Bruce Springsteen

Gaunt, “Different Drum Machine”

Every time Gaunt comes up, I say more or less the same thing. But, dammit, I’m write. Gaunt should have been huge! This song is such a beast.

Snuff, “The Damage Is Done”

A minute and a half of just pure punk rock, this is plenty enjoyable. Just going to rip through five tunes today apparently!

The Cinematic Orchestra, “Man With The Movie Camera”

Or not! The Cinematic Orchestra are a jazz/orchestra that married cinematic tunes with, uh, jazz and some of the rhythms of dance music. It sounds like a soundtrack as created by a Ninja Tune band, which is pretty much exactly what it is. Very cool stuff.

Today’s tunes!

Queens of the Stone Age, “The Way You Used To Do”

2013’s …Like Clockwork never really grabbed me (despite extensive critical acclaim), so I was pretty delighted that 2017’s Villains got me pretty fired up. Mark Ronson helped to sharpen things up, and the whole thing feels pretty glam-y and fired up. This song, for instance, is just razor sharp, from Homme’s guitar tone to the vamp of his lyrics.

Here’s today!

Bruce Springsteen, “Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?”

Have I talked about Springsteen before? I’m not gonna look. And nobody is going to tell me!

Uh, I don’t listen to a lot of his stuff. I only own this album. I dunno, you can’t keep up with everything! Don’t tell me about him!

Hell yes, look at that insight.

The Skatalites, “Black Sunday”

After the second wave of ska fired up, led by Two-Tone Records, interest in the first wave bands increased. The Skatalites, the greatest of those first wave bands, got back together in 1983 and recorded an amazing live set, featuring their entire original lineup, minus the sadly deceased Don Drummond. While I think the outstanding compiliation Foundation Ska is probably slightly better on balance due to its historical value, the release of that live set (Stretching Out) is more coherent and is their best album that was recorded as an album.

Some strong hip hop, some great reggae, an instrumental trifle, and some classic rock. It’s Five Songs!

A Tribe Called Quest, “After Hours”

Part of a blossoming reaction to the preeminent aesthetic of late 80s hip hop, A Tribe Called Quest quickly became the greatest of the acts rejecting the posturing of so many of their peers. From their very first album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (which this song comes from), they were already executing a fully realized artistic vision, one perfected in their next album, The Low End Theory. The focus on addressing topics that other groups weren’t talking about along with a sonic palette that included far more jazz than was the norm helped them stand out from just about anybody else, excepting maybe De La Soul (who were frequent collaborators). Simply put, A Tribe Called Quest is one of the giants of hip-hop, and their first three albums are all essential listening.