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…

First, let’s take a look at Osaka Ramones: Tribute to The Ramones by Shonen Knife on Good Charamel records.  The album is truly a tribute: Shonen Knife make no effort to change, rework, revive, or otherwise alter the songs as played originally.  What they add are their female voices and Japanese accents.  As a result, the album is a blast—a quick blast—that doesn’t really stick to your ribs.  If you’re a Ramones fan, you won’t want to miss it.  But if you’re not, it won’t make you one.  And it also probably won’t make you a new Shonen Knife fan, either.  That said, it’s sexy, edgy and a rip.  If you are a Ramones fan, you’re gonna want to hear this.  And you’re probably gonna want to see the band live as well.  Their tour dates are below.

Kris Delmhorst’s effort is much different.

Yes, there a several songs here that hew close to the originals (particularly Shake it Up), but Delmhorst’s voice is too inflectious to cover Ric Ocasek.  Is “inflectious” a word?  No?  it is now!  By that I mean that Cars music has always seemed quite sterile to me.  I enjoy it and all, but I’ve never been one to go out of my way for it.  And that’s largely due to Ric’s flat delivery.  Delmhorst is incapable of being flat.  And her joy at playing these songs is evident throughout.  The album—in both it’s her extensively reworked versions (“Why Can’t I Have You”) and the more faithful renditions (“Drive”)—showcases what a great songwriter Ric was.  He’s like the Bob Dylan of slick pop.

In the end, both Shonen Knife and Kris Delmhorst have produced worthy tributes.  But KD’s record should—hopefully—inspire a deeper dive into her own original catalog.

Buy direct from the label, Signature Sounds.

 Scroll down for an mpfree festival! 

And catch Shonen on tour!

October 2011
20- Toronto, ONT- Horseshoe Tavern
21- Montreal- QC- II Motore
22- Brooklyn, NY- Public Assembly (CMJ)
24- Baltimore, MD- Otto Bar
25- Durham, NC- The Pinhook
26- Atlanta, GA- Masquerade
27- Mobile, AL- Alabama Music Box
28- Houston, TX- GroundHall
29- Austin, TX- Red 7
November 2011
1- Los Angeles, CA- TBA
2- San Diego, CA – Casbah
3- Long Beach, CA – Alex’s Bar
4- San Francisco, CA- Bottom of the Hill
5- Portland, OR- Dante’s
7- Vancouver, BC- Biltmore Cabaret
8- Seattle, WA- Tractor Tavern
11- Minneapolis, MN- First Ave.
12- Chicago, IL- Empty Bottle
13- Kalamazoo, MI- The Strutt
14- Indianpolis, IN- Radio, Radio
17- Pittsburgh, PA- 31st Pub
18- Brooklyn, NY- The Bellhouse
19- Buffalo, NY- Mohawk Palace

The KKK Took My Baby Away-Shonen Knife

Hello Again-KD

Just What I Needed (2002) (Cars cover)-Bush

Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (Ramones cover)-Yo La Tengo

Just What I Needed (Cars)-Weezer

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.

New Morning (Bob Dylan cover)

Bloom

Twilight

High Falls

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?

My Mind Is An Avalanche

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:

• Nobunny – Vocals, rhythm guitar
• Touchy Tony – Vocals, bass guitar
• Elvis Christ – Vocals, drums, lead guitar
• Danaheim – Drums

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.

Do the Fuck Yourself

BONUS 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

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

BONUS JON LANGFORD LIVE, A to Z!

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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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:

Feng-Schui Cabaret

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.

She’s My Yoko

BONUS THOUGHTFUL BRITISH PUNKFOLKSTERS

Substitute-Frank Turner

Time For Heroes (The Libertines cover)-Graham Coxon

9.  POST SOME TUNES!!

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.

In the City

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

ZIPFILE

*A few tracks are missing, and there might be some from another show mixed in here . . .

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