ezra furman and the harpoons

The Dunce Cap: Week of March 19, 2011

in: heavy rotation


The Dunce Cap, Vol. 44: Fall in love with a new thing every day. (click on link to listen to mix via 8tracks or play above)

1. “Cruel, Cruel World” – Ezra Furman
2. “Awkward Kisser” – Telekinesis
3. “Simple Girl” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
4. “Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepsen
5. “Got My Mind Set on You” – George Harrison
6. “Scared Straight” – The Long Winters
7. “Maggie May” – Blur
8. “If I Wanted Someone” – Dawes
9. “Hand Me Downs” – The Morning Benders
10. “Heartbreaker” – Girls

Well, damn. I’m, like, super-behind on posting this Dunce Cap; I’m so behind, in fact, that I’ve mostly forgotten what I planned to write about this one. Here are a few quick notes:

Ezra Furman, either with the Harpoons or solo, is pure genius. I’m really loving this track, the lead from his first solo album, The Year of No Returning, which is in regular rotation on Chicago’s WXRT. It’s great and awesome and really melodic, and I highly recommend you check Furman out; maybe try “Take Off Your Sunglasses,” from 2008’s Inside the Human Body.

Carly Rae Jepsen’s infectious “Call Me Maybe” was blowing up my stereo for awhile there; the video is positively cheeky and worth a watch (or ten).

George Harrison’s video for “Got My Mind Set On You” is also hysterical. There’s some weird shit with somersaults and taxidermy, and it’s pretty fun. My roommate in San Francisco and I watched that video in pretty constant rotation, and it’ll forever occupy a special place in my heart.

Blur covered Rod Stewart. For the love of Rod! Enough said.

And on a somewhat disappointing note, The Morning Benders have changed their name and rebranded themselves Pop Etc. My last.fm artist count is going to hate this.

Finally, the cover photo is from Bob Carey’s brilliant The Tutu Project. Make sure to check out the gorgeous prints, all for a good cause.

Happy listening.

The Dunce Cap: May 23, 2011

in: heavy rotation

My pup, my muse

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 34: Making time for ourselves and of ourselves isn’t love if we are selfishly prude. (click on link to listen to mix via 8tracks)

1. “The Weekenders” – The Hold Steady
2. “My Body” – Young the Body
3. “C’mon” – The Soft Pack
4. “You Oughta Know” – Das Racist
5. “Take Off Your Sunglasses” – Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
6. “Miss Teen Wordpower” – The New Pornographers
7. “I’d Have It Just the Way We Were” – White Denim
8. “If I Keep On Loving You” – Let’s Wrestle
9. “Chasing Pavements” – Adele
10. “Things Are What You Make of Them” – Bishop Allen

Oh hai, guys. I’m back two days in a row! It’s a non-Christmas miracle! And, to top it all off, I’ve got an 8tracks up on a Monday! Guys. This is a momentous evening.

But anyway. Enough gushing about punctuality and keeping promises. I’ve made this truly delicious mix, starting with one of my top three favorite Hold Steady songs (“The Weekenders” has pretty incredible lyrics – “She said the theme of this party’s the Industrial Age/And you came in dressed like a train wreck” seems to describe me in fairly great detail) and ending with a delightful Bishop Allen tune (“Things Are What You Make of Them” is allegedly about a really sour relationship). The year is winding down here, so I’ve got to be listening to some jams to get me through Reading Week and finals, and I think this mix is chocked full of ’em.

Not a whole lot more to say. There will be more on the way soon, I think and I hope and I wish.

Happy listening.

P.S. This photo is of my dearest pup, Chaucer, provided by my mother. She’s been living sans television and Internet access since the fire, and she’s just had dear ol’ Buster Baxter for company. So, this photo’s accompanying text message?

“…and for this evening’s live entertainment, we have a golden retriever incessantly humping his bed.”

Classy as always.

Book Club: Summer music

in: on queue

Jason Harwell

Men with(out) sunglasses

It’s sweet, sweet summertime, and that means a many splendid things: heat, sunshine, sweat, swimming pools, swimsuit, chaise lounges and sunglasses. And, it seems, in music, there are two primary camps. There are the Corey Harts and Tracey Ullmans, donning sunglasses both during the day and the night, and then there are these guys. And they’ve got a message for you. Take off your damn sunglasses, square!

Pretty melody:

1. Ezra Furman & the Harpoons, “Take Off Your Sunglasses”

I became intimately familiar with Ezra Furman & the Harpoons during my internship at SPACE my freshmen year. I guess plastering their faces all over our promos worked – I can’t help but sing along.

2. Jason Harwell, “Why Do Girls Wear Big Sunglasses?”

Jason Harwell is such a doll. The Athens musician and artist stole my heart with “Katie Secretly Married at 8,” but this track is just as wondrous.