Fanfarlo may only now be hitting your radar in 2009, but this London-based orchestral-pop outfit is no one’s overnight discovery. A veteran of two SXSW’s, the band was playing their first-ever show in Austin outside of the festival and stopped in for a visit on the morning afterward. We gave their debut full-length, Reservoir, enough airplay to land it on our 97 Best list at year’s end, and the band performed four beautifully stripped down songs from it during the session.

Track Listing:
-interview-
Finish Line
I’m A Pilot
Harold T. Wilkins
Comets

Fanfarlo – Finish Line (WOXY.com Lounge Act)
Fanfarlo – I’m A Pilot (WOXY.com Lounge Act)
Fanfarlo – Harold T. Wilkins (WOXY.com Lounge Act)
Fanfarlo – Comets (WOXY.com Lounge Act)
Fanfarlo – WOXY.com Lounge Act (full session download)

As we approach the end of the decade, we thought it would be fun to dig into our Lounge Act archives and unearth a few sessions for you that you may not have heard for awhile. Or in alot of cases, you may not know we even recorded.

Today, we jump back to the summer of 2005 for this session with The Wrens. Below is a brief synopsis written at the time along with a tracklist and stream of the entire session and interview. Enjoy!

We were thrilled to host a session with the legendary Wrens, who stopped in prior to their local date on a mini-tour of the Midwest. A terrific band with a history of bad luck caused by label trouble, they’ve rightfully earned a great deal of acclaim for their body of work, sporadic as it may be. The guys are in fine form here, playing three songs off their last CD The Meadowlands and even reaching back for a tune from their 1994 debut, Silver.

Track Listing:
What’s A Girl
Hopeless
-Interview-
Boys You Won’t
Everyone Chooses Sides

It’s hard to believe, but this will be the 26th consecutive year we’ll count down the year’s 97 Best albums. Yep, on December 17th @ 10a ET (9a CT), we’ll start at #97 and won’t stop until we reach #1 (apologies to Casey Kasem). As in previous years, the 97 Best is determined by airplay. We tabulate all of the DJ’s airplay during our live broadcasts to come up with the list, and feel that’s the best way to accurately reflect the sound of WOXY in 2009. So, make sure you carve out the whole day to listen and see where your favorites land on the list.

If you’re a history buff, here’s a look back at the previous #1 records (click the link to see that year’s entire list). You’ll notice the musical shifts from one decade to the other and sometimes, one year to the next.

2008 - My Morning Jacket Evil Urges
2007 – The National Boxer
2006 – Built To Spill You In Reverse
2005 – Bloc Party Silent Alarm
2004 – Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand
2003 – The White Stripes Elephant
2002 – The White Stripes White Blood Cells
2001 – Gorillaz Gorillaz
2000 – Travis The Man Who
1999 – G. Love & Special Sauce Philadelphonic
1998 – Beastie Boys Hello Nasty
1997 – James Whiplash
1996 – Everclear Sparkle and Fade
1995 – Dave Matthews Band Under The Table and Dreaming
1994 – Green Day Dookie
1993 – Soul Asylum Grave Dancers Union
1992 – U2 Achtung Baby
1991 – R.E.M. Out Of Time
1990 – Depeche Mode Violator
1989 – The B-52’s Cosmic Thing
1988 – Sinead O’Connor The Lion and The Cobra
1987 – U2 The Joshua Tree
1986 – Violent Femmes The Blind Leading The Naked
1985 – Tears For Fear “Shout”*
1984 – Frankie Goes To Hollywood “Two Tribes”*

*the first two years’ 97 Best counted down songs rather than albums

UK trio Band Of Skulls formed while in college and worked for about a year and a half to craft their debut record Baby Darling Doll Face Honey.

Since its release earlier this year, the album has quietly sold almost 20,000 copies in the U.S. alone and the band has completed three North American tours.

Our Lounge Act session was recorded right as the band were finishing up a tour with Metric. After a sold-out Austin show, Russell, Matt and Emma woke up early to come record this stripped down set for us.

All four tracks in this performance can be found in their studio versions on Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, available now from Shangri-La.

Track Listing:
- interview -
Fires
Patterns
Impossible
Honest

Band Of Skulls – Honest (WOXY.com Lounge Act)
Band Of Skulls – Impossible (WOXY.com Lounge Act)
Band Of Skulls – Fires (WOXY.com Lounge Act)
Band Of Skulls – Patterns (WOXY.com Lounge Act)

Band Of Skulls – WOXY.com Lounge Act (full session download)

As we approach the end of the decade, we thought it would be fun to dig into our Lounge Act archives and unearth a few sessions for you that you may not have heard for awhile. Or in alot of cases, you may not know we even recorded.

Today, we jump back to the summer of 2005 for this session with The National. Below is a brief synopsis written at the time along with a tracklist and stream of the entire session and interview. Enjoy!

The guys in The National got their start here in Cincinnati, then relocated to NYC to seek fame & fortune. They made a huge step forward with their third full-length, Alligator, in 2005 and feature several tracks from it during a session played in front of friends and family in the Lounge.

Track Listing:
Secret Meeting
90-Mile Water Wall
-Interview-
Looking For Astronauts
Abel

As we approach the end of the decade, we thought it would be fun to dig into our Lounge Act archives and unearth a few sessions for you that you may not have heard for awhile. Or in alot of cases, you may not know we even recorded.

Today, we jump back to the summer of 2005 for this session with Neko Case. Below is a brief synopsis written at the time along with a tracklist and stream of the entire session and interview. Enjoy!

—–

Our station hound, Buster, saved the day for this session with the beautiful Neko Case. Arriving tired from a day’s long drive, her spirits shot up when given a chance to play with everyone’s favorite rock & roll radio dog!

Neko talks to Mike about her musical influences growing up, and future plans not only for herself but also of her other band, The New Pornographers.

Track Listing:
-Interview-
Favorite
Outro With Bees
-Interview-

Vinyl sales continued to rise in 2009 as the format enjoys a renaissance of sorts in the latter half of the decade. There are always loads of great vinyl ideas floating around, and now that big retailers are in the vinyl game, the choices and prices are more and more interesting and competitive. If you have a vinyl enthusiast on your list this year, here are some special vinyl packages they might like, along with some must have accessories.

Tom Waits – Orphans Vinyl Box Set – With seven LPs of 180 gram vinyl, six previously unreleased songs, a 32-page book featuring lyrics and insight, and a beautiful hardbound box, the collection captures the full scope of Tom Waits’ shamanic powers as a vocalist, literary lyricist, romantic melodist, innovative arranger and pioneer of sonic worlds. The set, which took over three years to compile and record, is grouped by genre with songs guaranteed to move and shake the heart, the body, the mind and most unquestionably the soul. Each of the albums separately arranged and subtitled – “Brawlers,” “Bawlers” and “Bastards” to encapsulate the full range of Waits’ nomadic scope of musical styles.

Beck – The Information Vinyl Box Set – This release contains all 24 tracks from the deluxe CD version of the information on 4 – 12″ 180 gram virgin vinyl records, and 1 – 10″ 140 gram virgin vinyl record (5 LP’s total).

RJD2 Vinyl Box Set 2002-2010 – Vinyl versions of ”Dead Ringer” LP, ”The Horror EP” (first time on vinyl!) ”Since We Last Spoke” LP, and the exclusive ”Tin Foil Hat” EP. (7 unreleased RJD2 songs spanning the eras of the first 3 RJD2 releases!) Hand silk screen RJD2 poster, signed and numbered by the dude himself.

Pavement – Brighten The Corners 4 LP Deluxe Box – This four-LP vinyl box set includes eight extra tracks not on the CD, five of which are previously unreleased, plus one great unreleased song. Also includes material from the CD version: the remastered original twelve song album, ten non-album B-sides, ten outtakes, and fourteen live radio session tracks. Super deluxe M-Pak accordion style box set, 16-page, 12″ x 12″ full color booklet, MP3 coupon, and huge essay by New Yorker critic Alex Ross.

Old 97’s – Wreck Your Life…And Then Some – The Complete Bloodshot Recordings – Limited Edition Double LP in a snazzy gate fold jacket.Wreck Your Life, originally released in 1995, documented a band hitting its stride, the confidence growing as quickly as the crowds. Roots-Rock-Scares come and go, but the kind of energy, lyrical talent and inventive alchemical acumen that Wreck Your Life has in spades never falls from favor.Includes the full length Wreck Your Life (never before available on vinyl), 7′ singles and compilation tracks.Comes with a complete mp3 download card.A special release in conjunction with our 15th anniversary celebrations.

Arctic Monkeys – Live At Apollo Box LP & DVD – Exclusive live album recorded in Texas in 2006 is pressed on deluxe 180 gram vinyl. Also included is the Arctic Monkeys at The Apollo DVD, original theatrical film poster and a set of 4 band portrait postcard prints by acclaimed artist Pete McKee.

The Rolling Stones – Get Your Ya Yas Out – 40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Box Set – Features three 180 gram audiophile quality vinyl LPs (one side of which features an etched replica of the album’s key art, with signatures from Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor), 3 CDs that mirror the exact content on the LPs, 1 DVD, a 12 X 12/56-page Collector’s Book and a 12 X 12 replica of the original 1969 poster by Grammy Award winning artist David Edward Byrd, whose works include the commemorative poster from the original Woodstock Festival and the historic Fillmore East posters from 1968 to 1971.

John Vanderslice Reissues – Pixel Revolt, Cellar Door, Time Travel Is Lonely, & Life and Death Of An American Fourtracker have all been reissued on high quality 180 gram vinyl. These items have been out of print for years. Fourtracker and Pixel Revolt have bonus tracks, Pixel is a double 45rpm gatefold. Afternoon has a reissue package that includes all four records for $70. Includes original artwork and comes with mp3 download code.

Austin Psych Fest 2, a film documenting 2009’s Psych Festival, is being released on DVD. Join us for a screening at Christmas Cacophony, happening Dec. 19 at the Mohawk. The movie will screen at 8 p.m. and will be on sale at the event. The music starts after the movie.

Produced by Alta Real Pictures and directed by Oswald James the DVD features performances by A Place to Bury Strangers, Dead Meadow, The Black Angels, and more. Extra Features include additional festival performances and a documentary on Sky Sunlight Saxon, of the legendary 60s rock group the Seeds, and his last band The World Spirits.

Live music and mind-expanding visuals courtesy of Shapes Have Fangs, Viet Minh, Horse + Donkey and The Ghost Songs. We’ve had our eyes on Shapes Have Fangs for a while, watching their sound evolve into what it is today: a brightly lit homage to the Kinks and all that’s good about psych pop, topped off by a riveting live show. The rest of the lineup is equally strong — we’re particularly pleased to see Horse + Donkey on the bill, considering we thought we saw their last show sometime in 2008.

WOXY, Sailor Jerry’s and Laced with Romance are proud to sponsor this incredible event. Cost is just a mere $5, and the event includes a Holiday Photo Booth and Vintage Fashion Boutique. For a chance to win a pair of free tickets, email us at woxycontests @ gmail dot com and use the subject line “Christmas”.

As we approach the end of the decade, we thought it would be fun to dig into our Lounge Act archives and unearth a few sessions for you that you may not have heard for awhile. Or in alot of cases, you may not know we even recorded.

Today, we jump back to the summer of 2005 for this session with The Fiery Furnaces. Below is a brief synopsis written at the time along with a tracklist and stream of the entire session and interview. Enjoy!

The Fiery Furnaces (siblings Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger) stopped in for a loose and entertainingly unstructured session in the Lounge. They play a few unreleased tunes and also talk about their ambitious Rehearsing My Chorus CD.

As we approach the end of the decade, we thought it would be fun to dig into our Lounge Act archives and unearth a few sessions for you that you may not have heard for awhile. Or in alot of cases, you may not know we even recorded.

Today, we jump back to the summer of 2005 for this session with The Hold Steady. Before the band released Boys And Girls In America and became of one of the best bar bands in the country they stopped in for a session in our Cincinnati studios. Below is a brief synopsis written at the time along with a tracklist and stream of the entire session and interview. Enjoy!

Possessing one of the most distinct voices in any genre of music, here’s a chance to hear Craig Finn lead The Hold Steady through a stripped down set in the Lounge. Craig also talks about the break-up of his old band Lifter Puller, and his subsequent relocation from Minnesota to New York City.

Track Listing:
Your Little Hoodrat Friend
Don’t Let Me Explode
-Interview-
Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night
Certain Songs