“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

“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

“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

“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

“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] 

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“Nightclubbing”, Grace Jones

This way: Nightclubbing

Grace Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican model, singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. In 1999, Jones ranked 82nd on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, and in 2008, she was honored with a Q Idol Award. Jones influenced the cross-dressing movement of the 1980s and has been an inspiration for artists including Annie Lennox, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Solange, Lorde, Róisín Murphy, Brazilian Girls, Nile Rodgers, Santigold, and Basement Jaxx. In 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her as the 40th greatest dance club artist of all time. 
This song is from the 1981 LP, Nightclubbing. Song written by Iggy Pop and David Bowie.

[Spotify] Nightclubbing

“Whole Life”, Perfume Genius

This way: Whole Life

Perfume Genius, is an American singer songwriter. Hadreas's music explores topics including sexuality, his personal struggle with Crohn's disease, domestic abuse, and the dangers faced by gay men in contemporary society. From the album Set My Heart on Fire Immediately released this year.

[Spotify] Whole Life

“I Knew”, Zeitgeist

This way: I Knew

Yes, ok, History has been rewritten and now we have The Reivers. But I will always know them as Zeitgeist. The Reivers were an American pop band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 1984 as Zeitgeist, they were forced to change their name before releasing their second album in 1987, due to another group claiming prior rights to the name. They chose the name The Reivers from the title of the William Faulkner novel.

The band included John Croslin, songwriter, vocalist, guitars; Kim Longacre, vocals, guitars; Cindy Toth, bass, violin; and Garrett Williams, drums. They were the best-known of a cluster of Austin-based bands loosely grouped under the name New Sincerity. Writing for No Depression in 2008, critic Peter Blackstock described The Reivers as "a classic pop band...They balanced memorable melodies and unstoppable energy with seemingly effortless ease, contrasting the rough and sweet vocals of frontfolks John Croslin and Kim Longacre (respectively) amid an infectious swirl of chiming guitars and the unbelievably lively rhythms of drummer Garrett Williams and bassist Cindy Toth." Translate Slowly is the 1985 debut album by The Reivers. This album was originally released under the band's original name, Zeitgeist, but was remixed in 1988 and re-released under the band name The Reivers, after another band claimed rights to the name "Zeitgeist."

[Spotify] not likely

“Downtown Train”, Tom Waits

This way: Downtown Train

Tom Waits is an American singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during the 1970s, but his music since the 1980s has reflected greater influence from blues, rock, vaudeville, and experimental genres.

Rain Dogs is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits, released in September 1985 on Island Records. A loose concept album about "the urban dispossessed" of New York City, Rain Dogs is generally considered the middle album of a trilogy that includes Swordfishtrombones and Franks Wild Years. 

The album, which includes appearances by guitarists Keith Richards and Marc Ribot, is noted for its broad spectrum of musical styles and genres, described by Rolling Stone as merging "Kurt Weill, pre-rock integrity from old dirty blues, [and] the elegiac melancholy of New Orleans funeral brass, into a singularly idiosyncratic American style."

[Spotify] Downtown Train

“Two Black Eyes”, Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne

[Spotify] Two Black Eyes

An experienced player of the melodeon and anglo concertina, Cohen has performed in numerous line-ups over the years but is probably best known as a member of BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award nominated trio Granny's Attic. Cohen is a singer whose style and approach is rooted in the traditions of the British Isles. A highly regarded singer, Cohen had the fortune of winning Bromyard Folk Festival's Future of Young Folk Award for young folk singers at the 2014 festival. This from the compilation of field recordings by Stick in the Wheel from 2019. 


[Spotify] Two Black Eyes

“Villon Song”, Stick in the Wheel

This way: Villon Song

Stick in the Wheel are an English band with its origins in East London. It is led by vocalist and artist Nicola Kearey and Ian Carter, their producer, arranger and Dobro player. They bring a contemporary approach to folk music with raw minimalism, setting vocals to simple accompaniments and handclaps. They sing both their own compositions and traditional songs, which hold a strong relationship to each other through their subject matter. They were praised by Eliza Carthy for bringing important new songs to the repertoire. 


[Spotify] Villon Song