“Kingdom Come”, Tom Verlaine, RIP

This way: Kingdom Come

Does it get anybetter (wait, something is one word, but anybetter isn't?) than this? I don't think so. Unfortunately Tom died last week. And what a great artist he turned out to be. When I was in High School we had a stereo and record player in the art room. I was in this advanced art class with a bunch of other ne'rdowells. Gerri Beadle brought in the first Television LP, Marque Moon. And she suggested I bring it home for further listening. I'm not sure what kind of strange brew that the were drinking at her house, but wow what great musical finds she had. I'll also admit that I couldn't make head or tails of that record when first listening.

This from Toms first solo album, 1979.

[Spotify] Kingdom Come 

[Bowie covers the song] Kingdom Come 

Ok, if Bowie covers it you know its a good song.

“Strange Boy”, Kate Davis

This way: Strange Boy

Kate Davis (born February 4, 1991) is an American singer, songwriter, and bassist. Davis released the album Introducing Kate Davis in 2008. She enrolled at the Manhattan School of Music in 2009, concentrating on jazz and classic American songs, releasing a Christmas album in 2009 and a live album in 2010. She collaborated with guitarist Gabe Schnider and drummer Conor Szymanski, these songs can heard on Michael Feinstein's NPR show Song Travels. In 2012, she was recognized by ASCAP with the Robert Alan Award for new songwriters. She has said that learning the double bass was difficult, but after learning songs from the Great American Songbook, she was able to translate that knowledge to create her own style.

[Spotify] Strange Boy  

“Ahead by a Century”, The Tragically Hip

This way: Ahead by a Century

The Tragically Hip were a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassist Gord Sinclair, and drummer Johnny Fay. They released 13 studio albums, one live album, one EP, and over 50 singles over a 33-year career. Nine of their albums have reached No. 1 on the Canadian charts. They have received numerous Canadian music awards, including 17 Juno Awards. Between 1996 and 2016, the Tragically Hip were the best-selling Canadian band in Canada and the fourth best-selling Canadian artist overall in Canada. 

Following Downie's diagnosis with terminal brain cancer in 2015, the band undertook a tour of Canada in support of their thirteenth album Man Machine Poem. The tour's final concert, which would ultimately be the band's last show, was held at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston on August 20, 2016, and broadcast globally by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a cross-platform television, radio and internet streaming special.

After Downie died on October 17, 2017, the band announced in July 2018 that they would no longer perform under the name. The surviving members have, however, continued to pursue other musical projects, and have begun releasing compilation albums of previously unreleased songs from the band's archives.

[Spotify] Ahead by a Century 

“Colorless Dream”, Sad Lovers and Giants

This way: Colorless Dream

Sad Lovers and Giants are an English rock band from Watford, Hertfordshire, England, which formed in 1980. Their sound blends post-punk, atmospheric keyboards and psychedelia. 

[Spotify] Colorless Dream 

“Broom People”, Mountain Goats

This way: Broom People

The Mountain Goats are an American band formed in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle, despite the plural moniker. Although he remains the core member of the band, he has worked with a variety of collaborators over time, including bassist and vocalist Peter Hughes, drummer Jon Wurster, multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas, singer-songwriter Franklin Bruno, bassist and vocalist Rachel Ware, singer-songwriter/producer John Vanderslice, guitarist Kaki King, and multi-instrumentalist Annie Clark.

Throughout the 1990s, the Mountain Goats were known for producing low-fidelity home recordings (most notably, on a cassette deck boombox) and releasing recordings in cassette or vinyl 7-inch formats. Since 2002, the Mountain Goats have adopted a more polished approach, often recording studio albums with a full band.

[Spotify] Broom People

“Nothing to Hide”, Yo La Tengo

This way: Nothing to Hide

Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I've got it") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McNew (bass, vocals). In 2015, original guitarist Dave Schramm rejoined the band and appears on their fourteenth album, Stuff Like That There. 

Despite achieving limited mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential critics' band" and maintains a strong cult following. Though they mostly play original material, the band performs a wide repertoire of cover songs both in live performance and on record.

[Spotify] Nothing to Hide

“Katie Cruel”, Ora Cogan

 This way: Katie Cruel

Ora Cogan is a multi-disciplinary artist and singer-songwriter based on the West Coast of Canada. She is known for her singular voice and cinematic compositions.  Cogan has released seven albums to date while collaborating with a multitude of artists and touring extensively. She has performed at numerous festivals throughout Europe & North America while sharing the stage with the likes of Grouper & Mazzy Star. Her latest EP was released October 21, 2022. 

[Spotify] Katie Cruel 

“Dry”, PJ Harvey

This way: Dry

PJ Harvey on here worst day is killer. These demo collections are proof. Very, very fine work. The final reissue of PJ Harvey’s back catalogue on vinyl, this 59-track collection spans decades, with most of the songs previously unavailable physically or digitally, and 14 tracks either previously unreleased or in previously unreleased versions.   

[Spotify] Dry

“IPC”, Light Asylum

This way: IPC

Light Asylum is a Brooklyn-based electronic music duo consisting of Shannon Funchess and Bruno Coviello. The band released their first EP In Tension in 2010. The four track EP was re-released in 2011 through indie label Mexican Summer. Their self-titled début album was released in May 2012. It received generally positive reviews from Pitchfork.  FACT, Mixmag, NME, XLR8R and The Quietus.  

[Spotify] IPC

“Call to Love”, Crooked Fingers

This way: Call to Love

Crooked Fingers was an American indie rock band, led by the former Archers of Loaf frontman Eric Bachmann. A vehicle for Bachmann's songwriting, the band's lineup changed between each record. Crooked Fingers released albums on WARM Records and Merge Records, and also independently. Bachmann retired the name Crooked Fingers in January 2016 with a pair of shows in New York City and Durham, NC, playing the first two records in their entirety with a string ensemble and has since been releasing albums under his name. 

[Spotify] Call to Love

“Soak up the Sun”, BRONCHO

This way: Soak up the Sun

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

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

The band's song "It's On" was played over the closing credits of "Females Only," the first episode of the third season of the HBO series Girls. "Try Me Out Sometime" was used in an advertisement for HBO Now and Movie 43."

[Spotify] Soak up the Sun

“Planes VS Trains”, Human Hands

This way: Planes VS Trains

That certain kind of Punk Music. Human Hands formed in 1978 from the nascent L.A. punk scene, but were more closely associated with what is loosely known as the Pasadena scene, bands with more of an art influence than the average L.A. punk band of the time. The original members were Dennis Duck, Juan Gomez, Bill Noland, Rick Potts and David Wiley. 

After making a few recordings (the 7" single "Trains vs. Planes" b/w "Blue Eel," the 12" "Jubilee" with DJ Bonebrake from X on added percussion), some notable opening slots (particularly for Magazine at the Whisky a Go Go on their first Los Angeles shows) and headlining clubs like Perkins Palace, the band broke up at the end of 1981. Independent Project Records released a first edition double-album compilation of the band's work in the 1982 followed by a second edition in 1990. In between the two editions, IPR released "Hereafter" in 1988, a collection of the band's studio recordings. Bouncing To Disc: The Complete Human Hands Vol. 1 was released in 1997 on CD by Grand Theft Audio.

Dennis joined Steve Wynn in The Dream Syndicate and, with Steve, was the only member in the band from beginning to end. Bill joined Wall of Voodoo and Juan formed The Romans with Michael Uhlenkott of Monitor and Keith Mitchell (later of Mazzy Star) and made two albums, You Only Live Once (available on CD on Warning Label Records) and Last Days At The Ranch, produced by Steve Wynn. Rick performed with the experimental group Solid Eye, among others. Sadly, David passed away in 1986.

[Spotify] Planes VS Trains

“Insight”, Joy Division

This way: Insight

Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. 

Sumner and Hook formed the band after attending a June 1976 Sex Pistols concert. While Joy Division's first recordings were heavily influenced by early punk, they soon developed a sparse, melancholy style. Their self-released 1978 debut EP An Ideal for Living drew the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson, who signed them to his independent label Factory Records. Their debut album Unknown Pleasures, recorded with producer Martin Hannett, was released in 1979.

Frontman Curtis struggled with personal problems including a failing marriage, depression, and epilepsy. As the band's popularity grew, Curtis's health condition made it increasingly difficult for him to perform; he occasionally experienced seizures on stage. He died by suicide on the eve of what would have been the band's first North American tour in May 1980, aged 23. Joy Division's second and final album, Closer, was released two months later; it and the single "Love Will Tear Us Apart" became their highest-charting releases.

[Spotify] Insight

“Lightning Bolt”, Jake Bug

This way: Lightning Bolt

Jake Bugg is an English singer-songwriter. His self-titled debut album, Jake Bugg, some of which was co-written with songwriter Iain Archer, was released in October 2012 and reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. His second album, Shangri La, was released in November 2013 and his third, largely self-produced album On My One, in June 2016. His fourth album Hearts That Strain, a largely acoustic effort, produced by Dan Auerbach, was released in September 2017. After a gap of four years, in August 2021, Bugg released the more pop-influenced fifth album Saturday Night, Sunday Morning. 

[Spotify] Lightning Bolt

“Totally Wired”, The Fall

This way: Totally Wired

It is possible that this is the greatest song ever written. From 1980. The Fall were an English punk group, formed in 1976 in Prestwich, Greater Manchester. They underwent many line-up changes, with vocalist and founder Mark E. Smith as the only constant member. The Fall's long-term musicians included drummers Paul Hanley, Simon Wolstencroft and Karl Burns; guitarists Marc Riley, Craig Scanlon and Brix Smith; and bassist Steve Hanley, whose melodic, circular bass lines are widely credited with shaping the band's sound from early 1980s albums such as Hex Enduction Hour to the late 1990s. 

First associated with the late 1970s punk movement, the Fall's music underwent numerous stylistic changes, often concurrently with changes in the group's lineup. Nonetheless, their music has generally been characterised by an abrasive, repetitive guitar-driven sound, tense bass and drum rhythms, and Smith's caustic lyrics, described by critic Simon Reynolds as "a kind of Northern English magic realism that mixed industrial grime with the unearthly and uncanny," voiced through a "one-note delivery somewhere between amphetamine-spiked rant and alcohol-addled yarn." While the Fall never achieved widespread success beyond minor hit singles in the late 1980s and early 1990s, they have maintained a strong cult following.

[Spotify] Totally Wired

[Good live version] Totally Wired Live

“Pink Moon”, Nick Drake

This way: Pink Moon

This song is a real treat. Nick Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He did not find a wide audience during his lifetime, but his work gradually achieved wider notice and recognition. Drake signed to Island Records when he was 20 years old and a student at the University of Cambridge. He released his debut album, Five Leaves Left, in 1969. He recorded two more albums—Bryter Layter (1971) and Pink Moon (1972). Neither sold more than 5,000 copies on initial release. His reluctance to perform live, or be interviewed, contributed to his lack of commercial success. There is no known video footage of the adult Drake; he was only ever captured in still photographs and in home footage from his childhood. 

Drake experienced depression, particularly during the latter part of his life, a fact often reflected in his lyrics. On completion of his third album, 1972's Pink Moon, he withdrew from both live performance and recording, retreating to his parents' home in rural Warwickshire. On 25 November 1974, Drake died from an overdose of a prescribed antidepressant; he was 26 years old. Whether his death was an accident or suicide has not been resolved.

[Spotify] Pink Moon

“Orphan Girl”, Gillian Welch

This way: Orphan Girl

Gillian Howard Welch is an American singer-songwriter. She performs with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. Their sparse and dark musical style, which combines elements of Appalachian music, bluegrass, country and Americana, is described by The New Yorker as "at once innovative and obliquely reminiscent of past rural forms." 

Welch and Rawlings have collaborated on nine critically acclaimed albums, five released under her name, three released under Rawlings' name, and one under both of their names. Her 1996 debut, Revival, and the 2001 release Time (The Revelator), received nominations for the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Welch was an associate producer and performed on two songs of the soundtrack of the Coen brothers 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a platinum album that won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2002. She also appeared in the film attempting to buy a Soggy Bottom Boys record. Welch, while not one of the principal actors, did sing and provide additional lyrics to the Sirens song "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby." In 2018 she and Rawlings wrote the song "When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings" for the Coens' The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, for which they received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Welch has collaborated and recorded with Alison Krauss, Ryan Adams, Jay Farrar, Emmylou Harris, Mark Knopfler, the Decemberists, Sam Phillips, Conor Oberst, Ani DiFranco, Robyn Hitchcock, Barry Gibb and Molly Tuttle.

[Spotify] Orphan Girl

“Loser”, Maigin Blank

This way: Loser

Maigin Blank is a musical composer from Chicago who has been writing music since she was a teenager and releasing music independently. She was previously in the shoegaze/noise band Whales until their split in 2016. She has scored and contributed songs to various independent films.

[Spotify] not likely

“Lucky Number”, Lene Lovich

This way: Lucky Number

Lene Lovich is an English-American singer, songwriter and musician. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and made her a leading figure of the new wave music scene. 

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Lovich moved to England at the age of 13, where she met guitarist and songwriter Les Chappell, who later became her long-time music collaborator and life partner. She developed an interest in art and theater, enrolling at the Central School of Art and Design where she took saxophone lessons. In 1975, she joined the band the Diversions and shortly afterwards wrote the lyrics to Cerrone's single "Supernature". After the band broke up, Lovich started looking for another band to join and contacted the radio presenter Charlie Gillett, who got her to record a demo of Tommy James and the Shondells' song "I Think We're Alone Now" and played it to Dave Robinson of Stiff Records, who decided to sign Lovich. The song was released as a single and appeared on her debut studio album Stateless (1978), which produced the single "Lucky Number".

She released two more albums, Flex (1979) and No Man's Land (1982), on Stiff Records. In 1989, she independently released the album March, before her 15-year hiatus. She focused more on her family but came back in 2005 with the release of her album Shadows and Dust.

[Spotify] Lucky Number

“Nitroglycerine”, The Gories

This way: Nitroglycerine

The Gories are an American garage rock trio that formed in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in 1986. They were among the first 1980s garage rock bands to incorporate overt blues influences. The band features Mick Collins (of The Dirtbombs), Dan Kroha (later of the now defunct The Demolition Doll Rods) on guitar and vocals, and Peggy O'Neill on drums.

The band originally broke up in 1992 after a European tour, reforming in July 2009 for a reunion tour across Europe, along with co-headliners The Oblivians. The band reconvened for a second reunion tour in 2010, this time across North America.

[Spotify] Nitroglycerine 

“Disillusion”, Get Smart!

This way: Disillusion

That certain kind of Punk Music. Some of my oldest friends from the Chicago scene. Get Smart! is a three-piece punk band formed in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1980 consisting of Marcus Koch, Lisa Wertman Crowe and Frank Loose. The band released 2 studio albums along with some singles and EPs over a 10-year career. The band re-united in 2020. This from their first EP of 1981. The band formed while at University of Kansas in 1980 and, along with bands like the Embarrassment, and the Mortal Micronotz, they were prominent in the alternative music scene in Lawrence. They released their first record in 1981, which was a flexi disc released with "Talk Talk" magazine. This was followed by a self-released 4-track EP called Words Move. They had 5 songs on the four band split cassette, released by Fresh Sounds Records, called Fresh Sounds From Middle America (vol 1) (the four bands being Get Smart!, the Embarrassment, the Yard Apes and the Mortal Micronotz). In 1982 they relocated to Chicago, Illinois. 

[Spotify] Disillusion

“Drive Me to the Park”, The Embarrassment

This way: Drive Me to the Park

That certain kind of Punk Music. Treasure trove hiding in plane sight here. The Embarrassment was an American quartet formed in 1979 in Wichita, Kansas, that was active from 1979 to 1983, but has reunited several times since then. The band consisted of guitarist Bill Goffrier, lead singer and organist John Nichols, bassist Ron Klaus and drummer Brent Giessmann. After the break-up, Giessmann played for The Del Fuegos and Goffrier formed Big Dipper. The band was considered a prominent part of the Lawrence music scene of the early 1980s. But they also came to Chicago a lot and I saw them several times. 

[Spotify] Drive Me to the Park

“Through My Fingers”, Pegboy

This way: Through My Fingers

Pegboy is an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois with a relatively large cult following. They were founded in 1990 by John Haggerty (ex-guitarist for Naked Raygun), along with his brother Joe Haggerty (drums, formerly of The Effigies), Larry Damore (vocals/guitar), and Steve Saylors (bass). Both Damore and Saylors had been members of Chicago-based hardcore band Bhopal Stiffs, whose 1987 demo had been produced by John Haggerty. Pegboy's 1990 debut EP, "Three-Chord Monte", was also the first release by Quarterstick Records, an offshoot of Touch and Go Records. Steve Saylors dropped out in 1992 after job commitments prevented him from touring. Steve Albini, a longtime friend of the band, filled the bass slot on the "Fore" EP. Former Naked Raygun bassist Pierre Kezdy became the permanent bass player in 1994. After the reformation of Naked Raygun, Mike Thompson took over for Kezdy on bass.

[Spotify] Through My Fingers

“Haffmilch Holiday”, Decisive Pink

This way: Haffmilch Holiday

Decisive Pink are Angel Deradoorian and Kate NV. Both sing, often bouncing verses off each other. Both play “a bunch of” modular synthesizers. ‘Haffmilch Holiday’, their debut single, is a gorgeous pop song built on a handful of delicious synth phrases and carried aloft by a seductive melody line.  

[Spotify] Haffmilch Holiday

“Surrender”, Cheap Trick

This way: Surrender

Near Perfect: Absolute perfect song from near perfect Album, Heaven Tonight. Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their commercially successful work bridged elements of '60s guitar pop, punk rock, and heavy metal, and would help set the template for subsequent power pop and arena rock artists. 

Cheap Trick released their self-titled debut album in 1977 and, later that year, found success in Japan with the release of their second album, In Color. The band would achieve mainstream popularity in the United States in 1979 with their breakthrough album Cheap Trick at Budokan.

Cheap Trick has performed live more than 5,000 times and sold more than 20 million albums. Over the course of its career, the band has experienced several resurgences of popularity and built a dedicated cult following. Cheap Trick was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and Petersson.

[Spotify] Surrender