I started a new segment every weekday at 4pm on WPGU: “The Freaky Fresh at Four.” The idea behind it is to play a new track everyday and ask for our listeners to give their opinion on it. The response has been pretty strong so far, but hopefully it will continue to get better. Wiith that, I have had to keep up even more than usual with new artists and the new albums being released each week.

I cannot say enough about how thrilled I am with so much of the new music I have heard this month. I’ve heard of Christmas in July, but not June. The new Wilco album, although not officially out until the end of the month, is already fighting its way to the top of the best release of the year list. New Dinosaur Jr. is out. Placebo is releasing Battle for the Sun today, as is Ha Ha Tonka releasing Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South, and Mark Oliver Everett (Mr. E, E, Eels for all intents and purposes) started the month off well with Hombre Lobo.

I would rank my favorite releases of the month, but I feel it would be far better for you to check them out yourselves. Remember “The Freaky Fresh at Four” happens every weekday at 4pm and for an hour’s worth of new music every week make sure to listen to Shrinkwrap Tuesdays at 9.

Howdy,

My names is Andy Jones and I am one of the hosts of the Flashback Cafe. We’re on at noon. That isn’t what I’m here to talk to you about though. I’m here to tell you the dirty secrets of WPGU. That is to say - what exactly goes on behind the scenes here at the station.

One, we wear sweatpants and grungy t-shirts for the most part. It is the beauty of the radio. As long as you sound like you are wearing an Armani suit - you don’t actually have to be wearing an Armani suit. Of course, said sweatpants are only worn on the days when we wear pants at all. Be jealous. The breeze is wonderful. Keep in mind though, this is only the DJs. Many of our bosses are decked out in varying degrees of dress attire from the blazer to the argyle sweater, but they are The Man. Fight the power. Take off your pants.

Two, we are proud users of all the products of our advertisers. Some say - hey, sell outs, why do you have commercials when you should be giving us the tunes for free? I say - hey, hippy, get a job and put down a pipe. Commercials allow us to give you these sweet tunes and many of them are actually truly good. I have, on numerous occasions, taken the advice of our Student Legal Services commercial and used their services. I give them the highest recommendation.

Three, most of the DJs are using fake voices to give you a different picture of who they are. Mat Brown is actually a Portugese banana salesman with the accent to prove it. Steve Plock is actually a lion. Yes, the animal. Seeing him DJ is like watching a show at Chuck E. Cheese - wonderous and horrifying all in the same package. Liz Rush is a robot who knows how to do the robot. You’d be surprised how much extra it costs to upgrade a robot to dance. The Mad Hatter is… well, that actually is his voice.

That is the skinny on what truly goes on inside of WPGU. I’ll be back next Friday with more dirt… Oh, by the way, we are giving away tickets to the Sunday Illini game throughout the day so stay tuned… and the Delta Chi Fraternity is hosting “D-Chice Capades”. For $5 dollars you can come and skate with some great people. All proceeds from the event go to the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer research.

New Music abounds this week!

I haven’t even been able to get to the New Depeche Mode! I’ve been too busy playing tracks from the new Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Record It’s Blitz and exploring the self-titled debut from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. I’ve really been excited to bring you music from them and while I could go on and on about how the Shoegaze genre is back, I’ll just tell you that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is a great pop record.

Join me everyday at 2pm to hear it for yourself.

Morrissey’s new album Years of Refusal has been featured on both The Catch of the Day and Shrinkwrap. We’re playing the single I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris and we like it a lot. Not only can you find in it the traditional CD format but if you head to a local record store, you can dust off your turntable and toss on the LP version. Morrissey may have been signing the same song for 25 years but that just means that he’s perfected it. Check out the album and listen for I’m Throwing My Arms around Paris on WPGU.

Morrissey - “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris” - He’s back and more naked than ever! Some may be more excited about the latter part than others, but I think we can all agree on the former. This song has all of the unmistakable Morrissey elements - a splash of bitterness mixed into a heavy dough of depression and solitude, lightly dusted with some rejection and topped with a very British glaze. Bake for two and a half minutes.

The Decemberists - “The Rake’s Song” - This is the first taste of the new Decemberists album, The Hazards of Love, which is to be released in March. The band appears to be sticking to its strengths of writing musical narratives - this appears to be about a rake that turns into a person only to be brought down by his wife and kids. What can he do but take matters into his own, er, hands? It’s good to see that misogyny and baby drowning haven’t lost their place in indie music. Twisted but undeniably catchy!

Also to listen for:
M. Ward - “Never Had Nobody Like You”
The Whitest Boy Alive - “1517″
Bell X1 - “The Great Defector”
Gaslight Anthem - “Old White Lincoln”

I was pleasantly surprised this morning to discover that New Ruins are all set to release their second album, “We Make Our Own Bad Luck” on Hidden Agenda Records. According to the band’s MySpace, the new album comes as the result of a year spent experimenting and recording in their homes.

While you are checking out their MySpace, you can listen to several of the new songs from “We Make Our Own Bad Luck.” Be sure to check out the song “Symptoms.”

The album is currently available for preorder through Parasol Records. The band is offering both a limited edition pressing of brick red vinyl that will ship on March 31st and a CD version set to ship out on April 28th. If you can’t wait that long, you can check out the band’s CD release show at the Cowboy Monkey on February 28th where presumably, they will have some form of the new album for sale…I hope. New Ruins will be joined by Common Loon and Tractor Kings.

Really small photo of the album cover:

Hot and fresh out the kitchen:

The Killers - “Spaceman” - Despite the fact that the Killers’ new album, Day & Age, has yet to be released, we’ve already moved on to this second single. (The official release date of the album is November 24.) You’ll forget all about how bizarre some of these lyrics are after you’ve heard it a few times, at which point you’ll be powerless and bursting into song. Even though it may seem like the Killers are getting a little Bowie on us, they’re still one of the most approachable bands around and they’re still riding the crest of the indie rock wave.

Smashing Pumpkins - “G.L.O.W.” - There’s been a lot of buzz generated over this song over the last several weeks. All of you Guitar Heroes out there can look forward to including this song in your rock arsenal, as it is going to be made available for the new game. Not sure if this wins or loses the Pumpkins cred with the kids, but In Billy We Trust.

Also listen for:

Keane - “Spiralling”
Patrick and Eugene - “Don’t Stop”

We may have started saving daylight, but WPGU is not holding back in the rock department.

Kaiser Chiefs - “Never Miss A Beat” - This is the newest single from the Kaiser Chiefs’ latest album, Off With Their Heads. Fans of bands like Blur, The Libertines, and The Arctic Monkeys should definitely check this one out.

Ray LaMontagne - “Meg White” - This is a love song written to the rhythmic enchantress of White Stripes fame. It’s got a familiar “old-timey” feel, with some possible influences being Van Morrison or The Band. I like this one even more than the first single, “You Are the Best Thing,” but you can be the ultimate judge.

Also Check Out:

Of Montreal - “For Our Elegant Caste”
Alkaline Trio - “Calling All Skeletons”

Witches, Pumpkins, Ghosts, and Unicorns. Here are the spookiest new hits to listen for:

Oasis - “Shock of the Lightning” - Miss the ‘Morning Glory’ Oasis? Ah, the days when the Gallagher brothers were still drunkenly assaulting each other with cricket bats and breaking up on stage.. simpler times. Well, this new single is about as close as we’re going to get to having that same infectious, driving rock sound that you can still sing along to from those days of yore. “Love is a time machine,” indeed.

Chairlift - “Bruises” - Check out the latest “Apple commercial song” by Brooklyn-based electo-pop band Chairlift. Good luck trying to get this one out of your head. Chalk up another Hip-Indie Cred point for Apple.

Joe Pug - “Hymn 101” - Chicago’s own Joe Pug won me over immediately with the sincerity in his very distinctive voice. Pug has some definite Dylan vibes about his music, but he still manages to keep his songs interesting and inviting. Sometimes all you need for a great song is an acoustic guitar and a story to tell.

Also listen for:
Ben Folds - “Dr Yang“

Check out these superfresh jams on WPGU:

Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s - “As Tall As Cliffs” - If you’ve had a chance to see these guys play around town over the last couple of years, you probably won’t find it surprising that this band has continued its steady rise into radar prevalence. I think this song comes from the same vein as a lot of Shins stuff, except it’s a lot busier with the amount of instruments being played. Despite all that’s going on in this one, it’s really catchy right from the start.

Land of Talk - “Some are Lakes” - If you’ve got tickets for this Sunday’s Broken Social Scene show at Foellinger Auditorium, be sure to make it to the venue on time to see this band. They’ve definitely got a similar to sound to a lot of the other (what seems like) hundred bands that have spewed out of Montreal over the last couple of years, but I’m a big sucker for lead singer Elizabeth Powell’s voice.

Also listen for:

Fujiya and Miyagi - “Sore Thumb”
Cold War Kids - “I’ve Seen Enough”
Kings of Leon - “Sex on Fire”
Of Montreal - “Id Engager”