Saturday, December 18, 2021
i'll write you a letter tomorrow
1989 - The Stone Roses - She Bangs the Drums
i'll write you a letter tomorrow
1986 - Big Black - Kerosene
I grew up in a suburb, not a small town, so I've never been able to relate to this song entirely on a lyrical level, but I remember hearing Big Black for the first time (after having heard Shellac) and just thinking about how until then I had a different understanding about how music could sound "heavy". From the lyrics to the actual sounds, Big Black always sounds like a ton of bricks being tipped off of a skyscraper.
These were close: Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls, Sonic Youth - Expressway to Yr Skull, Prince - Kiss, Primal Scream - Velocity Girl
1987 - The Replacements - Can't Hardly Wait
This could just as easily be Alex Chilton and in previous years it could just as easily a couple dozen other Mats songs. There's just this space that straddles punk and pop that the Replacements exist in that has always (at least since I found out about them) hit a sweet spot for me.
1988 - Fugazi - Waiting Room
I wouldn't ever call Fugazi a singles band, but they managed to extend beyond their usual tunefulness to pack a monster hook into this one. One of the greatest bass lines of my lifetime too.
These were close: Public Enemy - Don't Believe the Hype, NWA - Straight Outta Compton, Danzig - Mother
Since I realized what it meant, my favourite way to describe being smitten with someone that was too dorky to actually say out loud has been "she bangs the drums".
These were close: Pixies - Here Comes Your Man, Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down, Neil Young - Rockin' in the Free World
1990 - Sonic Youth - Kool Thing
When I saw them at the Vogue... I was going to say "well after Goo actually came out" which is still true. But also the gap between Goo and that show is a half decade shorter than that show and right this second.
Anyhow, this song still rocks 31 years after its release.
These were close: Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U, George Michael - Freedom 90, Public Enemy - Fight the Power
