about how much she liked me and appreciated what I was doing for the radio station. She made more references to a "Tim" character I've yet to meet who has agreed that my reviews are very helpful. So basically this was the first thing Robin asked me after Natalie went quiet.

"I guess I've been mostly into the indie stuff," I say. Then, even though it's a risky push for a particular humor, I add with a shrug: "Since Garden State."
Robin and Natalie laugh.
I swear Natalie gives Robin a See? I told you he was good head-nod.
It's then that I know I'm golden.
Then Robin asks: "Do you follow triple-A?"
This makes no sense to me whatsoever.
"Triple-A?" I look to Natalie for guidance.
Natalie says, "Adult alternative... Adult..."
Robin tries, "Contemporary adult. Adult...?"
"I don't even remember what it stands for," Natalie says with a laugh.
That makes me feel better.
Natalie says, "Coldplay. Uh, Maroon 5."
"Oh," I say. "Coldplay. I know Coldplay."
"Adult contemporary," Robin states.
"Triple-A," I repeat. "Coldplay. I got that."
"Yeah," Natalie adds. "Beyonce would be triple-A."
"Oh, okay." It's a wider genre than I figured.
"Stuff you'd hear more on the radio," Natalie says.
"Mainstream," she says.
And Robin adds, "Basically what we need is someone who knows all kinds of genres. Someone who can help in all areas."
Natalie says something good about my taste.
And Robin says, "Well that's good. That's good."
While I just sit there and smile and nod.

The form I filled out was me officially signing up as a Volunteer. For EXPERIENCE I wrote: 21 years of listening to music. For INTERESTS I wrote: Honestly? Everything. But I wasn't concerned about what I wrote. Natalie sold me better than any salesman I've ever heard. And I think Robin could see a little of that from our brief interview. She gave me a mailbox and signed me up for an e-mail. I've been promised the desk across from Wendy.

Whatever's going on here--whatever it is I'm getting myself into--it's started.

Anyway, here's what I reviewed for Natalie this week. Nothing great. Mostly singles. This is the last batch before next year, however, because the next month is down-time for the industry. Whatever that means. I won't be back at KRCB until January 9, 2009. Unless Mark gets me down there on a Saturday for some observing time--he called today to congratulate me on getting my own mailbox.


MOON AND MOON
VII Acts of an Iron King

Score: 2 out of 5

Well this was interesting. This was… I don’t know… It was kind of like a “story” in the way that Pink Floyd’s RADIO KAOS album was a story. Only instead of having an album of good songs to back up the story, this is an odd compilation of narration, sound effects, and some lyrical parts. Part of me wants to make references to MEATLOAF. Very bizarre. Definitely a little too strange for our preferences.


FRANZ FERDINAND
Ulysses (Single)

Score: 4 out of 5

I always like Franz Ferdinand. This isn’t my favorite song of theirs, but they haven’t changed their sound and that’s commendable (because I like their dance-tempo stuff a lot). I think this song is about drugs or relationships or both. A good little track.

I liked:
“Ulysses”


THE FRAY
You Found Me (single)

Score: 2 out of 5

Sorry, FRAY, but this is pretty bad. However you want to put it, this is GREY’S ANATOMY music, and I’ve never even watched that show. This is montage music. It sounds like Nickelback meets Coldplay meets Edwin McCain. I’ve always thought that, though. Albeit there is a huge fanbase for this kind of music but it comes across as recycled material.


STUCK ON AM #6
Live From Radio K

Score: 4 out of 5

Only because it’s a compilation have I given this a 4. It was a very entertaining listen, though only a handful of songs really caught my attention.

I liked:
“Connect the Dots” - Lucy Michelle and The Velvet Lapelles
“Speak to Me Bones” - Land of Talk
“Over and Over” - Lookbook
“Hallelujah” - The Helio Sequence


FLOBOTS
Stand Up (Single)

Score: 2 out of 5

Mediocre hip-hop. That’s as much as I can say considering it was one song.


RATHBONE
A Life Transparent

Score: 3 out of 5

Okay stuff. Not great. Not dull. Pretty standard sound overall, but it’s a well-produced sound. It’s mellow poetry put to guitar-and-drums. More hits than misses.

I liked:
“Dream The Day”
“If I”
“Lost And Found”


WELCOME WAGON
Welcome To The…

Score: 2 out of 5

Well it wasn’t horrible. It’s like the brother-sister dymanic of THE WHITE STRIPES met with the indie-soundtrack quality of KIMYA DAWSON and then got really involved with Jesus.




*I don't know who "everyone" is, yet, but I know they're out there...

KRCB Batch 6 -- Reviews

What follows is about twenty-percent new stuff (I think Natalie only had about six or seven albums for me to listen to) and the other eighty-percent is from the "Not Yet Reviewed" part of the shelves outside of the studio. I just took it all. I figured it was Thanksgiving break, anyway, and stuffed my backpack with all of these albums. There was a lot to go through. Some really good stuff and some really bad stuff, as usual. Natalie loves me because I'm doing all the busy work she doesn't have time for anymore. I love this volunteer gig because look at all the free music I'm getting! I foresee myself turning into John Cusack from High Fidelity, just hopefully with a more cheerful disposition. Anyway, here's some new stuff and some leftovers.


DREW DANBURRY
This Could Mean Trouble, You Don’t Speak for the Club

Score: 4 out of 5

I liked this album a lot. It starts off at a fast pace and gradually slows down to a mellow. Part of it sounds a little like Piebald or Bright Eyes. Overall, this is great work. A great sound, no matter your preference between a fast foot-tapper and a slow track.

I liked:
“Residents in Orange County”
“Life Security”
And almost all of them.


GREY ANNE
Facts In Figurines

Score: 4 out of 5

Very nice, I thought. This album won me over with “Superlazy,” which is probably my favorite song by a female singer since Sia’s “Sunday.” I literally lost myself in that song. Overall, the album is just as mellow as a Sia album. This is the kind of album you’d play in the background and, as people began to notice it, they’d want to know who it was and tell you how much they were enjoying it.

I liked:
“Superlazy”
“Adelaide”
“Riddle”
“Chinese New Year”


MATT DUKE
Kingdom Underground

Score: 2 out of 5

The first thing I thought was this was Jason Mraz minus the ego. Then it sounds a little country. Then it ultimately comes across as one of those local bands you hear at coffeeshops who are good, but just haven’t quite mastered it, yet. There are 10 tracks of decent quality, but just a little undercooked.


ANJULIE
Boom

Score: 2 out of 5

Comparable to Nelly Furtado, in my opinion. Not my kinda stuff. I can see the appeal for certain crowds—it’s poppy and addictive, like strawberry soda—and I’ve got a lot of girl friends who would like this a lot. Not what we’re looking for.


BLACK GOLD
Tragedy & Legacy

Score: 4 out of 5

Yes. Good. This album took notes from The Still's "Logic Will Break Your Heart" album. Catchy without being poppy. I keep wanting to say they sound like a mix between Franz Ferdinand and The Scissor Sisters. It’s a short album. It’s definitely worth a listen.

I liked:
“Detroit”
“Idols”
“Breakdown”


LA ROCCA
OK Okay

Score: 2 out of 5

I’m not sure what to say. It comes across with the tone of a Christian rock band (no offense). It’s of Counting Crows breed. I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t hate it. I just don’t feel like recommending it, either.


CROOKED FINGERS
Forfeit/Fortune

Score: 4 out of 5

I think this was a great album. Some tracks have the flair of a Ricky Martin song and some go the way of U2 or Soul Asylum. There’s a rap track and one in Spanish. This is quite an accomplishment. The variety makes the album a very entertaining listen, a very nice playlist.

I liked:
“Luisa’s Bones”
“Phony Revolutions”
“Your Control”


FACING NEW YORK
Get Hot

Score: 2 out of 5

Unimpressive. These guys still need work. Maybe a better songwriter.


SHUYLER JANSEN
Today’s Remains

Score: 2 out of 5

Country. Sorry. How did this guy get in here? The guy wearing the cowboy hat half-covered in shadow on the album cover might’ve given that away.


THE DEEP DARK WOODS
Hang Me, Oh Hang Me

Score: 2 out of 5

I kind of expected something like Alexi Murdoch or Joseph Arthur. Instead I got country. Don’t get me wrong. I won’t just be a random “country-hater.” This stuff is actually pretty good. I’d never heard anything like this—this being authentic Indie country (I didn’t know there was such a thing!). But the overall tone doesn’t blend well with the regular crowd.


JERAD FINCK
Jerad Finck

Score: 2 out of 5

This would go up on the shelf by Simple Plan. There’s a big market for poppy music like this. I’m reminded of Jack’s Mannequin and New Found Glory. He does an interesting cover of “Paperback Writer” that is worth a listen only because cover songs are always kind of interesting.


TOWNSHIP
Sinister Minister / St. Anthony

Score: 2 out of 5

Nothing special. Just a rock-heavy guitar solo-heavy pair of songs that won’t win them many fans.



WHEN GIANTS FALL
Momentum

Score: 2 out of 5

Not terrible. Not that good, though, either. Leaning toward mediocre. It’s rock and roll in the way that REM was rock and roll. But these guys are not as good as REM. Therefore they get a 2.


TREVOR MENEAR
Reason to Leave

Score: 3 out of 5

In the way that Johnny Cash was a country singer that rock fans also liked because he was a bad ass, the sound of this band seems country at first but passes as an off-shoot of the John Mayer crowd. Not to say that J. Mayer is comparable to J. Cash, but T. Menear eventually warms up to us indie fans, despite the country-ness. All that to say it’s not great, but it’s pretty good.

I liked:
“Forgot About The Man”


THE ACCIDENT THAT LED ME TO THE WORLD
The Island Gospel

Score: 3 out of 5

If THE WHITE STRIPES decided to go super acoustic, you might end up with something like this. It’s as slow as any BRIGHT EYES or ELLIOT SMITH song you’ve ever listened to. It’s pretty. It’s good. I can’t think of when I’d actually listen to this music unless I was in a somber depressed mood and wanted music to match my emotion (not an insult, this music is a lifesaver). It’s just a bit slow and boring and repetitive after ten tracks, is all.

I liked:
“Try Try Try”


ARMY NAVY
Army Navy

Score: 3 out of 5

So this is one of those bands I liked, but I didn’t love. They weren’t special. I would probably put them on the shelf somewhere between THE STROKES and OASIS. To me this becomes background music because the sound has a familiar quality, just not enough uniqueness. Deserves a second listen at least.

I liked:
"Unresponsive Ears”


YOUNG WIDOWS
Old Wounds

Score: 1 out of 5

I like some SOCIAL DISTORTION songs a lot. But overall, I have trouble liking all of their stuff. I feel like if I was a fan of YOUNG WIDOWS to begin with, this album would’ve been a major disappointment, and I would’ve felt a little short-changed in the way I felt when I listened to other SOCIAL D songs for the first time. All that to say, I was never a fan of YOUNG WIDOWS before today, and this rock-out and yell-loud album doesn’t win me over. Plus it’s just not what we’re looking for.


RESTAVRANT
Returns to the Tomb of Guiliano Medidici

Score: 2.5 out of 5

Most of the songs feel like they’re about to turn into a cover of “Cotton Eyed Joe” and that’s a little distracting. That song seems to be at the core of all of these tracks. That gives it a repetitive feeling. What this band does well, though, is create a fairly unique sound. I’m just not a big fan.


LENKA
Lenka

Score: 4 out of 5

Good stuff. Nothing phenomenally new, but definitely as admirable as FEIST or JEM. It’s as poppy as indie can get while still maintaining some slight grasp on that “indie sound,” which is always difficult to explain. Good variety between happy songs and depressing break-up songs.

I liked:
“The Show”
“Trouble Is a Friend”
“Live Like You’re Dying”


THE HORSE FLIES
Until the Ocean

Score: 3 out of 5

Remember how TV ON THE RADIO was really weird the first time you heard them? And unlike ANIMAL COLLECTIVE or DANIELSON, they stopped being weird once you got used to them? THE HORSE FLIES is kind of like that. Odd county-esque arrangements of instruments behind PINK FLOYD-ish vocals. It’s difficult to rate this band because I don’t know if the world is ready for them.

I liked:
“Baghdad Children”


BRIGHTON MA
Amateur Lovers

Score: 4 out of 5

Great, mellow sound. Classic-sounding rock and roll along the lines of U2. Great soundtrack stuff. I would put this on the shelf with my other "stoner afternoon beach trip tunes". It’s that kind of mellow. It’s more trippy than JACK JOHNSON, but just as wonderful.

I liked:
“Your Sweet Time”
“Amateur Lovers”


MY SON THE BUM
Beyond Therapy

Score: 2 out of 5

I’d put this album up between SOIL and SYSTEM OF A DOWN. Other than the first song (“Issues Are Like Tissues,” which is a ridiculous song), the album isn’t horrible. It’s mediocre rock. It might pass for acceptable during a mindless car-ride, but I’d probably never consciously decide to listen to this album for the sake of enjoyment. It’s dull.


RIG 1
Above the Tree Line West of the Periodic

Score: 4 out of 5

Great hip-hop album. It’s indie in the way that most young white male rappers begin, before they become ATMOSPHERE. This is far better and more insightful than any EMINEM album you’ve ever heard. The lyrical flow is spot-on. I have to give it a 4 because it’s one of my favorites of the batch, but I’m not sure it fits with the genre we’re looking for.

I liked:
“Came From”
“River of Consciousness”


PRIVATE DANCER
Trouble Eyes

Score: 3 out of 5

An interesting album. The closest to rock (as in something we’d hear on 101.7) that indie can get, and they only stay within the parameters because of a few tracks that give the album an unfocused variety. I would recommend those tracks because they are unique and undeniably good, but the rest of it comes across as an overly aggressive and aimless SOCIAL DISTORTION attempt.

I liked:
“1000 Year Wave”
“A Horse Named Reverb”
“Ain’t Leaven No More”


MARYKATE O’NEIL
mkUltra

Score: 1 out of 5

First impressions: Sounds a little like JEWEL, if a bit more nasal. Some of the tracks come across as failed attempts at being mainstream poppy. Thumbs down.


FRANK HOIER
Lovers & Dollars

Score: 4 out of 5

If THE WHITE STRIPES mated with THE SHINS, I think this is who they’d give birth to. This is a big compliment. The variety is excellent with tracks of varied tempo and feeling. One of my favorites of the batch. A great listen. Part of me wants to call this great “camp-fire music,” whatever that means…

I liked:
“I’ve Made Up My Mind”
“We Both Live in Brooklyn, Babe”

How It Happened

I'm listening to La Rocca's "OK Okay" right now and feel like talking about how I got this volunteer job. I feel like getting all this stuff out of the way before I just start posting the reviews and other stories of my adventures at KRCB. This kind of feels like an experience I should be writing about because it's certainly one of the most experimental self-made decisions I've made as an adult college student. Beside an ear open to enjoy a wide variety of music (which I think is helping me in my position, here, because Natalie seems to share my specific-yet-wide taste for what's good and fresh [and I don't like to brag, I'm basically just listening for stuff that anyone would enjoy and discarding stuff I know anyone would hate--it's not rocket science]) um... Beside an ear open to enjoy a wide variety of music, I'm far removed from this field of work.

The first time I went to the radio station I got there on my bike from school about forty-five minutes before my "interview." I'm sitting on a crumbled stone wall a little ways down the driveway, looking like a stalker across from some county education center, and it's hotter than hell outside but I'm too nervous to go inside this early. I'm wishing I'd went to the Starbucks back at the intersection where I'd turned off the main road and waited there. I make a mental note to plan better next time... If there is a next time. (Hint: there was)

Finally I go inside. Early, still, by about fifteen minutes. I open the door into the reception room (or The Central Hub, as I call it) and the door opens in the way that I can't see what's to my left and I'm looking at a hallway until I step into the Hub. That way whoever's sitting at the desk over there can see the guest before the guest sees them. It's an older guy with white hair and a white beard and slim glasses wearing a pin-up striped shirt. He's wearing a headset and reading a magazine. A computer monitor faces him. There are brochures on the raised shelf of the desk next to a sign-in sheet. Behind him is a big widescreen TV playing an episode of Clifford, The Big Red Dog. Something you'd see on PBS at this 2 o'clock hour of the afternoon.

"Hello," he says. He has a slow Atticus Finch voice. We'll end up talking more and more with each visit. Now we know each other's names. He's Don and I'm Chris. He's a father of two twenty-something daughters. He seems to have retired to this position after a life of radio and other various endeavors. He knows everyone.

"I'm here to see Natalie. She--uh--for an interview."
"Oh. Okay." He looks at the clock on the wall. He looks at a schedule. "She gets here around two forty-five, usually. Her show starts at three."
"Yeah," I say. I nod. I take a small step forward, my hands still stuck under the straps of my backpack. "She said that. She said that we'd meet at two fifteen."
Don looks at the clock again. He says, "Oh. Okay. Two fifteen."
"I'm a little early," I say, nodding.
"Yeah. Fifteen minutes."
"I was waiting outside. It was getting hot," I tell him. I'm still standing by the door. I see people walk by the end of the hallway up the ramp and I hear voices and noises throughout the building. This is a real radio station. This was also a real television station. I had no idea what I was doing here. I was actually terrified.
"Oh. I bet. Okay. You can sit there, if you like. There are magazines."
"Oh. yeah. Sure."

I sit in one of the two chairs next to a table of brochures and a wooden basket of rolled-up posters and political or financial magazines. I pick out one of the political magazines that's basically all text and no pictures--so unlike the Times I was expecting--and it's all really boring, but for some reason I feel compelled to pretend to read it and feign interest because Don is an intellectual nonprofit radio station employee (even if he's the receptionist). I wait fifteen uncomfortable minutes answering a few random questions like, "Are you going to school?" and "Where you from?" and "Where do you work?"

I told him about how Mark--and I made sure he knew who Mark was, sort of like pinching myself to see if I was dreaming, because if Mark didn't actually volunteer here like he said he did then I would know I was getting myself in trouble here. I didn't say this to Don, but I felt like I was doing something way too risky, that I was setting myself up for disaster by getting involved with this. Mostly I felt like I didn't deserve this. As awkward as I felt that first day waiting fifteen minutes for Natalie to get there, I kept recognizing the bizarre fact that I wasn't taking the bus home from school like normally planned, I was sitting and waiting to meet Natalie from the e-mails, who hosts a real-life radio show called "Left of the Dial" who apparently really liked the sound of me from our few e-mail exchanges. This felt like a dream that I was on the verge of waking up from, but holding onto with all my might--I was trembling on the inside, but managed to stay cool on the outside. I might've read one of the articles just so I wouldn't think about what I was doing. Fifteen minutes felt like an hour.

Mark Prell--Don did know him--is a customer I met at A'romas, the coffeeshop I work at. One night I'm waiting in line for the bathroom on my break on a Saturday, the live band playing jazz on the platform across the cafe, and Mark comes up for the same reason. We're standing side by side against the wall in the hallway and facing the board of posters and business cards people have posted. Stuff for sale, rooms for rent, chess lessons, massage coupons, all that stuff. And whatever conversation we had led to this moment:

"I work for them," he said, pointing at a poster on the bottom left of the pinboard.
"Oh?"
It's a poster advertising a concert benefit or something hosted by KRCB.
"I mean I volunteer."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."

And, memory failing me, that led to this question:

"So you like music?"
I'm thinking: Well, yeah, doesn't everybody?
"Yeah," I say with a shrug.
"What kind of music do you like?"
I hate this question.
I shrug. "A lot. I listen to a lot of different stuff."
"What's your favorite band?"
I hate this question too. The answer depends on my mood and it's either Brand New or Modest Mouse. This time I say, "Modest Mouse."
"Yeah?"
I nod. "Yeah."
"I like them. That's cool."
And Mark, I should tell you, is my height. He has a goatee, he's forty, he's got short black hair, he's gay, he might still have a crush on me, and he's just a little bit awkward in a mid-life crisis kind of way, but I think he's a good guy. He works at Home Depot (I once got to overhear a passive-aggressive argument he had with his boss over the "no hands" speakerphone). He's been through some anonymous clubs, too. Oh, and he has a radar scanner in his truck.
"Because the woman I help--Natalie--she's been looking for help with her show."
"Oh yeah?"
"It's called Left of the Dial. It's probably stuff you'd like. The indie stuff."
"Yeah. That's definitely what I listen to the most."
"She's been looking for help for a while."
"That sounds awesome."

Eventually,

"You should give me your e-mail. You have an e-mail?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, yeah. I'll tell her about you. We'll get you guys e-mailing each other."
"Yeah. Wow. Okay. Let me go write it down for you."

I do. He takes it. We e-mail. Then Natalie e-mails (starting, of course, under her radio moniker Rosa Corn--like this was some espionage movie) me and we arrange a meeting and postpone it once and finally I figure out the bus schedule and face my fears and take a risk. The real reason I put it off the first time is because I chickened out. Then I took a breath and grabbed a little extra bus fare and went for it. This is my own personal epic journey. I could feel it.

So then I meet her for the first time. She's a tall slim forty-something post-hippy music lover. She's awesome. I'm just now getting comfortable enough around her to joke and whatnot and not just stand there with my arms crossed saying "Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh." Apparently she loves me. I'm like an obedient little slave, essentially, who she gives all the CD's to listen to so she can work on other stuff. I'm sure she's actually very busy, though. I'm not really a slave. That's just the best way to put it. It's not a paid job. I always end up procrastinating until the last minute and stressing myself out and not sleeping Sunday nights. But I keep going back. I'm investing in something big here. Natalie loves me because I'm putting in a lot of effort. She wants to get me a desk and an e-mail and an opportunity. This is crazy.

Now Don and I can talk about anything. I've made friends with Wendy--she's given me a ride to the bus stop to catch the 3:06 twice. She's like Natalie's older, yet zanier, sister. If this were a family, she would be my aunt. I also got to spend one waiting period with another receptionist--her name has escaped me now--and we had a good talk about what I could do with a Bachelor's in English. I almost feel embarrassed to tell people in a radio station that I'm majoring in English. I feel like radio/television and literature have been enemies since the dawn of time. What's some Shakespeare-reading Kerouac doing here? His kind doesn't belong. I don't know why I feel like that. Besides, that second receptionist with the crooked eye--don't think that wasn't hard not to glance at--also majored in English. She was an editor for a while. I kind of think I want to be an editor someday. Now she's here at KRCB. Am I playing her life in reverse?

Okay. The album is over. I got to get back to work.

My Rating System

Oh, and I want to explain the rating system.

0 out of 5: can't listen to it because the sound quality is too horrible

1 out of 5: just too weird or too pointless to recommend.

2 out of 5: could be good, just not what we're looking for

3 out of 5: some of the album was good or it's a little dull

4 out of 5: good stuff, a new favorite

5 out of 5: an impossible score unless this album changes my life completely