Album of the week
Johnny Blue Skies & the Dark Clouds - Mutiny After Midnight
This one got announced as a physical media only release (which is still cool as hell), but last Monday it just showed up on YouTube.
I have never been much of a Sturgill Simpson guy, but I don't mean that as any sort of commentary on the quality of his musical output (which is insanely good).
That said, Sound & Fury is very easily my favourite Sturgill release. And while this doesn't have the exact same sound, it has the same swagger to it.
Song of the week
Juvenile feat. Megan Thee Stallion - BBB
I saw some comment about this song that was something along the lines of "Megan's back on her one note again" and motherfucker do you think that's a bad thing? Megan hits that one note like a 90s Neil Young solo, my guy.
Classic of the week 1
Fugazi - Albini Sessions
There were bootlegs out there, but for whatever reason, even though I have a hard drive full of the most niche remixes, live recordings, alternate versions, etc, I'd never bothered to track this down.
But also, who knows how those mp3s would've sounded. And now we get to hear them in all their perfectly produced glory.
Of course, the thing about the sessions that Fugazi did with Steve in '92, is that the band wasn't particularly thrilled with how they played most of the songs, which is why they scrapped the recordings and re-did everything that would eventually become my personal favourite Fugazi album.
I'm glad they did what they did--the version of In on the Kill Taker that we got was better. But what a treat to hear these songs the way they were put to tape the first time, after all these years.
Some things are notably worse. The version of "Smallpox Champion" falls pretty flat the way it's played (it still fucking rocks though, ofc). But it's got that classic Albini production sound, including the snare drum that sounds like it's being played from the direct centre of your brain. And onthe flip side, the version of "Public Witness Program" absolutely rips.
If you love Fugazi, this is a must listen. And it's exclusively on Bandcamp with all the proceeds going to the Letters Charity that Steve was so involved in, so it's also a must buy.
Classic of the week 2
Fontaines D.C. - Black Boys on Mopeds (Sinead O'Connor Cover)
It was a great week for cover versions, mostly driven by the release of the Help (2) benefit for War Child.
The covers (there are also some originals mixed in there) run the gamut from "fun enough" to "stunners," but in an era when compilations don't even make a ton of sense, it's amazing how essential everything sounds as an album.
The good Irish lads in Fontaines just play it straight on this Sinead O'Connor all timer, but that's really all they had to do. Grian Chatten sounds great and it's lovely to hear the band, who really carry the torch of political activism that Sinead did, do this song by this artist.
Classic of the week 3
Olivia Rodrigo - The Book of Love (Magnetic Fields Cover)
69 Love Songs was much more of a songwriting exercise for Stephen Merritt than any sort of confessional, but that doesn't mean that some of the songs don't sound like they've got someone's entire being buried in them.
This one's been done a lot, but Olivia put together what's arguably the best cover by pinning her heart right to her sleeve and sanding away some of that big pop sheen.
Classic of the week 4
Turnstile - I Wanna Be Adored (Stone Roses Cover)
Turnstile simultaneously keep things very faithful to the original and also make this sound like it's a Turnstile song and sometimes those are the very best covers.
Also, depending on the day of the week, I might tell you that this the best bass riff of all time (on another day of the week, it might be a different Roses one).
More heat
Greg Mendez - I Wanna Feel Pretty
Ronboy - I Am Only Playing
Sprints - Trickle Down
now playing: Ratboys - The World, So Madly
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