Well the year just keeps rolling on. We are already through February and busting our way into the first show of March. Come on in and check out what’s new for this week.

I started the show with Operator Please. They are a five-piece out of Queensland, Australia and their background story is a good one. These kids all went to the same high school but didn’t really know each other. They met because of a common dislike for the school’s annual “Battle Of The Bands” contest that was always won by the popular kids. Well, these malcontents ended up finding this common ground over lunch period and decided to do something about it. Remember, these kids didn’t know each other prior but the common goal was the glue. They went through a series a band name adjustments. They started with Lego Head, then on to Rubix Cube but finally settled on Operator Please. The best part of the story…the won the band competition. True story. Since that storied beginning, Operator Please has records several EPs, their last being LOGIC, and I played the titled track.

I followed that with the latest from The Pipettes. They aren’t the same Pipettes that busted onto the music scene back in 2006. In fact, over the years the line-up has consistently changed. That always makes me wonder…who owns the name, Pipettes? How do you kick out a member? Do they have like a buy/sell agreement? All questions for another time…I’m sure. The new record EARTH VS. THE PIPETTES is due out later this year. This song, “Our Love Was Saved By Spacemen” is the selected single and technically it’s not due out until April but I’m sure it was leaked on purpose. I mean, they have a video for the bloody song already. The song seems overproduced. You will not hear it again on my show.

Changing musical direction, as I usually do at this point, with a selection from a singer/songwriter by the name of Holly Miranda. She started out in a band known as the Jealous Girlfriends and had some moderate success with that organization but she has struck out on her own in, I believe, 2001. She self-produced and recorded HIGH ABOVE THE CITY in 2004, which she sold at concerts. Good marketing strategy. It keeps more money in her pocket. Well, she signed with XL Records, which allowed her the freedom to put together a more layered and technically better sound on her new album THE MAGICIAN’S PRIVATE LIBRARY. The song I picked to play has kind of a whimsical feel to it, it’s called “Forest Green, Oh Forest Green.”

Next was “You Won’t Be With Me” from Tenlons Fort. The new album SHELTERS FUND comes out this week. These boys hail from Los Angeles; and to me they have a familiar sound. I don’t have a great deal of information on these guys but I do know that this is their second album and that they are starting a tour to promote the album, which includes a stop at SXSW. I am SO looking forward to going. I’ll have to see set up a spreadsheet to see who’s playing where to maximize my listening enjoyment. If you’ve never been, it’s a great music experience.

Let’s keep things moving here with a band known as We & Lisa. They are yet another pop band from Sweden, and no…there is no one in the band named Lisa. Here’s their story, which I lifted from their myspace page. “Singer Petter and Doc Ron met in the Swedish soccer team Doolittle BK. Petter played Doc Ron a few of his songs and the latter was so impressed that he instantly felt that the two of them just had to form a pop group, which they did. The team’s goalie, Ante, soon brought his guitar and the band We & Lisa was a reality. In May 2004 the guys released their first D.I.Y. E.P. C’mon C’mon.” The song I played, “Under My Protection,” appears on their new WINTER – EP.

Closing off that two-song set with the latest from a band called Big Scary. They are essentially a male/female duo from Melbourne, Australia. I found this over the weekend while cruising the Australian Music Web Ring. That absolutely pleasant song was “Falling Away” and it’s from an EP that was released just last Friday. It’s called AT THE MERCY OF THE ELEMENTS. This is the only song I had a chance to sample but I’m going back to try to find other material to check out the depth of their songwriting. Hey, it’s my job. I really liked that track.

My lineage subject was David Vandervelde. Now you might be wondering, “Who the heck is David Vangervelde and why did TK pick this guy for the lineage?” That’s a fair question and let me tell you, I think you should get to know this singer/songwriter. He IS a talent. He recorded his first album, with a band, at the age of 14. Over the years he has developed additional skills. He now is a multi instrumentalist/ singer songwriter/ recording engineer/ & producer. He plays drums, piano, guitars, bass and various analog synthesizers. He has more talent is his pinky finger than I have in entirety. His latest effort is the lead-off single from a yet-to-be named album; this is “Learn How To Hang,” which can be downloaded for free if you go to his label’s website, Secretly Canadian. That’s a good deal.

The lineage follow-up song was “I Will Be Fine,” which is off his 2008 release, WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE.

I played some new music from Peter And The Wolf. The song I played was “Golden Stars,” and it’s the title track from their second, full-length album. This Folk/Rock “Band” is a trio out of Liverpool, England. They met in 2002 when vocalist/guitarist Marc Sunderland and drummer Donna Dosanjh, who plays her kit standing, met at school. After playing the some gigs during open mic opportunities, they were joined by stand-up bassist Hugo Harrison. The song has a light pop feel to it.

“Western Hospitality” is the latest single from Club 8. They are another Swedish contributor to the show. They consist of vocalist Karolina Komstedt and composer/ multi-instrumentalist Johan Angergård. They debuted in 1995. You know, I almost made them the lineage today. I have a lovely track from them that I picked up on 2007…well, I digress. The new disc is called THE PEOPLE’S RECORD, but it’s not out yet. I should be in about three weeks, so when that happens…I’ll revisit them as the lineage. This track is quite a departure from their earlier material and it’s in a good way. Here’s the older song I mentioned. It’s called “Whatever You Want.”

I have a couple of quick mentions that I included in the show. First is the latest from Nick Jaina. His new album, A BIRD IN THE OPERA HOUSE, is coming out on April 13th on Hush Records. This is his sixth effort from the prolific young fellow from Portland, Oregon. The track I played was “Sleep Child.”

Next is Butch Walker. He’s part of the neo-folk or Americana category. He reminds me a bit of Willie Nile. He put together a fine release entitled I LIKED IT BETTER WHEN YOU HAD NO HEART. I played the lead off track and it’s called “Trash Day.”

Tune in every Tuesday from 10 AM to 1 PM (All times Eastern US) on wmfo.org. Also, don’t forget about the best way to kick off your weekend with the Uptown Blues Party. Three hours of up-tempo, blues based, kick ass music, Fridays, 4 to 7 PM on Simmons College Radio.

FYI, the text identified in BOLD are links to the videos to those songs.