[ORIGINAL PATREON AIR DATE: 1/14/22]
This week we're tying up some loose ends by covering The Sun and the Moon. Formed by Mark Burgess and John Lever of The Chameleons, these guys are perfect if you're hankering for more Chameleons. Mike and Alex are less fond of this album than Burgess and Lever's previous work, but it's still worth a listen for fans of post-punk, new wave, and goth. Be sure to check out our full episode on The Chameleons!
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by The Virgins. Let’s just address this up front—we hate this band. It wasn’t our idea to cover them and we wish we weren’t so easily bribed to do so. But we did our best to give this band a fair shot and came out nauseous. Led by sole consistent member, singer/model Donald Cumming, The Virgins were short-lived, but were part of The Strokes’ era of indie in the early 00s. That’s about all we got.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by System of a Down. If you’ve been alive for the past 20 years, you can stop reading this. If you haven’t, then System of a Down was basically one of the last (maybe even THE last) massive, mainstream rock band in America. A fact that is doubly impressive when you hear how intricate and absolutely insane some of this music is. Extremely talented, unique, and wild. Not for everyone, but an important band.
Read MoreThis week, we’re discussing every album by The Blood Brothers. They a hard band to condense into a single description, but let’s just say they’re wild and they’re not for everyone. From Seattle, WA, The Blood Brothers can technically be called indie or post-hardcore, but they were far more mathy, chaotic, and unpredictable than the standard noisy rock band. There’s a lot to love and hate here, that’s for sure.
Read More[ORIGINAL PATREON AIR DATE: 12/31/2021]
We deliberately didn't cover this album on our original ELO episode, but we're finally getting to it now. This record is the soundtrack to the box office flop of the same name, Xanadu. Aside from starring Olivia Newton-John, we don't know much about the movie, but the soundtrack isn't too bad! At least the ELO half isn't. The first half is pure Olivia Newton-John, so take that how you will. The two collaborate on only one song here, just in case you were expecting the most 80s supergroup ever. Don't forget to check out our full episode on ELO (links below), as well as our Loose Ends on ELO's most recent album, From Out of Nowhere.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by The Jesus Lizard. These guys are one of the wildest, most talented, and most beloved noise rock bands to ever exist. Made up of David Yow and David Wm. Sims (Scratch Acid), Duane Denison (later of Tomahawk), and Mac McNeilly, The Jesus Lizard were special, plain and simple. Tight and punishing rhythm section, strange and haunting guitar lines, and David Yow screaming, slobbering, and breathing all over the mic. Listen to them now, please.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by post-punk band The Sound. Led by the late Adrian Borland, who tragically committed suicide in 1999, The Sound is easily one of the most underrated post-punk bands to exist. They began as garage rock-inspired punk and quickly made their way toward the new wave side of things, but with a few surprises along the way. Interesting and ultimately heartbreaking story this band has.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by MF DOOM. Known for his incredibly unusual samples, complex and clever lyrics, and his stainless steel gladiator mask, DOOM (real name Daniel Dumile) opened up an entirely new layer of hip-hop. There is so much to say about this dude—he was truly something else. We’re pretty sure he died in 2020, but we’re not certain.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by Portishead. Credited with pioneering trip-hop, as well as being one of the biggest bands of the 90s, Portishead released only three albums, yet managed to evolve alt music exponentially with each one. While they’ve never officially broken up, they are in no rush to put out records and only do so when they have something to say. A rare and impressive trait from a band with their level of success.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by Mercury Rev. Led by Jonathan Donahue and Grasshopper (with huge contributions by Dave Fridmann), Mercury Rev left their mark on indie rock with their 1998 album, Deserter’s Songs. But they have so many other albums that are either insanely underrated or overlooked completely. Their friendship with the Flaming Lips explains the stylistic similarities between the two, but their songwriting stands on its own.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by French electronic group Martin Dupont. While they never achieved mainstream success, they undoubtedly contributed to the advancement of electronic music in the mid 80s. Led by Alain Séghir, who was in medical school to become a surgeon at the time, Martin Dupont’s influence on the genre is obvious. Underrated, underappreciated, and aged better than you’d expect.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by Call Me Lightning. From Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Call Me Lightning was manic indie band (closer to noise rock) made up of core members Nathan Liley on guitar/vocals and Shane Hochstetler on drums. The band was short-lived and there isn’t a whole lot of info on them, but they have a cult following and some insanely good tunes. If you’re a fan of early 00s indie and noise rock in any way, these guys are a must.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing the only album by Lauryn Hill. Hill, who originally left her mark with hip-hop group the Fugees, changed the landscape of R&B/soul music with her album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. However, the immense success of the record led to a laundry list of scandals and drama. Love triangles, lawsuits, potential cult leaders, and eventually Hill doing actual time in jail. There are few artists with this insane of a story.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by Septic Death. If you aren’t familiar with the band, you’re definitely familiar with their singer, Pushead (aka Brian Schroeder), who is most known for his incredible artwork. Everything from Metallica, to the Misfits, to having his own limited edition Nike sneaker, Pushead’s style is unmistakable. Septic Death, however, is one of the most absolutely insane hardcore punk bands to ever exist. Words do not do them justice. They’re weird, folks.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by the great Jim Croce. Known by most as the guy who did “Time in a Bottle” and "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown," Croce was an exceptional songwriter and folk musician. The man struggled every minute of his career until his tragic and unexpected death in 1973, just days before the release of what would be his last record. Good stuff, sad stuff, real stuff.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by Saint Vitus. Led by guitarist Dave Chandler, Saint Vitus pretty much invented doom metal in the early to mid 80s after being signed to Greg Ginn’s (of Black Flag) record label, SST. While the band has gone through numerous vocalists and lineup changes, the infamous Scott Wino Weinrich left his mark on this band with some of their best albums. Heavy stuff, but definitely not for everyone.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by Scratch Acid. Formed in Austin, Texas, Scratch Acid were one of the very first noise rock bands and coined the style associated with Touch & Go Records. Although they are most famous for being one of Kurt Cobain’s favorite bands, Scratch Acid is a group unlike any other. You simply have to hear them. After they disbanded, singer David Yow and bassist David Wm. Sims went on to form The Jesus Lizard.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by The Sugarcubes. In addition to being Björk’s first band, The Sugarcubes were one of the biggest things to come out of Iceland in the late 80s. They were featured on Saturday Night Live, as well as had legends David Bowie and Iggy Pop attend their shows. Poppy, fun, and made even better by Björk’s voice.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by the one and only Steely Dan. Led by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, Steely Dan is known for pioneering yacht rock, as well as being one of the most recognizable dad rock bands on the planet. People love these guys. People also really hate them, too. Let’s just say we have a healthy mix of both on this episode.
Read MoreThis week we’re discussing every album by Death, the proto-punk band from Detroit, Michigan. Such an incredible band with one of the most fascinating and tragic backstories. Death was formed in the early 70s by brothers David, Bobby, and Dannis Hackney. The group somehow accidentally invented punk, but was lost to obscurity because no record label would touch the name Death. Fast forward 35 years and their recordings were discovered and reissued, along with the documentary A Band Called Death. Awesome band, and awesome story.
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