4.12.13

On April 12th I listened to Guns N’ Roses Use Your Illusion I and II and Stereophonics Graffiti On The Train.

Use Your Illusion I and II came out one week before Nirvana’s Nevermind and The Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood Sugar Sex Magic on September 17, 1991. Just one month after Metallica put out Metallica in August. Seriously! Four monster releases in one month! If you don’t think the early 90’s was the Golden Age of music, you are probably a sniveling douche or in your 20’s and currently nostalgic for the crap that was coming out in your tween years. I'll die first, but at least my music's better!

GNR hadn't done shit since 1988’s Lies and by the fall of 1991 if they put out Use Your Illusion I, II, III, and IV, fans would have skipped buying baby formula for their illegitimate children to scoop them all up. I remember lines at the record stores the day they came out. It was truly a huge Rock ‘N’ Roll moment! That shit doesn't happen any more for Rock album releases.

I haven’t thrown either one of these albums on in years and I was actually a little excited. But, while I was listening to “Back Off Bitch,” on Use Your Illusion I, something occurred to me. Axl was singing the lyric “back off bitch” for about the hundredth time during this five minute opus when I realized that Use Your Illusion I and II was the ultimate Rock ‘N’ Roll swindle. Thirty songs on two albums! Come on? How many of them are actually any good? Beats me. This was definitely the first time I had ever listened to both albums back to back. The hits still sound great and larger than life, but the other stuff sounds like one or two songs rewritten about twenty times. And millions of people bought both of these albums because of bloated egos and greed. 

I came into listening to Use Your Illusion hoping to find some forgotten brilliance buried within. I didn't.

I've been listening to Stereophonics since the 90’s. They have eight albums. I love three of their songs and a cover. I dig “Traffic,” “Have A Nice Day,” but only because it was in Dawn Of The Dead, “Dakota,” and their cover of “Who’ll Stop The Rain, which I've listened to A LOT!

I was hoping for one good song here, so expectations weren't that high. Kelly Jones has a stunning raspy voice, so that's why I always check out their records. His voice is the reason their cover of “Who’ll Stop The Rain” is so good. Check it out!

Graffiti On The Train, starts off too slow, doesn't pick up enough steam when it does rock out, and then Jones’ voice should totally nail the shit out of the old school roadhouse blues number “Been Caught Cheating,” but it misses the mark. It’s too clean cut, when it needs to be dirty and raw. I'd love to hear him sing that after a night of drinking and smoking. Unless he's on the wagon, then just smoking. 

Tomorrow I listen to Depeche Mode Violator, Pavement Crooked Rain Crooked Rain, and Depeche Mode Delta Machine. 

Here's April's Playlist!

4.11.13

On April 11th I listened to Frank Black Frank Black, The Afghan Whigs Black Love, and Clutch Earth Rocker.

Black Francis is dead! Long live Frank Black! Or Frank Black Francis!

I don’t think I love another whole album from Frank, post-Pixies, as much as I love his first two solo projects. Frank Black and Teenager Of The Year are slick and fun and then everything he recorded after was coarse and almost as much fun.

Originally conceived as a collection of cover songs, Frank Black only features one. He does an upbeat version of the Beach Boys’ chilling “Hang Onto Your Ego” and the rest is all Frank Black.

A big collection of 15 songs, there isn't much on this album that isn't worth listening to. I get why he didn't continue making records that sound like this. It just wasn't him and maybe it was his shot at breaking through to a larger mainstream, but when he realized that wasn't going to happen, he just said “fuck it.” Now he does what he wants. I dunno, maybe?

I had been a little miffed at Frank since I was supposed to interview him in 1996 and he bailed at like the absolute last second. He “ wasn't speaking to save his voice for tonight’s show.” As I left through the back door of the venue, the crew was still loading in when I heard a guy yell, “Hey Bill! Where’s that box of cables!” I turned around and guess who it was? Dick! Frank did reply to one of my tweets last year, so I guess all is forgiven.

Do you hear that? A train’s coming. A train bound for the darkness! A train bound for enemy lines. A train bound for evil. A train bound for commercial disaster. All aboard!

Hands down, this is one of the best albums of the 90’s! It’s dark and brooding. It’s soaring and bluesy. It’s dirty and spiteful. It’s a fucking masterpiece.

The Afghan Whigs handed Elektra Records this masterpiece and said, “Go forth and promote the brilliance!” Elektra proceed to drop the ball with a record they had no idea what to do with. 

Granted, there wasn't much that was gonna get on the radio at the time, but putting out “Honky’s Ladder” as the album’s lead single with an awful video pretty much sealed its fate. The Whigs even sued the label afterwards so they could go somewhere else for their next album.  

I used to live with this Phish loving materialistic chick that loved to start fights with me for stupid shit. After the yelling, I’d throw on Black Love just to piss her off. “Do you think I’m beautiful, or do you think I’m evil!” She was both.

I’m not the biggest Clutch fan in the world, but are they just putting out the same record every two years now?

Sounds like Clutch! Right on, man! 

Tomorrow I listen to Gun N' Roses Use Your Illusion I and II, and Stereophonics Graffiti On The Train. 

Here's April's Playlist!

4.10.13

On April 10th I listened to Poster Children Daisy Chain Reaction, Samiam You Are Freaking Me Out, and Suede Bloodsports.

Remember a few years ago when Britney Spears put out that stupid song “If U Seek Amy?” By saying the title you’re basically spelling out “fuck me.” Well, she stole the whole thing from Poster Children’s song “If You See Kay.”

I don’t remember why I didn't pay attention to Poster Children. I remember when all their records came out. I think I went and saw them once. I just didn't ever listen to them on my own.

This is a pretty sold Indie Rock album. It’s fun. It reminds me of Pavement in places, mostly vocals. I have no excuse for ignoring this band. Their music was right up my alley.

“Want It,” was my favorite from this listen.

Samiam is another band I was late on. I should have listened to Clumsy, because I don’t know it very well and I've listened to this one a million times since it came out in 1997. I also love Astray from them too.

You Are Freaking Me Out is top loaded with three shoulda been hits. “Ordinary Life,” “She Found You,” and “Full On” are three slam dunks! I still have no idea why they didn't get played all over the radio. They’re strong, they paint wonderful pictures of dysfunction and you can sing along to them. I don’t get it.

“If You Say So,” “My Convenience,” “Nothing New,” and the Beatles cover “Cry Baby Cry” help round out You Are Freaking Me Out and make it a solid album and not just a couple of strong songs and filler.

I’m almost shocked at how much I like this Suede album. When they were having their moment in the sun during the 90’s I wasn't really paying attention. They were a little too theatrical for me.

I pretty much came into this album thinking, making it through the first half will be quite an accomplishment.

The disc’s opener, “Barriers,” is a nice attention grabber. It’s a soaring track awash in a lush 80’s grandeur akin to what the Killers have been doing. I actually like it! Great nostalgic feel to the lyrics and a big hook.

The proper single from the album “It Starts And Ends With You” is great too! What is going on here? Am I going to have to go back and listen to the Suede back catalog? Here’s all I remember about Suede from back in the day. We had to call them The London Suede, cause of another band that used the moniker, their song “Metal Mickey” was OK, and one of their albums featured a couple of broads making out.

I was hoping “Sabotage” was going to be a Beastie Boys cover. It’s not. It’s not bad either. I actually had to look up who was playing keyboards on this album, because Neil Codling’s playing gives each track such a layer of depth. Everything sounds so important with him back there. I like that.

“Hit Me,” sounds like one of those songs that should have been recorded years ago. It sounds like it was a hit in 1995. Big song, huge hook and I don’t even mind the “la la la’s!” It’s got summer hit written all over it! (Well, certainly not in 'Merica, but over there in the U.K.) I love when a band can somehow tap into the magic that made them to create a song that is new, awesome and just reeks of their signature sound... twenty years later.

Tomorrow I will listen to Frank Black Frank Black, The Afghan Whigs Black Love, and Clutch Earth Rocker. 

Here's April's Playlist!

4.9.13

On April 9th I listened to Live Throwing Copper, Fuel Sunburn, and Palma Violets 180.

Next April this album will turn twenty! It’s not tough to remember how huge it was. For most of 1994, all of 1995 and a big chunk of 1996, Live one of the most overplayed bands on the planet. It was during that period that “Lightning Crashes” went from beautiful to annoying… for me anyway. I still can’t listen to that song.

When Throwing Copper came out, I was a college graduate, five years out of high school and still friends with a small pocket of my ’89 alum. It was funny to watch them “discover” this band from York, Pa. “I bet you never heard of Live,” they’d say to me because they knew that’s all I did was listen to music and honestly thought I hadn't heard of them. The same assholes that blasted me for throwing Mental Jewelry on at parties a few years before were now trying to one up with me with a band they didn't have time for when the radio wasn't playing them. Idiots. If I had a nickel for every time somebody didn't listen to me when I recommended something great to them. I still wouldn't have as many if I had one for every time I ignored somebody else's recommendation. I'm a dick, other people are stupid! 

I was definitely happy for Live. It was nice to see a blue collar band making it big… really big.

Going into this listen, I was looking forward to hearing “Shit Towne” for the first time in a while and I was hoping for a forgotten gem or two. I definitely found one in “Top.” I don’t think this song was a single for radio, but I definitely remember hearing it a lot back in the day. “Horse” is a lot of fun with its Country twang too!

The album's low point is actually kind of hysterical. "Waitress" is like the PSA for "tipping your waitress." She's poor and probably has kids and a boyfriend with a drug habit, so give her a couple bucks, won't ya? Ed Kowalczyk - Patron Saint of Waiting Tables! PRAY FOR US!

It was interesting listening to Fuel right after Live. I never thought too much about how similar Fuel’s sound was to Live's, but listen to them back to back.

Fuel wasn't from Harrisburg, Pa, just a thirty minute drive from York, but they moved their after forming in Tennessee. Maybe it was that proximity to Live’s early stomping grounds that caused the similarities. Or, just the typical copycat music industry M.O. “We’re looking for a band that sounds like Live. Can you sound like Live?”

Regardless, I like this record. I most have hit play on “Shimmer” a thousand times while working in radio and I’ll never get sick of it. “Sunburn” is just another great Rock song. 

I was shocked at how much I remembered after the four singles on Sunburn. Second half of this album is pretty solid. “Song For You,” “Mary Pretends,” and “New Thing” all could have been big singles for Fuel.

I doubt I’ll listen to anything else from Fuel this year, so I’ll tell you this anecdote from my days of working at a Modern Rock radio station in Philadelphia.

In the fall of 2000 “Hemorrhage (In My Hands)” was released as a single from Fuel’s second album, Something Like Human. I was on the air one Saturday afternoon right after we added the song to our playlist.

Quick Sidebar – Every Tuesday radio stations add new songs that record labels are releasing for radio play. Ten years ago, a radio station playing new music would add three or four songs a week. Sometimes they’d add one or none. It depended on the week. They still do, but probably a lot less on average. The radio station will play that song in a new rotation for a while, meaning it’ll get more spins a week than a song that’s been around for a while. In a couple of weeks, they’ll know if they've got a “hit” or a “stiff” on their hands. A hit could get upwards of 40 spins a week while it’s living out its infancy. If it’s a really big hit, it’ll stick around for however long the audience likes it and could settle into a nice rotation of five or six spins a week until the end of time. "Stiffs" get dropped… never to be heard from again. 

And just to recap from a previous post. EVERY song you hear on the radio, 99.99% of the time, was programmed the day before. The DJ comes in and plays all the songs in order as they appear on the music log for the day, which is broken into hours. You could call any request line for any radio station in the country at noon and ask the jock, “what is the station playing at 10:50PM tonight?” Most likely it’ll be the first song after a commercial break and they’ll know exactly what they’re playing.

Because I was working double duty for a magazine and a radio station in 2000, I knew “Hemorrhage (In My Hand)” very well before that first time I played it on the radio that Saturday. 

Radio will always front sell a new song they've just added, meaning the DJ will say this is “Blah Blah Blah” by Blah right before they play it. So, everybody isn't sitting in their car saying, “Who is this?”

I saw Fuel on the log and introduced the song on the radio. “New music from Fuel! This is “Hemorrhage” on Blah 100.” I didn't think anything of it and then the hotline rang. The station’s music director was listening, heard me introduce the song, and called in to correct me.

(The hotline is basically the Bat Phone. It’s a number only people that work at the station have and use to get a hold of the DJ on the air right away.)

Usually on Monday or Tuesday a radio station will have a music meeting with the program director, assistant program director, music director and maybe a few DJs or other knowledgeable people at the station.  Apparently at this week’s meeting the station’s brain trust had decided to rename Fuel’s new single. 

“We feel that the word “hemorrhage” is too ugly and conjures up too many bad images of bleeding, so we've decided to call it “In My Hands” instead. And they don’t even really say the word in the song, so it makes sense,” explained the music director to me and from his tone sounded like he was still trying to convince himself. Never mind that two other stations in town are also playing the song and calling it what it’s called. The music director pointed out that it was printed on the log as “In My Hands” and therefore that is what I should have said.

As I hung up the phone I remembered thinking “Yeah that’s what I’ll do, you pansies,” and then went out of my way to say “Hemorrhage” as much as possible. I even started thinking of clever ways to say “bloody tampon” whenever I could work it in, usually during weather updates.  

I did weekends on that station in Philadelphia, at the time the fifth largest market in the country, for almost three years and made $12 an hour. I was passed over for two full time positions and when I left to pursue other options in New York City, I was treated like an asshole. PFFFFFFFT!

HEMORRHAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had read about Palma Violets in a music blog at some point in 2012 and listened to “Best Of Friends” quite a bit as I waited for their debut, 180. 

"Best Of Friends" is Garage Rock at it's finest. It sounds like a lost classic from The Animals. The Brits loved the song so much it was voted NME's Song Of The Year! It's got a sloppy sing-a-long vibe that's just infectious. 

I really dig the old school sound coming from a bunch of younger musicians in the UK right now. Jake Bugg, The Strypes and Palma Violets. I remember liking Minnesota's Howler too from listening to them earlier this year.

Unfortunately, 180 isn't so great. I love the sound of the band, but the songs just aren't there. I was hoping for a ruckus romp of Rock decadence but it’s a mid-tempo trudge through shallow water. Wah-wah.

I will spend some more time with it, because the single is so good! 

However, I did find some joy in “Johnny Bagga’ Donuts” and the weirdly long “14.” 

Tomorrow I will listen to Poster Children Daisy Chain Reaction, Samiam You Are Freaking Me Out, and Suede Bloodsports. 

Here is the April Playlist!

4.8.13

I'm posting this minutes after authorities captured that asshole in Watertown. Well done, boys!

On April 8th I listened to Catherine Wheel Ferment, Oasis The Masterplan, and Nine Black Alps Sirens. All in honor of Silent Barrie’s birthday! He picked ‘em!

I should say that Barrie has been, rather diligently, following along with the year of music and listening to everything that I am. It’s been great to have a real musichead, although he’s almost a complete Anglophile, to discuss these records with as I listen to them. “He keeps asking me, “when is Britpop month?” Soon. Happy Birthday Barrie!

I listened to Chrome last month from Catherine Wheel and wrote about how I had interviewed Rob Dickinson in the 90’s and asked him about being cousins with Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson. Rob was a douche about it.

In 2001, I was living in the Philadelphia suburbs of New Jersey and working for a music industry trade magazine. On February 15, I ventured up to the Mercury Lounge, in NYC, to see a band play a small label showcase. I have no memory of who I saw that night. But, as I was standing at the bar waiting for the band set to start, Rob Dickinson saddles up next to me to order a drink. I barely looked up and moved over a pube so he could order. As he’s finishing up his transaction, I turned and noticed I was standing next to the lead singer of Catherine Wheel. “Hey. Rob Dickenson. What are you doing here?” I say in a nice-to-see-you kind of way. “I’m trying to live here,” he says with a douchey look on his puss, scoops up his drink order, hands one to a smoking hot chick he’s with and walks away. I'm just standing there feeling like a total pud. “I thought you were gay,” is all I can muster under my breath as I turned back to the bar.

The very next night I went up to NYC to see Coldplay play a sold old Irving Plaza! I went up with Mike Parrish, who had a ticket, but I didn't  I was looking for a miracle. We set up shop in a bar a few blocks from the venue and as show time approached things were starting to look grim. But then just like that it happened! A friend from Capitol Records hooked me up with a ticket for the big show! I was over the moon! We finished up our beers and headed over to Irving.

The place was packed. The downstairs bar was a nightmare, so we took the far stairs up to the back balcony bar. As I’m romping up the stairs, feeling all is right in the Rock ‘N’ Roll world tonight, who do I see coming down the stairs? Rob “Fuckin’” Dickinson! “Hey Rob! Stop following me around! It’s embarrassing,” I chirped with an ear to ear grin on my face. If looks could kill, I would have been stricken from this life right there. Luckily, they can’t! Rob muttered something to the person he was with an kept moving down the stairs... I couldn't have cared less! Or I could have? No I couldn't. Regardless, nothing was gonna ruin my night! I sashayed up to the bar, got my beer and was ready to see Coldplay! You have to take into account this is brand new Coldplay! All they put out so far was Parachutes and man was it brilliant!

We went back downstairs, moved into place and got ready to witness greatness. Chris Martin came out looking like a bucket of shit and told the crowd he had the flu. If I remember correctly, he sang "Trouble," but shit his pants right in the middle of it. Then he pulled Mindy Cohn from the audience to sing “Yellow” for him. Her mic got turned off after the first couple of lines and the audience sang the rest. The show was over after two songs. I blame Rob Dickinson! He probably gave Martin the flu just to piss me off!

"I hate you, Brad."

To me, Ferment has always been about “I Want To Touch You” and “Black Metallic," and they are fucking great. The rest of the album is corny lyrics and a repetitive rehash of their “sound,” which at its best you can get lost in, and at its worst just goes on and on. Just try and listen to “Balloon” and “She’s My Friend.” Just awful. 

However, I’m going to put “Shallow,” in my future playlists. A little lost CW gem.

Do you remember when Oasis was so fucking good that their b-sides were hits? Good times.

Masterplan isn't a full on collection of greatness, but the good stuff is so good! “Stay Young,” was my 27-year-old anthem! I tried! I tried so hard Noel, but I got old. “Acquiesce” is as big of a hit as anything that band has ever done! “Fade Away,” “Rockin’ Chair,” and even the instrumental “The Swamp Song” all should have been smash hits that everyone knows! Their live version of “I Am The Walrus,” is a lot of fun, but not my first choice for a Beatles cover.

In conclusion, I LOVE OASIS!

I could not hate that album cover more. Just terrible.

I haven’t paid much attention to Nine Black Alps since their debut album. I actually haven’t listened to much by them since, but “Get Your Guns” has been a staple in my MP3 player since 2005.

I liked listening to this album, but it’s so generic. Everything seems borrowed and just thrown together, but I definitely don’t hate it. I liked “Penny Cinderella,” and “Phosphorescene,” because it doesn't sound much like anything else on this album and it's so English.

Tomorrow I listed to Live Throwing Copper, Fuel Sunburn, and Palma Violets 180.

Here's the April Playlist!

4.7.13

On April 7th I listened to Jawbreaker Dear You, Jawbox For Your Own Special Sweetheart, and I was supposed to listen to The Appleseed Cast Illumination Ritual, but it’s not out yet. So, I listened to Appleseed Cast’s 2003 album Two Conversations.

Jawbreaker put out a bunch of Indie records while I was working in college radio and I have absolutely no memory of ever hearing about them. In 1995 they released their major label debut, Dear You, sending their superfans into a tailspin of dissolution. I, however, really enjoyed the effort. 

Polished was such a dirty word back in the day. Taking your lo-fi Indie Rock DIY band over to a major record label and using the extra cash to record an album that was a little more “polished” than your previous work was the equivalent of a politician going on Meet The Press and saying, “I think Hitler was a pretty cool guy, like a German Elvis.” (FIY There was a Hellbilly band called Elvis Hitler and if I could ever find their album with “Booze Party,” I would just kill myself.)

Regardless, Jawbox basically went on Meet The Press and professed their love for Hitler, with the album I’m about to listen to, For Your Own Special Sweetheart, yet the superfans let that slide cause the record’s so fucking good. The duality of man.

It’s quite a quandary for a band. Stick with what you know and keep cranking out the dirty sounding Punk Rock, OR take some money and reach for the stars! You can’t really fault a band for wanting more. Some bands stayed Indie and either faded out or kept it going for a while. Some bands took the money and made it to the stars!

Look at Ani Difranco. She stayed fiercely independent, still puts out music and still packs houses. Her popularity has definitely waned since the days she was gracing the cover of Rolling Stone, but she did her own thing her way and rules her little corner of the music world. At a radio station in Buffalo, I used to work with her brother. He was a total wiener salesman. Weird, right? Nice guy, but a wiener. I'm getting off track. The point is... Jawbreaker took the money, put out Dear You, and then promptly broke up. An all too familiar tale in the music industry. 

I used to like most of this album, but nowadays all I want to hear are “Accident Prone,” and “Stuttering.” I still do… two great songs! Sadly, the rest sounds a little dated now. 

I forgot one of the Jawbreaker guys went on to form Jets To Brazil and I can't remember if there was anything from them I liked. I'll definitely listen to them down the road this year.

I used to have a crush on Jawbox’s Kim Coletta. Look at how cute she was! She used to look like that wizard chick from those movies.

Let’s see if my memory is worth its weight in salt. I doubt it. But in my mind this is how I fell in love with Kim, Jawbox, and For Your Own Special Sweetheart.

In the fall of 1993 I went to NYC for a big music convention. I left on Friday November 5th. I know this because as the plane took off for the Big Apple, Joe Bagodonuts and I were talking about the Nirvana show that was happening that night in Buffalo. We were sadly going to miss it. “We’ll have plenty of chances to see Nirvana,” I said to Joe and he agreed. PFFFFFFT! Never had another chance! I NEVER SAW NIRVANA PLAY!

Anyway, during that weekend we saw a showcase that Jawbox was on. If you pointed a gun to my head I’d say it was at Irving Plaza, but I don’t think it was. I’m pretty sure we were there with somebody from Atlantic Records, specifically to see Jawbox. I know this because I was really drunk on free record label beer and high… on life.

For Your Own Special Sweetheart wasn't coming out until January, but we knew the set was going to be heavy with songs off of it. I wasn't really concentrating on any one thing because I was “in the zone.” I was grooving to the band, checking out the crowd from the balcony, trying to look cool, keeping abreast of beer orderings… the usual stuff. Then I saw Kim Coletta standing there with her bass. I took notice of her during “U-Trau” and almost on cue, she played the little bass solo breakdown in the middle of the song. It was like she was saying, “Hi Brad. You know how cute I always thought you were.” I was mesmerized! All the guys were wearing suits, so Kim was wearing a dark dress that was kind of formal and kind of sexy. Like a wool baby doll dress with a white thing in the front? Fuck, if I know what women call the dresses they wear. Like a hot Wednesday Adams dress.  

Whatever… If I was the kind of man who believed in angels, then what’s what I’d say she was, an angel dropped from post-hardcore Heaven.

I introduced her to my mother after the show, and she was so gracious. She handled all my mom’s dumb questions with a great big smile and a gentle ease. We laughed about that on the walk over to the Gramercy Tavern, where we had a quiet late supper. We dined on foie gras and drank to the future, then retired to my suite at the Waldorf. We made sweet sweet love until the sun was coming up over Manhattan. In that early morning light, I remember Kim holding me in her arms like a bass and telling me she would take care of me forever. A tender and magical moment.

I woke up around noon in my friend Gina Galley’s shoebox apartment, sleeping on the floor next to Bagodonuts. And that’s exactly how I remember that evening. I may have embellished some stuff. 

Top notch album from Jawbox! Listening to this record again reminded me how great it is and that I should be listening to more than just “Savory!” 

I had scheduled The Appleseed Cast’s new disc here, but I didn't realize it’s not out for another week or so, I dunno. I switched to their album Two Conversations, although I didn't actually listen to it. I just kind of hunt and pecked around for annoying choruses and then listened to “Fight Song.” 

A really great song, but there is no place to listen to it. You can only listen to this song when you’re alone, when the band plays it live, or in the HBO promo it was in a bunch of years ago. That’s it. Just try and throw it on with your girlfriend in the car. She’ll be like, “What the fuck?” Put it on at a BBQ with your friends and they’ll say, “What the fuck?” I wonder if it was ever played at a Wedding?

That's all I got today. 

4.6.13

On April 6th I listened to Happy Mondays Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches, The Stone Roses Second Coming, and I Am Kloot Let It All In.

I love the scene in 24 Hour Party People when Shaun Ryder is going crazy for some “Can-tucky Fried Chicken.” It’s during that scene that you realize, “They have KFC in England?” Oh, and that Ryder is a complete fucking moron. Yet, he wrote the lyrics to one of my favorite albums.

The Happy Mondays rode the crest of the great Madchester* wave high and far. For a hot minute, in the UK, they were considered Gods! Here in the states they had a modest modern Rock hit with “Step On.” It’s a shame they weren't recognized for more here, Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches is a nearly flawless album and 23 years later it still sounds unbelievably relevant!

This album flows like a ride on a water slide. Smooth, fun and cool as shit. Wanna know the best part of Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches? It is impossible to look stupid dancing to it. Just let the music move you. Even Thom Yorke’s brand of seizure dancing would look great to this album! I've taken the liberty of setting Thom’s moves to some good music and posting it online. Enjoy, before the Internet Gods take it away because my two minute parody, that won't make me a nickel, and won't notch up 300 views is a violation!

Remember this the next time you go on “Holiday,” “You don’t look first class, you. Let me look up your ass, you. I smell dope, I smell dope, I smell dope, I’m smelling dope.”

The five years between The Stone Roses and Second Coming felt like ten and everything that was happening in ’89, ’90, ’91, and maybe ’92 definitely wasn't happening anymore at the end of ’94. However, after all the bullshit, I was still ready to hear what The Stone Roses had waited so long to give us.

They got sued by their record label and that kept them from releasing anything until ’92. So, after that we all thought they’d hit the studio and crank out the sophomore effort. Nope, they toured for like two years, everywhere but here! Then they pissed off the producer from their unforgettably wonderful debut album, John Leckie. If you go to the British Isles and listen to the wind you can still hear John's "piss off" echoing around the stratosphere. Big mistake on the Roses part. Finally, after a full year in the studio they were ready to release Second Coming!

It blows behind belief. 

I don’t even remember my reaction when I finally got my copy and threw it on with mouth watering anticipation! I must have been numb with disgust and disappointment, because while I was listening to this album now, it was an all new kind of disappointment.

"Love Spreads" is OK, but I'll take “Ten Storey Love Song,” and you can flush the rest! That’s all I have to say about that!

I thought I knew I Am Kloot. I remember listening to their 2003 self titled album, and for some reason I thought they rocked. Maybe I’m confusing them with somebody else.

For the life of me I can’t figure out who they remind me of. I initially hated this record, like I would cause it’s all slow and shit, but then I went back. It’s really a beautifully orchestrated piece of music. 

“Let Them All In,” reminds me of a 70’s easy listening radio station. FUCK! Who does I Am Kloot sound like? It’s on the tip of my tongue. I dunno. I liked “Bullets,” and boy does “Mouth On Me,” have a theme I can relate to. “I was young and I had a mouth on me.” God bless.

Is it The Decemberists? I think they remind me of The Decembertists. I dunno, maybe?

Tomorrow I listen to Jawbreaker, Jawbox, and The Appleseed Cast. 

Here's April's Playlist!

* LOOK IT UP, STOOPID!