The Apples in Stereo, “About Your Fame”

I do enjoy poking fun at the Apples in Stereo around here, but this is a sweet tune. So, yeah, some of their stuff can be unambitious, but when the pop is dialed in, it’s pretty excellent.

Nine Inch Nails, “Corona Radiata”

2005 through 2008 has been Trent Reznor’s most productive period, with three full albums and an instrumental one coming out in less time than it usually takes him to make one album. The Slip is the final record of that sequence before he went back into hibernation, and it’s generally the most straightforward of the four. Uh, this track notwithstanding. While I think Year Zero is the best of that bunch, there’s a catharsis with this record that is satisfying. Again, this dry hump of a song aside.

Vince Guaraldi, “Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal)”

We’re not the most distant from Christmas on the calendar, but I think early spring is spiritually as far as you can get. So, nice timing, Plexasaurus!

Young Hunter, “After Death”

Desert-inspired heavy rock, this is from their self-released and self-titled 2016 release, which is full of psychedelic semi-doom. Overall, I kind of wish they were just purely instrumental, as that’s the most interesting part of this whole thing.

Anti-Flag, “A New Kind of Army”

Love that anthemic punk rock sound. This is a classic winning formula here, and it feels wrong to be listening to it on an earbud instead of through loud speakers.

matt pond PA, “Bring On The Ending”

Been a minute since we’ve had matt pond PA around here. This is from 2004’s Emblems, a glossy, shiny pop album full of gentle but catchy songs. There’s a real Shins feel to this, which is definitely a compliment. Anyway, they aren’t exactly breaking new ground here, but it’s a pleasant listen.

The Dramatics, “In the Rain”

Oh baby. Listen to that reverb! Those strings and horns! I don’t think I’m cool enough to listen to something like this, frankly. The Suede Denim Secret Police are going to haul me off.

Deerhoof, “Department of Corrections”

There’s something really uplifting about the alchemy of Deerhoof. The contrast of the spastic guitar lines, powerful drums, and sprightly vocals is genuinely irresistable. It’s just really fun stuff, and the fact that Deerhoof is still out there cranking out tunes like this is really reassuring. We’re almost twenty years out from Reveille, the first great Deerhoof record, and they’re just chugging along.

Van Halen, “Jump”

Geez, I can remember being really intimidated by Van Halen back when this album came out. In my defense, I was 8 when this record released. But it’s pretty funny to listen to this today and think about that initial reaction. Of course, even back then, this wasn’t the most intimidating song from them.

Grotus, “Good Evening”

Experimental goofballs out of San Francisco, Grotus (sorry, not doing all the rock dots!) featured a lineup with two bassists, two drummers, and a guy on samples. The lyrics were a goof, the songs were out there, and the band just kind of projected this kind of ridiculous aura. In a lot of ways, they were kind of Cop Shoot Cop’s evil twin. Wait, other way around. They were the good twin.

The Aislers Set, “Chicago New York”

No, this isn’t some Belle & Sebastian tribute band. Chicago’s Aislers Set do play pop very much in that vein, uh, obviously. But there’s more variation on this album than this song might suggest, as this is probably the most B&S song on the record. It’s a solid set of tunes, so if you’re looking for some new pop, it’s worth a go.

Rilo Kiley, “A Better Son/Daughter”

Turn of the millennium indie bands represent!

H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, “If I Were A Deep One”

The arc popularity of Lovecraft’s writing has been kind of an interesting one to watch. When I was a kid, Lovecraft was largely unknown outside of only a handful of turbo nerds. Call of Cthulhu, the tabletop RPG, did exist, and it slowly brought awareness to Lovecraft’s writing, which was extremely niche in prior years. As the years ground on, and as nerd “culture” continued infiltrating the broader culture, referencing Lovecraft’s writing became just a general shorthand for cosmic horror, a way of gesturing at the ineffable horrors of the universe. Thus, it was invevitable that Lovecraft would slowly become more of a punchline, a cheap gimmick to gain some laughs of recognition from people who understand that this stuff is supposed to be horrible, but look! It’s being played for laughs! SO SUBVERSIVE!

The Hidden Cameras, “Fear Is On”

This is far, far too twee. I want to knock the books out of this song’s hands and then stuff it into a locker.

Destroyer, “An Actor’s Revenge”

Your Blues is extremely Bowie. There’s always some Bowie in a Destroyer record, of course, but this one has always struck me as the most Bowie. Can it be more Bowie? The answer is none. None more Bowie.

NoMeansNo, “Forget Your Life”

NoMeansNo mostly played super dextrous, complicated hardcore, but they were capable of slowing down the tempo for pounding tunes like this one. It’s the doom metal equivalent of hardcore. Doomcore? A quick search suggests that doomcore is some EDM subgenre. Harddoom doesn’t work either? Eh, fuck it.

Devin the Dude, “To tha X-Treme”

Sorry, couldn’t write an entry here, too busy nodding my head the entire time.

METZ, “Drained Lake”

There’s a relentlessness in this kind of noise rock, where the songs specialize in a propulsive beat that just keeps chainsawing ahead regardless of what else is going on. I’ve compared the sound to a malfuntioning machine, and I think in both the steadiness of it and in the harshness of some of the noises it fits. Brilliant stuff.

The Squirrels, “Money”

There’s plenty of hay to be made in mocking the pomposity of big 70s rock. Punk rock, of course, is largely a reaction to it, both in defining everything the aesthetics of punk were not as well as providing a source for mockery. But it’s not limited to just punk, the bloated blimps of AOR are juicy enough targets that everybody takes a shot.