If you're of a certain age, you probably spent some time listening to American Top 40 with Casey Kasem. While I'm not a big top 40 person—probably more like obscure 40, much of the time—Kasem's smooth delivery has a special place in my heart. And the top 40 from the 70s and 80s isn't so … Continue reading Get your top 40 on…
Category: Music
The Staves: Tired as Fuck (and a rant)
A few months ago, I stumbled on The Staves "Tired as Fuck," and it's been a go-to listen on YouTube, Spotify, etc. It's got a great build – adding layers until it turns into a chorus of voices and blistering guitar and throbbing percussion. Really, you should listen to it right now if you haven't … Continue reading The Staves: Tired as Fuck (and a rant)
Today’s album pick: Dynamics by Secret Drum Band
This is another Bandcamp win, Secret Drum Band's Dynamics. Based in Portland, Oregon the band describes the album thusly: "Dynamics sees composers Lisa Schonberg, Allan Wilson, and Heather Treadway delving headway into creating living, breathing soundscapes, rich in rhythmic textures. Driven by five drummers, each song also employs an array of affected vocals, guitar, and … Continue reading Today’s album pick: Dynamics by Secret Drum Band
Check it out: “Death to the Planet” by The Comet is Coming
Don't recall how I stumbled on this one, exactly, but one of my Saturday morning music searches led me to a post on Bandcamp's blog about The Comet is Coming. If you like instrumental music in the vein of Material, or early trippy Pink Floyd, I'd recommend checking this one out.
“Skylarking” by XTC (No. 1)
I'm not saying that Skylarking is the best album in the history of the universe, but I'm not not saying it either. Certainly it's the finest album XTC have produced. I know precisely when my love affair with XTC began, it was May 3rd, 1987 when MTV played the world premiere of "Dear God" on … Continue reading “Skylarking” by XTC (No. 1)
“Abbey Road” by The Beatles (No. 2)
Abbey Road is more or less The Beatles' final album1, and it contains some of the group's strongest work – especially George Harrison, who finally gets his day in the sun. I'm not sure when I got my first copy of Abbey Road. Might have been high school, or it might have been the first … Continue reading “Abbey Road” by The Beatles (No. 2)
“Help!” by The Beatles (No. 3)
Here's where it all began, my lifelong obsession with music. Technically, it was the movie Help! that helped turn me into a music junkie, but we'll go with the album here. Here's how it all started. When I was seven, I came home from Sunday school (yes, really) and turned on the TV. There was … Continue reading “Help!” by The Beatles (No. 3)
“Disintegration” by The Cure (No. 4)
Disintegration is the album that really sold me on The Cure. Yes, I know, I was a bit late to the party. Some of the singles off Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me were too good to ignore, but I wasn't a big fan of Robert Smith's voice initially. And then Disintegration came out, with … Continue reading “Disintegration” by The Cure (No. 4)
“A Night at the Opera” by Queen (No. 5)
A Night at the Opera has some of Queen's best-known songs, including "Bohemian Rhapsody." But what if I told you that "Bohemian Rhapsody" isn't even the best song on A Night at the Opera, or at least not the most epic? A Night at the Opera has Queen trying on a number of musical styles, … Continue reading “A Night at the Opera” by Queen (No. 5)
“Lost in Space” by Aimee Mann (No. 6)
Fun fact, Aimee Mann is the only musical guest on Buffy to get a speaking part. That has not a lot to do with Lost in Space, except that two songs from the album are played during an episode. There's a little more to this album than an intersection with nerdom, though. Lost in Space … Continue reading “Lost in Space” by Aimee Mann (No. 6)