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 upgraded their subscriptions this week. 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. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re missing out! Get caught up & join us Wednesday for Part 7.
Lastly, many of you have heard me talk about this bookbefore. It’s full of great essays from some of your favorite indie music writers, including
East Coast friends! On Repeat favorites, Dot Dash have an upcoming show, and you should be there! Dot Dash is a band that’s very good at what they do, and what they do is deliver commercial-grade jangle pop. On Sept. 24 (that’s tomorrow!) they’re opening for Marky Ramone (!) at the legendary Black Cat in D.C. Gig info is here.
I'm very excited about Koolkat releasing The Direct Records Story, documenting a very obscure and little known prolific cassette label from the 1980’s that released some absolutely wonderful 60's and mod inspired music mostly on mail order cassettes. If you are a fan of this kind of music, you are absolutely going to love these collections and I'm hoping there are many more volumes to come -
Yes Ray is a super nice guy and one of the good guys in the music distribution business - he has helped out our tiny label quite a bit through the years
Loving the Dummy record still and always thrilled to see Superchunk on the list. Assume you saw this recent podcast on the record - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_md_8EdgAWA?
I did! Just listened to it a couple of days ago. That was part of why Waterwings kicked off this week's list. :) it's always interesting to me to hear a band's take on their own work--especially with the benefit of time.
I’ve been listening to a lot of my old vinyl collection. Duran Duran’s Rio, Depeche Mode (Black Celebration, Speak & Spell, Some Great Reward, Catching Up), New Order’s Power, Corruption & Lies, and the 12” of Blue Monday, Joy Division, Echo & the Bunnymen, OMD’s Architecture & Morality and the Best of, The Smiths S/T… and was reminded of They Might Be Giants’ Flood this week, so listened to that a couple of times on my Alexa lol (I think I had that one on cassette originally).
I bought a used copy of Men at Work’s Cargo because Overkill is one of my favorites from them, and I used to listen to this album a lot when I was babysitting a little girl across the street. While I was there, the owner was just working on pricing and putting out a big batch of newly acquired used stuff, and I saw him pull out Speaking in Tongues by the Talking Heads, which was one I had just looked on his shelves for! So, I left with that one too!
Nice! I've held off going back to vinyl because I'm trying to not acquire more stuff, especially with another move or two in our future, but posts like this tempt me. ;-)
Yeah. We started working with them for Factory Showroom which was after JH. So that was '96. Henry must have been '94. Yikes! See this fun post I did about the first website we did for them. So basic in 1996: https://www.chopshopstore.com/blogs/25-years-ago/they-might-be-giants-original-website there is a link to it in the Wayback Machine to see the actual site.
Two lunatics here on Substack are compiling their favourite 100 records. It’s been a lot of fun. They reminded me of the brilliant Channel Orange, and I’ve been playing it non stop ever since. The fact it’s never got a proper vinyl edition is criminal!
Thanks to Kevin, I have discovered the brilliance of "Copper Blue" by Sugar despite being a big Huker Du fan in high school.
Got a back-to-back this week of seeing Vampire Weekend and P.J. Harvey (first time) live, so I'll be revisiting VW's "Only God was Above Us" (which is a contender for my 2024 Album of the Year) and P.J.'s discography. Also, Pale Jay dropped a new album, and he's an artist that is criminally slept on.
If you want to join the fun of indulging in Kevin's and my Top 100 Albums, we're already onto our top half.
Right on! So happy that you're digging Copper Blue. Also, extremely jealous that you'll be seeing PJ Harvey live!
And as is now tradition: for anyone scrolling the comments-- if you're only stopping by on Mondays, you're missing out! get caught up on what Sam & I have been putting together & share your thoughts!
* Honeyglaze 'Real Deal' - English Teacher & Honeyglaze sound eerily similar and I'm not certain how I feel about this except, well, two fantastic albums!?
* Jamie XX 'In Waves' - Drop needle. Dance party! Success.
* Kate Pierson 'Radios & Rainbows - The party continues.
* Bright Eyes 'Five Dice, All Threes' I shall be returning to this repeatedly in the future.
* Weak Signal 'Fine' - Fuzzy, hazy guitars, oh yeah.
* Jesse Malin 'Silver Patron Saints' - The Rock N Roll icons covering Jesse is a treatment the quality of his songwriting and this album does him justice.
MAYBE THEY'LL GROW ON ME?
* Hippo Campus 'Flood' - Wishy washy AOR.
* Otis Shanty 'Up On The Hill' - Jangly, dreamy & kinda forgettable?
I love “Real Deal”. I think it shows real progression from the last album and it’s had a lot of listening this weekend.
Totally missed the Hippo Campus release. Just having a listen now. I’ve loved some of the recent releases but others have been just meh so I’m interested to see how it holds together.
This was the first Neil album I ever bought and it still ranks as one of my favorites. The guitar in 'Down by the River' continues to kill me (not so) softly every single time I hear it.
Big write-up coming this weekend for their #1 Modern Rock Tracks chart hit. Want to give it my best for certain portions of my readership who have a disproportionate love of New Order.
* Jeffery Foucault - The Universal Fire. I mentioned this last Monday and I spent even more time with it this past week. It's been a long time since a straight-up Americana record grabbed me like this.
* Velvet Underground - I played at a Lou Reed tribute this week -- I did Femme Fatale, Busload of Faith, and White Light/White Heat with our guitarist -- and that led me back to a tour through their highlights. I highly recommend revisiting if you haven't done so in a while.
* Floratone - s/t. They were an instrumental project with incredible players: Bill Frisell, Matt Chamberlain, and Viktor Krauss, with production and additional music by Tucker Martine (Decemberists, Modest Mouse, REM) and Lee Townsend (John Scofield, Dave Holland). This one and the follow-up are great.
* Snow Patrol - The Forest Is The Path. This is via my wife who is a huge fan and is excited about their first record in six years. I like what I've heard although the back half is mellower than what I like from them. It almost feels like a Gary Lightbody solo record.
Thanks for including RFABQ on the playlist! Looking forward to everyone's recommendations -- have a great week!
Souther Hillman Furay Band. At the time I bought the vinyl (when just released) I thought JD Souther's songs were the weakest on both albums. I have reconsidered.
I've been on a 90's/grunge kick the last week or so. Been listening to Screaming Trees, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Hole, and Mad Season.
I've said this on Substack before, but I still don't think America is ready to have a conversation about what an absolute banger Hole's "Live Through This" is. If "Violet" was a Nirvana song, there would be thousands of gen-x dudes with "when I get what I want and I never want it again" tattoos.
Absolutely!!! My teenage daughter discovered Hole’s “Violet” and I was overjoyed!! She was not happy that #1 I knew the song #2 I cranked the volume and sang at the top of my lungs!
I have to laugh. Today, my daughter’s first choice of songs on the way to school was “Jennifer’s Body” by Hole, then her second song was “Violet!” Then, I was looking at Instagram, and my niece, who is the same age as my daughter (17) had a note on Instagram with the song, and lyrics “they get what they want but they never want it again”
You might be surprised at some of the stuff I listen to in rotation! I talk a lot about punk and metal, but that's only because I spent the most time immersed in those worlds (they still hold powerful nostalgia over me today!). I love nearly all types of music, or at least certain parts of them.
I was up until 2am last night because the all-knowing YouTube algorithm put this wonderful collection of Tom Waits on Letterman in my feed.
Reader, I'll tell you, I'm hot and cold on Waits. I love his early stuff dearly, and his work as an actor is incredible, but there's a big chunk of his 80s catalog that is hard for me to digest.
None of that matters here. Through 7 or 8 performances, and the wonderful repartee with Dave, you'll surely be as mesmerized as I was at the incredible variety (and wonderful backing musicians!) attached to that unmistakable voice.
Thank you! I went on a Waits binge earlier this year and thought I'd seen them all. That version of Chicago with David Hidalgo on guitar just slays me. What a groove.
I’m loving all the tv shows that are embedding music into episodes. I heard “Keep On The Sunny Side” on an episode of KAOS (great show, btw) and now i’m listening to classic country!
Tribute albums are usually a mixed bag, but occasionally you find one that lives up to the hype. One example: “Por Vida,” a tribute to Alejandro Escovedo that was released 20 years ago.
Another is “Silver Patron Saints,” the new Jesse Malin tribute. The guests on this sprawling 27-song album are amazing: Springsteen, Escovedo, Spoon, Bleachers, Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, Dinosaur Jr., Billie Joe Armstrong, Counting Crows, Susanna Hoffs, The Hold Steady, Graham Parker, Ian Hunter, and Tommy Stinson (with his daughter Ruby), to name a few.
It’s a fine and deserving tribute to a criminally underrated songwriter who is going through a tough time.
I interviewed Alejandro a couple of weeks ago, and asked him about the impact of "Por Vida" on his recovery. Here's what he said: "It's a beautiful record, man. And it’s one of those things you don't think about when you're a working musician. You're just getting from gig to gig, trying to give it your best shot every time you go out on the stage. Suddenly, when something happens like it did to me, and so many people come to your aid and support you in that way is very, very humbling and beautiful. I'm just very, very grateful that it happened in that way."
I'm also enjoying the new Nick Lowe and starting to work my way through Dylan's 1974 tour shows with The Band. The set is gargantuan: 27 shows recorded in part or in full, though sadly no tracks from The Band's set. The sampler released on streaming is a good curation: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-1974-live-recordings-sampler/1756120115
Great playlist this week, Kevin. You really brightened my journey home from work.
Other than Honeyglaze, the album that has caught my attention this week is All of my Friends Have Melted by Gem County. The singles to this point have been great and the album as a whole is equally good. Well worth a listen.
I’ve also finally spent some time with Chime School. Love it!
I’ve been thinking a lot about songs to which I have a visceral reaction when listening based on the actual music rather than memories or other outside associations. I’ve made a playlist to see if I can begin to articulate the musical features that hit my ‘squishy spot’ and although I’m not sure I’ve been successful in that endeavour, the playlist is pretty damn good albeit a bit long!
The new Soccer Mommy song is great! From last week's New Music Friday, I love the new single from Bon Iver, Orion Sun's beautiful new album, Orion, and Davi Music's latest EP of electronic sounds. Other things I'm still listening to: Old City's killer debut, which they call a "punk rock Paul's Boutique," Night Court's snappy single "Mistakes Become You," and catching up with some of 2024's earlier releases in the realms of jazz, Latin, and global music, as I work my way through a record roundup post of the same.
Excellent playlist, Kevin. Great to see Superchunk on there as I know those folks since they are local musicians and a few bands I've played in have been on the same bill as them on a few occasions.
I'm still working through the long set lists for these upcoming dates I'm scheduled to play, but in between learning those tunes I've been spinning Van Halen's Fair Warning and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Anthology.
Spotify has seen it's fair share of Led Zeppelin, Tedeschi Trucks Band, John Hiatt, Terry Allen, and Kurt Vile over the last week.
I spent quite a bit of time with a few of the selections from my latest Alphabet Soup series:
* Marcy Playground’s 1997 self-titled debut. I’d forgotten what a great album this was. A complete no skip album for me. The success of Sex & Candy kinda consigned this album to one hit wonder territory which is a great shame.
* September 67’s 1997 self-titled debut.
* Liz Phair’s excellent debut, 1993’s Exile In Guyville.
Not music per se , but a good listen. Mac, Laura and Jim from Superchunk chat about the making of their classic "Foolish" album - which is 30 years old this year. Australian tour in December. Can't wait to catch them again!
Great listen. I mentioned it upthread, but it's interesting to hear the band's take on their own songs and how they may/may not align with how all of us feel about them.
I've been listening to Blossom's latest album, 'Gary'. Not really listened to their work before, apart from a couple of singles. Pretty decent set of songs.
Love the addition of Paris Paloma on your playlist.
Anyways, last week was a bit busy for me, as I did some traveling (namely, from Buffalo to Albany and back), so didn't have as much time to listen to stuff. I did listen to something new though:
Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess. I will be frank - the lyrics on the album really don't do anything for me. However, I can't deny that she is a great musician. "Hot to Go!" and "Red Wine Supernova" are my favorite cuts off of it.
I've also listened to a few selections from audience recordings of Aurora's "What Happened to the Earth? Part 1" (namely, Milan and Vienna). I'm not listening to the whole concert simply to avoid spoiling the experience, should I make it to one of her shows once she makes it to the USA.
I've been on a 90's kick. The most played on my repeat list seem to be "Electricity" by Suede, "Brick" by Ben Folds Five, and "Lebanese Blonde" by Thievery Corporation.
I saw Parkway Drive put on one of the best live shows I've ever seen for the first night of their 20th anniversary Australia tour in Brisbane last week. The huge event was opened by one of the most exciting local heavy acts Void of Vision, who dropped their new album that Friday. Its subject matter is largely influenced by the frontman's health scares and offers a provocative exploration of modern extentialism 👌
I'll take all of the darkwave you got!
Joe Kaplow and Mo’ Horizons
Sade - Smooth Operator
Love this one!!
Nice pick! You might've already seen this, but Sade's "Diamond Life" album made my Top 100, coming in at 89.
https://open.substack.com/pub/thekevinalexander/p/the-100-greatest-albums-of-all-time-part-two?r=3cbf2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Hope she will go on tour soon now that she is releasing another song!
“Cold Little Heart” by Michael Kiwanuka which would make for an excellent soundtrack song for an Apple TV+ drama
https://youtu.be/nOubjLM9Cbc?si=Zv4fAWVqqwxBnp7z
I love Michael Kiwanuka! His voice is incredible.
Gives me the chills. LOVE LOVE LOVE
He is currently on tour! We are seeing him on October 11!
Wow! This was quite the track. Perfect for an Apple TV drama. I'd never heard it before, and was surprised to see it has over 2M views on YT.
I'm very excited about Koolkat releasing The Direct Records Story, documenting a very obscure and little known prolific cassette label from the 1980’s that released some absolutely wonderful 60's and mod inspired music mostly on mail order cassettes. If you are a fan of this kind of music, you are absolutely going to love these collections and I'm hoping there are many more volumes to come -
https://koolkatmusik1.bandcamp.com/album/the-direct-records-story-volume-1
I love stuff like this, thanks for sharing. I'd forgotten about Kool Kat -- they carried my first CD in their catalog way back when.
Yes Ray is a super nice guy and one of the good guys in the music distribution business - he has helped out our tiny label quite a bit through the years
Definitely a fan of this sort of thing! Thank you for the heads up, Wally!
Loving the Dummy record still and always thrilled to see Superchunk on the list. Assume you saw this recent podcast on the record - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_md_8EdgAWA?
I did! Just listened to it a couple of days ago. That was part of why Waterwings kicked off this week's list. :) it's always interesting to me to hear a band's take on their own work--especially with the benefit of time.
I’ve been listening to a lot of my old vinyl collection. Duran Duran’s Rio, Depeche Mode (Black Celebration, Speak & Spell, Some Great Reward, Catching Up), New Order’s Power, Corruption & Lies, and the 12” of Blue Monday, Joy Division, Echo & the Bunnymen, OMD’s Architecture & Morality and the Best of, The Smiths S/T… and was reminded of They Might Be Giants’ Flood this week, so listened to that a couple of times on my Alexa lol (I think I had that one on cassette originally).
I bought a used copy of Men at Work’s Cargo because Overkill is one of my favorites from them, and I used to listen to this album a lot when I was babysitting a little girl across the street. While I was there, the owner was just working on pricing and putting out a big batch of newly acquired used stuff, and I saw him pull out Speaking in Tongues by the Talking Heads, which was one I had just looked on his shelves for! So, I left with that one too!
Nice! I've held off going back to vinyl because I'm trying to not acquire more stuff, especially with another move or two in our future, but posts like this tempt me. ;-)
Perfect timing! I wound up picing up a copy of Rio this week too, but mine is on CD. Would love to find it on vinyl.
Hello from a foggy Left Coast.
Here is what has been in my ears:
1 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1knJSMzp6SWo8aUh3W2hVo?si=96fbf86f37e74562
2 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/71PrDfTT9eNSnK4nHDJCqx?si=5854fa9a7b6b4139
3 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0q95gGZcYElRK2SuJeU2lW?si=3c012168c97f4df5
The Old 97s played a show here this summer! I wasn’t able to go, but friends did and said they were great!
I have seen them and they are great!
The Power Pop list is a goldmine! Currently playing as I type this.
thanks!
White Punks on Dope
Nice!
golden oldie
Jumpstarted Plowhards (Congelliere and Watt) — Round Two
I’ve been listening to John Henry by They Might Be Giants. It just passed its 30th anniversary.
It’s actually one of their albums, where my least favorite songs are the hits or the singles. Start with “sleeping in the flowers”.
30 already? oof. Will check that trck out ASAP!
Yeah. We started working with them for Factory Showroom which was after JH. So that was '96. Henry must have been '94. Yikes! See this fun post I did about the first website we did for them. So basic in 1996: https://www.chopshopstore.com/blogs/25-years-ago/they-might-be-giants-original-website there is a link to it in the Wayback Machine to see the actual site.
Wedding weekend.
1. Most of what was being played did not interest me nor can I tell you who it was.
2. The music choice for the mother/son dance was just plain creepy.
3. Of the '50s songs that I submitted for the wedding, all were rejected.
Conclusion:
I had a great time at the wedding, it was a truly wonderful time. But, I can now climb back into my little world and peek out as new music flies by.
Lol. I didn;t even make it that far. I checked out a class, and it was so loud (and so bad), I said forget it.
Depsite all of that, I'm glad it was a good time! I'm almost afraid to ask, but what was the mother/son dance song?
I've got to listen to more Dummy! Really like what I've heard so far. Here's my little playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2UETLYWWDwgwlH47PsHJ2I?si=73DdtYQFREarWHC-gl-hbQ
They're so, so good! Thanks for the list as well!
For me, it's been an international week of listening:
-- Baloncesto, great indie/garage from Spain (on top of a cool new record from Hinds): https://baloncesto.bandcamp.com/album/primavera-tard-a
-- La Zorra Zapata, lovely indie folk from Peru that I stumbled on when listening to KEXP: https://lazorrazapata.bandcamp.com/album/la-zorra-zapata
-- Naima Bock, indie folk from the UK on sub pop:
https://naimabock.bandcamp.com/album/below-a-massive-dark-land
-- K.O.G., incredible Ghanaian afropop/high life based in London: https://kogkwekuofghana.bandcamp.com/album/dont-take-my-soul
Two lunatics here on Substack are compiling their favourite 100 records. It’s been a lot of fun. They reminded me of the brilliant Channel Orange, and I’ve been playing it non stop ever since. The fact it’s never got a proper vinyl edition is criminal!
True but I treasure my FYE exclusive CD with the Golden Girl bonus track!
Lol. What were they thinking?!
100,000,000 BON JOVI FANS CAN'T BE WRONG. It's a 4 CD boxed set.
Right on. Not for nothing, my son's HS football team comes out for the 2nd half to "Livin' On a Prayer"
Off topic: Loved your post about bikes yesterday! I've got the "right" one now, but it took awhile to get there.
https://kentpeterson.substack.com/p/a-good-bike-for-me
Thanks to Kevin, I have discovered the brilliance of "Copper Blue" by Sugar despite being a big Huker Du fan in high school.
Got a back-to-back this week of seeing Vampire Weekend and P.J. Harvey (first time) live, so I'll be revisiting VW's "Only God was Above Us" (which is a contender for my 2024 Album of the Year) and P.J.'s discography. Also, Pale Jay dropped a new album, and he's an artist that is criminally slept on.
If you want to join the fun of indulging in Kevin's and my Top 100 Albums, we're already onto our top half.
Kevin's List: https://thekevinalexander.substack.com/p/wax-ecstatic-the-100-greatest-albums?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web
My List: https://thatguyfromtheinternet.substack.com/p/another-100-best-albums-of-all-time-c5b
I have been meaning to have a listen to Copper Blue since I read in the posts about it! I was a huge Husker Du fan too!
Right on! So happy that you're digging Copper Blue. Also, extremely jealous that you'll be seeing PJ Harvey live!
And as is now tradition: for anyone scrolling the comments-- if you're only stopping by on Mondays, you're missing out! get caught up on what Sam & I have been putting together & share your thoughts!
NEW & SHINY
* Honeyglaze 'Real Deal' - English Teacher & Honeyglaze sound eerily similar and I'm not certain how I feel about this except, well, two fantastic albums!?
* Jamie XX 'In Waves' - Drop needle. Dance party! Success.
* Kate Pierson 'Radios & Rainbows - The party continues.
* Bright Eyes 'Five Dice, All Threes' I shall be returning to this repeatedly in the future.
* Weak Signal 'Fine' - Fuzzy, hazy guitars, oh yeah.
* Jesse Malin 'Silver Patron Saints' - The Rock N Roll icons covering Jesse is a treatment the quality of his songwriting and this album does him justice.
MAYBE THEY'LL GROW ON ME?
* Hippo Campus 'Flood' - Wishy washy AOR.
* Otis Shanty 'Up On The Hill' - Jangly, dreamy & kinda forgettable?
I love “Real Deal”. I think it shows real progression from the last album and it’s had a lot of listening this weekend.
Totally missed the Hippo Campus release. Just having a listen now. I’ve loved some of the recent releases but others have been just meh so I’m interested to see how it holds together.
Re: Kate Pierson- May we all have even 1/2 the energy she does at 76!
As for Hippo Campus, I saw they had a new one out...and then promplty forgot about it. I'll check it out, and maybe it'll grow on me too?
"Everybody Knows This is Nowhere" - LP - Neil Young. Pure violence at its best.
This was the first Neil album I ever bought and it still ranks as one of my favorites. The guitar in 'Down by the River' continues to kill me (not so) softly every single time I hear it.
New Order. 😂
Big write-up coming this weekend for their #1 Modern Rock Tracks chart hit. Want to give it my best for certain portions of my readership who have a disproportionate love of New Order.
They can be the absolute WORST! lol.
Seriously, I’m really looking forward to reading it!
Can’t wait to read it!
My week was about:
* Jeffery Foucault - The Universal Fire. I mentioned this last Monday and I spent even more time with it this past week. It's been a long time since a straight-up Americana record grabbed me like this.
* Velvet Underground - I played at a Lou Reed tribute this week -- I did Femme Fatale, Busload of Faith, and White Light/White Heat with our guitarist -- and that led me back to a tour through their highlights. I highly recommend revisiting if you haven't done so in a while.
* Floratone - s/t. They were an instrumental project with incredible players: Bill Frisell, Matt Chamberlain, and Viktor Krauss, with production and additional music by Tucker Martine (Decemberists, Modest Mouse, REM) and Lee Townsend (John Scofield, Dave Holland). This one and the follow-up are great.
* Snow Patrol - The Forest Is The Path. This is via my wife who is a huge fan and is excited about their first record in six years. I like what I've heard although the back half is mellower than what I like from them. It almost feels like a Gary Lightbody solo record.
Thanks for including RFABQ on the playlist! Looking forward to everyone's recommendations -- have a great week!
of course!
Floratone sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the rec!
Souther Hillman Furay Band. At the time I bought the vinyl (when just released) I thought JD Souther's songs were the weakest on both albums. I have reconsidered.
I've been on a 90's/grunge kick the last week or so. Been listening to Screaming Trees, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Hole, and Mad Season.
I've said this on Substack before, but I still don't think America is ready to have a conversation about what an absolute banger Hole's "Live Through This" is. If "Violet" was a Nirvana song, there would be thousands of gen-x dudes with "when I get what I want and I never want it again" tattoos.
Absolutely!!! My teenage daughter discovered Hole’s “Violet” and I was overjoyed!! She was not happy that #1 I knew the song #2 I cranked the volume and sang at the top of my lungs!
I have to laugh. Today, my daughter’s first choice of songs on the way to school was “Jennifer’s Body” by Hole, then her second song was “Violet!” Then, I was looking at Instagram, and my niece, who is the same age as my daughter (17) had a note on Instagram with the song, and lyrics “they get what they want but they never want it again”
Fair point!
The Specials - The Specials
The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy & the Lash
Jimmy Smith - Prayer Meetin'
That's my kinda triple play!
Cleveland Ohio's Niights and Kid Tigrrr (typos intentional)
A hint of what's to come, perhaps?
Amadeus soundtrack!
That's quite a pivot from what you normally play!
You might be surprised at some of the stuff I listen to in rotation! I talk a lot about punk and metal, but that's only because I spent the most time immersed in those worlds (they still hold powerful nostalgia over me today!). I love nearly all types of music, or at least certain parts of them.
I was up until 2am last night because the all-knowing YouTube algorithm put this wonderful collection of Tom Waits on Letterman in my feed.
Reader, I'll tell you, I'm hot and cold on Waits. I love his early stuff dearly, and his work as an actor is incredible, but there's a big chunk of his 80s catalog that is hard for me to digest.
None of that matters here. Through 7 or 8 performances, and the wonderful repartee with Dave, you'll surely be as mesmerized as I was at the incredible variety (and wonderful backing musicians!) attached to that unmistakable voice.
So take my advice and spend a little less than two hours today watching Tom throw confetti and strut through sawdust. https://youtu.be/wflJVB4cM_c?si=S8uPEgKVmzmeUGXn
I could watch Tom stomp around in sawdust for hours!
Thank you! I went on a Waits binge earlier this year and thought I'd seen them all. That version of Chicago with David Hidalgo on guitar just slays me. What a groove.
Thanks for the link! With you 100% on running hot & cold on Waits' stuff. Some I find incredible, and some I find...not so incredible.
New tunes on heavy rotation this week:
Audacious - Franz Ferdinand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21JuGhzLcz0
New Town Crier - Capital Cities https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU0kH9r-N8M
Nice! I think the only Capital Cities song I know is "Safe & Sound." Looking forward to checking these out.
They've actually got a lot of great tunes. The album that "Safe & Sound" came from, "In a Tidal Wave of Mystery," is quite good.
Really enjoying Audacious
Today I gotta go with Me and You by Big Scary. (Don’t be afraid. They’re really not scary at all.)
I’m loving all the tv shows that are embedding music into episodes. I heard “Keep On The Sunny Side” on an episode of KAOS (great show, btw) and now i’m listening to classic country!
Right now, June Carter Cash!
Tribute albums are usually a mixed bag, but occasionally you find one that lives up to the hype. One example: “Por Vida,” a tribute to Alejandro Escovedo that was released 20 years ago.
Another is “Silver Patron Saints,” the new Jesse Malin tribute. The guests on this sprawling 27-song album are amazing: Springsteen, Escovedo, Spoon, Bleachers, Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, Dinosaur Jr., Billie Joe Armstrong, Counting Crows, Susanna Hoffs, The Hold Steady, Graham Parker, Ian Hunter, and Tommy Stinson (with his daughter Ruby), to name a few.
It’s a fine and deserving tribute to a criminally underrated songwriter who is going through a tough time.
I interviewed Alejandro a couple of weeks ago, and asked him about the impact of "Por Vida" on his recovery. Here's what he said: "It's a beautiful record, man. And it’s one of those things you don't think about when you're a working musician. You're just getting from gig to gig, trying to give it your best shot every time you go out on the stage. Suddenly, when something happens like it did to me, and so many people come to your aid and support you in that way is very, very humbling and beautiful. I'm just very, very grateful that it happened in that way."
https://glenncook.substack.com/p/conversation-2-alejandro-escovedo
I agree -- Por Vida is terrific. I love that Calexico's version of Wave inspired his new record.
I'm also enjoying the new Nick Lowe and starting to work my way through Dylan's 1974 tour shows with The Band. The set is gargantuan: 27 shows recorded in part or in full, though sadly no tracks from The Band's set. The sampler released on streaming is a good curation: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-1974-live-recordings-sampler/1756120115
I really need to make my way to the new Nick Lowe record!
I had to get a new CD player because my old one died. I'm still getting used to the way the new one sounds, but it's mostly all right.
Great playlist this week, Kevin. You really brightened my journey home from work.
Other than Honeyglaze, the album that has caught my attention this week is All of my Friends Have Melted by Gem County. The singles to this point have been great and the album as a whole is equally good. Well worth a listen.
I’ve also finally spent some time with Chime School. Love it!
I’ve been thinking a lot about songs to which I have a visceral reaction when listening based on the actual music rather than memories or other outside associations. I’ve made a playlist to see if I can begin to articulate the musical features that hit my ‘squishy spot’ and although I’m not sure I’ve been successful in that endeavour, the playlist is pretty damn good albeit a bit long!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2mNDF12LVH3hdtmqrgarQb?si=6fnSJYQOQIOz3EqvbRn7sg&pi=e-sce7M1XMQ6WK
I'm happy to hear it! Livening up people's commutes is one of this project's goals. :)
Great playlist too! I have it cued up to play after lunch.
Your playlists are always worth a listen!
Aww, thank you, Matt! So are yours.
I have been listening and enjoying a lot of Japanese music. Here is a small sample.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0V2WXbideKv8bCh1OYJmjZ?si=eFrf18nnR3eNZEtx37hX1g
Thanks for this. Gilby!
The new Soccer Mommy song is great! From last week's New Music Friday, I love the new single from Bon Iver, Orion Sun's beautiful new album, Orion, and Davi Music's latest EP of electronic sounds. Other things I'm still listening to: Old City's killer debut, which they call a "punk rock Paul's Boutique," Night Court's snappy single "Mistakes Become You," and catching up with some of 2024's earlier releases in the realms of jazz, Latin, and global music, as I work my way through a record roundup post of the same.
You had me at "A punk rock Paul's Boutique."
Holy hell, Old City is EXACTLY what I wanted to listen to. Cheers!
Holy hell, Old City is EXACTLY what I wanted to listen to. Cheers!
Excellent playlist, Kevin. Great to see Superchunk on there as I know those folks since they are local musicians and a few bands I've played in have been on the same bill as them on a few occasions.
I'm still working through the long set lists for these upcoming dates I'm scheduled to play, but in between learning those tunes I've been spinning Van Halen's Fair Warning and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Anthology.
Spotify has seen it's fair share of Led Zeppelin, Tedeschi Trucks Band, John Hiatt, Terry Allen, and Kurt Vile over the last week.
Thank you! Superchunk is one of my faves, so they're never too far away from the speakers.
And anytime's a good time for some John Hiatt!
The Lemon Twigs "A Dream is all we Know"
A fantastic record!
Phil Keaggy - Love Broke Thru
Gene Eugene • Michael Knott • Terry Taylor – Alternative Worship (Prayer, Petitions and Praise)
Phil Keaggy - Ph'lip Side
Phil Keaggy – Town To Town
Various - Days of Flower Power
Phil Keaggy - Town to Town
Bob Dylan - New Morning
John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band
And this is a link to some words I applied to these albums. https://weatheredmusic.ca
I spent quite a bit of time with a few of the selections from my latest Alphabet Soup series:
* Marcy Playground’s 1997 self-titled debut. I’d forgotten what a great album this was. A complete no skip album for me. The success of Sex & Candy kinda consigned this album to one hit wonder territory which is a great shame.
* September 67’s 1997 self-titled debut.
* Liz Phair’s excellent debut, 1993’s Exile In Guyville.
Here’s the link to this week’s column if anyone’s interested: https://joyinthejourney.substack.com/p/alphabet-soup-week-38-the-s-tracks
Thanks for the link! I admit I haven't ever heard anything more than "Sex and Candy" either.
I think you’d like the entire album, give it a listen if you get the chance!
Bug Club, Tropical Fuck Storm, Osees, John Cale, Jah Wobble
Hell yeah.
Not music per se , but a good listen. Mac, Laura and Jim from Superchunk chat about the making of their classic "Foolish" album - which is 30 years old this year. Australian tour in December. Can't wait to catch them again!
https://lifeoftherecord.com/#/superchunk/
Huge +1 to this.
Great listen. I mentioned it upthread, but it's interesting to hear the band's take on their own songs and how they may/may not align with how all of us feel about them.
Ha. Yep. Listening to Laura, that would have been a mini-album if she'd cut the songs that she didn't rate too highly!
I've been listening to Blossom's latest album, 'Gary'. Not really listened to their work before, apart from a couple of singles. Pretty decent set of songs.
I'll check it out!
Love the addition of Paris Paloma on your playlist.
Anyways, last week was a bit busy for me, as I did some traveling (namely, from Buffalo to Albany and back), so didn't have as much time to listen to stuff. I did listen to something new though:
Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess. I will be frank - the lyrics on the album really don't do anything for me. However, I can't deny that she is a great musician. "Hot to Go!" and "Red Wine Supernova" are my favorite cuts off of it.
I've also listened to a few selections from audience recordings of Aurora's "What Happened to the Earth? Part 1" (namely, Milan and Vienna). I'm not listening to the whole concert simply to avoid spoiling the experience, should I make it to one of her shows once she makes it to the USA.
They've been playing "Hot To Go" at our local HS' football games, and it definitely gets the crowd going.
been listening to this lately - I think everyone in a quiet moment can identify with the lyrics -
https://open.spotify.com/track/52iyhfd6jgU2wYB8QIYs6t?si=1b5ce0244d6f4bc4
I definitely can! Gorgeous song, Ric!
I've been on a 90's kick. The most played on my repeat list seem to be "Electricity" by Suede, "Brick" by Ben Folds Five, and "Lebanese Blonde" by Thievery Corporation.
Thievery Corporation rules.
Really liking the new Beeef album, Somebody's Favorite.
I've also been watching the new Tragically Hip documentary and have fallen hard for their 1989 debut album, Up to Here.
Finally, I can't quit the new Nada Surf album.
I just got tipped off to that documentary yesterday. Sounds like it's really well done.
It is. I've watched an episode a night for the last 3 nights.
Been listening/loving Brigette Calls Me Baby and the new Suki Waterhouse album!
And Janis Joplin's Pearl this weekend cuz it pairs really well with sunday morning coffee.
I saw Parkway Drive put on one of the best live shows I've ever seen for the first night of their 20th anniversary Australia tour in Brisbane last week. The huge event was opened by one of the most exciting local heavy acts Void of Vision, who dropped their new album that Friday. Its subject matter is largely influenced by the frontman's health scares and offers a provocative exploration of modern extentialism 👌