as always, diaper daniels – karl christenson’s labor day mix

If the cover art for this mix isn’t a dead giveaway, Cribshitter‘s Diaper Daniels has a penchant for the ridiculous. When I saw Diaper Daniels and company play earlier this year, the band was sporting traditional Bethlehem gear in honor of their current release, Methlehem. This afternoon I learned that the band is currently mining material for an upcoming release tentatively called Jizz Hands. Oh my. Despite outwardly profane appearances, Cribshitter is at heart a deeply catchy band with a heart of gold. To witness their mayhem live, click here to purchase tickets to the Shitty Barn’s barn blowout party on October 20th.

If Diaper Daniels looks familiar but you can’t place his face, scratch off that crusty mustache and behold Karl Christenson of our Madison fave Icarus Himself. Straddling two worlds, Christenson made us a “mellow one for a mellow autumn” ranging from the tongue-in-cheek “Your Party” by Ween to the earnest ELO’s “Telephone Line”. Check it out below, and be sure to catch at least one of Christenson’s projects this fall.

LABOR DAY MIX 2012
01| I’m Mandy Fly Me by 10cc
02| Your Party by Ween
03| Black Moriah by Sat. Nite Duets
04| Fake Natives by Fake Natives
05| Running Back by Thin Lizzy
06| Our Angel’s Ululu by Deerhoof
07| ??? by Ethiopiques
08| Sherry by Jonny Corndawg
09|Oh Baby by The Concretes
10| Suffering Jukebox by Silver Jews
11| When I Die by Inboil
12| Telephone Line by Electric Light Orchestra
13| Gar by Lambchop
14| XL-30 by Shuggie Otis
15| Bitties in the BK Lounge by De La Soul
16| Swing It Low by Morphine
17| Furget It by Jason Lytle

i stay anywhere you go

Poolside – Slow Down

Dent May – Home Groan

Icarus Himself – Anywhere You Go

Cribshitter – Mint Car

unseen/unheard

Sometimes you see things you can’t unsee, and sometimes you hear things you can’t unhear. That seems to pretty aptly sum up Madison, Wisconsin’s ‘premier fog machine-oriented band’ Cribshitter.

While I’ve long heard of the colorfully-named band, I hadn’t given them a listen until this week. Bandleader Diaper Daniels (the wispy-mustachioed alter ego of Icarus Himself’s Karl Christenson) and pals make weirdly catchy tunes with unseemly lyrical content, brewing that perfect blend of ‘will never leave your head’.  Take, for example, the video below for single “Boom Goes the Vaginamite”:

Jarring as the title may be, I couldn’t tear my eyes from the video (a mildly strung-out nod to indie film’s self-aware quirk) and have been humming the chorus for days.

On the band’s latest release, Methlehem, my favorite tracks are the instrumentals – they showcase the underlying talent that makes the joke so funny. To judge for yourself, you can stream the album here, or check out Cribshitter at their free CD release show on Friday the 27th at the Dragonfly Lounge.