Pardoner

Black Taffy, “Corridors”

Do current generations still get excited by the pops and noise of old shitty vinyl? For me, it has an emotional connotation because it evokes the way I played music as a kid. It’s a nostalgic sound, and so I have an affection for it as a consequence. I’m not alone there, in my generation. And, of course, it evokes the classic sounds of hip-hop, which is also a tremendously positive association. With the resurgence of vinyl, is it now an attractive sound again? Just to certain folks? Or is it just annoying? I guess I could ask my kids. They’ll probably only make fun of me a little and then claim they don’t even understand the question.

Pardoner, “My Sorry Ass”

We’re unabashed Pardoner fans here at Five Songs, who do a great job of bringing that 90s indie rock aesthetic into our ears. Go listen to them! They’re really good!

John Oswald, “Btls (Marco Integer)”

I think that’s the chord from “A Day in the Life” getting deconstructed. Fun!

The Exceptions, “Circles”

I generally like it when ska is mixed like this, with kind of an intimate mix putting the vocals forward and sounding like it’s in a small room. It’s nice!

The Delgados, “If This Is A Plan”

There are times when I kinda run out of things to say about a band. That’s not even interesting things, mind you, just things in general. I suppose I could just straight repeat myself, but the tags would betray that, if anybody cares. Besides, I’m sure I’m unintentionally repeating myself plenty as it is. I’ve written nearly a thousand of these articles, so nearly five thousand little stories. I haven’t had five thousand distinct things happen to me in my life!

Pardoner, “Silly String”

There’s something extremely early 90s about Pardoner’s sound on this track. It sounds like a lost track from a C/Z Records band, or maybe like some old Dinosaur Jr. track from the vault. That, of course, means I’m totally delighted by it.

Marvin Gaye, “Pride and Joy”

A single from 1963, with some jaunty piano really driving things here. A real charmer!

Gold Class, “Life As a Gun”

EXTREMELY post-punk stuff here out of Australia. There’s sort of a Discord feel to the guitars, and almost a Joy Division feel to the singing, which is a pretty potent combination. This is from their first album, It’s You, which is a pretty solid record.

Pardoner, “Uncontrollable Salvation”

Another cut from the first Pardoner album, which is just a delightful rock discovery from a few years back. I went in totally blind, just a single review I’d read, and it hits me just right. There’s the right amount of stank on the guitars, the tempo drives nice, it’s just good stuff all around.

Earth, Wind & Fire, “Reasons”

So smooth. The lights in the room just spontaneously dimmed here.

Pitchblende, “Flax”

Now, that’s a tune! Kinda wish they had left the vocals off, they’re pretty unnecessary here.

Pardoner, “My Sorry Ass”

A end-of-year list discovery from 2017, I didn’t know anything about this band before getting this record. But listen to that Pitchblende song (from 1993) and then this, and there’s just a straight line connecting them. This album rocks, in case it wasn’t clear.

Wick-it The Instigator, “Everlasting Shine Blockaz”

Here’s a fun one! Wick-it took Big Boi’s magnificent Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty and combined it the the Black Keys’ Brothers, resulting in a very fun mash-up. Listen to this track and then you can immediately decide if it’s your thing or not.

One of the most important songs in my personal history today.

Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way”

Run-D.M.C. had already declared themselves the Kings of Rock before 1986’s Raising Hell was ever released, but it took “Walk This Way” being a massive hit on both the radio and, more importantly, MTV for Run-D.M.C. to really actually take that throne. This crossover song not only brought rap into countless homes in America for the first time, it also was responsible for resurrecting Aerosmith’s career, so it also has a lot to answer for.