Happy Monday(s)! Welcome to each of you who joined us over this past week! You’ve landed at what was recently described as “the nicest place on the internet.'“
It’s great to have you here.
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? Find anything good while crate digging? Made a mixtape lately? Are there any upcoming releases or shows you’re excited about?
So whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!
P.S. The 2024 Reader Survey is open for a few more days! To share your thoughts, click here!
Thanks to your post last week on U2 and Achtung, Baby!, I went down the U2 rabbit hole for the rest of the week. 😁 I got stuck on the Pop album. I was at the Miami show where the band got stuck in the giant lemon and the crew had to manually open it to get them out. That album didn't get much love from critics and the tour was a financial disaster for the band, but I thought it was an incredible album. While the tour wasn't the spectacle of Zoo TV, still a damn good show. Keep up the great work at Abandoned Albums!
'Pop' is actually the only U2 album I own and I think it is an overlooked and underappreciated album. Even their fans seem to somewhat dismiss it. Rarely do you see it talked about compared to their other records. Every track, however, is great.
Definitely under appreciated by fans. "Pop" took the band's euro-techno sound further than what had previously been done with "Zooropa". Many fans wanted more early U2 in the form of "Boy", "War", "October" and "Joshua Tree" and were not impressed by the album and band's musical direction at the time. "Pop" seemed to be the swan song of U2's heavy techno experiments going back to a more stripped down rock band format on "All That You Can't...." just a few years after "Pop". The mid 90's were an interesting time for bands and music. I mean, Metallica cut their hair, wore make-up and released "Load" and "Re-Load", but that's a different discussion and deserves it's own thread.
There is also a darkness laced within and throughout 'Pop.'
I've read they were never happy with the mix and except for a couple of tracks, even the band has somewhat dismissed and downplayed the record. It seems like an anomaly in their catalog, especially given they were at the height of popularity when it was released.
Definitely a "heavier" album. I've read where the band felt it was rushed for various reasons. The supporting tour was plagued with issues and the mishap in Miami left us all standing/sitting in the heat for an hour while they worked to free the band from the spinning lemon. The stage was incredible with the massive screen, the arch and spinning lemon, but the sound compared to Zoo TV was not great. Granted, we were in a stadium and I saw Zoo TV in an arena. Still, it was not the same mind blowing show as Zoo TV, and regardless of the lemon hiccup, not as smoothly executed.
I spent a large part of the week going through some 90s movie soundtracks. So many great ones! Somewhat prompted by listening to the Bandsplain podcast episodes of the Judgement Night and the Singles soundtracks. But, all in prep for a pet project I’m doing.
Been listening to a ton of house music lately while working! Cajmere for sure, and Mr. Fingers—the 'Amnesia' album. Gets me into a nice lil' flow state.
I never became an Urge Overkill fan despite the efforts of a close friend, but man, Ticket To LA is a straight-up banger. My last week was all about:
- Chris Morrissey's new record, Gray Like The Color. Chris is a brilliant bassist who I know mostly from his work with Mark Guiliana and Norah Jones. He's also played with Chris Thile, Gretchen Parlato, and Andrew Bird, among others. His records are in this interesting space of jazz-influenced adult pop -- kind of adjacent to Norah Jones or Sting's solo work. Not a great description, but that's the best I can do for 6:30am MT!
- Rosali - Bite Down - Rootsy pop in the vein of Kathleen Edwards. Did I learn about this from Kevin? I can't remember now.
- Wilco - revisiting the post-Jay Bennett era one record at a time to see if I like it better now. So far, I don't. ;-)
Haha, true! I stopped paying attention to new stuff after Star Wars. And there's Tweedy's solo stuff, which I forgot about until a friend reminded me this morning.
Heard the M.A.S.H theme song. It has been stuck in my head for days. WHYYYYYYYY.
Toadies - Rubberneck. I can’t explain how much I love this album. Tyler is the standout track for my ears; but this whole album is good/great.
Parquet Courts - Wide Awake + Sympathy for Life. PC is never a bad idea. Especially on a Saturday afternoon.
2023 AOTY revisit:
Geese - 3D Country + 4D Country. Ripper of a record and follow up EP.
Pile - All Fiction + Hot Air Balloons. Same as above. For anyone keeping track; I have a lot of favorite bands. Lots of music to catch up on as Rick has been at this for a long time. Saw them live in 2019 in a small room where they put up one of the best sets I have ever witnessed.
Wednesday - Rat Saw God. Same as above but no EP. Previous albums, Twin Plagues and I was Trying to Describe You to Someone, are recommended listening as well.
Hooveriii - Pointe. Psych rock that is pleasant to my ears. Lots of great records in their catalog if you haven’t given these folks a try!
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation. One of my fave all time bands with a thrash fest. I may have continued on and visited more than a few KGLW albums. KGLW is the music equivalent of Pringles, for this guy.
Blonde Redhead - Sit Down for Dinner. Took a while for this album to grow on me.
Viagra Boys - Cave World. Weird band with songs to match which makes them a fun listen.
Fontaines D.C. - Skinty Fia go deo. Technically released in 2022, this extended edition has a some really nice live recordings.
Protomartyr - Formal Growth in the Desert. I don’t disagree with anything Protomartyr does. Deeply in love with this record and have been since they released the first single.
Less the song, for me, but the story of the song got stuck in my head....so, I looked it up (that's how I roll......as you know, Faith)!
The music was written by American Songbook veteran, Johnny Mandel....with the lyrics written by a 15-year-old, Michael Altman, son of the film's director, Robert Altman!
Director Altman had two stipulations about the song for composer Mandel: it had to be called "Suicide Is Painless," and it had to be the "stupidest song ever written". Altman attempted to write the lyric himself, but, upon finding it too difficult for his "45-year-old brain" to write something "stupid" enough, he gave the task to his 15-year-old-son Michael, who reportedly wrote the lyrics in five minutes!
Altman later decided that the song worked so well he would use the instrumental version as the film's main theme. The more choral version was sung by uncredited session singers, The Ron Hicklin Singers, who became quite busy later that year (and beyond), as they became the main voices of singing as The Partridge Family on recordings (Shirley and David were the only two stars who sang on the records).
Robert Altman once said that, while he only made $70,000 for directing the movie, his son had earned more than $1 million for co-writing the song!
"Director Altman had two stipulations about the song for composer Mandel: it had to be called "Suicide Is Painless," and it had to be the "stupidest song ever written". Altman attempted to write the lyric himself, but, upon finding it too difficult for his "45-year-old brain" to write something "stupid" enough, he gave the task to his 15-year-old-son Michael, who reportedly wrote the lyrics in five minutes!"
this has all the makings of an apocryphal story, but it's a good 'un!
I don't disagree, as it seems to qualify (even in '70) as "old, or old-enough, Hollywood," which seemed to be filled with such things! They included references, and it'd be fun to check the sources cited, and if I was publishing an article about this, I would! I'd be curious to see where (and in what) Michael ended up with his life/career! But, in employing Mandel, Altman, the elder, picked one of the best!
I have to say that much as I love his solo catalog, it's Kisses on the Bottom that appeared at the top of my Spotify Wrap up last year as my most played Macca album. (Actually it showed up as my most played album of the year overall, but that's only because I listen to the Fabs on vinyl and it's what I play most often when I' m writng.)
New Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood - not bad but nothing really stands out. Didn’t realize Elbow had a new record out, giving that a digital spin right now.
It keeps switiching, but I think Jamcod's my favorite too. A little more on the record coming Friday. Glad you liked the Sizzo's track! A little out of his normal wheelhouse, but I thought it was pretty cool. I want to like Tigers Blood, but I'm not there...yet.
I sure didn't until fairly recently! I kinda like covers. Most of them are worse than the original, but every now and then you get a real gem, like NIrvana's "Love Buzz" or "Venus" by Bananarama.
Read World Domination: The Sub Pop Records Story over the weekend, so found myself listening to a ton of Spotify Sub Pop playlists. Mudhoney and Tad are favs from early days. Shins have a special place in my heart as well.
My wife is bound & determind to get me into The Gentlemen. I have to admit, it's pretty good. Can you share anything about the new novel, or is it still too early?
It's SSDD for me, really. A low level gangster wants to leave the family business and become a hairdresed (Based on a true story BTW) but his past keeps on dreagging him back like a noose! I'll probably change loads of bits by the time I get to the end and make him a zookeeper or something!
I'm listening to Gaslight Anthem because i just got tickets to seen them at The Greek Theater in October. Never been to The Greek and have only seen Brian Fallon solo live.
1) Waxahatchee, Tiger's Blood. 2) Black Crowes, Happiness Bastards. 3) Kacey Musgraves, Deeper Well (Don't think this one is going anywhere soon. It is a definite keeper. Monumental record.)
Also, took a trip back to Dio's live album from Hammersmith (early 90's), and am very happy to see Tony Iommi is getting the Tony Martin era of Black Sabbath albums ready for release. The first two songs released, "Headless Cross" and "Anno Mundi" sound wonderful.
Agreed. They are the two records I have actually written about, and they just stick out. Lots of great female artist albums so far. Another one that just came out is Sierra Ferrell. It is wonderful.
REALLY looking forward to the forthcoming Khruangbin album! I’ll have a few photos of the trail on this week’s Alphabet Soup which is dropping in the next couple days
I love Alison Road! I was actually just thinking about that album this morning.
My on repeat listening this weekend has been the Vanity Metrics EP. It’s a side project from Brett Newski. The rules are that all songs must be recorded to analog tape AND must be recorded at someone's house rather than a studio. I am a bit in love with it, particularly the track Iris.
Spotify - Went down the U2 rabbit hole all week after reading a post from @abandonedalbums on U2's, Achtung, Baby! and hearing an XM replay of U2 - Live at The Sphere. Personally, I believe the stand outs from U2's discography, outside of Achtung, Baby!, woudl have to be Pop and Zooropa, with the latter being one of U2's standouts (I mean, come on, Numb? What a track!).
The 4 day Portland, OR music festival, Pickathon, released the lineup for 2024 and the accompanying playlist for the artists on this year's roster (hear that playlist here: https://shorturl.at/ekATV). A favorite of mine is J.D. Simo. I've been checking out his 2021 album, Mind Control, along with the album 3D Country by the band Geese, also on the Pickathon lineup this year.
Vinyl - Picked up a nice box of albums at an estate sale on Friday for $5 and so far from that buy I've had ZZ Top's Eliminator, The Eagle's, Hotel California, and a few 45's from The Young Rascals (I've Been Lonely Too Long/Mustang Sally) and The Association (Along Comes Mary/Cherish). Always fun to get a great box of albums that have no scratches and the covers and sleeves are in good shape!
Oh man, That's a great find! Most of the finds at estate sales here seem to be in less than great shape, and have spent the better part of the last 30 years in a damp basement.
On Saturday's post, I half-jokingly said that I would use going to Pickathon as a good excuse to go home. Still might...
Most records I find at estate sales look like the needle on the turntable was a roofing nail, so they are scratched or warped beyond playability. I was stoked to find that box in the shape it was in.
Hmm, maybe a business expense write off for you as, "research", to Pickathon?
A lot of Joni Mitchell on Spotify, I'll admit. I have most of the records but the cursed convenience of being able to queue her up on my phone in less-than-optimal sound is addictive.
I'm doing both - it motivated to finally buy the CDboxset issued in 2022 of the remastered first four albums on Asylum even as I have them all on LP. I will write about this whole thing next month on my Substack.
Well, right this moment I'm listening to Allegra Krieger's beautiful 2023 album, I Keep My Feet On The Fragile Plane, because I was needing something more chill. But the past few days I've been listening to a lot of shoegaze, specifically Narrow Head.
All about the new releases from Waxahatchee, Rosali, Elbow, and Sam Evian. Also working my way through the Pernice Brothers and Old 97s catalogs ahead of their new albums on Apr. 5.
Getting into a psych bluegrass group, Kitchen Dwellers and their new album “Seven Devils” as I was painting walls last weekend. On the album was a song titled “Meagher’s Reel,” an Irish sounding ballad about true events that occurred near the river town of Fort Benton, in Montana, only a few miles from my childhood home. I was intrigued so I did some digging and realized the band is also from Montana. I haven’t lived there in 30 years so I had not heard of them but I’m really drawn to this new to me genre and exploring other similar groups.
John Craigie, Sylvan Esso, Altin Gun, Tribe Called Quest, Rodriguez, This Side of Wednesday, William Onyeabor and Metallica/Black Sabbath because my kid is learning bass.
I love those Ill Considered albums! They are VERY hard to find in the States, however (and when you do, they are very expensive). There's such great jazz coming out of London at the moment.
I've spent a lot of the last year digging on Grant Green, and I put one of his called Solid on this week. Also tho it is much maligned I like later Miles Davis, especially when I'm looking for something to sort of scramble my brain when working on writing projects, so I had one of his called Aura on this morning. Built to Spill's 2022 record, When the Wind Forgets Your Name. Various versions of "Autumn Leaves" because I was hoping to be able to play a passable version of that or at least comp along. T. Swift's Midnights, which along with Lover has been on and off heavy rotation all year. Another Miles record, Files De Kilimanjaro. New Willie Nelson single, "The Border."
Courtney Barnett and Low Cut Connie still in heavy rotation.
I watched an interesting YouTube documentary on the early Detroit music scene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUzKB8mu-Xs) and now I want someone to explain to me why MC5 are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I'd agree with this. They weren't terribly popular (certainly when compared to HoF inductees), and not all of their releases were the best. But if you talk about lasting impact, or influence, I think it'd be hard to argue against them.
They are a band that go back to the early days of DIY recordings in the punk era and were friends with The Swell Maps but this new recording is quite different and pretty amazing.
Happy Wednesday! When I was 16 and had an alt rock phase (believe it or not), I would sneak into these shows, stand right next to the stage and get completely smashed 🤭 https://youtu.be/0DL27DXJdtc?si=4R5mE5uaa5kCiIuE
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Both, Chisel... hint hint... New episode this Wednesday - wake the kids phone the neighbors!!
Thanks to your post last week on U2 and Achtung, Baby!, I went down the U2 rabbit hole for the rest of the week. 😁 I got stuck on the Pop album. I was at the Miami show where the band got stuck in the giant lemon and the crew had to manually open it to get them out. That album didn't get much love from critics and the tour was a financial disaster for the band, but I thought it was an incredible album. While the tour wasn't the spectacle of Zoo TV, still a damn good show. Keep up the great work at Abandoned Albums!
'Pop' is actually the only U2 album I own and I think it is an overlooked and underappreciated album. Even their fans seem to somewhat dismiss it. Rarely do you see it talked about compared to their other records. Every track, however, is great.
Definitely under appreciated by fans. "Pop" took the band's euro-techno sound further than what had previously been done with "Zooropa". Many fans wanted more early U2 in the form of "Boy", "War", "October" and "Joshua Tree" and were not impressed by the album and band's musical direction at the time. "Pop" seemed to be the swan song of U2's heavy techno experiments going back to a more stripped down rock band format on "All That You Can't...." just a few years after "Pop". The mid 90's were an interesting time for bands and music. I mean, Metallica cut their hair, wore make-up and released "Load" and "Re-Load", but that's a different discussion and deserves it's own thread.
There is also a darkness laced within and throughout 'Pop.'
I've read they were never happy with the mix and except for a couple of tracks, even the band has somewhat dismissed and downplayed the record. It seems like an anomaly in their catalog, especially given they were at the height of popularity when it was released.
Definitely a "heavier" album. I've read where the band felt it was rushed for various reasons. The supporting tour was plagued with issues and the mishap in Miami left us all standing/sitting in the heat for an hour while they worked to free the band from the spinning lemon. The stage was incredible with the massive screen, the arch and spinning lemon, but the sound compared to Zoo TV was not great. Granted, we were in a stadium and I saw Zoo TV in an arena. Still, it was not the same mind blowing show as Zoo TV, and regardless of the lemon hiccup, not as smoothly executed.
But then again, easy for me to nit pick and say since I've never put on a production of that scale before. 😃
I saw the band on that same tour, and now I'm wracking my brain to remember a spinning lemon. Lol.
I'll keep an eye on my inbox!
The EP Dirty White Lies by Basht. is spectacular! The track Gone Girl hits my music sweet spot. I'm addicted!
This was great! Thanks for getting it on my radar. Reminds me of Interpol a little bit?
True!
I spent a large part of the week going through some 90s movie soundtracks. So many great ones! Somewhat prompted by listening to the Bandsplain podcast episodes of the Judgement Night and the Singles soundtracks. But, all in prep for a pet project I’m doing.
Yes to both 90s soundtracks *and* Bandsplain. 😆 What a fun way to do prep work.
Two of my favs. I’ll have to check out the podcast. Thanks for the reference.
Both of those soundtracks are awesome for very different reasons. Please share more about the project if/when ready!
Ocie Elliott 🎵
Waiting for a girl like you - Foreigner (my top 10 faves of all time :)
A classic!
Been listening to a ton of house music lately while working! Cajmere for sure, and Mr. Fingers—the 'Amnesia' album. Gets me into a nice lil' flow state.
I'll take all the House music you got! I really dug this one.
I never became an Urge Overkill fan despite the efforts of a close friend, but man, Ticket To LA is a straight-up banger. My last week was all about:
- Chris Morrissey's new record, Gray Like The Color. Chris is a brilliant bassist who I know mostly from his work with Mark Guiliana and Norah Jones. He's also played with Chris Thile, Gretchen Parlato, and Andrew Bird, among others. His records are in this interesting space of jazz-influenced adult pop -- kind of adjacent to Norah Jones or Sting's solo work. Not a great description, but that's the best I can do for 6:30am MT!
- Rosali - Bite Down - Rootsy pop in the vein of Kathleen Edwards. Did I learn about this from Kevin? I can't remember now.
- Wilco - revisiting the post-Jay Bennett era one record at a time to see if I like it better now. So far, I don't. ;-)
Have a great week, everyone!
You’re going to be listening to A LOT of Wilco!
Haha, true! I stopped paying attention to new stuff after Star Wars. And there's Tweedy's solo stuff, which I forgot about until a friend reminded me this morning.
That description's good enough to pique my curiosity! I'm on it.
My newly-constructed Acoustic Fabs (not in order, meant to be shuffled) playlist.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1EhBpoT3KCqkkWb9WSib63?si=ab09342fe01642d1
Nice! Thank you for this!
Heard the M.A.S.H theme song. It has been stuck in my head for days. WHYYYYYYYY.
Toadies - Rubberneck. I can’t explain how much I love this album. Tyler is the standout track for my ears; but this whole album is good/great.
Parquet Courts - Wide Awake + Sympathy for Life. PC is never a bad idea. Especially on a Saturday afternoon.
2023 AOTY revisit:
Geese - 3D Country + 4D Country. Ripper of a record and follow up EP.
Pile - All Fiction + Hot Air Balloons. Same as above. For anyone keeping track; I have a lot of favorite bands. Lots of music to catch up on as Rick has been at this for a long time. Saw them live in 2019 in a small room where they put up one of the best sets I have ever witnessed.
Wednesday - Rat Saw God. Same as above but no EP. Previous albums, Twin Plagues and I was Trying to Describe You to Someone, are recommended listening as well.
Hooveriii - Pointe. Psych rock that is pleasant to my ears. Lots of great records in their catalog if you haven’t given these folks a try!
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation. One of my fave all time bands with a thrash fest. I may have continued on and visited more than a few KGLW albums. KGLW is the music equivalent of Pringles, for this guy.
Blonde Redhead - Sit Down for Dinner. Took a while for this album to grow on me.
Viagra Boys - Cave World. Weird band with songs to match which makes them a fun listen.
Fontaines D.C. - Skinty Fia go deo. Technically released in 2022, this extended edition has a some really nice live recordings.
Protomartyr - Formal Growth in the Desert. I don’t disagree with anything Protomartyr does. Deeply in love with this record and have been since they released the first single.
okay well now the MASH theme song (aka Suicide is Painless) is in my head as well....
Thank you for the recommendation on the underdubbed Band on the Run!
Oh you're quite welcome. I'm glad you're enjoying it! It's quite somethin', innit?
Salon had a good write up on it, if you haven't seen it.
https://www.salon.com/2024/02/02/paul-mccartney-wings-band-on-the-run-underdubbed-mix-50th-anniversary/
Less the song, for me, but the story of the song got stuck in my head....so, I looked it up (that's how I roll......as you know, Faith)!
The music was written by American Songbook veteran, Johnny Mandel....with the lyrics written by a 15-year-old, Michael Altman, son of the film's director, Robert Altman!
Director Altman had two stipulations about the song for composer Mandel: it had to be called "Suicide Is Painless," and it had to be the "stupidest song ever written". Altman attempted to write the lyric himself, but, upon finding it too difficult for his "45-year-old brain" to write something "stupid" enough, he gave the task to his 15-year-old-son Michael, who reportedly wrote the lyrics in five minutes!
Altman later decided that the song worked so well he would use the instrumental version as the film's main theme. The more choral version was sung by uncredited session singers, The Ron Hicklin Singers, who became quite busy later that year (and beyond), as they became the main voices of singing as The Partridge Family on recordings (Shirley and David were the only two stars who sang on the records).
Robert Altman once said that, while he only made $70,000 for directing the movie, his son had earned more than $1 million for co-writing the song!
"Director Altman had two stipulations about the song for composer Mandel: it had to be called "Suicide Is Painless," and it had to be the "stupidest song ever written". Altman attempted to write the lyric himself, but, upon finding it too difficult for his "45-year-old brain" to write something "stupid" enough, he gave the task to his 15-year-old-son Michael, who reportedly wrote the lyrics in five minutes!"
this has all the makings of an apocryphal story, but it's a good 'un!
I don't disagree, as it seems to qualify (even in '70) as "old, or old-enough, Hollywood," which seemed to be filled with such things! They included references, and it'd be fun to check the sources cited, and if I was publishing an article about this, I would! I'd be curious to see where (and in what) Michael ended up with his life/career! But, in employing Mandel, Altman, the elder, picked one of the best!
and if you want a bit of Tune Tag here, Johnny Mandel's arrangement of Paul's My Valentine, from Kisses on the Bottom... https://open.spotify.com/track/30pYuK9F6rCsvjS8MvYHPe?si=c988a279f40048d7
Tune Tag on a Monday!?!?🤯 Well, Paul knows and appreciates The Great American Songbook, but I didn't realize he hired Mandel for that! Way cool!
I have to say that much as I love his solo catalog, it's Kisses on the Bottom that appeared at the top of my Spotify Wrap up last year as my most played Macca album. (Actually it showed up as my most played album of the year overall, but that's only because I listen to the Fabs on vinyl and it's what I play most often when I' m writng.)
I'm listening to "My Valentine" now, and it's as lush and gorgeous as we know Paul wanted, and as we all knew Mandel could deliver.
This subthread is fantastic!
mash and now cheers thanks to a starbucks i walked into to use the facilities - hmmm
PC is never ever a bad idea. You might've already seen this, but I also will never miss a chance to share this bit of rock & roll weirdness:
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/22/fashion/weddings/their-chart-toppers-are-each-other.html
For the Toadies, Abandoned Albums had Vaden Todd lewis on the show. It's a great discussion: https://www.abandonedalbums.com/episode-109-vaden-todd-lewis-of-the-toadies/
Viagra Boys rule.
Had not read that story, thanks for passing that along! Will dig into this podcast later.
PC always good idea.
worked t the bowl for KGLW - 3 day jam - wow - lots of trippers!
I'll bet!
Jamcod's my favorite track from new Jesus & MC. Sizzos is cool and a nice new discovery - thanks.
I'm still not certain about...
* Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
* Elbow - Audio Vertigo
The libraries $1 CD bin was overflowing this week, here's just a sample of the amazing stuff which I likely never would heard otherwise:
* Roger Bunn - Piece Of Mind
* Who Is William Onyeabor? - World Psychedelic Classics 5
* Wa-Chic-Ka-Nocka - S/T
* Porcupine Tree - The Sky Moves Sideways
Nice! That William Onyeabor record is great.
New Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood - not bad but nothing really stands out. Didn’t realize Elbow had a new record out, giving that a digital spin right now.
Have you tried Porcupine Tree before?
Had never heard Porcupine Tree and snagged three CD's of incredible music, Stupid Dream being my favorite of those and reminded me of Talk Talk.
It keeps switiching, but I think Jamcod's my favorite too. A little more on the record coming Friday. Glad you liked the Sizzo's track! A little out of his normal wheelhouse, but I thought it was pretty cool. I want to like Tigers Blood, but I'm not there...yet.
Last night I "discovered" Ministry's cover album, "Cover Up." I don't love the whole thing, but there are some interesting covers here.
Wait; Ministry has a covers record?! Who knew?
I sure didn't until fairly recently! I kinda like covers. Most of them are worse than the original, but every now and then you get a real gem, like NIrvana's "Love Buzz" or "Venus" by Bananarama.
Read World Domination: The Sub Pop Records Story over the weekend, so found myself listening to a ton of Spotify Sub Pop playlists. Mudhoney and Tad are favs from early days. Shins have a special place in my heart as well.
It makes me feel really old to type this, but remember when Tad was the band that dominated that scene?
The new Kacey Musgraves and Waxahatchee!
Loved Deeper Well. Maybe not the best record to play at 4:30 Am on a Sunday at work, but still...
I'm listening to Christopher Benstead's score for The Gentlemen TV series. It's great for getting me in the mood for writing my new novel.
That's a great playlist, by the way.
Thank you!
My wife is bound & determind to get me into The Gentlemen. I have to admit, it's pretty good. Can you share anything about the new novel, or is it still too early?
It's SSDD for me, really. A low level gangster wants to leave the family business and become a hairdresed (Based on a true story BTW) but his past keeps on dreagging him back like a noose! I'll probably change loads of bits by the time I get to the end and make him a zookeeper or something!
End It
Love Allison Road. Great second tier pop music!
I'm listening to Gaslight Anthem because i just got tickets to seen them at The Greek Theater in October. Never been to The Greek and have only seen Brian Fallon solo live.
Right on! Should be a great show.
1) Waxahatchee, Tiger's Blood. 2) Black Crowes, Happiness Bastards. 3) Kacey Musgraves, Deeper Well (Don't think this one is going anywhere soon. It is a definite keeper. Monumental record.)
Also, took a trip back to Dio's live album from Hammersmith (early 90's), and am very happy to see Tony Iommi is getting the Tony Martin era of Black Sabbath albums ready for release. The first two songs released, "Headless Cross" and "Anno Mundi" sound wonderful.
I have a feeling Tigers Blood & Deeper Well are going to be on a lot of 'Best Of' lists come December.
Agreed. They are the two records I have actually written about, and they just stick out. Lots of great female artist albums so far. Another one that just came out is Sierra Ferrell. It is wonderful.
Been listening to a lot of mellow music lately, from Khruangbin to the Menahan Street Band to Max Richter.
We’re out hiking the Glyndwr’s Way in Wales and it’s nice to come back after a long day out in the hills, shower, make a hot tea, and read a book.
Some laid back instrumental music makes for the perfect accompaniment.
The latest single from Khruangbin is fantastic. Hope the hike is going well, and I'm looking forward to hearing more about life on the trail!
REALLY looking forward to the forthcoming Khruangbin album! I’ll have a few photos of the trail on this week’s Alphabet Soup which is dropping in the next couple days
Newish:
Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood
The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis
Yard Act, Where’s My Utopia
Old:
The Feelies, Crazy Rhythms
The Replacements, Let it Be
The Jam, Snap (compilation LP)
Every version of the song Caravan that I own, after watching Whiplash with my son (who plays drums)
The Feelies! Yes!
Over the weekend I found myself listening to "I'll Be Your Johnny on the Spot" off of Ween's Mollusk album. Just a weird little fun one that I enjoy.
I mentioned it on Notes, but weird little fun songs are the best.
So very true
I have "Fisherman" by The Congos stuck on repeat thanks to the newest issue of Joy in the Journey 🫶💙🎣🌊🎶 https://open.spotify.com/track/4jIO4fWetRQXS6Tw1XbhWD?si=1c8fdcec89d74f80
It's quite an earwom, isn't it?
"Beaujolais" and "Greyhound bus" in the same song? Well done, Urge Overkill 😍
I've been (re)enjoying The Cure's Paris because I am a sucker for reissues/remasters/deluxe editions.
Lol. Right? I think this is still my fave UO track.
Just discovered strange but interesting musician from Barcelona, Marina Herlop, as well as her collaboration in the group Myōboku.
Also revisiting some fusion oldies (Retirn to forever, Weather Report).
Marina Herlop is a new name for me. I'm on it!
I love Alison Road! I was actually just thinking about that album this morning.
My on repeat listening this weekend has been the Vanity Metrics EP. It’s a side project from Brett Newski. The rules are that all songs must be recorded to analog tape AND must be recorded at someone's house rather than a studio. I am a bit in love with it, particularly the track Iris.
https://open.spotify.com/track/6diDUnOsG7EyOcgyYwAkPB?si=pIU548PvR1GhXnYoIxmS6w
This is right up my alley! Thanks for getting it on my radar.
Spotify - Went down the U2 rabbit hole all week after reading a post from @abandonedalbums on U2's, Achtung, Baby! and hearing an XM replay of U2 - Live at The Sphere. Personally, I believe the stand outs from U2's discography, outside of Achtung, Baby!, woudl have to be Pop and Zooropa, with the latter being one of U2's standouts (I mean, come on, Numb? What a track!).
The 4 day Portland, OR music festival, Pickathon, released the lineup for 2024 and the accompanying playlist for the artists on this year's roster (hear that playlist here: https://shorturl.at/ekATV). A favorite of mine is J.D. Simo. I've been checking out his 2021 album, Mind Control, along with the album 3D Country by the band Geese, also on the Pickathon lineup this year.
Vinyl - Picked up a nice box of albums at an estate sale on Friday for $5 and so far from that buy I've had ZZ Top's Eliminator, The Eagle's, Hotel California, and a few 45's from The Young Rascals (I've Been Lonely Too Long/Mustang Sally) and The Association (Along Comes Mary/Cherish). Always fun to get a great box of albums that have no scratches and the covers and sleeves are in good shape!
Oh man, That's a great find! Most of the finds at estate sales here seem to be in less than great shape, and have spent the better part of the last 30 years in a damp basement.
On Saturday's post, I half-jokingly said that I would use going to Pickathon as a good excuse to go home. Still might...
Most records I find at estate sales look like the needle on the turntable was a roofing nail, so they are scratched or warped beyond playability. I was stoked to find that box in the shape it was in.
Hmm, maybe a business expense write off for you as, "research", to Pickathon?
I like it! I mean, On Repeat readers expect authenticity, right? How better to deliver, than to be right there at the show?
Old: Pete Townshend - White City
New: Big Big Train - The Likes of Us (melodic prog, Genesis but with their own emotional depth).
Plus the Mark Knopfler Guitar Heroes multiple guitarist track for the Teenage Cancer Trust/Teen Cancer America.
This is a great weekly thread by the way. It’s great to discover what people are listening to.
Thanks Ian! I'm always excited to see what people have been listening to,and never fail to find something new.
My current ten includes a pretty wacky tune by Tom McGovern: Everything Smells Like Salmon...
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/a-current-10/pl.u-gxblgdGI58pPLJ
A lot of Joni Mitchell on Spotify, I'll admit. I have most of the records but the cursed convenience of being able to queue her up on my phone in less-than-optimal sound is addictive.
It really is, isn't it? I noticed something similar the other day. I was in the same room as some of my records, yet playing them on Spotify instead.
I'm doing both - it motivated to finally buy the CDboxset issued in 2022 of the remastered first four albums on Asylum even as I have them all on LP. I will write about this whole thing next month on my Substack.
Right on! Looking forward to reading it.
'Let's Do It Again' (Official Soundtrack) - Staples Singers & Curtis Mayfield
Dennis Coffey - 'Back Home'
Billy Preston - 'The Kids & Me'
Buddy Miles - 'A Message To The People'
And, for my rock fix I have been listening to a lot of psych from South America.
Now, that's a mix! Always a good time for Staples Singers.
Went to Chicago over the weekend. Found the best little record store, Tone Deaf Records, totally awesome store. Large metal and punk sections.
Picked up a Joy Division, Kinks, and Beatles album
Needless to say, it was a Joy Division and Kinks weekend.
But not a Beatles weekend? 🤔
Inquiring minds want to know which Beatles album, which kinks album, and which joy division album.
Yes we do! Also adding Tone Deaf Records to my list of stops next time in Chicago.
Joy Division, Unknow Pleasures
The Kinks, The Pye History of British Pop Music
Beatles, Sargent Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band ( Picture Disc)
The Beatles album is a gift. They are a huge Beatles fan. I'm more of a Kinks fan.
If you found a good price on Unknown Pleasures, that's a find.
Not being a Beatles big fan, I would have missed that, but I will keep a look out for copy.
I do like the early music from the Beatles.
I was talking about Joy Division.
Well, right this moment I'm listening to Allegra Krieger's beautiful 2023 album, I Keep My Feet On The Fragile Plane, because I was needing something more chill. But the past few days I've been listening to a lot of shoegaze, specifically Narrow Head.
Narrowhead rules.
All about the new releases from Waxahatchee, Rosali, Elbow, and Sam Evian. Also working my way through the Pernice Brothers and Old 97s catalogs ahead of their new albums on Apr. 5.
WAxahatchee seems to be a consensus pick this week! Haven't made it to the new Rosali yet.
Getting into a psych bluegrass group, Kitchen Dwellers and their new album “Seven Devils” as I was painting walls last weekend. On the album was a song titled “Meagher’s Reel,” an Irish sounding ballad about true events that occurred near the river town of Fort Benton, in Montana, only a few miles from my childhood home. I was intrigued so I did some digging and realized the band is also from Montana. I haven’t lived there in 30 years so I had not heard of them but I’m really drawn to this new to me genre and exploring other similar groups.
They're new to me as well. Thanks for getting them on my radar!
John Craigie, Sylvan Esso, Altin Gun, Tribe Called Quest, Rodriguez, This Side of Wednesday, William Onyeabor and Metallica/Black Sabbath because my kid is learning bass.
Chris Potter, Eagle’s Point
Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert
Ill Considered, Precipice
Amaro Freitas, Y’Y
Swimming Bell, Charlie
Adrianne Lenker, Bright Future
Kacey Musgraves, Deeper Well
Jlin, Akoma
Four Tet, Three
and a bunch of stuff I rediscovered while doing my record label posts
I love those Ill Considered albums! They are VERY hard to find in the States, however (and when you do, they are very expensive). There's such great jazz coming out of London at the moment.
I've spent a lot of the last year digging on Grant Green, and I put one of his called Solid on this week. Also tho it is much maligned I like later Miles Davis, especially when I'm looking for something to sort of scramble my brain when working on writing projects, so I had one of his called Aura on this morning. Built to Spill's 2022 record, When the Wind Forgets Your Name. Various versions of "Autumn Leaves" because I was hoping to be able to play a passable version of that or at least comp along. T. Swift's Midnights, which along with Lover has been on and off heavy rotation all year. Another Miles record, Files De Kilimanjaro. New Willie Nelson single, "The Border."
Courtney Barnett and Low Cut Connie still in heavy rotation.
I watched an interesting YouTube documentary on the early Detroit music scene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUzKB8mu-Xs) and now I want someone to explain to me why MC5 are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I'd agree with this. They weren't terribly popular (certainly when compared to HoF inductees), and not all of their releases were the best. But if you talk about lasting impact, or influence, I think it'd be hard to argue against them.
I'm listening to my new assignments from mxdwn.com - and it's a labor of love. Hard Labor! I need help from this vast pool of music connoisseurs -
Full Of Hell
Job For A Cowboy
any rabid fans of these outfits? would love to know your thoughts
Kevin - keep it up Bro -
Will do & thank you!
These bands are both new to me. Can anyone here lend some insight?
Heard a radio interview with a few members of Cult Figures on a UK radio show and couldn't resist buying this album that came out last year
https://cultfigures.bandcamp.com/album/between-us-and-heaven
They are a band that go back to the early days of DIY recordings in the punk era and were friends with The Swell Maps but this new recording is quite different and pretty amazing.
Listening to this now. Only a little ways in, but love what I'm hearing so far!
Happy Wednesday! When I was 16 and had an alt rock phase (believe it or not), I would sneak into these shows, stand right next to the stage and get completely smashed 🤭 https://youtu.be/0DL27DXJdtc?si=4R5mE5uaa5kCiIuE
Was not expecting this as one of your picks, but it was great! That riff is infectious!
Lol I know 😂 I still can't believe it myself, but here I am, still spinning their records every now and then. Oh, the memories...
https://youtu.be/q6rgFi7JcVA?si=z8S42mMAaJ7ubNfa&t=5417
My wife reminded me that the lemon probably wasn't spinning, but we were from the alcohol we had consumed 😃