Good morning and welcome to everyone that joined us over the weekend! It’s awesome to have you here. We kick each week off with some of what I’ve had in heavy rotation.
A lot of these come from reader recommendations, so please keep ‘em coming!
Now it’s your turn.
What caught your ear? Who should we have on our radar? Find anything good while crate digging? Share your picks in the comments!
Oooooo... Blake Babies! Kevin, you make me nostalgic for my music journalist days in Boston. Juliana was our girl, along with Kristin Hersch and Tanya Donnelly. *Sigh* Going off to spin some 'Sunburn' and 'Rosy Jack World.'
BOYGENIUS!!! So thrilled that the world’s saddest girls have finally released a full album. I think True Blue is my favourite track so far, but that may change.
Of course just as they are breaking up -regardless I'm really enjoying their last album Hotel Insomnia. Shades of shoegaze Cranberries but Japanese. Led me down a rabbit hole and also found Parranoul and their most recent album To See The Next Part Of The Dream.
As usual I'm late on everything so just barely started Succession Season 1. The music is killer especially the theme song! So I've got the OST on my Spotify rotation as we speak :)
Rainy day here in London (in contrast to the sunny weekend we had) so I needed some moody British vibes to go with the weather: the British “sophistipop” duo Everything but the Girl, particularly the album “Baby, the Stars Shine Bright”, felt quite apt, followed by Arctic Monkey’s “The Car”. Both on vinyl.
Great throwback mix with The Blake Babies, Jets to Brazil, and GBV! This was my weekend of remembering "Connected" by Stereo MC's exists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aatK_l9Yuyk
Is it bad that I had the chorus(?)to Connected in my head almost immediately? Jeremy Chatelain was on Abandoned Albums, and it dropkicked me right down a Jets rabbit hole.
Re-listening to Reunions in light of the Jason Isbell documentary (excellent, BTW) and a reunion concert by Poly Styrene (subject of another interesting doc now on Showtime). Hope you all have a good week!
Thanks Kevin! As always, a mix of old favorites (Great way to start the list--the Talking Heads can do no wrong) and several I hadn't heard. Was it your intention to pick songs with catchy hooks? If so, Bingo! So, what am I listening to? I'm bingeing Chopin's Etudes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0hoN6_HDVU Why? Like Bach and Beethoven, Chopin permeates our popular music, and I needed to go back and listen to these again. From Satchmo to Sinatra, the Beatles to Metallica, Tina Turner to Nightwish, everywhere you turn, you can hear Chopin's themes, his hooks, his chord progressions.
Ran an errand at Target and couldn't resist the Boygenius album - so good! Listened to that a bit along with Gecko Turner's latest, Somebody From Badajoz, as I'm working on a "First Quarter Report" to try and start catching up with 2023. Also continued on with my 1967 listening for the latest 5 albums poll - Magical Mystery Tour, Little Games, and Axis: Bold As Love all got their time under the needle. Unlikely any of those will be top 5, however...heavy competition!
You got me hooked on the first track. Anything by The Talking Heads is top-shelf listening for me. Jets To Brazil and Hollins Ferry caught my attention. The cover of Victoria by The Call was good, I think Arthur is an under appreciated album.
I had another busy week with lots of good music.
Popsicko - Off To A Bad Start
Lowmello - That Sweet Breath
A Crowd of Ravens - Lost Hymns
Chris Church - Radio Transient
Cowboy Junkies - Lay It Down.
Cowboy Junkies - Trinity Session
The Flowers of Hell - Odes
The Flowers of Hell - Foray Through Keshakhtaran
Booze Radly - Lose, Badly
The Flaming Lips, Stardeath and White Dwarfs - Dark Side Of The Moon
Various Artists - The Golden Age of Country Time/Life
I decided to try to listen to a bunch of extremely popular albums I happened not to have listened to before and have heard at least someone say good things about.
A lot of it ended up being 80s mainstream radio rock, which I guess is a gap in my listening, at least for full albums. Can't say I've found any new favorites or anything, but No Jacket Required was better than I expected. Synchronicity was way worse than I expected.
I've always liked the big singles from that album (I'm burned out on Every Breath You Take but that's not the song's fault), which is why I was surprised by disliking all the album tracks so much. So the singles were high points! Mother was definitely a low point, but throughout I found the tracks either kinda boring, or not-boring in a way that didn't work for me. A few places where the lyrics got a big eyeroll from me (like on Mother or Walking In Your Footsteps) didn't help either.
Researching a piece I'm writing on the Nick Cave & BSs back catalogue I discovered the two albums Roland S Howard made (after leaving The Birthday Party) as part of These Immortal Souls. I knew about his two (great) solo albums but not these, well worth a listen.
Funny, on my Substack post today I just shared a playlist I made for writing my first novel. It was on YouTube originally, but I transferred it to Spotify about a year ago:
https://spotify.link/n4D6RdIQSyb
Dunk by Noiseshaper
Loving this track lately.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DZ06evO1Qedl6
ELLE KING
Oooooo... Blake Babies! Kevin, you make me nostalgic for my music journalist days in Boston. Juliana was our girl, along with Kristin Hersch and Tanya Donnelly. *Sigh* Going off to spin some 'Sunburn' and 'Rosy Jack World.'
I spent far too long yesterday trying to find my copy of Rosy Jack World. It's here somewhere!
BOYGENIUS!!! So thrilled that the world’s saddest girls have finally released a full album. I think True Blue is my favourite track so far, but that may change.
I did not think I would like this record, but man, is it good!
DRAIN
Emmylou Harris's Elite Hotel!
Incredible album!
Recently discovered For Tracy Hyde.
https://open.spotify.com/track/2NzqrrPQzifNQgjxSjamrB
Of course just as they are breaking up -regardless I'm really enjoying their last album Hotel Insomnia. Shades of shoegaze Cranberries but Japanese. Led me down a rabbit hole and also found Parranoul and their most recent album To See The Next Part Of The Dream.
https://open.spotify.com/track/2L7yZATBaLmKEb0BvIBXK2
You sold me with that description alone!
Just rediscovered - "Rythm" by Deetron, Ben Westbeech
https://open.spotify.com/track/0SGQ7IM0VYKnmghNONfvS8?si=172d1a919f63456b
https://redparakeet.bandcamp.com/album/we-got-soul-history-lesson-part-ii
https://luna.bandcamp.com/track/marquee-moon
I finally got these on Bandcamp Friday. My next mix CD for the car in going to be killer!
I'm usually leery of covers like this, but this is great! Probably shouldn't have worried; it's not Wareham's first time doing a cover...
As usual I'm late on everything so just barely started Succession Season 1. The music is killer especially the theme song! So I've got the OST on my Spotify rotation as we speak :)
Ha! I'm not too far ahead of you on Succession.
I don't have HBO Max, so I've never seen it.
It’s pretty good. Not sure if you can find a clip somewhere to check it out first, but if so, it might be worth a trial of HBOMax.
Rainy day here in London (in contrast to the sunny weekend we had) so I needed some moody British vibes to go with the weather: the British “sophistipop” duo Everything but the Girl, particularly the album “Baby, the Stars Shine Bright”, felt quite apt, followed by Arctic Monkey’s “The Car”. Both on vinyl.
Love both! Sophisitpop for the win!
Great throwback mix with The Blake Babies, Jets to Brazil, and GBV! This was my weekend of remembering "Connected" by Stereo MC's exists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aatK_l9Yuyk
Thanks!
Is it bad that I had the chorus(?)to Connected in my head almost immediately? Jeremy Chatelain was on Abandoned Albums, and it dropkicked me right down a Jets rabbit hole.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode413-jeremy-chatelain-talks-handsome-jets-to/id1600596605?i=1000607623321
I've been craving a lot of drone +/- pedal steel lately. Maybe it's the change of seasons?
https://williamtyler.bandcamp.com/album/secret-stratosphere
https://ramblerecords.bandcamp.com/album/holding-pattern-2
https://haress.bandcamp.com/album/ghosts
https://northamericanszone.bandcamp.com/album/roped-in-2
but anything from the Amoeba People also gets my attention
https://theamoebapeople.bandcamp.com/track/science-geek
Nice! You may also enjoy Jeffrey Silverstein (https://jeffreysilverstein.bandcamp.com/album/torii-gates) and/or Corntuth (https://corntuth.bandcamp.com/album/the-desert-is-paper-thin).
Oooooh - thanks!
Working my way through these as I type. Really digging William Tyler!
Re-listening to Reunions in light of the Jason Isbell documentary (excellent, BTW) and a reunion concert by Poly Styrene (subject of another interesting doc now on Showtime). Hope you all have a good week!
I have GOT to see this film. Both, actually...
Reunions is such a great album! I’m dying to watch his new doc.
Thanks Kevin! As always, a mix of old favorites (Great way to start the list--the Talking Heads can do no wrong) and several I hadn't heard. Was it your intention to pick songs with catchy hooks? If so, Bingo! So, what am I listening to? I'm bingeing Chopin's Etudes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0hoN6_HDVU Why? Like Bach and Beethoven, Chopin permeates our popular music, and I needed to go back and listen to these again. From Satchmo to Sinatra, the Beatles to Metallica, Tina Turner to Nightwish, everywhere you turn, you can hear Chopin's themes, his hooks, his chord progressions.
Ran an errand at Target and couldn't resist the Boygenius album - so good! Listened to that a bit along with Gecko Turner's latest, Somebody From Badajoz, as I'm working on a "First Quarter Report" to try and start catching up with 2023. Also continued on with my 1967 listening for the latest 5 albums poll - Magical Mystery Tour, Little Games, and Axis: Bold As Love all got their time under the needle. Unlikely any of those will be top 5, however...heavy competition!
It was a good year for sounds!
Latest obsession: FACS
https://open.spotify.com/album/4QSyg2uSOqiBEXBtAygjHg?si=SloprUuXRRWVxCwYm09lbw
Also... the latest from the grassy knoll. Sonic Chaos (demos 1991-1997) available only on Bandcamp.
Read here: https://ofsoundandfury.substack.com/
I'm on it!
EDIT: I didn't put 2 & 2 together right away. Congrats on this latest release!
This song was suggested to me by Spotift today and it's getting to me. John Fulbright's "Paranoid Heart." https://open.spotify.com/track/4NtOszjaqCaOiQwGUbvS6i?si=P9MRwUBYSr-pATiABf_ttw&dd=1
That voice! Whew. Great song.
And of course, everything Wolfgang, aka Mammoth WVH https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1E4A5RqgQKcBRs
I love how "all in" you are with Mammoth. :)
But it’s THAT good...how can I not be!😊
And now Billy Strings is on my playlist...WOW! https://open.spotify.com/search/results/Billy%20strings
Suicide “A Way of Life” to celebrate the just announced 35th anniversary reissue!
Oh wow! I didn't realize there was an reissue coming!
You got me hooked on the first track. Anything by The Talking Heads is top-shelf listening for me. Jets To Brazil and Hollins Ferry caught my attention. The cover of Victoria by The Call was good, I think Arthur is an under appreciated album.
I had another busy week with lots of good music.
Popsicko - Off To A Bad Start
Lowmello - That Sweet Breath
A Crowd of Ravens - Lost Hymns
Chris Church - Radio Transient
Cowboy Junkies - Lay It Down.
Cowboy Junkies - Trinity Session
The Flowers of Hell - Odes
The Flowers of Hell - Foray Through Keshakhtaran
Booze Radly - Lose, Badly
The Flaming Lips, Stardeath and White Dwarfs - Dark Side Of The Moon
Various Artists - The Golden Age of Country Time/Life
That's a great list!
Trinity Sessions is an amazing album which I’ve not listened to in far too long. Thanks for reminding me of it.
Can't stop listening to the new Jpeg Mafia/Danny Brown album. The hardest hitting rap album with the wildest samples
How about we create a group playlist of off-the-beaten track good songs from Cheap Trick, as they start to celebrate their 50th anniversary as a band.
I'm in!
I'll suggest these three to begin. Tonight It's You; Voices; Dream The Night Away.
The Loveless Tale Of Gin And Salvation. Pure pop for you know who
I decided to try to listen to a bunch of extremely popular albums I happened not to have listened to before and have heard at least someone say good things about.
A lot of it ended up being 80s mainstream radio rock, which I guess is a gap in my listening, at least for full albums. Can't say I've found any new favorites or anything, but No Jacket Required was better than I expected. Synchronicity was way worse than I expected.
No go on Synchronicity? Like, at all? "Mother" might be their all-time worst song, but I like the rest of it.
I've always liked the big singles from that album (I'm burned out on Every Breath You Take but that's not the song's fault), which is why I was surprised by disliking all the album tracks so much. So the singles were high points! Mother was definitely a low point, but throughout I found the tracks either kinda boring, or not-boring in a way that didn't work for me. A few places where the lyrics got a big eyeroll from me (like on Mother or Walking In Your Footsteps) didn't help either.
Fair points all around! I think it helped that I was a kid when I heard "Walking In Your Footsteps" the first time.
Researching a piece I'm writing on the Nick Cave & BSs back catalogue I discovered the two albums Roland S Howard made (after leaving The Birthday Party) as part of These Immortal Souls. I knew about his two (great) solo albums but not these, well worth a listen.
Funny, on my Substack post today I just shared a playlist I made for writing my first novel. It was on YouTube originally, but I transferred it to Spotify about a year ago:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7qdgsilWX6i0SfA8yDBHxT?si=5130d7d4b0a543d1
Not listening to any playlists in particular right now, so I'll have to check these out!
This is a great list. You had me at The Dandy Warhols! :)
Yeah - great song!