#568: Music We‘re Thankful For In 2021

Last year we spent Thanksgiving Eve with our patrons and friends sharing new music we were thankful for during a difficult year. 2021 has presented its own challenges, but we're lucky to have so many musical artists and creatives to turn to for escape. From the metal and hard rock of Iron Maiden, Danko Jones, and Mammoth WVH to the trip-hop of Morcheeba, Sneaker Pimps, and Hooverphonic, to the electronic and industrial of Front Line Assembly, Martin Gore, and Gary Numan, to a host of other artists like Brandi Carlisle, Dave Gutter, Palm Ghosts, The Hold Steady, Spectres, King Buffalo, Ben Kweller, and many more, there was plenty to celebrate.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Don't Back Down by Mammoth WVH (from Mammoth WVH)

7:27 - All My Heroes Are Dead by Dave Gutter (from I've Been Here Awhile EP)

15:12 - John Carpenter by Palm Ghosts (from The Lost Frequency)

18:24 - The Creeps by Garbage (from No Gods No Masters)

24:29 - Family Farm by The Hold Steady (from Open Door Policy)

30:13 - Blink Twice by Jim Ward (from Daggers)

36:42 - Swan Song by Lindsey Buckingham (from Lindsey Buckingham)

46:12 - Submarines by Failure (from Wild Type Droid)

57:38 - Ouch by The Tragically Hip (from Saskadelphia EP)

Outro - This Love Ain't Dead by Aaron and the Lord (from Aaron and the Lord)

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#567: Today‘s Active Lifestyles by Polvo

Out of the fertile Chapel Hill, North Carolina scene emerged Polvo at the start of the 1990s. Their sound is lumped into math rock, a term the band themselves reject, but the elements are there - progressive rock filtered through an indie lens. On their 1993 sophomore album Today's Active Lifestyles, you'd be hard-pressed to find any evidence of Jethro Tull, Yes, or Emerson, Lake & Palmer. But King Crimson meets Sonic Youth? Now we're warmer. Guitar lines criss-cross with noise and bends that lesser bands would likely turn into a messy dirge, while Polvo creates a singular sound unto themselves.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Sure Shot

20:25 - Thermal Treasure

30:11 - Action vs. Vibe

39:42 - Lazy Comet

Outro - Gemini Cusp

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#566: Give It Back! by The Brian Jonestown Massacre

The 1990s definitely saw its fair share of pastiche in music from The Rolling Stones raunch of The Black Crowes to the underground Los Angeles swing revival that briefly bubbled into the mainstream. Out in San Francisco, The Brian Jonestown Massacre was taking full advantage of the Haight-Ashbury vibes to experiment with sounds old and new, dabbling in shoegaze, psychedelia, jangle-pop, and more. On their sixth album, 1997's Give It Back!, the one and only with future Black Rebel Motorcycle Club founder Peter Hayes, the band puts all the elements to use on slinky bass-driven jams like "Super-Sonic" and "Whoever you Are" while also finding time to bliss out on tracks like the sitar-driven "Salaam." But it's not all good vibes, as the bands more evil half of the namesake shows up on the disturbing noise collage "Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request," and "#1 Hit Jam" is definitely not.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Satellite

13:53 - This Is Why You Love Me

18:55 - Whoever You Are

25:05 - Super-sonic

34:00 - Servo

Outro - Salaam

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#565: P.H.U.Q. by The Wildhearts

Almost six years to the day, we revisited the debut album Earth Vs. The Wildhearts by the UK hard rock band. All the ingredients were there for us to love and champion this band, but for various reasons, we were both underwhelmed and disappointed. Thanks to a member of our Patreon Union, we're giving The Wildhearts a second shot with their 1995 follow-up P.H.U.Q. Far from a sophomore slump, the second album by the band pulls successfully from metal, hard rock, and power pop to create a riff-laden record that matches it on the vocal front with big, sugary hooks and loads of backing vocals.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Nita Nitro

18:14 - I Wanna Go Where The People Go

21:46 - Just In Lust

27:46 - Getting It

37:14 - Caprice

Outro - Naivety Play

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#564: Exile on Coldharbour Lane by Alabama 3

Country, blues, and gospel are a winning combination. So are mixing trip-hop with acid house. But what if we threw that all into a big stew, layered it with a John Prine cover, Jim Jones (of Jonestown infamy) audio samples, and a druggy, capitalist critiquing, night-on-a-bender lyrical bent that also stayed away from strident political commentary while being entirely political? A big stew, eh? That's what Alabama 3 are serving up on their 1997 debut album Exile on Coldharbour Lane. If the band name sounds familiar, and you were alive at the start of the 21st century, you probably heard their track "Woke Up This Morning" introducing the weekly exploits of one Tony Soprano. Hearing that song gives listeners a nice primer on the band, but they do much more with their sixty-minute run-time, even if occasionally indulging a bit too much, like any fully exploited bender.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Woke Up This Morning

18:42 - Speed of the Sound of Loneliness

24:44 - Sister Rosetta

39:46 - Mao Tse Tung Said

1:07:34 - Peace in the Valley

Outro - U Don't Dans 2 Tekno Anymore

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