Inez Foxx -

Five Songs, 7/30/2021

Posted on July 30, 2021 | Joshua Buergel

Big Boys, “We Got Soul”

An early hardcore band in Austin, the Big Boys inspired a bunch of bands that followed them, including folks like the Butthole Surfers. It’s also where Rey Washam (Scratch Acid, Rapeman) and Tim Kerr (Poison 13, The Monkeywrench) got their start. All of the Big Boys’ catalog was helpfully compiled into two discs, with The Skinny Elvis comprising the first half of their career and The Fat Elvis (which gave us today’s track) the second half. Among other things that made them great, they were totally unafraid to just straight up play some funk, which is delightful.

Five Songs, 7/16/2021

Posted on July 16, 2021 | Joshua Buergel

METZ, “Drained Lake”

The closest that noise rock ever really got to any kind of mass popularity was in the late 90s, when the grunge tide lifted up the boats of related acts like Helmet and some folks got major label contracts. But this stuff is intentionally abrasive, and none of it every broke through for good reason. While some grunge acts and followers became huge, noise rock went right back into the underground. But, happily, there’s still bands like METZ keeping the flame alive, and this is even from 2017! Recent! Although, again: I listen to the same shit, even if some of it was made not long ago.

Five Songs, 11/30/2020

Posted on November 30, 2020 | Joshua Buergel

Belle and Sebastian, “I Want The World To Stop”

I’ve written before about how I don’t love Write About Love, so I won’t rehash that here. It’s fine, but it’s just a little too slick and it just doesn’t resonate with me. I think this song is probably a good example of what I think. All the moves are there for this to be an excellent song, some horns, some handclaps, sweet backing vocals - but it just doesn’t quite land. Stuart just doesn’t sound like he’s really throwing himself into it, there’s a little too much repetition in the lyrics, and it just doesn’t seem too inspired.