Tags: Picture of the day, Punk
I had a discussion recently with my wife about the 1980s. We were watching VH1’s “One Hit Wonders” show—a guilty pleasure—and the focus was on 1980s movies. The themes to both Dirty Dancing and St. Elmo’s Fire made their list, and I was reacquainted with how incredibly awful those tunes are. My wife was prompted to say that the 1980s sucked, but I had to disagree. The argument can be made that so much of what hit the charts back then was treacle—but there’s a reason why so many of today’s pop artists seem to be structuring their tunes as if they were created thirty years ago. And when else could you find a chart shared by a three-chord punk band of screamers like The Ramones and a synth-driven, hyperstructured band like The Cars?
What are the other similarities between these two titans? Both bands had a string of top 40 hits that are as indelible today as they were when they were created. Both featured incredibly ugly, gangly and tall lead singers. Both knew, more than anything, how to market themselves—even if Joey Ramone professed to eschew commercialism, his appearance in the brilliantly campy Rock and Roll High School shows his true colors. And both have tribute albums released this year.
Hit the cut for the reviews…
Tags: Covers, Covers On Fridaze, Indie Pop, indie punk, Punk
THE DEAD EXS-Resurrection
Like the Black Keys? Like The White Stripes?
Check out the name-your-own-price (yes, zero bucks is included) album by The Dead Exs. This NYC band is getting a rep quickly, so listen now—before it comes trendy.
Get it free here.
CABIN DOGS-Midnight Trail
Rich and Rob Kwait, twin brothers, have produced an album of country-sounding indie tunes, including a terrific Bob Dylan cover.
For fans of Drive By Truckers, Whiskeytown, Jason Isbel, Wilco.
MITTENFIELDS-The Fresh Sum (EP)
Screaming, atmospheric punk with vocals that sound like David Byrne. Can’t go wrong with a combo like that, can you?
Tags: Americana, Extended Player (EP), Free Album!, Indie, Punk
Nobunny‘s “Love Visions” was the 12th best album of 2008. No shit. And I still have no idea who the fuck they are. Their Wiki page is hilarious, and it reads their current line up as:
They’ve also got several dozen former members listed there, including Ryen Eggleston, Mark Beef, and TV’s Daniel.
Their music is even crazier. Some favorites off of the new one are the lead track “Ain’t It a Shame” and the song about a new dance craze: “(Do the) Fuck Yourself.”
There’s nothing beautiful here. Just brash electric garage throwback punk.
Better Man/I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (Ramones cover)-Pearl Jam
Janie Jones (Clash cover)-Pete Doherty
Bonzo Goes to Bitburg-Port O’Brien
Tags: indie punk, Punk
When Joe Strummer died, a piece of him stayed behind inside of Jon Langford. Langford, a Welsh singer-songwriter, is one of the rare examples of a drummer (as part of the seminal punk band The Mekons) who was able to transform into a guitar-playing bandleader. Like Strummer, he infused his raw, energetic, and unrehearsed punk sensibility with elements of country and folk, playing with bands like Waco Brothers and Three Johns (with John Hyatt) before forming the Skull Orchard band. There are few artists today whose albums I instantly take to as strongly as Langford, and his 2010 release, “Old Devils,” is no exception. Simple rock and roll/punk/country tunes about love, loss and pain played with a terrific band (fellow Waco Brothers Alan Doughty and Joe Camarillo on bass and drums respectively and the Zincs/Horse’s Ha dapper, finger-picking Englishman Jim Elkington on guitar).
I’ve listened to this album straight through half a dozen times already. If this isn’t one of the best albums of the year, then we’re in for a great second half of 2010.
Here’s a song from the new one:
Getting Used to Uselessness
I love this dude so much, I want to pay a full tribute . . . All are direct links, so no need for a zip file. (And I know that much of the Mekons stuff is post-Langford, but I still dig it, and his fingerprints are all over that band.)
A is for American Pageant-Jon Langford and his Sadies.
B is for another cover: Big River-The Mekons.
C is for children’s music. Langford isn’t always all about the grown ups. You can find a great kids show here, featuring all kinds of classics like “I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” and “Big Rock Candy Mountain.”
D and E are forDeath of the European-John Langford (acoustic).
F is for Fantastic Voyage-The Mekons
G is for Getting Used to Uselessness, from the new album!
H is for Kelly Hogan’s appearance with Jon on Time Changes Everything.
I is for I Fought the Law (Bobby Fuller Four cover)-Waco Brothers. Millions of people cover this song, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad version. Makes me wonder if I could do it…..
J is for Johnny Cash’s Long Black Veil-Jon Langford.
K and L are for Key Largo-Jon Langford. No, it’s not a cover of that schmaltzy guilty pleasure by Bertie Higgins.
M is for Mekons, and N is for the Mekons anthem Never Been in a Riot.
P is for Pill Sailor-Jon Langford. I love the image of a pill sailor.
R is for Reno, where Johnny shot a man, just to watch him die, in the classic Folsom Prison Blues-Jon Langford.
S is for Stay a Little Longer-Jon with Neko Case.
T is for a three-song medley: Take This Hammer/Goodnight Irene/I Got Stripes-Jon Langford (acoustic).
V is for that comely vixen in the Tom Jones cover Delilah-Jon Langford (acoustic).
W is for the classic country cover What a Good Year for the Roses-Mekons. I know Elvis Costello had the balls to cover this song first. Elvis’ “Almost Blue” record is one I played the crap out of.
Y is for You Ain’t Going Nowhere, a song made famous by The Byrds.
Z is for Big Zombie-Mekons.
If you’re not a fan of Jon’s after downloading these tunes, you’re hopeless.
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Tags: A to Z, Indie rock, Punk
You have to admire this ska-ish indie rock foursome’s wiseass myspace page (“Musical influences: Music we listen to/Sounds like: Music we play”) and their high-energy live performances. Their free too-short 3-song EP, available free, is a party and a blast. Remember when Tokyo Police Club and We Are Scientists were good? Remember when Jack and Meg played more than they posed? That’s what this is like.
I hope to hell these guys play the Iota down here in Arlington, VA. They kick ass.
Get it free here.
Taste one of the songs here:
Tags: Free Album!, Indie rock, Punk
What the hell is this? It sounds a little like Billy Bragg or Frank Turner or Joe Strummer . . . Or maybe The Libertines? Sex Pistols?
After a couple weeks of generally mediocre submissions hitting the mailbag, in comes Television Personalities latest “last” album, A Memory is Better Than Nothing. The band, the brainchild of Dan Treacy, has been making arty punk for a while now, like since 1978. Is this new album their best? No. But it’s damn good. Standout, rousing bar sing-alongs like “She’s My Yoko” and “Walk Towards the Light” are sentimental yet genuine; “Except for Jennifer” is moody psychedelia at its best; and “The Girl in the Hand Me Down Clothes” is a nice little pop number, albeit a slow one. There’s no barnburners here, no radio-friendly hits, and none are needed. It’s very cool to hear a guy who has been around for so long and can still punch out a solid, contemporary-sounding album.
Time For Heroes (The Libertines cover)-Graham Coxon
Tags: Indie rock, Punk
I don’t usually post singles or review a band who only have a few songs to offer, but today I am making an exception.
First, a cover of Candi Staton’s “Young Hearts Run Free” by The Swell Season. This is far and away the best cover I’ve heard this year.
Young Hearts Run Free – The Swell Season
Second, a submission from New York’s “The Enthusiasts”, whose two-song single In The City is available from Infirmary Phonographic records. Solid newbie Punk.
Tags: Covers, Picture of the day, Punk
Hellride East is the cover project by Minutemen bassist Mike Watt; Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis and Murph. There were other iterations of Hellride, but this was the New York one. And best of all: All they did was Iggy. From July 22, 2000, at NY’s great Knitting Factory venue . . .
SETLIST:*
01. real cool time
02. little doll
03. not right
04. 1969
05. 1970
06. funhouse
07. down on the street
08. loose
11. i wanna be your dog
(Taste this track, to see if you want the zipfile below):
12. i got a right
13. “evan”
14. no fun
15. search & destroy
*A few tracks are missing, and there might be some from another show mixed in here . . .
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