The Un-Herd Music

Best of 2011

2012-01-02T18:13:00.000-08:00

I have no idea what magical confluence of social vectors andtrends managed to cause so many bands to arrive at the front door of thisblog's wheelhouse, but 2011 displayed a renewed interest out there in the hook-laden power pop glam punk rock'n' roll that I feared had been euthanized and buried around the time BobStinson got kicked out of the Replacements. There were other trends, of course, and most of them reached a far greater audience than this particular one, but any band with the chops and balls to tap in to the primal source of rock 'n' roll is also gonna be committed to an established tradition of corporate incomprehension and mainstream disinterest (and the two go hand in hand). That, after all, is what makes them un-herd in the first place.

The Un-Herd Music Top 30 of 2011

1. The Breakdowns - The Kids Don't Wanna Bop Anymore

One of those albums that just gets better with each successive listen. Concise, hook-filled songs, trimmed of all fat, that effortlessly seem to channel all the right touchstones since the '50s and still sound totally fresh. Full review here.

2. The Booze - At Maximum Volume

Atlanta band that's already broken up, but not before releasing this perfect distillation of classic Stones and Faces. Occasionally the analytical part of my brain argues that it's too derivative of its sources, but then I realize I'm enjoying it too much to care.

3. Biters - It's All Chewed Up, OK?

Another Atlanta band. This is a vinyl-only compilation of their two EPs from earlier in the year (It's OK to Like Biters and All Chewed Up). Either of those EPs could've placed on this list, so if you don't buy vinyl just grab the EPs and stick 'em together.

4. The Meows - All You Can Eat

Paint-blistering, pure rock 'n' roll from Spain. Crazed geetar riffs, pounding pianos, call-and-response backing vocals. These guys touch the godhead itself.

5. Yep - Once

Almost a covers album, this collaboration between Belleville's Mark Caputo and the Rubinoos' Al Chan isn't surprising because it's filled with hooks - you expect that from these guys - but because it uses its vocal harmonies to dig so deep into the source material. Full review here.

6. The Dum Dum Girls - Only In Dreams

To be honest, the first listen didn't do much for me - and then Kristen Gundred's voice and melodies starting sinking in until I just couldn't stop playing it. This is a major label band so a) there won't be a track on the mix, and b) steal it. Full review here.

7. Meyerman - Who Do You Think You Are?

Literate, tuneful, and unafraid to turn the amps up, Meyerman are manna from heaven for any fan of power pop. Full review here.

8. Oh Mercy - Great Barrier Grief

It's fitting that this was produced by Mitchell Froom, who mined a similar vein of acoustic pop perfection with Crowded House. Leader/wunderkind Alexander Gow might just be the Roddy Frame of the '10s, but might even be something more.

9. Van Buren Boys - Up All Night

Like an amphetamine version of the Exploding Hearts, with all the similar influences and record collections on display. Not much more than fun, but fun with a capital F. Full review here.

10. Watts - On The Dial

Tough power pop that seems to admire AC/DC as much as Big Star, but prefers the Replacements over Husker Du. All's fine then. Full review here.

11. Barreracudas - Nocturnal Missions (full review here)

12. The Kills - Blood Pressures

13. Redondo Beat - Meet Redondo Beat

14. Marvelous Darlings - Single Life (full review here)

15. Apex Manor - The Year of Magical Drinking

16. Locksley - Locksley

17. Daniel Tashian - Arthur (full review here)

18. The Weight - Nowhere Now

19. Ryan Allen - Ryan Allen and His Extra Arms (full review here)

20. The Postelles - The Postelles

21. Butch Walker & the Black Widows - The Spade

22. Black Rabbits - Hypno Switch

23. Warren Zanes - I Want To Move Into The Daylight

24. Giuda - Racey Roller

25. The CRY! - The CRY!

26. Sun Wizard - Positively 4th Avenue

27. Bare Wires - Cheap Perfume

28. King Louie's Missing Monuments - Paint It White

29. The ACBs - Stona Rosa

30. Tommy Keene - Behind the Parade

This year also saw a number of great EPs released (besides the ones by the Biters), which may be a result of the longplayer album becoming less important as the internet becomes something like ye olde global record shoppe. Here's a quickie top 5:

Gustav Nilsson Make-up On, Letdown Off
Boulevard Beat 8 Track Breakdown
The Adjusters Trouble 'n' Love
Kurt Baker Rockin' For a Living
Reigning Sound Abdication

And finally... here's a sampler for the year. It's not the top 30 - all major label bands have been omitted - so it's more like my usual quantum top 20s (ie: more than 20). All of the above albums are available on iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp, and a multitude of other places, so if you hear something you like then give the bands a little monetary love.

Get Up, Get Down

1. Meyerman Intro Tonight
2. The Meows Tired of Being Alone
3. Biters Ain't So Easy
4. Van Buren Boys Crazy
5. Redondo Beat Do You Wanna Have This Dance?
6. Giuda Roll On
7. Locksley All of the Time
8. Black Rabbits My Baby Don't
9. Ryan Allen and His Extra Arms Heart String Soul
10. Marvelous Darlings I Want My Brand
11. The Kills Future Starts Slow
12. Apex Manor I Know These Waters Well
13. Tommy Keene Deep Six Saturday
14. Oh Mercy Stay, Please Stay
15. The Weight Grand Street
16. Daniel Tashian When You're Gone
17. Yep Crestfallen
18. The Booze Wild One
19. Watts Chaperone
20. Barreracudas Feet
21. The Cry! Down in the City
22. The Postelles Sleep on the Dance Floor
23. Warren Zanes That Sounds Good To Me
24. The Breakdowns The Kids Don't Wanna Bop Anymore

Faves of 2011 (vol. 2)

2011-12-13T15:03:00.000-08:00

Wait, how is this Vol. 2 and why is Vol. 2 appearing after Vol. 3? Whelp, suffice to say I put up this volume two times previously and each time it got zapped by the powers-that-be. This time, I've pulled every major label-affiliated band from the mix, and replaced them with much more deserving tunes.

The three volumes of faves from 2011 really put into focus how difficult it's going to be to narrow the year into a top 20. My last count for that list exceeded 30, which means there's some tough decisions ahead. In the meantime, however, all we have to do is enjoy. And hope the link stays alive.

Here We Go Magic

1. Cirrone Here Is My Song
2. Redondo Beat The Sweetest Sound
3. The Dahlmanns Candy Pants
4. An American Underdog Nothing I Can Do
5. The Biters Hold On
6. The Barreracudas Baby Baby Baby
7. The Kills Damned If She Do
8. The Booze Rachel
9. The CRY! Forget It
10. Sun Wizard Golden Girl
11. Warren Zanes Nothing To Do Now
12. The Hot Toddies Hey Hey
13. The Viatones Isn't It So True
14. Sloan Unkind
15. Ralph Covert & the Bad Examples No Message in Your Bottle
16. The Sick Rose Take It All Back
17. The ABCs Italian Girls
18. The Eulogies Better Than Nothing
19. The Love Me Nots I'm Gonna Be Your Girl
20. The Greatest Liar You Deserve Better
21. Marvelous Darlings Teenage Targets
22. The Shivers Used To Be
23. The Diamond Dogs Be Here Tonight
24. Dirty Wings Scott Walker, Motherfucker

Un-Herd Christmas 2011

2011-12-04T15:57:00.001-08:00

Hard to believe it's this time of year again. Also hard to believe there's another 25 rockin' tunes that flash their collective 'nads at the Christmas spirit, but here's the proof.

I don't know where Vegas puts the odds for this link's staying power, but it should be safe. Then again, I might be flirting with doom by including a couple oldies like Mud and Roy Wood's Wizzard (and, by the way, how damn genius was it for Roy Wood to intro the song with the chime of a cash register in place of the typical sleigh bells?). Anyway, let's have at it. And to paraphrase Santa himself: have a tolerable holiday everyone!

ka-CHING!

1. Billy Childish & the Musicians of the British Empire Santa Claus
2. The BAcksliders Christmas (Doesn't Have To Be So Bad)
3. E Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas
4. REM Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
5. Pugwash Tinsel and Marzipan
6. Deer Tick Christmas All Summer Long
7. Tina Sugandh White Christmas
8. Blue Skies for Black Hearts Wishing You A Merry Xmas
9. Vancougar Dysfunctional Family Christmas
10. Mud Lonely This Christmas
11. Roy Wood's Wizzard I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
12. The Montgomery Cliffs Don't Feel Much Like Christmas
13. The Chesterfield Kings Hey Santa Claus
14. The Len Price 3 It's Christmas Time, Ebenezer
15. The Fleshtones Mr. Santa Claus
16. The Wellingtons I Guess It's Christmas
17. The Spring Collection Christmas With You
18. The Krayolas Run, Rudolph, Run
19. The Boss Martians 3 Ghosts (A Modern Christmas Carol)
20. X Jingle Bells
21. Dylan Thomas Band For Christ's Sake (It's Christmas)
22. Marah New York Is A Christmas Kind of Town
23. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings Ain't No Chimneys in the Projects
24. Crocodiles w/ Gum Gum Dirls Merry Christmas Baby (Please Don't Die)
25. Tight Solid I Hate Christmas

Previous Xmas mixes can be found here.

Faves of 2011 (Vol. 3)

2011-11-14T21:07:00.001-08:00

Okay, trying this again. I've removed all bands that are affiliated with major labels.At least, I think I have; it's quite hard to find out if an "independent" label is really independent or simply a vile subsidiary of the evil empire. Apparently such an admission is bad for business. I wonder why, huh?

I've Got Permission

1. The Van Buren Boys Turn It Up Loud
2. Meyerman Permission to Rock You
3. The Adjusters You Gotta Say
4. Butch Walker & the Black Widows Every Single Body Else
5. Locksley Oh, Wisconsin!
6. Everybody Else First Class
7. The Black Rabbits Hypno Switch
8. The Handcuffs Come On Venus
9. The Breakdowns If Only You Knew
10. The Boulevard Beat 8 Track Breakdown
11. Wiretree Dakota
12. Chewy Patriarch Boogie
13. The Dead Trees World Gone Global
14. Phoebe Killdeer & the Short Straws Scholar
15. Mother's Children (Baby You Ain't) Tough Enough
16. The Cute Lepers Tribute To Charlie
17. Spazzys Makin' Trash
18. Bare Wires Television Girls
19. Giuda Number 10
20. Sally Crewe & the Sudden Moves Punk Rock Kid
21. King Louie's Missing Monuments Dance All Nite
22. The Krayolas Gonna Walk Downtown
23. Reigning Sound Can't Hold On
24. Howler You Like White Women I Like Cigarettes

A New Mandate

2011-10-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

Well, the fuckers have done it again. That last mix got zapped by the RIAA on behalf of one of the four major labels (Sony, Universal, EMI, and Warner), all of whom don't seem to understand that the means of distribution have changed in the internet era. These dumb cunts are so intent on saving a paltry 99 cents from a download that they can't see the obvious benefit of the free and spontaneous dissemination of a portion of their artist's work. These are the same assholes that wanted to prosecute home-taping in the '80s, even while the sheer amount of music sales boomed due to the very existence of that trend.

I want to support bands, but I absolutely do not want to support these greedy and venal major labels. So here's my new mandate: from here on in, if a band is on a major label I will not buy their product nor will I promote their product on this site. I might go see them live - but, then again, if they're on a major they probably won't be worth seeing anyway.

70s Glam mix

2011-09-25T01:17:00.000-07:00

The early 70s saw rock hit its first reactionary movement. A new generation of fans and musicians, weaned on tinny AM radio trash and their older siblings' record collections, came of age with a chip on their shoulder and a desire for something beyond the classic rock cliches that were already fossilized in amber. They looked simultaneously to the past and the future for inspiration. In the past, they found the excitement and simplicity of good ol' 50s rock 'n' roll, and in the future they found an alien androgyny based in apocalyptic sci-fi, and they smushed those two seemingly disparate elements together and created an indefinable beast that ended up getting called glam.

Glam, or glitter, as a term is an admittedly large umbrella spread out over a highly dissimilar bunch of acts. The somewhat foppy UK variant (typified by Bowie, T.Rex, The Sweet, and a parade of one hit wonders) was quite clearly at odds with the darker, messier US strain (which included the Dolls, Iggy, Alice Cooper, and even Lou Reed). What ties them together is their mutual influence and similarity to what was then just lurking around the corner: punk rock. The energy, the distorted guitars, the trash aesthetic, the rediscovered faith in rock and roll, and the rejection of established cliches - those very tenets of punk were the same booster rockets that powered the best of the glam bands.

Don't Blame Us, You 96 Decibel Freaks

1. Mott the Hoople The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll
2. New York Dolls Personality Crisis
3. Alice Cooper Under My Wheels
4. The Sweet Hellraiser
5. Suzi Quatro Glycerine Queen
6. Be Bop Deluxe Maid in Heaven
7. T. Rex Sunken Rags
8. Slade Gudbuy T' Jane
9. Jobriath Rock of Ages
10. Crushed Butler High School Dropout
11. Hobnail She's Just A Friend Of Mine
12. The Rats Queen
13. Brett Smiley VaVaVa Voom
14. Hollywood Brats Sick On You
15. Iggy and the Stooges Search and Destroy
16. David Bowie Suffragette City
17. Wizzard Ball Park Incident
18. Mud Tiger Feet
19. David Werner Whizz Kid
20. Alastair Riddell Scars of Love
21. Roxy Music Virginia Plain
22. American Jam Band Jam Jam
23. Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel Make Me Smile
24. Sensational Alex Harvey Band Last of the Teenage Idols Pts. I-III

Note: I found it difficult to contain this mix to 80 minutes, so it's the first one on this site that doesn't fit onto a standard CD.

River City Rebels

2011-09-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

This is a story of a band doing something that I personally find courageous, which is to stay true to itself even in the face of overwhelming commercial failure. The River City Rebels followed their own muse and ended up at a point they probably could never have predicted when they started the journey.

Looking back from here, it's hard to believe that journey started with an album called Racism, Religion, and War (2000). The lack of subtlety in the title is carried through in the music - it's fairly generic Oi-derived punk with a 3rd wave ska horn section that only slightly raises it above a thousand other bands of this ilk. By their very next album a year later the band was already expanding on that sound, and by their third album, No Good, No Time, No Pride (2002), they'd taken that tack as far as it could go. Many consider this the band's apex - and if your preference is for buzzsaw energy with gang chant choruses you could do far worse than tracking down a copy of this album - but for me this is when the band finally starts to get interesting.

It took two years for them to return with Hate To Be Loved (2004), which represents an enormous turning point. The album was produced by Sylvain Sylvain (of personal faves the New York Dolls), and it's as if he sat the boys down and explained the deep rhythm & blues roots of punk rock to them. It sounds like a lightbulb suddenly flickered to life, because as much as the album maintains the gang chants and punk spirit of past songs, it also possesses a much more varied sonic palette. A song like "Glitter and Gold" could have been played by the Dolls themselves (and the album's version of R&B chestnut "Don't Mess With Cupid" actually was). Beyond that glam rocker there were ballads and straight up rock 'n' roll, a grab bag of genres spilling out amid the more familiar Rebel moves. The band handicapped themselves by equipping the record with puerile cover art, and the fans of their first three albums were probably in an outrage over a perceived sell-out - but Hate To Be Loved was the sound of a band finally recognizing its own path.

Three years later they appeared with Keepsake of Luck, and to say it was a bold departure is something of an understatement. It was a quantum leap forward. Its reach far wider than anyone - maybe even the band themselves - might have anticipated, incorporating a rootsy Springsteen/Van Morrison influence that opened the Rebels to strains of both soul and folk. At the same time, there's a new-found sincerity in Dan O' Day's vocals that evoke the softer side of the Clash, a band with a similar (if grander and more dramatic) growth towards diversity and eclecticism. Despite of - or maybe because of - the wide range of musical influences, this is where the River City Rebels actually forge their own unique sound. The album is a monster at 16 songs, and while not all of them rise above their derivations enough of them do to make this the band's crowning achievement.

Tragically and predictably, Keepsake of Luck was soundly ignored by almost everybody. By the time of the next album, 2008's In Love/Loveless, the band was down to its two core members, Dan O' Day and Brandon Rainer. Somewhat surprisingly, the River City Rebels continued to push their sound forward. Sonically, there's almost no trace of their punk past here, but instead there are echoes of practically every strain of American music this side of country & western.

O' Day and Rainer reconvened again in 2010 with Done With Love. Perhaps more reflective and introspective than any of their previous efforts, it still sounds far from defeated. Conveniently, perhaps symbolically, this album appeared almost exactly a decade after their first. Those ten years, hard fought and most likely filled with frustration, manifest themselves in the depth of the music, while tracks like "Gone Forever" and "Here Today, Dead Tomorrow" suggest this may be the end of the journey. Let's hope not.

It Ain't So Bad Down Here

1. Religion
2. Gotta Get It
3. Aborted
4. I'm So Vain
5. Dreamy 17
6. Glitter and Gold
7. Nothing Makes You Hard
8. All The Flowers
9. Sick Kids
10. I've Seen
11. Bright Rays
12. It's Still There Now, Dear
13. Josie
14. One Sheet
15. One More Dance

Track 1 from Racism, Religion, and War (2000)
Track 2 from Playing to Live, Living to Play (2001)
Track 3 from No Good, No Time, No Pride (2002)
Tracks 4, 5, 6 from Hate To Be Loved (2004)
Tracks 7 - 11 from Keepsake of Luck (2007)
Tracks 12, 13 from In Love/Loveless (2008)
Tracks 14, 15 from Done With Love (2010)

End of Summer mix

2011-08-27T08:31:00.001-07:00

The days are still gloriously hot, but night is already falling sooner. Those patio lanterns are necessary even before you've got all the ribs off the grill. And every so often, if the wind blows just right, you swear you can feel a slight autumn chill lying just under the warm sting of the sun. Yep, it's the dog days of August, and summer's almost over.

So here's a slight change of pace. A decidedly slower pace, in fact. This mix won't get anyone dancing, but it'll aid in the casual sipping of sangria at dusk. It's not exactly sad bastard music - no bearded troubadours with an acoustic guitar whisper-singing about their cosmic pain - this mix is more about the mellow groove. The slow burn. Songs from a variety of sources and eras that tap into a blissed-out form of melancholy, which pretty much matches my mood at this time of year. Maybe yours too.

Shade and Honey

1. Oh Mercy Lay Everything On Me
2. Robbers on High Street Nasty Numbers
3. Bing Ji Ling Everybody
4. Daniel Tashian When You're Gone
5. Pinback Fortress
6. Ringside (w/ Ben Harper) Lost Days
7. Pernice Brothers Somerville
8. Luke Rathborne Dog Years
9. Vulgar Boatmen You Don't Love Me Yet
10. Largest Living Things Hellbent
11. High Dials What You Call Love Is A Lie
12. Yep The Rain Song
13. Cat Power Lived In Bars
14. Matt Costa Drive
15. Apex Manor Coming To
16. Warren Zanes Hey Girl
17. Girls Love Like a River
18. Roman Candle Baby's Got It In The Genes
19. The Chevelles Sunshine
20. Penny Blacks Chop Yourself Into Little Pieces And Mail Yourself to New Brunswick, Canada For Immediate Reassembly

We're Getting Loaded - the 2011 Summer Mix

2011-07-31T10:56:00.000-07:00

In honor of the thousands of people who braved swimming in each others' pee for the pic above, here's the latest UHM Summer mix.

These mixes tend to skew far and wide, spanning genres and eras (although this one obstinately sticks within the last decade) with little regard for any particular theme beyond the fact that they all sorta sound like summer (to my ears). Subsequently, the wistful melancholy of the Love Language exists side by side with Giuda's modern update on '70s glam stomp, the Sweetback Sisters' boppin' '50s hoedown, Sharon Jones' R&B groove, and the River City Rebels punkaroll drive (produced by Sylvain Sylvain no less!) and all manner of UHM obsessions in between. There's no reggae on this mix - not due to any newfound prejudice against the genre but more because of this summer's absence of carseat-melting heat in my part of the world - but don't let that deter anyone from skankin' in the sun. Oh, and credit where credit's due - I have to thank my awesome girlfriend PDX Chica for introducing the Blue Skies for Black Hearts song to me. Apparently her great taste knows no bounds. Now, wine coolers for all!

We're Getting Loaded

1. The Twisteroos (Let's Go) Where the Action Is
2. River City Rebels Glitter and Gold
3. Blue Skies for Black Hearts Majoring in the Arts
4. Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros Coma Girl
5. Stewboss I Hope You Miss Me
6. The Black Keys Dearest
7. The Star Spangles This Side of the Sun
8. The Breakers Here For a Laugh
9. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings Better Things To Do
10. The Silver Seas The Country Life
11. The Black Rabbits All Alone Again
12. Big Talk Getaways
13. Albert Hammond Jr. GfC
14. The Ike Reilly Assassination The Boat Song (We're Getting Loaded)
15. The Sweetback Sisters Love Me, Honey, Do
16. The Spazzys The Sunshine Drive
17. Bubble By And By
18. Giuda Get It Over
19. Maxim Ludwig & the Santa Fe Seven Stacy, C'mon
20. David Vandervelde California Breezes
21. Redondo Beat My Baby (Knows How To Have a Real Good Time)
22. The Love Language Summer Dust

Covers Project Vol. VIII

2011-06-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

Here we go again. After eight volumes of these covers mixes there isn't much to add, although there is a small handful of surprises. Dan Kelly's stab at "Nothing Compares To You" is particularly noteworthy for its totally original, almost jaunty arrangement that magically improves on the song's dynamic. Also outside the typical Un-Herd box, the 1234 turn "Blitzkrieg Bop" into straight-up a capella doo-wop, which only reinforces the sheer mastery of melody and songcraft behind the flash of genius that was the Ramones. In a similar move, the Baseballs expose the basic rock 'n' roll roots of Lady Gaga on "Paparrazi", and Hillbilly Moon Explosion re-imagine the old synthpop chestnut "Enola Gay" as a jumpin' rockabilly ditty. And that's it for curveballs - the rest stays pretty firmly in the indie/punk/power pop wheelhouse of this blog, which is to say it's all good.

You're Gonna Hear Electric Music

1. Dan Kelly Nothing Compares To You (Prince, by way of Sinead O'Connor)
2. The Ex-Gentlemen Untouchables (Generation X)
3. Kurt Baker Hanging On The Telephone (Jack Lee, by way of Blondie)
4. Smash Fashion Benny And The Jets (Elton John)
5. REM Baby Baby (The Vibrators)
6. The Feelies Barstool Blues (Neil Young)
7. The Blue Shadows Raised On Robbery (Joni Mitchell)
8. The Yum Yums Blame It On Suzie (Backstreet Girls)
9. Cobra Verde Teenage Kicks (The Undertones)
10. The Hoodoo Gurus A Hard Day's Night (The Beatles)
11. Army Navy Right Back Where We Started From (Maxine Nightingale)
12. The 1234 Blitzkrieg Bop (The Ramones)
13. Green River Ordinance Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac)
14. Chixdiggit She's So Modern (Boomtown Rats)
15. Baby Lemonade How Deep Is Your Love (The BeeGees)
16. Jeff Dahl The Moon Upstairs (Mott the Hoople)
17. Everclear Southern Girls (Cheap Trick)
18. The Donnas Drive My Car (The Beatles)
19. Hillbilly Moon Explosion Enola Gay (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark)
20. The Baseballs Paparazzi (Lady Gaga)
21. The Gladhands Play On (The Raspberries)
22. The Drive-By Truckers Strutter (Kiss)

Under Attack by Anonymous

2011-05-24T11:11:00.000-07:00

There used to be a Faves of 2011 post in this spot. It was taken down today, May 24th, without my consultation even though there was no active link or any kind of copyright violation.

Anyone with a brain can see that this blog is an attempt to bring exposure to bands and artists that I feel have been unfairly neglected. I don't put up whole albums, just mixes of songs that I like. I'm not about to make an argument against the charge of copyright violation, but I believe it's on the same level as home taping used to be in the '80s. I know for a fact that over the years many bands have sold albums directly because of the exposure from my mixes (in one memorable case, a couple went out and bought albums by every band on the mix) - it doesn't make it right, but it does suggest there's more going on here than simple piracy.

And if you don't agree that's fine. If you don't want your song on one of these mixes, then please contact me directly (email in my profile) and I'll simply remove it.

And, finally, to the anonymous complainant: please identify yourself so that I can never support your band or the band you "represent" ever again. It's unfair to the other artists that may want the exposure for you to assume they all share your intolerance.

Sick of Waiting for the Sun

2011-05-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

Even though the climate in my part of the world is resisting the fact, it's pretty much summer right now, which means a stack o' sun-worshiping mixes will be uploaded in the next number of weeks. This first one out of the gate is crammed full of power pop and, as much as the interweb disagrees about the definition of that particular term, this mix accurately defines what I think it is. And I am, of course, correct on the matter. So if you're a fan of the 3 minute bubblegummy, windows-down, pop/rock confection, you may have just found your nirvana. Now, if only that damn sun would just come out.

Sick of Waiting for the Sun

1. Skybombers I Could Tell You Something
2. Oh Mercy Can't Fight It
3. The Killjoys Soaked
4. Silver Sun High Times
5. Cirrone All I Know
6. The ACB's Keys In The Car
7. Last Days of April I Can't Control It
8. The Chevelles C'mon Everybody
9. Smash Palace Somebody Up There Likes Me
10. Barely Pink Baby A.M.
11. Mother Hips White Falcon Fuzz
12. The Runarounds Cellophane's Girl
13. Successful Failures All I Can Take
14. Chixdiggit I Remember You
15. Per Gessle Reporter
16. Kwyet Kings Radiated By Your Charm
17. Sun Wizard Safe and Sound
18. Locksley Let Me Know
19. Everybody Else Without You
20. Postelles 123 Stop
21. The Ex-Gentlemen Oh Mona
22. Sweet Water Superstar
23. Throwback Suburbia Head Over Heels
24. The Biters Rock 'n' Roll Loser

Death to False Monger mix

2011-03-31T09:42:00.001-07:00

The Un-Herd Music has been inactive for a little while, thanks to the thief or thieves who broke into my house and stole my computer, along with a half dozen mixes I had ready to upload. Not sure when I'll get around to compiling them again, but I hope the scumbag thief is enjoying the samplers of Jon Spencer and Mott the Hoople, a family tree of Greg Cartwright, another two volumes of covers, and a few random sets. Fortunately, I'd already burned this particular mix to a CDR to test it out in the car. It passed with flying colors - and UHM is back up and running.

This latest addition to the ever-growing family of monger mixes is pretty similar in approach to all the others. This one's maybe a tad more Keef than Thunders - there's definitely a thread of classic rock that runs through a lot of it (and just so we're clear, that's classic rock in the sense of the Stones and the Faces, not the Moody Blues and Jethro Tull) - but as a mix it's still the sort of thing that you only throw on the player once all the married couples have left the party. Not that married couples aren't equally welcome (and likely) to get their serious drink on as anybody - it's just that when they do it usually leads to hamster fights and fisticuffs. Actually, now that I think of it, maybe cue this puppy up when they're still around. This is that scenario's perfect soundtrack.

Death To False Monger

1. Scott McCarl Go Down Swinging
2. Moneybrother My Li'l Girl's Straight From Heaven
3. Zachary James & the All Seeing Eyes Three Outta Five
4. Poison Arrows Hittin' It Hard
5. Kasey Anderson All Lit Up
6. Stacie Collins Don't Doubt Me Now
7. Skybombers Black Carousel
8. The Booze Down On Your Luck
9. Harlan T. Bobo Last Step
10. Watts Chaperone
11. The Adjusters Drinkin' Red Wine
12. The Dictators What's Up With That?
13. Ponderosa Old Gin Road
14. Jim Jones Revue Stop The People
15. The New York Vaults Get Back
16. The Blessings She Thinks She Loves Me
17. Hazy Malaze Satisfy The Jones
18. Young Fresh Fellows Sittin' On A Pitchfork
19. Bubblegum Screw Better Man
20. Two Cow Garage Burn In Hell
21. The Compulsions My Favorite Wine
22. Dax Riggs Living Is Suicide

Faves of '11 (Vol. I)

2011-03-10T11:43:00.000-08:00

And it's already that time of the new year, wherein I offer up a mix of sparkling new tunes that have made my daily toil just a little bit more bearable.

Now, these mixes aren't necessarily meant as ringing endorsements of the albums the songs come from - they're really just a collection of single tracks that I like - but I can already promise that the records by Oh Mercy, Watts, Yep, Apex Manor, and Skybombers will be showing up in my quantum Best-of-the-Year list. As for the others, all I can say is that they all guarantee at least one outstanding track, as is evidenced here.

And, as always, this blog remains a Radiohead-free zone.

Faves of 2011 A

1. Oh Mercy Keith St.
2. Apex Manor The Party Line
3. Skybombers Love Me Like You Used To Do
4. Only Son The Same Two Places
5. Miles Kane Come Closer
6. Beady Eye The Roller
7. Nicole Atkins Cry, Cry, Cry
8. The Dozen Dimes Mean Little Girl
9. New York Dolls Talk To Me Baby
10. Watts The Times
11. The Insomniacs Yeah Yeah Yeah
12. Five O'Clock Heroes I Need You Around
13. Smith Westerns End of the Night
14. Ponderosa Pistolier
15. Ringside Should've Known
16. Lucinda Williams Buttercup
17. Yep Crestfallen
18. The World/Inferno Friendship Society The Politics of Passing Out
19. Frankie & the Heartstrings Hunger
20. David Lowery All Those Girls Meant Nothing To Me
21. The Baseball Project (w/ Craig Finn) Don't Call Them Twinkies
22. Telekinesis Gotta Get It Right Now

Review - Watts "On the Dial" (2011)

2011-03-09T12:34:00.001-08:00

Whenever I start to lament the demise of modern music, a band like this will show up and kick my ass. Watts somehow wedge their tough rock 'n' roll in the same space between punk and power pop that once made the Replacements seem so necessary. Each song on On The Dial comes armed with at least a couple barbed hooks, and the band backs them up with the cool swagger of a 50s street gang. Singer Dan Kopko's rasp holds a similarity to Social Distortion's Mike Ness (but with a more advanced sense of both melody and humor), while guitarist John Blout's muscular, dramatic leads are concise and tuneful, and underneath it all the rhythm section of Craig Lapointe and John Lynch pushes every bar forward with a lurching, inevitable momentum. The band may be named after Rolling Stones drummer Charlie, but I'm going out on a limb and claiming they're paying similar homage to Mott the Hoople bassist Overend, because as much as these songs chug along with the Chuck Berryisms of a punked-up Stones they also revel in the hard-bitten romantic fatalism of the best moments of Mott (and now that I think of it, I may have to start a campaign to get these guys to cover either "Jerkin' Crocus" or "One of the Boys" - it might be a perfect fit). Smart enough to title a song "Sweetheart of the Radio", cool enough to cover Angel City (aka the Angels), and, godbless'em, brave enough to even try at all - Watts is a band after my own heart.

Watts on Facebook

Watts on Amazon

Hidden Track mix

2011-02-26T08:43:00.001-08:00

I've compiled the following mix from a bunch of albums that took that extra step for the fans. Bonus tracks. More to the point: hidden bonus tracks. As always, the only rule I followed was the song must be something I like. Potential downloaders will just have to trust me on this one.

I'm of two minds when it comes to the hidden track. On one hand, it's pretty cool to find that buried gem as a sweet extra bonus to an album. On the other hand, sometimes bands tend to out-smart themselves in an effort to hide it. For example, I get annoyed when the final track has a few minutes of silence after it followed by the "secret" song. Those few minutes of silence ensure I will never play the album in its entirety or as part of a shuffle selection. Or if, like Dramarama once did, the band cuts up the bonus song into 5 second chunks of separate tracks, which plays perfectly fine until you press "random" and suddenly it resembles what I imagine the inside of Jessica Simpson's head must sound like.

Perhaps the best thing about the hidden track is the fact it isn't titled, which means the band is giving permission to the listeners to title it themselves. Personally, I jump all over that shit. For example, this mix really should look like this:

1. Eels [hidden track] (from Daisies of the Galaxy)
2. Marah [hidden track] (from If You Didn't Laugh You'd Cry)
3. Bleu [hidden track] (from Redhead)
4. The Foxymorons [hidden track] (from Rodeo City)
5. Kings of Leon [hidden track] (from Youth and Young Manhood)
6. You Am I [hidden track] (from Hourly, Daily)
7. Liquor Giants [hidden track] (from Liquor Giants)
8. Supersuckers [hidden track] (from Must've Been High)
9. Rich Hope [hidden track] (from Rich Hope & His Evil-Doers)
10. Tommy Womack [hidden track] (from Circus Town)
11. John Oszajca [hidden track] (from From There to Here)
12. The Right Ons [hidden track] (from Look Inside Now)
13. Cracker [hidden track] (from Gentleman's Blues)
14. Dramarama [hidden track] (from Sci Fi Hi Fi)
15. The Pietasters [hidden track] (from Awesome Mix Tape #6)
16. Thelonious Monster [hidden track] (from California Clam Chowder)
17. Heatmiser [hidden track] (from Mic City Sons)
18. The Auteurs [hidden track] (from New Wave)
19. Wilco [hidden track] (from Summerteeth)
20. The Libertines [hidden track] (from The Libertines)
21. The Honeydogs [hidden track] (from Here's Luck)
22. Sparklehorse [hidden track] (from It's A Wonderful Life)

But why miss an opportunity? Here's my own titles for the tunes:

Peek-a-boo!

1. Eels Cheese Wheel Radio
2. Marah Monkey Cuffs
3. Bleu Excuse Me, Ma'am, You're Kneeling On My Neck Ruffle
4. The Foxymorons Tastes Like Children
5. Kings of Leon A Fieldmouse, A Tractor, and a Butane Torch
6. You Am I Two Pounds of Meat in a One Pound Robot
7. Liquor Giants The Scientologist's Arithmetic (Tom's Square Root)
8. Supersuckers (I'm) Trapped (in Parentheses)
9. Rich Hope & His Evil-Doers Shakespeare's Dong
10. Tommy Womack I'm Selling Mom's Urine On E-Bay*
11. John Oszajca Yeah, I Dunno, It's Like, You know?
12. The Right Ons Poultry Lamp
13. Cracker The Rise and Fall of Granny Bumthrust
14. Dramarama Let Go Of My Ears (I Know What I'm Doing)
15. The Pietasters O Spelunker, My Spelunker
16. Thelonious Monster Whore D'Oeuvres
17. Heatmiser The Gunt of Limbaugh
18. The Auteurs Life is Like a Box of Chocolates, Provided the Last Chocolate Means Certain, Inevitable Death
19. Wilco I Likes Dem Tiggies
20. The Libertines The Boy Who Cried Wolf Blitzer
21. The Honeydogs Urinal Cake
22. Sparklehorse All Work And No Play Makes Jack A Sociopathic Type A Over-Achiever With a Bright Future in the Financial Industry

*actual title - it was too good to change

Full Disclosure: wherever possible, I've tagged each song with its real title.
Full Disclosure pt. 2: there just might be a hidden bonus track on this mix

Hello My Name Is Mix (vol. 3)

2011-02-15T09:59:00.000-08:00

The third volume in a series I never thought could get this far. This time there's a couple of slight cheats involved, as I've included two fictional characters. For those of you out there playing the home game, Gladys Kravitz was the nosy neighbor in the old Bewitched series, and Erica Kane was (possibly still is) Susan Lucci's character on whatever daytime soap she's on. And yes, I take a small bit of pride in the fact that I don't know which soap.

Musically, it hews closely to the previous volumes, meaning lots of pop punk amid quirky indie and even a few noo wave oldies.

Hello My Name Is... Vol. 3

1. intro (courtesy of Andy Clockwise)
2. Urge Overkill Erica Kane
3. The Riffbrokers Roy Orbison
4. Binge Anna Kournikova
5. The Gay Blades Mick Jagger
6. Arkells John Lennon
7. Chixdiggit! Koo Stark
8. The Dollyrots Jackie Chan
9. The Adorkables Christina Ricci
10. Betty & the Werewolves David Cassidy
11. The Badamps Scarlett Johansson
12. The Successful Failures Niki Zerenberg
13. Discipulos de Dionisos Traci Lords
14. The Tories Gladys Kravitz
15. Wreckless Eric Joe Meek
16. The Young Jacques Jacques Cousteau
17. Human Sexual Response Jackie Onassis
18. The Jazz Butcher Shirley MacLaine
19. The So So Glos Fred Astaire
20. The Major Labels Richard Randolph
21. Casey Spooner Faye Dunaway
22. Roadside Graves Liv Tyler
23. Thee Jenerators Georgie Best
24. Half Hour To Go John Glenn
25. Corduoroy Jan Michael Vincent

Replacements - A Family Tree

2011-01-17T17:05:00.001-08:00

The Replacements - the little band that couldn't - may have been the last of the rock 'n' roll true believers. They didn't hide behind layers of smug irony, nor did they limit their bleary-eyed ambition to the safe havens of indie cool that have sprung up in the internet age. They overtly aimed for greatness even while self-handicapped by a crippling distrust of success - a dichotomy that ensured they exist in a frustrating no-win bubble that could never be broken. But, man, did they ever try to break it.

If you were lucky enough to witness them live, good night or bad night (because either held its own kind of glory), then you know their greatness was realized beyond debate. If you're a latecomer, then you'll just have to take us old folks' word for it as you ponder the recorded evidence. The Replacements albums have all been reissued and remastered with bonus tracks, and they're all worth checking out (particularly Let It Be, Tim, and Pleased To Meet Me). Today's exercise, however, is to compile some of the post-Mats projects.

Once the Replacements crashed and burned, it wasn't surprising that leader/main songwriter Paul Westerberg continued his path of iconoclastic brilliance, whether under his own name or the Grandpaboy moniker. More unexpected was how Bassist Tommy Stinson went on to prove himself an incredibly strong songwriter, first in the excellent Bash & Pop, then in the short-lived Perfect, and more recently under his own name. Drummer Chris Mars managed to put out four albums of decreasing charm before ditching music altogether. And Bob Stinson was predictably rudderless without the controlling hand of Westerberg, but his energetic work in Static Taxi only proved the tragedy in his passing. Bob's replacement Replacement, Slim Dunlap, released two fine records that almost sound like lost Keith Richards solo joints. As a bonus, this mix ends with the '06 reunion of the band that was recorded for the Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? best-of.

It's arguable that no other band has sired so many worthwhile splinter groups. The Beatles, of course, turned into three and a half awesome solo careers - but after that, I'd be interested to hear any other suggestions that rival the Replacements. I know they have to be out there, I just can't think of them.

Let's Not Belong

1. Paul Westerberg Knockin' On Mine
2. Paul Westerberg Ain't Got Me
3. Bash & Pop Never Aim To Please
4. Bash & Pop Loose Ends
5. Chris Mars Reverse Status
6. Chris Mars Popular Creeps
7. Grandpaboy Hot Un
8. Grandpaboy Psychopharmacology
9. Slim Dunlap Partners In Crime
10. Slim Dunlap Cozy
11. Slim Dunlap Cooler Then
12. Perfect Making Of An Asshole
13. Perfect Don't Look Down
14. Static Taxi Max Factor
15. Grandpaboy Let's Not Belong Together
16. Paul Westerberg Gun Shy
17. Paul Westerberg Looking Up In Heaven
18. Tommy Stinson Hey You
19. Slim Dunlap Nowheres Near
20. The Replacements Message To The Boys

Track 1 from 14 Songs (1993)
Track 2 from Eventually (1996)
Tracks 3, 4 from Friday Night Is Killing Me (1993)
Tracks 5, 6 from Horseshoes and Hand Grenades (1992)
Tracks 7, 8 from Grandpaboy (1997)
Track 9 from The Old New Me (1993)
Tracks 10, 11, 19 from Times Like This (1996)
Tracks 12 from Once, Twice, Three Times A Maybe (2004)
Track 13 from Seven Days A Week (1997)
Track 14 from Closer 2 Normal (1989)
Track 15 from Mono/Stereo (2002)
Track 16, 17 from Folker (2004)
Track 18 from Village Gorilla Head (2004)
Track 20 from Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? (2006)

Best of the Best of 2010

2011-01-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

Get ready for another UHM quantum top 20, compiled grudgingly from the comps I've posted throughout the year (as well as a few last minute additions).

This was another year of great music, and this mix is subsequently filled with one outstanding tune after another. All of this blog's obsessions are represented: a little punk energy from the Cute Lepers, some dirty rock 'n' roll from Jim Jones Revue and J. Roddy Walston, some rootsy Americana from Mynabirds and Kasey Anderson, some modern R&B updating from Asa, a touch of glam from Free Energy, and a whole lot of power pop/pop punk/whatever-you-wanna-call-it from most of the rest.

The Best of 2010

1. Spoon Trouble Comes Running (from Transference)
2. Silver Seas Somebody Said Your Name (from Chateau Revenge!)
3. Asa Why Can't We (from Beautiful Imperfection)
4. J. Roddy Walston & The Business Don't Break The Needle (from J. Roddy Walston & The Business)
5. Jim Jones Revue Dishonest John (from Burning Your House Down)
6. The Biters Dreamer (from The Biters ep)
7. Smash Palace How Can You Say? (from 7)
8. Free Energy Bang Pop (from Stuck On Nothing)
9. Title Tracks Every Little Bit Hurts (from It Was Easy)
10. The Cute Lepers What Happens Next (from Smart Accessories)
11. Yukon Blonde Babies Don't Like Blue Anymore (from Yukon Blonde)
12. Elvyn Those Were The Days (from The Decline)
13. Sunrise Highway Magic (from Sunrise Highway)
14. Locksley There's A Love (from Be In Love)
15. Telepathic Butterflies Aloha! (from Wow & Flutter)
16. Willie Nile Can't Stay Home (from The Innocent Ones)
17. The Gay Blades Mick Jagger (from Savages)
18. Kasey Anderson All Lit Up (from Nowhere Nights)
19. Little Fish You, Me, and the TV (from Baffled and Beat)
20. Jason Falkner Emotion Machine (from All Quiet On The Noize Floor)
21. Mynabirds What We Gained In The Fire (from What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood)
22. The Shivers American Girls (from Sunset Psalms)
23. Dan Kelly Grown Up Solutions (from Dan Kelly's Dream)

So that makes 23 artists on the UHM quantum top 20, and damn, there's still no room for great songs from great albums by Bobby Bare Jr., the Postelles, Nick Curran & the Lowlifes, Luke Doucet, Ted Leo, Macy Gray, My Jerusalem, and Caroline & the Treats, and a whole host of others.

Un-Herd Christmas 2010

2010-12-07T11:50:00.000-08:00

Here is, in the words of the terminally unhinged Phil Spector, "A Christmas Gift For You." Of course, Phil baby was talking about a .44 Magnum and urinating on your bullet-ridden corpse while obscured under an eight pound afro wig, while I'm somewhat more peaceably referring to these 25 highly listenable and/or downright awesome songs that go along with last year's 25 Songs of Christmess mix. Your own predilections will dictate which gift you prefer, although for those on the fence let me just point out that the two mixes, when taken together, all but guarantee you at least two and a half pain-free hours during this most pain-filled of seasons. Then again, if pain be your thang you're gonna wanna stick with Phil. In the nonce, best of the season, glad tidings, happy holidays, etcetera etcetera.

Un-Herd Christmas 2010

1. The Mynabirds All I Want Is Truth (For Christmas)
2. Cartel Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
3. Eels Christmas Is Going To The Dogs
4. Leroy Santa Stole My Baby
5. Zombina & the Skeletones A Chainsaw For Christmas
6. Julian Casablancas I Wish It Was Christmas Today
7. The Ramones Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)
8. Rancid Xmas Eve (She Got Up And Left Me)
9. The Dualers Mus-Be Christmus
10. Hawaii Mud Bombers Santa's Wish
11. Best Coast w/ Wavves Got Something For You
12. Death Cab For Cutie Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
13. Little Jackie Mrs. Claus Ain't Got Nothin' On Me
14. Guster Tiny Tree Christmas
15. The BAcksliders That's How We Do Christmas
16. Little Isidore Party Hard
17. The Fleshtones Canadian Christmas
18. The Wellingtons I Guess It's Christmas
19. Material Issue Merry Christmas Will Do
20. The Long Blondes Christmas Is Cancelled
21. Rusty It's Christmas Time (And I'm Poor)
22. The Bellrays All I Want To Do Is Shag For Christmas
23. Nerf Herder I've Got A Boner For Christmas
24. The Chevelles O Come All Ye Faithful Surfer Girls
25. Bleu 12 Dayz

Covers Project Vol. VII

2010-12-04T17:05:00.000-08:00

Oh yes, it's the latest installment of cool covers. And, just so we're all on the same page, the cheesy pic to the left is totally lying. These aren't all hits from the '70s (although a surprising amount of them are) and, hell, a few of them would need extensive plastic surgery, a fake moustache, and an accompanying hypnotherapist before they'd ever run the danger of being mistaken as "hits" - but I'm not gonna concern myself with such strict definitions. There is one small sliver of truth-in-advertising, however: if you were so inclined, you really could sing along with these mofos. And if you haven't already downloaded the previous volumes, just click on the "covers" tag at the bottom of this post to have them all laid out neatly before your very eyes.

Are You Ready, Steve?

1. The Oohs Ballroom Blitz (The Sweet)
2. The Crunchies Charlie Don't Surf (The Clash)
3. Grinspoon When You Were Mine (Prince)
4. Izzy Stradlin Pressure Drop (Toots & the Maytals)
5. The Hi-Fives Tainted Love (Gloria Jones, by way of Soft Cell)
6. Wilmer X I Can't Make It On Time (The Ramones)
7. Dramarama I Wish I Was Your Mother (Mott the Hoople)
8. Philadelphia Grand Jury I Got You (Split Enz)
9. Frightened Rabbit (w/ Craig Finn) Don't Go Breaking My Heart (Elton John & Kiki Dee)
10. Reigning Sound Stormy Weather (Lena Horne)
11. Sahara Hotnights Rockaway Beach (The Ramones)
12. Diamond Dogs Pills (Bo Diddley by way of the New York Dolls)
13. Supersuckers Hey Ya (Outkast)
14. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists Suspect Device (Stiff Little Fingers)
15. Riverboat Gamblers Heaven Is Falling (Bad Religion)
16. The Hot Rats (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (to Party) (Beastie Boys)
17. The Gaslight Anthem Tumbling Dice (Rolling Stones)
18. The Rubinoos Cruisin' Music (The Raspberries)
19. The Blue Shadows What The Hell I Got (Pagliaro)
20. Guided By Voices Downed (Cheap Trick)
21. Thelonious Monster For My Lover (Tracy Chapman)
22. Charlie Chesterman I Hate Everything (Young Fresh Fellows)
23. Evan Foster The Girl Can't Dance (Link Wray)
24. The Smugglers Kings of the Party (Brownsville Station)

14 Songs by Bob Forrest

2010-11-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

The strangest aspect of Bob Forrest's career trajectory - from leader of the anarchic Thelonious Monster to semi-celeb counselor on Dr. Drew's rehab series - is just how perfect he's been in both roles. As a counselor he emanates empathy and a hard-won wisdom that has little tolerance for bullshit, while in his previous career as a band leader/songwriter he'd turned those same traits on himself, minus the empathy, which resulted in a sort of public self-flagellation for all his perceived failings as a human being. That probably contributed to a difficult existence for Mr. Forrest, but it made for some astounding music.

Thelonious Monster debuted in 1986 with the album Baby... You're Bumming Me Out In A Supreme Fashion on the then fledgling Epitaph label. Their following two albums, Next Saturday Afternoon and Stormy Weather, saw the band refining their sound, with Forrest's lyrics transcending mere cynicism by mining his own psyche with an unflinching, near-masochistic honesty. The band's major label debut in 1992, the aptly titled Beautiful Mess, was predictably a commercial disappointment. That was the height of the grunge era, and even if Forrest's sensibility wasn't far removed from Kurt Cobain's, the music certainly was - the album incorporated whimsical folk rock, Joan Armatrading covers, and a barroom lament featuring Tom Waits.

That was the end of Thelonious Monster... sort of. They reunited 12 years later and released the awesome California Clam Chowder album, consisting entirely of songs titled after bands that influenced the sound of each particular song (ie: "The Elton John Song", "The Joy Division Song", "The Beck Song" - there was even one called "The Thelonious Monster Song"). Naturally, that album didn't make a dent anywhere. I'm sure I'm probably on some F.B.I. watch list for buying it.

In between go-rounds with the Monster, Forrest formed the short-lived band The Bicycle Thief and put out the excellent You Come And Go Like A Pop Song (first released in 1999, but more widely re-released with different tracks in 2001). It's included on this blog's Best Of the 00's mix and is arguably the finest release of Forrest's career, featuring a selection of uniformly strong songs and (finally) a sympathetic production.

Since then, he put out a single solo album in 2006 called Modern Folk and Blues: Wednesday, which is mostly acoustic cover versions of unlikely songs, such as Guns 'n' Roses "Welcome to the Jungle" and Springsteen's "Born To Run". The few original songs are typically excellent. He also had a song featured on the I'm Not There soundtrack, and he continues to release music on his website (you'll find piles of Forrest solo stuff there as well as Thelonious Monster tracks).

And, lastly, I've got to add that Forrest's appearance on those Dr. Drew shows represents, to me, the triumph of the underdog. He has been an artist I've always followed, always respected and supported, and the fact that he can probably pay rent these days means we can score one more for the good guys.

This Is Not A Song For the Clear-Skinned Blondes

1. So What If I Did
2. Sammy Hagar Weekend
3. Anymore
4. I Live In A Nice House
5. Adios Lounge (w/ Tom Waits)
6. Bus With No Driver
7. Max, Jill Called
8. It's Rainin' (4 am)
9. Cereal Song
10. The Bob Dylan Song
11. The Rolling Stones '77 Song
12. The Curtis Mayfield Song
13. Memphis
14. I'm Going Republican

Tracks 1, 2 by Thelonious Monster from Stormy Weather (1989)
Track 3 by Thelonious Monster from Next Saturday Afternoon (1987)
Tracks 4, 5, 6 by Thelonious Monster from Beautiful Mess (1992)
Tracks 7, 8, 9 by The Bicycle Thief from You Come And Go Like A Pop Song (2001)
Tracks 10, 11, 12 by Thelonious Monster from California Clam Chowder (2004)
Tracks 13, 14 by Bob Forrest from Modern Folk And Blues: Wednesday (2006)

Best of '10 (vol. III)

2010-11-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

The final volume of my favorite songs from 2010, all of which can be found right here.

This mix is further evidence that, despite what the mainstream charts and their indie counterparts would lead one to believe, there's a golden age of music happening right now. You just have to dig a little harder to find it under all the noise.

My only remaining chore for 2010 is to come up with the year's top 20 which, given the awesomeness and awesomosity of the last twelve months, is gonna be an even tougher task than last year's. And a quick note: the apostrophe in The Record's is not a typo; this is not the same band as the late '70s power poppers, but a similarly inclined crew from Italy.

Faves of 2010 (Vol. III)

1. The Jim Jones Revue High Horse
2. My Jerusalem Sweet Chariot
3. The Posies Cleopatra Street
4. Throwback Suburbia Private Oasis
5. Flashy Jacks & the All Nighters Sweet Anne
6. Young Rebel Set Walk On
7. The Shilohs Carolina
8. Bobby Bare Jr. Your Goat Is On Fire
9. The Dirty Novels Candy Can't Wait
10. The Sugar Stems Black And Blue
11. Cheap Time When Tomorrow Comes
12. Jaill Demon
13. Two Cow Garage Sally, I've Been Shot
14. Luke Doucet Monkeys
15. The 88 Dead On The Water
16. The Gay Blades Try To Understand
17. Asa Be My Man
18. The Record's We All Need To Be Alone
19. You Am I Trigger Finger
20. The Parting Gifts Shine
21. The Booze Cut My Heart Out
22. Marah Muskie Moon

Covers Project Vol. VI

2010-10-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

22 explosive hits, most definitely - but original? Nu-uh. This is volume six of the covers project. A mix of great bands doing their versions of great songs. Or mostly great songs - there's a couple I'll admit to never being particularly fond of ("Sundown" and "Beat It", for example, miraculously rescued by Luke Doucet and Supergrass, respectively). The opening song presents the only curveball, as Hellsongs turns "School's Out" into fingerpopping lounge, but after that the mix settles fairly predictably into a punk and power pop hitfest. The pick for most surprising - to my ears, anyway - is the way Mia Zapata of the Gits soulfully digs in to "A Change Is Gonna Come" like she wrote it herself. Proves we only got to witness the tip of the iceberg when it came to her immense talent. Pick for the most fun? Everything else.

Kick Me Like You've Kicked Before

(secondary link)

1. Hellsongs School's Out (Alice Cooper)
2. Paul Collins The Letter (The Boxtops)
3. The Jim Jones Revue Get Back (The Beatles)
4. Crash Kelly Roxy Roller (Sweeney Todd)
5. The Hellacopters I'm Eighteen (Alice Cooper)
6. The Donnas Strutter (Kiss)
7. The Dahlmanns Holiday Road (Lindsay Buckingham)
8. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts Fun, Fun, Fun (Beach Boys)
9. Cheap Trick When The Lights Are Out (Slade)
10. Goldspot Float On (Modest Mouse)
11. Electric Six The Rubberband Man (The Spinners)
12. Supergrass Beat It (Michael Jackson)
13. The Blondes Dyna-Mite (Mud)
14. Old 97's Rocks Off (Rolling Stones)
15. Luke Doucet Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot)
16. Ronnie Spector Something's Gonna Happen (Marshall Crenshaw)
17. The Posies Surrender (Cheap Trick)
18. Material Issue Cowboy Song (Thin Lizzy)
19. Kurt Baker I've Done Everything For You (Sammy Hagar, by way of Rick Springfield)
20. The Wildhearts Understanding Jane (The Icicle Works)
21. Perfect Crocodile Rock (Elton John)
22. The Gits A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke)

Monger Vol. XXIV

2010-10-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

monger v. to party, carouse, roister, or otherwise misbehave with little regard for personal longevity nor societal standards of decency

There is an entire series of monger mixes in a state of forgotten disrepair, and I'll occasionally attempt to reclaim them here. This particular one comes from July, 2008, the 24th in the series , and it's almost unrelenting in high energy aggression. There's a few change-ups (Stacie Collins and Pearlene add a slight country twang to the proceedings) but mostly it sticks squarely within the lines drawn by the holy trinity of Keith Richards, Johnny Thunders, and Johnny Ramone. Amen.

Y'All Wants A Taske?

1. Rocket From the Crypt Break It Up
2. Ginger Cars and Vaginas
3. Diamond Dogs Down in the Alley Again
4. Backyard Babies Heaven 2.9
5. The Paybacks Scotch Love
6. Trigger Unforced Peace
7. Jeff Dahl Burn Down The Trailer Park
8. Stacie Collins It Ain't Love
9. Sour Jazz I Like The City
10. Naked Prey Voodoo Godhead
11. Redd Kross One Chord Progression
12. The Doits Never Again
13. Nervous Eaters Shit For Brains
14. Flaming Sideburns Lost Generation
15. Tsar Superdeformed
16. Bash & Pop Loose Ends
17. Pearlene Hosanna!
18. Watts Freeway
19. Prima Donna Stray Doll
20. The Bellrays That's Not The Way It Should Be
21. Dramarama Last Cigarette
22. Graham Parker & the Rumour The Raid

RE-UPS:

E-Mongeration monger mix from Feb. '09

On The 3rd Day He Mongered Again mix from April /09

Slow: a Family Tree

2010-09-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

For the uninitiated, Slow was one of the greatest, most chaotic bands to ever stalk the Earth. They're also quite possibly ground zero for what would later be known as grunge, but I'm sure the band themselves would sneer in disgust at such an accusation. But the fact is back in '85 there really was nothing else that sounded like them. This was punk rock, played with the genre's typical fuck you attitude, but Slow extended that fuck you to include punk itself by simultaneously embracing rock 'n' roll past while pushing the envelope into the future and the needle deep into the red. They only released a single and an EP in their short existence (oh, and a perverse Christmas tune on a Zulu flexi disc - check out my Xmas '09 mix if you're interested), but they tore shit up every step of the way.

As befitting a legend, 25 years later stories of the band are still told (usually complete with factual errors or exaggerations). The Vancouver Expo '86 debacle is the best known, but anyone who saw them probably has their own story to tell. The above picture, for example, comes from their show with the Cramps in the summer of '86. My girlfriend at the time brought a friend of hers along to the gig. The friend had never experienced anything like this. She turned up wearing an evening gown, and the most recent concert she'd attended was Kool & The Gang. We arrived at the show just as Slow hit the opening chord to "Looking for Something Clean", so loud I felt my hair blow back. The band was dressed in bloody nurses uniforms complete with surgical tubing (I'm not sure why, other than they encored with a cover of "Pills", aided by Buck Cherry of the Modernettes on guitar). Anyway, the friend never spoke another word after that first chord. Didn't speak after the show. Didn't speak in the car home. And when we dropped her at her place, she wordlessly opened the car door and sprinted to her apartment. We never saw or heard from her again. Such was the power of Slow.

When Slow inevitably exploded they splintered into a small handful of equally interesting bands. Singer Tom Anselmi and guitarist Christian Thorvaldson formed a unit they insisted only be known as ©, and they were signed to Geffen on the basis of a truly awesome demo tape that made the rounds locally (I've never owned a copy, so if anyone out there can hook me up I'd appreciate it - it's become my personal holy grail). © did everything they could to piss off Geffen, until Geffen responded with complete vitriol: they only pressed 7,000 copies of the album (produced by John Porter, who'd helmed the Stone Roses debut) and buried © with the full muscle of a major corporation. That was 1991; it took six years before the band crawled out from under the legal battle, and by that time everything had changed. It's a tragic story, and not merely because the © album was easily one of the best of the decade, but also because I remember seeing them at the Penthouse Gentlemen's Club just before the album was released and they were BETTER than Slow had ever been. They really seemed ready to take over the planet. And for years after that, they'd play gigs with outstanding, immediately striking new material that ultimately never saw the light of day.

When they finally reappeared it was as Copyright, and the album Love Story was a huge disappointment. It felt over-baked, polished to the point of lifelessness, and lacked the invention and originality of the years of gigs that preceded it. There's no mystery about it either: the time Copyright needed to put out two albums was equal to the time the Beatles needed to go from Meet The Beatles to their break-up. An entire band's lifetime and development, in other words, was never recorded. Copyright took another kick at the can in 2001, but the less said about that album the better. Let me put it this way: © is undoubtedly one of the best albums in my collection, The Hidden World ranks among the worst.

Slow's other guitarist, Ziggy Sigmund, formed the Scramblers. They were almost as good as ©. I remember dragging friends to gigs in the early 90s with the promise that "it's like seeing the Stones in '63" (not that I saw the Stones in '63, but hey, sometimes you need a little bit of hyperbole on your side). Fronted by the ultra cool Howard Rix, the Scramblers seemed like they were about to blow up on an international scale - the timing seemed perfect for their style of raw punk mated with Guns 'n' Roses old skool rawk moves - but they made the mistake of signing with Bruce Allen's Penta label, who probably never quite understood why they didn't want to sound like Bryan Adams. Penta screwed the band royally, and they never released anything other than demo tapes while they were a going concern. It took until 2005 before they managed to put out a cobbled-together collection of tweaked demos and live cuts - the rest apparently lost forever or simply non-existent.

Of all the Slow splinter bands, the one that sounded closest to Slow was probably bassist Stephen Hamm's Tankhog. Oddly, that same fact rendered it the least interesting as well. Tankhog was a lumbering beast of a band that really made overt the connection between Slow and grunge - if Hamm's unit had been in Seattle instead of two hours north they may have found themselves with the same sort of reputation as Mudhoney. But instead they wailed in futility for a while, although their cover of the Partridge Family's "I Woke Up In Love This Morning" was a moment of perverse brilliance.

Hamm also put together Jungle, a band that blatantly went against the prevailing trends of the time by fully embracing '70s AM rock. Jungle looked like they might beat the odds, but on the eve of their record release party vocalist Mark Kleiner announced he was heading back home to Saskatchewan to dedicate himself to the church. Or something. He reappeared just over a year later heading the Mark Kleiner Power Trio. Regardless, Jungle was done.

Since then, Hamm has been around in a few bands, possibly most notably (if that's the right word) as one half of Canned Hamm. Christian Thorvaldson played with the Matthew Good Band. Ziggy Sigmund hung around with Econoline Crush for a while and more recently started his own band called Zigmund (can't wait to hear it!). Tom Anselmi has a project called Mirror that, as far as I know, further mines his interest in Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht.

A Broken Ladder

1. Slow I Broke The Circle
2. Slow Have Not Been The Same
3. Slow Looking For Something Clean
4. Slow Against The Glass
5. Tankhog I Woke Up In Love This Morning
6. © The Climb
7. © Dust
8. The Scramblers Ain't That The Truth
9. The Scramblers Outta Sight, Outta Mind
10. The Scramblers Solitary Man
11. Copyright The Flesh Is Weak
12. Copyright A Frame
13. Jungle It's So Fuck'n Great To Be Alive
14. Jungle Long Time No See
15. Copyright Into The Light

Track 1 from I Broke The Circle single (1985)
Tracks 2 - 4 from Against The Glass ep (1986)
Track 5 from Tankhog House of Beauty (1994)
Tracks 6, 7 from © (1991)
Tracks 8, 9 from The Scramblers Good Gone Bad (2005)
Track 10 from Last Call: Vancouver Independent Music 1977-1988 (1991)
Track 11 from Copyright Love Story (1997)
Track 12 unreleased
Track 13 from Jungle It's So Fuck'n Great To Be Alive ep (1997)
Track 14 from Jungle Long Time No See (1999)
Track 15 from Copyright The Hidden World (2001)

15 songs by Luke Doucet and Veal

2010-09-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

One of Vancouver's best kept secrets, it's hard to do justice to Veal in any simple description. Terms like power-pop or post-punk are as inevitable as they are inaccurate, although a quirky, genial mix of the two is right on target. Starting with 1996's Hot Loser they managed to release three albums that obstinately followed their own slack muse through balladry, gloom, boogie, pop, and anything else that fell off the table the night before. At the heart of it all was leader Luke Doucet, who put a stake in the beast after 2003's Embattled Hearts and moved on to Toronto and a similarly quirky (though considerably less rockin') solo career.

Luke Doucet has never been for everybody, and thank god for that. His influences and ambitions range far too wide to be funneled into a previously existing mold. As a singer/songwriter he's among the best of the decade, but he's also a fairly spectacular guitarist (but not in that wanky deedly deedly geetar flash kind of way - Luke's more about melody and finding the emotional core of the song). For an example of exactly that, give "Cleveland" a listen at the end of this mix. The collection also offers a quick run-through of some old Veal highlights, something from each of his studio solo albums, as well as a taste of Doucet's new release Steel City Trawler, which is available right now on i-Tunes. Nab that thang, people.

Hot Loser

1. Monkeys
2. Skid
3. Centre of the Universe
4. Underground
5. Everybody Wants More Cocaine
6. Girlfriend
7. Judy Garland
8. Vanessa
9. Leroy
10. It's Not The Liquor I Miss
11. One Too Many
12. Vladivostok
13. The Commandante
14. Dirty, Dirty Blonde
15. Cleveland

Tracks 1, 14 from Steel City Trawler (2010)
Tracks 2, 3, 4 by Veal from Tilt O'Whirl (1999)
Tracks 5, 6, 7 by Veal from Embattled Hearts (2003)
Tracks 8, 9 from Aloha, Manitoba (2001)
Tracks 10, 11, 12 from Broken (And Other Rogue States) (2005)
Tracks 13, 15 from Blood's Too Rich (2008)

Best of '10 (vol. II)

2010-08-28T21:28:00.001-07:00

Another batch of great tunage to commemorate the two thirds mark of the year, pinging and ponging between all the usual points. Lots of entries this time from albums that are insisting to be remembered come the end-of-the-year best-of lists. Plus an unexpected guest appearance from non-other than muffuggin' Toots Hibbert (that's Toots & the Maytals, y'all - I mean "Pressure Drop", "Time Tough", and "Funky Kingston"? That's the godhead raaaght thurr) adding a touch of immortality to the JJ Grey track. Speaking of unannounced guests, Alejandro Escovedo is joined by Chuck Prophet AND his own idol Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople - that's yet more godhead, peeps) for the slow burn of the mix's final track. Come to think of it, there seems to be a faint burn motif running through this whole thing, but it's probably best not to think of such things ('cuz I sho' as shee didn't think about 'em when I was compiling it).

Faves of 2010 (vol. II)

1. Caroline & the Treats Are You Ready?
2. Dan Kelly Hold On, I'm Coming On
3. Robbers On High Street Electric Eye
4. J. Roddy Walston & the Business Don't Break The Needle
5. The Postelles White Night
6. The Biters Beat Me Baby
7. Nobunny Breathe
8. Javi Garcia & Cold Cold Ground Black Tambourine
9. The Love Language Brittany's Back
10. The Silver Seas Candy
11. JJ Grey & Mofro (w/ Toots Hibbert) The Sweetest Thing
12. I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House Hotter Hell
13. The Small Change Nothin' 2 Say
14. The Henry Clay People End of an Empire
15. Hollerado Got To Lose
16. The Vaselines It Wasn't All Duran Duran
17. The Russians Make It Easy
18. Jason Falkner Emotion Machine
19. The Thermals Never Listen to Me
20. Dax Riggs Let Me Be Your Cigarette
21. Sonny & the Sunsets Too Young To Burn
22. Alejandro Escovedo (w/ Ian Hunter) Down In The Bowery

15 songs by Thin Lizzy

2010-08-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, bear with me on this one. In fact, let me explain myself right off the top. I'm not a big Thin Lizzy fan - and I'm sure this mix will annoy the band's most ardent supporters - because a great deal of Lizzy traffics in the sort of riff-based butt rock that I've never appreciated. But - and this is a big but (not unlike your mother's BAM!) - there's another side to this band that largely gets ignored. And that side ties them dramatically to the exact same set of influences of soul/rhythm 'n' blues as the likes of Van Morrison and (early) Bruce Springsteen. In fact, leader Phil Lynott sounds most at ease when he's letting that freaky soul flag fly. This mix concentrates entirely on those moments. This is Thin Lizzy at their most mellow, most melodic, most soulful, and, don't say I didn't warn you, least rawkin'. I've included their admittedly overplayed hit "The Boys Are Back In Town" at the end of this thang, because playing it after the 14 songs that precede it allow that tune to be heard in a new context. Works for me, anyway.

Ode to a Black Man

1. Freedom Song
2. Wild One
3. Fighting My Way Back
4. Silver Dollar
5. For Those Who Love To Live
6. Running Back
7. Fight or Fall
8. Buffalo Gal
9. Chatting Today
10. Here I Go Again
11. She Knows
12. Cowboy Song
13. Southbound
14. Dancing In The Moonlight
15. The Boys Are Back In Town

Tracks 1 - 5 from Fighting (1975)
Tracks 6, 7, 12, 15 from Jailbreak (1976)
Tracks 8, 9 from Shades of a Blue Orphanage (1972)
Track 10 b-side of the "The Rocker" single (1973)
Track 11 from Night Life (1974)
Tracks 13, 14 from Bad Reputation (1977)

RE-UP: Summer mix from '08

2010-07-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

Just re-upped the first mix ever posted on this blog. It's a summerfest of genre-straddling, decade-spanning proportions and totally passed the deck test mere moments ago. Snag it if you haven't already. Original post here.

HOT ENOUGH TO BOIL A MONKEY'S BUM

1. Webb Wilder Everyday (I Kick Myself)
2. Limbeck The State
3. The Cryers Shake It Baby
4. Stacie Collins Never Ever
5. Garland Jeffreys Cool Down Boy
6. J. Geils Band Make Up Your Mind
7. Sam Cooke Shake
8. The Jags Here Comes My Baby
9. Madness John Jones
10. The Fleshtones New York City
11. The Heats When You're Mine
12. Blue Rodeo Love & Understanding
13. Rancid Things to Come
14. Diamond Dogs Scunthorpe Avenue
15. The Yum Yums Come On Come On
16. The Presidents of the USA Mixed Up S.O.B.
17. The Flaming Sideburns Slow Down
18. Bash & Pop Tickled to Tears
19. Starz Cherry Baby
20. Drive-by Truckers Like A Rolling Stone

King of Summer - the 2010 summer mix

2010-07-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

I make these summer mixes as something that you can play during a BBQ or while lounging on the deck. Music that's just meant for sunshine and a slight buzz. Of course, I need to point out that these summer mixes only really work if all your invited guests are, y'know, me (and hey, you should be so lucky, amirite?), because it's typically focused on my usual musical obsessions which serve an admittedly smaller section of the populace than, say, the Black Eyed Peas. Also, quite proudly, there ain't a note of chillwave to be found on this beeyatch.

Usually my summer mixes span the decades, but for whatever reason this time out the only thing close to an oldie is Teenage Head's 1980 chestnut "Let's Shake" (RIP Frankie Venom), and after that the most ancient track comes from 2001 (which is "Any Way You Want It" by the Orange Humble Band, a mysteriously neglected supergroup involving Mitch Easter, Ken Stringfellow of the Posies, Jody Stephens of Big Star, and Daryl Mather of the DM3) . There's a handful of songs from the last couple years, while thirteen of the twenty-two songs are totally brand spankin' new.

If you happened to enjoy the Yum Yums mix, keep an ear out for the track by Caroline & the Treats, on which the lovely Caroline Andersen hooks up with Yum Yums mainman Morten Henriksen - you can do your own googling to discover Caroline's other career (hint: turn the filter off). The J. Roddy Walston track is from the upcoming (as yet unreleased) album, and currently only appears on the HOPE Campaign compilation, which makes for an awesome summer mix on its own right. It's available on both Amazon and iTunes for a mere $7.99 (and it's a good cause).

Anyway, enough chat. It's time to spark up the Q, pour those gin 'n' tonics strong, stare melanoma defiantly in the face, and melt.

King of Summer

1. Hollerado Do the Doot Da Doot Doo
2. The Rumours Get Together
3. Mishka w/ Willie Nelson Homegrown
4. The Henry Clay People This Ain't A Scene
5. Macy Gray Kissed It
6. The Arkells The Ballad of Hugo Chavez
7. Caroline & the Treats Bad All Over
8. Teenage Head Let's Shake
9. Attic Lights Summer Girlfriend
10. Rooney I Don't Want To Lose You
11. Ambershades Happy Now
12. The Dirty Heads Driftin'
13. Orange Humble Band Any Way You Want It
14. Supergrass Seen The Light
15. Japanese Motors Single Fins & Safety Pins
16. Hefner The King of Summer
17. The Like Release Me
18. Young Rival The Ocean
19. The Silver Seas The Best Things In Life
20. The Beautiful Girls 10:10
21. J. Roddy Walston & The Business I Don't Wanna Hear It
22. The Frank Popp Ensemble Love Is On Our Side

Covers Project Vol. V

2010-06-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

Another installation of the ongoing project. Every song's a hit.

Oh God I Could Do Better Than That

1. The Hold Steady American Music (Violent Femmes)
2. J Church Don't Bring Me Down (ELO)
3. The Yum Yums I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (The Rubinoos)
4. Psychomania Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Robert Hazard, by way of Cyndi Lauper)
5. Neko Case Misfire (Queen)
6. True Believers The Rebel Kind (The Modernettes)
7. Smithereens It Don't Come Easy (Ringo Starr)
8. Joey Ramone What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
9. Barely Pink Don't Look Back (Teenage Fanclub)
10. Sour Jazz Dr. Boogie (The Flamin' Groovies)
11. The Dragons Bad Reputation (Joan Jett)
12. Trip Shakespeare (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, & Understanding (Brinsley Schwartz, by way of Elvis Costello)
13. The Come Ons Rip Her To Shreds (Blondie)
14. The Yayhoos Roam (The B52s)
15. The Hot Rats Queen Bitch (David Bowie)
16. P. Hux Do Ya (ELO)
17. Southern Culture On The Skids Life's A Gas (T.Rex)
18. Brendan Benson Let Me Roll It (Paul McCartney/Wings)
19. Teenage Head Wild One (Johnny O'Keefe, later Iggy Pop)
20. Bum Pool Hall Richard (The Faces)
21. Black Francis w/ Joey Santiago Cover Of The Rolling Stone (Shel Silverstein, by way of Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show)
22. The Crybabys Vaya Con Dios (Gene Autry, by way of Tony Orlando & Dawn)
23. Baby Lemonade Bennie & The Jets (Elton John)

Hello My Name Is Mix (vol. 2)

2010-06-16T09:42:00.001-07:00

With thanks to a few readers' suggestions, I've come up with another volume of self-explanatory silliness. Actually, the overall song quality on this one might even be better than the first. And there's already 17 songs compiled for a third volume, but I've gotta warn you - that one might include such un-Un-Herdlike things as Weezer's "Buddy Holly" and Barenaked Ladies' "Brian Wilson" if I can't find suitable replacements. Stop me now.

Hello My Name Is... (Vol. 2)

1. The Silver Brazilians Kate Winslet
2. Spearmint Julie Christie
3. Pernice Brothers Jacqueline Susann
4. Charlotte Hatherley Kim Wilde
5. Fenix TX Phoebe Cates
6. Idle Jets Karen Valentine
7. The Smugglers Alan Thicke
8. The Haints Carly Simon
9. Oppenheimer Cate Blanchett
10. William Pears Johnny Rotten
11. Brinkman Kirsten Dunst
12. Mambo Sons Overend Watts
13. GE Smith James Brown
14. Dogs D'Amour Errol Flynn
15. Who By Fire Madchen Amick
16. Darlington Jodie Foster
17. The Meanies Lee Remick
18. The Neighborhoods Evel Knievel
19. The Len Price 3 Julia Jones
20. The Gin Blossoms Keli Richards
21. The Sun Sawed In Half Janet Greene
22. Ridel High Wynona Ryder
23. Ozma Natalie Portman
24. Ride Howard Hughes

15 songs by the Yum Yums

2010-06-13T23:00:00.001-07:00

It's almost impossible to describe this band in a way that accurately conveys their genius. The term "pop punk" doesn't do it - it's been marred by a couple decades of whining, tin-eared careerists - and to simply say they sound like the Ramones mated with the early Beach Boys gives short shrift to all three points in the equation. The Yum Yums come from a galaxy (Norway, actually) where nothing matters other than melody, momentum, and bright, fuzzy powerchords. It seems like an easy recipe, but it's only easy until you hear the 9,999,999 bands out of 10 million that fail at it. I can't explain it, but singer/songwriter Morten Henriksen and his fellow Yum Yums just get it. To me, this is the sound of pure, unbridled joy. I can barely imagine a summer without them. Not a good summer, anyway. This is a 15 song sampler from a number of their releases. Take 'em for a test drive and see if you can resist. "It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum!"

15 Songs by the Yum Yums

1. I Wanna Be The One
2. It's Gonna Be A Hit
3. Let's Rock and Roll
4. Come On Come On
5. Twenty Four Seven
6. Shake Some Action (Flamin' Groovies cover)
7. Rock and Roll Tonight
8. Here Comes Summer
9. Forever
10. Miss You Baby
11. Out of Luck (Pointed Sticks cover)
12. Be With Me
13. Chewy Chewy (Ohio Express cover)
14. Too Good To Be True
15. 9,999,999 Tears

tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 from Whatever Rhymes With Baby (2008)
tracks 2, 4, 8, 9 from Blame It On The Boogie (2002)
tracks 10, 11, 12, from Sweet As Candy (1997)
track 6 from Come On Come On single (2002)
track 13 from Singles 'n' Stuff (2001)
track 15 from Funzone ep (2001)

Best of '10 (Vol. I)

2010-05-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

I've got my annual summer mix coming along soon, but in the meantime that role can be filled by this collection of my favorite songs from the year (so far) . There's nothing on here that you won't already expect from this blog: power pop, garage, Americana, glam, and punk all mixed, matched, masticated, and otherwise mulched. Goes well with potato salad too, which is of prime importance 'cuz it's time for some of that hot patio action. Check it out.

Faves of 2010 (vol. I)

1. The Candle Thieves We're All Gonna Die (Have Fun)
2. Lucky Soul Woah Billy!
3. Quattro 134
4. Free Energy Dream City
5. The Men Tonight Is Mine
6. Locksley The Whip
7. The Cute Lepers Smart Accessories
8. Thee Attacks It's Alright
9. Delta Spirit Bushwick Blues
10. Slithering Beast S.I.S.
11. The Mynabirds Numbers Don't Lie
12. The Glossary Lonely Is A Town
13. Ted Leo + the Pharmacists Bottled In Cork
14. The Idyllists Sweet Loretta
15. Nick Curran & the Lowlifes Reform School Girl
16. The Krayolas Good Little Girl (She Don't)
17. The Quails Princess
18. Spoon I Saw The Light
19. The Dirty Heads Stand Tall
20. The Hold Steady Soft In The Center
21. Gin Wigmore Don't Stop
22. Sweet Apple It's Over Now

Un-Herd Music Decade in Review

2010-04-30T08:22:00.001-07:00

A Top 20 of the decade. Yeah, right. If anything, this blog has proven to myself (and probably anyone else who reads it) that I am virtually incapable of compiling a Top 20 list. I find it impossibly difficult to pare down my favorite albums to a mere 20 in any given year, let alone an entire decade. I usually end up with a quantum Top 20, which is a Top 20 that numbers 25 (or so).

So, true to form, here's a Top 20 of the decade that manages to omit some of my absolute favorites from the decade. I just couldn't find a way to include songs from albums like Cat Power The Greatest, Amy Winehouse Back To Black, and Joe Henry Scar, but those three albums are most certainly part of the list.

Other deserving albums that aren't represented include My Morning Jacket At Dawn, Frank Black Black Letter Days, Jon Brion Meaningless, Joe Pisapia Daydreams, Warren Zanes Memory Girls, Veal Embattled Hearts, the Mendoza Line Fortune, Jim White Drill A Hole In That Substrate And Tell Me What You See, V.V. Brown Traveling Like The Light, and Marah Kids In Philly. Suminumbitch, it was a great decade for music. Maybe a second volume of a Top 20 is necessary. But now, let's get to the actual list. As usual, this is not ranked in any way. Where I've been able, I've included my original review of the album.

1. The Strokes - Is This It (2001)
Probably the most obvious choice on the mix, and not very "un-herd" at all. In fact, the way this album spearheaded a dumb mainstream "garage revival" is the absolute definition of herd mentality. But the evidence remains in the tracks themselves: this is a great album. They got hit by hipster flak for sounding like a variety of first wave New York punk bands, but the hipsters got it wrong (as usual). In reality, the Strokes don't sound like any specific band from that era, they sound like all of them tossed into a martini shaker.

2. Ike Reilly - Salesmen And Racists (2001)
"Stripped-down, intelligent rock'n'roll. If not for a few production touches, Salesmen & Racists sounds like it could have been head of the class back in '78, perfectly complementary with Graham Parker (circa Squeezing Out Sparks), Costello, Lowe, etal. A little more foul-mouthed, a little more world weary than any of those revered precursors, but a stiff shot of the good stuff nonetheless. Old school iconoclastic traditionalism. Refreshing at this late date." (RP 2002)

3. Ted Leo + the Pharmacists - The Tyranny of Distance (2001)
After doing time in Chisel and releasing a disastrous debut with the Pharmacists, Ted Leo found his voice with this album. And that voice is one of the most melodic vehicles in contemporary music. Released on Lookout! Records, a label known at the time for fairly generic pop punk (primarily thanks to Green Day), Tyranny of Distance stood out from the pack immediately. Leo wasn't afraid to slow it down, strip it down, or stretch it out. He borrowed from punk as well as power pop and classic rock - even getting compared by goofy web critics to both Thin Lizzy and Dexy's Midnight Runners. And his egghead lyrics never get in the way of his melodic hooks - so even a song called "Biomusicology" is something you can sing along to.

4. The Bicycle Thief - You Come And Go Like A Pop Song (2001)
This is essentially a Bob Forrest solo album, picking up where Thelonious Monster left off minus any forced need to rock. It boasts Forrest's typically open-wound/picking at scabs songwriting and delivered with a depth that was only hinted at previously. No surprise that if you chip away at the superficial veneer of the smart ass, you find a heartbroken optimist. Forrest has since been paying his bills as a counselor on Dr. Drew's Celebrity Rehab, playing the role of The Only Person Worth Listening To.

5. The Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic (2002)
God, what a tragedy. Here's my original review before the van accident that killed 3/4 of the band: "Zippy punk served up '77 style, from the shoutalong girl-group-derived melodies to the dayglo cover art to a mix that boasts all meters buried in the red. Lotsa fun, in other words, if just shy of greatness. Full marks for effort, though. This is what punk rock sounded like before it got codified into simple barre chords and zitty whining. If you've ever heard the Vibrator's classic Pure Mania then you're already well-acquainted with the game plan. And although it's all highly derivative, the Exploding Hearts at least show good sense and smart album collections in their choice of idols. It also helps that the band possesses an infectious exuberance and a seemingly limitless energy supply. With any luck, a million and one Good Charlotte-lovin' teenie punks will clutch onto this as their favorite album ever and all their subsequent bands will be formed in the image of the Exploding Hearts. And then the world will be a better place. Or something." (RP 2003)

6. Little Jackie - The Stoop (2008)
I'm still a little surprised Little Jackie didn't take over the world in 2008. She's gorgeous, smart, and talented, and she's found a sound that merges hip hop with '50s rock 'n' roll (and anything else that strikes her fancy). Her words are alternately sharp and silly, kinda like the songs themselves, but it's just such a perfect summertime joint that ejecting the silly would've ruined the buzz.

7. The Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site (2003)
Another pop punk band that rebelled against the constraints of the form. There's a little bit of folk rock and some pedal steel twang jumbled into the punk energy, and lyrics that aim to be literary. And mostly they even succeed at that lofty pursuit.

8. Viva L'American Death Ray Music - Smash Radio Hits (2002)
"Imagine if the Velvet Underground had given John Cale the boot and replaced him with Roxy Music's Andy McKay. Now imagine them playing White Light/White Heat in some condemned industrial space to an audience of disinterested rats. Chugging electric drones, honking 50's sax that accelerates into avant jazz shrieking at the drop of a dimebag, and Papa Lou's semi-tuneful drawl fighting through the mix. And don't forget about the rats. That, in a rotting nutshell, is American Death Ray's Smash Radio Hits. Decadent, trashy rock & roll from the retro-future." (RP 2002)

9. The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday (2005)
At its worst, this sounds like Bruce Springsteen reciting poetry in front of a Jersey bar band. But at its best, it's like Bruce Springsteen reciting poetry in front of a Jersey bar band. Potato potahto. The recurring characters and the Catholic undertones give this album a conceptual thrust that feels complete, and the songs are alternately wise-ass and affecting (sometimes both). Arguably, the Hold Steady may have written better songs on later albums (there's nothing here quite so immediate as "Massive Nights") but as a whole this seems to be their crowning achievement.

10. Tsar - Tsar (2000)
"A wonderful power pop album, almost old-fashioned in its faith in energy and melody. Ten hyper-tuneful songs blast by in just over half an hour, each one filled with the expected vocal and guitar hooks of their genre. But Tsar has a knack for the smaller details - whether it's a slight alteration in the repetition of the chorus, or an unexpected rimshot, or a perfectly placed "woo!" - that make each song more than the sum of its parts. If this young band stays the course and continues this level of craftmanship, their next album could already be declared a classic." (RP 2002)

11. The Jim Jones Revue - The Jim Jones Revue (2008)
It's like I'd been waiting my whole life for someone to hit on this sound. A sonic collision between Little Richard and a jetfighter taking off, Jim Jones knows one speed: FASTER. Boiled down to its essence, this is simply good old time rock 'n' roll, featuring a pounding piano leading a simple guitar/bass/drums lineup through some boogie moves. But, thankfully, there's more to it than essence. The intangible is attitude - and the whole band has it. As an added bonus, Jones finds the raw sexual subtext to the "Princess and the Frog" fable. Now I understand.

12. Grand Mal - Bad Timing (2003)
"The lyrics make the band's intent plain by slyly referencing both the Only Ones' Peter Perrett and the Stooges' "Rock Action", and listeners who don't need footnotes to understand those particular namedrops will find much to enjoy here. Whitten's main stroke of genius amounts to combining the wasted vibe and lazy riffing of Exile on Main Street with the sultry boogie sensibility of T.Rex (even adding wailing Lady Soul backing vocals on some tracks). The resulting hybrid replaces glam androgyny with a kind of macho fatalism that sounds immediately familiar, though trust me, glam rock never sounded like this. But it should have." (RP 2003)

13. You Am I - Dress Me Slowly (2001)
If I was Australian I'd probably a) have a better tan, and b) consider You Am I a financially successful behemoth not worthy of Un-Herd attention. But the fact is that despite their success in their homeland they've sold about twelve albums in total outside of it. This is a band that's determinedly old school; there's a classic rock aura to them that's inescapable. It's the classic rock of bands like the Faces and the Stones, however, which means they're absolutely hooked into the timelessness of genuine rock tradition (in the same way as, for example, the Replacements). Most of their albums are worthwhile, but Dress Me Slowly doesn't contain a single duff track.

14. Spoon - Gimme Fiction (2005)
"Last year when band leader Britt Daniel attempted to describe the direction he was taking on Gimme Fiction as "Marvin Gaye meets Wire" he came close to hitting the bullseye. Like early Wire, this is taut guitar rock that traffics in tension more than release; and like Marvin Gaye, it's brimming with soul and groove. But as far as sonic antecedents go, I'd also add John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band in there, mostly due to Britt's vocal similarities, but also because of the confident and deliberate use of space to cushion each near-majestic chime of the keyboard. When Britt hits the chorus on opening song "The Beast And Dragon, Adored" he sounds like he's channeling the very soul of Lennon himself and, fittingly, he does so while declaring his rediscovered belief in rock and roll. It's a thrilling moment - and it perfectly sets the tone for Spoon's most fully realized album to date. Spoon opened (their previous album) Kill The Moonlight with "Small Stakes", a song in which Britt Daniel declared that his ambition lay well beyond the constricting walls of indie rock. Gimme Fiction razes those walls to rubble." (RP 2005)

15. Roman Candle - The Wee Hours Revue (2006)
Previously released as Say Pop, Roman Candle decided to remix that album and add a song. The resulting re-release got it right, from the new title and graphics to the mix itself. This is pop, but it mines a distinctly late-night vibe. Not exactly mellow, but also never far from melancholy - and every song spools out with at least a couple baited hooks. Low-key perfection.

16. J. Roddy Walston & The Business - Hail Mega Boys (2007)
"One of those rare albums where every song bursts out of the gate in an avalanche of ideas and with such unflagging energy that you wonder how the band ever got quite that stoked to begin with. Songs like "Rock & Roll The Second", "Used To Did" and "Go For It" are reminiscent of the best hard rock moments of Mott the Hoople, all pounding pianos and thick chording, while others stay more in the bar band realm of alt.Americana, and "Mommie Bomb" even tosses in some sub-Queen dancehall moves - and then there are others that just mix all that in a cuisinart in a way that'll leave you shaking your head in wonder. It's a perfectly chaotic document of a band that's willing to try anything and everything. Just makes me glad to be breathing." (RP2009)

17. The Libertines - The Libertines (2004)
A tad more chaotic than their debut album, which is why I give this one the nod. The Libertines' Pete Doherty and Carl Barat were once going to take on the world, and this album finds the two of them at the very moment of realization that drug addiction was the one hurdle too big to leap. Their ramshackle sound (carefully planned ramshackle, of course) is still as powerful as ever, but the entire thing is falling apart before their eyes. Songs of mutual hate and recrimination ("Can't Stand Me Now") end up at the elegiac "What Became of the Likely Lads?", which works as both a plea for the band to continue and an admission of defeat. Rumours of their reunion notwithstanding, this was a perfect last statement.

18. Locksley - Don't Make Me Wait (2007)
Yeah, I know. This is the sort of album serious music fans are supposed to sneer at. It's just great songs. There's nothing new or challenging about it. It sounds like the Beatles. Yada yada yada. Here's the thing: these guys do have a similarity to the Beatles, but it's as if Lennon and Macca from '63 suddenly fell out of a time machine and discovered punk rock. The songs, each and every one of them, are perfectly structured pop, bursting with hooks and infectious energy. It's a little sad that we live in a music climate so jaded that something this awesome is met with not much more than a yawn.

19. Pat Todd & The RankOutsiders - Outskirts Of Your Heart (2007)
Ex-mainman of the Lazy Cowgirls Pat Todd released this opus to little or no fanfare. Two discs and 28 songs, ranging from sparse folk to the raging garage punk that the Cowgirls excelled at. Todd has a way of melding every style of Americana into a glorious, decadent whole and his guitar leads come straight out of the tradition of Johnny Thunders, which is to say they shouldercheck the rest of the band out the way and fight for space. This is a sprawling, messy, warts'n'all work about crushed dreams and the loss of youth, and it joins the Bicycle Thief as one of the most profoundly personal releases of this past decade.

20. The Drive-by Truckers - Southern Rock Opera (2002)
"Truth in advertising. Southern Rock Opera is exactly what it announces in its title. A 2 CD opus that doesn't merely recount the rise and fall of Lynyrd Skynyrd, but uses the tragic story of that classic band as a thread to hang ruminations on life, death, and all things south of the Mason-Dixon line. The clean three-guitar attack of Skynyrd has been updated into punky blasts of murky alt.country, with the band's twang and drawl front-and-center. Kinda fun, kinda profound, and - by the end of the 8 minute closer "Angels and Fuselage" - kinda heartwrenching." (RP 2002)

Best of the '00s

1. The Strokes The Modern Age
2. Ike Reilly Hip Hop Thighs #17
3. Ted Leo + the Pharmacists Timorous Me
4. The Bicycle Thief Max, Jill Called
5. The Exploding Hearts Throwaway Style
6. Little Jackie The Stoop
7. The Weakerthans Reconstruction Site
8. Viva L'American Death Ray Music Baby Lightning
9. The Hold Steady Your Little Hoodrat Friend
10. Tsar Silver Shifter
11. The Jim Jones Revue Hey Hey Hey Hey
12. Grand Mal First Round K.O.
13. You Am I Kick A Hole In The Sky
14. Spoon The Beast And Dragon, Adored
15. Roman Candle You Don't Belong To This World
16. J. Roddy Walston & The Business Rock And Roll The Second
17. The Libertines What Became Of The Likely Lads
18. Locksley All Of The Time
19. Pat Todd & The RankOutsiders Don't Cry Baby, You Ain't Getting Old
20. The Drive-By Truckers Shut Up And Get On The Plane

Give That Kid A Smack mix

2010-03-21T16:42:00.001-07:00

Rock! Roll! Drugs! Girls! Underpants! It's another volume of the most mongerous mongerosity in all of mongerdom. This one ranges a little wider than previous entries, starting with the Tom-Waits-in-Nawlins chug of Royal Fingerbowl and ending on the hyper Dolls-gone-hair-metal of the Nastys, and in between it veers drunkenly between glam, power pop, hard rock, and rootsy Americana. Special thanks to the Look What The Twat Dragged In blog for introducing me to the Sand Rubies, whose "Fuk 'Em" is quickly becoming a personal anthem (even though I'm philosophically opposed to misspellings of song titles). Remember to turn this one up loud.

Give That Kid A Smack

1. Royal Fingerbowl Bad Apples
2. The Compulsions Big, Fat, Sexy Mama
3. The Glossary Save Your Money For The Weekend
4. Cobra Verde Underpants
5. S'cool Girls Put Up Or Shut Up
6. Like A Martyr And By Coffee I Mean Drugs
7. The Respectables Charged By The Minute
8. The Heats Let's All Smoke
9. Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle Too Sober To Sleep
10. The Sand Rubies Fuk 'Em
11. The Liquor Giants Awful Good
12. The Mekons (w/ Neko Case) Last Night On Earth
13. The DomNicks Busted
14. Green Up All Night
15. The Crybabys Swallow Me Up
16. The Glands When I Laugh
17. Doug Gillard The Temperament Twist
18. Free Energy Dark Trance
19. Parallax Project I Hate Girls
20. The Nastys Bad Doctor

12 Songs by Link Wray

2010-03-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

How bad-ass was Link Wray? His song "Rumble" was banned from radio play in the 50s for inciting teen violence - and it was an instrumental! That particular piece of rock history was also honorably footnoted for inventing the power chord and inspiring Pete Townshend to pick up his first guitar. A run of ripping instros followed "Rumble", and although most people associate Link Wray with that era, the man's most enduring work may have been waxed in the '70s. On a series of (mostly ignored) albums in that decade, Link pursued a much deeper, more personal sound, influenced equally by Dylan, the Stones, and a wealth of American blues, folk, and country. Link's guitar playing could still be as aggressive as ever, but he could also tap into new layers of subtlety. Most surprising of all, the one-time instrumentalist had found a soulful vocal style that sure as hell didn't sound like it was emanating from a man with only one lung. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that bit about only having one lung. Bad. Ass. Anyway, this is a compilation of tracks from a few of those '70s albums, ending with his downright spectacular cover of Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" from 1979's Bullshot.

12 Songs by Link Wray

1. Backwoods Preacher Man
2. La De Da
3. Southern Lady
4. Black River Swamp
5. Take Me Home Jesus
6. Crowbar
7. Juke Box Mama
8. Fallin' Rain
9. God Out West
10. Fire and Brimstone
11. It Was A Bad Scene
12. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

track #1 and 11 from The Link Wray Rumble (1974)
track #2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 from Link Wray (1971)
track #3 from Stuck In Gear (1975)
track #12 from Bullshot (1979)

Best of the Best of 2009

2010-01-28T21:28:00.000-08:00

In my opinion, '09 was a spectacular year for music. Not so good on any other front perhaps, but that kind of bitching is for some other blog. I've been keeping a running tally of my fave tracks all year - there are 3 volumes of them in the archives - and with this mix I've tried to whittle all that great stuff into something that resembles a Top 20. Now, I'll admit I'm not particularly good at ranking these sorts of things. On any given day my #20 could be more appreciated than my #1, and vice versa. So let's just throw out the idea of rankings - these are simply my 20 favorite albums of '09 (with one extra thrown in for good measure).

The XX The XX - This album is the definition of a grower. At first I found it merely pleasant. But eventually it sunk its teeth into me. Somehow these four 20 year olds have alchemized a sound that mixes the Jesus and Mary Chain at their most hushed with undeniable R&B undertones. The sexy/shy male/female vocals sound downright intimate at moments - although I've chosen the instrumental opener "Intro" to start this mix.

V.V. Brown Traveling Like The Light - I can't deny, I have a soft spot for female vocalists with one foot in retro R&B and one in the immediate future, and V.V. Brown does it better than almost anyone I've ever heard. This is one of those albums where each song could be a hit (in my universe, anyway). The song "Crying Blood" is a perfect mix of modern sass and old soul, and perfectly representative of the album.

Philadelphia Grand Jury Hope Is For Hopers - Well, this one came out of nowhere for me. In some other era it might have been called power pop, but it's a little tougher and louder than that term suggests. The song "The New Neil Young" will give you a good idea of what to expect, which is melody, muscle, and mischief.

Roger Klug More Help For Your Nerves - A late addition to my list of faves. Cincinnati's Roger Klug plays pretty much all the instruments on this, and it's a crazed mishmash of power, pop, and rock, at times sounding like early Joe Jackson fronting early XTC, except with a pile of guitar wig-outs piled on top. "When Dreams Dry Up" shows some of Klug's range in a single song, but you really need to hear the whole thing to get the picture. In a word, amazing.

The 1990s Kicks - Scotland's 1990s traffic in the sort of sophisticated yet cheeky pop that would have made them gods in the decade just before their namesake. Of course, these days it barely sticks to the wall. Our loss.

Ike Reilly Hard Luck Stories - Since 2001's near perfect Salesmen & Racists, Ike Reilly has been kicking up a ruckus with the best of 'em. Somewhat miraculously, his '09 release is his best since that first blast of wiseassery.

The Smoke Orange Blood - How have these guys managed to stay such a secret? Maybe they're stars in their native Australia. This album ranges from rootsy stuff like "Cut The Brakes" to more wasted indie pop like "Cassette Culture" to the slow burn of the song on this mix, "Bloody Orange".

Gidgets Ga Ga The Big Bong Fiasco - What's not to like? Sounding like a more jangly Dramarama or less drunken Replacements is, in my eyes, worthy of nothing but praise. And the fact these Chicagoans crammed 17 equally great songs onto this disc is even more impressive. "Baby You're A Star" is featured on the mix, but it could just as easily have been any of the other 16. Um, yeah okay, that band name might be a hindrance to success - but trust me, you just have to look past it.

The Takeover UK Running With The Wasters - Well, for one thing they're not from the UK. They're from Pittsburgh. But I swear, if an album so chockful of this sort of literate, tuneful, modern pop came out of the UK critics and message boarders everywhere would be falling over themselves trying to praise it to the heavens.

Lucero 1372 Overton Park - If you haven't hopped on the Lucero train yet, now is the time. Imagine everything great about the 'Mats and the Drive-by Truckers, and now imagine it coming straight out of Memphis WITH A HORN SECTION. For anyone who ever fell in love with rock 'n' roll, "What Are You Willing To Lose"should make you lose your nut.

AM Future Sons & Daughters - That name (of the band and of the singer/songwriter behind it) foretells exactly what you can expect - melodies and hooks that sound like they should be emanating from a '70s AM radio. A magic radio, at that, because it managed to delete all the tripe. This album sounds like the Josh Rouse album Josh Rouse forgot to make after 1972.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz - Yeah, I know the indie kids want us all to believe that the YYYs have gone downhill since their first album, but screw that. This band keeps expanding its own template, and Karen O's vocals just keep finding new layers of depth with each release. There's an 80s noo wave synth pop flirtation here, but not so much that you can't imagine guitarist Nick Zinner rocking your face off in a live setting.

Reno Bo Happenings And Other Things - He spent time in Albert Hammond Jr.'s vacation from the Strokes, then stepped out on his own and put out this amazing collection of songs. Let's call it power pop, for want of a better term - but that descriptor is based entirely on the sweet hooks in every song and the muscularity of the band. Check out "There Is A Light" and see if you can stop yourself from singing along by the second chorus.

Grant Lee Phillips Little Moon - The ex-frontman and namesake of Grant Lee Buffalo seemed adrift for a while there, but with '07s Strangelet and now this album he appears to have found his footing. His swooning baritone is front and center on "Buried Treasure", and it's just pure magic.

Vetiver Tight Knit - I didn't expect this from a group associated with the likes of Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom. Those artists are, mostly, overly precious "freak folk" with a seemingly endless need to be slapped. Vetiver, however, showed up with the mellow triumph of Tight Knit. "Another Reason To Go" even adds a sly R&B groove and horns to the mix. Surprising, to say the least.

The BAcksliders Thank You - A band that could fall into the description of above average garage rock, if not for the sultry vocals of Kim (Pendleton) Bonner. She's got just the right amount of rasp and just the right amount of honey dripping off every line. The band itself is no slouch - they manage a version of Little Richard's "Keep A-Knockin'" that doesn't embarrass itself and the original songs are uniformly strong - but it's those vocals that push this up and over. And they're so cool they're offering the entire album for a free download at their website: http://www.thebacksliders.com/

Used Kids Yeah No - Wow, this one knocked me on my ass. Modern punk/rock that isn't ashamed to admit a love of old Springsteen records. They probably liked a few Mellancamp albums too, actually. Leader Nato Coles is also in the band Radio Faces, which also put out a great album in '09 called Party At The Bushwick Hotel. Not sure if Used Kids even still exist at this point - but I imagine we'll all know the name Nato Coles in the near future. You can download the album for free or by donation here: http://www.ifyoumakeit.com/album/used-kids/yeah-no

Reigning Sound Love And Curses - Greg Cartright has been part of a few great bands - Oblivions, Compulsive Gamblers, Detroit Cobras, and the Deadly Snakes to name four - but his work under the Reigning Sound moniker seems to be the location of his best moves. Love And Curses is another collection of songs that sound like hits from a better time. "Debris" may be one of my favorite songs of the year.

Sarah Borges & The Broken Singles The Stars Are Out - She's got a voice as clear as a bell, and taste eclectic enough to cover songs by bands as far afield as Any Trouble, NRBQ, and the Magnetic Fields. If you can draw a straight line through those three acts, then you'll most likely find something to love about this album. "Me And Your Ghost" is an original song, and proves that Borges is equal to her idols.

Bad Lieutenant Never Cry Another Tear - I'm as surprised as anyone by how much I like this album. It's the latest joint by New Order's Bernard Sumner, except this time he's arrived with some first class songs. Sure, it all sounds a bit like it could've come straight out of 1985, but that only means it places a rightful premium on melody and song structure. Give "This Is Home" a listen and see if your head doesn't start bobbing when Sumner's voice comes in on the chorus.

Sour Jazz American Seizure - By all rights, I should disqualify this album on the grounds that I have developed a certain bias to automatically appreciate everything these guys put out (which is why it's at #21 - let's consider it a bonus), but the fact remains that this album is a monster. And "Little Hands"? It sounds like Lou Reed and Mott the Hoople stormed the studio while Iggy was trying to cut a ballad on New Values. In other words, pretty much the coolest sound on the planet.

Best of the Best of '09

1. The XX Intro
2. V.V. Brown Crying Blood
3. Philadelphia Grand Jury The New Neil Young
4. Roger Klug When Dreams Dry Up
5. The 1990s Sparks
6. Ike Reilly Morning Glory
7. The Smoke Bloody Orange
8. Gidgets Ga Ga Baby You're A Star
9. The Takeover UK Ah La La
10. Lucero What Are You Willing To Lose?
11. AM The Other Side
12. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Soft Shock
13. Reno Bo There's A Light
14. Grant Lee Phillips Buried Treasure
15. Vetiver Another Reason To Go
16. The Backsliders Last Call
17. Used Kids Midwest Midsummer
18. Reigning Sound Debris
19. Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles Me And Your Ghost
20 Bad Lieutenant This Is Home
21. Sour Jazz Little Hands

Mark's Un-Herd Music Mix

2009-12-21T22:22:00.000-08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, the Un-Herd Music is honored to present its first guest blogger: the esteemed Mark, well-known in certain circles as a multi-talented man of the arts, bass slinger in fave rock 'n' roll combo Sour Jazz, and all-around debauched libertine. He has concocted a mix for the ages, which is presented below in all its unfettered glory.

Mark's Un-Herd Music Mix

01 Dan Kelly & The Alpha Males - Checkout Cutie

02 Americo - Damedyo

03 The Rats - Turtle Dove

04 Barry Adamson - Spend a Little Time

05 Doctors of Madness - Waiting

06 The Yellow Monkey - マリーに口づけ

07 Lieutenant Pigeon - Mouldy Old Dough

08 Tex Perkins - Darkside

09 Spencer P Jones - Terrorise Your Friends

10 Iggy Pop - Ready To Run

11 Silver Ginger 5 - Girls Are Better Than Boys

12 Rosso - 1000 のタンバリン

13 Rowland S Howard - [I Know] A Girl Called Jonny

14 Julian Cope - Dying to Meet You

15 The Butcher Shop - No Fear

16 Mo'some Tonebender - You Are Rock & Roll

17 Anita Lane - Jesus Almost Got Me

18 Hugo Race - Spirit World Rising

19 Louis Tillett - Liferaft [live version]

20 Thee Hypnotics - Kissed By the Flames

21 Mink DeVille - Heaven Stood Still

Mark sez:

I'm not really sure what -- if anything -- ties all these songs together, apart from the fact that I love these songs, and that I hope they'll be new and agreeable to anyone who bothers to download and knock an ear to them. I know that I truly love a song when hearing it makes me wish that I'd either written it or played on the session... and all twenty one of these do that to me.

'Checkout Cutie' by Dan Kelly & The Alpha Males definitely scoops up the prize for Single Of The Decade in my book, with the proper balance of raunch and catchiness. This is Australian, as are the tracks by Tex Perkins, The Butcher Shop, Spencer P Jones, Louis Tillett, Hugo Race and Anita Lane. 'Darkside' is Tex Perkins' contribution to a tribute album to Aboriginal legend Kev Carmody, and Tex also handles lead vocals on 'No Fear' by The Butcher Shop, which boasts a simple but soaring guitar solo. Spencer P. Jones is Tex's bandmate in the mighty Beasts of Bourbon, and this particular track, 'Terrorise Your Friends,' is just one of many highlights from his vast heap of solo albums. The Louis Tillett track, 'Liferaft,' is a cracking live recording, which builds very nicely into a storming horn section. Louis Tillett, like so many others, is a criminally under-rated artist deserving of much more recognition. Hugo Race, Anita Lane and Rowland S. Howard are all former bandmates of Nick Cave's, with Rowland's track, '[I Know] A Girl Called Jonny' being my pick for best track of 2009. Barry Adamson is another former bandmate of Cave's, and his recent 'Spend A Little Time' is one of this decade's finest.

Americo, The Yellow Monkey, Rosso and Mo'some Tonebender are all Japanese bands that manage to deliver, despite the language barrier. I stumbled upon Americo when they supported us in Tokyo, and they knocked me sideways before they even finished their soundcheck. There's very little that I'm able to say about Rosso, Mo'some Tonebender or The Yellow Monkey aside from the fact that Rosso features Yusuke Chiba on vocals and guitar... formerly of Thee Michelle Gun Elephant. The Yellow Monkey, now defunct, were absolutely huge in Japan, and wear their love for Mott The Hoople on their sleeves. That ain't a bad thing at all, in my book.

'Dying To Meet You' by Julian Cope is the best non-Iggy Iggy record ever... a remarkably riff-worthy accomplishment. 'Ready To Run' is proof positive that Iggy himself is still able to achieve greatness... although it remains a complete mystery as to why this track from the 'Skull Ring' sessions was left off the album and relegated to Japanese b-side status.

The Rats' 'Turtle Dove' and Lieutenant Pigeon's 'Mouldy Old Dough' are masterpieces of early 70s UK glam, while 'Girls Are Better Than Boys' gives a nod in similar direction. Modern man would be wise to search out Silver Ginger 5's lone album, 'Black Leather Mojo'... Silver Ginger 5 being a one-off side project from Ginger out of The Wildhearts. 'Waiting,' by Doctors of Madness, is another 70s UK track that makes me wonder what the hell the British Class of 76 was rebelling against. Seldom has the violin rocked so mightily. And as for 'Mouldy Old Dough,' this is the rare 1974 version of their 1972 smash hit, with some tasty guitar replacing the original version's plonking piano track, which was played by the drummer's elderly mother. That version can be dug here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy32skBSHs0

Thee Hypnotics were one of the very few great bands of the 90s, and 'Kissed By The Flames' is a track that I keep returning to all the time. Like 'Liferaft' by Louis Tillett, it builds and builds, sets itself alight, and really takes off in a way that not many songs do. Singer Jim Jones' latest band, the Jim Jones Revue, is well worth looking into, and can be found here: www.myspace.com/thejimjonesrevue

And that leaves only 'Heaven Stood Still,' by Mink DeVille... my favourite track by one of my favourite artists. Willy DeVille sadly passed away in 2009 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, and will never be replaced.

Best of '09 (Vol. III)

2009-12-20T11:14:00.000-08:00

A final volume in my on-going mixes of my fave songs of the year. This is all leading up to an eventual Un-Herd Music Top 20, which will arrive as soon as I can get off my ass and compile it.

So That's How It Is

1. Dan Mangan Tina's Glorious Comeback
2. Gin Wigmore Oh My
3. Sour Jazz Masquerader
4. Like A Martyr And By Coffee I Mean Drugs
5. Chuck Prophet American Man
6. This Modern Station Evangelina
7. Reno Bo You Don't Know
8. Cheap Star Willing Reason
9. The Raveonettes Bang!
10. Norfolk & Western So That's How It Is
11. Philadelphia Grand Jury Going To The Casino (Tomorrow Night)
12. The Sun Watch Out
13. Heavy Trash Good Man
14. Paul Westerberg Drop Them Gloves
15. The Dirty Strangers Don't Come Easy
16. Rat Silo Oh, Fuck Off Tony
17. Band of Skulls Fires
18. Ike Reilly The Reformed Church of the Assault Rifle Band
19. Gidgets Ga Ga Hit By A Train
20. The DomNicks Party's Over (pt. 2)
21. The Almighty Defenders Bow Down And Die
22. The Kill Devil Hills I Don't Think This Shit Can Last Much Longer

25 Songs of Christmess

2009-12-04T18:56:00.001-08:00

Ah... Christmas. If the consumerist pressures aren't enough to break you, then surely the non-stop holiday music will. Admit it, if you have to listen to another round of those earnest, choral hymns and/or chirpy yule ditties you may have to eat your own head to make it stop.

And you can't fight it. Nope. It's Christmas, ferchrissakes. In order to fight you'd either have to declare war on friends, family, and immediate culture - maybe go live in a cave or forage in the snowy forests for seeds and berries - and that's not gonna happen if you're even halfway sane.

So instead of an outright fight, why not offer a compromise? And by compromise, I mean this mix. Slip it in the player at the next family Christmas event, settle back, and bliss out over the 80 minutes of actual decent music - and make sure to appreciate it, because once it's over you know you're doomed to return to Burl Ives bleating "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". Or the Dogsbum Township Middle School Choir's version of "Silent Night". Or those barking dogs. Or even... (shudder)... the jingle cats. You know what I'm talking about. Yep. We're all in this together. Download now. Thank me later.

25 Songs Of Christmess

1. Pointed Sticks Power Pop Santa
2. Manic Street Preachers Ghost of Christmas
3. Joey Ramone Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
4. The Hives w/ Cyndi Lauper A Christmas Duel
5. Barely Pink Come On Christmas
6. Imperial Drag Please Leave Me Home For Christmas
7. The Holidays Sleighbell Bop
8. The Fleshtones I Still Believe In Christmas
9. The Yobs Another Christmas
10. Jeffrey Foskett Christmas Time Is Here
11. Slow Santa Claus Is Back In Town
12. The Del-Lords Merry Christmas Baby
13. The Media Whores All I Want For Christmas
14. Hello Saferide Ipod Xmas
15. Redd Kross Super Sunny Christmas
16. Carpet Frogs Christmas Would Not Be Christmas
17. Black Halos Homeless For Christmas
18. The Raveonettes Christmas Song
19. Aimee Mann & Michael Penn Christmastime
20. The Smithereens Merry Christmas Baby
21. Tom Petty Christmas All Over Again
22. Fountains of Wayne I Want An Alien For Christmas
23. Spooner The Saddest Time Of The Year
24. Dreams So Real Red Lights (Merry Christmas)
25. Wonderful World of Joey What Sweet Child O'Mine Is This?

Thanksgiving Mix

2009-11-26T05:50:00.000-08:00

Just a quickly assembled, oddball mix meant as something that can be played while a group of family and friends devour multiple birds, told from the POV of the bird.

This one's mostly mellow, oozing a kind of late-night vibe. Y'know, that twilight moment, walking rain-slicked streets reflecting the flash of neon light from surrounding bars and hotels of ill-repute - the natural habitat of the domestic turkey.

Of course, I'm not above abandoning my own theme just to include a completely unrelated song that I happen to dig. Like Luke Doucet's "Cleveland", for instance, tossed in just because the ambience fits (and the fact I just totally love the extended guitar solo during the coda). Likewise the Kid Koala song, which is some of the most amazing turntablism I've ever heard, but absolutely nothing to do with a turkey in any way whatsoever.

Actually, forget I ever said anything about a turkey.

Consider The Chicken

1. Ivor Cutler Questionaire
2. Chuck Prophet The Hurting Business
3. The XX Teardrops
4. Heavy Trash Isolation
5. AM Darker Days
6. Diane Birch Fools
7. Marykate O'Neil Traffic Jam
8. The Ettes Modern Game
9. P. Hux Do Ya
10. J. Roddy Walston & the Business The Times Are A-Staying
11. Panurge Sweet Fannie Annie
12. Luke Doucet & White Falcon Cleveland
13. Grant-Lee Phillips Buried Treasure
14. Jersey Budd Shotgun Times
15. Loveless You Wore Me Out
16. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Heads Will Roll
17. Morphine Top Floor, Bottom Buzzer
18. Portishead Revenge of the Number
19. Kid Koala Drunk Trumpet
20 Zero 7 Swing

Wet Winter Holiday mix

2009-10-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

I don't really do autumn and spring. To me, it's either summer or winter - that inbetweeny stuff is for fence sitters and committment-phobes. So in that spirit, here's a new mix perfect for the upcoming cold 'n' nasties.

The mood here is melancholy, but it's not weepy acoustic folkie melancholy. This is essentially a companion piece to the "Allergic To Fun" punky poppish etc. mix from last summer - lots of guitar jangle 'n' fuzz, melody, and momentum - but the key here is a distinct note of sadness for those winter blahs.

There's no rhyme or reason behind the bands picked; they come from many eras and genres. Lead-off track "Now It's On" is a great track from a few years ago, even though everything else that particular band has done has left me cold. Gidget's Ga Ga, Philadelphia Grand Jury, the Modern Station, the Tomorrows, and Raveonettes are some faves from this year. Teenage Fanclub, Sammy, the Odds, and Material Issue are starting to feel like transmissions from an ancient world. The others are a grabbag from the last few years. Or so. Pretty much all of it deserved a much greater audience.

Wet Winter Holiday

1. Grandaddy Now It's On
2. Teenage Fanclub Sparky's Dream
3. Junior Panthers California
4. Attic Lights Bring You Down
5. Javier Escovedo Tonight Is Gonna Be Better
6. Gidget's Ga Ga Dreamer
7. Ambershades Clap Clap Clap
8. The Raveonettes Breaking Into Cars
9. Philadelphia Grand Jury Wet Winter Holiday
10. The Modern Station Evangelina
11. The Redwalls Love Her
12. The Oranges Band White Ride
13. Planet Melvin Chromacolor Dream
14. Sammy Neptune Ave. (Ortho Hi Rise)
15. The Mayflies USA The Greatest Thing
16. The Odds Eat My Brain
17. The Breakers Tried So Hard
18. Material Issue Ordinary Girl
19. Watts One Below (The All Time Low)
20. The Tomorrows Don't Worry About Me
21. Ice Cream Hands Weak At The Knees

Note: if you're using skipscreen you'll want to turn it off for megaupload

History Lesson Pt. 1 Mix

2009-10-19T17:04:00.001-07:00

Overtly stealing Minutemen song titles here, but thought I'd start compiling some songs by some bands that artists were in before they got any fame (and the word "fame" is applied somewhat loosely in this exercise - I ain't no mainstream type).

This mix starts with a song by the Iveys, who were signed to the Beatles Apple label in the late 60s. They put out one album (Maybe Tomorrow) before changing their name to Badfinger. Badfinger had only a slightly better fate, hitting with McCartney's "Come and Get It" and penning "Without You", which became a hit for Harry Nilsson, but (as everyone probably knows) the band could never catch a break and, after a strange bit of litigation involving their shady manager, ultimately ended when songwriter Pete Ham hung himself in 1975. Eight years later, after some attempts at reunions, Badfinger's other main songwriter Tom Evans committed the same deed.

Next up is a slightly happier story. During the late '70s U.K. punk explosion the Nipple Erectors never made much of a dent in the charts, and not much changed even after shortening their name to the Nips and releasing the awesome "Gabrielle" in 1980. But singer Shane McGowan went on to form the Pogues, and after flirting with a premature demise for decades he seems to finally appear clean and sober (with brand new teeth) these days. See? Not everything ends in tragedy.

Signed to Dawn Records in 1974, and evidenced by the song "Rough Kids", Kilburn & the High Roads were a band stuck between glam and pub rock, and generally going nowhere until singer Ian Dury struck out on his own, releasing the remarkable debut New Boots and Panties in 1977. In a similar situation almost exactly, the 101'ers were stuck in pub rock hell between '74 and '76 and probably wouldn't have been remembered at all if their singer Joe Strummer hadn't gone on to form the Clash.

That first rush of punk led to an avalanche of new bands. Riff Raff came about in 1977, released a couple singles on the Chiswick label ("Romford Girls" being one of them), and disbanded in 1981 when the singer Billy Bragg up and joined the army. Likewise, Johnny & the Self Abusers formed in '77 and also released their song "Dead Vandals" on the Chiswick label. A slight line-up shuffle prompted them to change their name to Simple Minds.

Bruce Woolley & the Camera Club only released one record, 1980's English Garden, but that album included the original version of "Video Killed The Radio Star", a song Woolley cowrote with Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, who took the song to the bank in the Buggles (trivia note: the trio also wrote Dusty Springfield's hit "Baby Blue"). Bruce Woolley went on to a more behind-the-scenes role in music, eventually being eclipsed in fame by Camera Club bandmate, Thomas Dolby.

"City of Fun"was recorded as a demo in 1974 by England's Glory, a band that never officially released an album. Band leader Peter Perrett had considerably more luck with his next band the Only Ones, who re-recorded this song on their debut. Despair were kicking around at the same time as England's Glory, but it wasn't until they hopped aboard the punk train and changed their name to the Vibrators that they found any acclaim. Tigerlily existed alongside those other two bands and even released their version of "Ain't Misbehavin'" as a single, but their fortune didn't come until they ditched that bandname and became Ultravox. During this same era the apocalyptic glam/prog band Hawkwind was killing brain cells in the U.K. When they kicked out their bassist for too many drug busts, Lemmy took his song "Motorhead" as the name for his new band.

When the Soft Boys broke up, main songwriter Robyn Hitchcock went solo and guitarist (and less prolific songwriter) Kimberley Rew formed the Waves. The Waves put out the Shock! Horror! ep in 1983 (which "I Caught The Milk Train" is from), but they didn't release a full-length album until after they recruited American ex-pat Katrina Leskanich on vocals, and by that time they were about to be much better known as Katrina and the Waves.

In those weird mid 70s years before punk and new wave, there were a lot of artists trying to figure out a musical direction that veered away from the stagnant sound of mainstream rock. Richard Otcasek and Benjamin Orzechowski were two such musicians, first trying their hand at country rock in Milkwood before slightly streamlining their names (to Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr) and forming the Cars. Somewhere around the same time, Peter Holsapple was kicking around in the H-Bombs, before hooking up with Mitch Easter and Chris Stamey (from the Sneakers) and starting the dBs. That same year (1978), way over on the other coast of North America, a singer/songwriter by the name of Jules Shear, fresh out of his involvement with the Funky Kings, formed Jules & the Polar Bears (his solo career continues to this day, but he probably remains best known for writing hits for Cyndi Lauper and the Bangles). The New York band Piper put out their debut in 1977, and was formed when leader Billy Squier left the Sidewinders (with the Paley Brothers).

L.A.'s the Nerves only ever managed to put out a single ep (in 1976), but the band launched the careers of Paul Collins (of the Beat) and Peter Case (of the Plimsouls and solo career) as well as introducing the planet to the short-lived flash of Jack Lee (who wrote the Blondie hit "Hangin' On The Telephone", which first appeared on that Nerves ep). Candy's lone album appeared in 1985, and it's an uneven affair, although the song "Whatever Happened To Fun?" remains one of the greatest power pop one-shots in history. Guitarist Gilby Clarke would later find fame as Izzy Stradlin's replacement in Guns n' Roses.

Jumping around a tad in chronology now, Maow was an all-female Vancouver trio that put out their only album The Unforgiving Sounds Of Maow in 1996 on Mint Records. The album is sloppy and fun, but really only jumps to life when the band's drummer steps up to the mike on her two songs. That drummer later developed a critically acclaimed solo career as Neko Case.

The Moving Sidewalks were a 1960s garage band, compiled on the Nuggets set as well as various other garage collections. Songwriter and guitarist Billy Gibbons is much better known for his subsequent work in ZZ Top. Also in the 60s, the Jynx included a young Chris Bell, who would later show up with Alex Chilton in Big Star (and die tragically before a promising solo career had a chance to even begin).

In the early 80s, L.A.'s paisley underground scene brought forth a wealth of great bands, two of them being the Dream Syndicate and the Rain Parade. When guitarist Dave Roback left the Rain Parade he teamed up with Dream Syndicate bassist Kendra Smith and released the Happy Nightmare, Baby album under the name Opal in 1984. Kendra's sultry vocals gliding on top of Roback's fuzzy chording certainly formed the framework for his next band, Mazzy Star.

The Bis-Quits self-titled album came out on John Prine's Oh Boy label in 1993. If there's any questions over why the band never quite made it, let's just say that song titles like "Anal All Day" proved them just too clever (or wiseass) for their own good. Of course, in his subsequent solo career Tommy Womack hasn't exactly become a household name, but that's more due to the more typical unfairness of the market place than any fault of his own.

Finally, the two ringers of the compilation (and probably the most well-known). Heatmiser were a band out of Portland, releasing three full-length albums between 1993 and '96. The band splintered into No. 2, Quasi, and, most famously, the tragic solo trajectory of Elliott Smith. The Go are from Detroit and their debut came out in 1999. They somehow missed out on the great garage rock revival/trend of the early '00s, which must be a tad hard for them to swallow, seeing as then-bandmate Jack White is the guy who helped kickstart that very trend with the White Stripes.

The early version of this mix contained 34 songs. I had to whittle it down to fit onto an 80 minute CDR, so I suspect it's safe to suggest you keep an eye out for History Lesson Pt. 2.

History Lesson, Pt. 1

1. The Iveys See Saw, Granpa (Badfinger)
2. The Nips Gabrielle (Shane McGowan)
3. Kilburn & the High Roads Rough Kids (Ian Dury)
4. The 101'ers Letsgetabitarockin' (Joe Strummer)
5. Riff Raff Romford Girls (Billy Bragg)
6. Johnny & the Self Abusers Dead Vandals (Simple Minds)
7. Bruce Woolley & the Camera Club No Surrender (Thomas Dolby)
8. England's Glory City Of Fun (The Only Ones)
9. Despair Sweet Sweet Heart (The Vibrators)
10. Tigerlily Ain't Misbehavin' (Ultravox)
11. The Waves I Caught The Milk Train (Katrina & the Waves)
12. Milkwood We've Been All Through (The Cars)
13. Maow Ms. Lefevre (Neko Case)
14. The H-Bombs Big Black Truck (Peter Holsapple/ The dBs)
15. Jules & the Polar Bears You Just Don't Wanna Know (Jules Shear)
16. Candy Whatever Happened To Fun? (Gilby Clarke)
17. Piper Who's Your Boyfriend? (Billy Squier)
18. The Nerves One Way Ticket (Peter Case, Plimsouls, Paul Collins' Beat)
19. The Moving Sidewalks 99th Floor (Billy Gibbons)
20. Hawkwind Motorhead (Lemmy/ Motorhead)
21. Opal She's a Diamond (Mazzy Star)
22. Heatmiser Pop in G (Elliott Smith)
23. The Bis-Quits Anal All Day (Tommy Womack)
24. The Go You Can Get High (Jack White)
25. The Jynx Little Girl (Chris Bell/ Big Star)

13 Songs by Artful Dodger

2009-10-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

Ever since the Beatles stopped performing live, it's usually been a mark of commercial doom for a band to get tagged as "power pop", and there's no better example than Artful Dodger. Like a perfect cross between the Raspberries and the Faces, this was the ultimate coulda-shoulda-woulda band. Passionate, energetic, unafraid to rock, and armed with a songwriting team (vocalist Billy Paliselli and guitarist Gary Herewig) that tossed off classic singles almost effortlessly, Artful Dodger dropped their self-titled debut in 1975. It boasted concise, hook-filled gems like "Think Think" and "Wayside", but that was the year that Frampton Comes Alive sold a bajillion copies, so let's chalk that one up to bad timing.

In '76 they followed up with the even stronger Honor Among Thieves (with songs by Gary Cox rivalling the Paliselli/Herewig axis). The band was certainly gaining a cult audience, but nothing big enough to impress the bean counters at the label. Possibly due to the exhaustion of touring, possibly due to desperation for sales (probably both), Artful Dodger's next move was disastrous. Coming out in 1977, at the height of the punk explosion, Babes On Broadway was exactly the wrong album at the wrong time. The mix was mainstream and dull, the band sounded tired, and, worst of all, the songs just weren't up to the gold standard this band had set for itself.

It looked like a tragic end - and it would have been - except that 3 years later, in 1980, they returned for one last stand. Against all odds and all reason, they created the album of their lives: the self-produced Rave On was by far their best work. It burned with an energy and desperation, like the band knew it was a final shot. The song "Forever" could be read on one level as a love song, but it's clear its real meaning is much more a statement of purpose - put simply, the band meant everything to these guys, and you can hear it in every note of Rave On. Unfortunately, even the flawless single "A Girl (La La La)" couldn't find a toe-hold in the trendoid new wave/disco days of 1980, and the life of one of my fave bands came to a close (but at least they did it in heroic fashion).

This collection is compiled chronologically. Three songs each from their first two albums, two songs from Babes on Broadway, and four from Rave On. The tracks from the latter are upped from a vinyl source, as I don't think it's ever been released on CD (and if it has, please do the band a favor and buy it - you won't be disappointed). As an added bonus, I've started the mix with an early version of "Long Time Away" from back when the band still called themselves Brat.

Artful Dodger

1. Long Time Away (Brat)
2. Wayside
3. Follow Me
4. Think Think
5. Honor Among Thieves
6. Remember
7. Dandelion
8. Can't Stop Pretending
9. Mistake
10. She's Just My Baby
11. Now Or Nevermind
12. Forever
13. A Girl (La La La)

#1 from Yellow Pills: Prefill - A Power Pop Prescription
#2 - 4 from Artful Dodger (1975)
#5 - 7 from Honor Among Thieves (1976)
#8, 9 from Babes On Broadway (1977)
#10 - 13 from Rave On (1980)

RE-UP: Full-On Monger Vol. XXV

2009-09-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason these monger mixes generally aren't as popular as other mixes. I guess trashy, foul-mouthed, horn-laden punk-fueled rock 'n' roll doesn't carpetbomb as wide a demographic as a gentleman might suppose. This is worth the dl if only for the Jackie Wilson/Laverne Baker duet that'll make a feller blush - which is the song I nicked the title from.

INSTRUCTIONS: try not to play in front of the chillen.

YOU KNOW HOW TO EAT ICE CREAM?

1. The Flamin' Groovies The First One Is Free
2. The Fondas What To Do
3. Herman Brood & His Wild Romance Rock 'n' Roll Junkie
4. Thunder Express Get Back In
5. Fred Wolff Combo Somebody Else Was Suckin' My Dick Last Night
6. The Helgas Don't Wanna Be
7. The Sick Fits Every Day Is Sunday
8. The Backsliders Last Call
9. The Dictators Pussy and Money
10. Goodman County Anarchy In The Southern States
11. Johnny Thunders Little Bit of Whore
12. Slash City Daggers TV and Pills
13. Jim Carroll Band Wicked Gravity
14. Trash Mavericks Crown Of Thorns
15. The Paybacks Black Girl
16. The Cinders Jet Set Gypsy
17. Prima Donna Soul Stripper
18. The Smoke Cut The Brakes
19. Frankie Miller Guilty of the Crime
20. Jackie Wilson & Laverne Baker Think Twice
21. Peter Wolf You're Breakin' My Heart
22. Diamond Dogs Somebody Have Mercy
23. The Black and Whites You're The Only Girl
24. The Swingin' Neckbreakers Rip It, Rip It Up
25. Reverb Motherfuckers Love Juice (In All 3 Holes)

20 songs by the Diamond Dogs

2009-09-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

There's just no getting around it, the Diamond Dogs sound like they should have emerged out of the 70s. But hey, at least they cherry-picked the greatest parts of that maligned decade. This band takes the sloppy, booze-fueled, wounded soul of the Faces and pairs it with their own healthy obsession with the Stones of Exile On Main Street. Punked-up Chuck Berry riffs, raspy vocals, honking sax, gospel-style back-up singers, and lyrics straight out of an ESL rhyming dictionary - they're all piled on top of each other in the true spirit of '70s excess. The result is the kind of good time rock 'n' roll that sounds like it should have always existed (even though it really didn't until these guys came along). It's a stroke of minor genius, a testament to the transcendental power of 3 chords and a bad attitude, and exactly the sound any worthwhile weekend needs. This mix is compiled chronologically, and it includes a few songs from two of lead vocalist Sulo's solo albums.

20 songs by the Diamond Dogs

1. Lovestoned Again
2. Honked!
3. Black As Sin
4. Bite Off
5. Every Little Crack
6. Passing Through My Heart
7. From Now On
8. I'll Drink To Ya
9. Lift It Up
10. Gotta Be Gone (It's Alright)
11. Scunthorpe Avenue
12. Yours Sincerely
13. You've Got A Song To Sing
14. Generation Upstart
15. Down In The Alley Again
16. I Love You Baby, Sing Me A Song
17. Somebody Have Mercy (Sam Cooke cover)
18. Make It All Up To You
19. Cold Blue Summer
20. Chimes Of Love

#1 - 3 from Honked! (1994)
#4 from Among The Non Believers ep (2000)
#5 from Too Much Is Always Better Than Not Enough (2002)
#6 from Shortplayer ep (2002)
#7,8 from That's The Juice I'm On compilation (2003)
#9,10 from Black River Road (2004)
#11 from Atlantic Crossover split with Jeff Dahl (2004)
#12,13 from Sulo's Just Another Guy Tryin' (2005)
#14,15 from Up The Rock (2006)
#16 from Sulo's Hear Me Out (2008)
#17 from Cookin' ep (2008)
#18 - 20 from It's Most Likely (2008)

Covers Project Vol. IV

2009-09-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

Another collection of cover versions. A lotta rock and power pop, salted with a few choice change-ups.

Songs From Under the Floorboards

1. The Films Blitzkrieg Bop (Ramones)
2. Mick Medew & the Rumours Another Girl, Another Planet (The Only Ones)
3. Luke Doucet & White Falcon The Lovecats (The Cure)
4. The Backsliders Keep A-Knockin' (Little Richard)
5. The Jayhawks Bad Time (Grand Funk)
6. The Hold Steady Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window (Bob Dylan)
7. Gigolo Aunts Why Can't This Be Love (Van Halen)
8. Jason Falkner Song From Under The Floorboards (Magazine)
9. Silver Sun Art School (The Jam)
10. The Donnas Roll On Down The Highway (Bachman Turner Overdrive)
11. Bazooka Jones Sugar Sugar (The Archies)
12. Willie Nile Police On My Back (Eddy Grant, by way of the Clash)
13. Sour Jazz Messin' With The Kid (The Saints)
14. Cobra Verde Rock 'n' Roll Queen (Mott the Hoople)
15. Dipsomaniacs A Million Miles Away (The Plimsouls)
16. The Dream Syndicate Let It Rain (Eric Clapton)
17. The Cribs Bastards of Young (The Replacements)
18. Bobby Bare Jr. Sister Golden Hair (America)
19. The Grays Outdoor Miner (Wire)
20. Fetchin' Bones Super Freak (Rick James)
21. The Replacements Gudbye T' Jane (Slade)
22. Rich Hope & His Evil Doers Stray Cat Blues (Rolling Stones)

Hello My Name Is Mix

2009-09-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, you do things just because you can. And as unlikely as it may seem, every song is a keeper.

Hello My Name Is...

1. Dan Bern Tiger Woods
2. Vic Goddard Johnny Thunders
3. The Leaving Trains Bob Hope
4. You Am I Doug Sahm
5. The Dexateens Neil Armstrong
6. Young Fresh Fellows Amy Grant
7. Veal Judy Garland
8. New Cassettes Huey Lewis
9. The Chevelles Angelina Jolie
10. The Blondes Suzi Quatro
11. The Bis-Quits Yo Yo Ma
12. Ze Malibu Kids Fiona Apple
13. The Beards T.S. Eliot
14. The Gay Robert Smith
15. Jerry Jerry & the Sons of Rhythm Orchestra Jimmy Reeves
16. Paul Melancon Jeff Lynne
17. The Replacements Alex Chilton
18. Thelonious Monster Michael Jordan
19. Ass Ponys Donald Sutherland
20. Hadacol Gerald Ford
21. Bottle Rockets Nancy Sinatra
22. Forgotten Rebels Rona Barrett
23. The Dirtbombs Tina Louise
24. Action Swingers Courtney Love

Best of '09 (Vol. II)

2009-08-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

Another mix of some faves from '09. A bit louder and more energetic than the previous volume, but still nothing that'll peel the paint off walls.

Let's Jump Around Some

1. The XX VCR
2. Cornershop Who Fingered Rock 'n' Roll?
3. Lucero The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo
4. Cheap Trick Sick Man Of Europe
5. The Films Holiday
6. Rancid Last One To Die
7. The Aggrolites It's Time To Go
8. Robyn Hitchcock Saturday Groovers
9. The Dead Trees Shelter
10. The Fate Lions Ride The Artifact
11. The Weight Had It Made
12. Deadstring Brothers The River Song
13. Reigning Sound Call Me
14. The Greatest Hits Electric Blanket Boogie
15. The Shazam Hey Mom, I Got The Bomb
16. Radio Faces Coffee Cup
17. Bazooka Jones You Suck
18. The Beat Strings My Medicine
19. Rich Hope Let's Jump Around Some
20. Cracker Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey
21. Brendan Benson Don't Wanna Talk
22. Bad Veins Gold And Warm

Spoon - B-Sides and Rarities

2009-08-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

For my money, one of the best bands of the past decade. Deceptively simple, incredibly melodic, hook-filled, groove-based, and cool as fuck. Their detractors sniff that they're just straightforward rock. They're wrong. And they're right. And they're missing the point entirely. There's something much deeper going on than just catchy songs - and, anyway, when did catchy songs become a point of embarrassment?

This compilation collects 22 non-album cuts. It's not comprehensive; there's plenty of odds 'n' ends left off. But all of it is high sound quality and, at the very least, filled with interesting additions to the Spoon catalogue.

Spoon - B-Sides & Rarities

1. Got Nuffin
2. Revenge!
3. Stroke Their Brains
4. My First Time, Vol. 3 (Light Version)
5. Carryout Kids
6. Well-Alright
7. Monkey Feelings
8. It Took A Rumor To Make Me Wonder, Now I'm Convinced I'm Going Under
9. I Turn My Camera On (John McEntire remix)
10. Sunday Morning, Wednesday Night
11. I Could Be Underground
12. The Underdog (demo)
13. Deep Clean
14. Bring It On Home To Me
15. The Book I Write
16. Shake It Off
17. Irrigation Man
18. If You Say So
19. You Get Yours
20. Let The Distance Keep Us Together
21. Is This The Last Time
22. In The Right Place, The Right Time

#1,3 - from Got Nuffin single
#2, 11 - from 30 Gallon Tank +3 ep
#4 - from My First Time, Vol. 3 ep
#5 - from Gimme Fiction bonus disc
#6 - from Dark Was The Night compilation
#7, 8 - from Sister Jack UK single
#9,10 - from Sister Jack US single
#12 - from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga bonus 7"
#13 - I-Tunes exclusive
#14 - Sam Cooke cover, from B-Sides And Demos
#15 - from Stranger Than Fiction OST
#16 - from Anything You Want single
#17, 18 - from If You Say So Motherfucker compilation
#19, 20 - from Home, Vol. 4 ep
#21,22 - from Stay Don't Go single

Don't Call Me Honey

2009-08-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Not exactly a collection of 60s girl groups, but more a comp of female-led songs that mine the sound of that particular era. There's something from every decade since the 50s here, including the relatively well-known rockabilly vixen Wanda Jackson as well as forgotten treasures like Billie Davis and the totally untamed Tammy St. John. Genya Ravan appears twice, once on the lead-off track from her gritty '78 masterwork Urban Desire and before that as leader of Goldie & The Gingerbreads (one of the first ever all-girl hard R&B bands). The Prissteens show up twice as well (sort of), once as themselves and once as Purple Wizard. Also lots of stuff from the punk/new wave era (Pearl Harbor, Holly & the Italians, Ellen Foley, Pretenders, Josie Cotton, Catholic Girls, Rachel Sweet, and Lost Durangos). The more modern era is represented by the likes of Ruby Ann, Raveonettes, the Pipettes, Amy Faris, and the Detroit Cobras. And even if you're sick of Amy Winehouse give her a fresh listen in this context - the woman definitely delivers.

DON'T CALL ME HONEY

1. Pretenders Stop Your Sobbing
2. Catholic Girls Boys Can Cry
3. The Angels Get Away From Me
4. Goldie & The Gingerbreads V.I.P.
5. Ruby Ann Don't Call Me Honey
6. Purple Wizard I'm Gonna Get You Yet
7. Ellen Foley What'sa Matter Baby?
8. Holly & The Italians Tell That Girl To Shut Up
9. Genya Ravan Jerry's Pigeons
10. Tammy St. John Boys
11. Pearl Harbor & The Explosions Everybody's Boring But My Baby
12. Maria McKee I'm Gonna Soothe You
13. Patti Scialfa Baby Don't
14. The Prissteens Scandal, Controversy, and Romance
15. Rachel Sweet B-A-B-Y
16. Lost Durangos Evil Town
17. Billie Davis & The Leroys Whatcha Gonna Do?
18. Amy Farris Anyway
19. The Raveonettes Ode To L.A.
20. Ronnie Spector All I Want
21. Amy Winehouse Me And Mr. Jones
22. The Pipettes Pull Shapes
23. Shelby Lynne Your Lies
24. Josie Cotton Jimmy Loves Maryanne
25. Wanda Jackson Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad
26. Detroit Cobras Bye Bye Baby

RE-UP: Power Lounging Vol. II

2009-07-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Not sure why this one disappeared.

A second volume in the power lounger series. Power lounging means hanging around in the sun with a serious commitment to wasting time, preferably while on the drink. This mix is fringely mongerous with a slightly time-warped 50s sock hop mentality (and one old 60s chestnut for good measure).

A Sack of Monkeys - Power Lounging Vol. 2

1. Roman Candle Why Modern Radio Is A-OK
2. Wilco Sunny Feeling
3. Noisettes Never Forget You
4. Vetiver More Than This
5. Tim Armstrong Take This City
6. John Fred Judy In Disguise
7. Genya Ravan Stubborn Kind Of Girl
8. Herman Brood & His Wild Romance Hit
9. The Hellcats Don't Fight It
10. Albert Hammond Jr. Miss Myrtle
11. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Soft Shock
12. Baby Shakes Come On Babe
13. Brownsville Station Let Your Yeah Be Yeah
14. The Fondas Might As Well Go
15. Cracker Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out With Me
16. The Kilians Said & Done
17. The Damwell Betters Subway
18. The Weight Closer Than A Friend
19. Robbers On High Street You Don't Stand A Chance
20. The Iguanas If You Should Ever Fall On Hard Times
21. Four Hours Sleep w/ Paul Kelly If I Had My Way

20 Songs by Rancid

2009-07-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

Put away all of the preconceptions that band name might suggest (well, maybe not all of them) and give a listen with unprejudiced ears. This mix isn't meant to reaffirm the band's punk cred, it's aimed at demonstrating their amazing range - Rancid incorporate elements from punk, reggae, dub, ska, Stax R&B, rockabilly, good ol' 50s rock and roll, stolid Americana, and hardcore, and mix it all into breathtakingly perfect 3 minute (and under) pop drama. They can beat the clock with a full throttle blast like "Maxwell Murder" (which comes and goes in a mere 1:26 and still somehow manages to work in an incredible Matt Freeman bass solo), they can slow it down to the lazy summer skank of "Things to Come" and the drunken roots ballad "Civilian Ways", or they can simply pile hooks on top of hooks while they rock the rafters in honest-to-god anthems like "Roots Radicals" and "Start Now". I didn't want to be a fan at first - I'm just old enough that the punk/reggae moves and Tim Armstrong's slurred rasp made me want to jump automatically to comparisons to the Clash - but these guys forced my fandom by just being plain awesome and gave my punk snobbery the swirly it deserved. And those Clash comparisons? Man, turns out they totally work in Rancid's favor. Don't believe me? Give a listen.

RANCID

1. Maxwell Murder
2. Roots Radicals
3. Time Bomb
4. Olympia, WA
5. Bloodclot
6. Hooligans
7. Backslide
8. Radio Havana
9. Rwanda
10. Antennas
11. Axiom
12. Red Hot Moon
13. Start Now
14. Fall Back Down
15. Tropical London
16. Things To Come
17. Last One To Die
18. Dominoes Fall
19. Liberty and Freedom
20. Civilian Ways

#1 - 4 from "And Out Come The Wolves" (1995)
#5 - 7 from "Life Won't Wait" (1998)
#8 - 11 from "Rancid" (2000)
#12 - 15 from "Indestructible" (2003)
#16 from "B-sides and C-sides" (2008)
#17 - 20 from "Let The Dominoes Fall (2009)

Nothing on the mix from their first two albums ("Rancid", 1993 and "Let's Go", 1994) because the volume levels are so much lower than the later albums. So apologies to anyone who wanted "Salvation" on here.

Best of '09 (vol. I)

2009-07-14T22:45:00.000-07:00

Not exactly the usual mix for my tastes. Nothing mongerous, nothing too punk, nothing that throbs, pulses, pounds, nor beats. Just a bunch of songs from the first half of 2009 that brighten up the random play. Ranges from the neo-soul/doo wop/whatchamacallit of V.V. Brown, to the faux britpop of Takeover UK (who are from Philly, btw), to the folky-R&B vibe of Vetiver, to the horn-driven indie of Generationals, to trad rock of Jersey Budd, to the torchy My Brightest Diamond, to the funky Sharon Jones, to the elder statesman cool of Ian Hunter, to the retro slink of Those Darlins, to the latin R&B of the Krayolas, to the full-on power pop of the Tomorrows, and touches down on a few other points during the journey. Volume II will bring more of the rawk, but this one you can play at dinner parties.

Running With The Wasters
Best of '09 (so far, vol. I)

1. V.V. Brown Quick Fix
2. The Takeover UK Running With The Wasters
3. The Smoke Defeat Retreat
4. 1990s Local Science
5. The Wooden Birds False Alarm
6. Vetiver Another Reason To Go
7. Loxsly Lamprey Eels
8. Generationals Nobody Could Change Your Mind
9. Jersey Budd Bright Soul
10. Sean Riley & the Slowriders This Woman
11. Tim Easton 7th Wheel
12. My Brightest Diamond Feeling Good
13. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings Inspiration Information
14. Ian Hunter Arms and Legs
15. Roman Candle I Was a Fool
16. The Backsliders Twisted
17. Those Darlins Snaggle Tooth Mama
18. The Krayolas A Frame
19. The Damwell Betters Just Another Girl
20. The Tomorrows Goodbye

Covers Project Vol. II

2009-06-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to post this one, but what the hell.

Six Feet Under and Ten Feet Tall

1. Flaming Stars Brickfield Nights (The Boys)
2. The Ramones Time Has Come Today (Chambers Bros.)
3. The Muffs Kids in America (Kim Wylde)
4. Maria McKee Opelousas (Victoria Williams)
5. Supersuckers w/ Steve Earle Before They Make Me Run (The Rolling Stones)
6. Cracker Shake Some Action (Flamin' Groovies)
7. The Saints Security (Otis Redding)
8. The Clash I Fought The Law (Bobby Fuller Four)
9. You Am I White and Lazy (The Replacements)
10. The Joneses Crocodile Rock (Elton John)
11. Mike Ness Don't Think Twice (Bob Dylan)
12. Star Star You Drive Me Nervous (Alice Cooper)
13. Bill Lloyd & Tommy Womack Picture Book (The Kinks)
14. The Swingin' Neckbreakers Good Good Lovin' (James Brown)
15. Tsar Rebel Rouser (The Sweet)
16. Steve Earle Breed (Nirvana)
17. Freddy Lynxx & the Corner Gang Respectable (Rolling Stones)
18. The Detroit Cobras Shout Bama Lama (Otis Redding)
19, The Nomads She Pays The Rent (The Lyres)
20. Filthy Lucre Can't Kick (Johnny Thunders)
21. Backyard Babies Babylon (Faster Pussycat)
22. Country Dick Montana Party Dolls and Wine (Dean Martin)

Covers Project Vol. III

2009-06-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

Another volume in the monger covers series. Two of the tunes here have appeared on previously posted mixes (Nikki Corvette's "Under My Wheels" and Brett Anderson's "California Sun"). A couple of notes: 1) the Heavy Metal Kids "Girl of My Dreams" isn't technically a cover, as Bram Tchaikovsky's version was a cover of an unreleased song by, yes, the Heavy Metal Kids 2) if you're familiar with the Troggs original version of "Wild Thing" then you'll understand why I threw their weirdo '75 reggae version of the song on this collection.

Here Comes Success

1. Jeff Dahl One of the Boys (Mott The Hoople)
2. Diamond Dogs Connection (The Rolling Stones)
3. Matthew Sweet American Girl (Tom Petty)
4. John P. Strohm Somebody's Baby (Jackson Browne)
5. Sarah Borges Stop & Think It Over (Compulsive Gamblers)
6. Nikki Corvette Under My Wheels (Alice Cooper)
7. Heavy Metal Kids Girl of My Dreams (Bram Tchaikovsky)
8. Amanda Jones The First Time (The Boys)
9. Bleu You Might Think (The Cars)
10. Per Gessle I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (The Ramones)
11. Crash Kelly Lonely Planet Boy (New York Dolls)
12. Patti Smith Gimme Shelter (The Rolling Stones)
13. Tim Krekel Version City (The Clash)
14. Kelly Willis Success (Iggy Pop)
15. Garland Jeffreys 96 Tears (? and the Mysterians)
16. Bob Dylan Boogie Woogie Country Girl (Doc Pomus)
17. Beagle Love Grows (Edison Lighthouse)
18. Hutch Maybe Baby (Buddy Holly)
19, The Yo-Yos Hey Tonight (Credence Clearwater Revival)
20. Myracle Brah Too Many People (Paul McCartney)
21. Dramarama Hitchhiking (Willie Alexander)
22. Michael Monroe High School (MC5)
23. Brett Anderson California Sun (Joe Jones... later the Rivieras)
24. The Troggs Wild Thing (The Troggs)

The Covers Project Vol. I

2009-06-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

Pretty self-explanatory. Great versions of (mostly) great songs. This is an older mix that I recently re-listened to on a long car drive - totally hit the spot. Volume II wasn't quite so much a bullseye.

Covers I

1. Frank Black & the Stax Pistols Breathless (Jerry Lee Lewis)
2. Joan Jett ACDC (The Sweet)
3. The Sights Stay With Me (The Faces)
4. The Smithereens The Slider (T.Rex)
5. DMZ Cinderella (The Sonics)
6. The Dirtbombs Ode to a Black Man (Phil Lynott)
7. Jason & the Scorchers Country Roads (John Denver)
8. The Jam In The Midnight Hour (Wilson Picket)
9. Phantom Helmsmen Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves (Cher)
10. Bram Tchaikovsky I'm A Believer (The Monkees)
11. Generation X Gimme Some Truth (John Lennon)
12. The Pogues Honky Tonk Women (Rolling Stones)
13. Jon Spencer All Shook Up (Elvis Presley)
14. The Inmates Some Kind of Wonderful (Soul Brothers Six)
15. Waco Brothers The Harder They Come (Jimmy Cliff)
16. Supersuckers Eastbound & Down (Jerry Reed)
17. Georgia Satellites Games People Play (Joe South)
18. The Yayhoos Love Train (The O'Jays)
19, J. Geils Band Where Did Our Love Go (The Supremes)
20. Webb Wilder Slow Death (Flamin' Groovies)
21. Mojo Nixon Girlfriend in a Coma (The Smiths)
22. The Coolies Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)

Dom Mariani mix

2009-06-01T21:40:00.000-07:00

Dom Mariani must be one of the most unjustly ignored rockers of the past two decades. He's been the main songwriter/singer/guitarist for (by my count) six different bands in that time, three of which are responsible for absolute classic albums (the Stems' debut "At First Light... Violets Are Blue", the Someloves' only full-length "Something Or Other", and the DM3's "Road To Rome"). Of course, none of those albums have made the tiniest ripple in North American charts, so I can only hope Mariani sells truckloads in his native Australia. After all, there's gotta be some kind of justice in this world, doesn't there?

This is a self-made mix from a number of Mariani's bands and albums. One thing that's immediately impressive throughout is Mariani's consistency. Whether in the context of the garage/psyche revivalism of the Stems, or the sweet pop of the Someloves, or the more muscular power pop of the DM3, his emphasis is always on indelible hooks. It's almost hard to believe that someone so good can be ignored for so long. If you're a fan of Big Star, Badfinger, the Hoodoo Gurus - or any ultra-melodic power pop/punk band of the last twenty years - then this collection is guaranteed to amaze you.

Dom Mariani

1. 1 Time 2 Times Devastated
2. Dead Star
3. Second Floor
4. Just Like Nancy
5. I Thought That You Were Foolin'
6. Soultop
7. Something Heavy
8. Show You
9. Far From Here
10. Homespun Blues
11. Quicksand
12. Rock 'n' Roll Boys (Rock 'n' Roll Girls)
13. At First Sight
14. Sunshine's Glove
15. Don't Talk About Us
16 TV Sound
17. Snapshot
18. When It Ends (acoustic version)
19. Cold Cup
20. The Golden Ones (DJ Moogy remix)

#1, 9 from DM3 1 Time 2 Times 3 Red Light (1994)
#2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 16 from DM3 Road to Rome (1996)
#4 from DM3 Garage Sale Vol. 2 (Italian Style) (2003)
#10, 19 from Dom Mariani Homespun Blues and Greens (2004)
#11 from DM3 Rippled Soul (1998)
#12 from the Stoneage Hearts Guilty As Sin (2004)
#13 from the Stems At First Sight, Violets Are Blue (1987)
#14 from the Someloves Something Or Other (1990)
#15 from the Someloves It's My Time (1986)
#17, 18, 20 from Dom Mariani Shell Collection (2006)

10 songs by Silver Sun

2009-06-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

It's possible Silver Sun may have been popular in their UK homeland, but they never made so much as a squeak in North America. They deserved better. Although their timing was a little off for this kind of music... aw shit, scratch that - I'm being an idealist again. This kind of music hasn't been trendy since the early days of the British Invasion. Cool, yes. Trendy, no. Silver Sun are what I always hoped Jellyfish would sound like back when I hadn't heard them yet - ultra melodic, kinda Queen/Beach Boys harmonies-upon-harmonies, and the fuzz, buzz, and momentum of punk. Oh yeah, this is power pop, but the type that doesn't shirk from the word "power" and just puts the pedal to the metal and rocks. Plain awesome, in other words.

Silver Sun

1. Golden Skin
2. Dumb
3. Last Day
4. This 'n' That
5. I'll See You Around
6. Scared
7. Hey Girlfriend
8. Only A Girl
9. Jody
10. She Wants A Puppy, She'll Have A Puppy

#1, 2, 3, 4 from Silver Sun (1997)
# 5, 6, 7, 8 from Neo Wave (1998)
#9, 10 from Disappear Here (2005)

PG13 mix

2009-05-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

Yeah, what the hell - this month has been a frenzy of mixes, so why not one more? This one was put together as a request. The challenge was to compile a mix for a teenage daughter that wouldn't induce mom to stick an icepick in her ear. It also works as an apologia for the previous mix - completely free of dirty words and nasty thoughts. Well, maybe a nasty thought or two. But overall so clean you could eat your lunch off it. No guarantee about the icepick though. And it's 66% pure female too. Although, somewhere, there should be some fine print about the definition of "purity" in this context.

HEADACHES & ICEPICKS

1. Brett Anderson California Sun
2. The Riff Randels When You Go
3. The Yum Yums It's Gonna Be A Hit
4. Nikki Corvette Under My Wheels
5. Suzy & Los Quattro Freak Show
6. Josie Cotton He Could Be The One
7. The Muffs Honeymoon
8. The Donnas Can't Keep It A Secret
9. The Successful Failures All I Can Take
10. Les Hell on Heels Ain't So Cool
11. The Prissteens I'm Devastated
12. Tammy & the Lords of Misrule Wig Wam Bam
13. The Wildhearts One Love, One Life, One Girl
14. Ben Kweller I Don't Know Why
15. The Fondas Don't Come Back
16. The Pandoras I Didn't Cry
17. Detroit Cobras Shout Bama Lama
18. Edna Swap Next To You
19. Silver Sun Jody
20. Slender Means Hidden Grove
21. The 88 Love You Anytime
22. Volumizer I Promise You, Thomas
23. American Heartbreak Last of the Superheroes (of the 1970s)
24. Joan Jett Riddles

Slowcore Vol. IV

2009-05-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

The slowcore series has been going for a while now. This is music for the wee small hours of the morning, either while getting up or while coming down. Head full of regret, stomach full of Advil, rear-view mirror full of nothing but wrong turns - then throw on some slowcore and... wallow.

SHOULD'VE LISTENED TO THE JUNKMAN

Slowcore Monger Vol. IV1. Greg Brown Whatever It Was
2. Terry Boylan Subterranean Homesick Blues
3. Chris Cacavas The Crying Shame
4. Frankie Miller Baton Rouge
5. Bob Forrest Memphis
6. Goodman County Drugstore Wine
7. Ian Hunter Silver Needles
8. Pat Todd & the Rank Outsiders Your Heart, Your Soul, & Your Ass
9. The Circus In Flames The Cuckoo
10. Beads Queen Anne
11. Four Hours Sleep Original Lover
12. Tim Easton Stones Throw Away
13. The Cinders Snow
14. Mick Flannery Safety Rope
15. Genya Ravan Junkman
16. Chris Mills Signal/Noise

Power Lounging Vol. II

2009-05-14T22:29:00.001-07:00

A second volume in the power lounger series. Power lounging means hanging around in the sun with a serious commitment to wasting time, preferably while on the drink. This mix is fringely mongerous with a slightly time-warped 50s sock hop mentality (and one old 60s chestnut for good measure).

A Sack of Monkeys - Power Lounging Vol. 2

1. Roman Candle Why Modern Radio Is A-OK
2. Wilco Sunny Feeling
3. Noisettes Never Forget You
4. Vetiver More Than This
5. Tim Armstrong Take This City
6. John Fred Judy In Disguise
7. Genya Ravan Stubborn Kind Of Girl
8. Herman Brood & His Wild Romance Hit
9. The Hellcats Don't Fight It
10. Albert Hammond Jr. Miss Myrtle
11. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Soft Shock
12. Baby Shakes Come On Babe
13. Brownsville Station Let Your Yeah Be Yeah
14. The Fondas Might As Well Go
15. Cracker Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out With Me
16. The Kilians Said & Done
17. The Damwell Betters Subway
18. The Weight Closer Than A Friend
19. Robbers On High Street You Don't Stand A Chance
20. The Iguanas If You Should Ever Fall On Hard Times
21. Four Hours Sleep w/ Paul Kelly If I Had My Way

Midtempo Monger Vol. III

2009-04-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

On The 3rd Day He Mongered Again

1. The Clovers Rotten Cocksucker's Ball
2. Collin Wade Monk I Need A Woman
3. Joe "King" Carrasco & the Crowns Let's Go Nutz
4. The Right Ons That's New York
5. The Dead Trees Shelter
6. The Smoke Bloody Orange
7. The Farmers Impressed
8. Pat Todd & the Rank Outsiders Where Is She Now?
9. Tommy Womack Alpha Male And The Canine Mystery Blood
10. The Motherhips White Headphones
11. Thunder Express Feed My Dreams
12. The Inmates Sweet Rain
13. Heavy Stereo Deja Voodoo
14. The Circus In Flames Down On The Fraser
15. Chris Mills Crooked Vein
16. The Malakas I Met A Girl At N.A.
17. The Damwell Betters Your C*** Is Killing Me
18. Scott Miller Heart In Harm's Way
19. Dirk Hamilton Walk On Lake George
20. Purple Wizard Puffy Rap

Allergic to Fun - a summer mix

2009-04-01T08:25:00.000-07:00

Yet another mix and yet another placeholder. Nothing groundbreaking here, just a bunch of high energy, hugely melodic fun poppy, punky, pop punk, punk pop, po pu, pu po, and even post-pu-pu tunes for the upcoming summer BBQs, yard parties, weddings, and bar mitzvahs. As always, click on title for download link.

Allergic To Fun

1. The Yum Yums Let's Rock and Roll
2. The Successful Failures Never Moving Out
3. Mondo Primo Dude, Your Girlfriend Sucks
4. Purrbox Shake It Up (Cars cover)
5. Everybody Else Rich Girls, Poor Girls
6. The Cinders Deutscher Girls (Adam & the Ants cover)
7. The Takeover UK Kill Me Dead
8. L'Aventura Black Venus
9. Twisted Wheel Lucy The Castle
10. Beat Angels Celebrate Summer (T.Rex cover)
11. Kevin K. & the Hollywood Stars Cool Ways
12. The Sun Kings Off With Their Heads
13. Heavy Stereo Cartoon Moon
14. Psychotic Youth Elevator Girl
15. 1990s Sparks
16. Silver Sun Can't Get You Out Of My Head
17. Exploding Hearts Shattered
18. Eytan Mirsky Allergic To Fun
19. The Right Ons The Right Song
20. Telekinesis! All Of A Sudden

E-mongeration Day

2009-02-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

This one was commemorating Obama's inauguration... sort of. The first song's date is all wrong. So sue me.

E-Mongeration Day

1. Pat Todd & the Rank Outsiders November 11th
2. Sir Douglas Quintet County Line
3. Ian Hunter Man O' War
4. The Leroi Bros. Are You With Me Baby (Say Yeah)
5. The Eastside Suicides Booker T. Projects
6. Go To Blazes Why I Drink
7. The Stalkers Let's Get It Together
8. The Black And Whites Multiple Girls
9. The Chevelles Stacey Loves Cocaine
10. Stevie Klasson White Line Fever
11. Tommy Womack Tough
12. Solarbaby Sixteen Years
13. Crash Street Kids Cigarettes and Starfuckers
14. Zodiac Mindwarp & the Love Reaction Prime Mover
15. The Diamond Dogs I'll Drink To Ya
16. Art Bergmann The Junkie Don't Care
17. X Hothouse
18. The Figgs Fucks Off
19. The Lazy Cowgirls Baby, You Gotta Be Shittin' Me
20. The Hold Steady Hostile, Mass.
21. Dogs D'Amour Back On The Juice
22. The Malakas Satan Song

An introductory mix

2008-07-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to get started on this project I'm putting up this mix. It's full of what I consider perfect summer songs - melodic, punchy, fun, occasionally goofy, with a slight twinge of melancholy - and it gives a pretty good overview of the kind of music that'll be appearing on this blog eventually.

HOT ENOUGH TO BOIL A MONKEY'S BUM

1. Webb Wilder Everyday (I Kick Myself)
2. Limbeck The State
3. The Cryers Shake It Baby
4. Stacie Collins Never Ever
5. Garland Jeffreys Cool Down Boy
6. J. Geils Band Make Up Your Mind
7. Sam Cooke Shake
8. The Jags Here Comes My Baby
9. Madness John Jones
10. The Fleshtones New York City
11. The Heats When You're Mine
12. Blue Rodeo Love & Understanding
13. Rancid Things to Come
14. Diamond Dogs Scunthorpe Avenue
15. The Yum Yums Come On Come On
16. The Presidents of the USA Mixed Up S.O.B.
17. The Flaming Sideburns Slow Down
18. Bash & Pop Tickled to Tears
19. Starz Cherry Baby
20. Drive-by Truckers Like A Rolling Stone

click on the title for the link.

Nov.1/07

2007-11-03T18:54:00.001-07:00

content soon to arrive