It's been eight months since our first monthly KEXP guest appearance on Audioasis and we'd been wondering when we'd get paired with the illustrious Sean Nelson. This month it finally happened. It was everything we hoped for — a full hour of chatty catching up between friends with microphones and music. In short, it was everything we ever dreamed an hour alone with Sean Nelson would be, and then some.

Here more about the specific songs we played…

{7:04} The Briefs — "Getting Hit On at the Bank"
The Briefs sound like they have earned their scars and studs on the California punk scene… and they may have, but they are Seattle-ites through and through. Their new album is "Steal Yer Heart" (on BYO Records), and was recorded at Seattle's Avast Studio with longtime producer Johnny "Fingers" Sangster. They'll be touring the west coast throughout October, with an early all-ages October 28, 2005 date at El Corazon with Hollowpoints, The Bloodclots, and The Snot Rockettes.

{7:07} Izabelle — "Said And Done"
Izabelle write picturesque songs that blend contemporary Brit sensibilities and guitar pop smarts. Their big day is October 22, 2005. Listen to KEXP to hear them perform selections from their newest album A Pleasant Fiction and then later that night they'll be at Fremont's High Dive with Mono In VCF. If you miss them on the 22nd, you can see them October 26th at the Crocodile. Also, they have the raddest band photos I've yet to see taken in the new library. Check 'em out!

{7:11} The Moriartys — "Dance Alone"
We found The Moriartys on MySpace because they had a show with another TIG-favorite, The Pharmacy. The band (who incidently named themselves after Dean Moriarty from Kerouac's "On the Road"), play dancable, extremely likeable indie-rock, as far as I could gleen from their MySpace tracks. "Dance Alone" has a Strokes' style guitar riff, a yummy Rockabilly undertone, and a great theme, I myself love to dance alone… though now that I type this, perhaps that statement is metaphorical in a Turning Japanesse sorta way? Hmmm. This question requires further imaginary internet research. I hope the band has a full copy of the release heading toward our imaginary P.O. Box so we can have a proper listen (hint *cough* hint).

{7:23} ManPlus — "we make our own drugs"
Speaking of bands we've discovered on MySpace, the latest and greatest tracks from Seattle band ManPlus sound super cool! I first saw them open for The Jeunes many months ago, and while I was floored by frontman Jared Sprinkle's incredible voice (think Neil Diamond meets Bronski Beat), I thought the band seemed a bit undercooked. The newest tracks sound more polished, like piping hot, gooey electronic pop gems with wacky lower-cased titles like "you smell pretty," "bunny brains," and the track we picked, "we make our own drugs." You can listen to or buy their latest record you smell pretty when you stop yelling on their website, and their next Seattle gig is at the High Dive on October 27 with Lotion and Tableland.

{7:26} Spy Island — "Daylight Fades (As Faketown Shakes)"
Spy Island is a Portland band on Ginger Gorilla Records. Their album, A Treasury of Great Science Fiction, is due out November 1. In the meantime, these boys need some friends.

{7:29} sno*boy — "Parris Song"
A song from the vaults! I pulled this from one of my favorite label compilations. It came from the Cher Doll Records compilation Something Cool. The entire compilation is chock full of rarities that need to be heard. This one is a particular favorite because of their part surf / part garage rock sound and use of "Barbarella" in the lyrics.

{7:33} Your Favorite Book — "A Belt Right Smack in the Mouth"
It may have taken me 48 hours and three listens, but I have grown to adore Your Favorite Book and their lo-fi nasal stylings as found on their self-released latest album Lace Up Your Fancy Chuck Taylor All-Stars. On their surface you could say they remind you of They Might Be Giants… but upon closer examination, YFB exhibits the dark simplicity of early Mountain Goats and lyrical quirks of the Weakerthans.

{7:42} Buttersprites — "Dog Food"
I got all flustered when I started talking about Buttersprites. So did Sean — and no wonder. Show me the male who wouldn't get unnerved when confronted by five hottie mostly-Asian women who play punk-pop in matching outfits (frequently nurse uniforms). The band has a dazzling self-titled debut release on Dionysus Records {read the imaginary review}, on which you can find this track, an Iggy Pop cover that features front-woman Haruko Nishimura barking like a dog for a good 20 seconds. Oh, and the band was named All Music Guide's weekly artist spotlight earlier this month. TIG is proud to sponsor a Japan Rock showcase during the ROCKRGRL conference next month featuring The Buttersprites, also with Megababe, Amppez, Tsushimamare, and Red Bacteria Vacuum on November 12 at the High Dive.

{7:45} The Cops — "Rising Sons"
The Cops Speaking of TIG showcases, I'm sure no one was surprised that we played a track from The Cops' brand new release Get Good Or Stay Bad {read the imaginary review}, since their TIG-sponsored show started mere hours after we left the station. Can you blame us for being excited? The show (which ROCKED, btw) celebrated the release of both The Cops' new album as well as the latest from Tennis Pro. I am sure Mt. Fuji Records is proud of this one, a consistently strong release with hooks and snarls all the way though.

{7:48} Tennis Pro — "Caught the Wrong Wave"
Tennis Pro! They finally have a new album Cassie's Junior Varsity Make-Out Squad out on b-side records. The tasty track we played features Beach Boys-esque harmonies while still maintaining the fun, wacky Tennis Pro nature we all know and love. It's called "Caught the Wrong Wave" and is hot like fire… or maybe cool like the ocean would be more appropriate.

{7:57} Dolour — "A Matter of Time"
The surprise of the night was when Shane Tutmarc from Dolour walked into the studio and handed us his latest release, a Japanese import called A Matter of Time 2000-2005, which was put out on Quince Records. You gotta love KEXP, probably the only radio station left in the galaxy where an artist can walk in and hand a DJ a CD, and the DJ will actually play it…

'Tis true. Nothing makes us happier than a full P.O. Box so send your local CDs our way. We'll be on the air again Saturday, November 5th, so mark your calendars. That shirt looks really nice on you!