Radio Kurtodrome 20
After all these specials we thought it might be innovative to just do an edition with 30 minutes of good music. Sounds okay?
SHARKO - Wake up
"Wake up!" The ideal words to hear at the start of another edition. We got a mail from the Sharko guys a few weeks ago saying their new album was almost ready. We got so excited we wanted to start the next Radio Kurtodrome with an older song, just to get in the mood. This was a track from Sharko's debut album Feuded at a time the VPRO described Sharko as "a Belgian crossover of The Who and Guided By Voices". And in case you're living in England, Sharko's 2001 album Meeuws 2 has just been released over there (and in Italy) and the Sharko boys are doing some shows in Brixton and London.
SIOEN - See You Naked (D)
On his site Sioen starts his biography with the moment he was born. Apparently the lights were too bright. He also mentions swallowing a marble (and coughing it out) in 1981 and organizing an infamous garden party in 1999. Those crazy Belgians! "See you naked" was released on Sioen's demo cd, which sold out completely (1400 copies). A single, Too Good To Be True, was released in May (we assume that'll be May 2002 then) and can be ordered via Sioen's website.
LOW - Dinosaur Act (D)
Many Belgians in this edition, it seems (Styrofoam is still coming up by the way). Low aren't Belgian, but their videos were shown at the Domino Festival in Brussels this week, so even here there's a Belgian connection. Not that it matters: Low is featured here because they're a great band. "Dinosaur Act" was a song from Low's 2001 release Things We Lost In The Fire.
STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS - (Do Not Feed The) Oyster (D)
Speaking of that festival, an artist who wasn't featured in our Domino special was Stephen Malkmus. The only reason was because we couldn't find an MP3 (we found an older song, but the link was broken), but we found one earlier this week. So here is Mr Malkmus, one edition later than planned.
ASOBI SEKSU - Walk on the Moon (D)
And where did we find that Stephen Malkmus MP3? At Insound. When we went back to find the link for this show, we found Insound had posted a handful of new MP3s, including this one from Asobi Seksu. They self-released their album which contains 11 tracks and which, according to the Long Island Press, bears clear echoes of Stereolab and Lush. Their singer is called Yuki Chikudate and they're from New York. That's all we know.
FREAKS - Where were you when the lights went out? (D)
We're not sure, but we think it's a remix of this song that's constantly played on the radio. Incidently, did you know that "Where were you when the lights went out?" is also the title of a Doris Day movie?
STYROFOAM - Off is not a speed
Styrofoam is Arne Van Peteghem's pseudonym and you might know him from touring with German band The Notwist, from his remixes or from being on the German label Morr Music (see Ms. John Soda). So it's not a surprise many think Arne is German, but he's not: he's Belgian.
M�M - On The Old Mountain Radio (D)
Also distributed by Morr Music, Icelandic M�m ends this edition of Radio Kurtodrome. This MP3 we found at Intro was the first track of their album Please Smile My Noise Bleed. If Sharko's enthusiasm woke you up thirty-one minutes ago, this track will at the same time make you feel relaxed (the soothing rhythm of the song) and leave you weirded out (that recorded voice). Thanks for listening and see you in ten days or so.
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