Song's from this Morning

1. Life on Mars? - David Bowie
2. Caring is Creepy - The Shins
3. Teenage Superstars - The Vaselines
4. Porcelain - Moby
5. King of Kings - The Evens
6. Rats - Black Beach
7. Going Down - The Germs
8. Validation - Minutemen
9. Burnin' for You - Blue Oyster Cult
10. Keep on Knocking - Death

Today's Playlist

1. Womb Gold - Stickers
2. Born Good - IAN
3. It's Nice - Screaming Females
4. Don't Lose Touch - Against Me!
5. Before Your Time - INFJ
6. Uncast Shadow of a Southern Myth - Teenage Cool Kids
7. Tech Bro - Childbirth
8. Rain - Ava Luna
9. The Funeral - Band of Horses
10. Ride Your Heart - Bleached

Hoopla Highlights - Music

Hoopla is only 5 days away from launching here at the DFL and I’m already planning my first checkouts.  Last week I highlighted some of the great films Hoopla has in their ever expanding catalog and today, I’ll pick out five albums currently available in their massive music library.  While the albums I’ve chosen today are all new, one of the best aspects of Hoopla is their back catalog.  There are some truly unique, bizarre, and hard to find albums available on the streaming service and while the albums below are fantastic, definitely take advantage of the long list of older albums as they would be hard to find anywhere else.

Honeymoon – Lana Del Rey (2015)

The latest from moody, ethereal alterna-pop star Lana Del Rey, Honeymoon is a tad more uplifting than here previous efforts drawing influences from an eclectic range of genres including jazz and hip hop.  While coming under fire for some controversial comments about suicide earlier this year, the singer is no doubt a talented force in the diluted pop landscape of the 2010’s.

Dodge and Burn – The Dead Weather (2015)

Everyone has heard of Jack White, and the majority are familiar with his most successful foray into the world of rock music as half of the powerful duo The White Stipes in the early aughts.  Fewer people are familiar with some of his side projects, including the roots rock fueled Dead Weather whose third album Dodge and Burn was finally released this year.  White takes a back seat to the other three members and takes on multiple duties playing both guitar and drums as well as providing vocals on some tracks.  If you’ve ever questioned White’s musical flexibility and prowess, look no further than The Dead Weather.

23 Live Sex Acts – Against Me! (2015)

Against Me! is no doubt one of my favorite “modern” punk bands.  They’ve never sacrificed their genuine love and appreciation for the genre while still taking classic sounds and transforming them for a new generation of punks.  This album which compiles live tracks that span the bands career and were recorded at a variety of venues is a MUST LISTEN for fans of the band, or punk music in general.    After coming out as transgender, singer Laura Jane Grace (formerly Tom Gable) defied the musical landscape of which she was a part and became a beacon of hope for women and LGBTQ supporters in a scene which has been largely unaccepting in the past.  In that way, she reminded us all of what the genre is really about.

1989 – Ryan Adams (2015)

Ryan Adams is certainly an anomaly.  Having performed songs which span a wide array of genres, the singer songwriter decided to descend into the world of pop music for his latest release.  The album is a track by track cover of Taylor Swifts critically acclaimed album “1989”, albeit with a much harsher tone.  The country fueled alternative rock interpretations of Swifts songs highlight almost every genre Adam’s has been associated with in the past and in that sense, covering Swifts songs seems almost too easy for the 40 year old rocker.  Released to widely positive reviews, this is an album for fans of so many kinds of music and may be just what Swift haters need to acknowledge the young songwriters talents.

Beyond the Pale – Jim Gaffigan (2006)

While not a music album, I felt it important to highlight Hoopla’s variety of comedy albums which are interfiled with their music selection.  Nearly a decade old, Jim Gaffigan’s Beyond the Pale was the comedians sixth to date and certainly one of his funniest.  In the dry, soft, often sarcastic tone which has come to define the comedian’s sets, Gaffigan offers insights into a wide array of topics including hot pockets, vegetarians, and heaven.  If you’re not familiar with him, this is a fantastic intro to his catalog.

Today's Playlist

1. My Mother Tells Me - Haybaby
2. Skin - Pinkwash
3. Rocket Man - Elton John
4. I Don't Care - Grave Ideas
5. Parenthetical Press Kit - ESH the Monolith
6. Rudderless - The Lemonheads
7. Green Eyes - Coldplay
8. Pop Punk Mutiny - Arm Candy
9. Better Bet - Gravel
10. Perfect Love - Radio Control

Song's From This Morning

1. I Was a Teenage Anarchist - Against Me!
2. I Can't Keep the Tears from Falling - Nude Beach
3. Get Over It - OK Go
4. Creep - Radiohead
5. Mad World - Tears for Fears
6. If You Could Only See - Tonic
7. Pizza Day - Aquabats
8. Adam's Song - Blink 182
9. Nu Punk - Ovlov
10. Casper (1995) - Speedy Ortiz

Songs From This Morning

1. TV - Colleen Green
2. Listed MIA - Rancid
3. Over the Hills and Far Away - Led Zeppelin
4. Hey Baby - No Doubt
5. M&M's - Blink 182
6. Running with the Devil - Van Halen
7. Rock and Roll Community College - Ben Katzman's Degreaser
8. Who's Gonna Be My Babe? - Free Pizza
9. Jungle Love - Ex Breathers
10. Sangwich - Gnarwhal

Colleen Green Just Get's It...And You Should Listen

Some people may say my tastes are limited; that I only review rock and alternative bands (and the like).  However, in today’s music landscape it’s near impossible to find decent rock and roll and thus I feel it is my responsibility to share my findings.  Namely, bands and artists writing and performing KILLER rock music and not getting the attention they deserve.  This is a perfect way to describe Boston ex-pat Colleen Green who now calls sunny LA home.  Green’s 2015 LP I Want To Grow Up perfectly captures the anxiety, fear, and excitement everyone in their 20’s goes through as they leave college and school behind and realize that it is time to get serious (just not too serious). 

The record, which is out on Hardly Art and is the third full length for Green shows tremendous artistic and lyrical growth as she explores a multitude of millennial themes and feelings.  The album opens with the titular track “I Want to Grow Up” in which Green sings “sick of being young, sick of being dumb” over a fuzzy, distorted alt riff and her simple drum machine back beat.  Colleen’s drum machine is a staple of her sound and though she has graduated to bringing a drummer on tour with her, the drum machine on her records contributes heavily to her lo-fi aesthetic.  “Wild One” brings her vocals to the forefront and makes you realize, this girl can sing!  Poppier than the first track, “Wild One” gives way to “TV” one of my favorites on the album.  A chunky riff and faster tempo give the song a pop punk feel a la Blink 182 and you suddenly realize why she covered the bands classic hit “M&M’s” years ago.  She sings “TV is my friend, and it has been, with me every day…from an early age” something millennials who grew up with Nickelodeon feel all too well.  “Pay Attention” brings things back to a pop leaning sound with a dance beat that gets your feet moving and smoothly transitions into the darker, 80’s tinged “Deeper than Love” as Green leaves behind the 90’s for the sounds of her birth decade. 

A highlight of the album is back to back tracks “Things That Are Bad for Me” part I and II.  The first sees Green happily singing “I’ve gotta stop doing things that are bad for me” as she adopts the mentality we all have as we try to grow up and be more mature.  No more late nights, no more partying every weekend, eating healthier, all things everyone must come face to face with.  However, part two is the contradiction.  Adopting a significantly heavier sound (the heaviest on the album) Green employs a driving, tonal riff and steady beat as she talks about how anxiety and a little voice inside her head make her keep doing things that she KNOWS are bad for her and yet she can’t seem to stop.  Something everyone in their 20’s can relate to. 

The following track “Some People” brings love back as the central theme as Green sings of envying those around her who find love so easily while she sits in a loveless, relationship void.  Here we see the themes from “TV” showing up again towards the end of the album.  The idea of loneliness, lack of a love life, and all this depressing negativity while still feeling like it’s time to be an adult and be mature is ever present throughout each song.  The album closes with a bang and a breeze.  “Grind My Teeth” is the punkiest on the album and brings to mind Southern California punk gods The Descendents.  The album then finishes calmly with the positive, uplifting indie pop of “Whatever I Want” which sees Green realizing that despite all the negativity and contradictions associated with growing up, the best part of being an adult is the freedom of being able to do whatever you want. 

Colleen Green has hit the nail on the head when it comes to getting older.  Often times you’re caught up in a whirlwind of confusion and mostly feel like you’re just faking your way through each day/month/year.  Luckily for the rest of us, Green is here to put our minds at ease and let us know we’re not alone.

Today's Playlist

1. Chips in the Moonlight - NICE GUYS
2. Polyamory - Slothrust
3. Who's Gonna Be My Babe? - Free Pizza
4. Hanging by a Moment - Lifehouse
5. Came as a Glow - Pile
6. Taboo Tattoo - Midriffs
7. Right Home - The Julie Ruin
8. Adderall Nighter - Tacocat
9. Over My Head (Cable Car) - The Frey
10. Saturday Morning - The Eels

Ex Hex's Debut Rips in Title and Sound

I haven’t reviewed an album in a while and that is mostly because I haven’t heard one in full which was worth talking about.  However, I recently went and saw Ex Hex at the Sinclair and boy was it a show to remember.  I originally went to see two local openers the first of which absolutely killed.  But Ex Hex was a band that had been on my radar for some time after lead singer/guitarist Mary Timony formed the band Wild Flag alongside Sleater Kinney's Carrie Brownstein.  After an incredible set I picked up their debut record and after several times through, it only keeps getting better.  Entitled “Rips” the album contains twelve nearly perfect tracks of 80’s infused, guitar driver pop rock.  Album opener “Don’t Wanna Lose” establishes the "love theme" which is present in most songs on the album and starts things off with a whiny guitar sound which is ever present throughout the record.  “New Kid” calls to mind early Joan Jett and maintains a steady baseline with layers of lead and rhythm guitar which play off each other superbly.  Betsy Wright’s bass and Timony’s guitar work bounce back and forth like a perfectly timed ping pong match. “How You Got That Girl” is one of the two tracks written by Wright and hearkens back to 80’s giants like Pat Benatar with a chunkier rhythm and the snappy guitar squeals which define Ex Hex’s sound.  Heavy track “Beast” is a slap in the face before the haunting, muted “Everywhere” takes things in a different direction.  Later on “You Fell Apart” is right on track with other 80’s revivalists of today sounding like a cross between the Dum Dum Girls and L.A. garage pop vixens Bleached.  The album closes just as strongly as it begins with the upbeat “Radio On” bringing more sing along choruses and bubbly new wave a la The Go Go’s.  Closing track “War Paint” has one of the best lines of the album as Timony sings “Put your war paint on and dance alone in the crowd”.  This sums up Ex Hex. They are who they are and they do what they do and you'll just have to deal with it.  A band which clearly comes out of the marginalized, loner portion of society and provides the world with the kind of catchy radio rock which is friendly enough for your grandma and rough enough for your cousin going through his punk phase.  Although still relatively fresh having just released their debut back in October of 2014, the band is incredibly tight live and is destined for a phenomenal follow up in my opinion.  Keep your eyes peeled and catch them if you can because I’m sure they won’t be playing such small venues for much longer.

Today's Playlist

1. Kari Ann - The Monsieurs
2. Waste Your Time - Ex Hex
3. Waterfalls - TLC
4. Walkin on the Sun - Smash Mouth
5. Cumbersome - Seven Mary Three
6. Molly's Lips - Nirvana (Vaselines cover)
7. Nu Punk - Ovlov
8. Bed for the Scraping - Fugazi
9. Peggy Sue - Blink 182
10. English Country Garden - The Darkness

This Morning's Music

1. Linger - The Cranberries
2. Wedding - Funeral Advantage
3. Green Eyes - Coldplay
4. It's Nice - Screaming Females
5. Roll Over - The Spirit of the Beehive

Waxahatchee Continues with Sincere Acoustic Alt Rock

Back in 2010, singer guitarist Katie Crutchfield then a member of indie rock outfit P.S. Eliot recorded a few dreamy acoustic pop songs in her bedroom.  The songs were deeply personal and would eventually lead to a debut album under the name Waxahatchee, named for a creek in Alabama where Katie grew up with twin sister and P.S. Eliot bandmate Alison Crutchfield.  The songs made up American Weekend released in 2012 on Don Giovanni Records.  The album was tight, definitively lo-fi and resonated with listeners.  As such, her follow up in 2013 was a highly anticipated record.  That follow up, titled Cerulean Salt was everything Waxahatchee fans hoped for and more.  Recorded in her basement this time, the songs retain their personal simplicity while adding layers of simple alt rock to push the tunes into new territory.  Recorded alongside her sisters band Sweain’ minus drummer Jeff Bolt, the tracks keep Katie’s voice and lyrics as the centerpiece with backing drums and haunting riffs supporting her ethereal, deeply intimate vibe.  Tracks like “Dixie Cups and Jars” are heavy in their own right with Swearin’ guitarist Kyle Gilbride’s succinct solos breaking up Crutchfield’s poetic ranting.  The light, happy “Lips and Limbs” gives off a campfire sing along vibe before the childlike “Blue Pt. II” which has the Crutchfield sisters singing in perfect unison.  While most songs keep things more low key fueling the feeling that you’re sitting in a living room watching her perform, some push things into static rock territory like the short “Misery Over Dispute” which gives way to one of the softer tracks “Lively”.  Closing track “You’re Damaged” give you goosebumps as Katie returns to the roots of American Weekend with a beautifully constructed acoustic gem.   Each and every track is better than the last and mixes up the sound of the album while maintaining a cohesive and understandable aesthetic.  Waxahatchee’s latest album Ivy Trip released earlier this month is her first away from Don Giovanni and also marks the first time she’s recorded in a studio instead of her own home causing many longtime fans to question her motives and sincerity.  However, the songs are all a product from a reclusive year spent with boyfriend and Swearin’ bassist Keith Spencer holed up in a house in Long Island.  As such, fans can expect the same 90’s infused poppy alt rock which Crutchfield has been known for since her days in P.S. Eliot.  The heartfelt lyrics, and profound sense of understanding which radiates from her songs is still present.  The studio space allows her to grow as an artist and while I appreciate the suspiciousness of leaving the lo-fi game behind for more polished compositions, I think it is something which Waxahatchee will only use to their advantage.  So much more than the solo project it began as, this is a musical endeavor which is quickly becoming one of the best acts of the 2010’s and is certainly cementing Katie Crutchfield as one of the preeminent songwriters of her generation.

Some Songs from this Morning

1. Life is a Chore - Yeehaw!
2. Just Perfect - Laika's Orbit
3. Hallway - Bugs and Rats
4. Three Ducks - Dinoczar
5. No Wind - Funeral Advantage

Some Songs from Today's Playlist

1. Pig - Zip Tie Handcuffs
2. Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
3. Black Shuck - The Darkness
4. Sell Your Soul - Black Beach
5. Ponytail - Chastity Belt
6. Make the Fonz Bleed - Harris Hawk
7. Runner - Laura Stevenson
8. 1984 - Shellshag
9. Horses - Patti Smith
10. Blank Generation - Richard Hell and the Voidoids

This Mornings Playlist

1. Moonlight in Vermont - Frank Sinatra
2. Toxicity - System of a Down
3. Alone Again - Dokken
4. Feel it All Around - Washed Out
5. Confetti - The Lemonheads

Florence is Back!!!

Welsh indie-pop princess Florence Welch is back at it with her band the Machine as the group looks ahead at a new album and plenty of touring throughout 2015.  The new album, a follow up to 2011's "Ceremonials" is still very hush hush but Flo and Co. have recently released a music video for one of the new tracks entitled "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful".  The band is set to play several large festivals this summer before playing a group of shows in Europe.  Pay attention though because as soon as the album is officially named and announced, you know World Tour dates will pop up shortly after and since garnering so much attention over the last several years tickets will go fast.  For now, check out the video for the new song below.

New Song by Florence and the Machine

Today's Playlist

1. Super Vixen - Garbage
2. Pathetic - Blink 182
3. Dissolve - Classics of Love
4. Time to Pretend - MGMT
5. Yellow Ledbetter - Pearl Jam
6. Imitation of Life - R.E.M.
7. Every Day is a Winding Road - Sheryl Crow
8. Woman - Wolfmother
9. Mermaid - Swearin'
10. City's Full - Savages

Alvvays Crafts Incredible 80's Infused Indi-Pop

Canadian five piece Alvvays (pronounced Always) has caught the indie world by storm with the release of their eponymous debut this past July.  The album is some incredibly ethereal and melodic indie pop and successfully redefines a genre which has been done to death these days.  Lead singer/guitarist Molly Rankin’s voice is unlike anyone else in the world of indie music today.  Her lyrics are both complex and accessible allowing you to hear what she’s saying and understand where she’s coming from while leaving a little open to interpretation.  All nine songs on the record are hits with Molly’s voice and guitarist Alec O’Hanley’s riffs as the focal point.  The guitar play between the two works masterfully and creates an infused and haunting style.  The 80’s influenced

soft rock sounds brought to the table by keyboardist Kerri MacLellan fit masterfully with O’Hanley’s surf rocky hooks and the steady simple drum beats of Phil MacIsaac which keep a similar tempo on every track.  Lead off song “Adult Diversion” will get stuck in your head for days and is one of the best on the album.  The single “Archie, Marry Me”  follows and is a perfect example of the sublime melodies present on the entire LP.  Other notable tracks include “Next of Kin” in which the narrator sings merrily about leaving her love to drown in a river with a chorus of “If I had known he couldn’t swim, we would never have gone in”.  Lighthearted track “Agency Group” brings the focus to the bass and drums while still allowing Rankin’s voice to shine through as the guiding light.  The slow, lullaby-like “Dives” precedes the fastest track “Atop a Cake” which starts pushing the soft indie pop of the other songs into rock territory which is refreshing after the mellow, almost euphoric sound of the rest of the album.  Alvvays is currently touring and had a recent stop in Boston where I missed what was hailed as an impressive show.  Live, the band sounds just as good as on their record and brings an energetic passion to their leisurely tunes.  Definitely check this band out and give the CD a listen.  The songs instill a warm fuzziness that makes you smile and relax.

Tacocat Issue Incredible Debut LP

Tacocat’s debut full length “NVM” is some spectacular alterna-pop.  The albums thirteen songs sound like a cross between the upbeat new wave of the Go-Go’s, the powerful indie rock of the Breeders, and the soft lighthearted 60’s surf rock of the Beach Boys.  The Seattle based four-piece is starting to burst out of the underground and garner some mainstream attention which is both a good and bad thing.    The members, in true DIY spirit, are all involved in side projects which are not only just as good as Tacocat, but contribute to a scene which has for decades now produced some of the best alternative music the world as ever seen.  Notable tracks include “Bridge to Hawaii” about escaping the dreariness of the northwest by building a bridge to the tropical paradise.  Poppy drums and simple alt riffs contribute to the catchiness of all of Tacocat’s songs, particularly on the 50’s style “Party Trap”  which sounds like something from the Grease soundtrack and is followed punk charged  “F.U. #8”.  The band gives its own take on the popular subject of anarchy in “This is Anarchy” which tackles millennial angst and frustration with the economy.  The riot grrrl charged “Hey Girl” is about the objectification of women and is the heaviest song on the record both in sound and subject matter.  Fans of bands like Dum Dum Girls, or Bleached will LOVE this album though the songs have something for every musical taste.  From start to finish, each and every song is just fun and catchy with great lyrics that make you want to dance around the room and smile.  Plus, their band name is fantastic.

Songs from this Morning

1. Hey Girl - Tacocat
2. Follow Me - The Coathangers
3. Psychic Trauma - Cloud Nothings
4. It Will Not Be Moved - Classics of Love
5. Scienceless - Lemuria