"boom swagger boom" || murder city devils || 1996

Even though we're way past the punk rock era, the genre still, to this day, continues to forward itself in ways that are often exciting (even if they aren't always new). Since the late 1970s, punk has existed in the rock scene in some form or another. It's a genre that simply will never die.

Why? Simple. Because youth will always have something to be pissed off or excited about.

The Murder City Devils are one of the many, many, many youthful punk bands that emerged onto the scene, made some noise, then disappeared. It's almost textbook, really. They did make some fun music, though, so that's why they're here today.

"Boom Swagger Boom" sounds like it came from a '50s themed Broadway musical that was written by a demon of some kind. It sounds like a song that zombies would have some sort of co-ordinated dance to before they munch your fucking head in.

A staple for Halloween mixtapes.

Listen to it here.

"i think i'm paranoid" || garbage || 1998

Garbage is one of those bands that got lost in the sea of alternative rockers and grungers that was abound in the '90s. However, I maintain that they deserve their own cruise liner to stay afloat.

This Scottish-Wisconsin band is something special. As I noted, their music is a very healthy blend of grunge and alternative rock, and Shirley Manson has a very unique set of pipes, which takes their music to a new and exciting level. If anything, one might refer to is as "fem post-grunge," because that's essentially what it is: Their lyrics have the cynical grunger mentality of failed relationships and a bleak world, but their music strays from the grunger form and becomes very "hard candy," which to me qualifies them as alt rockers.

Shirley Manson is downright sexy. There is simply no way around it. I have no idea if its her unusual voice, her abundance of eye makeup, her dark image, or her angsty lyrics, but my goodness...she turns me on.

I chose this track because I think it's their most accessible, which is interesting as it wasn't their biggest hit. Everyone in the US seems to know "Stupid Girl," which is a fantastic track in its own right, but I think this one is much more intriguing. It begins in typical grunger fashion, with minor-key lyrics, melodies and chorus, but then turns suddenly into a bridge that is so upliftingly alt-rock that it almost brings tears to the eyes. It's almost as if Shirley goes straight from defiance to suddenly pleading with a lover whom she wants so badly that she'll change herself in any way they wish. The final verse is angsty and defiant, yet it still sounds like she's pleading, which leaves us feeling a little paranoid ourselves.

Garbage might win my all-time award for Most Under-Appreciated Band. Think about it. You knew who they were before you started reading this post, didn't you? You could name at least two of their songs, right? You knew that Shirley Manson was the lead singer, right?

And now you're going to give them another listen, right?

As a side note, this song was a fantastic choice for inclusion in the video game Rock Band.

Listen to it here.

"hello" || the beloved || 1993

Remember that Wings song "Let 'Em In"? You know the one I'm talking about: "Martin Luther, Phil & Don, Brother Michael, Auntie Gin, etc."

OK, take that song, and combine it with the new beat sensibilities of EMF's "Unbelievable," and you'll have today's track.

This song is such a sign of its time. This is the early '90s in a nutshell, folks! In fact, I'm willing to say that this takes me back even more than the hip-house tracks that I've posted do (but not as much as New Jack Swing does; we'll get to that glorious goodness soon).

Turn this one on, smile, and see lots of pretty early '90s colors. Think about white shorts and cutoff jeans and tye dye and overalls.

Listen to it here.

"spacehead" || the primitives || 1988

The Primitives' 1988 album Lovely is one of music's finest examples of indie rock. It's perky, definitely has a punk influence, and is glorious in its ability to be sung-along with. The lyrics are also very well constructed, which is a staple of indie rock.

It's probably safe to say that many Americans recognize the song "Crash" from the Lovely LP thanks to the film Dumb & Dumber. "Crash" is, to me, one of the most perfect songs ever written, so I'm saving my rantings about it for another post. My point in bringing it up here is to assure you that you're more than likely familiar with this group, even if their name doesn't strike a chord right away.

"Spacehead" is the only song I've ever heard that I thought might be about me. I hear people say that sort of thing all the time (usually they're intoxicated), and I just roll my eyes, because usually the song doesn't apply to them at all. After I heard this track, though, I stopped the eye rolling. The song is about a guy who walks around singing to himself, and who is seen by the singer as someone whose head is, quite literally, up in the clouds. Aside from the fact that the guy in this song lives in a van, I'd say we have a winner here.

The Primitives are great because their guitars are spry, as are Tracey Tracey's vocals. Incidentally, she also pulls off a really cool pseudo-Marilyn look on this album.

This album isn't one that you pick up if you see in a bargain bin. This is an album that you track down purposefully and purchase, because anyone who loves rock music needs it in their library.

Listen to it here.

"romantic" || jo joe || 1987

This may be the second-most mysterious artist I've encountered in all my musical journeys (Q. Lazzarus is still tops).

I've been unable to track down any information about Ms. Joe. I bought the 7" single of this song from a record store in Germany, and was pleasantly surprised to open the package and find a picture sleeve with a little picture of her glaring right back up at me. She looks young, probably not over 25. I can't tell her nationality from her voice on the song. She was new to Discogs when I submitted the Prime Cuts single on which she appears.

The only lead I have on this chick (and it's a pretty crappy one) is that the people who produced her song also produced this record, which has a suspiciously similar title. Unfortunately, I can't track down a clip of it to hear exactly how similar the songs are, and really, even if I did, it wouldn't tell me anything about Jo Joe.

She'll just remain a mystery in this blog for now.

As far as the song, it's absolutely fantastic. It's downtempo and it's funky as hell, the kind of song that makes your ass move completely independently from the rest of your person. The song is also very defiant. It's sung by someone who is tired of being trapped in a failed relationship, and I'd venture to say that you can hear the grating irritation in her voice (even though she didn't write it). Hey, if nothing else, she's a good actress; she carries the pain of the songwriter well, without distracting our dancing.

Maybe that's what she's up to now.

Listen to it here.

"everywhere" || cranes || 1993

A friend of mine inspired today's post by bringing up Shoegazer music in conversation earlier today.

For those who don't know, Shoegaze is an interesting little blend of ethereal rock, indie rock, and mellow, droning vocals. My friend referred to it as a musical release of "burning teenage angst."

OK, so that could probably describe a lot of indie rock. But seriously, this stuff is something different. It hit its peak in the early 1990's, right before grunge and alternative rock took over the college mainstream. The sound is very early '90s, which is pleasant for anyone my age, as well know that those sounds can easily bring to mind childhood memories.

Cranes got attention when they toured with The Cure back in 1992. That's really all I know about them. The singer has an extremely juvenile quality to her voice, which adds an unusual element to the Shoegazer style.

One final note: Fans of this group are very insistent that the name is simply "Cranes." No "the"!

Listen to it here.

"bad, bad boys" || midi, maxi & efti || 1992

Part two of today's double-shot of ragga hip hop.

Midi, Maxi & Efti are three soul sisters from Sweden. Well, they're as soulful as Swedes can be, I suppose.

This song is really bouncy and groovy (yes, I think that word applies here), but goodness, they sound like they need a shot of espresso. They don't even look excited in the video clip! Hey, I'm not pointing any fingers, but if I got signed to Columbia Records to release a goofy song about "bad boys," not to mention having said song appear in a movie with Christian Slater & Marisa Tomei (Untamed Heart -- worth a watch), I'd probably be a little more excited than these chicks appear to be.

The thing that drew me in about this track were the lines that go "just be positive, don't be negative." They made me smile.

Listen to it here.