119 Comments
User's avatar
Yana Bostongirl's avatar

Cantoma - Marisi

Expand full comment
Terry Barr's avatar

Finally got around to the new PJ Harvey--love it. Lots of Blues, too--BB King in London and Muddy Waters Folk Singer. And then The Ronettes!!!

Expand full comment
Kristin DeMarr's avatar

I didn’t know PJ Harvey had a new album out! That’s what I’ll be checking out today!

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

I haven’t spent much time with the new PJ Harvey; I need to change that ASAP!

Expand full comment
Katie Burkhart's avatar

I dusted off my Zune over the weekend. I haven't updated it for over a decade (at least, maybe more). It's served as a time capsule surfacing some songs I'd forgotten.

Expand full comment
Bob Merberg's avatar

Care to share the names of any of those songs? 🤔

Expand full comment
Katie Burkhart's avatar

Sure. I picked back up some Linkin Park (specifically the A Thousand Suns album), Gone the Rainbow by Peter, Paul and Mary, The Light of a Fading Star by Flogging Molly, Baba O'Reiley by The Who, and The Lightning Strike by Snow Patrol.

Expand full comment
Bob Merberg's avatar

I admire your eclectic taste. I'll have to give that Linkin Park and Snow Patrol a listen. I love Flogging Molly and the rest.

Expand full comment
Katie Burkhart's avatar

Thank you! I have a tendency to be that person trying to look up the song playing on the radio or on the TV....

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Whoa! Would love to hear more about what’s still on it.

Expand full comment
Katie Burkhart's avatar

In addition to the songs I noted above, I found all my Simon & Garfunkel albums. As albums, not as songs all over the place. I also found a number of instrumental pieces I had forgotten about like Perpetuum Mobile: https://open.spotify.com/track/1MIwRUsj23h7cYn6mNiqHw?si=xEJVVedaQE6F3wkZzrSGpA

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

I love it! It was like a time capsule right there the whole time.

Expand full comment
Katie Burkhart's avatar

Yeah. I was amazed it fired up.

Expand full comment
Bob Merberg's avatar

I've listened to Shakti's Tiny Desk concert with John McLaughlin (https://youtu.be/Cx8AaSvH4EQ?si=1zkqMX6XIlBsp4Xc), which led me to listen to some of their recordings from the early 70s. It's weird, since I feel like I knew some of John McLaughlin's guitar work (may've even seen him in concert), that I really didn't know anything about Shakti. From their name, maybe I would've dismissed them as New Age, which they definitely are not.

Ever discover a band that's been around for a long time, and get that weird feeling when you start listening to some of their *old* stuff, only to realize that it was already old decades ago? Same thing happened to me with some bands like 10,000 Maniacs and The Cranberries. Like, I'm discovering their stuff from the 1990s, and they were already well past their prime by then.

Expand full comment
Jeremy Shatan's avatar

Big Shakti fan ever since 1981 or so when I picked up a copy of A Handful Of Beauty at a sidewalk sale!

Expand full comment
Bob Merberg's avatar

I will definitely give that a listen.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Ha! That happens to me a lot. :)

Expand full comment
Rick Ellis's avatar

Someone asked me over the weekend about the Beach Boys, specifically what I thought was the most obscure Beach Boys-related song or project. My choice was Ricci Martin's "Beached," which came out in 1977. Produced by BB Carl Wilson along with Billy Hinsche, it has Beach Boys written all over it. It was recorded at Brother Studios and musicians included Dennis Wilson, Ricky Fataar, three members of Chicago on brass, backing vocals from Peter Cetera and America, along with some guitar from Jimmy McCullough.

"Beached" isn't terrible. All the songs are written by Martin (who was a son of Dean Martin) and they're mostly just okay. But the overall album sounds like a lost solo Beach Boys album, and I have always been a fan of the lead single, "Stop, Look Around." https://youtu.be/froky747YSI?si=vR_IMhFe_UX4uBzJ

Expand full comment
Wallytbm's avatar

Great song, never knew about this album. Thanks!

Expand full comment
Scott Michael Winchell's avatar

I love the new Sleater Kinney. It is like aloe to sun burnt skin, cold at first, but healing and soothing.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

That’s a great way to describe it!

Expand full comment
Senor Fix's avatar

All over the place this week as usual:

Pernice Brothers - Yours, Mine & Ours (new album in 24)

Scott Walker - Scott 4

Lucy Rose - The Racket

Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay

Oh, and I FINALLY completed my Best of 2023!

https://open.substack.com/pub/senorfix/p/media-fix-best-of-2023

Expand full comment
Marcus Meeks's avatar

Red Clay is such a great track (and a great album). It’s a perfect specimen of that early 70s CTI sound.

Expand full comment
Mark Nash's avatar

Oh man, Scott 4!! One of my desert island discs for sure!!

Expand full comment
Wallytbm's avatar

Love The Pernice Brothers 👏👏👏

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

All over the place is my favorite spot!

Expand full comment
Pete Riddle's avatar

I really enjoy this Wussy-curated playlist "with some of the stuff we're listening to over this new year"

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2KwizyrYWrEwfmk0tJZV6F?si=47e609d75d484013&nd=1&dlsi=41323712c5d54eaa

...and then they throw in a new demo!

Indiana Wants Me Too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B4NmSusS7U

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

This playlist is gold! And a new Wussy demo? It’s Christmas in January! The caption says “we have a lot coming in 2024,” and I cannot wait.

Expand full comment
Andres's avatar

Happy Monday(s)! I’ve treated myself to the half-speed master reissue of Everything But The Girl’s “Amplified Heart”. I tend to favour original pressings over reissues, but this one sounds incredible!

Expand full comment
jeleonard193's avatar

I just realized that I missed the Happy Mondays pun in my other entry. Doh!

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

I’m glad you caught that! 😎

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Nice!

Expand full comment
Andrew Smith's avatar

I have tried to create a "pop punk songs worth listening to" playlist, for everyone's aggravation and enjoyment: https://www.pandora.com/playlist/PL:189113803101701342:74638688

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Ha! Says it’s not available in my current location. That tells me there’s some good tracks on it. :)

Expand full comment
Andrew Smith's avatar

Well, dang. You may know more about Pandora's weird restrictions. Any idea why you can't see it?

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

I think it’s ’cause I’m still on vacation, but I’d like to think it’s something cooler than that.

Expand full comment
Andrew Smith's avatar

It's probably pop punk fighting against "the man", but in the lamest, most vague ways.

So, basically: pop punk.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

lol

Expand full comment
Jen Zug's avatar

Nothing new and exciting for me this week, but I love listening to your weekly playlists!

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

I’m glad you’re enjoying them! Did you all get hit with the same system PDX did? Hopefully not?

Expand full comment
Wayne Robins's avatar

Watched alot of good football this weekend, and that means ads. Grand Funk’s “Closer to Home” for Chevy trucks reminded me of starting at Creem when its mission was to stand hard with Michigan bands. Not just the Stooges and MC5 but Bob Seger and Flint’s Grand Funk Railroad.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

I gotta say; this weekend was some of the most exciting NFL I’ve watched in awhile!

Expand full comment
Wayne Robins's avatar

It sure was, Kevin. There were also quite a few examples of rock/soul standards in ads. Applebee's might be a good place to eat if they spent as much on food prep as they do on licensing original classic rock soul hits. Currently, Aretha's "Respect," for which the licensing of the song and performance is not cheap. Also, 25 years ago, I interviewed for a job in Columbus, Ohio, and for lunch, the HR person took me Applebee's. And on the way back to the airport, the limo made sure I saw the sights, the main one being the Horseshoe, the Ohio State football stadium.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Applebee’s and the Horseshoe; what more could a guy from NYC want? Lol.

Expand full comment
Wayne Robins's avatar

When HR called me to say “I wasn’t a good fit” my wife in NY did a happy dance. There was no way she and the kids were moving to Columbus. I was happy too. I should write about this, because it’s pretty funny. It was an online entertainment site that only worked with Microsoft OS. I told them it had to be Mac friendly, and they said, why? Apple is over! 1998 or so.

Expand full comment
Sam Colt's avatar

Been diving into the Cocteau Twins ‘80s catalogue which is now turning into a Slowdive wormhole.

Expand full comment
Marcus Meeks's avatar

Inspired by yesterday’s Pitchfork retrospective, per chance?

Expand full comment
Sam Colt's avatar

Yes! I love “Heaven or Las Vegas” and casually listened to “Treasure” once, so that review convinced me to dive into their earlier stuff.

Expand full comment
Wallytbm's avatar

Both great bands 👌

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Right on! Any particular Cocteau Twins favorites?

Expand full comment
Scott Michael Winchell's avatar

Also, I have to say, Green Day’s ‘Saviors’ is spectacular. ✌️✌️✌️

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

I haven’t played it yet, but definitely need to.

Expand full comment
Stygi's avatar

"A Love International" by Khruangbin on 🔁🔁🔁 https://open.spotify.com/track/6Am9eCuCQELrIqImfCLhgM?si=e1aeeb46f39a4f37

Expand full comment
Mark Nash's avatar

Can't wait for the new album!!

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Same!

Expand full comment
Stygi's avatar

+1

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Love Khruangbin!

Expand full comment
Minor Fossil's avatar

I'm enjoying Voice Magnetic by Hainbach for some nice experimental/ambient/electronic music.

Expand full comment
Sherman Alexie's avatar

I don't remember which Substacker recommended the Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter but I'm obsessed with her punk rock evangelical-influenced bangers.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mpfxWktjEKA

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

I saw them mentioned on Medium, but still haven’t checked them out. Sounds like I need to remedy that.

Expand full comment
jeleonard193's avatar

Recently added to my Spotify Liked Songs:

"Lewis" by Yo La Tengo - thanks Kevin!

"Step On" by Happy Mondays - random pickup, missed this back when it apparently was happening

"Lovers in a Dangerous Time" by Bruce Cockburn - forgotten gem, I like it more now than I did then

Expand full comment
Mark Nash's avatar

Been a long time since I heard it, but I've always loved that Cockburn track!

Expand full comment
Dave Purcell's avatar

Good call on "Lovers..." -- such a great song. I have a handful of Bruce Cockburn favorites that are musical comfort food, like tomato soup and grilled cheese when I have a cold.

Expand full comment
jeleonard193's avatar

Tomato soup and grilled cheese. Yes, please.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Yes! During our recent deep freeze, one of my coworkers set up a grill in our breakroom and made grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for everyone. It made a miserable situation a LOT better.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Of course! I’m glad you liked it. Always a good time for Happy Mondays as well.

Expand full comment
jasonelambeth's avatar

It was a Parquet Courts kind of weekend for me. Listened to most of their discography and went down a YouTube rabbit hole of old live videos.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Parquet Courts rips! And I can never not mention how wild I think it is that one of the band members was featured in the NYT Weddings section.

Expand full comment
jasonelambeth's avatar

Had to look that up! It is wild!

I hope they’re working something new.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Right?!

Expand full comment
Sally Hope Woodroffe's avatar

Well, just ordered the new Teddy Swims album 'I've tried everything but therapy' love his voice love soul? though more like Joe Cocker type with an rocky edge to it

Expand full comment
Operation Plowshare's avatar

Ty Segall and The Smile have some new records dropping on Friday. I received Three Bells on Saturday: this is a 70’s proggy rock album, and I’m old enough to LOVE what I heard. Spin. That. Black. CIRCLE

The three singles from Wall of Eyes have been delightful and in heavy rotation. A Light for Attracting Attention is one of my favorite records of the 2020’s, and all-time (my opinion only).

New Sleator-Kinney - Little Rope - is my favorite effort of theirs so far.

https://tysegall.bandcamp.com/album/three-bells

https://thesmile.bandcamp.com/album/wall-of-eyes

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Fantastic list. Looking forward to giving the Ty Segall a spin.

Expand full comment
Jeremy Shatan's avatar

Working on my Best Of 2023: Jazz, Latin, and Global list, so listening to many things that will be revealed upon publication. I was sad when I revisited the latest from Burna Boy only to be reminded it was sunk by high profile hip hop mediocrities...you results may vary, of course. Among the new releases, the new Faye Webster single is a blast, and I hope everyone is keeping up with Or Best Offer, who put out a new single from their album, Center, which releases on 1/26: https://orbestoffer.bandcamp.com/album/center-2. Also dug the new Allman Brothers Syracuse 1972 show that just hit streaming - great stuff, with Dickie Betts, in the absence of Duane, playing like his life depended on it.

Expand full comment
Marcus Meeks's avatar

I really dig Atlanta Millionaire’s Club; managed to get my 19 yr old daughter into Faye Webster a few years back. Already have tix to see Faye on her upcoming tour. Looking forward to the new album

Expand full comment
Billy Cuthrell's avatar

- Currently on Spotify, Ocote Soul Sounds's album "Taurus" and spent some of my Sunday afternoon revisiting Suicidal Tendencies with 1983's self titled album because, you know,..."I Want More"!

- In my turntable queue are several records I just picked up Saturday at one of my local record stores; Bob Seger & The SBB's "Night Moves", Bud Tutmarc's "Sounds of Paradise Hawaiian Guitar" followed by Doc Severinsen's "The Great Arrival", which for the drummers out there this album features not only Doc's Tonight Show stick man Ed Shaughnessy, but Bob Rosengarden and Sol Gubin on several tracks. And I'm always working my playlist you can find here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0nT9KHu99zUdEVDgZAEskd?si=18c85d938808469b

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

How is that ST record 40+ already?!

Expand full comment
Binnie Klein's avatar

Wow, Kevin you are a wonder and very thorough! I like to share things that catch my ear when I'm prepping WPKN radio show - this last week it was Jane Weaver - such an independent and fascinating British singer/songwriter who has put out eight albums...how have I overlooked her? I liked "Love in Constant Spectacle" and "Stealing Gold.:" Daughter has a piece on cool 2021 album "Ex: Re" called "Where the Time Went" lotsa strings! I've always been a fan of Mia Doi Todd, back from her debut album in 1997, when I saw her sing in a small Yale chapel. She was delicate and lovely -- just her and guitar... In 2023 she put out Island in the Storm. I like a newer song by Milky Chance: "Better Off." And if I haven't mentioned ANOHNI (and the Johnstons) before....I revisited "I Will Survive"

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Love these picks!

Expand full comment
Kristen Malcolm's avatar

Thanks for the recommendations! Still can't get enough of the new AJR album, and I did in fact do a review on it. As promised, here's the link: https://open.substack.com/pub/theproducer/p/the-maybe-man-maybe-a-masterpiece?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1hutj6

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Thank you for the link!!

Expand full comment
clarke kelly's avatar

Bebel Gilberto JOAO & Sun Ra At the piano playing Monorails & Satellites and Dinah Washington & Quincy Jones - The Complete Sessions. All recommended.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

That’s the good stuff right there!

Expand full comment
Marcus Meeks's avatar

Newish:

Pinkhouse, Vanity Project - EP by DC indie-pop band

Friko, Where We’ve Been - EP by Chicago low-fi alt rock band; I HIGHLY recommend this one!

Ratboys, The Window - Picked it up on vinyl last week!

Older:

Bowie, Station to Station

Stevie Wonder, Innervisions

A dive into the Suicide - Frankie Teardrop/Springsteen - Nebraska (esp. State Trooper) connection. Learned of this from Jeff Tweedy’s latest book. Fascinating, but not a place to visit often.

Expand full comment
Glenn Cook's avatar

Check out the Wilco cover of Space Oddity at some point. It's part of the new Mountain Stage collection that's coming out in April. The collection, which looks great, was inspiration for me to finally finish my oral history series on the show.

Expand full comment
Marcus Meeks's avatar

I will! I saw that it was out a week or so ago, but haven’t listened yet. Thanks for the reminder!

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Friko sounds right up my alley! I’m on it.

Expand full comment
Bob Tooker's avatar

Listening to Bauhaus this weekend and was remined how much I like their cover of Ziggy Stardust. I almost think it is better than Bowie. This was the gateway to spending my weekend doing a deep dive into covers that were better than the original. Cash, Hendrix, Taco, Cowboy Junkies, O'Connor, Aretha Franklin, and let's not forget Tina Turner. And there are so many more covers to consider.

I typically don't approve of covers, but some artists just take a song and make it their own.

Thoughts?

Expand full comment
Wallytbm's avatar

I love a good cover and that Ziggy Stardust cover by Bauhaus is brilliant. They also do a T-Rex cover.

Well I even love some bad covers and If it wasn't for covers there are many bands I would never have discovered.

Expand full comment
Bob Tooker's avatar

" if it wasn't for bad covers, there are many bands I would never have discovered"... That's a very accurate statement.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Agree, and while my memory is fuzzy, I’m pretty sure that was my on-ramp to Bauhaus.

Expand full comment
Mark Nash's avatar

Lately I've been listening to a good bit of older music I've been introduced to on Substack this year:

Spring Session M by Missing Persons (thanks to your article: https://open.substack.com/pub/thekevinalexander/p/from-the-archive-missing-persons)

A Midsummer Day's Dream by Mark Eric (thanks to Brad Kyle's article: https://open.substack.com/pub/bradkyle/p/audio-autopsy-1969-mark-eric-and)

I Robot by The Alan Parsons Project (thanks to Jonathan Clark's article: https://open.substack.com/pub/therecordcollector/p/the-unlikely-success-of-the-band)

I can't get over how much my musical discovery universe has expanded since getting on Substack, I love it! So much music, so little time.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Thanks for mentioning that! ‘Spring Session am’ is sooo good!

Expand full comment
Mark Nash's avatar

It really is! I’m loving it!!

Expand full comment
Ian Paul Sharp's avatar

Marillion for my post this week. Also the new Big Big Train track, and a lot old Dylan, folk and blues after watching the ‘No Direction Home’ documentary.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Marillion! That’s a name I haven’t heard in a while.

Expand full comment
Ian Paul Sharp's avatar

Still going strong. They still have a big following, and there’s a new album in the works to add to a very extensive discography.

Expand full comment
NUK's avatar

I've been *obsessed* with Negativland's 2020 album "The World Will Decide"... one of the only albums to really capture the essence of the time we're living through. It's definitely taken the place of Dispepsi as my favorite NL album.

Expand full comment
Richard Elliott's avatar

Been playing a lot of Mary Chapin Carpenter while working on the last of my three-parter on her songs here. Also, ahead of seeing both Lankum and John Francis Flynn this coming week, I've been playing music by them and other current Irish folk acts such as the amazing Lisa O'Neill. Oh, and lots of Molly Tuttle on vinyl. A rootsy kind of week.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

I fell down a bit of a Mary Chaplin-Carpenter rabbit hole recently. Pretty cool place to be, if I’m honest.

Expand full comment
Richard Elliott's avatar

Yes, a good place to be! As much as her great songwriting, I've come to really appreciate her take on the creative process and other matters in the interviews she gives. Always smart and reflective.

Expand full comment
Dusty Wright's avatar

Have you cool kids heard Rocks & Rhubarb's new tune "Nausea"? A wonderfully, melodic folk-rock ballad. Also loving the new Americana ballad "Days Can Turn Around" by Sarah Jarosz. Yep. Some great music has already been released in this new year.

Expand full comment
JMC's avatar

ghazals on youtube

https://youtu.be/yatjChKNqbs?si=ywoi5BP5XbJQ8K5N

Expand full comment
Lou Tilsley's avatar

I LOVE that Floodlights track. It’s such a great album. You’ve also picked out on of my favourite Otis Redding tracks.

I’ve been listening to a lot of Bad Nerves this week, ready for a gig on Saturday as well as the new single from The Libertines, “Shiver”, which is excellent. The anticipation for that album is immense! Oh, and 86TVs have released “Spinning World” today which I’m also enjoying.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

I need to check out more Libertines stuff!

Expand full comment
Lou Tilsley's avatar

Oh my word! You definitely do! Three excellent albums.

Expand full comment
Wallytbm's avatar

I caught up with this album by Spearmint recently, it was released last year and it's a beautiful album that I'm really enjoying:

https://wiaiwya.bandcamp.com/album/this-candle-is-for-you

Expand full comment
juliomarim's avatar

Mayhem, Mission of Burma and Mortal Sin.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Yes!

Expand full comment
Dave Purcell's avatar

New:

- New tracks from Alejandro Escovedo ("Bury Me," a remake of an older song) and Norah Jones ("Running).

- I'm still obsessing over Owl Song, the Ambrose Akinmusire record with Bill Frisell and Herlin Riley. It's so beautiful and calming.

Older:

- The new Dire Straits live box set

- Calexico - Travelall (tour-only CD)

- Various records by Larry Goldings (killer B3 player)

Expand full comment
Justin Steiner's avatar

I've been getting into Hello June's 2023 album, Artifacts, which I completely missed last year.

New Sleater-Kinney is sounding good and will get more listens this week.

First album from The Smile in anticipation of the new one this week and relistening to Pernice Brothers albums with that new announcment.

Expand full comment
Jim Ruland's avatar

Tupac Shakur

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Right on.

Expand full comment
Patrick Baird's avatar

Most recent listen: Octopus, by Gentle Giant. In a bit of a prog rabbit hole

Expand full comment
Dave Purcell's avatar

Kevin, great call on Floodlights! Shades of Midnight Oil. Thanks for the heads up.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

I’m glad you liked it!

Expand full comment
Billy Cuthrell's avatar

How are so many records 40+ already? Am I really that old?

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

I hope not, ‘cause that means I am too!

Expand full comment
Paul Boardman's avatar

Bit late again, stupid work...

deus - Worst Case Scenario has had a few blasts this week, as has Veruca Salt's American Thighs.

Expand full comment