Art of the Apocalypse: The Best Indie Rock Albums and Songs of 2020

Editor’s Note: A version of this article can also be found on Medium

Never have we needed music more than in 2020. Never have we seen a tougher environment for new music. The constant assault of this year on our collective sanity has made it substantially tougher than normal to focus on and appreciate art. Now imagine how much harder it has been for creators to produce said art during the year. They have either had to block out all of their 2020 stressors in order to create anything or channel those stressors into their creations, all while knowing that touring - the musician’s main source of income in the backwards music industry model - had disappeared in an instant, without hope of returning for…a year? Two years?

Despite <gestures wildly> all of this working against us, we have gotten some fantastic records in 2020. Some were produced pre-pandemic and came out early in the year. Many of these were casualties of COVID, with all grand plans for tour support having disappeared into the ether. Others were written right in the middle of everything, and had to compete for attention with the siege of pandemic and election news. They may have come and gone while you were obsessing over one or more of the big events of the year, but if you missed them then, you should take some time for them now.

Best Albums of 2020

Disclaimer: my best-of lists do not attempt to be all things to everyone. This is about guitar-driven independent rock in 2020. In the space of about five years, some of the more prominent, once reliable year-end music lists have transformed from unique sources of discovery into bland, cookie cutter regurgitations of whatever sold the most during the year (the one exception to this appears to be The Alternative, which cranked out a solid list this year). Most have turned into today’s version of Billboard charts, highlighting only what the few remaining major labels prefer across every genre. In my articles, you get only what legitimately grabs me and, let’s face it, in only a handful of genres. Onward…


Beach Bunny – Honeymoon

This record is stellar. It didn’t fully land for me on my first pass, and I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s because the first half is solid, while the back half just blew me away. The back end of this record is better than anything else I’ve heard in a long time. Colorblind is the only song this year that I just couldn’t put down. It alternates between strong guitar lines behind catchy choruses and playful guitar interludes. It sounds as though the two guitars are singing to each other and having the time of their lives doing it - I just love it and am incapable of listening to it just once. It feels like this song construction is part of an evolution of Beach Bunny’s sound. Dream Boy and Cloud 9 take on a similar style to crush the end of the album. If this is what Beach Bunny is going to be moving forward, I’m all in. The first press is on light blue vinyl and comes with a poster.


Greg Dulli – Random Desire

This record is not getting enough attention. Any Dulli album is likely to appear on my list, but this is the most complete record he has released in a decade, and it’s tragic that the pandemic robbed us of the tour that was supposed to accompany it. (Side note: I think the two best songs he has cranked out during that 10-year stretch - These Sticks and Lost in the Woods - were on The Afghan Whigs’ Do to the Beast, but on the whole, I think Random Desire is a slightly superior album.) The tracks I keep going back to are The Tide, Black Moon, and Pantomima. Black Moon is the quintessential killer closer from Dulli, even though it’s not actually the last track on the album. People seem to have latched onto Lockless as well. I like that one, but I’m still acclimating to Dulli’s newfound low-end vocal warble, and it’s a little overpowering on Lockless. Bottom line: Random Desire is excellent and belongs in a whole lot more end-of-year lists. Released on clear and black vinyl, along with a Barnes & Noble exclusive signed version (black vinyl).


Diet Cig - Do You Wonder About Me?

Diet Cig’s second full-length was definitely a victim of COVID. It dropped May 1, right in the middle of the first real wave. A very good effort overall - poppier and more mellow than their first album, with a few more interlude tracks, but just as many earworms: Thriving, Who Are You?, and Night Terrors will all get lodged in your brain if you give them the opportunity. Flash Flood is the highlight for me, though - that’s the only real high-energy song on the album. I like it most when Diet Cig gets a little thrashy. This band has stayed busy during the COVID months, with frequent streaming performances (it helps that they live together). They also launched a Patreon site a few months ago, and they are one of the bands that is doing Patreon the right way; lots of variety in their content, catering to different types of fans, but consistently knocking out exclusive tracks (one cover per month). And don’t sleep on the track they just put out on the new digital Father/Daughter holiday compilation. I think it’s my second favorite Diet Cig song of 2020. The first pressing of Do You Wonder About Me? came out on glow-in-the-dark and baby pink vinyl.


Long Neck - World’s Strongest Dog

Long Neck has had one hell of a year. Following the resolution of the public battle between Adult Mom and Tiny Engines Records (I’ll spare you the rehashed details - Google can tell you everything you need to know), Long Neck also extracted themselves from their relationship with the label. They reached an agreement to pay back expenses related to the recording and pressing of their new album, and then took to Indiegogo to crowdsource the necessary funding. Well…it worked. Dramatically. They hit their goal in four hours, and the self-released record came out in April. Just in time for the first wave of the apocalypse in New York. Maybe that’s why I didn’t initially listen to it as much as I should have. I really liked it from the start, but I think bigger things were afoot. I listen to it a lot more now. It is a particularly solid rock record: strong guitars, vocals, and lyrics, with great overall intensity that peaks when it needs to. They Shoot Horses lays waste to its enemies with reckless abandon. Other highlights: Campfire, Cicada, M.D.P. Campfire gets stuck in your head quite easily, especially in light of the live stream series that main Long Neck creator Lily Mastrodimos organizes called Around the Campfire. These are really well done and well worth your time. Lily gets some spectacular bands to participate and the sound is usually really good (far better than many live stream shows I’ve seen). The vinyl came out on a really cool blue swirl and a salmon pink.


Oceanator – Things I Never Said

Oceanator is another Tiny Engines refugee. Elise Okusami, the creative force behind Oceanator, launched her own label, Plastic Miracles, and used that imprint to put out Things I Never Said. This is a great rock record. Elise hits on a number of different styles throughout the album, many of which grow out of slower tempo and strong guitars. There’s one faster-paced song on here, Heartbeat, and it’s my favorite on the record. There’s another track on here, I Would Find You, that should be the soundtrack to a montage of bad things happening in an 80s movie. I mean that it a good way, I promise. Okusami also managed to do one thing that no one has really done well since the 90s: nail the rock epic. Now, the rock epic doesn’t mean the same thing it once did: I’m talking about 5–6 minute songs. That’s about as epic as our 2020 attention spans can handle, though. Hide Away and The Sky Is Falling are two of those anthemic epics, and both are excellent. The first pressing was of Things I Never Said was on two colors: orange and orange with yellow splatter. Big Scary Monsters released a different version in the UK, and the album has since been picked up by Polyvinyl. They are re-releasing it on a couple of additional fun colors in January.


Teenage Halloween – S/T

I saw Teenage Halloween twice in 2019, first with Team Dresch, and later with The Ergs! and Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band, and they killed it both times. They were fully on my radar at that point, and yet…I completely missed their first full-length coming out in September. I have now remedied that problem. This record slays. It’s 24 minutes of emotionally charged indie rock and pop-punk, and you can tell they mean every bit of it. It has the intensity I look for in all music. It’s tougher to find than you might think. Highlights: SMH City, Clarity, Summer Money. The first pressing was on orange and black splatter vinyl, and a second is already on the way.


The Beths – Jump Rope Gazers

The Beths’ second album has not received the media fanfare that the first did (outside of New Zealand). Maybe it’s the higher concentration of ballads on this one, but I don’t listen to it as much as I did their first record, despite it being a very good album. I do listen to a couple of tracks quite a bit. Dying to Believe and I’m Not Getting Excited are the two best examples on here of what I love about The Beths. Both are higher tempo tracks with catchy vocals and deceptively complex arrangements, and both rank highly on my list of songs of the year. Out of Sight and Mars, the God of War are both strong ones as well. And that’s not to say the ballads aren’t good - they are. I just like the other songs more. Jump Rope Gazers was first released on tangerine vinyl, and there was a version that came with a bonus 7″ featuring a demo and an earlier version of two album tracks. Then, there was a Vinyl Me, Please exclusive on yellow vinyl (highly annoying, as it required a Vinyl Me, Please subscription to purchase), and a Rough Trade exclusive on red vinyl (less annoying and available to everyone).


Bob Mould – Blue Hearts

Holy hell, folks, Bob’s pissed. When the first single from this album, American Crisis, dropped as a teaser, I knew we were in for something special. I like basically everything Bob Mould releases, but this is the best complete album he’s put out in some time. It is clear Bob took out his frustrations with the state of the country/world on his poor instruments in making this record. It’s not a subtle one, and it’s got a driving energy that hammers its lyrical points home. This is the closest-sounding album to Hüsker Dü that Bob has released since that band existed. I think it’s fair to say angry Bob is the best Bob, at least if you are looking for loud guitars. Highlights: Next Generation, Siberian Butterfly, American Crisis. Released on a really cool black/white/blue tri-color vinyl as well as black.


Ratboys – Printer’s Devil

Ratboys have classically been a little mellow for my tastes. I’ve always really enjoyed their faster-paced stuff, but have never gotten fully locked in before now. Then came Printer’s Devil. I Go Out at Night is a particularly beautiful song, and as it stands, one of my favorites of the year. Anj and Alien with a Sleep Mask On are two other highlights, but it is a great record all around. Despite not being able to tour, the band has been super active with live stream performances. They did a whole virtual tour, and if you haven’t caught one of their streaming performances, you should, as they will charm you to death. The first press of Printer’s Devil was on several colors with fun names: sandstorm, lake blue, mist grey, and dissolve red. That’s obviously the blue one above. There’s a second press with some additional fun colors.


Best Songs of 2020

I discussed many of these tracks above, but there are some other to cover, as not all came out on albums. First off, can we take a moment to recognize that we got new Archers of Loaf material this year?!? It’s damn good, too. Four songs, two singles…and then the planned accompanying tour dates disappeared into the COVID void. All are good, but Raleigh Days is the best of the bunch. It sounds like vintage Loaf, and I am here for it.

Next up: Anika Pyle did it again this year. She only put out a couple of songs in 2020, but one of them was this indie-pop gem: Poetry vs. Reason. This song would have taken the top slot for me if I hadn’t gotten so wrapped up in Colorblind.

Then, we have Fishbone. As you may or may not have heard, Fishbone is red hot. Fishbone has also been playing in recent years with their full original lineup (minus Kendall), and it’s been amazing to see. This year, news broke that they recorded a new album with Fat Mike, for 2021 release. They teased one track in a live performance - a modern take on Strange Fruit called Estranged Fruit, and holy crap is it good. Since it’s not officially out yet, I will save that song for next year’s list. However, Fishbone also performed a cover of Alice in Chains’ Them Bones for the Museum of Pop Culture Founders Award. For this, they had the full original lineup - Kendall included. And they just slayed it. That one makes the 2020 list, even if it was a live performance and not an official single.

And finally, we got news this year that Sincere Engineer had been signed to Hopeless Records, and with that news, we got a new track, Trust Me, and it kills. When I first heard this band, I considered it a guilty pleasure. The more I listened to their first album, Rhombithian, though, the more I realized that, no, they’re a work of emo-punk beauty, and they crush it without exception. This is their newest, and it makes me pretty excited for the next album.

So here we are…my top tracks of 2020:
1. Beach Bunny – Colorblind
2. Anika Pyle – Poetry Vs Reason
3. Archers of Loaf – Raleigh Days
4. Greg Dulli – Black Moon
5. Sincere Engineer – Trust Me
6. Ratboys – I Go Out at Night
7. The Beths – Dying to Believe
8. Long Neck – They Shoot Horses
9. Diet Cig – Flash Flood
10. Oceanator – Heartbeat
11. Greg Dulli – The Tide
12. Beach Bunny – Cloud 9
13. Fishbone – Them Bones (live)
14. Bob Mould – Next Generation
15. Teenage Halloween – SMH City

These songs and many more can be found on my Best of 2020 playlist:

Best of 2019 in Indie Rock

Here we are…the last year-end summary of the decade. I’m in an amazingly different place at the end of the decade than I was at its onset. It was a different world, I was living in El Salvador, and I had completely lost the ability to find new music. Several years later, I got my mojo back and figured it all out again. As always, you will not see all of the same artists on my best of list as you will on the industry’s biggest names. I don’t try to span every genre. These are the records I found myself listening to most often this year. Let’s get at it.


Fresh – Withdraw

I’ve said quite a lot about this record, and I’m not done. It’s brilliant. Just fantastically crafted. I liked their first album enough to keep paying attention. Prior to Withdraw’s release, I heard the track Willa and knew it was going to be a special record. There is no stronger run of songs on any album this year than Nervous Energy/Going to Brighton/Willa. Fresh combines strong indie rock guitar work with clever lyrics and catchy as hell choruses. The album closer, Revenge, is an anthem you will be screaming for years. It took some work, but I got to see Fresh on their brief first U.S. tour a couple of months ago and highly recommend you see them wherever and whenever you can. The first pressing was 300 copies on yellow vinyl and 200 on split yellow and green vinyl.



Tacocat – This Mess Is a Place

Tacocat continued on the trajectory of their recent albums on their official Sub Pop debut – away from the harsher guitar sound and in the direction of straight pop songs. And it works – there are a few supremely catchy songs on this one, most notably Grains of Salt, Rose-Colored Sky, and Crystal Ball. They released I Grains of Salt before the album came out and I listened to it to death. The subject matter of this album varies a bit from previous efforts, as some tracks deal with the band reconciling what’s going on in the world around them. Good stuff. The Loser Edition was on jade-green vinyl. A black vinyl version is also out there.



That Dog – Old LP

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this record. You just never know when a band makes their first album in 22 years. Well…they nailed it. Old LP is a beautiful record. And it unmistakably a That Dog album, jumping from a distinctly 90s guitar edge (as in Just the Way) to a symphony (Old LP), with fabulous vocal harmonies throughout. The title track, Old LP, is a heartbreaking tribute to the Haden triplets’ father, who passed away in 2014. After the record came out, I had a few weeks to train myself to keep it together before seeing them play it live. I got close, but I failed. It’s a gorgeous, but difficult, song. Released on black vinyl and yellow vinyl. The yellow one was mostly exclusive to Kickstarter backers, but the had a few left over, which they sold in their Hello Merch store.



Martha – Love Keeps Kicking

That was this year? How is that possible? I feel like I’ve been listening to this record for at least two years. I have not. For anyone who has listened to Martha before, this record will fit expectations: powerful pop-punk earworms. Any track on here could get stuck in your head for days on end. Really strong showing, start to finish. Favorites: The Void, Into This, Wrestlemania VIII. The U.S. vinyl was on Dirtnap and came in opaque maroon (200), opaque pink (200), and black vinyl. The UK version (on Big Scary Monsters) was on blue with blue splatter (300), red (700), and black vinyl (1,000).



The Subjunctives – Sunshine and Rainbows

Holy hell, I needed this one. This was the first full-length from The Subjunctives, the latest band from Ean Hernandez of Sicko. And it is awesome. It sounds a lot like what I would imagine a 2019 Sicko record would sound like, if you added a handful of sadder lyrics into the classic mix of upbeat, nostalgic, and funny ones. Ean and company reminded us with this record that they were, are, and will forever be pop-punk royalty. This is how the rest of us should be doing it. Pass It On should get stuck in your head, Hey Dad is infectious, but with some depressing undertones beneath the pop-punk exterior, and Dumbass is the office worker’s anthem that we’ve all needed. And to make sure it lives up to its 90s roots in full, there is even a hidden track at the end of the last song…which is fine in my home music library, but dudes, you’re messing with my Spotify playlists. It’s out on Top Drawer Records on red vinyl.



Charly Bliss – Young Enough / Supermoon

Charly Bliss surprised us with an EP late in the year here, so they get a double entry. Their second full-length, Young Enough, is very different from their debut. Gone is the fuzzy guitar noise that first drew me in. They doubled down on pop songs and synth for this one, and added some darker subject matter. It’s clearly a much more personal record than anything they’d released before. On first listen, I wasn’t sure about it, but it grew on me quickly. Then I saw them perform it live, and it jumped several additional notches for me. The boundless energy Eva poured into every song made them come alive for me much now fully. I think The Truth is one of the best overall songs they’ve written. Young Enough came out on blue vinyl in the U.S. (Barsuk) and UK (Lucky Number). There was also a Vinyl Me, Please exclusive version on orange vinyl with blue and white splatter (limited to 300).

Then they went and dropped Supermoon. They described this EP as in between the sound of their first and second albums, and I concur. The whole thing is great. Threat, Slingshot, and the Supermoon are all excellent tracks. The vinyl for this one is coming out next year.



Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band – Flyover

Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band should probably be from Jersey, but they are an unabashedly Midwestern band of rock n’ roll misfits. Their latest album, Flyover, is packed full of American rock vignettes. I’ve always thought their stuff fit really well with The Gaslight Anthem, except with Gaslight, I always got the sense that they were playing a part. The Blue Diamond Band is not – they are every bit what their songs say they are. The record is strong throughout, but the 1-2 punch of Standing on the Corner Alone and The Roadrunner is my favorite part. Flyover is out on Don Giovanni on black vinyl.



Upset – S/T

Upset has the distinction of being the only band on here I enjoyed listening to, but knew next to nothing about. So I looked them up. Hold up, Patty Schemel is in Upset? From Hole?!? Who knew? Anyway, I’d picked up their drop a few years ago and thought it was really solid, so I got their full-length when it came out last month. Also very solid – classic indie rock song composition and fun throughout. The two tracks that really stand out for me are Tried & True and Mullet, both of which appear late on the album. Released on the ever-dependable Lauren Records. 300 copies on butter cream vinyl.

And here, for your listening pleasure, is a playlist featuring all of the above and more. 2019 had a lot of songs that were clearly designed to be the heavyweight closer for their respective albums. I put them all at the end of the playlist because of that, but then realized that most of my favorites for the year were buried at the end. Also, “Old LP” was the no-question closer, so I moved the others up. Buy the records! Listen to the playlist, too!

A Farewell to Cayetana

Last night, I celebrated Cayetana at the band’s penultimate show in Brooklyn. Now, bands come and go. It’s the natural cycle of things. I’ve seen many beloved bands hang ‘em up during my ample years as a music fan. Today, though, I find myself reflecting upon the loss of this particular band more than I normally would, and I thought I would put some words to why that might be. Two things have meant everything to me throughout my life: love and music. (Yes, we can give sports a nod here as well, but that means nothing in the face of the other two.)

I have played the role of the truly hopeless romantic for my entire life, and have been fortunate enough to know real love. Anyone who knows me at all knows I joined one of the world’s shittiest clubs in 2014, when I became a widower in my 30s. In the four horrible years that led to that moment, there was no room for anything else in my life. Keeping her alive against the odds was all-consuming. When she died, I was left with a limitless void in my life. I mean…obviously. It somehow went deeper than the self-evident loss, though. Since there had been no room for anything else for so long, there was really nothing left.

This is not to say I had stopped being a music fan or record collector. Somewhere along the way, though, I had completely lost the ability to find new bands. It hadn’t started with the illness, but that had rendered impossible any chance of getting it back. In reality, it had set in at some point in the preceding several years overseas – somewhere in the 2006 range. It happens to almost everyone – you finish college and suddenly have no idea how to find new music. But ME?!? Inconceivable! I was the obsessive collector! The guy cranking out mix tapes for people stuffed with bands they never would have heard of otherwise! How did this happen?

So in 2014, as I was relearning how to put one mental foot in front of the other, cringing each day at the newfound deafening silence in my house, I made the conscious decision to get it back. I started digging around for current best-of lists and found a few things that grabbed me, none more so than Cayetana’s “Hot Dad Calendar”. I watched that video a few times and immediately bought their Nervous Like Me record, which had been out for a month or two (yes, of course I bought all of the variants…). I listened to that album to death. I probably put on “Dirty Laundry” 15 times in a row at one point, behavior I hadn’t exhibited with any song in well over a decade. (Actually, I remember what the previous one was – it was “For the Win” by The Reputation.)

What was special about this? Well, it was honest. Real, open, heartfelt. Each instrument stood out on its own. And, of course, it was catchy as hell. I am a sucker for honest indie rock with an up-tempo guitar edge. Most listeners can tell the difference between honest songs and affect, unless the band is made up of really phenomenal actors. When it’s real, it grabs me. This grabbed me.

In January of 2015, a group of some of my oldest and closest friends decided I needed a break, so they took some time out and took me to New York for a weekend. They were right – I needed it. One friend said he had looked and hadn’t seen any shows I would want to go to that weekend, but thought I should take a look on my own. Oh shit, look at that – Cayetana’s playing in Brooklyn. Done. They slayed Baby’s All Right that night – their performance was everything I wanted it to be. I hadn’t realized that the Brooklyn show was basically a Philly indie rock showcase, so that opened me up to a bunch of other bands.

Cayetana - Baby's All Right, Brooklyn, NY, January 2015

I saw them a bunch of times in the subsequent months and years. August 2015 was notable – I caught a great show of theirs at St. Stephens Church in DC, and then, two weeks later, they were playing again in Baltimore. I had planned to go, but did not. Why? Well, 1) I had seen them two weeks prior, 2) getting to Baltimore from DC for a weeknight show was a pain in the ass, and 3) I wanted to not be a zombie for a date I had the next night. Who knows how this would have gone otherwise, but I am glad I was fresh the next day, as the date went rather well – I somehow found real love again and married her a year later. What I didn’t realize was that Chumped played that night as well, and I didn’t know them yet, but got fully hooked on them later, and that turned out to be the only time I would have seen them play. Unfortunate, but I’d say it was an acceptable trade-off, all told.

Cayetana - St. Stephens Church, Washington, DC, August 2015

Anyway, I guess this is all to say that Cayetana has been intertwined with my personal rebirth for almost five years. In that time, I found love again and rediscovered my ability to dig deep and find great new bands, and this band was there at all of the pivotal moments in my journey back from a dark place. And I guess that’s why it is more difficult than normal to say goodbye. But I must say goodbye, and I also say thank you, Cayetana. I do not know you personally; I have only even met one of you once – Augusta once at one of her solo performances. But the honest, poignant music you have put out into the world will forever hold extra meaning for me, as a symbol of my musical reawakening.

Cayetana - Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY, August 2019

Best Indie Rock Albums of 2018

I’m not sure why every Best of 2018 list I see finds it necessary to represent every genre equally. The lone exception I have seen is Brooklyn Vegan, which started publishing genre-specific best-of lists along with their overall Top 50. In general, though, everyone seems to feel the need to be all things to everyone, and that just results in the same 5-10 records from each genre appearing in some shuffled order, which gives us a remarkably uninteresting degree of homogeneity. When I read year-end articles, I want to find things I would not have found on my own.

If you have read anything I have ever written about music, you know what you’re getting here: independent guitar rock, with at least a 90% chance of it having female vocals. This is both a personal preference, as women’s voices just appeal to me more than men’s, and the state of the genre…let’s face it – women are crushing guitar rock right now. And it’s all from indie labels. I don’t write music off because it is not independent, but I have heard so little of interest out of the major label world in many years that I spend most of my time looking elsewhere and digging deeper. So with that, let’s see what commanded my attention in 2018. I stopped ranking these a couple of years ago because there was little point…people get way too hung up on rankings.

Best of 2018 Playlist
I’ll make this easy and lead with my 2018 playlist.

Shattered World Radio
And if you like these songs, many of them are featured on my internet radio station, Shattered World Radio:

You can check it out on its own page here: Shattered World Radio

Remember Sports – Slow Buzz
Remember Sports - Slow Buzz
This record slays. I’m having a hard time not just ending my review with that, but life is difficult, so I persist. I will give you my negatives up front: two tracks were released on last year’s split 7″ with Plush, meaning I can’t use them on my 2018 playlist, and one other is a reworking of one of their older tracks, so only 9 of 12 tracks were new to me. That’s it. Those are the only bad things I can say. This album is great. From the very start, before they changed their name from SPORTS, the band has shown a tremendous talent for nailing catchy-as-hell guitar riffs, with emotive vocals and clever lyrics. Slow Buzz shows continued improvement on all of those fronts. This is a phenomenal album, out on the always-reliable Father/Daughter records (from San Francisco, my newly adopted city!). The opening track, Otherwise, has a slow intro. Focus inward and harness what is left of your attention span for a minute and wait for it to kick in. That drum beat has been finding its way to my fingertips several times a day since about June. The first pressing was 500 copies on baby blue vinyl and 500 on Grimace purple and bone color-in-color, and both are somehow still available, which is criminal. Get on that. Highlights: Otherwise, Up from Below, Calling Out, Pull Through.

Katie Ellen – Still Life EP
Katie Ellen - Still Life
I got fully hooked on Katie Ellen’s debut full-length late last year. That record led me backward to Chumped…still not sure how I missed them when they were a band. Actually, it turns out that I was one small decision away from seeing them open for Cayetana a couple of years ago. I ended up bailing because a) I had seen Cayetana two weeks prior, b) it was on a Wednesday in Baltimore, and I was not, and c) I had a date the next night, and decided I should not be completely exhausted for that. On the one hand, I missed out on seeing Chumped. On the other hand, I met my wife on the date, so…I’ll take the hit on that one. Anyway, all of this is to say I have fully reached the point at which I am all in on any music Anika Pyle creates. She has a brilliant mastery of conveying emotion through powerful music and brutally honest vocals (always a winning combination in my book). Katie Ellen put out an EP this year on Lauren Records, and it is excellent. Adaptation of Para Todos is my favorite song of the year. There were 200 copies on orange vinyl and 300 on lavender – both have etched b-sides and both are still available. Highlights: Adaptation of Para Todos, Still Life.

The Sonder Bombs – MODERN FEMALE ROCKSTAR
The Sonder Bombs EP (2017)
The Sonder Bombs - MODERN FEMALE ROCKSTAR The Sonder Bombs EP
This band caught me off guard. I now have no idea where I first heard them. It actually might have been a Spotify playlist. I’m including both their 2017 EP and 2018 album here because I just can’t overlook the song End of My Daze, from the EP, which is just about perfect. This band knocks out catchy indie-punk songs with powerful female vocals and a ukulele. It works, and it’s awesome. Lead singer/ukulele shredder Willow Hawks has a big voice, and uses a slight overprojecting style that reminds me of early No Doubt, Save Ferris, or even Tilt. None of those bands ever really did it for me, but the Sonder Bombs do. The lyrics are powerful and not subtle – there is no mistaking Hawks’ feelings about…well, anything. U(ke) Ain’t Enough is my favorite track on the full length. Ms. Hawks clearly has a chip on her shoulder about everyone who has told her she couldn’t have a punk band with a ukulele, and this song is a giant finger in their direction. And it’s fantastic. The music has perfect punk rock urgency, and how can you not love something with the line, “So you can kick my ukulele punk-rockin’ ass”? Listen to the final track on the album straight through – it contains one of the more brutal gut-punch moments I’ve heard in a while. Anyway, I highly recommend everything they have put out so far. No vinyl as of yet – CDs and cassettes. Highlights: End of My Daze (from the EP), U(ke) Ain’t Enough, Pot & Kettle, Twinkle Lights.

Skating Polly – The Make It All Show
Skating Polly - The Make It All Show
I gave this record its own full write-up a couple of months ago. As I said in that one, I think people get hung up on how young the members of Skating Polly are, and it unfairly limits how good the band can be in their minds. It’s time to stop saying, “Wow, that’s great for their age,” instead of just, “Wow, that’s great.” The Make It All Show is a killer rock record. There are some intense, shredding songs on here with evil, menacing bass lines and brutal vocals. Go listen to They’re Cheap (I’m Free) and Camelot right now. Then go see Skating Polly live. I had been dying to see some of the songs from this album in person since it came out, and finally did this past month. They’re Cheap (I’m Free) matched the intensity of the recorded version. Camelot somehow blew the recorded version away – it was a half-step faster and just leveled the room. Hollywood Factory is another good one – that one is more of a great pop song. Little Girl Blue and the Battle Envy is a fabulous rock epic. The whole record is worth your time. The first pressing was on pink vinyl with red splatter. Highlights: They’re Cheap (I’m Free), Camelot, Hollywood Factory, Little Girl Blue and the Battle Envy.

The Beths – Future Me Hates Me
The Beths - Future Me Hates Me
This is the one record on this list you are likely to find on many others. I read a lot of reviews of Future Me Hates Me that were some form of “nothing groundbreaking here, but it’s still great.” Initially, I agreed. I enjoyed my first pass through the record, but my main reaction was, “Solid indie pop songs.” Then, a few hours later, my brain said, “Hey…you know that album you just listened to? Do that again.” As an obedient slave to my impulses, I complied. Then I did it again. Suddenly, I found myself listening to The Beths more than anything else over the last couple of months of 2018. So what is it about New Zealand’s indie pop masters that gets me? Great hooks? Check. Great vocals? Yup. Fun, rolling drum beats? Sure. Building intensity throughout songs? Definitely. All of these things are elements that typically catch my attention. I think the thing that really stands out for The Beths above other indie bands is lead singer Elizabeth Stokes’ ability to convey her inner monologue through her lyrics. These songs are riddled with clever ways to describe the things that are going through her head. A simple, “You make me feel three glasses in,” from Little Death, demonstrates more romantic unease than most whole songs. The title track, Future Me Hates Me, which has been in heavy rotation on SiriusXM’s XMU station, has been stuck in my head for at least the last two months. That one is a brilliant journey through Stokes’ decision to let her guard down. In rapid succession, it goes from her putting her foot down with, “It won’t happen again,” right into, “It probably won’t happen again,” and then makes its way into the supremely catchy chorus, in which she admits that the subject of the song makes her want to risk going through all of the hell that can accompany relationships. The album is out on Carpark Records. The first and second pressings of the record were on “tangy yellow” vinyl, and, as far as I can tell, are indistinguishable. The third pressing was on a clear aqua vinyl, and we’re now onto the fourth, which is a clear emerald color. They can’t keep it on the shelves. Highlights: Little Death, Future Me Hates Me, River Run: Lvl 1

The Joy Formidable – AAARTH
The Joy Formidable - AAARTH
Every Joy Formidable album that comes out takes me some time to process. I wonder if this is true for most people, and perhaps contributes to their recent commercial success not quite measuring up to that of their breakthrough album, The Big Roar. This band doesn’t fully fit anywhere right now. They still have the 90s-style big guitar sound that made them catch on with the masses for a time. They are no longer supported by a major label, which hurts their exposure a bit. They haven’t released a radio-ready song in several albums now, either. However, everything they’ve put out remains really good. It does take some time to absorb, though, and in a limited-attention-span world, that is probably the thing working against them most. AAARTH, their latest effort, should mostly be enjoyed as a whole. Again, it took me several listens before individual tracks started to grab me…but then, they did. What For is my favorite by a substantial margin – that song excels in delivering rock n’ roll urgency. AAARTH was released in several vinyl forms: the most elaborate was a box set, containing a red vinyl version of the album (limited to 300 copies), along with an exclusive 7″ picture disc, a handful of other items, and a subscription, with which the band sends you 10 additional exclusive tracks (one per month). It also came out on yellow vinyl (limited to 300, Rough Trade exclusive), Clear With Yellow and Magenta Splatter vinyl (indie retail exclusive), and black vinyl. The band still draws a great crowd and still shreds – I recommend seeing them, if you have not already. Highlights: What For, Go Loving, The Better Me.

Bad Moves – Tell No One
Bad Moves - Tell No One
I first caught Bad Moves live opening for Tacocat in DC in 2016, and anxiously awaited the release of their album for much of the two years that followed. Since that Tacocat show, it has become clear that they have assumed the mantle of the next great DC indie band – they seem to open for most bands I care about whenever those bands tour through DC. Great energy. Tell No One is a really solid debut album, full of infectious indie pop songs. Spirit FM is the biggest standout for me on the record (and the video is pretty great). The album came out on Don Giovanni Records, on black vinyl. Highlights: Spirit FM, Cool Generator, Missing You.

Long Neck – Will This Do?
Long Neck - Will This Do?
I came across this one late in the year – great album from Lily Mastrodimos of Jawbreaker Reunion. Now, let’s see…how to classify it. You know what? I can’t. It has some tracks with classic indie rock song structure, but then it has others that fall under the singer/songwriter heading. But wait, there’s more…others break out elements of folk and even Irish folk. The only thread that stays consistent through all songs is the vocals (and the lyrical references to northern New Jersey). It all works together well, and should be enjoyed as a complete album. Love Letters and Lichen are the songs that grab me most – they have a bit of extra intensity at certain moments. “I keep telling God I don’t care what he does, but I wish he’d send me to Jersey.” Released as a cassette on Tiny Engines. Highlights: Love Letters, Lichen, Milky Way.

Empath – Liberating Guilt and Fear
Empath - Liberating Guilt and Fear
Empath is an interesting one – indie rock with a whole lot of noise. They put out Liberating Guilt and Fear, a cassette EP, along with two 7″s in 2018 (both called Environments, which makes my OCD hurt). Every Empath release has had at least one truly great track on it. Each one also has several moments in which it devolves into harsh noise. They tend to lose me in those moments, but the other parts make those worthwhile. The song The Eye is freakin’ excellent, and is my favorite song of theirs hands down. Check it out. All of their stuff is on Get Better Records.

Poorly Timed Album Review: Skating Polly – The Make It All Show

Skating Polly - The Make It All Show LP
It turns out working full time while going to grad school, planning/executing a cross country move, and filming a documentary (more on that later) doesn’t leave a ton of time for other things. Who knew? Well, I have finished some of those activities, and can now turn some of my attention back to my website updates, and that means it is time to catch up on 2018 record reviews. First up: Skating Polly’s latest full-length, The Make It All Show. This one was released back in May. I do not think it has gotten nearly the attention it deserves. This is an excellent record, and the best they have released to date.

I think people have long gotten hung up on how young the members of Skating Polly are. Focusing on that automatically caps how good you think the music can be. It becomes, “Wow, that’s great for their age,” instead of just, “Wow, that’s great.” It’s time to drop the qualifiers, folks. The Make It All Show is a killer rock record. Starting some time in 2017, if I recall correctly, Skating Polly went from a two-piece, to a three-piece, adding their brother, Kurt, to the lineup on drums (mostly). I love what this move did for the band – the musical depth that an extra member added was immediately obvious.

The first (and only, so far) pressing of The Make It All Show was on a really cool pink and red splatter vinyl, released on El Camino Media:

Skating Polly - The Make It All Show - Pink/Red Splatter Vinyl

This record took an unexpected turn for me. I thought I had established a good idea of what to expect from Skating Polly musically. I’ve loved their energy since I first happened upon them at Riot Fest in 2015. Their harsher material best captures that energy and draws you in, but I have found that the tracks of theirs that keep me coming back have been the less-brutal, more-pop-influenced tracks. This has been true for their last three releases: “Dead Friends” and “A Little Late” on 2014’s Fuzz Steilacoom, “Pretective Boy” on 2016’s The Big Fit, “Black Sky” and “Louder in Outer Space” on last year’s New Trick EP

Those types of tracks are great on The Make It All Show as well. Their louder songs, however, have made the leap. The grand standout on the album is “They’re Cheap (I’m Free)”. This song’s vicious auditory assault tore a path of destruction through my living room. Once I sifted through the wreckage, I played it again. The track begins with a perfectly evil, menacing bassline and clear calm-before-the-storm vocals. The intensity builds and explodes into a chorus of savage badassery. It’s freakin’ great. Check it out:

Next up: “Camelot”. This one has a similarly vicious intensity level. It’s a full-speed, shredding rock beast, with another killer bassline. The last couple of lines could easily be the chorus of another song. Here’s the official video:

I’ll wrap up with my favorite of the less-noisy tracks: Hollywood Factory. I don’t have a ton of insights on this one…it’s just a great pop song and ends up stuck in my head with great regularity. Here, again, is the official video (they make a lot of those):

Great record, start to finish. Highly recommended.

Top Drawer Pop Punk Lives


14 Soda Punx LP
Top Drawer Records
Available January 19th

It’s 2018. Sicko is doing a reunion show. I’m flying out for it. Top Drawer Records is active again. I can’t really handle this combination of events. The Sicko performance is part of the two-day Seattle Pop Punk Festival, January 19th and 20th at Highline. You should do this. You still have time. I was a bit late to the party with Sicko (a friend introduced me in 1997), so I never got to see them play the first time around. Time to rectify that.

If that weren’t enough, though, Top Drawer decided to take it one step further, reviving the (tragically) lost art form of the compilation. In conjunction with the festival, they are releasing the 14 Soda Punx record, limited to 500 copies on red vinyl (pre-order here). This is a 23-year-later sequel to the classic Top Drawer 13 Soda Punx compilation.

Top Drawer and Sicko have always excelled at promoting the frequently overlooked Seattle pop punk scene, which has always existed – it shared space with the ’90s grunge boom era, and never achieved the fanfare. The Fastbacks managed to keep one foot in both worlds, but they were mostly alone in that – other bands were seemingly either in one camp or the other, and there was little overlap. Top Drawer planted the pop punk flag and flew it proudly while everyone else was perfecting their power chord/feedback balance.

So here we are. There is still pop punk in Seattle, and Top Drawer has come out of retirement to once again, with a small army of punk bands, to stake its claim to that segment of the Seattle music scene. And it’s good. 14 Soda Punx is a fascinating walk through a variety of pop punk styles. Parts of the record are like walking through a mid-90s Warped Tour lineup…you can hear influences all over the place from the bands of that time.

Since Top Drawer has brought back the compilation with authority, I am going to revive yet another lost art form: describing tracks on a comp by drawing comparisons with other bands. There are highlights all over the place, but one real standout for me is the opener. The record kicks off with a strong entry from Success called “Kurt Bloch,” a not-super-subtle musical love letter to the Fastbacks. It’s got Weston/Armchair Martian-style guitar work and vocals, which equates directly with happiness. It’s scientific fact. Really catchy and solid. Ramona’s “Token” follows, which is also fun – this one kind of sounds like one of the early Rancid tracks sung by Matt. Or something by Tilt. Or both together.

Shadow Cats bring us “Paranoia,” which sounds like a Fastbacks love child. Fantastic hooks and Hi-Fives-like vocal progression. Head-bobbing and infectious. Burn Burn Burn’s “What Doing” takes us on a detour from 14 Soda Punx and lands us in a ’90s Fat Wreck comp. Great energy. A couple of tracks later, after we find our way back from Fat Music for Top Drawer People, we crash into something straight out of Husker Du – the Botherations track “Amor Perdido.” I love the emotional intensity of this song. Intensity – whether in music or obvious in vocals – is a feature I am realizing more and more matters to me in new music.

At this point, we reach the brightest highlight for me on 14 Soda Punx. I will say that Top Drawer did its best to avoid making this record/festival a celebration of Sicko and its members’ new bands. I knew Denny’s new band was on here, but I did not know which band it was when I listened to it. When the Drolls’ song “Getting Old” kicks in, it takes all the guesswork out of the equation. This song brings me back to vintage Sicko. Great stuff. Ean’s new band, Date Night with Brian, follows with the characteristically catchy pop song, “Get It In.” The song is excellent, and it is a good follow up to their debut EP that came out in 2017 (which you should go check out from Top Drawer. It’s on Spotify, too). 14 Soda Punx closes with Dead Bars, probably the best-known of the bands on the record. They contribute the hysterical “Krist Novoselic’s New Band,” which…well, just go listen.

Top Drawer has returned with a vengeance, and it’s what we need in 2018.

Best of 2017

Best Albums of 2017

Have you noticed that all the “best of” lists from “independent” publications all kind of look the same this year? In past years, I’ve been able to find at least one or two that have contained decent overlap with my favorites. This year, they all seem to reflect what in the past would have been a Billboard end of year chart. Sorry, folks, I’m just not looking for you to tell me that Lorde or Kendrick Lamar had the best record of the year…I want something based on more than sales figures. I’ve also noticed that the big lists are very careful to cover ever genre. You won’t find any of that here.

Instead, first and foremost, you get a list of all of the albums that had me going back for repeated listens this year. There were a good number in 2017. I have included one release that came out late in 2016, because 1) I didn’t hear it until 2017 and 2) if one thing has been clear this year, it’s that there are no rules anymore. I’ve also kind of stopped ranking albums. Does it matter if something is #1 or #3 on my list? Not really. It’s kind of arbitrary and adds little value. We can say I listened the top tier ones a lot more often than the “other notable” records. That’s as much as I am going to break it down. Enjoy. There’s a lot of great stuff happening in the indie music world. I’m eager to hear your comments (and feel free to suggest other bands I’ve missed!).

Once you are done here, please check out the Pette Discographies Best of 2017 Mix Tape Playlist on Spotify. In order to embrace my inner nerd in full, I actually constructed to fit a 90-minute mix tape (allowing 46 1/2 minutes per side…).


Diet Cig – Swear I’m Good at This

It was a toss-up whether I anticipated this album or the new Afghan Whigs more when the year got started. I would have thought it impossible for this record to live up to the level of hype the machine in my head was cranking out…and yet, it did. It’s a fantastic album – catchy, energetic, brutally honest songs from guitarist/singer Alex Luciano’s adventures/missteps in early adulthood. Great hooks, fantastic energy. I can say with certainty that I listened to this record more times than any other in the first half of the year (and most likely more than any other all year). “Maid of the Mist” is a damn-near-perfect indie rock song, and it contains a delightfully vicious opening line: “I want to hold a seance for every heart I’ve broken, put them all in a room and say, ‘Get over it.'”. Other highlights: Bite Back, Blob Zombie. I’m really looking forward to seeing their songs performed with a full band in the spring (they have been a two-piece band to this point).


Katie Ellen – Cowgirl Blues

OK, let’s get this out of the way: first, Katie Ellen is a band name, not a person. Second, Cowgirl Blues is not a country album. I freakin’ love this record. Diet Cig dominated the first half of my year, but Katie Ellen took over the second. This record is full of excellent, infectious, heartfelt, and yes, brutally honest indie rock songs (sensing a pattern?). I know I said I wasn’t ranking things, but “Sad Girls Club” is my song of the year. I have listened to the full album many times over, and still cannot listen straight through without repeating that track a couple of times. It’s just a perfect, infectious song, and not just because it has the lyrical cadence of Nirvana’s “Drain You.” The chorus — “You have known for quite a while that I am not so well, sad girls don’t make good wives” — is even more biting when you see the lyric sheet, which contains quotes…i.e. ‘You have “known for quite a while that I am not so well’, sad girls don’t make good wives,” meaning this was probably something that was actually said to singer/guitarist Anika Pyle during a breakup. Rough. Anyway, fantastic record start to finish. Highly recommended. Highlights: “Sad Girls Club”, “Drawing Room”, “Houses into Homes”


Allison Crutchfield – Tourist in This Town

The curse of a January album release…by December, everyone forgets it came out this year. I gave Allison Crutchfield’s record a ton of my time in 2017 as well. It is packed with stellar indie pop songs with extensive earworm qualities. I had only listened to it once when she was touring through here, and I opted not to go, and I now regret it terribly. She spent most of the rest of the year touring with her sister as Waxahatchee (also a solid 2017 album), and now, it seems as though her focus may be shifting back toward the reunion of her previous band, Swearin’. That’s all good, but I was really hoping to hear some of this material live. I was also shocked to discover that an album I have had in my library for many years, the Ackleys, included 15-year old Allison and Katie Crutchfield. Blew my mind. Anyway…my favorite tracks: Expatriate, Dean’s Room, Mile Away


The Afghan Whigs – In Spades

It would take a lot for Greg Dulli to put out a record without it making my best of list. This is the second Whigs album since they reformed, and I can’t help but compare it to the last one. I would say that In Spades has a consistent quality to it, while Do to the Beast had more ups and downs. However, while I thought two tracks from Do to the Beast measured up to any of the best of Dulli’s extensive catalogue (These Sticks and Lost in the Woods), I did not feel that any on In Spades quite reached those heights (though I Got Lost gets close). There’s a quality in my favorite Afghan Whigs or Twilight Singers songs that gives me chills and stabs me squarely in the emotion vault. Only I Got Lost and Birdland do anything like that for me on the new record. I realize this is starting to read like a negative review…it’s not. In Spades is a great album, and I — at the very least — like every song on it. After almost 30 years (!) of transcendent music, though, my Dulli bar is set REALLY high. Highlights: I Got Lost, Birdland, Light as a Feather


Cherry Glazerr – Apocalipstick

Apocalipstick caught me off guard. I had formulated an opinion on Cherry Glazerr after their last record and singles, and felt fully comfortable in my “solid at times, but nothing that needed to be in the rotation” stance. Oops. I kept reading so many good things about their new record that I gave it a try a few weeks ago. The first two songs meshed well with my idea of the band’s sound. Same assessment: fine. Then, the third track, Moon Dust, hit, and knocked me on my ass. This is a badass, powerful rock song that thoroughly blew me away. It totally derailed my day, as I had to stop what I was doing and really give it a good listen. As I listened, more and more of it won me over. A later track on the album, Sip O’ Poison, bowled me over even more than Moon Dust had. This is one hell of an album, full of captivating songs with delightfully harsh and/or menacing guitar lines. Even the tracks that had me on the fence upon first listen have since grabbed me. Fully worth your time. Highlights: Moon Dust, Sip O’ Poison, Nurse Ratched


Charly Bliss – Guppy

I will be honest…the first time I listened to this record, early in the year, it didn’t resonate with me and I couldn’t get over the sound of the vocals. However, I read at least three different reviews as the year went on that said the same thing: something along the lines of, “the vocals turned me off at first, but then I couldn’t get the supremely catchy songs out of my head and now I love them.” I decided to give it another try, and I am really glad I did. Count me among those now on the Charly Bliss train. Now, I can’t figure out how I gave them a pass earlier in the year, especially since the album takes no time to get going; the guitar line in the opening track, Percolator, just crushes. I have listened to everything they have released kind of incessantly throughout the fall. Guppy is packed with addictive indie rock songs full of savage self-reflection and occasional shredding guitar lines. I love it. I got to see them a few weeks back and they did not disappoint. Interestingly, some of my favorites of theirs are the one-off mp3s and singles they have put out separately. In addition to the Guppy album, Don’t sleep on those: Turd, Clean, Special, Love Me are all fantastic. Highlights from Guppy: Percolator, DQ, Ruby.


THICK – It’s Always Something… EP
(2016)
I heard THICK on the fabulous playlist assembled by the NY Times as part of their Rock’s Not Dead, It’s Ruled By Women article that came out in September (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/01/arts/music/rock-bands-women.html – well worth one of your ten free articles this month). Both the article and the playlist are phenomenal. The playlist fully validated what I have been listening to in recent years, as 90% of the new bands that have hooked me in the past five years were featured. THICK doesn’t have much material out yet, but I like what I’ve heard. There’s a ton of potential in their handful of songs, which swing between indie and full-on riot grrrl. It’s Always Something… is a four-song cassette EP and all songs are good. You can already see the growth in songwriting from the other tracks that they have on Bandcamp, and I can’t wait to hear what’s next. Highlights: Puke’s Diner, Anymore


Skating Polly – New Trick EP

I’ve mentioned Skating Polly before on my best of lists. I continue to be intrigued with their rapid development as musicians. They drew me in with Babes in Toyland-esque noise, and kept me coming back with their less-thrashy, more harmonic material. this year, they went into the studio with Louise Post and Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt and cranked out a three-song 12″ EP, and it’s excellent. All good. They also added their brother to their touring lineup to make it a three-piece, and it had a great effect. Highlights: Louder in Outer Space, Black Sky

Other Notable Records of 2017


Cayetana – New Kind of Normal 

I’m still trying to figure out what to do with Cayetana’s second full-length album. It’s really good. And I rarely listen to it. Why? Well…it’s a tough album. It’s actually the perfect musical embodiment of depression. I don’t mean that in an, “I’m sad today and I’m going to turn out the lights, light a candle, and listen to _ to stew in it” kind of way (I left in blank because everyone has their personal preferences for this). No, this is not that type of album. This is a no-holds-barred, bleak portrayal of what it is like to wrestle with crippling depression. It’s not that it isn’t heartfelt…it’s just got that energy that someone has when they are just going through the motions of daily life as they battle all-encompassing depression. It’s brilliantly constructed, but, honestly, tough to put on with any regularity. There are a couple of standout tracks, like Phonics Failed Me, that break free from the bleak overall feel to strike at some more emotion; those do keep me coming back. However, there aren’t any songs on this record like a handful of the ones on the last album, like Dirty Laundry, that I may or may not have listened to 15 times in a row. Highlights: Phonics Failed Me, Am I Dead Yet


Date Night with Brian – S/T EP
I’m just happy that there are new songs from Ean Hernandez of Sicko. A solid EP of exactly what one would expect from him: poppy indie-punk songs. Highlights: Summertime, Anywhere


Greensleep – Cheap Headphones

Greensleep was one of my favorite bands of the ’90s. They were pretty unknown, especially outside of New York, but cranked out song after song of heartbreaking indie-punk during that time. I was really excited to hear that they were reuniting. Naturally, they are not the same band that they were then; a solid chunk of life has passed since the ’90s. In reforming, though, they added a fourth member, who now does the majority of the singing, and it has completely changed the dynamic of the band. Cheap Headphones is their first full-length album since reuniting. The main singer/guitarist from the original band only sings four of the eleven tracks on the album. Those four songs would make a fantastic EP; those songs somehow retain the angsty, early-twenties energy that the band had in the ’90s. The ones sung by the later addition to the band don’t have the same energy. Some are good songs, but the feeling is off. Highlights: 2nd Avenue, Restrepo, Armchair Revolutions.

Pette Discographies Best of 2017 Playlist

Instrumental Ska with Jazz Jamaica: Rico Rodriguez in the ’90s

Here’s a rare one (for me)…an in-depth study of someone’s discography that contains almost no vinyl.  The third wave ska scene featured something that I have not seen to my satisfaction since: truly fantastic instrumental ska albums.  While paying homage to the 1st wave with lots of covers, the 2Tone era broke fully from instrumental ska.  The 3rd wave went in several directions – punk ska (aka “punk with horns”), more traditional sounding ska with vocals, and then, the really traditional instrumental ska.  It was a particularly unique time in ska history, as a good number of the original Jamaican masters were still alive and touring, their influence obvious in every instrumental release.  One of these was the late Rico Rodriguez.  Rico was wonderful, and a trombone master.  Which brings us to today’s task: tackling the very confusing discography of Jazz Jamaica, the wonderful Rico Rodriguez band of the era.  “Oh, that’s easy,” you say.  “It was just two CDs, right?”  (Okay, I know you aren’t saying that.  Work with me.)  It turns out there were several albums that were only released in Japan, several others released under different band names, and even two using the name that were really by a different band.  It took me forever to get straight.

Total aside: I tried like hell to see Jazz Jamaica and/or Rico play before he died.  The world conspired against me.  Jazz Jamaica actually flew to the States for one show in the late 90’s – a free performance in Central Park.  My car was stuck in the shop longer than expected and I couldn’t afford the bus ticket to New York at that point.  I’m still kicking myself – I even had a friend who really had no interest go as a surrogate.  Then…years later, I lived in Switzerland, and I was supposed to drive to see Rico (in Lucerne, if memory serves), but he cancelled at the last minute due to illness.  Of course, the car I was driving might not have made it anyway.  Tragic.

At any rate, let’s take a dive into Jazz Jamaica.  First, the ground rules: what counts as Jazz Jamaica?  Here’s how I am defining the band: 1. Must contain Rico.  2. Must contain a representative sampling (half) of the eight band members who released the albums under the Jazz Jamaica name.  This will become clearer in a moment.

1. Skaravan CD – 1993/1996

Readily available U.S. CD.  Easy, right?  Negative.  This one originally came out in Japan and the UK in 1993, then later in the U.S. in 1996.  Each had a completely different cover.  That’s not too bad.  But wait, there’s more…the Japanese version contained three additional tracks.  And they’re GOOD: “Dr. Kildare,” “Rasta,” and “Confucious” (a significantly different version from the one that later came out on the Double Barrel album).  There are some wonderful recordings on this album, including my all-time favorite version of “Peanut Vendor.”  All in all, a fantastic album.  It stands out above the other early ones.  If you listen to all three of the Japanese releases, it is fairly obvious why this is the one that got the subsequent U.S. release.

2. The Jamaican Beat: Blue Note Blue Beat Vol. 1 CD – 1994

This was a Japan-only CD.  Usually fairly easy to track down, as long as you are willing to pay for shipping from Japan.  This one…I don’t know.  Parts are good and others fall flat.  It opens with a rendition of “Three Blind Mice.”  I mean…it’s certainly the best rendition of it I have heard, but it’s still “Three Blind Mice,” and they opened the album with it.  It’s…an odd choice.  They do a version of “Watermelon Man” on here, which is one of my all-time favorite instrumentals.  I have always thought that this should be a high-energy song, though, and the Jazz Jamaica version is a bit more chill, with a wandering bass line.  It’s good, but then I listen to the Jump with Joey or Baba Brooks version, and feel that those are far superior.

One weird thing is that there were a couple of tracks on the disc with vocals, which was pretty abnormal for Jazz Jamaica.  Hmm…I feel as though this is coming off as too negative.  It is actually a very good album.  The second half of the disc, in particular, is really strong – “Sidewinder” and “Song for My Father” are really good.  There is also a pretty badass version of  “Take Five” on here (which Rico later did for the fabulous late-’90s Ska Island compilation as well).  This song, with its aggressive horn line, is the type of track that really showed off Rico’s trombone ability.

3. Rico & His Band – You Must Be Crazy CD/LP – 1994

The first curve ball (aside from the Japan-only releases, of course).  This is a live album, recorded in 1994, released in Germany.  It’s not officially Jazz Jamaica, but it meets the spirit of the exercise and the sound of the band.  Rico, along with Eddie “Tantan” Thornton, Michael “Bammie” Rose, and Tony Uter play on this one.  The rest of the band is different from the Jazz Jamaica releases.  It’s a very solid live recording.

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Jamaican Ska Records Are Going to Drive Me Crazy

No, seriously.  A very…let’s say “detail-oriented”…personality such as my own cannot handle trying to research Jamaican records.  I am working on a little Skatalites project right now, which I will premier a few months from now, depending on where my research takes me and whether I retain my sanity.  I was sorting out the tracks that appear on the old Studio 1 Best of the Ska-talites album, starting with the track “Air Raid Shelter.”  My LP is in fairly rough shape, so in digitizing it, I ended up with really crackly recordings.  I happen to have the 7″ of that song, so I figured I would just record the 7″ and be done with it.  Simple, right?  Negative, Ghost Rider.  The song on the 7″ didn’t match the one on the album.  I checked over on Discogs, which told me that the tracks on the record were all out of order.  Crap.  That album was my only source for about 8 of the tracks on there.  After researching the matrix codes on the 7″, I determined that it was mislabeled, and was actually “Addis Ababa.”  Cool.  Let’s double check that with the version of that one that I have on the Foundation Ska CD – that ought to be accurate, right?  D’oh…that’s an entirely different song, and was actually “Fidel Castro.”  Cross-referencing with YouTube, I sorted it all out, and “Air Raid Shelter” was actually labeled correctly on the LP.  So let’s recap…the Best of the Ska-Talites LP track listing on the sleeve does not match the one on the labels, neither of which match the actual track listing.  However, the tracks on my copy are not out of order in the same way that is documented on Discogs.  The “Air Raid Shelter” 7″ is actually “Addis Ababa,” and “Addis Ababa” on the Foundation Ska CD is actually “Fidel Castro.”  Got it.