Tuesdays suck usually, during a pandemic when every day just blends together you can just call this a “whatever day you want” playlist. Today seemed as good a day as any to talk about some music new and old. Mostly old because that’s the kind of person I am. I’m trying to keep my playlists short and digestible.
First up is Bill Withers who recently passed away. I know most people know him from the super happy “Lovely Day” song mostly because it was in The Secret Life Of Pets. I prefer the darker “Ain’t No Sunshine” from the beat to the piano mixed with strings it’s the song I think of when I think Bill Withers.
Next up I thought why not keep it dark. Tones On Tail was a short lived side project of Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins of Bauhaus in 1982. This was the pre-cursor to Love and Rockets, which I also really used to love. Tones On Tail kind of has the Bauhaus darkness to it without the over the top delivery of Peter Murphy. This is personally my favorite song from the Tones On Tail stuff.
Why not keep it dark for one more with California’s Sea Wolf and their track Black Dirt. I don’t know why this song always reminds me of a corpse climbing out of a casket and having their first walk around as a Vampire or Zombie. I’ve read the lyrics several times over the years, not sure the exact meaning. This group I shortly obsessed over in 2007 because they were darker than the Shins but had a similar appeal, that weird mix of 60’s and early aughts. The first album they ever released “Leaves In The River” remains a staple in my collection.
Next up The Hollies “The Air That I Breathe” because c’mon we can’t keep dwelling in the darkness. Plus didn’t you wanna know where Radiohead came up with the chord progression for Creep from or where Lana Del Ray got “Get Free” from? Then after that I threw in some Radiohead from their OK Computer B-side record. I particularly like the production and feel of this song, it feels way more modern than when it was created which is mid to late 90’s. A really great version of this song exists in the 18 hours of leaked Radiohead stuff that is available on their bandcamp but I can’t tell you which section it’s on.
Then comes “California” by Wax, you may remember the video featured a boy watching a man on fire, engulfed in flames running down a city block in super slow motion. The album 13 Unlucky Numbers is one of my favorite albums of the 90’s, I highly recommend it if you missed it. Now we’re picking it up with some 70’s dance punk and Gang Of Four and one of my favorite tracks by them. I figured we had to go modern next so I picked one of my favorite things of the last decade by Minor Alps. Minor Alps was produced right here in NJ by Tom Beaujour at his studio in Hoboken and the band features Matthew Caws of Nada Surf with Juliana Hatfield. This is the single from it I think, the whole record is great though.
Finally I’ll wrap up with some classics, Idiot Wind by Bob Dylan because it could be Trump’s nickname and finally who doesn’t want to hear some Screamin Jay Hawkins as they begin their day?