Episode 170: A New Coat Of Paint Part II
(Featuring a continuation of a theme first presented on the 6th of December, 2010, with the help of our good friend Ken Nordine.)

Returning to Ken Nordine‘s fantastic Colors album, this episode offers a meditation on color and colors, just in time to celebrate Pride, and to revisit one of the most incredible recordings made in the last 100 years.  Nordine has carved out an interesting place for himself over the years, and this episodes helps illuminate his career, and this album in particular, juxtaposed against music that is either color themed, or very much in line with his own musical sensibilities.  Plus: it’s just a really good mix of music, if you ask me.

The audacity of someone to do an entire album about color in a medium that is devoid of visual cues itself is sort of like that of a person who would do a radio show that is based on a visual theme.  Still, Nordine manages to bend both words and ideas to his will, and presents a fantastic soundscape that is equal parts improvisational and observational, cutting straight to the heart of the human condition in something that is seemingly about the colors of the rainbow.  This episode, which features some background information about Nordine and this album, is an attempt to musically capture what he did in this album.  The results are for you to hear, now.

Part I of this show, from 2010, was not created with that much forethought.  Without a show prepared, I went into the studio with Colors and literally nothing else, I began to present the oldest albums in KPSU’s catalog to highlight what the station would have sounded like in the mid ’90’s.  However, the presentation worked much better than, in some cases, an over-thought theme or show.  Only recently did I post a playlist for that episode, which inspired this sequel.  Rather than plan this one out meticulously, I selected a few things I wanted to hear, and built the show around that.

I could go on and on about the delays and production problems we’ve been having lately, but the short version is: we’re ironing out some kinks in the way we produce this show.  In the end, this will be good.  But for now, the schedule may be a little wonky, especially since summer is here and there’s a lot more going on.  Hopefully we can return to weekly shows, dropping on Tuesdays, for your enjoyment.  Until then, we have back-episodes going to 2009, and there is plenty to enjoy while we get our ducks in a row.

That’s all for this week.  Keep up the good work, and we’ll see you real soon.

Take care!

A New Coat Of Paint 

Part I: Blue Is The Color Of The Sky

01.) Colors * Roky Erickson * Hide Behind The Sun
02.) The Color Of Holy Water * Sun City Girls * Wah
03.) Lavender * Ken Nordine * Colors
04.) Lavender * Jandek * You Walk Alone
05.) Green * Ken Nordine * Colors
06.) Green Man * Bardo Pond * Lapsed
07.) Beige * Ken Nordine * Colors
08.) Beige Balloon * Billy Jack * Wrestling The Bald-Headed Champ

Part II: Are Those Color’s Supposed To Do That?

09.) Colors * Hunger * Love, Peace & Poetry: American Psychedelic Music
10.) Are Those Colors Supposed To Do That? * Cold Pizza * Now Buying Souls By Appointment Only
11.) White * Ken Nordine * Colors
12.) White Ink * Deerhunter * Cryptograms
13.) White Night * MX-80 * “Someday You’ll Be King” b/w “White Night”
14.) Purple * Ken Nordine * Colors
15.) Purple * Morgen * Morgen
16.) Muddy * Ken Nordine * Colors
17.) Mud * Universal Order Of Armageddon * City EP

Part III: “Color Climax” b/w “Coral Flower”

18.) Color Climax 85/86 * Half Eye * Fascist Rumble
19.) Brown * John Oswald * Plunderphonics 69/96
20.) Hazel * Ken Nordine * Colors
21.) Slow Fast Hazel * Stereolab * Emperor Tomato Ketchup
22.) Grey * Ken Nordine * Colors
23.) It’s Gray * T.S.O.L. * Change Today?
24.) Grey Light * The Miss * No Radio
25.) Coral * Ken Nordine * Colors
26.) Coral Flower * Tamaryn * The Waves