Portastatic

The Good, The Bad & The Queen, “Herculean”

This is one of Damon Albarn’s side projects, kind of a supergroup. And it was sort of the record that convinced me that maybe Damon Albarn’s stuff isn’t really my jam. It’s not like I don’t like this or anything, but it doesn’t excite me either. And I think that’s mostly true of his other work: I have no objection to Blur or Gorillaz, but I don’t seek any of them out either. Just not for me (and not for lack of trying).

Bim Skala Bim, “Wandering Soul”

Yeah, let’s hear it for 90s ska! Hey, what are you doing with that tomato?

Bim Skala Bim’s Bones is the one where they really cemented their sunny sound, sort of a pop/ska approach that they would more or less carry through the rest of their records. I think I’ve listened to their version of “Brain Damage” more than Pink Floyd’s original.

Elf Power, “Upside Down”

That’s a pretty tough sound for Elf Power! I’d like them better with more of this kind of thing.

Mastodon, “Black Tongue”

I spent a bunch of time with The Hunter last year, seeing if I could really get to the point of appreciating the record. It was a really big break with their previous two albums, and my initial reaction when it came out was that I didn’t care for new path. After that time spent, I can say that I still prefer the big prog-y compositions, but there’s a lot to like in this leaner album. It’s probably the right on-ramp to begin listening to Mastodon, truthfully.

The Police, “King of Pain”

“King of Pain” is the first song I can recall reading the lyrics sheet for in order to try and figure out what was going on in it (the lyrics sheet didn’t help much). While I’m fully on board with digital delivery for music, and I’m happy to not fill my house with CDs and stuff, I do think that there are certainly small pleasures lost without the physical packaging.

Some legendary names today.

Pixies, “Nimrod’s Son”

From their very first moment, the Pixies were already themselves. This song, from their debut EP Come on Pilgrim, already shows all the elements that people would come to love. What’s even more impressive was that this was just from a demo they recorded themselves. They sent the demo to 4AD, and 4AD turned around and released it. This EP used to be sold on the same CD as Surfer Rosa, making that one of the best single discs in my entire collection.