Saturday, April 30, 2022

“Sorry Again”, Velocity Girl

This way: Sorry Again

Velocity Girl was an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in College Park, Maryland, United States, although it was generally known as a Washington, D.C.-area band. The band released three albums before splitting up in 1996. The band started as the duo of Kelly Riles and guitarist/singer Archie Moore (also of Black Tambourine) in 1989 (the two having met at university), initially going under the name The Gotterdemocrats. They became Velocity Girl with the addition of Brian Nelson (ex-Big Jesus Trashcan, also of Black Tambourine), Jim Spellman (ex-High Back Chairs), and lead singer Bridget Cross (soon to join Unrest). The band took its name from a Primal Scream B-side which appeared on the C86 compilation album. Sarah Shannon joined to replace Cross after the release of the band's debut single "I Don't Care If You Go." Unlike some 1990s rock music that featured an abrasive vocal and instrumental style, Velocity Girl's sound, especially post-1993, was more melodic and typically featured "clean" (non-distorted) electric guitar sounds and two-part harmonies. 

[Spotify]  Sorry Again

Friday, April 29, 2022

“By Tomorrow”, Black Tambourine

This way: By Tomorrow

Black Tambourine was an American indie pop band and one of the earliest Slumberland groups of the early 1990s. Formed in Silver Spring, Maryland, the band comprised vocalist Pam Berry and instrumentalists Archie Moore, Brian Nelson and Mike Schulman. Along with Tiger Trap, Lois, Honeybunch, Tullycraft, and Beat Happening, they are considered to be one of the most influential bands of the American twee pop movement. The members came to the project already acquainted with each other: Both Nelson (also of Big Jesus Trashcan) and Schulman were in Whorl together, while Schulman (also of Powderburns) co-founded Slumberland Records. Moore, meanwhile, was in Velocity Girl and played on early recordings by Lilys, and Berry had co-founded the Chickfactor zine. 

[Spotify]  By Tomorrow 

Thursday, April 28, 2022

“Doe”, The Breeders

This way: Doe

The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), her twin sister Kelley Deal (lead guitar, vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Macpherson (drums). 

The earliest incarnation of the band was formed by Kim Deal and Tanya Donelly in 1989 as a side-project alongside their full-time bands Pixies and Throwing Muses respectively. To record their debut album, 1990's Pod, Deal and Donelly recruited bassist Josephine Wiggs of The Perfect Disaster and drummer Britt Walford of Slint. Kim's sister Kelley was brought into the band as a third guitarist (though at the time, Kelley famously had never played guitar before joining the band) in 1992 to record the Safari EP, and shortly thereafter Tanya Donelly left to concentrate full-time on her own new band, Belly, leaving Kelley Deal as the sole lead guitarist, while Britt Walford left as well around the same time. While the band's first record wasn't initially a commercial success, the band had developed a following among indie rock fans and praises from people such as Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who cited Pod as one of his all-time favorite albums, the band prepared to record their next album.

In 1993, the Pixies broke up, leaving Deal to concentrate on The Breeders as her full-time band. Kim recruited local Dayton, Ohio musician Jim Macpherson (previously a member of Dayton indie rock band The Raging Mantras) to replace the recently departed Walford on drums, cementing the Breeders' best-known line-up. The band's most commercially successful album, Last Splash, was released in 1993 in the midst of the early 1990s alternative rock boom. The album went on to be certified platinum by the RIAA, and is best known for its hit single "Cannonball".

[Spotify]  Doe

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

“Walking on Thin Ice”, Yoko Ono

This way: Walking on Thin Ice

Fantastic song! “Walking on Thin Ice” is a song by Yoko Ono, released in 1981. She and John Lennon concluded the recording of the song on December 8, 1980. It was upon their return from the recording studio to The Dakota (their home in New York City) that Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman. Lennon was clutching a tape of a final mix when he was shot. The song was both a critical and commercial success. Lennon's lead guitar work on the track, which he recorded on December 4, 1980, was his final creative act. He used his famous Beatles era 1958 Rickenbacker 325 to record all the guitar parts. This is the first time that he used the guitar on a studio recording since 1964/65. 

[Spotify: no] Download it here (or play it)

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

“Jet Fighter”, The Three O’Clock

This way: Jet Fighter

The Three O'Clock is an American alternative rock group associated with the Los Angeles 1980s Paisley Underground scene. Lead singer and bassist Michael Quercio is credited with coining the term "Paisley Underground" to describe a subset of the 1980s L.A. music scene which included bands such as Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, Green on Red, the Long Ryders and the Bangles. The Three O'Clock originally formed under the name The Salvation Army in 1981. The original lineup included Quercio (lead vocals, bass), John Blazing (guitar), and Troy Howell (drums). They released a single ("Mind Gardens" b/w "Happen Happened") on The Minutemen's New Alliance label in November, 1981. At this juncture, Quercio (then billed as "Ricky Start") was the band's sole songwriter, and the group played in a psychedelic pop-punk style.

By the end of the year, Blazing left and was replaced by Gregg Gutierrez, later known as Louis Gutierrez. Quercio reverted to his real name, and this lineup of The Salvation Army signed with LA independent label Frontier Records and released a self-titled debut LP in May 1982. 

[Spotify]  Jet Fighter

Monday, April 25, 2022

“The Pressure”, Delta Spirit

This way: The Pressure

Delta Spirit is an American rock band from California, United States. The group consists of Jonathan Jameson (bass), Brandon Young (drums), Matthew Vasquez (vocals and guitars), Kelly Winrich (multi-instrumentalist), and William McLaren (guitar). Founded in San Diego in 2005, Jameson and Young, who had played with each other in many bands, decided to form a band with their new friend Matthew Logan Vasquez. Young first spotted Vasquez busking on a bench in San Diego at two in the morning, and the two exchanged information. Delta Spirit recorded their I Think I've Found It EP at Winrich's home studio, and he joined the band within the first year. Winrich and Vasquez had been close friends since they were 18 years old. The EP was later released by Monarchy Music on CD and 12" Vinyl in 2006. This track from 2021. 

[Spotify]  The Pressure

Saturday, April 23, 2022

“Baby Needs a Cookie”, Bob Mould

This way:  Baby Needs a Cookie

Bob Mould (born October 16, 1960) is an American musician, known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s. Still putting out fantastic music. This from 2020.  

[Spotify]  Baby Needs a Cookie

Friday, April 22, 2022

“Suburban Home”, Descendents

This way:  Suburban Home

Some kind of perfection here. The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's school friend Milo Aukerman as a singer, and reappeared as a punk rock band, becoming a major player in the hardcore punk scene developing in Los Angeles at the time. They have released eight studio albums, three live albums, three compilation albums, and four EPs. Since 1986, the band's lineup has consisted of singer Milo Aukerman, guitarist Stephen Egerton, bassist Karl Alvarez, and drummer Bill Stevenson. 

[Spotify]  Suburban Home

Thursday, April 21, 2022

“White Elephant”, Volcano Suns

This way:  White Elephant

Volcano Suns was an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts formed by Mission of Burma drummer Peter Prescott in 1984. The band was founded in Spring 1984 by former Mission of Burma and Molls drummer Peter Prescott, the only founding member of the Suns to remain until their break-up in 1991. Prescott had auditioned for the position of drummer with Disneyland, but took two of that band's members to form Volcano Suns; The other original members were Gary Waleik and Steve Michener who would leave after a few months, before the release of the first Suns album, to form Big Dipper. Prescott then added Jeff Weigand on bass guitar and Jon Williams on guitar. This second line-up created the band's debut album The Bright Orange Years (1985), as well as its follow-up, All-Night Lotus Party (1986), both released on the now-defunct Homestead Records. 

[Spotify]  White Elephant

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

“Save it for Later”, The English Beat

This way:  Save it for Later

The English Beat (known in the UK as The Beat) are a British band founded in Birmingham, England, in 1978. Their music fuses Latin, ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock.

The Beat, consisting of Dave Wakeling (vocals, guitar), Ranking Roger (vocals), Andy Cox (guitar), David Steele (bass), Everett Morton (drums), and Saxa a.k.a. Lionel Augustus Martin (saxophone), released three studio albums in the early 1980s: I Just Can't Stop It (1980), Wha'ppen? (1981) and Special Beat Service (1982), and a string of singles. 

[Spotify]  Save it for Later

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

“Ssx”, The Hellp

This way: Ssx

The Hellp is a band made up of singer Noah Dillon, a photographer who previously ran Hot Mess with Luka Sabbat, and producer & composer Chandler Ransom Lucy.

[Spotify]  Ssx

Monday, April 18, 2022

“Rainy Season”, Howard Devoto

This way: Rainy Season

This guy wrote a few good songs. Howard Devoto (1952) is an English singer and songwriter, who began his career as the frontman for the punk rock band Buzzcocks, but then left to form Magazine. After Magazine, he went solo and later formed indie band Luxuria.

[Spotify]  Rainy Season

Saturday, April 16, 2022

“Nudge It”, Sleaford Mods

This way: Nudge It

Warning: these are not Mods. Sleaford Mods are an English music duo, formed in 2007 in Nottingham. The band features vocalist Jason Williamson and, since 2012, musician Andrew Fearn. They are known for their abrasive, minimalist musical style and embittered explorations of austerity-era Britain, culture, and working class life, delivered in Williamson's East Midlands accent. The duo have released several albums to critical praise. This song features Amy Taylor from Amyl and The Sniffers.

[Spotify]  Nudge It

Friday, April 15, 2022

“Guided By Angels”, Amyl and The Sniffers

This way: Guided By Angels

Amyl and the Sniffers are an Australian pub rock and punk rock band based in Melbourne, consisting of vocalist Amy Taylor, drummer Bryce Wilson, guitarist Dec Martens, and bassist Fergus Romer. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, their self-titled debut record won the Best Rock Album category.
 

[Spotify]  Guided By Angels

Thursday, April 14, 2022

“Heels”, Billy Nomates

This way: Heels

Tor Maries who performs as Billy Nomates is a British post-punk musician from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. 

[Spotify]  Heels

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

“Safe”, Colin Newman

This way: Safe

Colin Newman (born 16 September 1954) is an English musician, record producer and record label owner. He is best known as the primary vocalist and songwriter for the band Wire. "Not To" is the third studio album by Colin Newman, lead singer of post-punk band Wire. It was released in 1982, through record labels Beggars Banquet and 4AD. 

Like Newman's first solo record A-Z, much of the material on Not To was reworked from songs intended for Wire's never-completed fourth album, and the other members of Wire, particularly Graham Lewis, are co-credited on several of the songs.

[Spotify]  Safe

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

“You’re All Around”, Felice Brothers

[this >]  You’re All Around

Iantown was the first album to be released under the name The Felice Brothers; however, for the most part, it features only Ian Felice on acoustic guitar and harmonica. According to the album credits the Iantown was recorded in one evening. The album was self-released and is now out of print. 

[download me>]  You’re All Around

Monday, April 11, 2022

“Subspace Biographies”, Robert Pollard

This way: Subspace Biographies

I've been doing a deep dive on the catalogue of Pollard and his fantastic band Guided by Voices. There are a lot of hits buried in that pile. Robert typically puts out a record every 20 minutes, either under his own name, as Guided by Voices, or any other random name that suits his fancy at the moment (Boston Spaceships, Cub Scout Bowling). Here is a fantastic release from 1998. 

[Spotify] Subspace Biographies

Saturday, April 9, 2022

Playlist 7 in heaven

[Spotify]  sotd a07

Dear god help us all it is 7 playlists of songs on Satans favorite streaming service—Spotify.
A person should try to make a playlist, that is what any person should do. 

Enjoy thy self, 

—brENDan

Friday, April 8, 2022

“It’s Real”, Ex Hex

This way: It’s Real

Ex Hex is an American rock band formed in 2013. The band consists of Mary Timony, Betsy Wright and Laura Harris. Ex Hex recorded its first single, "Hot and Cold" in Timony's basement, then went on to record Rips, with Mitch Easter and Jonah Takagi. on October 7, 2014, the record debuted on Merge Records. They toured extensively, playing with Speedy Ortiz, King Tuff, Rocket from the Crypt, and The Jacuzzi Boys, among others. 

[Spotify] It's Real

Thursday, April 7, 2022

“Romantic Me”, Polyrock

This way: Romantic Me

Polyrock was an American post-punk/new wave band formed in New York City in 1978 and active until the mid-1980s. Strongly influenced by minimalism, the group was produced by the composer Philip Glass and Kurt Munkacsi. The band, led by singer/guitarist Billy Robertson (formerly of the group Model Citizens), had a keyboard-heavy, pattern-based sound strongly reminiscent of Glass's work; in fact, Glass performed on their first two albums.

Polyrock's lineup also included vocalist Catherine Oblasney, guitarist Tommy Robertson, drummer Joseph Yannece, keyboard player Lenny Aaron, and Curt Cosentino. The group signed with RCA by 1980, and delivered their debut album that same year. Another album followed in 1981 (Changing Hearts), but Polyrock disbanded in 1983. The band are sometimes said to have released another album in 1981 (Electro-Romantic), but, apparently, no such album exists.

In 1990, Billy Robertson and Catherine Oblasney formed the group 9 Ways to Sunday and released a self-titled album. Robertson died in September 2018. A memorial was held September 24, 2018, at the Brooklyn Ice House bar in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, near where Robertson lived.

[Spotify]  Romantic Me 

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

“Down Down”, The Coathangers

 This way: Down Down

The Coathangers are an American all-female punk rock/garage band band from Atlanta, Georgia featuring singer/guitarist Julia Kugel-Montoya (Crook Kid Coathanger), bassist Meredith Franco (Minnie Coathanger) and singer/drummer Stephanie Luke (Rusty Coathanger).nLong-time keyboardist Candice Jones (Bebe Coathanger), left the band amicably in 2013. Flippantly formed in 2006, they were asked to open for The Hiss on the strength of their performance playing a house show. Since then they have headlined shows in the United States and abroad. In addition, several times they have appeared as the support act for fellow Atlanta band Black Lips's New York City concerts. 

[Spotify] Down Down

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Monday, April 4, 2022

“Modern Pressure”, Daniel Romano

This way: Modern Pressure

Daniel Romano (born 1985) is a Canadian musician, poet and visual artist based out of his hometown of Welland, Ontario. He is primarily known as a solo artist, though he is also a member of Attack in Black and has collaborated with Julie Doiron and Frederick Squire. He has also produced and performed with City and Colour, the recording project of Dallas Green. 

Romano is a partner in his own independent record label, You've Changed Records, along with Steve Lambke, of the Constantines.

Some of his notable visual work includes designs for M. Ward, Ben Kweller, Ladyhawk and City and Colour. A skilled leather craftsman, he has designed and tooled guitar straps for many of his contemporaries (Kathleen Edwards, Bahamas, Travis Good of the Sadies).

The Canadian music magazine Exclaim! has identified five distinct styles in Romano's work: a gentle, rustic folk sound personified by projects such as Daniel, Fred & Julie and Workin' for the Music Man, a retro country style on albums like Sleep Beneath the Willow and If I've Only One Time Askin', straight-ahead rock on Nerveless and How Ill Thy World Is Ordered, psychedelic rock on works like Modern Pressure and Visions of the Higher Dream, and punk rock in his works released under the band name Ancient Shapes.

[Spotify] Modern Pressure

Saturday, April 2, 2022

“Rock n Roll Girl”, The Beat

 This way: Rock n Roll Girl

I played this record within inch of its life. It's a shame it wasn't more popular, probably suffered for the English band having the same name. The Beat is the debut album by American power pop band The Beat, released in 1979 on Columbia Records. 

The Beat (soon renamed to Paul Collins' Beat) is an American rock and power pop band from Los Angeles, California, United States, that formed in 1979. Paul Collins' Beat resurfaced in the 1990s and continues to tour and record new material. Front man Paul Collins has released several projects with his alternative country group The Paul Collins Band, who play Americana music inspired by country rock and folk rock.

[Spotify]  Rock n Roll Girl

[great cover by the Muffs]  Rock n Roll Girl

Friday, April 1, 2022

“Ready”, Mikal Cronin

This way: Ready

Mikal Cronin (born 1985) is an American musician and songwriter. He has released four solo albums and several singles. Cronin was a member of the bands Okie Dokie, Epsilons, Party Fowl and Moonhearts, and is a regular and longtime member of Ty Segall's live band, contributing bass guitar, backing vocals and saxophone; he has also released an album and a single in collaboration with Segall. Cronin earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in music from California Institute of the Arts. 

[Spotify]  Ready

“John the Revelator”, Blind Willie Johnson

This way:  John the Revelator Is there a better song ever recorded? Blind Willie Johnson may be the greatest recording artist of all time. L...