I keep reaching back to college radio days for these “One for Friday” posts. There are multiple reasons for this. Given my preference to post material that’s entirely out of print, looking to an era fifteen to twenty years past that predates the electronic disbursement of music (which will eventually keep everything in print) is a practical necessity. But that time, that place also feels like it represents the last miked gasp of a certain type of radio. Specifically, it feels like the end of the eighties and the beginning of the nineties represented one of the last times that had radio stations where the playlist could be completely unpredictable.

Much as I may be inclined to declare this sensibility was confined to the left end of the dial, where the noncommercial beasts dwelt, that’s not entirely true. The handful of commercial alternative stations around the country were still adhering to this aesthetic, ignoring genre to line up dance hall wonders to play next to metallic freak-outs and clattering rock gems and warm, crystalline pop. The only unifying criteria needed was quality. Within a few more years, variety was swamped out. Commercial alternative stations slavishly devoted airtime to any band that had a whiff of Pearl Jam about them, and college radio become overly enamored with segmenting and resegmenting music into increasingly confining categories. DJs transformed from sonic explorers to monotonous mix tape constructors, filling timeslots with sadcore hours and math rock extravaganza. One you’ve heard the first song, you’ve heard the whole show.

When I started at the college radio station there was still a wide range allowed within a show and a insistence that you take advantage of that. You were supposed to try new things, play stuff you didn’t necessarily like with the understanding that someone out there listening was turning to their radio with a smile and asking “What is that?” In a way, it made it easier to fall in love with songs, with bands. You could still be caught completely off-guard. No matter how much of a predilection I may have had for noisy guitars and howling singers, I could still play a record of retro, girl-group-inspired pop perfection and be plainly enraptured. Voice of the Beehive’s debut album, Let it Bee, was in rotation when I started at the radio station, but it was their follow up from a couple years later that became a sort of unofficial personal soundtrack for a time. The lead single got the station first, doing what advance singles are supposed to do: announce that something very special is on the way.

This song is from the special album. As I recall, it was a particular favorite of my very astute friend Jenny.

Voice of the Beehive, “Little Gods”

(Disclaimer: The album Honey Lingers seems to be out of prints, although eight of its ten songs are available on a “best of” compilation. Also, the whole thing is available on iTunes, so I’m being more of a stinker than usual in posting this song. If someone with due authority to do so asks me to remove this from the wilds of the Interweb, I’ll certainly comply.)