New music this week from Quiet Houses, Haircut 100, Brockhoff, A, Eels, Peter Gabriel, Sparks, The Klittens, Dust Bowl Revival, Mike Nova, Roger Waters with Mona Miari, Nanook, Hana Hope, Kat Robichaud and much more. Enjoy!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My vote for Best New Artist for 2026 may go to Brockhoff, whose first full-length album "Easy Peeler" is so good that I seriously debated including all 14 tracks in this week's list. This is a solid, consistent and fun album full of hooks, pop and rock and roll. She has released EPs before now so that might disqualify her from the category (the rules about that sort of this are designed to confuse people) but I've owned the album for 24 hours and have listened to it three times now. Do yourself a favor and check it out.
And after months of waiting, the long long awaited album from Haircut 100 has just dropped, entitled "Boxing the Compass". It's like they never left. The album is a worthy successor of all the promise the band showed in their heyday and reminds you just how much fund something like this can be.
You're not going to find many albums that are as full and well-rounded as the latest from Quiet Houses called "We're All In Love". It's not a concept album, but the stories told in each song cover common themes of life and getting on with life, and the flow of the album from song to song is superb. Well worth your time.
What can you say about a band with the audacity to just call itself A? Especially a band that has taken 20 years between albums? Their comeback is called "Prang" and it's a wallop to the face of riffs and hard rock.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I had a long weekend and I'm really not up for digging into the political stories, other than to make this comment about The head of the Crime Administration who said, “We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool.”
Actually true. Some dumb motherfucker painted the bottom of the whole thing blue.
And #RIP Clive Davis - one of the most influential people in music and a proud Bisexual.
And because I love you, watch Metallica have some fun from a couple of weeks ago.
New music from Goose, The Bobby Lees, Infinity Song, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, The LInda Lindas, The Smashin Pumpkins, Pockets (i.e. Scary Pockets), Yes, Theatre, John Southworth, The Transatlantics and much more. Enjoy!
+++++++++++++++++++
I have added 4 songs from Goose's new album "Big Modern!" to the playlist, and it was hard to narrow it down to just those four. This might be the best album of 2026 so far. It's a mix of Talking Heads, Steve Miller Band, King Crimson and even a touch of whimsy and 70's glam. That they're able to get all of that to work together is amazing in and of itself, but the songs are just so damned good. I've listened to this album several times in the past few days and like it more each time. Highly recommended.
The Transatlantics are exactly what their name says; a band made up of trans individuals from both the European and American sides of the Atlantic. Their self-titled debut album came out in December but it's only starting to get traction now as they tour Europe. Set aside the unique makeup of the membership of the band and you find to pretty solid rock/alternative music, a bid reminiscent of early Oasis. Give them a listen for just the music - they deserve it.
Infinity Song's new album, also self-titled, is also a standout. I had already added a few songs from the album as they came out as singles and still found room to add a few more to the playlist. They do subtle things with their vocal arrangements that I have always found worth the listen, and their songwriting skills and lyrics have gotten much better than they were when they mostly did covers. Worth your time.
I think it's fair now to stop thinking of Mike Campbell as Tom Petty's guitarist and start thinking of the band he leads, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, as what he should be remembered for. I'm not knocking all those years with Petty because there's some amazing stuff there, but the band's 4th album "Mission of Mercy" is as solid as anything Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers did. It's taken a while but I think Campbell has finally settled into the leadership role and relaxed enough that the band sounds like a cohesive unit now, and the payoff has been worth waiting for. It's good and it's time to let the influence of Tom Petty go.
+++++++++++++++++++
I was eleven years old during the celebration of our nation's 200th birthday. I was living with my father in Michigan, about 60 miles outside of Detroit. I remember the celebration quite well as we and a few neighbors got together and barbequed steaks, pork, catfish and bass that we had caught in one of Michigan's many unnamed lakes, corn on the cobb, cokes and other assorted drinks for the adults (my dad didn't drink much beer at the time and I was much too young to appreciate whiskey).
I kissed a girl for the first time. I mean a real kiss, not a family kiss. That girl and I spent most of the summer together, not knowing that our next one would be the last. Oh, don't go for the drama. I only lived with my father over the summers and he eventually moved back to California and her family moved to Arizona. I would meet her again a few times over the years until my early 20's, but that would be that.
End digression.
Thing is, we had barbeque, fireworks, people just being together and having fun. We were speculating about the upcoming Olympic Games that would be held just across the Detroit River from us and there was the usual bread and circuses on the TV, but that was really about it.
Gerald Ford was President and all they had were fireworks. You can look it up, he was actually out of Washington D.C. for most of the day. He hosted the President of France before the day and hosted the Queen of England shortly after.
But the thing I want to note is the coordination of events. At first, there was the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission (ARBC), established in 1966 by Congress under then-President Johnson to start putting events together. However, it was disbanded in 1973 and replaced by Congress for being too commercial and too politically driven. The American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (ARBA) was established to help coordinate all of the events nationwide and as I remember it this was quite successful. There were parades and events that after the failures of Vietnam and Watergate helped us for the first time to feel like a united country again.
The Olympics came two weeks later and after the horrors of what had happened in Munich to have a relatively safe games was not just a relief but a blessing. The US didn't have Mark Spitz swimming for us anymore but we still dominated the events, and in diving Greg Lougainis won a silver, starting a run that would eventually lead to him dominating the 1980s. It would be the games dominated by Nadia Comăneci, who earned the first 10.0 in gymnastics ever.
And everyone was just starting to hear about this Peanut Farmer from Georgia.
But on the actual night itself what I remember is a few families gathered around with their own fireworks, good food on the grill, lots of sodas and other libations, and my father blasting his two favorite musicians from inside the house: Jimi Hendrix and Neil Daimond.
What it wasn't was the celebration of any single individual. Was George Washington important? Sure. Paul Revere? Sure. Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Patrick Henry? Absolutely. Gerald Ford? No.
The whole celebration wasn't about any person, but the fact that the idea of a government by the people and for the people was still with us. Sure, we had some rocky moments but we were still here, and we were getting better.
I seriously doubt that even Ronald Reagan would approve of what's going on these days, and it's his fault that we started down this road. Weird as it sounds for me to say, I can say that having met both men. Reagan was a disaster for the country but he was all about wanting the country to succeed. He was just wrong about how to do it. The current guy? He doesn't give a fuck about the county. It's all about him.
I am perfectly happy to celebrate the country I was born and raised in, and have lived in most of my life. The country, not the administration, not the people in power. The very idea of our nation is still a good one as long as the people in power honor what it really means.
I hope to see that one day very soon. We need to erase everything the Crime Administration has done and they need to be held accountable. Their leader has put his personal touch on everything from turning the White House into the White Trash House, his name on just about everything, and everything covered in gold (gold leaf, gold plastic and so on). The East Wing of the White House restored, the Rose Garden restored, power redistributed to the three branches of government.
The real leaders of this nation throughout its history have left their marks without the need to have their own names placed on it. It's almost as if the current leader is so frightened that he'll be forgotten that he has to have his name on everything. We cannot let that happen. His name must be erased from everything that already existed before he came along. That which he's destroyed while trying to build something with his name on it must be restored.
We need to be able to celebrate the nation, not the man. It will make the fireworks of 50 years ago worth it.
++++++++++++++++++++++
So now that the fight is over (and I have no clue or any desire to learn who won) how long will that fucking circus tent remain on the front lawn of The White House?
As if there wasn't enough to be outraged about, the Crime Administration has put $5 Million into gold-plating 4 statues of horses that are near the Lincoln Memorial. Not only if that so very tacky, but the cost of doing so should only be about 5% of that. Google it yourself if you don't believe me.
So the "deal" with Iran is to reset to where we were before we attacked Iran, plus freeing the funds we had frozen for decades, plus a few dozen American dead. Apparently the Art of the Deal is all about finger painting. About $1,000 of your tax dollars went into this. Mine as well.
So apparently the former South African/Canadian/"Visionary"/Pot-head and Ketamine enthusiast is now a Trillionaire. 1,000 Billions. The number is so large that it borders the insane and comprehensible. A Billion years ago Dinosaurs roamed the Earth. A Trillion years ago the Universe didn't exist and wouldn't for another 985 Billion years.
I do not wish any ill of Mitch McConnell, and I hope he has a speedy recovery from whatever put him in the hospital and a retirement long enough that he can see the rest of us dismantle all of the damage he's done to the Judiciary. That could take a while but it starts once he's gone from the Senate, which will be January at the latest.
Oh, in case you didn't notice it, they're coming for Medicaid and Social Security again. They always do.
I actually watched some of the circus that was the removal of the head of the Crime Administration's name from the Kennedy Center. To me, with a wee bit of construction knowledge, the scaffolding makes sense. The tarp also makes sense as it's a safety issue - although they do make them see-through. Leaving the scaffolding up, and therefore the tarp, is a political decision. You and I know full well that they have no intention to restore the portions of the exterior of the building damaged by the removal of those letters.
I'm not a Knicks fan. Never was. But you have to admit, their comeback and eventual win of the series is the stuff of legend.
New music this week from Evanescence, Death cab for Cutie, Doublespeak, Lola Bates, Mercury Teardrop, Prince, Stanley Simmons, Europe, The Beaches, Pete Yorn, Folk Bitch Trio, A.A. Williams and much more. 59 songs all told. Enjoy!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The new Evanescence album is out and boy does it ever sound like an Evanescence album. Their latest, "Sanctuary", is what we've come to expect from them and they're very good at it. This is the band that many other hard rock bands fronted by women copy, after all. I have added a few of their songs to the playlist this week.
The new Death Cab For Cutie album is probably their best since they broke through into the mainstream. "I Built You a Tower" feels like a true successor to "Narrow Stairs" even if it sounds more mature than that breakthrough. It should, that was 18 years ago now. Sorry to make you feel old. Again, I've added more than one of their songs to the playlist.
For the third (!) week in a row, "The Professor" Nick Harrison has released a new album of soul covers of alt-rock staples. This time around he covers The Verve, Harvey Danger, Evanescence, Cake and much more. He's good at this so of course I've added yet another track.
If you're looking for a flashback to the 80's and 90's synth music - and to the best of it - I recommend you discover Doublespeak. Vince Clark (the other guy in Erasure) and Blancmange's Neil Arthur have put together a new band and revisited their own catalogs, producing something both nostalgic and brand new. They also visit the catalogs of other artists, and shown by their cover of "Rock On".
It's been a very long time since a new artist came out of the Laurel Canyon/Coldwater Canyon sound, best known for artists like Joni Mitchel, but I must introduce you to Lola Bates and her debut album, "Love and Power". This is a set of well-crafted pop songs well worth your time.
And as we have a new single from Prince, we are all reminded of just how damned good he was, and that we're practically starving for more and more material to be released from that vault of his.
I'm not really into rap so I missed a lot of this, but Eminem has been releasing diss track after diss track for weeks now, but has no new album on the horizon. That's really a shame, because even I think he's doing career-defining work right now. I'll add a video at the end of this post with an example.
Those of you who have been coming around here for a while might have noticed that I add Japanese artists from time to time. This week I've added the new single from B'z (whom I've been a long-time fan of) and also Yonige. All 4 songs on the EP that I've added the song "Don't" from are all featured in an anime called "Kamiina Botan, Yoeru Sugata ha Yuri no Hana" about a group of women living in a boarding house and their tastes in alcohol. It's a fun slice-of-life anime and the music fits in well.
Finally, I have to address the opener for this week, a new song from Stryper. You have to understand that I'm not a fan of Stryper. For the most part I find them to be just another bland hair metal band, even with their Jesus-ing up of their lyrics. Yeah, maybe they were the first Religious front and center hair metal band, but they weren't all that good in their heyday. The new song isn't bad though, and it does bring back a memory from my own past.
Back in the mid 1980's, my band ASK was rehearsing in a run-down rehearsal space in Van Nuys, California. None of us lived there, but it served as a compromise as our drummer lived in the north valley while the rest of us were west L.A. This was a converted space with barely cardboard between rooms, and we were this small pop/rock band without top of the line gear. One week we were rehearsing and perhaps the loudest band I had ever heard started practicing next door. Great guitars, Marshal stacks... you get the idea. They had gear that probably cost more than the building they were renting in.
This was WASP. Not as they eventually became, but as they started. They were loud and talented and very raw. During a break in practicing I got to talking with one of them and voiced a complaint about how loud they were. He laughed and said, "At least we're not Stryper." We eventually relocated to a different rehearsal space as they eventually took over a residential spot in the Van Nuys building.
I think they eventually bought that rehearsal space but don't hold me to that. They did get signed pretty quickly, part of the hair metal Los Angeles wave. So did Stryper. Although we got lots of label interest, we didn't. The record labels hadn't yet figured out that there were other scenes in Los Angeles.
Anyway, any time I hear about either of these two bands I remember that laugh and "At least we're not Stryper."
++++++++++++++++++++++++
To the people upset about the rainbow integrated into Pink Floyd's logo on social media; Y'all are aware, aren't you, that there has ALWAYS been a rainbow on the cover of Dark Side of the Moon? Aren't you?
I'm guessing that someone forgot to make Scott Pelley sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Amateurs.
I wonder how all of the bars around Madison Square Garden are taking the closure of all the streets to pedestrian traffic today?
FIFA selected the first referee from Somalia as one of the officials for the World Cup. Somalia gave him a diplomatic passport to help him navigate the restrictions on Somali passport holders to traveling to the US. The US prohibited him from entering anyway. Same thing happened to the team photographer from Iran. We do not deserve to be the host/
Oh hey guess what? The White Trash anniversary of our nation (250 years, apparently) will only be available on streaming.
There has been a serious effort to make Graham Platner the face of the Democratic Party by everyone who isn't a Democrat. It's obvious why; he has a few red flags and a troubled past. When people confront me about it (and believe you me they do all over Social Media) I have a simple reply that I have found to be successful. "I don't live in Maine." If you live in Maine and are reading this, best of luck to you.
Sorry Mr. Bovino, I don't think you're going to be President. We haven't had a short President in a long time now.
Quick fact check for you: The Crime Administration wants to blame the Biden Administration for the Screwworm outbreak in our cattle supply. The fact is that in 2024 Biden stopped all live cattle imports when a single case was discovered. The current administration reopened live cattle from South America in February of this year in an effort to get beef prices down. Not only didn't it work, but given that the screw worm's life cycle is only 24 days there is simply no way this could have happened prior to mid March of this year. Sorry gang, this one's on the Crime Administration.
If you're gonna blame Biden you have to also acknowledge that he might be a time traveler.
I'm concerned that Mike Johnson has a terrible pastor. He doesn't seem to know that lying is a sin. Or have the schools gotten so bad that Republicans no longer realize that counting takes place over time?
And because I love you, here is the first 2026 Emenem Diss track I discovered:
New music this week from Dogstar, Peter Gabriel, Frances of Delirium, Sonic Whip, Violet Grohl, Sparta, Theatre, Tigeycub, Johnny Dynamite, See You Next Year, Scandal, Infinity Song, Greta Van Fleet and so much more. Enjoy!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I've always been fascinated by the original "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron not just because of the words but also the music, written by Brian Jackson, who collaborated with Scott-Heron often. Jackson has a new album out and the lyrics to many of the works he did have been updated for the modern age, so I have to start you out with the new version, featuring Masters at Work, Kenny Dope, Louie Vega and Black Thought. The new version has the same vibe as the original and is a worthy addition to anyone's collection.
If you're a fan of Paul McCartney you're likely to enjoy his new album "The Boys of Dungeon Lane". There are spots where he shows he still knows how to rock out, and the album is a pretty thorough look back at his own childhood. His voice isn't what it once was, but he gets there sometimes and he's in his mid eighties now, so cut him some slack. He's still a solid songwriter and there are hits to be found.
Can you even imagine a world where Keanu Reeves' band Dogstar had been a hit the first time out? Would we have had The Matrix, John Wick or any of a dozen other movies? It just boggles the mind. I ask this question because we now have Dogstar's second full album and it's as good as anything you might hear from an alt-rock three piece. Maybe they've grown into the role. But maybe we have.
So far in 2026 I've added 5 singles by Sonic Whip to the playlist. At long last there is a full album also called "Sonic Whip" and from that album comes another 3 tracks that I've added. That's 8 out of 12 songs on the album, so you can already guess what I think of them. They're an amazing young band and I hope they have a long future ahead of them with work of this quality. If there is room in your playlist for anyone new, Sonic Whip gets the nod from me.
As long time readers of this blog know I am a champion of the unknown band. One such band is Florida's At The Starlight. They first came to my attention a few weeks ago with their single "Under a Streetlight in Bushwick" and they now have an EP out called "Turning Into Sand". They have all of 24 followers on Spotify (including me) and deserve much more. Check them out.
Violet Grohl has finally released a full album and while it's unfair to compare her work to that of her father the comparisons are going to come anyway. "Be Sweet To Me" is a solid effort with strong songs and Violet is a better singer than her father. She rocks out but not the same way dod does, and I think that's a good thing. She's her own boss and her own voice, and we all should let the comparisons go. The album is worth your time.
As we have a full moon in the past week we also have a new Peter Gabriel song called "A Hard Lesson". There's an actual blues riff in the song! A blues riff! Seriously, if it had been played on guitar it would feel perfectly in place with B.B. King or ZZ Top or any other initialed blues man. If you see the behind-the-scenes video he posted about this one he even admits it, and talks about how they toyed with leaving the riff on guitar at first. While the song talks about things that are hard to discern you won't be able to miss the riff.
My last comment on this week's music is the self-titled not-a-debut album from Johnny Dynamite. I don't know where this guy has been other than Philadelphia, but it's like The Church was suddenly on the scene again, but American and fronted by Rick Springfield. Full of pop and rock and a lot of fun.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
I would hate to be a Democratic voter in the state of Maine right now. I wish I knew what to think about their new Senate Candidate. He says good things, but has done bad things. I'm glad it's not my decision to work out, but I do wish they could have done better.
But I'm in California. We'll know in a couple of days how good or bad it will be here.
Anyone else out there think it puts a bullseye on the back of every serviceman (and woman) in the middle east if we integrate our military with Israel? Does anyone else think that if we do this getting ourselves out of it will be like trying to escape quicksand?
Ever notice that when Faux News interviews a landlord about their New York City properties that they always interview someone who lives in Florida?
If the "Freedom 250" celebrations are so intent on keeping poor people out of the event then why does the area around and including the White House look like a monument to White Trash?
Can anyone explain to me what the winning strategy is that inspires you to call an 8th generation Texan "Girly"? Is that really all you've got to combat the fact that your own candidate is a self-proclaimed "scandal plagued individual, like the President"?
When the oppressor says "Relax" doesn't that usually mean that something much worse is about to happen?
Are we still at truce with Iran? It doesn't feel like it.
When they say they're going to crack down on mail-in voting, they mean California, Oregon and Washington. Not the Florida man who voted from his office in D.C.
What is that pillow salesman going to do if the $1.776 Billion slush fund never gets established? I also have to wonder if anyone involved in the settlement that created this fund realized that the judge in the case can say no?
I really have to wonder, what was the first thought of Secretary Hogsmead when he heard the phrase "Soaked in Animus"? I'd bet it was frat boy level awkward.
And because I love you, here is the original, from Gil Scott-Heron, with most of the references:
New music this week from Vent 414, Muse, The Warning, The Pradox, Superheaven, Moron Police, Stuck on Planet Earth, Frances of Delirium, The Wavering, Bleachers, Hohnen Ford, Lola Young and much more. 60 tracks, so lots to devour. Enjoy!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In order for me to tell you about the band Vent 414 I need to tell you about another, The Wonder Stuff. The Wonder Stuff were a large part of my transition from dumb college graduate to actual human adult. They were my favorite band of the late 1980's and early 90's. Sharp, cynical, aggressive songwriting and fantastic live shows, several of which I had been to. Their leader was a man named Miles Hunt and unfortunately for all of us, The Wonder Stuff broke up. Miles went on to form Vent 414 with Pete Howard, who had just finished his tenure with The Clash and Morgan Nichols of Senseless Things. They released one album and then disintegrated. Miles reformed The Wonder Stuff, who are still together to this day.
Welp, during his down-time Miles reformed Vent 414 as well, and they've just released "Second", their first album in over 30 years but really only their second album. Being such a huge Miles Hunt fan I've added a lot of songs to the playlist this week.
The Paradox has been something of an internet sensation for a couple of years now, being one of the rare African American alt-rock bands out there, but they've also opened for Green Day and Jack White and should be paid attention to. they have an EP out called "NSFW" and it's fully of catchy pop/alt/rock music that is well worth your investment.
Last week I talked about "The Professor" Nick Harrison and his groovy soul re-makes of alt-rock songs and this week he's released another album! It's just as solid as anything, but his remake of Counting Crow's "A Long December" is just about perfect. It's got a great slow burn going for it, it's sublime, and if this were the first version of it I'd ever heard I'd have fallen in love with it. It's on the list this week.
You want an old-fashioned pop rock album? Well, maybe you should turn to the Moron Police. They sound like Night Ranger crossed with Asia, but from Norway. I've had a lot of fun listening to their latest, "Pachinko" and I think you would enjoy them too.
Stuck on Planet Earth is a band with a small following that deserves a larger one, and I'm here to help. Their new album is called "All But Nothing" and it's a solid rock-alt-pop album with catchy riffs and quirky lyrics that I think you will enjoy.
One of my favorite AI bands is back, BBBL. Yes, I know it's AI. They don't try to hide it. But "2m2b" catchy and danceable and I'm not looking for anything serious from them. Sometimes we musicians get lost in being an artist and need to remind everyone (including ourselves) that sometimes you just wanna have fun.
And look out, Lola Young is back with a very strong new single, "From Down Here", which is both different from anything she's put out before, and yet you know immediately it's her. That's a rare talent and people like that tend to go very very far. She's come a long way since I first discovered her with only 14 thousand followers on Spotify. That number is well over 2 million now and she deserves it.
There's really a LOT of great new music this week, and I feel bad making you all wait an extra day for it all. Enjoy!
Oh, and if you listen at the radio station you'll get an extra track by Michael Psycho, an acquaintance of mine on Social Media. The song is called "Dear Cheetler", and the whole playlist plays on Wednesdays in a loop, so give it a listen if you can!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I was on the phone (okay, it was a Teams meeting) with a friend who lives in Ireland and he accused me of being a Liberal. Guilty. I'm going to be exactly the opposite of any group of assholes who calls one of my children a terrorist for the simple sin of existing.
The head of the Crime Administration has gone to Walter Reed for the third time in 5 months. Can we start bitching about how he's too old for this fucking job now?
You know that $1.776 Billion slush fund that the Crime Administration has set up? Mr. lumpy pillow guy wants to claim about 25% of it. So does that guy who pointed a gun at Black Lives Matter protestors back in 2020.
I am not even slightly surprised that a UFC match is being held on the South Lawn of The White House for our 250th birthday celebration. I am sometimes astounded at just how... tacky... these people are.
Yes, I watched Stephen Colbert's last episode. So should you. CBS is pathetic.
If Cheryl Hines ever decides to dump Bobby, this past weekend's attempt at snake charming could very well have been one of the final straws. If only, if only.
I'm no expert, but it looks to me like whatever the final resolution of our "adventure" in Iran, that Iran will get more out of it all than they had before it started and frankly I don't see how it could possibly get resolved any other way. All he had to do was nothing, but our Couch Cushion Quarterback of a Secretary of something wanted to kick the hornet's nest. I'm no expert, but I'm smarter than him at least.
It looks to me like FIFA's grand American Adventure isn't going very well.
Thomas Massie lost his primary in Kentucky last week. This week he's already filed to run for the seat he just lost. He's betting on his successor being a disaster, and I'd call that a safe bet.
And because I love you, let us say goodbye to Stephen Colbert together:
And as a bonus, this is how I was introduced to The Wonder Stuff:
New music this week from The Pretty Flowers, Chalk, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, Night Talks, Shale, Aldo Nova, Ariel Posen, The Amazons, Tank and the Bangas, Nico D, Cody Fry, Exploring Birdsong and much more. Enjoy!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I can't say I really feel like blogging today. Sometimes the world is a LOT.
But because I love you, here is a truly challenging pop song harmonically, by Squeeze:
New music this week from The Rolling Stones, Frute, The Lemon Twigs, pinkpool, The Loft, Jon Lampley, Neil Diamond, The Waterboys, Paul McCartney (with Ringo), Fantastic Negrito, kiffie and much more. Enjoy!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Given that the average age of the members of The Rolling Stones is over 80 they still sound pretty damned good. The double-sided single they released this week is one of those songs where you hear a couple of bars and say, "Yes, that's The Rolling Stones all right". Fairly reminiscent of the "Tattoo You" days, in my opinion. That's not a bad thing.
I've added several songs by the band Frute over the past few months and finally they've dropped a full album called "Lot of Letters". It's a solid alt-pop album and given that I've added over half of the songs from it over time should tell you what I think of their work. It's worth your time.
The Lemon Twigs also have a new album, called "Look For Your Mind!" and if you're into jangle-pop then this album is a perfect distillation of it. They would be right at home with the jangle-pop movement of the late 1980's, which itself was reminiscent of the original jangle-pop era of the late 1960's.
Someone I only discovered this past week is pinkpool, a "post punk" band formed in Berlin and starting to rock the English-speaking world. They're release all of 3 songs so far, and I've added all three to the playlist this week.
The last of the three albums Rick Rubin produced for Neil Diamond dropped this week, called "Wild at Heart". As with other artists late in their careers, Rubin has stripped Diamond's songs down to their basic essence, and it's a reminder of just how great a songwriter Neil Daimond still is.
Unwed Sailor is a band I'm really fond of and they don't even have a vocalist. They are a band that does rock instrumentals and their new album "High Remembrance" is full of solid rock tunes. It's not that they replace the vocalist with melodies on other instruments - instead they use the music to set a mood and create a feel, and it's actually refreshing to listen to.
I of course have to call out the fourth collection of covers by "The Professor" Nick Harrison, where he takes alt-rock and alternative songs and tansforms them into R&B/Soul classics. He's astonishingly good at it, transforming songs by Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins and more into straight-ahead old-fashioned soul music.
How does one explain The Loft? They looked like they were going to be one of the biggest bands on the 1980's, were an indie hit and playing venues that only signed artists got to play in those days when they broke up, in the middle of a live performance in front of 3,000 people. It was ugly. But the band has reformed and last year they finally got around to releasing their debut album. They have now dropped their second called "Badges" and you can hear for yourself why they were going to be the next big thing. Well worth your time.
Finally, I'm going to give a shoutout to The Waterboys and their new single "Don't Even Have to Say His Name", which appears on this list. Bet you can already tell who the song is about, can't you.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
With the passing of Ted Turner I have come to the sudden and stunning realization that my television days are now more than half my life ago. It just might be time to hang up the "Former Television Executive" moniker.
My television days were a whirlwind, which was both very rewarding and the reason I stopped. I got to do some amazing things and meet amazing people, but as I settled down and started a family I realized quickly that I would become the kind of dad that never saw his kids because he was working all the time. That's when I decided to walk away from it all. I was 29 years of age.
I helped start two cable television networks. I was on the cover of a magazine. I met celebrities. I actually got invited to the Playboy Channel's opening party. Yes, I met Hugh Hefner and even gave him a copy of my first album. I spent a sizeable chunk of the night chatting up his oldest daughter Christine, without the slightest clue who she was (I was still single at that point).
I exchanged stories with Michael Palin (his were better). I got invited to conventions. I helped produce a movie that ran on HBO (I'm not in the credits, so I'm not going to name-drop them either). I had a lot of fun, but I worked from 7am to 11pm most days.
Oh, and I met both Donald Trump and Ted Turner during those days. Both times looking for investors for specific projects and failing both times. One of which I was glad for.
I met Trump over a lunch meeting in 1991 in Los Angeles. I was the 5th man at a 4 person meeting, brought along for my technical expertise and possibly for my youth. Also to be an impartial observer. The other three men were all from Chicago and had their own reasons for a built-in mistrust for the man known then only for real estate. But we had been getting backers from New York and we got the introduction so we took the meeting.
I will tell you right now that he wouldn't remember me. He said almost nothing to me. I was part of the furniture as far as he was concerned, at least after him asking me if I golfed and me truthfully replying that I didn't (and still don't). He talked about golf for 15 minutes after that and never looked at me again. The team at the table were trying to get him interested in investing in our little cable television venture, but he mostly talked about himself. After it was over I didn't even get the "handshake". My co-workers all looked at me when it was over and I couldn't help myself. "That man has an answer for everything," I said. "I don't trust people who have answers for everything. Nobody has an answer for everything, so I suspect at least 75% of everything he said were lies."
He didn't invest, and in all fairness to the others at the table I don't think they ever even asked.
I met Ted Turner earlier than that, at a cable television convention in 1990. It was just after the First Gulf War had broken out and he was riding high. He had proved the thirst for a 24-hour news cycle by having people in Iraq just as the war started. He went from industry odd-ball to being the smartest person in the room, and he relished it.
Thing is, he often was the smartest person in the room. He came across to me like Jonah J Jamison of the Spiderman comics - talking faster than his thoughts could form and people were just lapping it up; making certain that this would be what people were talking about the next day. He talked about bringing environmentalism to kids, which he had already started with Captain Planet being in maybe it's third or fourth week on the air. He talked baseball, my knowledge of which was severely lacking at that point. He talked Cigars, of which I know nothing other than that his smelled better than my father's did.
He talked about the future of television, and I (among others) pitched him the ideas of The Sci-Fi Channel and Court TV. Sci-Fi was a hard sell (It worked in movies but so far it really hadn't translated to TV beyond Star Trek at that point), but I was able to throw his own words back at him for Court TV. All I said was, "All it will take is one juicy celebrity trial and everyone will want to watch." Little did any of us know that within 5 years there would be two.
He did invest in Court TV although I'm pretty sure I wasn't the convincing argument. Hell, I wasn't even working for them; I just believed in the cause. I was trying to get Sci-Fi going, and he didn't bite. Other people got the USA network to bite though, and that's how it eventually wound up on the air in its original form.
I am aware of the irony in the fact that Court TV isn't around anymore, while the Sci-Fi channel, somewhat altered, is still here.
I can't tell you how good a man ted Turner was; I don't know. But I feel confident in my assessment that of the two men, he was the better one by a large margin.
Just something on my mind this past week.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Senator Mark Kelly must have said something over the weekend, because Pete Hogsbreath is insinuating that he'll brim the Senator up on charges today. That's the pattern, isn't it?
I want to point out to the people proclaiming that the golden statue of the Criminal in Chief isn't a "Golden Calf" that the "Calf" part of the problem is tied to a mis-translation over 1,000 years ago, back when the Church was trying to stamp out animal worship. It was originally "Golden Caliph". It was just shorted and dumbed down for the majority of the world that had never been under the jurisdiction of a Caliphate.
And any form of idolatry is praying to the Golden Calf, you fucking idiots.
There are 61 people on the ballot officially for Governor of California. Including Barack D. Obama Shaw (no relation), Eric Swalwell (if elected I will not serve), Chad (Proudboy) Bianco and obviously a slew of others. It's not as crazy as when we set in motion the wheels that gave us The Governator, but it's still a whole lot of crazy, none of which changes my vote. I am a bit sad though that the woman currently serving as Lt. Governor isn't running for the job. She is running for Treasurer though.
Did you know that the leader of the Crime Administration, while on the one hand complaining that pregnancy isn't named after him, is apparently raising zombies?
Not much else today - it's all ridiculous.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
And because I love you, have a new version (from a soundcheck) of Cory Wong and his band performing "Lisa Never Wanted to be Famous" (originally by Theo Katzman with Cory).
New music from expected and unexpected places, like Europe (yes, that Europe), Tori Amos, Peter Gabriel, MEMI, American Football, Maya Hawke, youbet, Puddles Pity Party, Death Cab for Cutie, Haircut 100, Violet Grohl, Vent 414, and much more. Enjoy!
++++++++++++++++++++
Let's of course start out talking about the music. For those of you who listen to the radio station I've added an extra song this week, a performance by Gino Vanelli and Leonid & Friends of the song "Santa Rosa", which they performed live on YouTube. It's an excellent piece of music and I hope they release it as a single, but for now only my radio station is playing it outside of YouTube. Whatever you were thinking the song would sound like, you're probably wrong - I was. We run through the whole playlist on Wednesdays in a loop at Radio Free California, so feel free to check it out.
The new Tori Amos album "In Times of Dragons" is now out and I've heavily sampled it this week. It's vintage Tori Amos and if you're a fan the new music won't disappoint. If you're not a fan then this isn't for you. I'm a fan and in my opinion this is the best work she's released in quite some time.
I have been a proponent of the band American Football from the very first time I ever heard them. There isn't anything that sounds like them, even after 4 albums, and their new (and once again) self-titled album "American Football (LP4)" is more of what we've come to expect, plus some growth.
There was a full moon last week, so of course this means we have a new Peter Gabriel song, and how is it that this man just keeps getting better? He said last month that last month's song was possibly the most commercial offering from the forthcoming album "O/I" but I'm going to disagree and say that the ten new song "Won't Stand Down" is a better song, a more commercial song, and a reflection of the mement. Although not written for the events in the world right now, it sure as hell fits.
I have to introduce you to personal favorites of mine. First of all, the band Vent 414 and their new single, "How Far We Fall" - their first release in 30 years. Vent 414 was meant to be the new band for Miles Hunt of The Wonder Stuff (one of my favorite all-time bands) after they went on hiatus for the first time. Loud, arrogant, noisy and so full of life and fire that you cannot ignore them that I have to include them here. And all the way on the other side of the spectrum is Galli J and his new single "Wish You Were the One", which is about is mainstream pop as it gets. His real name is Jules Galli, and he was part of a band called Levara that came and flamed out 5 years ago, featuring him on vocals, Josh Devine of One Direction on drums, and Trevor Lukather (yes, the son of monster guitarist Steve Lukather and The Runaway's Cherri Currie) playing everything else. I've been paying attention to Galli J ever since and I hope that you will too, especially given that it looks like Levara might be getting back together.
Puddles Pity Party has a new album out called "No One's Free" and if you're used to America's favorite 7 foot tall sad clown with the amazing voice and his reinterpretations of hit songs reimagined as slow ballads you are in for a surprise. This is a mostly straight-ahead indie rock and roll album. Yes, the ballads are there of course, but there are a couple of surprises and I picked a couple for the playlist this week. PPP seems to be headed into exploring new ideas, and I'm here for it.
I knew nothing about Maya Hawke prior to the release of her new album, "Maitreya Corso" because I'm one of maybe six people who has never watched "Stranger Things", but I have to admit that the cast of that show have generally been putting out good music. Her new album is sort of a journey through a fictional fantasy epic but like others from that show this is a solid stand-alone indie rock outing and is worth the time. Hell, I didn't even know she was in "Stranger Things" until I started writing this paragraph.
Finally, I included a song by SpaceAcre called "Why We Left", which while being a banging rock tune is also their declaration that you won't find them on Spotify any more. I fully agree with what they've done here. If you want to find out more about them, you should really check out their bandcamp page.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It had actually been a few months that had passed before Rudy Guiliani's name showed up on my news feed. I have to tell you, that break from the every day nonsense was refreshing. I am so looking forward to the time when the current head of The Crime Administration (hashtag #EpsteinFiles) no longer shows up on my news feed on a daily basis.
I've never flown into Newark, so I had no idea that it was possible for an airplane to hit a truck on the New Jersey Turnpike. I mean, it doesn't show up in any Billy Joel lyric!
Apparently the new Attorney General Wanna-be can't tell you why the former director of the FBI should be prosecuted for a social media post that just showed in graphic form "86 47" but why the half-million shops on Amazon and Etsy should not be prosecuted for selling merch with the same logo.
Everyone, I don't know, but does Jennifer Rauchet have the security clearance to sit in on meetings held by her husband?
Despite the promises of the Crime Administration gas prices aren't coming down any time soon. The only way to do this while this "war that isn't a war but is a war that isn't a blockade that is a blockade" is still ongoing is to release fuel from the Strategic Reserve, which Presidents have done in the past and it works - even the current administration used it about a year ago. But last I checked, they never replenished the reserves, so is there anything even there there? For someone who plays multi-dimensional chess this administration really seems not to be able to think even 1 move ahead, let alone two.
Now that Spirit Airlines is gone, who will east coast late night comedians make fun of?
Do you watch the CBS Evening News? Whatever for? Certainly not for the news.
Quick message to The Crime Administration: Stop blaming Joe Biden for the state we're in. Just today I've seen you blame him for Oil Prices, Beef Prices, the collapse of Spirit Airlines, and even the war that isn't. Fuck you. You broke it, you own it.
May the 4th be with you. Sure. Right. Nobody was saying that back in the day. I know this because I'm the guy who saw the first movie (Not Episode IV or whatever, but just Star Wars) over 500 times in theaters during the original run (hey, I was only 13 at the time). To me this day is special because it's my younger daughter's birthday. Happy B'day kiddo!
And because I love you, here is that live performance I talked about at the beginning of this post:
New music this week from Muse, Sarah McLachlan, Pouty, Beck, a beautiful ballad from the late Prince, Foo Fighters, Yes, Infinity Song, Sofia Gobbi, Julia Cumming, Metric, Las Cruxes, HotWax, Miss Grit, Nanook and much more. Enjoy!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I hope by now that all of you who read this blog know that these songs all wind up on my radio station, which is called interestingly enough, Radio Free California. You can click the link at the end of that last sentence or you can grab the app from the app store. Google only I'm afraid. I didn't like the terms and conditions for Apple.
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that while I add these songs I also every Wednesday from 12am to 12am the following morning I play the list of songs above in order, with a break at 10pm Pacific Standard Time for special programming called 10 at 10. This is especially important this week because I've thrown in a couple of extras.
The first is a performance by The Warning, a band I've featured plenty on the station before now, doing a live version of "You Oughta Know" at SiriusXM. They recorded it over a year ago, but it was released as a single only last week.. and then the single was pulled from public availability. This means that I can't add it to the playlist, because Spotify doesn't have it. But I can add it to the radio station because I have a copy of it. I've added mp3 tags so the royalties will still get paid. That matters to me.
The second was the surprise performance by Michael Stipe with The Great Big Joy Machine on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last week. The song is called "The Rest of Ever" and has never been released. I imagine it will be someday, but so far it's not. But I have it. So while this probably isn't an exclusive, it's here. Again, royalties will be paid.
If you listen to the radio station on Wednesday of this week, you will be able to hear both songs, right after Metric performs "Leave You on a High". And of course randomly for the next 12 months.
Speaking of Metric, their new album "Romanticize The Dive" is a wonder. A Toronto band transplanted to New York City, the new album is full of songs of a timeless nature (don't you just hate it when songs are called that?) I've listened to it three times since I got it and by the time you reach the last track, the previously mentioned "Leave You on a High" you feel satisfied that you've listened to something special.
I have never been afraid to play music by artists who don't sing in English. This week alone we have Ukrainian (OTOY and alyona alyona), Icelandic (Nanook) and Spanish, the latter of which is provided by the band Las Cruxes. Their new self-titled album is as solid as any indie rock band, just in Spanish. No reason not to play them - and I've added two of their songs to the playlist this week.
Can I point out the amazing songwriting skills of two artist this week, one of whom is sadly no longer with us? First is Beck's "Ride Lonesome". I usually don't get into this type of song, but the lyrics are really good and Beck has shown over the years that he can write a hook - even in a country song. The second is the amazing ballad "With This Tear" from Prince. Given what happened to him this song is truly heartbreaking, and the lyrics about losing a dying lover are like an extra twist of the knife. Prince was a one-of-a-kind talent, and this is a reminder of what we've lost.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
You know what? I'm not going to comment on the whole White House Correspondents Dinner business other than to say the one and only thing no one else has said. THE SECURITY THEY HAD IN PLACE WORKED YOU STUPID FUCKS!!!!!
++++++++++++++++++++++++
And you probably know that Kevin Olusola of Pentatonix, their beatboxer, is also an accomplished cellist. But I was only today many years old when I discovered that Matt Sallee, Pentatonix's current bass singer, is an accomplished drummer. Because I love you here they are together:
New music this week from They Might Be Giants, Snarls, Eaves Wilder, Foo Fighters, Hana Lili, Mary and the Sharks, Snocap, Yaya Bey, Pond, The Itch and much more. Enjoy!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Let's talk about the music, starting with the new album from Yaya Bey, "Fidelity". I've only added one song from the album to the playlist, but I think the album is going to be important in the long run. I'm really not qualified to explain it all but the whole album reads to me as an explanation/history lesson about the black experience in the United States. Tracks like "The Great Migration" and "Forty Days" are both great but as a white male I just don't have the background to fully appreciate it, no matter how empathetic I can be. I highly recommend listening to the album as a whole. To me it's reminiscent of some of the work Stevie Wonder did in the 1970's.
They Might Be Giants new album might be their best in over a decade, and I've added previous singles to the playlist before now, but my favorite song on the album is easily "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)". It has a great video too.
Snocaps' self-titled debut album could very well be a one-off but I hope not. Sisters Allison (Swearin') and Katie (Waxahatchee) Crutchfield have recorded a new album together, working in the same band for the first time since their teens. They haven't abandoned either of their current bands, but they wanted to do an album together. It's a fun indie jangle-pop album and worth the listen.
The new Foo Fighters album will drop later this week and I'm looking forward to it. Dave Grohl's songwriting just keeps getting better and the stuff I've heard is easily among their best work. This week's playlist closes out with "Asking For a Friend", which will also be the closing track of "Your Favorite Toy" as I understand it. It's a good closer.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Robert De Niro is an anti-vaxxer. I has a sad.
The Onion now officially owns Infowars. Surrealism is now swallowing its own tail.
Kash Patel, a man who appears to be visibly drunk in public all the time, is suing The Atlantic to prove he's not a drunk. The Atlantic responded (and I'm paraphrasing here), "Bring it, drunky!!"
Tim Apple (er, I mean Tim Cook) is stepping down.
So is yet another woman from the Crime Administration for poor behavior. Patterns, anyone?
So are we at war with Iran again/still/blockade/war crime?
And because I love you, check out this live performance featuring Joey Dosik - vocals, Cory Wong - guitar, Ariel Posen - guitar, Kevin Gastonguay - keys, Yohannes Tona - bass, and the legendary Bernard Purdie - drums:
New music this week from The Sixters, Lala Lala, Peter Frampton, American Football, Unwed Sailor, Hannah Lew, songs from two seperate compilations - one for Fishbone and one for Sixto Diaz Rodríguez, B'z, Momo Boyd, Dogstar and much more. Enjoy!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Okay, let's talk music. The full album from The Sixsters finally dropped and it's even better than I had expected and I've been following them from day one. To remind you, the band is made up by 6 female refugees from Ukraine who met for the first time in France and formed their band. They are a force to be reckoned with and are more than worthy of conquering America and not just Europe. I've added 3 more tracks of theirs to the rotation.
I also added 3 tracks from the new album by Lala Lala, "Heaven 2". Lala Lala is a pop/rock powerhouse and a fantastic singer, and I'm truly impressed with the new album.
There are two compilation albums (aka "Various Artists") out this week with cover versions of songs by superstars. The first is called "Cover Your Face" and features 11 different artists covering Fishbone songs. There are some real underground/indie bands on the collection, which is led off by Silversun Pickups cover of "When Problems Arise". The other is a collection of 21 songs covering the great Rodriguez called "For Rodriguez". We're talking about Sixto Rodriguez, songwriter originally from Detroit who is believed to have sold more albums than Elvis in South America and the subject of the movie "Searching for Sugar Man". Look him up. You'll be glad you did.
We have a new single from Yes that's as good as anything they've ever done, but I feel obligated to point out that not a single original member is left in the band (Steve Howe joined for the 2nd album all those years ago). However, Jon Davison has been with the band for 14 years, Billy Sherwoon was Chris Squire's hand-picked replacement, Geoff Downes has been in the band off and on for a while now, and drummer Jay Schellen joined the band long before the death of Alan White.
Did you have on your bingo card that Seattle Grunge heavyweights The Melvins and scream rockers Napalm Death would do an album together? I didn't. The album sounds like both bands, which I suppose was the intent. It's worth a check out at the very least.
Check out Kurt Deimer's remake of "Silent Lucidity", a late entry to the list and featuring original vocalist Geoff Tate.
And finally I must give props to the debut album from Hannah Lew, who gives us a straight-ahead look back at the best of late 80's synth-pop. Seriously, there is some really catchy stuff here and you should check out the self-titled album.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
First of all, congrats to Hungary for kicking Viktor Orban to the curb! Given how many obstacles were in the way this is pretty impressive. My only concern is that Péter Magyar was once one of Orban's cronies. Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing. Still, very impressive.
Apparently the head of the Crime Administration wants to be the new Avignon Pope? Fuck man, the dude doesn't even go to church! I do find it hilarious that he rants about how the Pope is "Soft on Crime". He leads a religion - of course he's soft on crime. It's kind of in the whole job description to forgive the worst in people.
Also correct me if I'm wrong, but that AI slop picture out there of Mr. Damaged Hands laying hands on a bedridden man shows that the recipient of the "blessing" is Jeffrey Epstein? I'm told that this is a photoshop over the original AI slop and I'm just going to take people's word for it. I'm not getting on that motherfucking site.
And just like that, Eric Swalwell is Gary Hart.
"FC St. Pauli, a Hamburg-based soccer team with a long history of lefty politics, decided to create its own Peace Prize for people who have actually done something to promote peace, community, decency, etc. And the first recipient they chose is Wes Burdine, owner of The Black Hart of St. Paul. The Black Hart is a soccer bar but also a queer bar, where you can catch a game or a drag show or both. And play bocce when it’s not snowing. During ICE’s terror campaign in the Twin Cities, Wes was one of the people out there on patrol, and also raised funds for folks in the community." Full article here.
The fact that the Pride Flag is being restored at Stonewall is a good thing, but we still need to see restored the contributions of the Trans community to Stonewall. Without them it didn't happen and fuck your revisionism.
And because I love you, here is Kurt Deimer's version of "Silent Lucidity"
