Well, a bum EZArchive thwarted my attempts to post on Thursday, as I’m sure you found out at quite a few other sites.

I had a two-parter planned that will just have to be condensed into a single bohemoth post, and it’s a good one. Thanks to Chris and Eric, I’ve developed an unhealthy obsession with The Rosebuds and their new album Birds Make Good Neighbors. I’m not sure I’ve listened to a catchier, more accessible album than this in the past couple years. The melodies go round and round in my head all day. Check out Eric’s awesome post on Top Ten Vocal Moments on Birds Make Good Neighbors That Don’t Consist of Real Words.

So here’s their Nov. 13 show from Seattle’s Triple Door, brought to you by KEXP.

1. Hold Hands and Fight
2. Outnumbered
3. Back to Boston
4. Let Us Go
5. Unwind
6. The Lovers’ Rights
7. Shake Our Tree (w/crowd participation)
8. Blue Bird
9. Leaves Do Fall
10. Boxcar
11. Wildcat

Everyone have a good New Year’s Eve/Day? Gotta say, it’s nice to have the holidays behind us. Looking forward to the new year.

The first post of 2006 has me going back to an album from 2005 that I’m spending more time with lately: Rob Dickinson’s Fresh Wine for the Horses. I realize I’m doubling up here, having posted on Dickinson in October. But Fresh Wine is making headway in my iPod. I think the first few times around I wanted something more in the vein of Catherine Wheel; now that I’ve let go of that expectation, I’m able to better enjoy Dickinson on his own.

These are songs he performed for NPR member station WXPN’s World Cafe program in December.

Rob Dickinson, on WXPN’s World Cafe:
1. Oceans
2. My Name is Love
3. Bathe Away

By popular demand (OK, like, seven of you, but I was moved by commenter Lori’s request in verse!), here are the three tracks the Shout Out Louds performed on Minnesota Public Radio’s The Current in June.

These versions are pretty much stripped down, acoustic beauty. The version of Shut Your Eyes they said was the “November recording,” so a bit different from the album version, which is uptempo and energetic.

Also of note, the band said The Comeback was the first song they wrote, which makes it all the more impressive.

Shout Out Louds, in-studio on The Current, June 3, 2005:

1. Shut Your Eyes (November recording)
2. Please, Please, Please
3. The Comeback
Question: Anybody have these earphones? I’ve been looking at them for months and I can’t decide if it’s worth the scratch. Those in-ear phones never seem to fit me right, but I hear good things about those suckers.

Roll call:

• You need to add Marathon Packs (one word or two, Eric?) to your daily reads/blogrolls/bookmarks/whatever. The music is great, but I really appreciate Eric’s insight and intelligent writing, like his Poorly Constructed Thoughts on Pitchfork’s Year-End Top 50.
• Dodge has all sorts of shizz (his word) he’s givin’ away, including that new Queens of the Stone Age CD/DVD I badly want to win.
• For you sports fans, Deadspin is a must read. These guys have it all covered, including groupie/athlete sightings (with photos!).
• I’m sorry to report that Goose at Veritas Lux Mea has hung it up. Go pay your respects.

Whoa. Sorry for the delay today. Somebody was sleeping off a little Christmas party hangover (read: me).

So, Rogue Wave is tonight in Phoenix. And I’m pumped. I’m also going to attempt to record it with my recently purchased minidisc player/recorder. Please pass along any tips for a successful recording.

Here’s Rogue Wave’s in-studio performance from WOXY, which includes two tracks from the 10:1 EP. (Crush the Camera is highly recommended and Catform is great, too.)

Rogue Wave in-studio on WOXY:

1. Bird on a Wire
2. Crush the Camera
3. Wait for It
4. Catform
5. 10:1

My new obsession is Minnesota Public Radio’s The Current. You can listen to audio streams at a high bit rate, and the station has had pretty excellent in-studio appearances, all of which are archived. (You can support the station here.)

But, you say, the archives aren’t in mp3 format. Well, this is why you come here, yes? I delved into the archives and plucked Rogue Wave’s appearance to convert to mp3. I’m eagerly anticipating Rogue Wave’s Dec. 15 show in Phoenix at Modified with sourceVictoria and Mazarin.

So consider this a preview before the preview next week, when I’ll have RW’s in-studio performance from WOXY and hopefully some new sourceVictoria tracks. (The Rogue Wave setlist includes two songs from the 10:1 EP.)

Rogue Wave, in studio at The Current, Nov. 23, 2005:

1. Publish My Love
2. Bird on a Wire
3. 10:1

Just wanna give a shout-out to all the fine peeps who have linked to me the past couple of days (and slap me if I forgot ya): Dodge (who has a raunchy new contest for you), Chris at Gorilla vs. Bear, Muzzle of Bees, Chromewaves, Brooklyn Vegan, Largehearted Boy, FREE Williamsburg, The Test Pilot and the Perm and the Skullet. Go visit all of them.

>>By the way, Bears are 9-3. If there’s any proof to the cliche that defense wins games, it might be true with this team. Kyle Orton tossed for 68 yards, 0 TDs and 1 interception in Sunday’s win over the Packers at Soldier Field (finally!). I’m feeling pretty good about this team after reading what longtime Bears-killer Brett Favre had to say: “All the years I’ve played against them, I think defensively this is as well as I’ve seen them play. They’re just good.”

(Note: Blogger went a little haywire for a few hours Monday night and was not accessible. So I’m going to leave this up as the top post for a little bit today. But fear not, I’ve got some Rogue Wave radio performances for you.)

My wonderful wife, Annie — a die-hard devotee of Arcade Fire after we saw them twice in Austin in September — tipped me off about an Arcade Fire concert from Sept. 29 that was going to be broadcast Sunday on Minnesota Public Radio’s The Current, which is a great station and also just happens to stream content online.

Lucky for you. The 11 tracks are from Arcade Fire’s performance at First Avenue in Minnesota, which includes a cover of David Bowie’s Five Years. Sure you can get it at the iTunes store. But wouldn’t you rather get it here and then donate money to support Minnesota Public Radio that brought you this fine broadcast?

Some favorites of mine in this set include No Cars Go, Laika and Wake Up for the encore. Also the melding of Power Out and Rebellion (Lies) is great, so I just left it as one mp3.

If you leave a comment, my wife is to be thanked. You may love her as much as I do after you hear this.

The Arcade Fire, live at First Avenue (9/29/05, via The Current broadcast):

1. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
2. Crown of Love
3. Headlights Look Like Diamonds
4. No Cars Go
5. Haiti
6. Neighborhood #2 (with some intro chatter)
7. I’m Sleeping in a Submarine
8. Five Years (Bowie cover)
9. Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)
10. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)/Rebellion (Lies)
(check out botched intro; pretty funny. Win says “boo yaa.”)
Encore
11. Wake Up

Let’s keep on riding the smooth wave that is Iron and Wine/Calexico. This set is a little on the softer side and just as fine as the NPR recording.
Iron and Wine/Calexico, from the Triple Door (KEXP):
He Lays in the Reins
Red Dust
All Tomorrow’s Parties
Prison on Route 41
A History of Lovers
Dead Man’s Will
Wild Horses

OK, the set you’ve all been waiting for, perhaps? It’s a good one with great covers of Wild Horses, All Tomorrow’s Parties and Always on My Mind.

Iron and Wine/Calexico, live from 9:30 Club (NPR All Songs Considered webcast):
He Lays in the Reins
Red Dust
All Tomorrow’s Parties
16, Maybe Less
Prison on Route 41
A History of Lovers
Always on My Mind
Burn That Broken Bed

Encore
Wild Horses
Dead Man’s Will

Joel Didriksen for www.kingpinphoto.com

Here’s the second batch of songs from NPR’s webcast of the Calexico and Iron and Wine concert. Combined set to follow.

Iron and Wine, live from 9:30 Club (NPR All Songs Considered webcast):
Hickory
Sodom, South Georgia
Cinder and Smoke
Evening on the Ground (Lilith’s Song)
On Your Wings
An Angry Blade
Woman King
The Trapeze Swinger