WEVL Spring Pledge Drive Starts Today!

Well, it's that time of the year again! The 2005 WEVL Spring Pledge Drive starts today and goes until the 23rd of April. So set your radio dial at 89.9FM and celebrate with us for 9 days of fun and unique themed programs as well as a slew of live music from guests such as Paul Thorn, Cory Branan, and Ben Nichols. Also make sure to listen on Tuesday (April 19) from 1 - 2pm where everyone's favorite new Memphian Harlan T. Bobo will perform on my other WEVL radio program, Memphis Beat. And then on Thursday (April 21), there will be a special edition of The Music Lovers where I'll be playing the Best of 2005... in alphabetical order! Help us achieve our goal of $62,000 by calling us at 528-1990 or joining securely online.

The Lovers' Album of the Week

Dr. Dog Easy Beat

Dr. Dog's Easy Beat owns the distinction of being the Lovers' first Album of the Week that was not released on the week of its post. While there were a few worthy contenders (particularly Of Montreal's The Sunlandic Twins and Supersystem's Always Never Again), Easy Beat managed to charm me enough to forgo my own strict rules for Album of the Week qualifications and allow this dated gem slip by (Ok, I'm silly. It's only a month old!). Hailing from the city of Brotherly Love but sounding more like a potpourri of the British Invasion, Dr. Dog will no doubt get a lot of flack for wearing their influences so securly on their sleeves. And while there is no denying this criticism, I would much prefer to say that Dr. Dog are a celebrated explosion of their own pop music devotion. I challenge you to find pop songs more infectious than "The World May Never Know," The Pretender," or "Easy Beat". I am reminded of Devin Davis' Lonely People of the World, Unite! (Album of the Week March 18) which was another record of this Nouveau 60's Pop Sound. However, while that album was undoubtedly a creation of the studio, Easy Beat feels more like an album that was captured merely because there happen to be a microphone in the room. It should be interesting to see how the indie kids react to Dr. Dog because I would not be surprised at all if they were to become the next big thing on the level, as say, The Shins. Easy Beat ends with "Wake Up," a song that seems to finish but then starts up again in a low-fi setting where the group is infused in a sing along chanting "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! We're only part of a dream. All the things in your heart like the things in your head. Are they only what they seem?" In the case of Dr. Dog, I would have to answer: No.

The Music Lovers playlist for 4/14/05

1. Little Furry Things - Dinosaur Jr. from You're Living All Over Me (Reissue) 2. The World May Never Know - Dr. Dog from Easy Beat 3. Circus - The Sights from The Sights 4. What A Human Does - The Dudley Corporation from In Love with the Dudley Corporation 5. Something Evil - Starflyer 59 from Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice 6. Boys and Children (Sing for Summer) - Those Transatlantics from The Way of the Future EP 7. To Get To Sleep - British Sea Power from Open Season 8. Our Prayer (Freeform Reform) - Freeform Five from Our Prayer (Freeform Reform) 9. It Never Changes To Stop - The Books from Lost and Safe 10. Simple Hello - Damien Jurado from On My Way To Absence 11. What Happened To The Sands - PAS/CAL from Oh Honey, We're Ridiculous 12. Something - Sam Prekop from Who's Your New Professor? 13. Tom Courtenay (Acousitc) - Yo La Tengo from A Smattering of Outtakes and Rarities 14. Call It In The Air - Discover America from Psychology 15. Every Dream Can't Come True - Player Hater from Picking You Up Just To Put You Down 16. Blue Eyes - Riviera from At the End of the American Century... 17. I Was Never Young - Of Montreal from The Sunlandic Twins 18. How Long - Out Hud from Let Us Never Speak Of It Again 19. Charge Me Up - Chris Price from Charge Me Up 20. Paul Simon - The Russian Futurists from Our Thickness 21. Little Elf - The Out Crowd from Then I Saw the Holy City 22. Hold Your Breath - ADULT. from D.U.M.E. 23. Storyboard (Live in Atlanta) - The Album Leaf from Seal Beach (EP Bonus Tracks) 24. Better Off Dead (by request) - Dead from Above 1979 from Better Off Dead Single 25. The Citizens of Wichita - Emperor X from Central Hug/Friendarmy/Fractaldunes 26. Abel - The National from Alligator 27. Miracle - Supersystem from Always Never Again 28. Far Away - Martha Wainwright from Martha Wainwright 29. Someone To Watch Over Me=Silversparkle - Brightblack from Pebbles and Ripples 2004 Summer Tour CD 30. Another Wound - The Ponys from Celebration Castle