UPDATE: A couple things. First, while we saw videos and single releases in December, David Bowie’s Blackstar wasn’t released until January, which is why it isn’t here. Check back a year from now – odds are decent he’ll make the cut. Second, I pulled together a Spotify playlist for those of you who want a bit more. A couple tunes from
Read moreI recently started a new daily feature on my Facebook page. It’s pretty simple – each day I post a song/video. No rhyme, no reason. Usually. Here are the first 18 days, all in one handy place for your enjoyment. Happy Saturday. 11/24/15 Get it On, T Rex
Read moreIs Mary Forsberg Weiland being honest with herself? And now, for today’s “yes, but” story. In an open letter, the late Scott Weiland’s ex-wife talks at length about the loss the couple’s children face and she lingers on how hard she worked to save him, even after they split. I couldn’t agree more with every word she says. Seriously. And I feel
Read morePart 1 in a series. I’ll go first. And since it’s my idea, I’ll take the editor’s privilege and cheat a bit by giving you two solos instead of one. Up first, we go back to 1974 and “Brighton Rock,” the lead track on Queen’s third album, Sheer Heart Attack. The band’s first two releases had been relentlessly self-conscious in their
Read moreStarting tomorrow – fittingly, on TunesDay – S&R will launch SNRGTR, a series spotlighting our favorite guitar work of all time. We were tempted to say “greatest,” but we’ve all read enough online lists from trolls music journalists to know where that leads. Instead, we have kept it simple, selecting our most cherished axe moments. We’ll tell you what we love and
Read moreMuch of America is cold and white today. So let’s have some winter tuneage. John Phillips personal crimes notwithstanding, this is one of the greatest songs ever written.
Read moreI needed a soundtrack for yesterday’s workout and settled on my favorite Toronto band, The Birthday Massacre. Chibi and company are still rattling around in my head, so I thought I’d share the love, starting with the new video for “Superstition.”
Read moreChvrches, Metric, Meg Myers and IAMX lead the charge into autumn No major theme today – just some cool new discoveries. Let’s start with the latest from Chvrches – folks, end to end this is one of the absolute best pop CDs I have ever heard. “Leave a Trace” is the lead single and it’s the earworm from hell, but
Read moreSo, I wake up this morning to find that Frank Balsinger has uncovered an a capella take on Rammstein’s “Du Hast.” Because of course somebody would have to do that, and of course Frank would find it. So for SVR today, let’s enjoy some a capella abomination. I guess that would be a bomination, huh? First, Viva Vox, and if you don’t get why
Read moreOkay, the verdict is in. I’ve spun the eponymous Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightsweats at least 20 times now and it’s a legit CD of the year candidate. I’m hearing influences ranging from Sam Cooke to Van Morrison to old Appalachian gospel. Let’s check a couple vids, shall we? Here’s the one people seem to be raving about, “SOB.”
Read moreHaven’t done these in awhile. Ah, the perverse creative juices pumping through the intertubes…. Hey, remember that time The Beatles and Metallica did that collaboration? Here’s fellow scrogue Frank B’s favorite.
Read moreSometimes bands we love break up. Or someone dies. Or … maybe they just slide from relevance. If you’re like me, there are a lot of acts who fit this description. I miss Space Team Electra so bad it hurts, for instance. REM faded away more or less gracefully, but still I long for 1984. Here are some bands and solo
Read moreOh look, Till Lindemann from Rammstein has a new side project with Peter Tägtgren of Hypocrisy and Pain. What are the critics saying? Pigs, blood, phlegm and characters right out of a Hieronymus Bosch painting alternatively play in morbid grime or on a virginal white stage. Heavy guitar sounds, dark choirs and driving drum beats surge in the background. The lyrics are
Read moreAnybody wants to know why I can’t wait for the new Jason Isbell disc to drop, here you go. This ought to answer any questions you might have. Is there a better songwriter alive today?
Read moreI hope you’re enjoying a gorgeous spring day wherever you are, but i’s been raining here in the 5280 for a week now, and the weather report promises more for the weekend, except for the period when the rain stops and the snow starts. But we need the moisture. And some music to celebrate it. Let’s start with the definitive
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lullaby pit 