Tales From The Drop Box - Better Than Radio

We are moving a little deeper down the river of Hades in this week’s episode of Tales From The Dropbox. Episode 23 is a little all over the sonic map, but I think you will find the happiness you so richly deserve as you listen to this episode and are transported to your special place.

I have long  wondered if we are not actually living in the dark ages with regard to certain individual rights and as you are likely aware the fixation with political correctness makes it impossible to reasonably discuss almost any topic. There is no point in most discussions of any perceived sensitive matter ( race, religion, politics, individual rights, abortion, freedom, whether green is the best color etc.) because the issue quickly becomes irrelevant and undoubtedly you will be caste as a racist, misogynist, sexist, fill-in-the-blank-ist if you disagree with anyone for any reason on any issue.  If you live here you know which ones I am talking about. Thank goodness I’m a faceless white guy from another country living in what might be the most ethnically diverse city in America, eh? #HiddenCanadians (First Use of A Meaningless Hash Tag!)

However, today a news story from England, from the BBC no less, caught my eye: “London receptionist ‘sent home for not wearing heels’” I kid you not. Apparently, temp worker Nicola Thorp, 27, from Hackney, arrived at a finance company wearing flats only to be told she had to wear shoes with a “2in to 4in heel”. When she refused and complained that male colleagues were not asked to do the same, she was sent home without pay. The outsourcing firm which sent Ms. Tharp to the company had said Ms. Thorp had “signed the appearance guidelines.”

Now this event would not ordinarily be shocking because frankly we are all aware that “appearances” matter more than “ability” but the real news not addressed by the story is that this disparity is actually legal in the UK. There is always a delicate balance in requiring a certain type of clothing while at work, but no one, in their right mind, could argue that a high heel requirement for women in the workplace strikes the required equality balance. So, what is the lesson? Nothing’s shocking. (Here you go now, a Jane’s Addiction reference for a music podcast). Nope that’s probably not the lesson from this story. Perhaps, the lesson is that as far as we think we’ve progressed as a species there are always a few stragglers. One could only imagine where we will be as a nation after the Trump/Hillary battle over the next few months. There are no winners.

As for the music, by now you know the drill. An episode filled with primarily new releases traversing a variety of largely popularly unpopular genres (and indie is not a genre) by a bunch of bands and artists with little commercial impact but – some amazing and catchy tunes! As always, put the music first, eh?

Here is what you’ll find in Episode #23:

1. Larkin Poe – “Stubborn Love” (Reskinned)
2. Posies – “We R Power” (Solid States)
3. White Lung – “Kiss Me When I Bleed” (Paradise)
4. Mean Jeans – “Michael Jackson Was Tight” (Tight New Dimension)
5. Wire – “Internal Exile” (Nocturnal Koreans)
6. Rum, Forest, Rum! – “City Lights” (Maybe Means No)
7. Can’t Swim – “Come Home” (Death Deserves A Name EP)
8. Hooded Fang – “Dead Battery” (Venus on Edge)
9. Sore Losers – “Emily” (Skydogs)
10. Dropkick – “I’m Over It” (Balance the Light)
11. Joana Serrat – “Saskatoon (Break of Dawn)” (Cross The Verge)
12. Gloom Sleeper – “The Spectre” (A Void)
13. Dead Stars – “Unpopular” (Bright Colors)
14. Nate Ruess – “I Wanna Be With You” (Vinyl, The Essentials: Best of Season 1)
15. The Beths – “Idea/Intent” (Warm Blood EP)

I’ll find a way to say what’s on my mind … I will give birth in a trailer huffing the gas in the air.

KFR