Orphans 2020

 

A mix containing some of the bands and artists I neglected to get around to during the previous 12 months. Perhaps a tad more eclectic than my typical Faves mixes, but certainly nothing that's totally outside of the established wheelhouse.

 My Source Of Pleasure Is My Source Of Ruin

1. Juiceb0xxx Back in Your Car

2. Ratb0ys Anj

3. The Tummies Sweet Little Mistreater

4. Ten T0nnes Girl, Are You Lonely Like Me?

5. girl0ngirl Girls

6. The Leve1 Spirits Double Crosser

7. The Vibrat0rs Woman 3.2

8. Heart B0nes This Time It's Different

9. Bad Sex Sucker

10. Naked Giants Turns Blue

11. Mike Vio1a Drug Rug

12. 0ceanator A Crack in the World

13. Ginger Wi1dheart Yorvik (My Hood)

14. Successful Fai1ures More of the Same

15. Nick L0we A Quiet Place

16. Christian B1unda (It Sucks) Without You

17. The Lemon Dr0p Gang Georgie

18. Ken F0x & Knock Yourself Out Stranded (in the Heat)

19. He1aine & the Hurricanes I Will Never Ever Bleach My Hair Again

20. C1assic Ruins Forget About It

21. Co1d Years Life With a View

22. Emper0r Penguin Planet of Love

23. Trevor Be1d Jimenez Moment

24. Lucinda Wi11iams Down Past the Bottom

Best of 2020

 

The Un-Herd Music Top 50 of 2020

1. Low Cut Connie Private Lives

Adam Weiner's hook-heavy mix of soul, R&B, rock & roll, & basically everything else under the sun is exactly the empathetic, good vibin' music the world needs right now - just hope we're not all too far gone to hear.

2. Dangereens Tough Luck

Montreal band with reckless disregard for speed limits, a pronounced fondness for old 'Mats reckids, and a batch of hook-ridden tunes w/ pounding piano + sax riding shotgun.  

3. Cornershop England Is A Garden

One of the most original bands from the 90s indie boom returns with their inimitable mix of 60s pop, garage rock, sitars, flutes, electronics and, I can only imagine, something borrowed from a far better future.

 

 

 

4. The Yum Yums For Those About To Pop!

If the Ramones had the harmonies of the Beach Boys or the Beach Boys had the drive of the Ramones... Such perfect summer music that it'll make you forget it isn't summer.

 

 

 

 

5. Mondo Cozmo New Medicine

Backed by members of the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Josh Ostrander hooks into snatches of Lou Reed, hip hop, Jesus and Mary Chain, and singer/songwriter pop and still manages to knit it all into a cohesive whole.
 

 

 

 

6. Rookie Rookie

While so much modern power pop rests in the hands of those who view "The Long and Winding Road" as the epitome of rock & roll, Rookie allows a stomping beat and a few power chords to turbocharge the expected Beatles-esque hooks.
 

 

 

 

7. Nicole Atkins Italian Ice

Recorded at Muscle Shoals and backed by members of that same hallowed session band, this album sprawls comfortably into a relaxed soul groove. Also boasts help from Britt Daniel, My Morning Jacket, and some Bad Seeds... none of whom come close to eclipsing Atkins' powerful voice.

 

 

8. Foxy Shazam Burn

The return of Foxy Shazam was one of the few "good news" stories of this disastrous year, and even if it might not match the heights of The Church of Rock & Roll, it definitely gets them back on track to world domination. Give 'em time.
 

 

 

 

 

9. Daniel Romano How Ill Thy World Is Ordered

Romano released 10 albums in the year 2020, ranging in sound from his more typical country to indie rock to hardcore punk to a welcome re-imagining of an entire Dylan album, and what makes his feat of ambition somewhat miraculous is the sheer quality of songwriting. This one (and Dandelion) are perhaps the most eclectic of the bunch.

10. Bette Smith The Good, The Bad, and the Bette

With some help from Luther Dickinson and the Drive-by Truckers, Bette Smith dives into southern soul and traditional R&B while embracing the distortion and power of punk.

 

 

11. Wyldlife Year of the Snake

12. Algiers There Is No Year

13. Bad Moves Untenable

14. Faz Waltz Rebel Kicks

15. The Struts Strange Days

16. Thelonious Monster Oh That Monster

17. Dramarama Color TV

18. Richard Davies & the Dissidents Human Traffic

19. Suitesixteen Mine Would Be The Sun

20. Ice Cream Hands No Weapon But Love

21. Ryan Hamilton Nowhere To Go But Everywhere

22. Hinds The Prettiest Curse

23. Kurt Baker Combo After Party

24. Chuck Prophet The Land That Time Forgot

25. Billie Joe Armstrong No Fun Mondays

26. Lucinda Williams Good Souls Better Angels

27. The Devonns The Devonns

28. Jaded Hearts Club You've Always Been Here

29. Fantastic Negrito Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?

30. Lydia Loveless Daughter

31. Candy Opera The Patron Saint of Heartache

32. Mom Pleasure Island

33. Anti-Flag 20/20 Division

34. Exbats Kicks, Hits and Fits

35. Steve Kilbey Eleven Women

36. Ginger Wildheart Headzapoppin'

37. Brad Marino False Alarm

38. Green Day The Father of All Motherfuckers

39. Mike Viola Godmuffin

40. The Speedways Radio Sounds

 

41. Close Lobsters Post Neo Anti: Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols

42. Ryan Allen Song Snacks Vol. 1

43. Advertisement American Advertisement

44. The Vapors Together

45. Supercrush SODO Pop

46. X Alphabetland

47. Sino Hearts Mandarin a Go-Go

48. Cocktails Catastrophic Entertainment

49. Psychotic Youth Forever and Never

50. Silver Sun Switzerland

Run And Tell It To Everybody Underground

1. Dangereens Microwave Boogie

2. Low Cut Connie Help Me

3. Rookie Hold On Tight

4. The Yum Yums Let's Worry About Tomorrow

5. Bad Moves Party With the Kids Who Wanna Party With You

6. Wyldlife Keeping Up With C.T.

7. Thelonious Monster Teenage Wasteland

8. Algiers Dispossession

9. Mondo Cozmo Black Cadillac

10. Bette Smith Song For a Friend

11. Foxy Shazam In My Mind

12. Anti-Flag 20/20 Vision

13. Suitesixteen The List

14. Mom I Want You To Feel What I Feel

15. Faz Waltz Got Me Goin'

16. Advertisement Pretty Money

17. Daniel Romano First Yoke

18. Ryan Hamilton & the Harlequin Ghosts Oh No

19. Nicole Atkins St. Dymphna

20. Dramarama Everyday

21. The Speedways Number 7

22. Candy Opera Crash

23. Hinds Riding Solo

24. Chuck Prophet Get Off The Stage

Faves of 2020 (Vol. 3)

Well, as much as I'm tempted to say good riddance to 2020 - and it was a treacherous, raging dumpster fire of a year - I'm a tad worried that 2021 isn't going to be much of an improvement, so I'm just going to ignore the year that was and move forward into the murky future with the faint hope that we'll enter an era of empathy and societal improvement... And yes, I'm sneering at my pollyanaish sentiment along with you.

But we'll find hope. There's always hope (even if it's only the hope for hope). And there'll be a soundtrack to that hope - and this is where I can show some optimism, because the bands and the artists will be back. And they're gonna have a few things to say. And, somehow, they'll say it in approximately 3 minutes while delivering an irresistible hook or two. For proof, look no further than the following mix, which compiles 25 more artists who managed to make the year a little easier to take.

There's A Lot To Do And No Time To Do It 

1. 1ce Cream Hands No Weapon But Love

2. He1en Love Debbie Take Control of the Stereo

3. R0mer0 Troublemaker

4. Sin0 Hearts A Way Or Another

5. Curt Baker Used to Think

6. The1onious Monster Falling Behind

7. Steve Winn California Style

8. Exbats You Don't Get It (You Don't Got It)

9. Terra Lightf00t One High Note

10. High Waisted Easy As It Comes

11. The N1neteens Drugs and Alcohol

12. The C0untry Westerns It's On Me

13. Ind0nesian Junk Type of a Girl

14. Supercrush Grace

15. Baby Shakes Sweet 'n' Sour Pt. 2

16. Hammered Sat1n Jukebox

17. The Flytraps Baby's a Freak

18. Bad Nerves Palace

19. Jerry Lehane Runaway with You

20. Radi0 Days I Got a Love

21. H00d00 Gurus Get Out of Dodge

22. K1mmy Drake I'm The Fun

23. 1mani Coppo1a In This Together

24. The Struts Burn It Down

25. Yuk0n Bl0nde Fuck It

Faves of 2020 (Vol. 2)

 

I can't quite tell if it's the (longstanding) mood I've been in or if Covid has seriously diminished the amount of music released, but I've been having a rough time finding enough new music that I can put on a faves mix that I can honestly call a fave. I have to imagine it's a combination of the two - and that the two are separate sides of the same coin. Normally I'd be posting a Volume 3 of my faves by this date, and here we are staring Halloween in the face and I've just got around to Volume 2.

This is not to denigrate the tunes I have collected, all of which are typically shining examples of awesomeness, awesomosity, and antidisawesomelessness. It's particularly heartening to see some of old UHM faves returning from their exiles, and with any luck their reappearance points the way towards a return to something like (or better than) normal.

RIP Mssrs. Lure, Penniman, Prine, and Hibbert.

Some Things Just Weren't Meant To Last

1. F0xy Shazam Burn

2. Magic Gang Just a Minute

3. Ryan Hami1ton Jesus & John Lennon

4. Lydia Love1ess Love is Not Enough

5. Richard Davies & the Dissidents (Long Road) to Your Heart

6. The B0bby Lees Coin

7. Faz Wa1tz Rock 'n' Roll is Tough

8. Ren0 Bo Baby Blues

9. A1giers Unoccupied

10. Fantastic Negrit0 Chocolate Samurai

11. Daniel Roman0 Green Eye Shade

12. Bad M0ves Cape Henlopen

13. The Yum Yums First Move

14. Heap You Remind Me Of Me

15. Cocktai1s Janeland

16. M0m Don't Leave With My Heart

17. The Szuters Baby Don't You Be So Blue

18. Bette Smith I Felt It Too

19. The Dev0nns Tell Me

20. The F0x Sisters Listen To Your Sisters

21. Mondo C0zmo Upside Down

22. The Sharks 6teen Razors

23. Hote1 Mira Perfectionism

24. Tuk Smith Lookin' For Love, Ready For War

Faves of 2020 (Vol. 1)

I generally try to keep my political views away from this blog. Obviously, some of it will creep in, usually hidden among the assembled track lists. And I'm (probably) going to maintain that stance in the future... but in this moment in time I'm going to go on record and say I've been impressed and heartened by the overwhelming world response to systemic injustice. It's been a motherfucker of a year, but there may be hope yet. In the meantime, stay safe, everybody - and now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Life is Strange and You Do What You Gotta Do Just to Survive

1. C1ose Lobsters All Compasses Go Wild
2. Speedwayz Kisses Are History
3. The Vap0rs Crazy
4. Dangereens Worried Mind
5. Ref1ectors Teenage Heart
6. Duncan Reid & the Big Heads Motherfucker
7. R00kie I Can't Have You But I Want You
8. C0rnershop No Rock Save in Roll
9. Nico1e Atkins Domino
10. Twin Peeks Cawfee
11. Wy1dlife Crime of the Scene
12. Hay1ey & the Crushers Jacaranda
13. X Water and Wine
14. Green Day Stab You In The Heart
15. B1ack Lips Angola Rodeo
16. Kid Gu11iver Susie Survived Chemo
17. Si1ver Sun Over Me At All?
18. Music Band You Can't (Make Someone Love You)
19. Answering Machine Bad Luck
20. Wi11ie Nile New York is Rockin'
21. Brad Marin0 False Alarm
22. Brett Newski Do It Again
23. L0w Cut C0nnie Private Lives
24. Chuck Pr0phet High as Johnny Thunders