"Cain's Heresy", The Lounge Society

This way: Cain's Heresy

The Lounge Society hail from the Pennine towns of Hebden Bridge and Todmorden in the Calder Valley of West Yorkshire. There the rain falls two hundred days a year upon the moss-draped, post-industrial ruins, the clouds scud overhead at speed and up on the heathered moor-tops carrion crows hungrily peck at the skulls of dead sheep.  

[Spotify] Cain's Heresy

"New Life", Do Nothing

This way: New Life

The Nottingham-based quartet have a limited recorded output thus far – three tracks are available to stream, which verge from the sardonic ramblings of ‘Gangs’ to the slower jangle of ‘Handshakes’ and the fidgety ‘Waitress’ – but their buzz has been built from these live shows, which are ever-changing, unpredictable and very, very exciting.  

[Spotify] New Life

“Scream”, Lindsey Buckingham

This way: Scream

There really is no good reason to like Lindsey Buckingham. But for some reason I do. He was recently kicked out of Fleetwood Mac, which is like what? Really? Can they do that? Here is a fantastic new song from his latest release. 

[Spotify] Scream

"Fox on the Run", Sweet

This way: Fox on the Run

Is the world ready for Sweet still? This from 1975.

 

The Sweet, sometimes also shortened to just Sweet, is a British glam rock band that rose to worldwide fame in the 1970s. Their best known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bass player Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott, and drummer Mick Tucker. The group was originally called The Sweetshop.

The band was formed in London in 1968 and achieved their first hit, "Funny Funny", in 1971 after teaming up with songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman and record producer Phil Wainman. During 1971 and 1972, their musical style followed a marked progression from the Archies-like bubblegum style of "Funny Funny" to a Who-influenced hard rock style supplemented by a striking use of high-pitched backing vocals.

The band first achieved success in the UK charts, with thirteen Top 20 hits during the 1970s alone, with "Block Buster!" (1973) topping the chart, followed by three consecutive number two hits in "Hell Raiser" (1973), "The Ballroom Blitz" (1973) and "Teenage Rampage" (1974). The band turned to a more hard rock style with their mid-career singles, like 1974's "Turn It Down". "Fox on the Run" (1975) also reached number two on the UK charts. These results were topped in West Germany and other countries on the European mainland. They also achieved success and popularity in the US with the top ten hits "Little Willy", "The Ballroom Blitz", "Fox on the Run", and "Love is Like Oxygen". 

 

[Spotify] Fox on the Run

“Sparks Kiss the Water”, Palm Ghosts

This way: Sparks Kiss the Water

Palm Ghosts is a dream pop punk band based in Nashville. 

Taking cues from such bands as Cocteau Twins, Peter Gabriel, Echo and The Bunnymen, New Order, early U2 and The Cure, Palm Ghosts takes the sounds of early 80s alternative music and brings it into the new millennium.

Their self-titled debut is a tapestry of lo-fi folk and indie pop 88.5 WXPN in Philadelphia called “Elegant and Sweeping Pop”.

Greenland, Palm Ghosts’ second record, consists of songs that walk the line of electronic, indie and Americana music Atwood magazine called “A stirring mix of folk writing with electronica-tinged production…Electronically magnetic and emotionally heartfelt.”

In May of 2017 Palm Ghosts found their sound with the release of Architecture, a critically lauded collection of cinematic dream pop songs.

[Spotify] Sparks Kiss the Water

"Poor Napoleon", Elvis Costello

This way: Poor Napoleon

This album is where Napoleon Dynamite got his name. Napoleon Blownapart . . . . . . 

Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter with Irish heritage. Costello began his career as part of London's pub rock scene in the early 1970s and later became associated with the first wave of the British punk and new wave movement that emerged in the mid-to-late 1970s. His critically acclaimed debut album My Aim Is True was released in 1977. Shortly after recording it, he formed the Attractions as his backing band. His second album This Year's Model was released in 1978, and was ranked number 11 by Rolling Stone on its list of the best albums from 1967 to 1987. His third album Armed Forces was released in 1979, and features his highest-charting single, "Oliver's Army" (number 2 in the UK). His first three albums all appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.   

[Spotify] Poor Napoleon

“Tangerine”, Buffalo Tom

This way: Tangerine

Buffalo Tom is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986. Its principal members are guitarist Bill Janovitz, bassist Chris Colbourn, and drummer Tom Maginnis. The band's name is derived from the band Buffalo Springfield and the first name of the drummer. Buffalo Tom began with a friendship at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst among students Chris Colbourn, Tom Maginnis, and Bill Janovitz. Another friendship with guitarist/frontman J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. helped the band's career to take off by assisting with the production on the band's first two albums. Mascis also played lead guitar on the song "Impossible" from Buffalo Tom's self-titled debut.

Buffalo Tom had their highest-charting songs in the mid-1990s: "Sodajerk" (1993) peaked at No. 8 and "Sleepy Eyed" (1995) peaked at No. 4 on the Heatseekers chart. Their album, Big Red Letter Day, peaked at no. 17 in the UK Albums Chart in October 1993

[Spotify] Tangerine

“Harnessed in Slums”, Archers of Loaf

This way: Harnessed in Slums

One of my all time favorite bands. Archers of Loaf is an American indie rock band originally formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1991. The group toured extensively and released four studio albums, one compilation, numerous singles and EPs, and a live album which was released after the band broke up in 1998. In 2011 the band began a reunion tour that coincided with the reissue of four of its albums by Merge Records.009, they had 30 singles reach the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. Singer/guitarist Eric Bachmann, guitarist Eric Johnson, bassist Matt Gentling, and drummer Mark Price, all originally from Asheville, North Carolina, formed Archers of Loaf in the early 1990s. Eric Bachmann was a saxophone major at Appalachian State University before dropping out because he "didn't want to be a high school band director." 

Their initial release in 1992 was a 45" single, "Wrong" b/w "South Carolina" given away free with issue 1 of Stay Free! magazine. The band signed with Alias records, and released their second single "Web in Front" in February 1993; it received moderate college radio airplay. The song was featured in a season five episode of Beavis and Butt-Head, and was included on the soundtrack of the movie Mallrats in 1995.

[Spotify] Harnessed in Slums

“Clean Kill”, Coriky

This way: Clean Kill

Coriky is an American punk rock band made up of Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi, The Evens), Amy Farina (The Warmers, The Evens), and Joe Lally (Fugazi, The Messthetics). In 2015, Farina and MacKaye, who played together in The Evens, began playing music with Joe Lally (Fugazi, The Messthetics). In 2018, the group played their first show, now with the adopted moniker Coriky. During early 2020, Coriky released two songs, "Clean Kill" and "Too Many Husbands" via various free streaming services. Although the self-titled debut album was originally set for release on March 27, 2020, the COVID-19 lockdown enacted in the United States during March, 2020, delayed its release until June 12, 2020, in part to accommodate independent record stores closed due to the pandemic. 

The band previewed their album at a free show in D.C.'s St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church on February 22, 2020.

Upon release the record was favorably reviewed, and compared and contrasted to MacKaye and Farina's other band The Evens, and to MacKaye and Lally's other band Fugazi.

[Spotify] Clean Kill

“All for the Best”, Miracle Legion

This way: All for the Best

Miracle Legion was an American college rock band formed in 1983 in New Haven, Connecticut. They earned modest renown, especially in their native New England region, but also in the UK, where they were feted by music media such as NME and Melody Maker. The original lineup consisted of singer/guitarist Mark Mulcahy, lead guitarist Ray Neal, drummer Jeff Wiederschall, and bassist Joel Potocsky. Their first EP, The Backyard, was financed by Brad Morrison and released on the Bridgeport, Connecticut co-op label Incas Records in 1984 and became a college radio hit. Their first full-length album, Surprise Surprise Surprise, was released in 1987 on Rough Trade Records, by which time Potocsky had been replaced by bassist Steven West. In 1988, Glad came out, consisting of new songs and live tracks (which included a guest appearance by Pere Ubu). The same year, Miracle Legion's rhythm section departed, leaving only Mulcahy and Neal in the band.

 

[Spotify] All for the Best

[Thom Yorke version] All for the Best

The Thom Yorke track is from a tribute LP the was released in 2009 with an incredible lineup of musicians contributing after the untimely death of Marks wife. Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy

“The Head and the Heart”, SPECTRES

This way: The Head and the Heart

SPECTRES of Vancouver, British Columbia. This could be a thousand bands that came before. But it isn't, it's this band. The band right in front of you.

 

[Spotify] The Head and the Heart

“Plascent Folk”, The Minus 5

This way: Plascent Folk

The Minus 5 is an American pop rock band, headed by musician Scott McCaughey of Young Fresh Fellows, often in partnership with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck. McCaughey formed the band in 1993 as a side project with Buck, Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of The Posies. Buck had moved to the Seattle area in 1992; the other principals were longtime fixtures of the Seattle music scene. The four musicians had numerous personal and professional connections: both the Posies and McCaughey's The Young Fresh Fellows had recorded at Conrad Uno's Egg Studios and released albums on Uno's PopLlama Records label. The Young Fresh Fellows and The Posies were fixtures of Seattle's Crocodile Cafe, owned and managed by Buck's then-girlfriend (later wife) Stephanie Dorgan. The Young Fresh Fellows were the opening band at a Kevn Kinney gig at the Croc On July 4, 1992; Buck backed Kinney along with R.E.M.'s Mike Mills and Bill Berry. 

[Spotify] Plascent Folk

“61 Highway”, Mississippi Fred McDowell

This way: 61 Highway

Fred McDowell (January 12, 1906 – July 3, 1972), was an American hill country blues singer and guitar player. McDowell was born in Rossville, Tennessee, United States. His parents were farmers, who both died while Fred was in his youth. He took up the guitar at the age of 14 and was soon playing for tips at dances around Rossville. Seeking a change from plowing fields, he moved to Memphis in 1926, where he worked in the Buck-Eye feed mill, which processed cotton into oil and other products. In 1928, he moved to Mississippi to pick cotton. He finally settled in Como, Mississippi, in 1940 or 1941 (or maybe the late 1930s), where he worked as a full-time farmer for many years while continuing to play music on weekends at dances and picnics. 

After decades of playing for small local gatherings, McDowell was recorded in 1959 by roving folklore musicologist Alan Lomax and Shirley Collins, on their Southern Journey field-recording trip. With interest in blues and folk music rising in the United States at the time, McDowell's field recordings for Lomax caught the attention of blues aficionados and record producers, and within a couple of years, he had finally become a professional musician and recording artist in his own right. His LPs proved quite popular, and he performed at festivals and clubs all over the world.

[Spotify] 61 Highway

"Hey, Snow White", Destroyer

This way: Hey, Snow White

Destroyer is a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Beja] and formed in 1995. The band's discography draws on a variety of musical influences, resulting in albums that can sound markedly distinct from one another; in Bejar's words, "That's kind of my goal: to start from scratch every time.  

"Musically I knew it was never going to be a metal band, but I thought lyrically there were fangs to the music."

[Spotify] Hey, Snow White

"Laugh it Up", Richard Swift

This way: Laugh it Up

Richard Swift (March 16, 1977 – July 3, 2018), born Ricardo Ochoa, was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and short-film maker. He was the founder, owner, and recording engineer of National Freedom, a recording studio located in Oregon, and worked as producer, collaborator, muse and influencer for acts including The Shins, Damien Jurado, David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion), Foxygen, Jessie Baylin, Nathaniel Rateliff, Lucius, Lonnie Holley, The Mynabirds, Wake Owl, Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab, Gardens & Villa, Cayucas, Fleet Foxes, Mango Safari and Guster. Swift was a former member of indie rock band The Shins and The Arcs. He was also a part of The Black Keys' live band during their 2014–2015 tour, performing as their touring bassist and backing singer.   

[Spotify]  Laugh it Up

“Instinct”, The Moles

This way: Instinct

The Moles were an Australian indie pop band founded and led by Richard Davies. The Moles were formed in Sydney and debuted in 1990 with the EP Untune the Sky. In 1991 they released their second EP, Tendrils and Paracetamol. 1992 followed their first full-length album Untune the Sky, after which The Moles relocated to New York, where they released a pair of seven-inch singles (later packaged together as the Double Single EP).

After a move to London, The Moles broke up in 1993.

In 1994, Davies revived The Moles, which resulted in their second album Instinct. 

[Spotify] Instinct

“Transcontinental”, Richard Davies

This way: Transcontinental

Richard Davies (born 1964) is an Australian-American musician.

He first came to prominence in the early 1990s as leader of the Australian band The Moles. Upon moving to the United States, Davies joined with Eric Matthews to form Cardinal, whose debut album, Cardinal, was released by Flydaddy in 1994. He has since released several solo albums including There's Never Been a Crowd Like This (1996), Telegraph (1998), and Barbarians (2000). In 2009, Davies and Guided by Voices front man Robert Pollard, collaborating under the name Cosmos, released an album, Jar of Jam / Ton of Bricks. In 2012, Davies and Matthews reformed Cardinal and released a second album, Hymns. 

[Spotify, not likely] Transcontinental

“It Ain't What You Do It's the Way That You Do It ”, Fun Boy Three

This way: It Ain't What You Do It's the Way That You Do It

Fun Boy Three were an English new wave pop band, active from 1981 to 1983 and formed by singers Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding after they left the Specials.

Fun Boy Three reduced the ska sound that they and Jerry Dammers had crafted with great success with the Specials and initially took a more minimal approach with the focus on percussion and vocals. For their second album they assembled a six-piece backing group including a cellist and a trombone player, allowing the record to feature more diverse and expansive arrangements, and also enabling them to play live instead of being a purely studio group as previously. The band enjoyed six UK top 20 hits, including "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)" and "Tunnel of Love" and created two albums of which the eponymous The Fun Boy Three was the more successful. The follow-up album Waiting, produced by David Byrne, was well-received critically but did not sell as well.

 

The trio's last UK hit was "Our Lips Are Sealed", co-written by Terry Hall and Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's, who had a U.S. hit with the song a year earlier. They then toured the United States and split afterwards. The three women provided credited chorus vocals on the hit "It Ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)"; the Fun Boy Three later sang on the Bananarama song "Really Saying Something".

[Spotify] It Ain't What You Do It's the Way That You Do It

”Found a Job“, Talking Heads

This way: Found a Job

I've always loved this song and the idea behind it. Especially in this age of content content content. Just make your own damn show. 

[Spotify] Found a Job

“That‘s Entertainment”, The Jam

This way: That's Entertainment

The Jam were an English mod revival/punk rock band during the 1970s and early 1980s, which formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, in the county of Surrey. The band released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1982, including four number one hits. As of 2007, "That's Entertainment" and "Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero?" remain the best-selling import singles of all time in the UK. They released one live album and six studio albums, the last of which, The Gift, hit number one on the UK Albums Chart. When the group disbanded in 1982, their first 15 singles were re-released and all placed within the top 100. 

While the Jam shared the "angry young man" outlook and fast tempo of the mid-1970s British punk rock movement, in contrast with it the band wore smartly tailored suits reminiscent of English pop-bands in the early 1960s and incorporated mainstream 1960s rock and R&B influences into its sound, particularly from the Who's work of that period and also drew influence from the work of the Kinks and the music of American Motown. This placed the act at the forefront of the 1970s–1980s nascent Mod Revival movement. With many of the band's lyrics about working class life, Jam biographer Sean Egan commented that they "took social protest and cultural authenticity to the top of the charts."

[Spotify] That's Entertainment

"Tugboat", Galaxie 500

This way: Tugboat

Galaxie 500 was an American alternative rock band that formed in 1987 and split up in 1991 after releasing three albums: Today, On Fire and This Is Our Music. The band was made up of guitarist/vocalist Dean Wareham, drummer Damon Krukowski and bassist Naomi Yang.  

Guitarist Dean Wareham, drummer Damon Krukowski and bassist Naomi Yang had met at the Dalton School in New York City in 1981, but began playing together during their time as students at Harvard University. Wareham and Krukowski had formed a series of punk-influenced student bands, before Wareham returned to New York. When he returned in 1987 he and Krukowski formed a new band, with Yang joining the group on bass guitar, the new group deciding on the name Galaxie 500, after a friend's car, a Ford Galaxie 500.

After leaving Galaxie 500, Wareham tried his hand at production, working with Mercury Rev. He released a solo single, "Anesthesia," in February 1992, and formed a new band, Luna. Krukowski and Yang continued to record under the moniker Pierre Etoile (French for "Rock Star"), and then Damon and Naomi (whose first two releases were also produced by Kramer), and as members of Magic Hour. They also began the avant-garde press Exact Change.

[Spotify] Tugboat

"You know You're Not Dead", Broken Records

This way: You know You're Not Dead

Broken Records are a band from Edinburgh, Scotland, which formed in December 2006. The band are signed to 4AD and released their debut album, Until the Earth Begins to Part, in June 2009. Their second album Let Me Come Home was released in October 2010, and their third Weights and Pulleys in May 2014. 

[Spotify]  You know You're Not Dead

"I am You Now", Protomartyr

This way: I am You Now

Is this prog rock? Asking for a friend. Protomartyr is an American rock band formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 2010. The band consists of Joe Casey (vocals), Greg Ahee (guitar), Alex Leonard (drums), and Scott Davidson (bass).

To date, the band has released five studio albums: No Passion All Technique (2012), Under Color of Official Right (2014), The Agent Intellect (2015), Relatives in Descent (2017), and Ultimate Success Today (2020).  

[Spotify]  I am You Now

“Born Stupid”, Paul Leary

This way: Born Stupid

Paul Leary (born May 7, 1957) is an American musician and music producer from Austin, Texas, best known as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist for the American rock band Butthole Surfers. He is also the producer of a number of songs and albums by other bands, including U2, Sublime, Meat Puppets, Daniel Johnston, The Reverend Horton Heat, Pepper, Maggie Walters, Bad Livers, Slightly Stoopid, The Refreshments, Tumbledryer Babies, and Sludge Buzzard. Leary produced Sublime with Rome's debut album, Yours Truly. 

In 1991, he released a solo album entitled The History of Dogs. In 1994, Leary appeared on the song "Lounge Fly" from the multi-platinum album Purple by Stone Temple Pilots. He also performed backing vocals on the Meat Puppets and Bad Livers respective renditions of his song "Pee Pee the Sailor".

[Spotify] Born Stupid

“Senses Working Overtime”, XTC

This way: Senses Working Overtime

Perfect pop for Now People . . . . XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in a variety of styles that ranged from angular guitar riffs to elaborately arranged pop. Partly because the group did not fit into contemporary trends, they achieved only sporadic commercial success in the UK and US, but attracted a considerable cult following. They have since been recognised for their influence on post-punk, Britpop and later power pop acts.

Partridge and Moulding first met in the early 1970s and subsequently formed a glam outfit with drummer Terry Chambers. The band's name and line-up changed frequently, and it was not until 1975 that the band was known as XTC. In 1977, the group debuted on Virgin Records and, for the next five years, was noted for their energetic live performances. The players aspired to be "completely original" and refused to play conventional punk rock, instead synthesising influences from ska, 1960s pop, dub music and the avant-garde. The single "Making Plans for Nigel" (1979) marked their commercial breakthrough and heralded the reverberating drum sound associated with 1980s popular music. 

[Spotify]  Senses Working Overtime

“Bulletins”, Pedaljets

This way: Bulletins

Great band from the Lawrence Kansas scene. Alternative/punk band from Kansas City, Missouri. Originally formed in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1984, then disbanded after the release of 1989's eponymous album. The band initially re-formed in 2008 to remaster and reissue their final album, then began recording and releasing new material in 2012. 

[Spotify] Bulletins