Waiting for Elisa from Magik Markers to call Ipod list (#4)

1.) "The Second Part" By The Dears (No Cities Left): Is it Murray Lightburn's fault that his voice sounds so much like Damon Albarn's that nearly every one of his melodic epics sounds like a noirish variation on "Coffee & TV"? Probably not, but he's treated pretty poorly, pretty regularly in the mainstream press. (That may or may not be because he's a dick.) This track's most intriguing selling point is its jazzy interlude that sound like what porn music from the 1930s might have sounded like. Oh, and the second part of "The Second Part" also sounds a lot like Pulp's This is Hardcore, which is pretty fun.

2.) "Talk of the Town" By Shoplifting (Body Stories): The perfect boy/girl Northwestern post-punk band needs to come out with a new album, but I think they might be breaking up or something. Anyway, this forceful blast cryptically examines body image (fancy that...given the album title) and empowerment. Riot, Girls.

3.) "Boycott" By Shellac (Excellent Italian Greyhound): The shortest track on Shellac's latest album, "Boycott" is pretty lo-fi and rageless, especially for Steve Albini. Albini even sounds a little bit like Kurt Cobain on Bleach, which is a total mindfuck. Obviously the instrumentation here supersedes Kurt & Co.

4.) "Flying Saucer" By Dmonstrations (Dmonstrations): The post-punk theme continues as Tetsunori Tawaraya screams about God-knows-what over the top of loud fast dirges from Nick and Aaron. Though it barely tops 2 minutes, the funky bridge between vocal sections breaks the album into two firecrackers.

5.) "Chivalry" By Abe Vigoda (Sky Route/Star Roof): I think this record currently is out of print, but I'm not sure on that. I know the first Not Not Fun pressing is. Anyway, Abe Vigoda are one of L.A.'s brightest stars. Here they muffle the vocals, a la Lightning Bolt and fall in love with their cymbols. Like the above Dmonstrations track, there's a nifty breakdown that recalls everyone from Big Black to Throbbing Gristle. Love the sound of steam escaping pipes.