Tag: #boniver

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Battle of the Band(camp) — A Holiday Hit Parade

In honor of the long weekend and my fervent hope that we can celebrate the titular labor by not doing any — the eight of you fair readers, and most certainly myself — I thought I’d drop in with some recommendations to hopefully incentivize that activity and soundtrack your lazy days. And since this week was Bandcamp Friday thought I’d offer some of the highlights from the horde of treasures I managed to stash away — thirty albums and two hundred bucks worth by the time I was all done! (Don’t worry, we won’t do anywhere close to that many — remember: it’s a no work weekend!)

First up comes last year’s album from Josiah and the Bonnevilles, the aptly named 2022. These guys were the product of another Spotify spillover, coming on after listening to one album or another recently (I think it was either Isakov’s or Oliver Hazard’s new ones, which are fair comparisons) and I was immediately drawn to their hooky melodies. The backstory on the band is its founder, lead singer and songwriter Josiah Leming, dropped out of high school to tour the country, living out of his car while doing gigs, and eventually was noticed nationally when he became a contestant on American Idol.  He didn’t make the cut, but was given a record deal anyway (heck of a consolation prize!), however when his debut failed to make waves (2010’s Come on Kid) the label dropped him.

Undeterred Leming moved back to his native Tennessee, added guitarist Stephen Johnson and bassist/percussionist Josh Nyback as the aforementioned Bonnevilles, and eventually shifted their sound to a mix of spare, simple folk and unobtrusive country.  It works really well — Leming’s pinched, nasal delivery has a touch of early Dylan to it and the band’s songs toggle effectively between those two genres, highlighting the allures of both without succumbing to some of their cringier elements (particularly those of the latter).  The album is a mix of singles they released throughout the year, some originals and some choice covers that appear both here and on the again aptly titled Country Covers album they released around the same time. (Their Taylor Swift cover of “Anti-Hero” appears on both, alongside covers of tracks from Bon Iver, Kate Bush, and Glass Animals on the latter.)

Two of my favorites come one a piece from those aforementioned categories — the first is an original, one that lies more in that traditional country vein, both lyrically and tonally. It’s another song about lovin’ n’ losin’ and that duo’s perennial pal alcohol, this time remembering when the narrator used to fall in love without it. It’s a solid, forlorn little ballad that’ll have you singing along in sympathetic misery (just as the best country tunes always do). The second comes from the cover category and similar to Swift’s appears on both the band’s albums last year. It’s a cover of Justin Bieber, of all people, and their really nice version of his song “Ghost.” Existential questions around what my liking this song means aside (am I a Belieber now? Do I need to register with the local police or something?) it’s a really nice song, whether you know its origins or not. Check both of them out here:


Next comes a track from recent #fridayfreshness champ Duff Thompson and his 2020 debut album Haywire. Thompson won the competition on the backs of the first single from his upcoming sophomore album Shadow People (due out Oct 27) and this was a compelling enough listen to drive me down the rabbit hole to his other material, which amounts to this album at this point. Based on the little I can find it seems Thompson began his musical career as a producer, only starting to perform as a solo act in 2016, but those early outings encouraged him to keep writing original material, which culminated in a really nice debut a few years later. On it he draws from some of the best elements of his native New Orleans, with his music being described as “a swampy blend of folk, pop, and garage rock.”

You clearly get hits of all those flavors on the album’s brisk 10 track, half hour duration and its brevity definitely leaves you wanting more — a positive sign for the upcoming October release. Thompson’s voice reminds me a bit of Richard Swift’s and Hamilton Leithauser’s and his channeling of those guys’ warmth and (at times beleaguered) charisma carries you through what often sounds like a relic of another era, as his weathered voice and production give the songs a vintage feel far beyond their modern origins. Two of my favorites straddle the folk/pop and garage rock divides mentioned earlier and serve as bookends to the album — the former yielding the dusty opening gem “Sleight of Hand” and the latter the rollicking, foot stomping finale “The Long Haul.”  Give the pair a listen here:


Last entry from the highlight reel is the 2019 debut from Utah quartet The Backseat Lovers, When we Were Friends. I found these guys thanks to a recommendation from one of the Sunbeams, Doc, who amazingly doesn’t even remember making said suggestion. (When I told him I was really digging the rec he made he was stupefied — didn’t recognize the song, denied that it was him, and still has no recollection even when I showed him the conversation to jog his memory (Public Service Announcement — drinking on the job is a dangerous pastime, kids, and not something you should EVER do — even if you only work at a tech startup and not as a paramedic or pilot or something…)) His amnesia actually makes finding these guys seem even more fortuitous — like the cosmos used him to channel this information to me for whatever reason — and I’m grateful for their intervention as I’ve really enjoyed listening to them the past few months.

The band formed five years ago when lead singer/guitarist Joshua Harmon and guitarist Jonas Swanson met while waiting in line for an open mic night in their hometown Provo, Utah. The pair hit it off, decided to form a proper band rather than continue their solo efforts, and added drummer Juice Welch and bassist KJ Ward to the mix shortly thereafter.  The four began practicing and writing their own material, winning a local battle of the bands later that year before self-releasing their debut EP Elevator Days by year’s end. They continued writing and recording, performing in and around Utah before self-releasing their aforementioned full length the following year. The early stuff reminds me a lot of Catfish and the Bottlemen and the Districts — full throated, high energy anthems with big bleeding hearts — while their more recent material (last year’s Waiting to Spill) is a little more subdued and experimental, giving off more of a Radiohead vibe at times.

It’s these early songs that are most irresistible to me and two of my current faves are “Kilby Girl” and “Sinking Ship.” The former is pure Catfish — just a huge, straightforward track about a 19 year old with a fake ID and a nose ring with all the necessary angst that you’d imagine. The latter gives off more of a Districts vibe with its slowly building tension, erupting with an absolutely epic ending that is great on album, but even more spectacular live. (I was really surprised at how good the band is live — the albums are undeniably solid and catchy, but I was floored at how much they open up when I caught them at Lolla recently and the songs become these enormous, leggy things. Super impressive…) Both are worth repeated listens — give em a spin here:

 

We’ll close with a handful that didn’t make the cut for the Bandcamp massacre, as they were uneven and/or slightly disappointing affairs, but still have a few tracks worth listening to. In no particular order:

    • The Country Westerns’ sophomore album Forgive the City doesn’t pack the punch of their solid debut, finding the trio stuck in a somewhat monotonous Replacements-style rock mode, but I really liked this one, which is more in line with their earlier material — check out “Speaking Ill of the Blues:”

    • Similarly disappointing was Noel Gallagher’s latest from his High Flying Birds enterprise, Council Skies, and while a lot of the big, sweeping cinematic feel is gone from their last album, there’s still a few that capture that compelling vibe — give “Pretty Boy” a listen here:”

    • Up third is the latest from Mapache, Swinging Stars. This one may be less monochromatic than the previous two albums in this list, but it lacks a cohesive sense of self, which is its downfall — there’s songs in Spanish, instrumentals, country songs, folks songs, songs that sound like the Beatles. It jumps around too much for its own good, which takes away from some strong songs on their own — my current fave is “People Please:”

  • And last but not least is a track from Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver’s) solo album Hazeltons, which just got released on the Spots. It apparently comes from 2006 with the lead/title track serving as the genesis of the sound he would perfect on the amazing For Emma, Forever Ago. Other tracks are more in line with his more eclectic (some might say annoying) later material, but there are a handful of quiet, contemplative songs on here worth a listen. None moreso than that opening salvo, though — check out “Hazelton” here:

That’s it for now, my friends…
–BS

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Let Your Feet Stomp: The Wu, In Two (Documentaries)

Had a chance to watch a couple documentaries lately while baseball was on its all-star break, both chronicling the golden era of hip hop (note to millenials — we are currently NOT in it, despite your breathless claims for folks like Migos, Future, the A$APs, etc) — one focused on a single entity from that time, the legendary Wu-tang Clan, the other on an overlooked (at least for those of us not living in/around New York) playhouse for some of that scene’s biggest names, the Stretch and Bobbito show.  To paraphrase the departed Dirt Dog, though, first things first we shall fuck with the worst and talk through Showtime’s documentary on the Wu.

Cleverly named Of Mics and Men, it’s a four hour look at the gang of New Yorkers and the music they’ve made over the years, from their legendary debut to more recent offerings like the single copy disc sold for oodles of cash to pharma-felon Martin Shkreli.  Despite getting a lot of insight into each of the members and their personal lives (family makeups, early experiences in NY projects in the 80s, etc) and the dynamics of the group (who seems to get along, who butts heads (or butts in), etc), what’s notably (and inexcusably, in my opinion) absent from this series is the one thing that makes knowing those things matter — THE MUSIC.  If the basic test all music docs face is whether it will make an uninitiated viewer want to listen to that band’s/person’s music by the end, this one fails miserably. (Assessment tested/confirmed with wifey, who while aware of the Wu is not a fan and said she did not become one by the end of this “boring” endeavor.)

So instead of getting a ton of reflection on (or insight into) the group’s classic debut, for example — how the songs came together, how the recording went, etc — or how that quickly spawned the first batch of equally lethal solo albums, we get a ton of background on RZA’s philosophical perspectives, how they tried to market the group/albums, what contracts the guys signed (and when), how the logo was designed, etc etc etc. We got nearly 45 minutes on the aforementioned Shkreli scandal — tabloid frothing over an album that virtually nobody has heard and appears to not actually be an official Wu-tang album after all the fuss — while only briefly touching on the debut or their double album return (we get a little discussion of “Protect Ya Neck,” “C.R.E.A.M.,” and “Reunited,” but not much else), while completely ignoring the classic run of solo albums (outside of spending two minutes on the cover art for ODB’s, that is) that millions of people love.  It’s a shame, because those albums form a big piece of that golden age catalog (and STILL are great, as you can see for yourself shortly).

Contrast that four hour slog with the hour and forty minute party that is Stretch and Bobbito: Radio that Changed Lives (available on Netflix) — it passes that aforementioned music doc test with flying colors.  Not only do I think it would make the uninitiated viewer want to listen to hip hop (wifey was sequestered in another town eating single breakfast tacos and online shopping for clothes and body clamps, so couldn’t confirm), it makes the existing fan rediscover why they loved that band/person/style so much in the first place.  It tells the tale of the titular lads — two DJs who had the graveyard shift on a small college radio station in New York and somehow turned it into THE launchpad for some of the era’s biggest names — Biggie, Nas, Jay-Z, Busta, the Wu, etc. The pair would not only play songs that hadn’t broken anywhere else yet, they would host freestyle sessions that apparently became appointment listening for folks at the time.

The stories of people recording the shows on cassettes and passing/mailing them around were pretty great (note to millenials — cassettes were things old people used to use to record music off the radio so they could listen to it again (side note to millenials — the radio was a thing that people used to have in their house that was one of the only ways to listen to music when not in your car)), but the clips they show of the aforementioned individuals spitting verses off the tops of their head are what really makes this a fun watch. It really takes you back to that time, reminding you of just how much incredible music was being made and how much excitement there was about it, while also giving you additional appreciation for the craft (the skill and precision these guys show in their verses and albums come in stark relief to the disposable bullshit passed off as contemporary versions of that music today).  It’s a great watch — aside from the killer music, Stretch and Bobbito are pretty funny cats, too — so fire it up and pump up the volume.

And when you’re done, feel free to give this a listen, my antidote to the disappointment of the first offering — Sunshine’s curated playlist of Wu-tang songs.  I’ve done my best to pick the choicest selections from the numerous band albums and side projects — the only exceptions being the band’s debut and the first five solo albums (Meth’s Tical, Rae’s Cuban Linx, Ghost’s Ironman, Dirty’s Return to the 36 Chambers, and GZA’s Liquid Swords), which are included in their entirety as they are virtually flawless.  It amounts to around 15 hours’ worth of music, which should more than give you a sense of why this group has made so many fans over the years.  Yes, the quality suffered with each successive album — only GZA and Ghost fought off the trend and released second albums that were almost as good as the first (both of which are almost entirely included below) — but when you consider HOW good those debuts were, and add in a string of songs spread across five or six group albums (depending on how you count) and multiple solo albums from the ten members, you’re left with an impressive body of work.  I picked my favorites below, so give a listen and see what you think.  If you approve, just be sure to give a “SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUE!” so we can hear you.

We’ll close with a couple quickies — first the latest single from Bon Iver’s upcoming album, i,i, “Faith.” He continues his 50-50 trend so far as this marks the fourth release from the album, but only the second that I really enjoy (along with “Hey Ma,” which we previously posted) — maybe the others will make more sense in the context of the broader album.  In the meantime, enjoy the latest one here and see what you think:

Lastly comes an interview with Frightened Rabbit drummer Grant Hutchison from Stereogum on the eve of the band’s release of the Midnight Organ Fight cover album.  It’s a pretty rough read — the author clearly is a fan who acknowledges how hard it has been (and still is) to listen to the band’s music since frontman Scott’s suicide last year, a sentiment I share and have written about here — and Grant speaks to his own difficulties dealing with his brother’s death.  The positive news (other than his ability to start moving on, which I hope others in the band share) is that the band had recorded a bunch of songs before Scott passed, so we will likely have one more batch of his singular, heartfelt lyrics to enjoy.  Until then, enjoy this one — one of the many gems from that masterful Midnight:

Until next time… –BS

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Wheel of Fortune — A Twelve Step Process

It’s been a hectic couple of weeks, hence the longer than usual (at least of late) delay from yours truly.  There’s been playoff runs in hockey and regular season baseball to watch, houses to inspect, things to paint, beer to brew, and jobs to investigate (cuz I gots ta get the f####################k outta here — ASAP (call me!)) all while continuing to work 50-60 hours a week in my totally rewarding (and not at all spirit demolishing) day job with Tio Samuel.  I’ve been keeping a tab on things flying out of the speakers, though, so wanted to pop in to share.  Since time’s short (gotta get back to that job hunt, son!) it feels appropriate to revive another fan favorite (the mail/tweets from the three of you have been overwhelming) and hold another round of Sunshine Speed Dating.  So without further ado….here we go!

DING! “Hi! What’s your name? Borild? How do you say that? Borild.  Borild. Is that right? It sounds like you’re saying “bored” — are you bored?  We’ve only been talking for seven seconds!  Seven seconds too long you say?  Ha ha — you’re funny…. (trails off, stares at his loafers)” First up meet the pop punk Beachheads, a four-way from Norway that apparently spawned out of the “black metal party band Kvelertak,” according to AllMusic (which is as intriguing a label as I’ve heard in a while).  Thankfully they play to the lighter side of those genres, harnessing the energy of their punk side while keeping the mood bright (sonically, at least — the lyrics on the lead single from their upcoming album are about the rise of fascism so……)  They’ve got some pretty catchy stuff — that lead single’s a good jumping off spot.  Check out “Death of a Nation” here:

Next! “Hey — good to see you again! What’s with the cherry red sex suit and cowboy hat?  Oh you’re getting over a divorce and struggling to deal with the trappings of fame? That’s what your latest album is about, too?  That sounds heavy — but where exactly does the outfit play into that?  Just working some things out, huh?  Well — I feel for ya.  I saw you guys live a few years back and you were one of the best shows of the festival.  You were performing in a sundress that time, though, so doesn’t seem like the divorce had much to do with the questionable wardrobe choices.  You do you, though — I just hope the leather breathes as much as that sundress.  Just shout if you’re feeling lightheaded — good luck out there!”  Back with their fifth studio album, the eclectic pack of Kentucky wildcats from Cage bring their usual wide-ranging mix of sounds to bear, this time throwing in some 80s and reggae elements to differing effect.  It’s a mixed bag, but the lead single “Ready to Let Go” is a winner — give it a ride here:

Neeeeeeeeeeeext! “Hello there — where are you from? DUBLIN, eh?  That’s lovely — Ireland’s a lovely country.  I got married there!  Yes, I know it’s weird for a married person to be at a speed dating event — how about you leave the judgment at the door there, pal? I don’t tell you what to do with your lucky charms, do I?  Anyway — what do you do for a living (other than get all up in other people’s business)?  Oh, you’re in a band, huh?  That’s cool — what’s its name? Silverbacks?  Isn’t that the shitty rock band that sang “How You Remind Me?” With the giant guy with the long, wavy blond hair singing?  I thought they were from Canada… Are you SURE that’s not you? Sounds like I’m not the only one who might have some explaining to do, huh, pal?”  Name similarity aside, I can confirm that this five piece is NOT from Canada and has never appeared on rock radio singing crappy songs like the aforementioned.  Unfortunately, that’s about all I can tell you — the band is Irish, has three guitarists, and a grand total of nine songs on their Bandcamp page (1 EP and 4 singles).  That’s about it — they’re all pretty solid, but my favorite is the single “Dunkirk,” whose jittery, sparse start builds to a satisfying release midway through.  Give it a spin here:

Next up — “Oh hi there — you must be from Philly!  How’d I guess?  You mean other than the fact that you, like every other person I know from Philly, have at least three pieces of green and/or Eagles gear visible at all times AND mention it within thirty seconds of meeting someone?  It must’ve been a lucky guess.  I do love Philly, though — I’d slap my grandma for a pork sandwich from Dinic’s.  You don’t have one on you, do you? Oh I just assumed you guys kept a couple spares in a cooler in your car, just in case you ever get stranded or need to barter once the zombie apocalypse hits.  I do with beefs from Porti’s so…might want to give it some thought…” Spirit of the Beehive is another five piece with not a ton out there right now — looks like they’ve got two albums out, but not a ton of press.  Their latest, Hypnic Jerks, is an interesting listen with some weird field recordings stitched between some psychedelic guitars.  It loses steam for me over the duration, but there’s a couple good songs before it does, including the title track, which you can listen to here:

DOUBLE TROUBLE ROUND! “Why hello!  Lemme guess — you’re from Philly, too, huh?  Oh I dunno — must’ve been the elaborate hand slaps and chest bumps you just exchanged with the last group as they were leaving. That or all the shouting about ‘the fuckin’ Birds!’ It’s ok, I was just telling the last crew how much I like that town — hey, you don’t happen to have anything to eat in that cooler, do you? Something pork-based perhaps? Nah nevermind — you can keep the sandwich.  Only a communist puts whiz on a steak and cheese and NO ONE thinks lettuce and tomato on a warm sandwich is a good idea.  I like where you’re head’s at writ large, though — gotta be ready for dem zombies.  Maybe THEY will think whiz and wilted lettuce are preferable to brains…” This latest batch of Philly fanatics are Hop Along and I stumbled on them at the end of the year as their latest, Bark Your Head Off, Dog, was on a few folks’ best of lists. It’s a pretty good listen, but what puts these guys over the top is lead singer Frances Quinlan’s voice — at times sweet and cooing, others raspy and roaring, it’s a powerful weapon that’s tough to ignore.  Check out “How Simple” here (bonus track on Sunshine Radio is “The Fox in Motion”):

NEXT! ” Howdy howdy — oh don’t tell me, you’re from Philly too?!? Baltimore!? Well why the hell were you high fiving and hand jiving those guys?! Yeah I know it’s fun, but you hate the Eagles!  So what if they’re both birds?!  I don’t think you understand how this works…  Anyway — I love B-mas, too, so guess I can see liking things from both places.  Lex Mark is the jam — not as good as Reading, but the people watching more than makes up for the gap in food offerings.  Just grab a sleeve of Berger’s cookies and watch the show!  We were there one time when the band started playing Bruno Mars and it was like someone just reanimated the dead — some maaaaaaaaaaaangy lookin’ cats just started spasming in the courtyard and didn’t stop for 20 minutes.  One lady was pole dancing with the column, another dude was provocatively dancing with a chain barrier, a tiny Asian lady with sunglasses on inside started freaking in place.  Amazing.  Does your music make people want to do that?  No?  More cry alone in their darkened bedroom?  Oh well I guess there’s a need for that too.   Hey are you even old enough to be in here? Whatever — have fun. Go birds!  (Wait…)” The underage interloper in this case is Lindsey Jordan, who was a whopping 16 years old when she released her debut EP Habit three years ago and a positively geriatric 18 when she released her full length Lush last year. I stumbled on this one same as I did the aforementioned Hop Along, traipsing thru peoples’ year end lists, and while her debut gets a little monotone by the end, Graham’s shimmery voice and dream-like aura has enough bright spots to get you coming back.  Try “Pristine” for a taste (bonus radio track here is “Thinning” from the EP):

NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEXT! “Oh hi, Karen O!  I love your old band, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.  At least until they started getting all dancey and weird, that is.  Taking the fire out of Nick Zinner’s guitar is like taking the makeup off of KISS — it’s kind of sad and a little horrifying to look at.  I loved it when you guys were super raw and punky. I saw you back at the Showbox in Seattle for your debut album and it was amazing.  You poured beer all over yourself and were shouting at the crowd.  What are you doing now? Oh more dancey music?  Like a full on trippy disco album?  With Danger Mouse producing?  (ahgoddamnityouguys) Oh ok, well, I guess that’s cool too?  What’s in the past is past I suppose — I never thought disco was all that cool, but I DID wear baggy pleated pants and a gold rope chain so…..I guess we all have things we’ll want to forget.  Anyway, good luck with the side projects — tell Nick and Brian hi!”  So yeah — Karen O, Danger Mouse, disco music….it’s not what you wanted (or at least not what I wanted), but there are still a couple catchy moments.  Lead single “Woman” is a retro blast from the 60s, replete with a Motown shine and an empowering message.  Give it a go here (bonus track for Sunshine Radio is “Turn the Light”):

DING! “Oh hello, handsome — who are you?  BONES?  Well isn’t that positively ominous. How’d you get that nickname?  Because you’re tough as nails and eat bones for breakfast?  Because you’re a man of the street and survived by throwin’ dice?  Because you’re only good at two things — kicking ass and making love and it sounded kind of silly to name yourself after the first one? You know what, don’t tell me — the mystery is more alluring.  What kind of music do you play, Bones?  The blues, huh?  Another white boy playing the blues.  Well that’s original I guess — who else have you played with?  Bon Jovi?! And Kid Rock!? Oh christ — I’m not sure about this.  Eh, whatever — you’ve got a lot of tattoos and seem like a bad boy.  Why not — it feels so good to rebel…” This one comes from the mail bag and my old pal down in Texas who suggested ole Bones Owens recently.  And while on paper I shouldn’t like him (and in practice some of the songs do seem a little superficial, but maybe that’s just cuz I’m hating on a boy from Missouri not being able to sing the blues authentically), some of the songs get thru in spite of the resistance.  Try “Keep it Close” (bonus track for the radio is “Long Long Time”):

UK LIGHTNING ROUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUND! “Hi there! So you’re from England, eh?  Cool — I like Newcastle.  Excellent brown ale you’ve got there.  Pretty crappy soccer team, but one of my old favorite players used to play there, good old Obafemi Martins.  I used to love when he’d do backflips after scoring goals.  I tried doing that once, nearly landed myself in the hospital. Yeah, those kids were pretty horrified — I’m sure they’ll grow out of it.  Who remembers what happened at their 7th birthday party? Oh you do?  You got a bike?  And had a raspberry flavored cake?  And your friend Timmy got stung by a bee and wouldn’t stop crying?  Oh — well.  Bully for you, I guess.  Hope those kids don’t have the same recall — I lost six teeth and needed a transfusion from all the blood I lost…”

DING! “Hullo luv!  Isn’t that what they say in your country? I’m pretty sure.  So how are you — you’re from Newcastle too, huh?  That’s too funny! Do you know those last guys?  They’re also from there!  Delightful cunts.  I think you say that in your country, too, right?  I’m not sure why we don’t say it more here — it’s quite fun. Hey so you guys must really love Queens of the Stone Age to mimic them so closely — you sound just like their early stuff!  What do you mean you don’t understand — like, it’s uncanny.  I think you even rip a few of their riffs off verbatim.  It’s ok, I LOVE old Queens so am glad to hear some more songs like that since they’ve kinda left that sound behind a bit.  Oh come on — EVERYONE knows who Queens are.  Dave Grohl played with them, and Will Ferrell performed with them when they were on SNL before? Cmon — that’s like pretending you’ve never heard of ABBA or the Rolling Stones?!  Now see that’s unnecessary — when you call me a cunt it sounds really harsh.  Why are you being like this? Aw come back! CMON!”

DING! “Hey Yannis, great to see you again! You guys are one of my faves — I’ve seen you a bunch live and you’re always outstanding.  What’ve you been up to lately?  Oh you guys have TWO new albums coming out this year?  That’s fantastic!  Wait they’re about an apocalyptic future with a bunch of lyrics about foxes for some reason?  AND you wanted the sound to be a lot dancier than before?  LOTS of synths? (ahforfuckssake) Why’d you decide that was a good idea? Did you hear what I was telling Karen O about taking the piss out of Nick Zinner’s guitar?  It’s the same with Jimmy — his stuff is always super catchy and ornate.  Why does every band suddenly decide adding synths and going disco/dancey is a good fucking plan — I never once have thought, ‘You know what — tonight I’m gonna put on a silk shirt, throw a little mascara under my eyes, and just play keyboards all night.  That’s what I’ve been missing!’ Whatever — I’ve gotta go…”

DING! “Justin Vernon, what are you doing here, you’re not British?  Oh well that’s ok, you’re quirky and polite so I guess it’s fine.  I love it over there too so don’t blame you — yeah anyplace but here these days, right? Anyway —  I heard you’ve got some new music coming out, that’s exciting!  Oh it’s going to be a continuation of the stuff you did on your last album, a lot of weird electronic noises and erratic jazz outbursts?  And expand on the feel from the album you did with the guy from the National?  Equal parts Bruce Hornsby and dancing Thom Yorke? With no guitar.  Just TONS of keyboards.  Holy christ.  Ok.  I gotta go — I can’t take this anymore…”

We’ll close with a couple articles, first a recap of the recent Rapture reunion with a ranking of their best songs courtesy of Stereogum.  Similar to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs who hit around the same time, I loved these guys’ early albums — their marriage of punky brashness with danceable grooves was irresistible — and the list does a good job running through their best songs.  (Two key omissions are “Sister Saviour” and “Get Myself Into It,” but they get bonus points for picking “Ben” and “Out of the Races,” which are two sleeper faves.)  Last comes another one from the ‘Gum, this one an excellent piece on the 20th anniversary of the White Stripes’ debut (exhibit 7400 I am O.A.F.) — yet another band whose early stuff I adored before leaving that energy and fire behind for odder and odder flourishes. The article does a good job making the case for sincerity trumping pedigree in the debate for who can play what music (appropriate with the above discussion on Bones), as I always loved these guys — whether they were white kids from Detroit or true bluesmen/women from the Delta.  Their shit just ripped, and this was a great setup to their future power. Two faves not mentioned in the article are “Astro” and “Screwdriver” — we’ll add those to the radio, though.  In the meantime, give it a read and crank it up.

Until next time, amici… — BS