“You'll Get Eaten, Too”, Bonnie Prince Billy, Matt Sweeney

This way: You'll Get Eaten, Too

On their first collection of songs together, 2005’s Superwolf, Sweeney’s electric guitar playing compliments Will Oldham’s voice, while Oldham’s idiosyncratic songwriting blends the two seamlessly. Since then, Oldham has released an avalanche of music, while Sweeney has reunited his ’90s band Chavez. 

[Spotify] You'll Get Eaten, Too 

“On Returning”, Wire

This way: On Returning

Wire "154", wow what an LP. This record broke at the perfect time for my ears. When punk was pushing the boundaries to new levels. I can't recommend this LP enough. I have it on my list of near perfect albums, but really this could be in the handful of actually perfect records: no duds.

154 is the third album by the English post-punk band Wire, released in 1979 on EMI imprint Harvest Records in the UK and Europe and Warner Bros. Records in America. Branching out even further from the minimalist punk rock style of their earlier work, 154 is considered a progression of the sounds displayed on Wire's previous album Chairs Missing, with the group experimenting with slower tempos, fuller song structures and a more prominent use of guitar effects, synthesizers and electronics. 

The album is so named because the band had played 154 gigs in their career at the time of the album's release. The unusual title of the track "Map Ref 41°N 93°W" was based on a guess of the centre of the American Midwest by bassist and singer Graham Lewis; the location of these coordinates is coincidentally close to Centerville, Iowa.

Following the album's release, a falling out with the band's record label, EMI, as well as creative differences led to their breaking up in 1980, making 154 the band's last album up until their eventual reunion in 1985 and subsequent release of The Ideal Copy in 1987. 

[Spotify] On Returning 

“I wanna be Seated”, Ramones

This way: I Wanna Be Sedated

Just kidding, no wait—I'm not kidding, I do want to be seated. But this song is so good, It really has it all of Ramones rolled up in one song. It's so catchy, and pro-low-braincells.

Road to Ruin is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on September 22, 1978, through Sire Records as LP record, 8 track cartridge & audio cassette. It was the first Ramones album to feature new drummer Marky Ramone, who replaced Tommy Ramone. Tommy left the band due to low sales of previous albums as well as stress he experienced while touring; however, he stayed with the band to produce the album (credited as T. Erdelyi) with Ed Stasium. The artwork's concept was designed by Ramones fan Gus MacDonald and later modified by John Holmstrom to include Marky instead of Tommy.

[Spotify] I Wanna Be Sedated 

“Breakout”, Drinking Electricity

This way: Breakout

Drinking Electricity were a post-punk/synthpop trio from Edinburgh, Scotland active during the early 1980s. The trio comprised Anne-Marie Heighway (vocals), David Rome (guitar, vocals), and Paul Edgley (bass). Rome had previously worked with Martin Lloyd in the band Analysis, which was later to evolve into Oppenheimer Analysis. They were signed by former Fast product boss Bob Last to his new Pop: Aural label. Their first two singles were both cover versions, the first a version of Johnny Kidd's "Shaking All Over", and the second a version of The Flamin' Groovies' "Shake Some Action". Their third single was their own composition, "Cruising Missiles", and was the last for Pop: Aural, with Heighway and Rome setting up their own Survival label for subsequent releases. First release on their new label was "Subliminal" in 1981. It would be early 1982 before their next release, the band's debut album Overload. The album was not well-received critically, with Trouser Press describing it as "simple, rather plain synth-rock with a strong electronic beat and thin ancillary instrumentation". After two further singles in 1982, the band split up. The Survival label went on to become one of the premiere "minimal wave" labels of the 80s, with releases by the likes of Richard Bone, Tik and Tok, Thirteen at Midnight, and Play, and several releases by Capercaillie.  

[Spotify] Breakout 

sotd Playlist b03

I have compiled the songs of the day into multiple playlists for your listening pleasure. 

1774 songs posted so far.

This way [Spotify]: Playlist b03

This one's a whopper, 194 songs, 12 hours. That's some good road trip tunes.

Please enjoy responsibly 

—brENDan, screaming

Pure pop drivel for those masses, this way—

playlist b2: Sotd playlist #b02

playlist b1: Sotd playlist #b01

playlist 10: Sotd playlist #10

playlist 9: Sotd playlist #9

playlist 8: Sotd playlist #8

playlist 7: sotd playlist #7

playlist 6: sotd playlist #6

playlist 5: sotd playlist #5

playlist 4: sotd playlist #4

playlist 3: sotd playlist #3

playlist 2: sotd playlist #2

playlist 1: sotd playlist #1

Thanks a million

—BdeV

“Praying Hands”, Devo

This way: Praying Hands

Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! is the debut studio album by the American new wave band Devo. It was originally released in August 1978 on Warner Bros. in the North America and Virgin Records in Europe. Produced by Brian Eno, the album was recorded between October 1977 and February 1978, primarily in Cologne, West Germany. 

The album peaked at No. 78 on the U.S. Billboard chart and No. 12 on the UK Albums Chart. Retrospectively, the album has been included on several "best of" lists from publications including Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and Spin.

Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, and Bob Mothersbaugh wrote the album over three years between 1974 and 1977. "Jocko Homo", written by Mark Mothersbaugh, was demoed in 1974 and first played live on October 31, 1975. During this period, Devo were a quartet consisting of Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, Bob Mothersbaugh, and drummer Jim Mothersbaugh. In 1976, Alan Myers replaced Jim Mothersbaugh, and Bob Casale ("Bob 2") re-joined as rhythm guitarist and additional keyboardist following a two-year absence

[Spotify] Praying Hands 

“This Thread is a Green Street”, The Innocence Mission

This way: This Thread is a Green Street

The Innocence Mission is an American alternative rock and indie folk band that was formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1986. The group's current members are Karen Peris (née McCullough), her husband (and fellow guitarist) Don Peris, and Mike Bitts (on bass guitar). While all of these members have contributed to the composition of the band's music, Karen Peris serves as the innocence mission's primary songwriter. She is also a multi-instrumentalist, additionally playing instruments such as the accordion and the Hammond organ on the band's releases. As of December 2024, the group has released a total of thirteen studio albums.

[Spotify] This Thread is a Green Street 

“Earth Report”, Faith Global

This way: Earth Report

Faith Global was a synthpop and new wave band composed of Stevie Shears (guitar, bass, synthesizer, piano), original Ultravox! guitarist and Jason Guy (vocals, acoustic guitar). Stevie Shears had been in Ultravox! and Cowboys International, when suddenly Faith Global was formed in the early 1980s.

Shears met Guy after leaving Ultravox in 1978 and decided to form a band; Ice, bassist with Gloria Mundi, Shears and Guy formed New Men. The band didn't last long, so Shears went to Cowboys International and Guy formed another band, but continued to maintain contacts. Later Survival Records (label founded by the duo Drinking Electricity) offered them money to work in the studio. In Survival, recorded and released an EP called Earth Report in 1982 and the album The Same Mistakes in 1983. Shortly afterwards, it seems Faith Global split up. Shears continues playing guitar, but retired from the music business, while the whereabouts of Guy are unknown. 

[Spotify] Earth Report 

“I Turn In”, Messengers

This way: I Turn In

Messengers were formed out of the ashes of Modern Man, a Glaswegian post-punk outfit that Migde Ure discovered playing in a bar on Sauchiehall Street. Ure took an instant liking to the band, and offered to produce their first and only lp, Concrete Scheme (1980). Though it featured some strong songs (Ure would later cover "Wastelands" on his solo debut), the band broke up soon after its release. Drummer Colin King and guitarist Danny Mitchell decided to carry on as a duo, with King taking on the lead vocal duties and Mitchell turning his attention to the synthesizer. Calling themselves The Furious Monkeys, they recorded some demos on a four track tape deck and sent them to their former mentor. 

[Spotify] No!

“I Can't Stop”, Sharp Pins

This way: I Can't Stop

Sharp Pins is the super solid lo-fi noise pop project of talented Chicago musician Kai Slater of Lifeguard and Dwaal Troupe. 

[Spotify] I Can't Stop 

It's the end of the World as we Know it

This way: It's the end of the World as we Know it

I feel fine. From the R.E.M. canon. This track from 1987, so apparently it's in a constant state of endin'. It's always a struggle for the right things to be done.

[Spotify] It's the end of the World as we Know it 

“Smashed Glass”, Beige Banquet

This way: Smashed Glass

Beige Banquet are a London-based five-piece playing a bleak yet high-powered style of dark punk. Underpinned by a propulsive and motorik rhythm section, they combine robotic and percussive vocal deliveries with industrial textures and abrasive guitars to create frantic and driving sound. The band are set to release their sophomore album 'Ornamental Hermit', and first as a full band, on the 13th March 2024. 

Produced by Beige Banquet with the help of engineer Matt Green (Sniffany & The Nits, Artefact, Joanna Gruesome) at Head Cold Studios and mixed and mastered by David Forcier (Civic) ‘Animals’ captures the band in a professional studio environment, moving away from the lofi bedroom recordings of previous releases, the studio provided a perfect environment for the band to develop compositionally and explore a more textural approach.

Combining layers of noise and bursts of saturated percussion, with a driving rhythm section, ‘Ornamental Hermit’ features a rich and more dynamic sound and captures the raw power of the Beige Banquet live show for the first time. Released March 13, 2024. 

[Spotify] Smashed Glass

“Transdermal Celebration”, Ween

This way: Transdermal Celebration

Ween is an American rock band from New Hope, Pennsylvania, formed in 1984 by Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, better known by their respective stage names, Gene and Dean. Generally categorized as an alternative rock band, the band are known for their irreverent, highly eclectic catalog of songs inspired by funk, soul, country, gospel, prog, psychedelia, R&B, heavy metal, and punk rock. 

Ween self-released several cassette albums from their formation until 1989. Afterward, they put out three officially-released lo-fi albums: GodWeenSatan: The Oneness (1990); The Pod (1991); and Pure Guava (1992). For Pure Guava, the band signed with major label Elektra Records. The album spawned the single "Push th' Little Daisies", which was a chart hit in Australia and the United States. Under Elektra, the band released four professionally-recorded albums: Chocolate and Cheese (1994); 12 Golden Country Greats (1996); The Mollusk (1997); and White Pepper (2000). They later returned to independent labels for their albums Quebec (2003) and La Cucaracha (2007). After a 28-year run, Freeman quit the band in 2012, citing the need to focus on his alcohol and drug addiction issues. Ween reformed in late 2015 and toured extensively without plans to record new material, but later entered an indefinite hiatus in 2024 citing Melchiondo's mental health as a reason.

[Spotify] Transdermal Celebration

“False Anthem”, Summer Cannibals

This way: False Anthem

Summer Cannibals was a rock band from Portland, Oregon featuring lead singer and guitarist Jessica Boudreaux, drummer Devon Shirley (formerly of the bands The Photo Atlas and Red Orange Yellow), guitarist Cassi Blum and bassist Ethan Butman. Their debut album, No Makeup, was released on New Moss Records on August 6, 2013. Their follow up album, Show Us Your Mind, was produced, recorded, and mixed by Larry Crane and released on New Moss Records on March 3, 2015. The album received favorable reviews from critics such as Entertainment Weekly, which stated that the album featured “songs that refine the fuzzy garage-pop of its debut into something sharper, tighter, and much more difficult to shake off.” 

Summer Cannibals toured nationwide supporting the Show Us Your Mind album, including sets at SXSW and CMJ in 2015.Following their return in the fall, the band recorded their third full-length album with Chris Woodhouse, the engineer on records from artists including Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees and WAND.

[Spotify] False Anthem

“The Moon”, Trace Mountains

This way: The Moon

Pitchfork calls the lyric-forward, New York-based indie rock band Trace Mountains, "a decisive step forward" for its lead singer-songwriter Dave Benton (formerly of LVL UP). Benton’s sprawling and introspective tunes borrow flavor from a host of contemporary indie giants—the sad laments of Phil Elverum, the antic invention of Dinosaur Jr., the delicate jangle of Sufjan Stevens—while still managing to maintain his own original and innovative voice. Trace Mountains' latest LP, 2021's House of Confusion, finds the combo exploring a metaphoric backroad of rural American isolation. Alongside drummer Greg Rutkin, bassist Bernard Casserly, guitarist Jim Hill and keyboardist Logan Roth, Benton will play hits from that album, plus other Trace Mountains songs both classic and soon-to-be-released.

[Spotify] The Moon

“Amsterdam”, Mary Gauthier

This way: Amsterdam

Mary Gauthier is a Grammy-nominated American folk singer-songwriter and author, whose songs have been covered by performers including Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Kathy Mattea, Boy George, Jimmy Buffett, Bettye Lavette, Candi Staton, and Amy Helm. 

Mary's songs often deal with marginalization, informed by her experience of adoption, addiction and recovery, and growing up gay in the deep south. Her work demonstrates an "ability to transform her own trauma into a purposeful and communal narrative", such as the lyric "we could all use, a little mercy, now", from her song "Mercy Now".

Spurred on by friends, she enrolled at Louisiana State University as a philosophy major, dropping out during her senior year. After attending the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, and working in an upmarket restaurant, she got financial backing to open a Cajun restaurant in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, calling it Dixie Kitchen. On opening night, 12 July 1990, she was arrested for drunk driving and has been sober ever since. "I eventually got sober when I was twenty seven years old... I started writing songs in earnest at around thirty two years of age", she says. After achieving sobriety from "[mainly] alcohol, cocaine and heroin", Mary continued to manage, and cook at, the restaurant but was increasingly driven to dedicate herself to songwriting.

[Spotify] Amsterdam 

“The Great Divide”, Wussy

This way: The Great Divide

Wussy is an American four-piece indie rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2001. The band consists of Chuck Cleaver (vocals/guitar), Lisa Walker (vocals/guitar), Joe Klug (drums) and Mark Messerly (bass). Former members include Dawn Burman (drums) and John Erhardt (pedal steel). Cleaver and Walker write most of the songs and either alternate lead vocals or sing them in harmony. Live performances feature the two vocalists having a "combative rapport". They have released seven albums, one live album, two EPs, one mini LP and a number of singles.  

Wussy formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2001 while Chuck Cleaver had just released the last album with his previous group, Ass Ponys.[9] He met Lisa Walker and asked her to perform with him at a local awards show in Cincinnati in 2001. Following the performance the duo decided to form a band together. Walker, originally from Muncie, Indiana, attended Cedarville University and has worked in marketing. They were joined by Messerly on bass and Dawn Burman on drums in 2002. Burman had not yet mastered the instrument but joined as she "loved their sound and wanted to be part of it". Cleaver finalised his previous band with a compilation in 2005 leaving him to concentrate on Wussy. They made their recording debut in 2005 with the album Funeral Dress on Shake it Records, the label of a local record store of the same name. The record was produced by John Curley at his Ultrasuede Studios, where the band would continue to record future albums. While making the album all four band members suffered some personal hardship that inspired much of the 2007 record.

[Spotify] The Great Divide

“Sad Peter Pan”, Vic Chestnutt

This way: Sad Peter Pan

If you don't know Vic Chestnutt you need to get busy, a trove awaits. Vic Chesnutt (November 12, 1964 – December 25, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia. His first album, Little, was released in 1990. His commercial breakthrough came in 1996 with the release of Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, a charity record of alternative artists covering his songs.

Chesnutt released 17 albums during his career, including two produced by Michael Stipe, and a 1996 release on Capitol Records, About to Choke. His musical style has been described by Bryan Carroll of AllMusic as a "skewed, refracted version of Americana that is haunting, funny, poignant, and occasionally mystical, usually all at once". 

Injuries from a 1983 car accident left him partially paralyzed; he used a wheelchair and had limited use of his hands.

[Spotify] Sad Peter Pan

“Tuxxxedo Mask”, Dadadoh

This way: Tuxxxedo Mask

I cought this band playing at the First Friday event in Phoenix at the Heard Museum. A very terrific band making all kinds of good noise and music. A great hybred of rock and rap. This album is dedicated to the Phoenix music scene. A city of HOOLIGANS! Every song on it is about our time in the city making music after releasing WOWEE! From taking wild trips with loved ones to losing people to drug abuse to dead end relationships: this album is the audio version of a reality show that is the Phoenix music scene!  Released April 29, 2022

[Spotify] Tuxxxedo Mask

“I want one of Those”, Hugh Cornwell

This way: I want one of Those

Hugh Alan Cornwell (born 28 August 1949) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and writer, best known for being the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for the punk rock band the Stranglers from 1974 to 1990. Since leaving the Stranglers, Cornwell has recorded a further ten solo studio albums and continues to record and perform live.

Cornwell grew up in Tufnell Park and Kentish Town and attended William Ellis School in Highgate, where he played bass in a band with Richard Thompson, later a member of folk rock band Fairport Convention. In the late 1960s, after earning a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Bristol, he embarked on post-graduate research at Lund University in Sweden. Not long after his arrival he formed the band Johnny Sox.

The Stranglers

Cornwell returned to the UK in 1974 with Johnny Sox (minus Hans Wärmling). Drummer Jet Black then joined the band. At one stage it was just Cornwell and Black, who were then joined by bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel. Guitarist, keyboardist and saxophonist Hans Wärmling, on holiday from Sweden, joined the line-up towards the end of 1974. The Johnny Sox name was dropped, with the band adopting the name the Guildford Stranglers before settling on the Stranglers. 

[Spotify] I want one of Those

“Home”, Bat for Lashes

This way: Home

Natasha Khan (born 25 October 1979), known professionally as Bat for Lashes, is an English singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. She has released six studio albums: Fur and Gold (2006), Two Suns (2009), The Haunted Man (2012), The Bride (2016), Lost Girls (2019), and The Dream of Delphi (2024). She has received three Mercury Prize nominations. Khan is also the vocalist for Sexwitch, a collaboration with the rock band Toy and producer Dan Carey. 

[Spotify] Home

“Cavern”, Liquid Liquid

This way: Cavern

Liquid Liquid is an American no wave and 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 emerged from downtown New York's no wave scene. The group's original records were pressed in very limited quantities on 99 Records, and can now fetch high prices. "Cavern" originally appeared on the EP, Optimo, recorded by Don Hünerberg. Though the pressings were small, the music has had a lasting and far-reaching impact. A music video for "Cavern" was produced by Michael Sporn.

[Spotify] Cavern

“Safety Pin Stuck in My Heart”, Patrick Fitzgerald

This way: Safety Pin Stuck in My Heart

Patrik Fitzgerald (born Patrick Joseph Fitzgerald, 19 March 1956, Stratford, East London) is an English singer-songwriter and an originator of folk punk. The son of working-class Irish immigrant parents, he began recording and performing during the punk rock movement in 1977, after working briefly as an actor. 

His early songs were generally short, sarcastic efforts, recorded with just an acoustic guitar and occasional studio effects, with lyrics containing a large amount of social comment. Fitzgerald was soon regarded as an original of his genre, somewhere between a punk-poet and an urban folksinger, and was lauded in some circles as "the new Bob Dylan". After starting out as a busker, he approached David Bowie's original manager, Ken Pitt, requesting his services; Pitt declined but an audition was set up with Noel Gay in 1975 who also turned Fitzgerald down.

In 1976 Fitzgerald auditioned, alongside Mick Jones and Tony James for the band London SS, again without success. After a spell acting in a communal theatre group (9 months in Stratford's The Soapbox Theatre), he drifted towards the developing Punk scene. He was a regular customer at the Small Wonder record shop in London, and when Small Wonder launched a record label Fitzgerald was one of the first to submit a demo – and got a deal, with the new label releasing his first three EPs, the first being Safety-Pin Stuck in My Heart, still his best-known work, and one which he subtitles "a love song for punk music". Patrik became a regular performer at London punk gigs, and supported The Jam on their national tour.

[Spotify] Safety Pin Stuck in My Heart 

“River of Dirt”, Marissa Nadler

This way: River of Dirt

Marissa Nadler (born April 5, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter. Active since 2000, she is currently signed to Sacred Bones Records and Bella Union, and released her ninth full-length studio album, The Path of the Clouds, in October 2021. Her music has been characterized as blending "traditional folk, Gothic Americana, and dreamy pop into an original musical framework". Her music "is rooted in old-school country and folk but brings in elements of experimental and black metal". Sometimes the term "dream folk" has been invoked to describe her work. 

Singing in a mezzo-soprano, Nadler has received acclaim for her vocals. Her voice was described by Pitchfork as one "you would follow straight into Hades", and also "textured and angelic, with just a hint of pain captured within her iridescent falsetto". The Boston Globe said, "She has a voice that, in mythological times, could have lured men to their deaths at sea, an intoxicating soprano drenched in gauzy reverb that hits bell-clear heights, lingers, and tapers off like rings of smoke".

[Spotify] River of Dirt

“I Dream of Wires”, Robert Palmer

This way: I Dream of Wires

Here is a cover of a Gary Numan song featuring him on keyboards. Robert Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful and soulful voice, his sartorial elegance, and his stylistic explorations, combining soul, funk, jazz, rock, pop, reggae, and blues. His 1986 song "Addicted to Love" and its accompanying video came to "epitomise the glamour and excesses of the 1980s".

Having started in the music industry in the 1960s, including a spell with Vinegar Joe, Palmer found success in the 1980s, both in his solo career and with the Power Station, scoring Top 10 hits in the United Kingdom and the United States. Three of his hit singles, including "Addicted to Love", featured music videos directed by British fashion photographer Terence Donovan.

Palmer received a number of awards throughout his career, including two Grammy Awards for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance and an MTV Video Music Award. He was also nominated for the Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist in 1987 and 1989. He died from a heart attack aged 54.

[Spotify] I Dream of Wires

“New Day Rising”, Hüsker Dü

This way: New Day Rising

New Day Rising is the third studio album by the American punk rock band Hüsker Dü. It was released in 1985 through SST Records. As with its predecessor, the album continued to deviate from the fast-paced hardcore punk style of the band's earliest releases, showing an evolution towards slower tempos and more melody.[citation needed] According to music journalist Andrew Earles, the album expanded the "pop-core" side of the previous album into an entire album. Specifically, he cited the tracks "Chartered Trips", "Something I Learned Today", and "First of the Last Calls" from the previous album as having informed this album's sound.

The band released the album Zen Arcade through SST Records in July 1984, and the label's co-owner Joe Carducci immediately requested another album. The band wanted to self-produce, but SST insisted on Spot, who produced many of the label's albums, including all of Hüsker Dü's. The recording atmosphere was thus tense. 

[Spotify] New Day Rising