Good morning! Welcome to each of you who joined us this past week! You’ve landed at what was recently described as “the nicest place on the internet.“ Looking for a place to share the music you love with like-minded people? You’re in the right spot.
As always, I want to thank those who have recently upgraded their subscriptions. Your direct support fuels this community and makes a positive impact. Thank you!
When you’re ready, joining them is easy. Just click here:
Also, just a quick reminder that Sam Colt & I are counting down our Top 100 records. That comes out on Wednesday. We’ve gota running playlist for this project, and have been adding to it each week.
If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re missing out! Get caught up & join us Wednesday as we share our top 10 picks!
On to the music:
For those of you who are new, we kick off every week by sharing what we’ve been playing.
The playlist below is some of what I’ve had in heavy rotation:
Now it’s your turn.
What caught your ear this week? Any luck crate digging? How ‘bout at yard sales? Any upcoming releases or shows you’re excited about?
Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!
P.S. Off topic, but for those of you who follow baseball, I’m curious who your team is. Let me know!
Mustard is listening to Monstrous Feminine by Australian experimental artist Leila. Their debut album is a concept album inspired by their experiences of womanhood, those in fiction, and women in history both present and future. If Joanna Newsom made gothic horror music it would be this album.
It is going really well. The time they would use to scroll endlessly on Instagram is now being devoted to learning a new language. Language learning is something they have always loved but has been inconsistent about until now.
Mustard used to share their interviews on Instagram. Now they just email it to the artist and allow them to do so if they wish.
New Linda Lindas and Touche Amor LPs on constant spin. Also picked up Rocktober repress of INXS’s “Full Moon, Dirty Hearts.” Didn’t ever give that one a chance when it was new, but really appreciated it now.
I went to one of their shows in Boston a looooong time ago….i totally thought someone spiked my soda. It was the weirdest stuff i’d ever heard at that point, and yes, VERY LOUD!
I confess that I sort of lurk around here often taking note of so many amazing recs that you put out, Kevin, which is a little intimidating (in a great way!) Your musical alphabet goes so beyond Z--it's awesome. Keep them coming! I like to cycle through jazz when I'm doing creative work. Have been listening to a lot of Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, Mingus. Always looking for new discoveries on that front! Thanks!
When I got deeper into jazz, I dug learning about the second tier (in terms of notoriety, not talent) of artists from that time. Some of my favorites are: Clark Terry, Blue Mitchell, Booker Little, Booker Ervin (check out Sounds of The Inner City that the two Bookers did together), Hank Mobley, Kenny Dorham. Happy creating!
This outstanding! Thanks so much for all of this, Dave! I’m going to go aural spelunking right now. I assume you’ve read Three Shades of Blue by James Kaplan? One of my favorite reads this year. Thanks!
I’m glad you’re here and thank you for the kind words! I inherited some jazz records, but admittedly haven’t gone very far into them. I will do some “research” and see if I can find some stuff I think you might like.
And thanks for the book rec as well! Sounds like a great one to jump the TBr line.
The book was phenomenal..one I think about often! Spent Monday happily listening to a ton of Dave's recs..so I'm feeling all sorts of Birdland-ified :)
It's always fun when the playlist is mostly artists I'm not familiar with. Looking forward to digging in.
My week was about:
* The Smile - Cutouts. I like this one more than the last one. I prefer rhythmically-oriented Smile over the "Thom's falsetto over a bed of sound" version as Tom Skinner is such a fantastic, creative drummer. I need to make a best-of from their records.
* Amy Rigby - Hang In There With Me. Kevin putting "Dylan In Dubuque" on last week's playlist put this on my radar, and I dig. Amy has one of those voices that is chock full of character.
* Kathleen Edwards - Listening to Amy made me think of Kathleen Edwards, so I hit my favorite of her catalog. "Change The Sheets" is an incredible song.
* Tragically Hip - I continued revisiting their catalog after watching the No Dress Rehearsal documentary recently.
Looking forward to your picks. Have a great week, everyone!
I love the relationship Canadians have with The Hip. I think I posted this last week when I wrote about the documentary, but it's worth repeating because it's such a great quote. Via the NYT: "The place of honor that Mr. Downie occupies in Canada's national imagination has no parallel in the United States. Imagine Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Michael Stipe combined into one sensitive, oblique poet-philosopher, and you’re getting close."
I love that quote about Gordie. I actually used it in a collaborative piece that will apear next month. It must sound like hyperbole to those who aren’t familiar with The Hip, but he really is a God in Canada.
Bob.......Fascinating career, The Kinks....From the 30,000-ft view, their career is uniquely split among 3 decades, more or less, corresponding to 3 major labels: Warner Bros. '60s, RCA '70s, and '80s Arista.
If you looked at all the "British Invasion" bands, I don't think many, if any, had such a long career....and, if they did (Stones, as an example), the label affiliations, and even their pop'n'rock style/hits approach and results don't match or hold up to, The Kinks, with The Stones being a notable exception.
What would really be fun is to do a breakdown of artist rosters and chart finish/hits for the three labels each of the 3 bands formed: Apple, Rolling Stone, and Konk Records!
I love The Kinks! The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society is a brilliant album. I really like a lot of their later songs like Come Dancing and Don’t Forget To Dance too.
'I Am Not A Dog On A Chain' (thanks all the same) - it's a fantastic Morrissey album. I think it's his latest and it really is totally up there (tbh he makes few poor albums imo).
Herman Dune comes on now - we know albums 'Giant' and 'Next Year In Zion'.
Post-chatting to Lou last week there's been quite a lot of Pete Doherty shouting. And we were celebrating the musical work of Labi Siffre in the pub the other night. Thank you, music, for so much.
Billy Strings, "Highway Prayers". Such a wonderful work of American bluegrass. The final cut, "Richard Petty" stopped me dead in my tracks. Whether I have realized it or not, It's the song I have always wanted someone to have the guts to write. Samara Joy, "Portrait". She is a generational talent within the jazz vocalist genre and I can't wait to see her here in Birmingham Alabama this Thursday evening. I am exploring the world of Musica Mexicana, and am brightly surprised by it. I am loving the new albums from artists within that genre such as Eslabon Armado, Tito Double P., and Grupo Frontera. Yasmin Williams has put out a wonderfully peaceful, yet joltingly fresh, album called "Acadia." She is a guitar wizard extraordinaire. Tank and the Bangas, "The Hart, The Mind, The Soul" is a must listen.
For me, it’s been all about the new Goat, Chat Pile, Blood Incantation, and Oranssi Pazuzu records. It’s been a weird, bizarre, and wonderful few days of listening, but I feel like this week I need something a little more lighthearted 😂
Black Flag is one of those bands I first started listening to while still living with my folks, so whenever a Black Flag song came on I felt it like 10x.
As I wrote in this week’s installment of Alphabet Soup (https://open.substack.com/pub/joyinthejourney/p/alphabet-soup-week-41-artists-filed) I had my mind blown by The Pixies Where Is My Mind? and I’ve been listening to Surfer Rosa daily for the last few days. This was a band that I long ago consigned to the category of “bands I don’t like”. Clearly I was wrong. I’m planning to jump into Doolittle later this week.
I’m also really enjoying Transparent Eyeball by Liela Moss which was released last week.
I think part of their appeal was that they were Boston/MA based and they were on the 4AD label (which, for me was, “everything on 4AD is awesome” exuberance)
Their first 3 albums (cds haha) were the best, but Come On Pilgrim was, for me, mind blowing.
Geordie Greep. Is everyone listening to Geordie Greep right now? I guess probably yes. I'm not very interesting. It's such a good record though. Like Arab Strap and Rei Momo era David Byrne.
Our Noise, my weekly dose of new music, LSU, King Crimson and Arlo Guthrie kept my toes a tappin' this week. Happy Listening to ya' all. And as always, here is the long version: https://weatheredmusic.ca
Listening to: Sault's "NINE." I was OBSESSED with Sault when I discovered them at the start of lockdown. Was just reading up on this record. I forgot I bought it on vinyl at the time because it was only going to be on streaming for 99 days and I think I must've panic bought because of it. I love how mysterious they are. I also paid way too much for RISE to be sent from the UK because I couldn't find it in the US in 2020, but no ragrats. When I commit to a band, I commit!
Goddamn Lonely Love - Drive-By Truckers: What a beautiful, sad, sad love song. "The sun's a desperate star that burns like every single one before.". Now that is poetry. Set to music that makes it more poetic.
Girl U Want - Devo: Also a love song. About a love that is out of reach. In this case, the music obscures the heartache. One of those songs that I had forgotten but was lucky enough to rediscover.
Don't Break the Needle - J. Roddy Watson & The Business: Not a love song? Addiction is a type of love. It causes aches in the mind (and body) rather than the heart. In this case, the music opposes the lyrics - a foot stompin' good time!
First three tracks on your playlist are excellent! Enjoyed listening to it all this evening although I cannot get on with LCD Sound System.
I’ve been revisiting some albums from earlier in the year having a think about what might make my top 10. Found Heaven by Conan Gray and Neon Pill by Cage The Elephant have both had some play as well as the extended version of Pratts and Pain by Royel Otis.
I finally got hold of the vinyl anniversary reissue of TV En Francais. It’s been severely delayed but well worth the wait. If you don’t know this album, I cannot recommend it strongly enough.
They are so great!! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a song that I loved - either on the local alternative station, or a friend’s playlist- and looked to see it was Royal Otis!
Been on a Wire kick thanks to Kevin, and I've also been really into Duster's "Stratosphere." Also saw Air play the entirety of "Moon Safari" live on Saturday for their 25th anniversary tour of that album.
Also we're winding down our Top 100 list with our 20-11 below and our 10-1 grand finale coming this Wednesday.
Based on the recommendation of my local record shop owner (sells only used) I have to pass on his great suggestion. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee’s self-titled 1973 release. It features among others John Mayall, John Hammond Jr., Nicky Hopkins, Don “Sugarcane” Harris, Arlo Guthrie, and Micheal Franks. A laid back feel-good album with originals and covers by Michael Franks, Sam Cooke, Curtis Mayfield and Randy Newman. Check it out!
NickS recommended an Elastica song on another substack comment thread and I ended up listening to Elastica for a couple of hours. I had really only ever heard Connection. Alexa amazingly played the whole album, plus some more of their stuff. They are pretty great.
Also, I realized that I had never heard all of Rid of Me which is supposed to be PJ Harvey’s best, so I played that this week and was blown away. I’ve listened to To Bring You My Love a million times (had that one on cassette), and have been wanting to get that one on vinyl - one store here has it but it’s $42… I asked the other store (which I prefer to buy from) about ordering it, but apparently it wasn’t available when I checked (or maybe on back order?), but I’m pretty sure he had a copy of Rid of Me, which he pointed me to when I asked about the other one. So, now I’m probably going to have to go get Rid of Me!
Also, the second single from the new Cure album dropped and I have played both quite a few times and am super excited for the album release (11/1)
I think I missed this past week’s 10 somehow! It was a busy week, but off to catch up now!!
Hahaha, last month or so, I went to my favorite record store with the intention of buying one used record I had seen there, and then going to cave and buy To Bring You My Love at the other record store…but, he had just gotten in a bunch of records he was pricing and I saw that he had Speaking in Tongues by the Talking Heads in his hand, and ended up getting that one and not going to the other store. One of these days I’m sure I will end up getting it.
I'm only sharing this one song but it just might be the best song you've heard all week - Jo is an amazing talent and she along with her partner Danny were the creators of the Green Man Festival -
But maybe I should share this video about an upcoming release by The Routes which will be an absolute must for any fan of Joy Division who is also a fan of Surf Instrumental music -
Rainy Days & Mondays - The Carpenters
Good pick for fall, Yana!
Claire de lune - Claude Debussy
Thank you for classin' up the joint!
Good Morning from the left coast. Here is what has been in my ears:
1. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1knJSMzp6SWo8aUh3W2hVo?si=b1b976ea47cc49e2
2. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/71PrDfTT9eNSnK4nHDJCqx?si=ad6070bab6d240ac
3. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1EpiZRrzSeuNAh?si=e929f22981e549de
Hello from the land of no coasts. :(
Killer playlists as always! The Dahlmanns are a new one for me, and I’m about to check ‘em out!
What a great playlist! Here's mine: https://open.substack.com/pub/recentanddecent/p/recent-and-decent-42?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1z6rnh
Thank you, Matt!
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends & Eric Clapton. What a great band.
Yes! I think it was Terry Barr that turned me into Delaney & Bonnie. So good!
Mustard is listening to Monstrous Feminine by Australian experimental artist Leila. Their debut album is a concept album inspired by their experiences of womanhood, those in fiction, and women in history both present and future. If Joanna Newsom made gothic horror music it would be this album.
https://leilaharris.bandcamp.com/album/monstrous-feminine
That’s an irresistible description!
Kevin appreciates the rec and separately is also curious how your not being on IG is going.
It is Mustard’s pleasure!
It is going really well. The time they would use to scroll endlessly on Instagram is now being devoted to learning a new language. Language learning is something they have always loved but has been inconsistent about until now.
Mustard used to share their interviews on Instagram. Now they just email it to the artist and allow them to do so if they wish.
Anything that sounds like Joanna Newsom must always be listened to. Thanks for the recommendation!
Mustard agrees! It is their pleasure!
New Linda Lindas and Touche Amor LPs on constant spin. Also picked up Rocktober repress of INXS’s “Full Moon, Dirty Hearts.” Didn’t ever give that one a chance when it was new, but really appreciated it now.
Hmmm. I didn’t give it a shot, either. I should fix that.
Love that you put House of Love 💗 Don't follow baseball very closely but if the Rockies were playing the Dodgers I would root for LA every time ⚾
We love who we love!
NEW & SHINY
* Goat 'S/T' - Fela & PFunk influences shine, even in the titles.
* The Linda Lindas 'No Obligation' - Glorious, tight, urgent, catchy... shades of early Blondie.
* Tucker Zimmerman 'Dance of Love' - A genuine treasure gets some help from friends/fans.
* Ghost Cop 'Trouble' - Matrix V soundtrack appropriate
POLISHED GEMS
* Bob Dylan 'Blood on the Tracks' - Sometimes you just need to go to ground.
I gotta check out the new Linda Lindas!
I wrote about the song 'Pepper' last week, so all I listened to was the Butthole Surfers. My ears will never be the same.
I went to one of their shows in Boston a looooong time ago….i totally thought someone spiked my soda. It was the weirdest stuff i’d ever heard at that point, and yes, VERY LOUD!
No, no they won’t. Lol.
I confess that I sort of lurk around here often taking note of so many amazing recs that you put out, Kevin, which is a little intimidating (in a great way!) Your musical alphabet goes so beyond Z--it's awesome. Keep them coming! I like to cycle through jazz when I'm doing creative work. Have been listening to a lot of Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, Mingus. Always looking for new discoveries on that front! Thanks!
When I got deeper into jazz, I dug learning about the second tier (in terms of notoriety, not talent) of artists from that time. Some of my favorites are: Clark Terry, Blue Mitchell, Booker Little, Booker Ervin (check out Sounds of The Inner City that the two Bookers did together), Hank Mobley, Kenny Dorham. Happy creating!
This outstanding! Thanks so much for all of this, Dave! I’m going to go aural spelunking right now. I assume you’ve read Three Shades of Blue by James Kaplan? One of my favorite reads this year. Thanks!
I have not -- thanks for the heads up! I just added it to my list.
It’s an awesome read. I couldn’t put it down. Enjoy!
I’m glad you’re here and thank you for the kind words! I inherited some jazz records, but admittedly haven’t gone very far into them. I will do some “research” and see if I can find some stuff I think you might like.
And thanks for the book rec as well! Sounds like a great one to jump the TBr line.
The book was phenomenal..one I think about often! Spent Monday happily listening to a ton of Dave's recs..so I'm feeling all sorts of Birdland-ified :)
Nice!
The HU "The Trooper"
https://youtu.be/2WrvFUZgHro?si=xInJtFh6I9YvjiQR
Not normally into metal but have been a HU fan since I saw them at The Fine Line in MPLS in their first US appearance 5 yrs ago
🤘🤘🤘
It's always fun when the playlist is mostly artists I'm not familiar with. Looking forward to digging in.
My week was about:
* The Smile - Cutouts. I like this one more than the last one. I prefer rhythmically-oriented Smile over the "Thom's falsetto over a bed of sound" version as Tom Skinner is such a fantastic, creative drummer. I need to make a best-of from their records.
* Amy Rigby - Hang In There With Me. Kevin putting "Dylan In Dubuque" on last week's playlist put this on my radar, and I dig. Amy has one of those voices that is chock full of character.
* Kathleen Edwards - Listening to Amy made me think of Kathleen Edwards, so I hit my favorite of her catalog. "Change The Sheets" is an incredible song.
* Tragically Hip - I continued revisiting their catalog after watching the No Dress Rehearsal documentary recently.
Looking forward to your picks. Have a great week, everyone!
As a Canadian, I have to comment whenever I see The Hip mentioned in the wild. And that comment is, "Nice!"
Also, I agree you with 100% re: Cutouts. It's mesmerizing.
Well done on fulfilling your national duty! ;-)
I love the relationship Canadians have with The Hip. I think I posted this last week when I wrote about the documentary, but it's worth repeating because it's such a great quote. Via the NYT: "The place of honor that Mr. Downie occupies in Canada's national imagination has no parallel in the United States. Imagine Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Michael Stipe combined into one sensitive, oblique poet-philosopher, and you’re getting close."
And on Canadian Thanksgiving, no less :-)
I love that quote about Gordie. I actually used it in a collaborative piece that will apear next month. It must sound like hyperbole to those who aren’t familiar with The Hip, but he really is a God in Canada.
Completely agree with your opinion on The Smile. I was also thinking it would be fun to make a mix out of the last two albums.
Please share if you do one. I'll do the same, though I probably won't get to it for a couple weeks.
Sounds like a plan!
Yes, please share if you put one together!
Got it done! I spent the weekend tweaking the order:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4dCNhKHbtpjRk8lT4CbdiP?si=11c0c01ee6804768
Nice! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to digging in. I have a crazy week ahead so I may not catch up with it until the weekend.
Sweet! Thanks for posting that!
I’m glad you enjoyed the Amy Rigby record! It just keeps growing and growing on me!
MC5 and The Kinks were the bands of choice this weekend.
In my humble opinion, The Kinks are a hugely underrated band.
I also slipped in some The 69 Eyes just for fun.
I was listening to Muswell Hillbillies not too long ago and was blown away by how well it's held up. Underrated band, indeed.
Bob.......Fascinating career, The Kinks....From the 30,000-ft view, their career is uniquely split among 3 decades, more or less, corresponding to 3 major labels: Warner Bros. '60s, RCA '70s, and '80s Arista.
If you looked at all the "British Invasion" bands, I don't think many, if any, had such a long career....and, if they did (Stones, as an example), the label affiliations, and even their pop'n'rock style/hits approach and results don't match or hold up to, The Kinks, with The Stones being a notable exception.
What would really be fun is to do a breakdown of artist rosters and chart finish/hits for the three labels each of the 3 bands formed: Apple, Rolling Stone, and Konk Records!
That would be a really fun deep dive into music.
I love The Kinks! The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society is a brilliant album. I really like a lot of their later songs like Come Dancing and Don’t Forget To Dance too.
The Kinks are underrated indeed!
Off topic, but were you familiar with the Earth Tavern in PDX? It was apparently on/around NW 21st?
I think it was before both our time(s), but someone just posted a clip of the Dead Kennedys playing there…
I had heard of it, but never was there and I know roughly where it was located. I had always heard that it was a clean upscale satiricon....lol
lol. Nice!
Love the Kinks 👌
I’ve recently discovered an indie power pop band called El Zar from my native Argentina which I suspect will be of interest to many On Repeat readers.
Currently obsessed with this track:
https://open.spotify.com/track/67AG59ltjS8JSqAUTWTJgu?si=ODXThdQYR-y0V5pvq9FlHQ
Thank you, Andy! I’m on it!
Hope you dig!
'I Am Not A Dog On A Chain' (thanks all the same) - it's a fantastic Morrissey album. I think it's his latest and it really is totally up there (tbh he makes few poor albums imo).
Herman Dune comes on now - we know albums 'Giant' and 'Next Year In Zion'.
Post-chatting to Lou last week there's been quite a lot of Pete Doherty shouting. And we were celebrating the musical work of Labi Siffre in the pub the other night. Thank you, music, for so much.
Billy Strings, "Highway Prayers". Such a wonderful work of American bluegrass. The final cut, "Richard Petty" stopped me dead in my tracks. Whether I have realized it or not, It's the song I have always wanted someone to have the guts to write. Samara Joy, "Portrait". She is a generational talent within the jazz vocalist genre and I can't wait to see her here in Birmingham Alabama this Thursday evening. I am exploring the world of Musica Mexicana, and am brightly surprised by it. I am loving the new albums from artists within that genre such as Eslabon Armado, Tito Double P., and Grupo Frontera. Yasmin Williams has put out a wonderfully peaceful, yet joltingly fresh, album called "Acadia." She is a guitar wizard extraordinaire. Tank and the Bangas, "The Hart, The Mind, The Soul" is a must listen.
For me, it’s been all about the new Goat, Chat Pile, Blood Incantation, and Oranssi Pazuzu records. It’s been a weird, bizarre, and wonderful few days of listening, but I feel like this week I need something a little more lighthearted 😂
Weird and wonderful is always in season!
That Winged Wheel record remains at the top of my list for 2024. Just so amazing. Had not seen BODEGA had a new one. Will check it out.
It’s on my AOTY list as well!
My week focused on stripped down brilliance:
-- What is now rocketing to the top of my list, another entry from the amazing Montreal scene -- The Submissives. Catchy, lo-fi, garage sextet. Just the perfect sound - https://submissives.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-value-sound-studios
-- And maybe something I found here from Cincinnati, super catchy post-punk that sounds like some great moments in the X catalog -- Artificial Go: https://artificialgo.bandcamp.com/album/hopscotch-fever
And speaking of Cincinnati, continuing to revel in new Wussy coming soon -- https://wussy.bandcamp.com/album/cincinnati-ohio
I got one of those “your order from Shake It Records is getting ready to ship,” and felt like a kid at Christmas. Lol.
Suburban Lawns, The Damned, The Glove....and many more: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1GRzKU8s3p6TYjwOJ5RUJy
Great mix! Always awesome to see Monaco get a little love.
Tigers :( Great run, though. As far as music:
Prairiewolf - Deep Time
Kelly Moran - Moves in the Field
Being Dead - EELS
Ibukun Sunday - Harmony/Balance
House of Hits - Work That EP
We can commiserate together! 😀
Some fun new stuff this week!
The Watchers - Jagwar Twin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRT2NlvoehI
Playlist of Doom - Robert DeLong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NUl3IqjC-I
Sugar on My Tongue - Tommy Newport https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNYCeUZA9ZU
Hey Mercedes - Post Malone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXHGflHHCCI
Thanks for these, Dan! I think all 4 of these are new to me? Looking forward to digging in here on my next break..
I visited my home town and went way down the old-school punk nostalgia rabbit hole.
Rad!
Black Flag is one of those bands I first started listening to while still living with my folks, so whenever a Black Flag song came on I felt it like 10x.
As I wrote in this week’s installment of Alphabet Soup (https://open.substack.com/pub/joyinthejourney/p/alphabet-soup-week-41-artists-filed) I had my mind blown by The Pixies Where Is My Mind? and I’ve been listening to Surfer Rosa daily for the last few days. This was a band that I long ago consigned to the category of “bands I don’t like”. Clearly I was wrong. I’m planning to jump into Doolittle later this week.
I’m also really enjoying Transparent Eyeball by Liela Moss which was released last week.
Loooooooove the Pixies! Right from the beginning!
They just weren’t for me back then but I’m loving getting to know their music now!
I think part of their appeal was that they were Boston/MA based and they were on the 4AD label (which, for me was, “everything on 4AD is awesome” exuberance)
Their first 3 albums (cds haha) were the best, but Come On Pilgrim was, for me, mind blowing.
Holiday Song is an all timer!
I only listened to Doolittle for the first time this year. It’s a fantastic album.
Doolittle is my favorite!!
I’m commented directly on the article, but I’m really happy to see you come around to Pixies’ sound!
Geordie Greep. Is everyone listening to Geordie Greep right now? I guess probably yes. I'm not very interesting. It's such a good record though. Like Arab Strap and Rei Momo era David Byrne.
(looks around nervously)
Am I... am I the only one that hasn't heard this record yet?
lucky you!
Feeling lazy, so i’ve just been listing (via TuneIn) all my favorite college radio stations in New England, so lots of genres!
My baseball team is my hometown Boston Red Sox and my housetown Seattle Mariners.
There’s a few Red Sox fans here! Not sure about the Mariners, though.
Our Noise, my weekly dose of new music, LSU, King Crimson and Arlo Guthrie kept my toes a tappin' this week. Happy Listening to ya' all. And as always, here is the long version: https://weatheredmusic.ca
Thank you for the link, Norman!
Listening to: Sault's "NINE." I was OBSESSED with Sault when I discovered them at the start of lockdown. Was just reading up on this record. I forgot I bought it on vinyl at the time because it was only going to be on streaming for 99 days and I think I must've panic bought because of it. I love how mysterious they are. I also paid way too much for RISE to be sent from the UK because I couldn't find it in the US in 2020, but no ragrats. When I commit to a band, I commit!
Going all in is the only way to go!
Latest adds to my Spotify Liked Songs:
Goddamn Lonely Love - Drive-By Truckers: What a beautiful, sad, sad love song. "The sun's a desperate star that burns like every single one before.". Now that is poetry. Set to music that makes it more poetic.
Girl U Want - Devo: Also a love song. About a love that is out of reach. In this case, the music obscures the heartache. One of those songs that I had forgotten but was lucky enough to rediscover.
Don't Break the Needle - J. Roddy Watson & The Business: Not a love song? Addiction is a type of love. It causes aches in the mind (and body) rather than the heart. In this case, the music opposes the lyrics - a foot stompin' good time!
Girl U Want is one of my faves by them! I never get tired of hearing it.
First three tracks on your playlist are excellent! Enjoyed listening to it all this evening although I cannot get on with LCD Sound System.
I’ve been revisiting some albums from earlier in the year having a think about what might make my top 10. Found Heaven by Conan Gray and Neon Pill by Cage The Elephant have both had some play as well as the extended version of Pratts and Pain by Royel Otis.
I finally got hold of the vinyl anniversary reissue of TV En Francais. It’s been severely delayed but well worth the wait. If you don’t know this album, I cannot recommend it strongly enough.
Love Neon Pill. Also love Royal Otis!
Seeing Royel Otis again next month. So excited!
They are so great!! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a song that I loved - either on the local alternative station, or a friend’s playlist- and looked to see it was Royal Otis!
They played an instore at Rough Trade East back in July. It was really wonderful. I love them!
Thank you, Lou! I’m glad you liked the first 3 at least! 😀
Oops! I may have worded that badly. The playlist was great but those first three really jumped out at me. Really great songs.
Oh, that’s totally how I’d read it, so no worries! :)
Coming into a rainy spring, it's time for an Australian national treasure (as it always is) - The Triffids https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0r0t5N14uwGBpnSu5JGsyV?si=b8dc39286eaa4b0c
Yes!
Burn the Priest
With a name like that, I gotta check ‘em out!
Been on a Wire kick thanks to Kevin, and I've also been really into Duster's "Stratosphere." Also saw Air play the entirety of "Moon Safari" live on Saturday for their 25th anniversary tour of that album.
Also we're winding down our Top 100 list with our 20-11 below and our 10-1 grand finale coming this Wednesday.
Kevin's List: https://thekevinalexander.substack.com/p/wax-ecstatic-the-100-greatest-albums-589?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web
My List: https://thatguyfromtheinternet.substack.com/p/another-100-best-albums-of-all-time-0b0
Oh man, I’ll bet that show was incredible!
Based on the recommendation of my local record shop owner (sells only used) I have to pass on his great suggestion. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee’s self-titled 1973 release. It features among others John Mayall, John Hammond Jr., Nicky Hopkins, Don “Sugarcane” Harris, Arlo Guthrie, and Micheal Franks. A laid back feel-good album with originals and covers by Michael Franks, Sam Cooke, Curtis Mayfield and Randy Newman. Check it out!
LOVE Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Anytime I play their music it automatically fixes my mood.
Will do and thank you!
Nothing new but the usual 80's and Neu Harte Metal
Nothing wrong with either of those!
I saw the docudrama Kneecap about the controversial Irish rap group of the same name on the weekend and have listened to almost nothing else since
Red House Painters
C'est magnifique!
Ils font partie des groupes et artistes dont je peux écouter tous les albums à la suite régulièrement, sans jamais me lasser.
They are one of those bands and artists whose albums I can listen to all in a row regularly, without ever getting tired of.
NickS recommended an Elastica song on another substack comment thread and I ended up listening to Elastica for a couple of hours. I had really only ever heard Connection. Alexa amazingly played the whole album, plus some more of their stuff. They are pretty great.
Also, I realized that I had never heard all of Rid of Me which is supposed to be PJ Harvey’s best, so I played that this week and was blown away. I’ve listened to To Bring You My Love a million times (had that one on cassette), and have been wanting to get that one on vinyl - one store here has it but it’s $42… I asked the other store (which I prefer to buy from) about ordering it, but apparently it wasn’t available when I checked (or maybe on back order?), but I’m pretty sure he had a copy of Rid of Me, which he pointed me to when I asked about the other one. So, now I’m probably going to have to go get Rid of Me!
Also, the second single from the new Cure album dropped and I have played both quite a few times and am super excited for the album release (11/1)
$42 is steep, but man, is that record good! You might’ve already seen it, but it made both @Sam Colt and my 100 Best Records list.
Also: No spoilers, but Elastica’s “Connection” makes a brief appearance in tomorrow’s post cover our top 10 picks.
https://open.substack.com/pub/thekevinalexander/p/wax-ecstatic-the-100-greatest-albums?r=3cbf2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I think I missed this past week’s 10 somehow! It was a busy week, but off to catch up now!!
Hahaha, last month or so, I went to my favorite record store with the intention of buying one used record I had seen there, and then going to cave and buy To Bring You My Love at the other record store…but, he had just gotten in a bunch of records he was pricing and I saw that he had Speaking in Tongues by the Talking Heads in his hand, and ended up getting that one and not going to the other store. One of these days I’m sure I will end up getting it.
Ooh yes, I did see where Rid of Me made both of your lists, and that was when I put it in my mind that I had to listen to it finally!! Hahaha!
I'm only sharing this one song but it just might be the best song you've heard all week - Jo is an amazing talent and she along with her partner Danny were the creators of the Green Man Festival -
https://jobartlett.bandcamp.com/track/before-the-police-car
But maybe I should share this video about an upcoming release by The Routes which will be an absolute must for any fan of Joy Division who is also a fan of Surf Instrumental music -
https://youtu.be/KLYeD4vfNQk?feature=shared