I am no longer bound to six, and as a consequence, I can just keep shoving music, old and new, into the visor and playing it whenever it pleases me. This tends to reflect mood rather than intent, because why would it not?
The Datsuns – s/t
Got this for $5 used at my local record store. Best use of a finski in recent memory. I have fond memories of the early 00’s “garage punk” revival, the last gasp of Rock and Roll as culturally relevant. It was mostly derivative, what Lester Bangs would have called “good reworkings of older forms”, but it wasn’t stale. What the Datsuns, a band from NZ, lacked, wasn’t hard rock chops, but whimsy and true creativity. King Gizzard beats them all to hell, but that doesn’t stop this from being a whole lot of fun to listen to.
Radio Birdman – The Essential Radio Birdman (1974-1978)
Another also-ran from Down Under, but from the proto-punk 70’s, a hipster alternative to AC/DC that only critics ever heard of. The Rock here is more Surf than Hard, and if you think that’s a complaint you don’t know me. As a compilation, it runs through many tracks which all blend together but all smash through delightfully. These are the bands we need right now.
The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed
Possibly my favorite Stones album, which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s their best. But it’s from their best period, the Mick Taylor period, the Blues/Hard Rock Crescendo that ran from ’68-’72, When the Beatles were on their way out, and Mick & Co were the biggest concert draw in the world, so if it’s not their best, it’s really close. In fact, if “You Got the Silver” wasn’t sitting there on the second side, sucking so hard it makes “Monkey Man” sound like a breath of fresh air, I wouldn’t even question it. Further thoughts here.
Medeski, Martin, & Wood – Combustication
The modern – or rather, post-modern – jazz trio consists of drums, bass, and keyboards, because with this, you can create all the rhythm and creativity you want. This album keeps with the MMdub tradition of infusing funk riffs with deep syncopation and smooth vibes. It’s a treasure, and it bounces from song to song like it has no idea where it’s going. Exactly as it should.
The Misfits – Walk Among Us
One cannot get through Spoopy Month without throwing on some horrorcore, and since I have Static Age on vinyl, this technical-debut will have to do. The Misfits are a Missing Link between First-Wave Punk and Psychobilly, and a lot more bands that operate under the latter title emulate these guys more than the Cramps. The mix on this and the songs on this aren’t anywhere as good as Static Age, but it’s fun anyway.
Sonic Youth – Washing Machine
No band ever sold more records while giving fewer fucks than Sonic Youth. Starting as a post-punk art-rock ensemble, they prefigured Grunge in the 80’s, embodied it’s aesthetic better than anyone, yet survived it’s fall and were never beholden to it (because that was the point. Just make music. Just rock out. Grunge was never anything else). This 1995 album is by no means their most iconic, nor does it have any of their most known songs, but somehow that makes it all even better.
The Reverent Horton Heat – It’s Martini Time
Psychobilly lifers’ fourth album, released just as the Neo-Swing/cocktail vibe of the late 90’s was beginning to make itself known. Unlike Brian Setzer, however, the Rev maintains his straight-ahead speed-motoring, especially on “Generation Why?”, a song on the topic of generational perspectives that has aged like wine, and the slow-tempo jazzier numbers are full of his usual wit.
Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
Yes, I listen to music from this century. Frank Ocean is an odd duck, who never quite blows me away with his singing or arrangements, but somehow tickles my mood to listen to him more. There’s something going on here, something soulful and true, and I dig it. I don’t know if I like this album better than Blonde, but I might.
The Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols
This band is the Richard III of English rock; barely around more than a couple of years, carving an infamous legend, and leaving unanswerable debate in their wake. And as with the last Plantagenet monarch, I’m on their side. Punk Rock is indescribably pretentious, especially as described by its fans, but these guys don’t get the credit they deserve as songwriters and yes, musicians. As bands of this idioms go, they were all better than they pretended to be, and the songs on this album bear that out. It’s good they never did another one, but it’s great that they did this.
Content Blues 