Too Much Workload: Transmission 56, 2013 August 24

This selection from the archive finds BOMBAST in excellent form on a night that is neither a regular program, nor a "test pattern," but rather a substitute slot for "Hip Hop Don't Stop." Since I more or less gave up on hip-hop 20 years ago [what has it done since?] it is hardly like-for-like, but it's quality stuff from the vault, perfect for "retro August."

In case you can't tell, I'm into those old On-U Sound records. They are a perfect conceptual fit--blending of styles, futuristic yet not current, difficult to pin down in time and space. I would much rather see these records made readily available than languishing in the "Physical Evidence" eligibility pool, but I'm always happy to take advantage of a bad situation.

Also, in case you can't tell, my mood swings regarding the program are pretty wide--I'm feeling pretty philosophical about this program, which isn't supposed to make me unhappy, is it, "Friend of Bombast" Iain? And yet it does, a bit. This was a fun night, as I was in contact with many listeners, both friends and strangers, so the vibe was good. And yet it was the "retro" thing that inspired all of this bonhumeur, not the "usual" thing. The past was a good place to visit on this particular night. I don't want to live there. And yet in a structural sense the program does represent my "living" there. TMI?

I'll stop now and let the tunes take over. They're pretty good.

BOMBAST playlist, 2013 August 24, 2100-2300:

1. "Program for Light" / "Desert" | Section 25 | From the Hip | Les Temps Modernes
2. "Somewhere in China" | Shop Assistants | Will Anything Happen | Overground
3. "Porpoise" | Pale Saints | Flesh Balloon | 4AD
4. "Dungeon" / "Merchant Ship" / "Jah Army Band" | Singers & Players | Revenge of the Underdog | On-U Sound | "Physical Evidence"
5. "Other Side - Stuck Together Remix" | Atoms for Peace | 50 Weapons of Choice #30-39 | 50 Weapons
6. "Chock (Shock)" | Skogen-Brinner | 1st | Subliminal Sounds
7. "Tomorrow (Steve Peck Mix)" | Morrissey | Volume Five | Volume
8. "Too Much Workload" | Singers & Players | Revenge of the Underdog | On-U Sound | "Physical Evidence"
9. "Let's Sail Away" | Honey Tongue | Nude Nudes | Playtime
10. "It's All But An Ark-Lark" | Cocteau Twins | CD Single Box Set | Capitol
11. "Say So" | Augustus Pablo | King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown | Shanachie
12. "You Show Great Spirit" | Prurient | Through the Window | Blackest Ever Black
13. "Oriental Nightmare" | Rodney & The Blazers | Warpaint | TT Shaker
14. "New Blue Noon" | Scarper! | Unfurl | Plexus
15. "Sirens" | oOoOO | Without Your Love | Nihjgt Feelings
16. "Boys" | Beach Day | Trip Trap Attack | Kanine
17. "Holocaust" | Big Star | Nothing Can Hurt Me | Omnivore
18. "Prodigal Son" / "Follower" | Singers & Players | Revenge of the Underdog | On-U Sound | "Physical Evidence"
19. "Freedom" | 400 Blows | The New Lords on the Block | Concrete Productions
20. "Moonlight in Glory" | Brian Eno & David Byrne | My Life in the Bush of Ghosts | Sire

next time: Albanian fanfare and other stuff. Enjoy the music! --kid catharsis