“Tell You Why Tomorrow” Hüsker Dü

This way: Tell You Why Tomorrow

Hüsker Dü was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continuous members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notability as a hardcore punk band, and later crossed over into alternative rock. Mould and Hart were the band's principal songwriters, with Hart's higher-pitched vocals and Mould's baritone taking the lead in alternating songs.

Creative and personal tensions between Mould and Hart intensified. With Mould already doing most of the band's managerial duties, bringing in David Savoy to help with that end, Savoy's suicide on the eve of the band's 1987 tour in support of the double album Warehouse: Songs and Stories threw the band into a tailspin. In September 2006, Hart told Britain's Q magazine, "I take full responsibility for [Savoy's] suicide. It was a direct result of the pressure of working for Bob and me, because he was being forced into a two-faced situation." Mould called Savoy's suicide "the beginning of the end."

The promotional tour for Warehouse: Songs and Stories included some of the highest profile television appearances in the band's career, including performances on The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers and the NBC morning news program Today.

The band dissolved after a show in Columbia, Missouri, on the band's December 1987 tour. Hart was trying to quit heroin using a supply of methadone, but the bottle had leaked. Hart still played the show, but Mould and Norton were concerned he would be unable to play the remaining shows due to withdrawal. While Hart insisted he could perform, Mould had already canceled the remaining dates. Mould has said that the breakup was about "three people going their separate ways," referring to Hart's drug use and new relationship, Norton's recent marriage and new business, and Mould himself having quit a lifelong drinking habit back in 1986. After a band meeting on January 26, 1988, Mould decided to leave the band and made it official two days later.

[Spotify] Tell You Why Tomorrow 

“8 Miles High” The Byrds

This way: 8 Miles High

"Eight Miles High" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds, written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn (later known as Roger McGuinn), and David Crosby. It was first released as a single on March 14, 1966. Musically influenced by sitar player Ravi Shankar and jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, the song was influential in developing the musical styles of psychedelia and raga rock. Accordingly, critics often cite "Eight Miles High" as being the first bona fide psychedelic rock song, as well as a classic of the counterculture era.

The song was subject to a U.S. radio ban shortly after its release, following allegations published in the broadcasting trade journal the Gavin Report regarding perceived drug connotations in its lyrics. The band strenuously denied these allegations at the time, but in later years both Clark and Crosby admitted that the song was at least partly inspired by their drug use. The failure of "Eight Miles High" to reach the Billboard Top 10 is usually attributed to the broadcasting ban, but some commentators have suggested the song's complexity and uncommercial nature were greater factors.

[Spotify] 8 Miles High 

[Charming cover] 8 Miles High (Hüsker Dü) 

“Ex Athelete” C Turtle

This way: Ex Athelete

London, UK. 

[Spotify] Ex Athelete 

“Little Sparrow” Dolly, RIP

This way: Little Sparrow

Its' hard to imagine a musician as poweful in life as Dolly Parton. She really did transcend the boundaries. And she did it with such a glowing smile. Growing up I mostly knew her from late night talk show apparences. Her music durring those days didnt interest me much. I like it when country leans folk and not heavy syrup. But she certainly has her folk and bluegrass leanings. Here is a track from 2001. Cheers to the woman who cured Covid!

[Spotify] Little Sparrow 

[Bonus] We are the Champions 

“Feel the Pain” Dinosaur Jr

This way: Feel the Pain

How is this song so good? I can't stop listening to it. It's a real simple struckture. Yet infinite. Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlow (bass, vocals), and Murph (drums). After three albums on independent labels, the band earned a reputation as one of the formative influences on American alternative rock. Creative tension led to Mascis firing Barlow, who later formed Sebadoh and Folk Implosion. His replacement, Mike Johnson, came aboard for three major-label albums. Murph eventually quit, with Mascis taking over drums on the band's albums before the group disbanded in 1997. The original lineup reformed in 2005, releasing five albums thereafter.

Mascis's drawling vocals and distinct guitar sound, harking back to 1960s and 1970s classic rock and characterized by extensive use of feedback and distortion, were highly influential in the alternative rock movement of the 1990s.

Mascis and Barlow played together, on drums and guitar respectively, in the hardcore punk band Deep Wound, formed in 1982 while the pair were attending high school in western Massachusetts. After high school, they began exploring slower yet still aggressive music like Black Sabbath, the Replacements, and Neil Young. Mascis's college friend Gerard Cosloy introduced him to psychedelic-influenced pop bands like Dream Syndicate, which Mascis in turn showed to Barlow. Barlow explained, "We loved speed metal ... and we loved wimpy-jangly stuff".

[Spotify] Feel the Pain 

“Box Score” Wild Pink

This way: Box Score

Wild Pink is an American indie rock band from the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City.

Wild Pink began in 2015, releasing an EP titled 2 Songs. In May 2015, Wild Pink joined Texas Is Funny Records and released a new single, as well as announcing a second EP, Good Life, which was released on June 30, 2015. In 2016, the band announced their self-titled debut full-length album, which was released on the Tiny Engines label in February 2017. The band's second album, Yolk in the Fur, was released on July 20, 2018.

In January 2020, Wild Pink contributed to a benefit compilation in support of Bernie Sanders's 2020 presidential run. Organized by indie rock band Strange Ranger, the compilation was titled "Bernie Speaks With the Community."

[Spotify] Box Score 

“Problem Child” The Cramps

This way: Problem Child

Ther latest and greatest (cravest?) from the Cramps. Most of these we have heard before. Early demos from 1977. Henry Rollins and Poisin Ivy banded together to get these to our ears. It's hard to top the Cramps, one of the all time greats.

[Spotify] Problem Child 

“Fith Column” Tuxedomoon

This way: Fith Column

Tuxedomoon is an experimental, post-punk, new wave band from San Francisco, California, United States. The band formed in the late 1970s at the beginning of the punk rock movement. Pulling influence from punk and electronic music, the group, originally consisting of Steven Brown and Blaine L. Reininger, used electronic violins, guitars, screaming vocals and synthesizers to develop a unique "cabaret no-wave" sound. Bassist Peter Principle (Peter Dachert, 1954–2017) joined the band and in 1979 they released the single "No Tears", which remains a post-punk cult classic. That year they also signed to Ralph Records and released their debut album, Half-Mute, in 1980. Eventually, Reininger left the group, and Tuxedomoon relocated to Europe, signing to Crammed Discs and releasing Holy Wars in 1985. The band separated in the early 1990s, only to reunite later that decade. They all have remained together since releasing the album Cabin in the Sky in 2004.

[Spotify] Fith Column 

“First we take Manhattan” Leonard Cohen

This way: First we take Manhattan

Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934 – November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, social and political conflict, sexual and romantic love, desire, regret, and loss. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour. In 2011, he received one of the Prince of Asturias Awards for literature and the ninth Glenn Gould Prize. In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine named Cohen the 103rd-greatest singer of all time.

Cohen pursued a career as a poet and novelist during the 1950s and early 1960s, and did not begin a music career until 1966. His first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967), was followed by three more albums of folk music: Songs from a Room (1969), Songs of Love and Hate (1971) and New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974). His 1977 record Death of a Ladies' Man, co-written and produced by Phil Spector, was a move away from Cohen's previous minimalist sound.

I'm Your Man is the eighth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released on February 2, 1988, by Columbia Records. The album marked Cohen's further move to a more modern sound, with many songs having a synthesizer-oriented production. It soon became the most successful studio album which Cohen had released in the US, and it reached number one in several European countries, transforming Cohen into a best-selling artist.

[Spotify] First we take Manhattan 

“Touch the Veil” Dylan Rippon

This way: Touch the Veil

Dylan Rippon is a songwriter, producer, guitarist, and founding member of Solar, Grand Union, Gramercy, Bears From Labrador, and WA Wa Punx. He began his career in London in the late 1990s. Using samplers and tape machines he immersed himself in the lo-fi scene that stood at odds with Britpop. 

[Spotify] Touch the Veil 

“A Great Design” Black Marble

This way: A Great Design

Black Marble is an American music project formed in 2011 in Brooklyn, New York. It is led by electronic musician Chris Stewart and formerly featured Ty Kube of Team Robespierre.

Black Marble began in March 2011, officially releasing their debut EP on Hardly Art titled Weight Against the Door in 2012. Also in 2012, Black Marble released its first full-length album on Hardly Art titled A Different Arrangement. These works were described as "throwbacks to the cold-wave genre" by Leo Neufeld of the Miami New Times. 

In 2016, Black Marble released its second full-length album, titled It's Immaterial. It was released on Ghostly International. The album marked Ty Kube's departure from the project and Chris Stewart's move from the East to the West Coast. Kristin Porter of SLUG said Stewart "keeps the band's Brooklyn, New York–synth roots alive, resulting in a collection of songs with amplified vocals, pastel-colored synths and a hint of modern-day deference, which is evocatively scored by Stewart's personal, nostalgic touch coupled with every happy-sad, Ian Curtis–garage dance party you've never been to."

[Spotify] A Great Design 

“Turn My Way” New Order (featuring Billy Corgan)

This way: Turn My Way

Get Ready is the seventh studio album by English rock band New Order. It was released on 27 August 2001 in the United Kingdom by London Records and on 16 October 2001 in the United States by Reprise Records. It was the band's first studio album in eight years, following 1993's Republic.

Peter Hook stated that the album's title "could mean anything or nothing. I thought it was just nice; New Order, Get Ready; 'cause we are, we're getting ready for the next phase of our musical lives both physically and mentally, so it's quite a simple thing but it's very pertinent." This myst have been fun for Billy,

The album was dedicated to Rob Gretton, the manager of Joy Division and New Order, who died in 1999. 

[Spotify] Turn My Way 

“Here come the Bums” Snakefinger

This way: Here come the Bums

Philip Charles Lithman (17 June 1949 – 1 July 1987), who performed under the stage name Snakefinger, was an English musician, singer and songwriter. A multi-instrumentalist, he was best known for his guitar and violin work and his collaborations with the Residents. This track from 1979.

Lithman was born in Tooting, South London, and came from the British blues scene. He moved to San Francisco in 1971 and became associated with the avant-garde group the Residents. It is said he was given the name 'Snakefinger' by the Residents themselves based on a photograph of Lithman performing, in which his finger looks like a snake about to attack his violin. 

In 1972 Lithman returned to England and formed the pub rock band Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers with Martin Stone, ex-member of Mighty Baby and a fellow ex-member of Junior's Blues Band. As a duo, they released the album Kings of Robot Rhythm. In 1974, as a full band and popular live act in Britain, they released Bongos Over Balham.

Chilli Willi lasted until 1975, their last record not selling well, and by 1976 Lithman was back in the United States, this time in Los Angeles, California,[2] seeking a recording contract, shopping his rock-style demos. After a few years, Lithman moved back to San Francisco, reconnected with the Residents, and performed and recorded with them. Lithman's solo records, recorded under the name Snakefinger, were released by their record label Ralph Records.

His first album on Ralph was Chewing Hides the Sound in 1979, featuring original material co-written with the Residents as well as esoteric covers like Kraftwerk's "The Model". The songs showcased Lithman's distinctive slide guitar playing, and often surreal imagery. This album was followed by Greener Postures in 1980, which included his first solo compositions as Snakefinger.

[Spotify] Here come the Bums 

“Love on the Run” Steve Rosenbaum

This way: Love on the Run

Singer, guitarist, and songwriter, Steve Rosenbaum, has been knocking around the power pop scene for many years. His formative years were spent growing up in suburban Toledo, Ohio, where he came of age at the magical late 60s, early 70s, mid-western crossroads of rock, soul, pop, and bubblegum. Drinking from the same well as other farmland power pop bands, such as Raspberries, Cheap Trick, Blue Ash, The Romantics, as well as the hard rock sounds emanating from Detroit, just an hour to the north, he amalgamates them all into his sound.

While studying at University of Michigan in 1978, Steve was one of the early performers at the now-famous Bookies Club 870, a seminal punk and new wave club. He went on to continue to perform in Detroit and Ann Arbor in a series of original and cover bands. After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles, where he played in Flip City, a fixture at Madame Wong’s West and other 80s LA showcase clubs. From there, he and bass player (and Grammy nominated producer), Bruce Witkin, left to form The Lonely Bulls, a Beatle-esque vocal-centric acoustic fronted project that featured Everly Brothers-type harmonies.

[Spotify] Love on the Run 

“Without a word” Tom Verlaine

This way: Without a word

Dreamtime is the second solo studio album by American musician Tom Verlaine, released in 1981. "Without a Word" is a rewrite of "Hard On Love," an unreleased Television song performed live in 1974 and 1975.

The album was reissued in 1994 by Infinite Zero Archive/American Recordings label, with two bonus tracks drawn from the 1981 "Always" 7" & 12" single. It was reissued in 2008 by Collectors' Choice Music with no bonus tracks.

 

[Spotify] Without a word 

“Animal Space” New Age Steppers

This way: Animal Space

New Age Steppers were a dub collective from the United Kingdom, formed by producer Adrian Sherwood and featuring members of various prominent 1970s UK post-punk groups, including Ari Up and Viv Albertine of the Slits, Mark Stewart and Bruce Smith of The Pop Group, Keith Levene of Public Image Ltd and The Flowers of Romance, John Waddington and Sean Oliver of Rip Rig + Panic, and Vicky Aspinall of The Raincoats. Other musicians included associates of Sherwood's On-U Sound label, including Roots Radics' Errol Holt, George Oban (who had also played with Burning Spear and Aswad), Bim Sherman, Style Scott, and Eskimo Fox.

New Age Steppers released the self-titled debut album on On-U Sound in 1980. It was followed by Action Battlefield in 1981. The third album, Foundation Steppers, was released in 1982.

Love Forever, an album of songs which the late Ari Up and Adrian Sherwood had recorded together until the death of Ari Up, was released in 2012. On March 19, 2021, On-U Sound reissued the band's four studio albums and released a compilation of rarities titled Avant Gardening. The material was also issued together as a five-disc box set, Stepping Into a New Age, which compiles all of the group's recordings for the label.

This one by Viv AlbertineAriane ForsterTessa Pollitt. 

[Spotify] Animal Space 

“A Guy Like Me” Green on Red

This way: A Guy Like Me

Green on Red was an American rock band, formed in the Tucson, Arizona punk scene, but based for most of its career in Los Angeles, California, where it was loosely associated with the Paisley Underground. Earlier records have the wide-screen psychedelic sound of first-wave desert rock, while later releases tended more towards traditional country rock.

The band began in 1979 as The Serfers, a four-piece made up of Dan Stuart (vocals/guitar), Jack Waterson (bass), Van Christian (drums, later of Naked Prey) (organ), quickly replaced by Chris Cacavas. In the summer of 1980, the Serfers relocated to Los Angeles, where they changed their name to Green on Red (after the title of one of their songs) to avoid confusion with the local surf punk scene. Christian returned to Tucson and was replaced by Lydia Lunch sideman Alex MacNicol.

The band issued an overtly psychedelic, self-released red vinyl EP, sometimes called Two Bibles, though its first widely available record was an EP issued in 1982 by Dream Syndicate leader Steve Wynn on his own Down There label. Green on Red followed the Dream Syndicate onto Slash Records, which released the album Gravity Talks in late 1983.[1] San Francisco-based guitarist Chuck Prophet joined for the 1985 Gas Food Lodging (Enigma), after which MacNicol was replaced on drums by Keith Mitchell (later of Mazzy Star). Also in 1985, Stuart collaborated with Steve Wynn as "Danny & Dusty" on the album The Lost Weekend (A&M).

[Spotify] A Guy Like Me 

“Vireo's Eye” Future Islands

This way: Vireo's Eye

Future Islands is an American synth-pop band that formed in Greenville, North Carolina, in 2006, later relocating to Baltimore, Maryland, in 2008. The band consists of Samuel T. Herring (vocals), Gerrit Welmers (keyboards, programming), William Cashion (bass, guitars) and Michael Lowry (drums).

The band was formed by Herring, Welmers and Cashion—the remaining members of the performance art college band Art Lord & the Self-Portraits—and drummer Erick Murillo. Murillo departed from the band after recording their debut album, Wave Like Home (2008). Continuing as a three-piece, the remaining trio released two further studio albums – In Evening Air (2010) and On the Water (2011) – to a growing cult fanbase and extensive touring.

Future Islands came to prominence in 2014 with their fourth album, Singles, released by 4AD. Its lead single "Seasons (Waiting on You)" was considered the best song of 2014 by Pitchfork and NME and its performance at the Late Show with David Letterman in March 2014 became the most-viewed video on the show's YouTube page and has been described as one of the best live performances of all time.

Ahead of recording their fifth studio album, The Far Field (2017), the band added session drummer Michael Lowry to its line-up. He became a core member of the band for their sixth studio album, As Long as You Are (2020). The band's seventh studio album, People Who Aren't There Anymore (2024), chronicled the dissolution of Herring's long-distance relationship across worldwide COVID-19 lockdowns. 

[Spotify] Vireo's Eye 

“Machinery” The Naked and Famous

This way: Machinery

The Naked and Famous are a New Zealand indie electronic band from Auckland, formed in 2007. The band currently consists of Alisa Xayalith (vocals, keyboards) and Thom Powers (vocals, guitars). 

The band has released four studio albums: Passive Me, Aggressive You (2010), In Rolling Waves (2013), Simple Forms (2016) and Recover (2020). Since 2012, the band has been based in Los Angeles, California. Xayalith (born 1986 in Auckland) is the daughter of Laotian refugees and was raised together with a younger brother. Her father introduced her to his native folk music and, at the age of 13, she taught herself guitar. Powers had been playing in local bands from an early age after he had been taught to play guitar by his father.

2007–2008: Early years

The band formed in 2007 when Powers and Xayalith were working on what became two extended plays—This Machine and No Light—that they recorded with engineer Aaron Short, a fellow student at Auckland's Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand. The EPs were subsequently released on local independent label Round Trip Mars. Powers and Xayalith began performing live with Ben Knapp and Jordan Clark on bass and drums respectively, while Aaron Short became a performing member of the group. Knapp and Clark left the group in 2009 and were subsequently replaced with Jesse Wood and David Beadle.

After recording "All of This", the group then set about recording the single "Young Blood" and their debut album, recording mostly at home and at Auckland studio The Lab. "Young Blood" debuted on the New Zealand chart at number one on 14 June 2010—the first New Zealand artist in three years to do so. The Naked and Famous released their debut studio album, Passive Me, Aggressive You, on 6 September 2010 on their own label, Somewhat Damaged. The album was produced by Thom Powers and Aaron Short, and mixed by Billy Bush.

[Spotify] Machinery 

“Push” Liquid Liquid

This way: Push

Liquid Liquid is an American dance-punk group, originally active from 1980 to 1983. They are best known for their track "Cavern," which was covered—without proper permission or attribution—by the Sugar Hill Records house band as the backing track for Melle Mel's old school rap classic "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)." The group released a series of extended plays, including the acclaimed 1983 12" EP Optimo. In 2008, the band reformed and have played in multiple countries.

Liquid Liquid was formed by the members of the New York "primitive punk band" Liquid Idiot (Sal Principato, Richard McGuire, Scott Hartley, and Dennis Young). McGuire recalled that they changed the name from the punk-resonant "Liquid Idiot" to "Liquid Liquid", which had undertones of "slippery grooviness".[3] In 1981, the band released their self-titled debut EP, which according to author Tim Lawrence, "combined the Bo Diddley beat, the rototoms in Curtis Mayfield's "Super Fly", the percussive crescendos of Fela Kuti, the subtractive spatial dimension of dub reggae, and the deconstructive rock of DNA."

Liquid Liquid often played at the gay black and latino scene clubs like Paradise Garage, as well as the more heterosexual latino scene at Funhouse, The Roxy, and Monster Movie Club. Liquid Liquid, alongside Treacherous Three, played in Rick Rubin's 1982 "Uptown Meets Downtown" event.

One of their most famous songs, "Cavern", originally appeared on the EP Optimo recorded by Don Hünerberg. The song's bassline and lyrics were copied by Grandmaster + Melle Mel's old school rap classic, "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" changing the words "slip in and out of phenomenon" to “something like a phenomenon". 99 Records took Sugarhill to court over its unauthorized use, and after an expensive court battle, won compensation. Before they could collect, however, Sugarhill went into bankruptcy. The members of Liquid Liquid started earning royalties after Duran Duran covered "White Lines" in 1995. In aftermath, Principato recalled that he couldn't get angry, "given what a big influence Grandmaster Flash was on him—[he] was partly flattered, partly flabbergasted, partly confused".

[Spotify] Push 

“Save Me” Joan as Police Woman (with Iggy)

This way: Save Me

Joan Wasser (born July 26, 1970) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and producer who releases music as Joan As Police Woman. She began her career playing violin with the Dambuilders and played with Black Beetle, Antony and the Johnsons, and Those Bastard Souls. Since 2004 she has released her solo material as Joan As Police Woman. She has released five regular studio albums, one extended play (EP), a number of singles and two albums of cover songs. Throughout her career, she has regularly collaborated with other artists as a writer, performer and arranger.

Born at the Saint Andre Home in Biddeford, Maine, to an unmarried teenage mother, Wasser was placed for adoption at infancy. She was raised in Norwalk, Connecticut. She credits her background as an adopted child with her "very extroverted" personality and dressing up a lot. She says that "when you are in a situation where you're not blood-related to your family, it does become extremely obvious that you're born with your personality".

Wasser began piano lessons at age six and violin lessons at age eight. She played violin in school and community orchestras before leaving Norwalk for her college studies. At the age of 18, Wasser began her music career during her studies at the College of Fine Arts, Boston University. She studied music under, among others, Yuri Mazurkevich, and played with the Boston University Symphony Orchestra. Wasser soon grew disillusioned and found that she "didn't want to make classical music my life, the Beethoven symphonies have already been played a million times and I am not going to do it any better". Instead, she joined a number of local punk bands trying "to bridge the gap between the guitar and the bass and play the violin really loud". 

[Spotify] Save Me 

“Cartoon” Soul Asylum

This way: Cartoon

Soul Asylum is an American rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.

The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of Dave Pirner, Dan Murphy, Karl Mueller, and Pat Morley. They changed their name to Soul Asylum in 1983. Morley was replaced by Grant Young in 1984.

The band recorded three albums with Twin/Tone Records and two with A&M Records, with little commercial success. In 1992, they released the triple-platinum album Grave Dancers Union, featuring "Runaway Train". The band played at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton early the next year. They also scored a platinum record with the album Let Your Dim Light Shine three years later. In 1998 they recorded Candy from a Stranger. The band released four more albums over the next 15 years. Their most recent releases are Hurry Up and Wait in 2020, their twelfth studio release; and Slowly But Shirley in 2024, their thirteenth release. 

Mueller was diagnosed with cancer in 2004, and the band organized a benefit concert on his behalf. Mueller died a year later.

[Spotify] Cartoon 

“Piece of Mind” Honey Cassette

This way: Piece of Mind

Bittersweet neo-psychedelic freak-out rock - Boston, MA.

[Spotify] Piece of Mind 

“Punk Police” Fancy Rosy

This way: Punk Police

Here is an audio jem from 1977. I'm thinking this is from the Neatherlands.

[Spotify] NO!

“Is Vic There?” Department S

This way: Is Vic There?

Department S are a British punk/new wave band formed in 1980, who took their name from the 1960s TV series Department S. They are best known for their debut single, "Is Vic There?", which was originally released in December 1980 and reached No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart the following year.

Department S evolved from a previous punk/ska combo, Guns for Hire, fronted by Vaughn Toulouse and also featuring former Madness drummer John Hasler. Mike Herbage joined them on guitar and wrote Guns for Hire's only single, "I'm Gonna Rough My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Up Tonight", released on the Korova record label. The group then became Department S with the addition of bassist Tony Lordan, drummer Stuart Mizon and keyboardist Eddie Roxy (born Anthony Edward Lloyd-Barnes), taking their name from the British spy-fi adventure television series Department S, produced by ITC Entertainment.

They debuted at the Rock Garden in London on 24 September 1980. Demon Records released their debut single, "Is Vic There?", in December 1980.[3] It was produced by former Mott the Hoople members Buffin and Overend Watts. The B-side, a cover version of T.Rex's "Solid Gold Easy Action", featured Thunderthighs on backing vocals.

"Is Vic There?" began to climb the UK Singles Chart, reaching No. 22. The single's initial success led to the better-equipped RCA Records reissuing the single in March 1981. This edition, featuring a remix by David Tickle, reached No. 67 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, and the band appeared on Top of the Pops. Department S defied easy categorisation, but recorded a session for John Peel on 3 December 1980. The tracks featured were "Is Vic There?", "Age Concern", "Ode to Cologne (Stench of War)" and "Clap Now".

[Spotify] Is Vic There? 

“Okay” Girl and Girl

This way: Okay

Girl and Girl are a four-piece Australian rock band from Brisbane. They were formed in the Gold Coast by Kai James on lead vocals, Jayden Williams on lead guitar and Aunt Liss (Melissa James) on drums. Fraser Bell later joined on bass guitar. Girl and Girl were signed by Sub Pop in 2023, and their debut album was released on May 24, 2024.

Vocalist Kai James and guitarist Jayden Williams began cramming for their upcoming music exam in James' mother's garage. One day, James' Aunt Liss (Melissa James) joined them on drums after walking her dog. Girl and Girl were formed in Gold Coast, in 2020, by James, Williams, Liss and Jayden's brother Coby Williams on bass guitar. The quartet's early singles were "Shame Its not Now" and "White Tiles" (April 2021). Their first extended play, A Typical Friday Night (Shame, Sex And Misery), was released in September alongside a 10" released by Colossus Records, together with a music video for its single, "Doctor Marten". Initially intended as a temporary arrangement, Aunt Liss became a permanent member of the band.

Their second EP is the six-track Divorce, which was issued independently in September 2022.[6] Coby co-wrote "Dance Now" with James but had left the band before the EP was released.[6] He was replaced by Fraser Bell on bass guitar. In 2023 the band were signed by Sub Pop and released the single "All I See", and re-released "Dance Now".[8] Their second EP was re-released in June, which was extended to eight tracks, as Divorce+. On 24 May 2024 Girl and Girl released their debut album, Call a Doctor.[9] In February 2024 they issued its lead single, "Hello".

[Spotify] Okay 

“Warm Leatherette” Grace Jones

This way: Warm Leatherette

Grace Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her modelling career in New York, signing with Wilhelmina Models. After moving to Paris, she worked for fashion houses such as Yves St. Laurent and Kenzo, while appearing on the covers of Elle and Vogue Hommes. Jones was photographed by Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, and Hans Feurer, and emerged as one of the most prominent Black models of the 1970s. She earned recognition for her androgynous appearance and bold features, and has been cited as influential in early discussions of gender expression.

Beginning in 1977, Jones embarked on a music career, securing a record deal with Island Records and becoming associated with New York City's Studio 54-centered disco scene. During this time, she was often referred to in the media as "Disco Queen", with Jet dubbing her "the greatest of them all" in 1979. In the early 1980s, she moved toward a new wave style that drew on reggae, funk, post-punk, and pop music, frequently collaborating with both the graphic designer Jean-Paul Goude and the musical duo Sly & Robbie.

She scored Top 40 entries on the UK Singles Chart with "Private Life", "Pull Up to the Bumper", "Love Is the Drug", and "Slave to the Rhythm". In 1982, she released the music video collection A One Man Show, directed by Goude, which earned a nomination for Best Video Album at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards. Her albums include Warm Leatherette (1980), Nightclubbing (1981), and Slave to the Rhythm (1985). She later continued to collaborate with contemporary artists such as Gorillaz and Janelle Monáe, and received another Grammy nomination for her work as a featured artist on Renaissance (2022) by Beyoncé. 

[Spotify] Warm Leatherette 

“Who's Landing in my Hanger”, Human Switchboard

This way: Who's Landing in my Hanger

Human Switchboard was an American punk rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1977. According to a Rolling Stone review, Human Switchboard "was of its time — mixing Velvet Underground guitar churn, Sixties garage-rock organ, rubbery Pere Ubu-like baselines, skronky sax and athletically spazzy drumming."

Human Switchboard consisted of singer-guitarist Robert Pfeifer, singer and Farfisa organ player Myrna Marcarian, Ron Metz on drums, Steve Calabaria, Doug Morgan and Paul Hamann on the bass.

The band was formed in 1977 when Robert Pfeifer met Myrna Marcarian at Syracuse University. They spent that summer back in Cleveland, where Pfeifer grew up. They, along with drummer Ron Metz, recorded an EP of four songs, enlisting David Thomas of Pere Ubu to mix the tapes. The EP was self-released during that fall.

The band next recorded their "I Gotta Know" single for Akron's Clone Records during a spring break in 1978. By this time, Pfeifer and Metz had moved to Columbus, Ohio to attend The Ohio State University. Marcarian soon followed after her year at Syracuse and the band re-formed as a three piece. After the school year ended, the band started playing shows, with its first in the basement of local Columbus High Street record store Magnolia Thunderpussy.

Soon after the summer of 1978, the band moved back to Cleveland briefly and then opened a used record store in Kent, Ohio. This store was to provide support for the band, which it did for the following three years. In the next few months, the band started playing shows in the area and gained followings in the Kent, Akron, Dayton, Columbus, Detroit and Pittsburgh regions. In 1979, the band recorded its next single at one of the better Cleveland studios named SUMA. With the help of Kent's famed The Numbers Band (15-60-75), they recorded their next single 'Prime of My Life / In My Room', later to be released on the band's own Square label. 

[Spotify] Who's Landing in my Hanger 

“FAKE” , Grace Cummings

This way: FAKE

Grace Cummings is an Australian singer-songwriter and stage actor from Melbourne. She has released three studio albums: Refuge Cove (2019), Storm Queen (2022), and Ramona (2024). She is known for her unique singing voice, which has been described as "commanding and magnetic", powerful, and as having a "devastating force". Cummings' musical influences include Irish folk music, Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, and Lucinda Williams.

Cummings began as a drummer, later becoming a self-taught guitar player. She was signed by Melbourne record label Flightless after founder Eric Moore attended one of her live shows. Flightless released her debut album, Refuge Cove, in 2019. The nine-track album blended acoustic folk and blues and featured Cummings playing acoustic guitar. It was launched at the Tote Hotel and toured, with Cummings supporting international artists including Weyes Blood, Evan Dando, and J Mascis. Cummings received a Music Victoria Awards nomination for Best Breakthrough Act in 2020. 

[Spotify] FAKE 

“You Will Feel My Pain” Kira Roessler

This way: You Will Feel My Pain

Kira Roessler (born June 12, 1961) is an American musician who was the bass guitarist for the influential hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1983 to 1985. Since the mid-1980s, she has been a member of the rock duo Dos with her now ex-husband Mike Watt.

Roessler also works as a dialogue editor. She was on the sound editing team for Mad Max: Fury Road, which won a 2015 Oscar. She was also on the teams that won Emmy Awards for the John Adams episode "Don't Tread on Me" and on the series Game of Thrones.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut Roessler lived there until age eight when her family moved to the Caribbean until she was eleven and thereafter in California, mostly in Los Angeles. Her brother is Paul Roessler, a keyboardist known for involvement in several Los Angeles–area bands including the Screamers.

 

Roessler began studying piano when she was 6 but quit at 11. At 14, she picked up the bass guitar and committed to learning the instrument. Her first band was called Waxx and she played her first gig at 16 at Whisky a Go Go.Other early bands were Sexsick, the Visitors, and the Monsters. She then joined with a post-Germs Pat Smear to form Twisted Roots.

[Spotify] You Will Feel My Pain 

“Evening Star”, Fripp Eno

This way: Evening Star

Evening Star is the second studio album by British musicians Robert Fripp and Brian Eno. It was recorded from 1974 to 1975 and released in December 1975 by Island Records.

Evening Star and the preceding seven-show European tour by Fripp and Eno marked Fripp's first musical output after King Crimson disbanded for the first time, and his last before temporarily retiring from music to attend John G. Bennett's International Academy for Continuous Education.

The second side of the album consists entirely of a twenty-eight-minute piece of Frippertronics-based drone music titled "An Index of Metals", in which distortion increases as the track progresses. This side of the album is described as "less playful" and "more shocking" than the first half. 

[Spotify] Evening Star 

“Shove” L7, RIP Jennifer Finch

This way: Shove

Sad to note the passing of Jennifer Finch Lead singer, bass guitarist for L7. L7 is an American rock band founded in Los Angeles, California, first active from 1985 to 2001 and re-formed in 2014. Their longest standing lineup consists of Suzi Gardner (guitars, vocals), Donita Sparks (vocals, guitars), Jennifer Finch (bass, vocals), and Dee Plakas (drums, vocals). L7 has released seven studio albums and has toured widely in the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia, and South America. "Pretend We're Dead" was heavily played on United States alternative radio and entered the top 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart in 1992.

Due to their sound and image, L7 is often associated with the grunge movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and as an all-female band, L7 has, at times, been linked to riot grrrl, although they preceded and are outliers of both the grunge and riot grrrl movements. L7 has been supportive of political causes, and formed Rock for Choice in 1991. A documentary film about the band, L7: Pretend We're Dead, premiered in 2016.

[Spotify] Shove 

“Mannequin Man”, Cornelius deVallance

This way: Mannequin Man

Two new songs just dropped on to streaming services from Cornelius deVallance. Cornelius deVallance are an experimental rock and punk project formed by Michael Cornelius and Brendan deVallance. Known for their minimalistic, quirky songs, the duo initially collaborated in the early 80s as part of the Phoenix punk scene and later revived their musical partnership to release tracks like "The Takeaway".The duo has been highly active in the local Arizona music scene, performing live sets on a recurring basis. Michael Cornelius, who previously played with the notable skate-punk band JFA, performs alongside Brendan deVallance. They typically blend off-beat, infectious melodies over continuous rhythm tracks, treating their live shows as experiments in "recombinant musical DNA". They are also widely known for reuniting their classic 1980s Phoenix punk band, the Jr. Chemists. The band, which originated in the early Phoenix underground punk era.

[Spotify] Mannequin Man 

“Sick Inside”, Young Pioneers

This way: Sick Inside

Oregon band of some repute. High Again is the 2017 debut LP by the Olympia, Washington post-punk band Young Pioneers, released on the legendary K Records. The 12-track album, recorded at Dub Narcotic Studios, showcases the group's signature post-punk pop psychedelia and energetic Northwest underground sound. 

[Spotify] Sick Inside 

“Godsend”, Beat Happening

This way: Godsend

One of my all-time fav LPs. Beat Happening was an American indie pop band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis, and Bret Lunsford were the band's continual members. Beat Happening were early leaders in the American indie pop and slacker rock movements as well as pioneers of twee pop, noted for their playful disregard for the technical aspects of musicianship that contributed to lo-fi music, and songwriting with carefree and coy themes.

Beat Happening met while attending the Evergreen State College and began recording in 1983. The band took its name from a student art film, Beatnik Happening, made by Lunsford's girlfriend. The year prior, Johnson had founded the label K Records. The band's basic line-up was drums, guitar, and vocals, though when they formed, their only instruments were a pair of maracas and a Sears Silvertone guitar purchased at a thrift shop. Lewis once joked in an interview that she believed the history of the band could be readily told through a list of people whose drums they had borrowed. She and Johnson had been members of a previous band and approached Lunsford, who had no musical experience at the time.

Early recordings made use of an Echoplex machine to add heavy reverb to Lunsford's guitar, in an attempt to mask his unkempt performance.

The band traveled to Tokyo in 1984 with intentions of touring. Their first show in Japan was at the high school of a former exchange student Calvin knew. The band members recorded Three Tea Breakfast, a five-song EP that marked the band's first release.

[Spotify] Godsend 

[Charming Live 1992] Godsend