We're Getting Loaded - the 2011 Summer Mix

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

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

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

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

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)

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)

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