Monday, August 31, 2020

“Future Teenage Cave Artists”, Deerhoof

This way: Future Teenage Cave Artists

Deerhoof is an American independent music group formed in San Francisco in 1994. It currently consists of founding drummer Greg Saunier, bassist and singer Satomi Matsuzaki, and guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez. Beginning as an improvised noise punk band, Deerhoof became widely renowned and influential in the 2000s through self-produced albums that combine "noise, sugary [pop] melodies, and an experimental spirit into utterly distinctive music".

They have released fifteen studio albums since 1997; their most recent album Future Teenage Cave Artists was released on 29 May, 2020 

[Spotify] Future Teenage Cave Artists

Saturday, August 29, 2020

“Ca Plane Pour Moi”, Plastic Bertrand

This way:  Ça plane pour moi

Roger François Jouret, better known as Plastic Bertrand (born 24 February 1954), is a Belgian musician, songwriter, producer, editor and television presenter, best known for the 1978 international hit single "Ça plane pour moi". Although most of this information is suspect. 

[Spotify] Ça plane pour moi

[extra credit Sonic Youth] Ça plane pour moi

Friday, August 28, 2020

“Mirror Star”, Fabulous Poodles

This way: Mirror Star

I'm not really sure about this band, I remember we certainly like their name back in the day. And we may have seen them open for somebody. The Fabulous Poodles were a British pre-new wave band formed in 1975. Known for quirky stage antics, such as exploding ukuleles, as well as songs with funny lyrics, The Fabulous Poodles toured with Meat Loaf, Sha Na Na, Tom Petty, Bill Bruford and Chuck Berry (as backing band). They appeared on the Old Grey Whistle Test and for a long time were music critic John Peel's favourite group. The band released three albums between 1977 and 1979 on Pye Records.  

[Spotify] Mirror Star

Thursday, August 27, 2020

“As The Waves Will Always Roll”, Richard Buckner

This way: As The Waves Will Always Roll

Richard Buckner is an American singer-songwriter born in California, United States. After living in Edmonton, Alberta, for a number of years, he relocated to Brooklyn, New York.
Buckner's solo career began with Bloomed (1994), a lyrically dense suite of songs recorded in Lubbock, Texas and produced by Lloyd Maines. It was released when Buckner was the frontman of the band The Doubters, which was not achieving very much success at the time. In January 1996, while living in San Francisco, he recorded an album's worth of acoustic songs, all of which reappeared in more fully realized forms on his second and third albums. The CD was self-produced and self-released, and was sold exclusively at his early shows. This from the album Dents And Shells of 2004. 

[Spotify] As The Waves Will Always Roll

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

“Beggars and Choosers”, Soul Asylum

This way: Beggars and Choosers

Soul Asylum is an American alternative 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. This track from 1988's Hang Time. 

[Spotify] Beggars and Choosers

Monday, August 24, 2020

“I'm Sorry”, Inflatable Boy Clams

This way: I'm Sorry

 Inflatable Boy Clams (WERE):

Carol Detweiler - bass, drums, organ, vocals
JoJo Planteen - bass, vocals
Judy Gittelsohn - organ, slide guitar, bass, vocals
Genvieve Boutet de Monvel - sax

San Francisco band from 1981. 

[Spotify] I'm Sorry

Saturday, August 22, 2020

“Where Were You”, Mekons

This way: Where Were You

Fast Product was an independent record label, established in Edinburgh by Bob Last and his partner, Hilary Morrison, in December 1977. Its first release was also the first single by the Mekons, released on 20 January 1978. 

The label issued the first records by a number of early and influential post-punk bands from Northern England, including the original Human League, Gang of Four and the Mekons. Fast Product also released the first singles by the Scottish punk bands Scars and The Flowers. The label also released compilations of various new bands called 'ear comics' or Earcom. Many of the label's releases were also produced by Bob Last with Morrison producing photographs and visuals for the record sleeves.

The Mekons are a British-American post-punk band that formed in the late 1970s as an art collective. They are one of the longest-running and most prolific of the first-wave British punk rock bands. Through the years, the band's musical style has evolved, incorporating aspects of country music, folk music, alternative rock and occasional experiments with dub. They are known for their raucous live shows.

[Spotify] Where Were You

Friday, August 21, 2020

“I'll Be Your Johnny On The Spot”, Ween

This way: I'll Be Your Johnny On The Spot

Ween is an American alternative rock band formed in New Hope, Pennsylvania, in 1984 by childhood friends Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, better known by their respective stage names, Gene and Dean Ween. After meeting in a middle-school typing class, the two began playing music and immediately chose the name Ween as well as their Ramones-inspired pseudonyms. Ween performed as a duo backed by a Digital Audio Tape for the band's first ten years of existence before expanding to a four-piece—and later five-piece—act. The band's highest charting single is "Push th' Little Daisies" (1993), which was a hit in the United States, New Zealand and Australia.

The Mollusk is the sixth studio album by American rock band Ween, released by Elektra Records on June 24, 1997. It is a multi-genre concept album with a dark nautical theme, with most songs incorporating elements from psychedelia and/or sea shanties while also featuring a heavy progressive rock influence. 

[Spotify] I'll Be Your Johnny On The Spot

Thursday, August 20, 2020

“Dare to Tread”, Tall Dwarves

This way: Dare to Tread

Tall Dwarfs are a New Zealand rock band formed in 1981 by Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate, who helped pioneer the lo-fi style of rock music. The duo were former members of Toy Love. 

The band lacked a drummer, but would use household objects and hand claps to act as percussion. Both members can play guitar, with 12 strings and bass guitar often heard on their records. Both can play organ as well, which has been utilised on some of their songs. The Casiotone is frequently used too, especially on live concerts.

Their debut was the EP Three Songs (1981), and for many years they released EPs only. The album Weeville (1990) was their first full-length album. They did, however, release a number of full-length compilations of their EPs, like Hello Cruel World and The Short and Sick of It. This song from Fork Songs of 1991.

[Spotify] Dare to Tread

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

“Where You'll Find Me Now”, Jeff Magnum

This way: Where You'll Find Me Now

Neutral Milk Hotel put this out, but this simple live version is much better. Jeff Mangum (born October 24, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work as the lyricist, vocalist and guitarist of the band Neutral Milk Hotel, as well as being one of the cofounders of The Elephant 6 Recording Company. He is best known for his complex, lyrically dense songwriting, apparent on the critically lauded album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.

Mangum disbanded Neutral Milk Hotel following an extensive tour of North America and Europe, culminating in a solo set on New Year's Eve 1998 at the 40 Watt Club in Athens. Allegedly suffering from poor health and a nervous breakdown, Mangum made few public appearances until February 2001, when he performed a one-off show in New Zealand at the request of Chris Knox. That summer, Mangum released a compilation of field recordings of Bulgarian folk music on the Orange Twin label titled Orange Twin Field Works: Volume I. This was followed by a live solo album Live at Jittery Joe's, recorded by filmmaker Lance Bangs in 1997. In the fall of 2001 he joined Circulatory System and The Instruments on an East Coast tour, providing drums and vocals.

[Spotify] Where You'll Find Me Now

[extra credit] Where You'll Find Me Now

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

“Native Americans”, Les Seldoms

This way: Native Americans

Les Seldoms are a Tucson band from the early 80's. They appear here on Arizona Disease a split EP with the Jr. Chemists put out on Subterainan Records from 1981.

[Spotify-nope] 

Monday, August 17, 2020

“Marque Moon”, Television

This way: Marque Moon

This is the band that helped launch Punk Rock. They got Hilly at CBGBs to give them a gig, where Punk Rock all began. Television is an American rock band from New York City, most notably active in the 1970s. The group was founded by Tom Verlaine, Richard Lloyd, Billy Ficca, and Richard Hell. An early fixture of CBGB and the 1970s New York rock scene, the band is considered influential in the development of punk and alternative music. 

Although they recorded in a stripped-down, guitar-based manner similar to their punk contemporaries, Television's music was by comparison clean, improvisational, and technically proficient, drawing influence from avant-garde jazz and 1960s rock. The group's debut album, Marquee Moon, is one of the all time greatest records ever recorded.

[Spotify] Marque Moon

Saturday, August 15, 2020

“4 degrees”, ANOHNI

This way: 4 degrees

ANOHNI, is an English-born singer, composer, and visual artist. She was formerly the lead singer of the band Antony and the Johnsons.

Anohni was born in Chichester, England. Her family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1981. In 1990, she moved to Manhattan, New York to study at the Experimental Theater Wing at New York University, and in 1992 she founded the performance art collective Blacklips with Johanna Constantine.

She started her musical career performing with an ensemble of NYC musicians as Antony and the Johnsons. Their first album, Antony and the Johnsons, was released in 2000 on David Tibet's label Durtro. Their second album, I Am a Bird Now (2005), was a commercial and critical success, earning her the Mercury Music Prize.  

This from 2016.

[Spotify] 4 degrees

Friday, August 14, 2020

“The Merry Golden Tree”, Shirley Collins

This way: The Merry Golden Tree

Shirley Collins MBE (born 5 July 1935) is an English folk singer who was a significant contributor to the English Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s. She often performed and recorded with her sister Dolly, whose accompaniment on piano and portative organ created unique settings for Shirley's plain, austere singing style. This from the album 'Heart’s Ease ' released in 2020. 

[Spotify] The Merry Golden Tree

Thursday, August 13, 2020

“Bones of Contention”, Walkabouts

This way: Bones of Contention

Here is a great one from 1989. The Walkabouts were an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984. The core members were vocalist Carla Torgerson and vocalist and songwriter Chris Eckman. Although the rest of the line-up changed occasionally, for most of the time the other members were Michael Wells, Glenn Slater and Terri Moeller.

The band drew inspiration from folk and country music, particularly Townes Van Zandt, Neil Young and Johnny Cash, but also from other types of artists and musical styles such as Scott Walker, Leonard Cohen, French chanson and Jacques Brel. Their sound was typically rich, with string arrangements and keyboards in addition to the standard rock instruments. In reviews the band's music was often described as melancholic or mellow, while Eckman's lyrics, concerning such themes as human relations, loneliness and restlessness, were often emphasized as poetic.

[Spotify] Bones of Contention

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

“Never See”, Otta

This way: Never See

Otta is a Finnish-British singer-songwriter from south London whose electronic pop songs are bright, sharp and strange. She has a compelling DIY fidgetiness about her material – hardly surprisingly, given that she records much of her material in her home studio: “a cupboard-under-the-stairs-meets-shed”, she explains, “but still a precious altar”.   

[Spotify] Never See

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

“The Moon”, The Microphones

This way: The Moon

The Microphones are an American rock band from Olympia, Washington, founded in 1996 and ended in 2003, with a short reunion following in 2007. The band was fronted by Phil Elvrum (who now spells his surname Elverum). Elverum was the principal songwriter and producer behind the band's albums, but he has also collaborated with other local musicians on his other recordings and tours. Many of Elverum's recordings from this period were released by the label K Records. 

Since 2003 Elverum has recorded and performed primarily under the name Mount Eerie. He played a one-off concert in Anacortes, WA under the name The Microphones in June 2019 and announced the release of a new Microphones album, Microphones in 2020, in August 2020  

[Spotify] The Moon

Monday, August 10, 2020

“Television Screens”, Fontaines D.C.

This way: Television Screens

Fontaines D.C. are an Irish band formed in Dublin in 2017. The band consists of Grian Chatten (vocals), Carlos O'Connell (guitar), Conor Curley (guitar), Conor Deegan III (bass), and Tom Coll (drums).
  After meeting while attending music college, and bonding over a common love of poetry, the band began self-releasing singles and performing live regularly, signing to Partisan Records in 2018. The band's debut album, Dogrel, was released on April 12, 2019 to widespread critical acclaim, winning 'Album of the Year' accolades from both Rough Trade and BBC Radio 6 Music, and was nominated for the Mercury Prize and Choice Music Prize.

The band's second studio album, A Hero's Death, was written and recorded in the midst of extensive touring for their debut, and was released on July 31, 2020. This sone is from the 2019 release "Dogrel".

[Spotify] Television Screens

“Sanitarium Blues”, Townes Van Zandt

This way:  Sanitarium Blues A Far Cry from Dead is a posthumous album by Townes Van Zandt, released two years after the singer's 1997 de...