I am Alicia Williams, host of Mood Swings on CIVL Radio which broadcasts from the Abbotsford campus of the University of the Fraser Valley, I am also the Music Director here. My show focuses mainly on punk, garage and lo-fi – but it ventures to other places as well! I am currently a student at UFV taking Media Studies and Visual Arts and it’s a swell time! I have a blog, but it has too much swearing for you to look at it, sorry!
My Top 3 records of the year
Grown-Ups - Not Friends - (Self-Released)
Easily the best band in Calgary right now, and yeah, I know who else is from there! Josiah Hughes has trail blazed cool since he went to my high school however many years ago – and he’s definitely come a long way since The Hand.
The Black Angels – Phosphene Dream - (Blue Horizon Records)
One of the first albums I’ve listened to from start to finish in a long time! They remind me a lot of the Brian Jonestown Massacre – not in a rip-off sense – but in the way they sound like they could be from any time period late 1960’s onward.
The Bitters – East General - (Mexican Summer)
Everything Ben Cook does (now) is amazing! The Bitters are one of the most unique, dark, pop, garage bands I’ve ever heard – they say on myspace.com they are ‘cave pop,’ which is a totally perfect description.
Most under-rated record of the year
Petroleum By-Product – Superficial Artificial - (Mona Mona Records)
They’re a Vancouver based darker sounding new wave band, they’re super good, and I would love to see them chart more at our station and everywhere in the world! Their sound ranges anywhere from the B-52’s to Siouxsie and the Banshees, definitely check them out!
Most over-rated record of the year
Arcade Fire – Suburbs - (Merge)
This album has been charting around the top 5 since it came out in August. Personally, I don’t like Arcade Fire and think all of their music sounds boring, bland and cliché. I just don’t get it I guess.
Best local release
Ex-Friends – XFREN - (Self-Released)
I went to high school with 2/3 of the young adults in this band. They’re from Vancouver, and they have a very snotty, sassy, punk, everywhere kind of sound. My favourite tracks are Never Been Arrested and I Want to Move Out. They’ve since broken up because one of their members has moved to Toronto, Ontario, but you can still get both of their releases on this blog http://ghostplus.blogspot.com/ as well as a plethora of other Abbotsford area releases!
Best personal campus/community radio moment or experience of the year.
My favourite radio moment this year would have to be my interview with Joe Jack Talcum formerly of the Dead Milkmen. I’ve been a fan of the Dead Milkmen since I was a teen, so that will probably be my favourite radio moment forever!
Record you are most anticipating for 2011
I’m not really sure, I know Wire is releasing a new album called Red Barked Tree, but I don’t know how good it’s going to be – keeping in mind I haven’t really listened to anything they’ve put out in the recent decade. I’m just crossing my fingers hoping it will be as good as their 1978 release, Chairs Missing.
