“New Jersey Blues”, 070 Shake

This way: New Jersey Blues

Here is some fascinating new music. 070 Shake (pronounced "oh seven oh shake"), is an American rapper and singer. She is best known for her guest appearance on English singer Raye's 2022 single "Escapism", which peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaked atop the UK Singles Chart, and won Song of the Year at the 2024 Brit Awards.

Previously, she signed with rapper Kanye West's record label, GOOD Music, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings, in 2016. Her debut extended play (EP), Glitter (2018), foresaw her receiving further attention in June of that year for her guest appearances on West's songs "Ghost Town" and "Violent Crimes"—from his eighth album, Ye—both of which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. During that same month, Balbuena also guest performed on labelmate Pusha T's album Daytona and New York rapper Nas' album Nasir. Her debut studio album, Modus Vivendi (2020), and its follow-up, You Can't Kill Me (2022), were both positively received by music critics despite failing to chart.

Aside from her solo career, Balbuena is also a member of the New Jersey–based musical collective 070, from which she adapted her stage name. The group has released one mixtape, The 070 Project: Chapter 1 (2016). 

[Spotify] New Jersey Blues 

“The Passenger”, Siouxsie and the Banshees

This way: The Passenger

Here is a great cover of one of my all-time fav songs (might be my number one fav song). Siouxsie of course kills it as she does with most songs.

Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. The Times called the group "one of the most audacious and uncompromising musical adventurers of the post-punk era".

 

Initially the band including guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris rapidly evolved to create "discord full of daring rhythmic and sonic experimentation". Their debut album The Scream was released to widespread critical acclaim in 1978. Following membership changes, including the addition of guitarist John McGeoch and drummer Budgie, they changed their musical direction and became one of the most successful alternative pop groups of the 1980s.

[Spotify] The Passenger

“Try Me out Sometime”, BRONCHO

This way: Try Me out Sometime

Broncho is an American indie rock band formed in 2010 in Norman, Oklahoma. The current lineup consists of Ryan Lindsey on guitar and vocals, Ben King on guitars, Penny Pitchlynn on bass and Nathan Price on drums.

Their debut album Can't Get Past the Lips originally came out in 2011 on Guestroom Records and Austin-based CQ Records and was later rereleased by Fairfax Recordings in 2013. Broncho released their second album Just Enough Hip to Be Woman on September 16, 2014, on Dine Alone Records. The album received generally favorable reviews from the music press.

The band's song "It's On" was played over the closing credits of "Females Only," the first episode of the third season of the HBO series Girls. "Try Me Out Sometime" was used in an advertisement for HBO Now and Movie 43. "Try Me Out Sometime" was also featured in the documentary, Valley Uprising. The track "Class Historian" was used in a commercial featuring Kate Hudson for her Fabletics brand of women's athletic clothing as well as Cartoon Network's bearstack campaign.  

[Spotify] Try me out Sometime

“Mrs. Ladyships and the Cleanerhouse Boys”, The Smashing Times

This way: Mrs. Ladyships and the Cleanerhouse Boys

Smashing Times are a group from Baltimore with no small amount of love for the noise pop days of C86 and the Pastels. The group does perfectly what only punks playing pop music can do- create chaotic noise in tandem with the sweetest hooks and most sophisticated nihilism. 

Featuring Thee Jasmine Monk and Zelda-Anais, Britta Leijonflycht, Paul Krolian. Written and recorded by Jaz at Druid House. Produced by Thee Jasmine Monk and Hayes Waring. Mixed by Capt. Tripps Ballsington. Mastered by Amy Dragon. 

[Spotify] Mrs. Ladyships and the Cleanerhouse Boys 

“I See”, Henrik Appel

This way: I See

Henrik Appel of Stockholm, releases new solo LP. Since moving to the Swedish capital at the age of twenty, he’s established himself as one of the key figures in the city’s indie rock underground; after starting out playing bass in the punk outfit Kilroy, he met the similarly prolific Martin Savage and joined his band, Martin Savage Gang, handling bass and backing vocals as the group toured across Europe and the United States. Working with Savage inspired Appel to step out front and centre himself, and in the summer of 2016, his new three-piece Lion’s Den released their self-titled debut album, one that had Appel on lead vocals and guitar and on which he penned the lyrics himself.

[Spotify] I See

“On a Beach”, Hayden, Feist

This way: On a Beach

The long-heralded king of Canadian slacker folk, Hayden will release his tenth studio album, Are We Good, a crowning achievement in his well deep catalogue of carefully hewn and heartrending indie folk – and his much-anticipated first new album since 2015's Hey Love. 

Featuring guest vocals by Feist and co-writing by The National's Matt Berninger, the lead single "On A Beach" is easily the most uplifting and buoyant song in Hayden's downcast (and well deep) catalog, with its chorus of "we're drinking income taxes and there's sand at our feet." A spare bass groove, the gentlest of handclaps, Hayden's strained tenor, all explode into the honeyed melodies of the one Leslie Feist amidst a stream of harmonizing arpeggiators.

Hayden offers some of his best songwriting, painting with uncharacteristically broad strokes of emotion and sonic texture, like a cross between Pavement and Leonard Cohen. 

[Spotify] On a Beach 

“Fire in the Western World”, Superchunk + Quivers

This way: Fire in the Western World

If Superchunk says it is so, then it is so. They have a solid record of records dating back 34 years. So please do not question thier actions. If they cover a song it is because it is a beacon to the treasure trove. Here they take there hand at a Dead Moon song that hits home today. They done been touring Austrailia with the Quivers and put this and another to magnetic tape.  

[Spotify] Fire in the Western World

“You're So Cool”, Grey Factor

This way: You're So Cool

Pioneers of the Los Angeles underground electronic music scene, Grey Factor have been mythical for over 40 years. The band recorded two experimental synth/ post-punk EPs and gigged sparingly before disbanding. None of their recordings have been released in physical format until 2023, except for cassettes distributed at one of the 20-odd gigs Grey Factor played at L.A. punk venues.

 

[Spotify] You're So Cool

“Don't Let it all Pass By”, Plasticland

This way: Don't Let it all Pass By

Plasticland is an American Neo-Psychedelic and Garage rock (revival) band, formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1980 with two members of Arousing Polaris, Glenn Rehse and John Frankovic.

 

Several guitarists and drummers would rotate in and out of the band over time, but Glenn Rehse and John Frankovic have remained the core of the band. Dan Mullen was the second guitarist for most of the 1980s recordings and live appearances. Brian Ritchie, later of The Violent Femmes, played guitar briefly with the band on early recordings. Multiple singles, EPs, compilation appearances, studio and live albums appeared in the 1980s and early 1990s. Several compilation CDs chronicle the band's earlier years. 

Color Appreciation (1984), their first album, was on the French Lolita label. Enigma Records in the US reissued the album in 1985, self-titling it, with track alterations and substitutions. Enigma subsidiary label Pink Dust released the next two albums, Wonder Wonderful Wonderland (1985) and Salon (1987). For Wonder Wonderful Wonderland the label wanted the band to use Paul B. Cutler, a producer and guitar player with The Dream Syndicate. German label Repulsion issued their final studio album, Dapper Snappings in 1994, though it was recorded several years earlier. Two very different live albums were also released. You Need a Fairy Godmother (1989) and Confetti (1990) were both issued by Midnight Records. The former was recorded with Plasticland backing one of their musical heroes, Twink, legendary drummer of The Pretty Things and The Pink Fairies. Confetti consists of various live performances edited together.

[Spotify] Don't Let it all Pass By

“Fly Away”, Paul B. Cutler

This way: Fly Away

Great new LP from Cutler put out last year. Paul B. Cutler is an American producer and guitarist, best known for his work with the Dream Syndicate and 45 Grave. Former Phoenix dude.

Cutler's first band, the Consumers, were the first punk rock band from Phoenix, Arizona. In 1979, he founded the punk and gothic band 45 Grave, who played off and on until 1990 and released several records. 45 Grave had formed alongside another Cutler band with almost the same lineup called Vox Pop, which released two singles.

In 1981, he played bass with the LAFMS-affiliated art group Bpeople, also producing and engineering their eponymous 1981 single, and producing and remixing their 1986 compilation album Petrified Conditions 1979-1981. In 1982, Cutler played on the Life Out on the Lawn 12" EP by Gleaming Spires; that same year, he engineered and produced the debut EP by Los Angeles-based Paisley Underground band the Dream Syndicate. Cutler became a member as lead guitarist for two Dream Syndicate albums, Out of the Grey (1986) and Ghost Stories (1988), before their 1989 demise.

[Spotify] Fly Away

“Where You Gonna Land (Next Time You Fall Off of Your Mountain)?”, Nova Mob

This way: Where You Gonna Land (Next Time You Fall Off of Your Mountain)?

Here's a great record to listen to. The Last Days of Pompeii is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band Nova Mob, a band formed by former Hüsker Dü drummer Grant Hart. It was released on February 22, 1991 by Rough Trade. The album was remixed and reissued by Con d’Or on January 11, 2011 with bonus tracks and new album cover art. It is a concept album about rocket scientist Wernher von Braun escaping the end of World War II by time-travelling back to Pompeii and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. 

[Spotify] Where You Gonna Land (Next Time You Fall Off of Your Mountain)?

“Soundtrack”, Thin White Rope

This way: Soundtrack

Thin White Rope was an American rock band associated with the desert rock and Paisley Underground subgenres, fronted by vocalist Guy Kyser. The band released five albums. 

The band was formed in Davis, California, during a period spanning 1981 and 1982. Founding members Guy Kyser and Jozef Becker were in a band called the Les Z Boys in 1981. Becker and Kyser split off during the 1981-1982 period, and posted an ad at Skip's Music seeking a bass player and another guitarist. Roger Kunkel answered the ad, bringing in bass player Kevin Staydohar. The newly formed band played some of the same covers as the Les Z Boys, and also began to introduce original songs by Kyser. Steve Tesluk (bass) and Frank French (drums) joined the group in 1983, replacing Staydohar and Becker, both of whom left to join True West.

In 1984, a four-track recording with about 14 songs was sent to a number of labels, and an additional demo was recorded in December with Scott Miller producing. At this time, Jozef Becker rejoined the group, replacing French. Lisa Fancher of Frontier Records, who heard of Thin White Rope through a magazine review of the 14-song demo, signed the group to Frontier, and the band then recorded Exploring the Axis.

Over time, the band retained singer/songwriter/guitarist Guy Kyser and guitarist Roger Kunkel, with a changing line-up of drummers and bass guitarists. Like Television, it was noted for its twin guitar attack, innovative use of feedback structures and oblique lyrics. The Rough Guide to Rock called Thin White Rope "one of the few worthwhile traditional American guitar rock bands of their era. While most of the essential groups of the time were pushing back the limits of the form, Thin White Rope had the distinction of managing to breathe new life into the genre."

[Spotify] Soundtrack

“Vertigo otherwise My Conviction”, Les Rallizes Dénudés

This way: Vertigo otherwise My Conviction

Guest contributor Eric Burton:

Takashi Mizutani created seismic sounds with just fuzz, wah-wah, tape delay, and powerful amplifiers. His guitar mastery lay in the feel, texture, and overwhelming volume, often leading to unnerving live recordings with his band Les Rallizes Dénudés, where piercing feedback was a deliberate choice. "Our band's direction was decided the instant my electric guitar fed back," he noted in a rare 1991 fax to Music Magazine. 

Mizutani's departure from this earth in 2019 was shrouded in mystery, leading even friends to believe it was intentional. However, recent interviews and liner notes reveal a deeper connection to the man behind the dark sunglasses. The OZ Tapes aim to replace inferior bootlegs, offering a renewed communion with one of rock's most fascinating and misunderstood figures. Here’s the track ‘Vertigo otherwise My Conviction’ from the aforementioned release:  

[Spotify] Vertigo otherwise My Conviction

Thanks Eric!— BdeV

“And Nothing is Forever”, The Cure

This way: And Nothing is Forever

Songs of a Lost World is the fourteenth studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 1 November 2024 via Fiction, 113  Lost Music, Universal, Polydor, and Capitol Records. It’s the band’s first release of new material in 16 years since 2008's 4:13 Dream. All the songs on the album were composed solely by singer/guitarist Robert Smith. It is also their first studio album to feature Reeves Gabrels, having been a touring member since 2012, replacing Pearl Thompson, although previously Gabrels already featured on 1997's single "Wrong Number".  

[Spotify] And Nothing is Forever

“Stay in Your Grave”, Black Keys (feat. Alice Cooper)

This way: Stay in Your Grave

The Black Keys have teamed up with Alice Cooper for a new single, “Stay In Your Grave.”

The single is accompanied by a black and white video co-directed by Corey Bost and Ali Gomez, featuring the Ohio duo performing the song interspersed with scenes from horror films  

[Spotify] Stay in Your Grave

“Street Pulse Beat”, Special Interest — Guest Editor Michael Cornelius

This way: Street Pulse Beat

Guest editor this week: Michael Cornelius

Special Interest is a punk band from New Orleans that updates punk for the dance floor.   

Thanks Michael! 

[Spotify] Street Pulse Beat

“Bobby Bland”, Xiu Xiu — Guest Editor Michael Cornelius

This way: Bobby Bland

Guest editor this week: Michael Cornelius

A prolific and often experimental duo, Xiu Xiu is a recent discovery for me.  They released a new album titled “13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with “Bison Horn Grips” this year and I have been listening to it end to end multiple times a week.   

[Spotify] Bobby Bland

“Blackout”, No Volcano — Guest Editor Michael Cornelius

This way: Blackout

Guest editor this week: Michael Cornelius

Phoenix’s No Volcano has had a good run with 5 albums since 2016 but they are calling it quits this November with a final show the day after Thanksgiving. This is my favorite song from them.  

[Spotify] Blackout

“Socrates the Python”, Peter Murphy — Guest Editor Michael Cornelius

This way: Socrates the Python

Guest editor this week: Michael Cornelius

I was describing a new musical project I wanted to do to my friend Michael Pistrui and he sent me this song as an example of what I was talking about.  He was exactly right.  We have been making music together for 2 years so far.

 

Peter Murphy was the vocalist for Bauhaus, one of my favorite and influential bands.  

[Spotify] Socrates the Python

“Tuffy and Pearl”, Living Room Collective — Guest Editor Michael Cornelius

This way: Tuffy and Pearl

Guest editor this week: Michael Cornelius

After playing guitar in a loud post-punk band for 14 years (The Father Figures) I wanted to try something more atmospheric and also play keyboards. I recruited Tom Reardon from the The Father Figures, Michael Pistrui from Fat Gray Cat, Bill Goethe from No Volcano and Ben Sanchez. We recorded this live in my living room. We released this the same month The Father Figures played their last show.", "July", "Rain", and "Arizona". The album received critical acclaim from multiple publications.   

[Spotify] Tuffy and Pearl

“The Sweat Descends”, Les Savy Fav — Guest Editor this week Michael Cornelius

This way: The Sweat Descends

Guest editor this week: Michael Cornelius

Les Savy Fav are an east coast post-punk band that released several albums from 1997 to 2010 then were dormant until reforming in 2024 to release another album and go on tour.  I drove out to LA to see them recently and they totally lived up to my expectation of a bucket list musical experience.   

[Spotify] The Sweat Descends

“Say My Name”, The Belair Lip Bombs

This way: Say My Name

The Belair Lip Bombs are an Australian indie rock band formed in Frankston, Victoria in 2017. The group consists of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Maisie Everett, guitarist Mike Bradvica, bassist Jimmy Droughton and drummer Daniel Devlin. They have released two extended plays and issued their debut studio album, Lush Life, in August 2023.

The Belair Lip Bombs formed in 2017, with all four members playing music since a young age and meeting in high school. The band is named after a set of skateboard wheels from the 1980s.  They released their self-titled debut extended play (EP) in 2018, and a second, titled Songs to Do Your Laundry To, in May 2019. Lead vocalist Maisie Everett used to play bass guitar in Melbourne punk outfit Clamm before departing at the start of 2023 to focus on the Belair Lip Bombs. 

[Spotify] Say My Name

“Sinner”, Spiral XP

This way: Sinner

A band from western Washington. Seattle's Spiral XP, Max Keyes, Lena Farr-Morrissey, Daniel Byington, Kyle McCollum, Jordan Mang.

[Spotify] Sinner

“Indian War Whoop”, Holy Modal Rounders

This way: Indian War Whoop

This album cover was done back in the 60s by my great friend and mentor Howard Bernstein who died last month. Howard did lots of work for ESP records. He was 81.

The Holy Modal Rounders was an American folk music group, originally the duo of Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber, who formed in 1963 on the Lower East Side of New York City. Although they achieved only limited commercial and critical success in the 1960s and 1970s, they quickly earned a dedicated cult following and have been retrospectively praised for their groundbreaking reworking of early 20th century folk music as well as their pioneering innovation in several genres, including freak folk and psychedelic folk. With a career spanning 40 years, the Holy Modal Rounders proved to be influential both in the New York scene where they began and to generations of underground musicians.

As the Holy Modal Rounders, Stampfel and Weber began playing in and around the Greenwich Village scene, at the heart of the ongoing American folk music revival. Their sense of humor, irreverent attitude, and novel update of old-time music brought support from fellow musicians but was controversial amongst some folk traditionalists who saw it as disrespectful. In 1964, the Rounders made history with their self-titled debut, which included the first use of "psychedelic" in popular music. After their first two studio albums, the duo briefly joined the newly formed underground rock band the Fugs in 1965 and helped record the band's influential debut album.

Following their exit from the Fugs, the duo released two albums that experimented with psychedelic folk before they expanded their lineup to a full rock band by the end of 1968. The Holy Modal Rounders' expanded lineup notably included famed playwright Sam Shepard as a drummer and many short-lived members before it stabilized in 1971, with a band that would later back Jeffrey Frederick as the Clamtones. In 1972, Weber relocated the band to Portland, Oregon, while Stampfel stayed behind in New York.  

[Spotify] Indian War Whoop

“Billion Star Night Light”, Silverbacks

This way: Billion Star Night Light

Band from Ireland. Vocalist/guitarist duo of brothers Daniel and Kilian O’Kelly and drummer Gary Wickham have gathered with members Emma Hanlon (bass/vocals) and Peadar Kearney (guitar).

[Spotify] Billion Star Night Light

“For Stars of the Air”, Basic

This way: For Stars of the Air

BASIC is a mind-meld between Chris Forsyth, his frequent running partner (and formidable 6-string thinker) Nick Millevoi, and Mikel Patrick Avery (Natural Information Society). "This Is BASIC", their debut album, is a complex and entrancing instrumental LP recasting forgotten scraps of guitar history into a moving mosaic of strings, skins and electronics. Taking inspiration (and their name) from the 1984 Robert Quine/Fred Maher album ("Basic"), Forsyth and Millevoi got together for a run of low-key jam sessions using an Alesis drum machine for rhythm tracks and forging a collaborative language from angular polyrhythms, pulsing baritone-guitar lines, and shimmering chorus-pedal washes (another stylistic nod, this time to the glistening post-punk of the Durutti Column and numerous 4AD bands). Avery was soon enlisted on drum kit—a setup that quickly morphed into a single drum, bell, and a bespoke electronics rig of his own creation. The trio quickly flowered into an improvisational swirl of disorienting electronics, hypnotic throb, and dense flanged-guitar harmonics: three unique voices spinning a complex conversation of textures and rhythms.   

[Spotify] For Stars of the Air

“Even the Losers”, Tom Petty

This way: Even the Losers

Damn the Torpedoes is the third studio album by the American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on October 19, 1979. It was the first of three Tom Petty albums originally released by the Backstreet Records label, distributed by MCA Records. It built on the commercial success and critical acclaim of the band's two previous albums and reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album went on to become certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). 

Widely regarded as one of Petty's best albums, Damn the Torpedoes was ranked number 313 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2003. It was moved up to number 231 in the 2020 revised list.

[Spotify] Even the Losers

“Rain Fall”, Willis Earl Beal

This way: Rain Fall

Willis Earl Beal is solid great, Talk about marching to his own beat, he continues to impress and bewilder me. This is from an LP called 'New Golden Hour' released in 2018, but contains material written much earlier. I have it from Bandcamp her as it doenst seem to be availible anywhere else. A solid release at any point.

[Spotify] NO!

“Hound Dog”, Walter Steding

This way: Hound Dog

Guest contributor Eric Burton:

Walter Steding, an American musician and visual artist from Harmony, Pennsylvania, debuted in New York City in the late seventies as a one-man band, opening for acts like Blondie and The Ramones. In the eighties, he assisted Andy Warhol, who became his producer. 

As a violinist with The Electric Symphony, Steding created electronic instruments, including a synthesizer linked to a biofeedback device. He performed at art galleries and clubs like CBGBs and collaborated with artists such as Jim Carroll and David Byrne. Known as "Doc Steding," he led the orchestra on Glenn O’Brien’s T.V. Party and formed his band, Walter Steding and The Dragon People, in 1980, releasing records on Red Star and Animal Records. Featured here is a collaboration with Robert Fripp on a rendition of "Hound Dog" from Steding's 1980 self-titled album. 

Thanks Eric!— BdeV

[Spotify] No!

“Zig Zag Wanderer”, Captain Beefheart

This way: Zig Zag Wanderer

Safe as Milk is the debut studio album by American music group Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, released in June 1967 by Buddah Records. A heavily blues-influenced work, the album features a 20-year-old Ry Cooder, who played guitar and wrote some of the arrangements.

Before recording Safe as Milk, the band had released a few singles through A&M Records, and it was to this company that the group first proposed their début album in 1966. They presented the label with a set of R&B-influenced demos, which the label felt were too unconventional and decided to drop the band. Beefheart later said the label dropped them after hearing the song "Electricity" and declaring it "too negative". A&M's Jerry Moss thought the content too risqué for his daughter's ears. This, plus Leonard Grant's severance as manager, added to the discontent. The band instead turned to Bob Krasnow, who was then working for Kama Sutra Records; he recruited them to record for the company's new subsidiary label, Buddah.

Meanwhile, Beefheart had been secretly planning changes to the Magic Band's line-up—a practice common throughout the group's existence. The group that recorded the two A&M singles had consisted of Doug Moon and Richard Hepner on guitars, Jerry Handley on bass, and Alex St. Clair on drums. Hepner had already left, and Beefheart was keen to replace Moon with Ry Cooder, who was then playing with Gary Marker and Taj Mahal in the Rising Sons. These and other changes resulted in a Magic Band with Handley on bass, St. Clair on guitar, and John French on drums, with Cooder providing additional guitar parts. Cooder's arrival had been swayed by Marker, who had spent time with Beefheart and had been given to believe he would produce the album; in fact, Marker was only engaged in demo recording.  

[Spotify] Zig Zag Wanderer

“DEMOS 1977 - 1978”, Units

This way: Units Demos

One of my all time fav bands. I saw them live a few times, and I'm still not sure why there instrumentation did not take off to be more popular, 2 synths and real drums. Such a perfect combo for rock n roll. Well they killed it to be sure. Here is a new release of the early demos of this great band. 

 

[Spotify] There is Gravity

“Right Time”, The Crowd

This way: Right Time

Huntington Beach's first & foremost punk band. . . . .  

This from 1980. Featuring Jim ‘Trash’ Decker (vocals), Jay Decker (bass), Jim Kaa (guitar, vocals), Tracy Porterfield (vocals) and Barry ‘Cuda’ Miranda (drums), they were almost completely divorced from the prevailing hardcore punk ethos. Dressed in dayglo beachwear, and with their own version of communal dancing (it is often suggested that Decker invented the ‘slam dance’), the Crowd specialized in trashy surf punk, akin to a less skilled Agent Orange. 

[Spotify] Right Time 

“Free Rider”, Joe Pug

This way: Free Rider

Joe Pug is an American singer-songwriter from Greenbelt, Maryland. He has released two EPs, as well as the albums Messenger, The Great Despiser, Windfall, The Flood in Color, and The Diving Sun.   

While working as a carpenter in Chicago after dropping out of the University of North Carolina, Pug wrote and recorded what would eventually become his debut EP, Nation of Heat. Its literate lyrics received widespread acclaim and Pug's unorthodox promotional strategy of distributing free CDs to anyone interested in sharing his music resulted in the EP selling over 20,000 copies. After touring with Steve Earle in 2009, Pug was signed by Nashville indie label Lightning Rod Records and released Messenger in 2010. After moving to Austin, Pug released The Great Despiser in 2012.   

 

[Spotify] Free Rider

Cardinals at the Window

This way: Cardinals at the Window

This LP just dropped on Bandcamp for the benefit of Flood relief in Western North Carolina. All kinds of great artists and songs compiled here. R.E.M., Gillian Welch, Mt Goats, Jason Isbel. There's 136 songs for crying out loud. And they are only asking ten bucks, well worth it for a good cause.

[Spotify] NO

“Gold to Rust”, Get Smart!

This way: Gold to Rust

Here is a great one from my old pals Get Smart!. This track from the stellar LP Swimming with Sharks released in 1986. Naked and wet. Some of the finest songwritin' of their day.

Get Smart! is a three-piece post-punk band formed in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1980 consisting of Marcus Koch, Lisa Wertman Crowe and Frank Loose. The band released 2 studio albums along with some singles and EPs over a 10-year career. The band re-united in 2020. 

The band formed while at University of Kansas in 1980 and, along with bands like the Embarrassment, and the Mortal Micronotz, they were prominent in the alternative music scene in Lawrence. They released their first record in 1981, which was a flexi disc released with "Talk Talk" magazine. This was followed by a self-released 4-track EP called Words Move. They had 5 songs on the four band split cassette, released by Fresh Sounds Records, called Fresh Sounds From Middle America (vol 1) (the four bands being Get Smart!, the Embarrassment, the Yard Apes and the Mortal Micronotz). In 1982 they relocated to Chicago, Illinois. The group were signed by Colin Camerer to his Fever Records label (an independent label in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and released their first album, Action Reaction in 1984. Their second album, Swimming with Sharks, was released in 1986 on Enigma Records' "Restless Records" imprint.

[Spotify] Gold to Rust