Ringo Deathstarr - "Chloe"

Ringo Deathstarr - "Chloe": "It's so shoegaze by numbers that everyone from Jesus and Mary Chain to the Swirlies should probably get a songwriting credit, but I continue to be a sucker for it anyway. When the "oooh / next to you" chorus kicks in, with the predictably hushed vocals over a wall of distorted noise, I'm already sold. This song is also an excuse for me to point out to everyone that it's (almost) Mem-orial Day:"

Soft Cell - "Chips On My Shoulder"

Soft Cell - "Chips On My Shoulder": "Another great song from a band who should be known for more than 'Tainted Love'. I could dedicate this song to a bunch of folks today, but I'm going to be nice instead..."

Curtis Mayfield - "(Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go"

Curtis Mayfield - "(Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go": "Putting aside my obvious (tongue-in-cheek) reason for posting the track today, let's talk about the reasons this song is amazing: the fuzz bass intro (one of my favorite bass lines ever), the contrast of the girl talking about the Bible with Curtis' incendiary call-outs in the intro section, the drama of the orchestra strings and horns, the inherent funkiness of the rhythm section...ok, really, everything in this song is great, as is Curtis for having the guts to put it out in the first place. A great song should make you think and illicit a clear reaction, whatever it may be."

Urge Overkill - "Effigy"

Urge Overkill - "Effigy": "The grit is closer to Exit The Dragon than Saturation and Eddie 'King' Roeser's vocals have become even more sandpapered than before, but this is a tight, rocking number from their new album, their first in 16 years, and much better than one would expect."

The Psychedelic Furs - "In My Head"

The Psychedelic Furs - "In My Head": "Apparently, there's not a lot of love for the final Psych Furs record - it's out of print physically and only available digitally - but it's an undervalued blend of melancholy rockers (like this one), ballads, electro-tinged snarled tunes and more. It's perhaps still a bit polished like their middle-period records, but balances the energy of earlier works (if not as outright punky) with a certain maturity in viewpoint and songwriting."

Suede - "Animal Nitrate"

Suede - "Animal Nitrate": "Definitely one of my Coachella highlights. I was wary of what present-day Suede would be like, but Brett worked the stage like his life depended on it, belting out classics like this one like it was still 1992. As fey as he may be, he had massive stage presence and the only thing that made me sad was that there weren't enough people there to see it, because it was magic.
[Coachella - Saturday 3/16]"

Soul Coughing - "How Many Cans?"

Soul Coughing - "How Many Cans?": "I hadn't listened to Soul Coughing's Irresistible Bliss in quite a while but, after a re-listen last week, I realize it's a tighter, more solid listen than I remember it being - to the point that it's over much too fast. But since it does have to end, this is a great closing number - all late night rattle and atmosphere, kicking in a bit harder near the end after a subtle build, and then fading away. It's slightly ominous in an intriguing way, almost presaging the darkness to follow on much of the follow-up, El Oso."

Peter Bjorn and John - "Tomorrow Has To Wait"

Peter Bjorn and John - "Tomorrow Has To Wait": "The great opening track from their new Gimme Some, which sounded equally great live in S.F. on Friday night at Great American Music Hall. I was expecting a quick 1 hour show or less, but got an epic 1 hour 45 minutes instead. I was impressed with how PB&J streamlined their need for loops and backing tracks by reworking the tunes either slightly ('Nothing To Worry About') or completely ('It Don't Move Me') to make the show more raw, more rock and less studio recreation. Certainly a lot of bang for the buck."

The Spinanes - "Lines and Lines"

The Spinanes - "Lines and Lines": "I don't even know where to start: Not only did Rebecca Gates just play in S.F., but she did this amazing Spinanes song (which sounded great solo acoustic), but she also did new songs and a cover of 'St. Ides Heaven' (which is sort of not a cover, since she was on the original), but she also talked about her band and new music perhaps even maybe this year, but she also talked about coming back to S.F. in a couple of months with her band, but she also made me realize that Ted Leo was in her Arches & Aisles band before I knew who he was, but she also gave me a hug!!!! [HEAD EXPLODES DUE TO EXCESS OF AWESOMENESS]"

Lamb - "Trans Fatty Acid"

Lamb - "Trans Fatty Acid": "This was supposed to be a post from the other night, as a great 'late in the night' track...except, as I was listening to it - late in the night! - I was too tired to make the post. So here it is. (Sam - for you and, technically, from NARM, one of the 'exotic places' you seem to think my SOTD comes from.)"

The Smiths - "Hand In Glove"

The Smiths - "Hand In Glove": "This is a slightly belated post in honor of The Eagle, my favorite bar in SF that is very sadly (and very recently) no more. Putting aside the great staff, great rock'n'roll DJs, an amazing patio and lots of other great features, there was an electic mix of live music every Thursday night that is hard to duplicate, even in SF. You could get up and coming bands, you could get drag torch singers, you could get hardcore metal...it could be anything. On The Eagle's last live music night, this song played between bands and the thrice-repeated line 'I'll probably never see you again' suddenly, sadly jumped out at me. There is indeed a void now left in my SF lifestyle that I don't know how to fill. I realize something unexpected may surprise me and pick up where The Eagle left off - but, for now, I'm just sad."

The Drums - "I Need Fun In My Life"

The Drums - "I Need Fun In My Life": "I know a lot of people who love this album and lots who love them live. I don't think either is bad, but I have to say I don't quite 'get' them either. Something just hasn't clicked with me yet. But I will admit that this track does have a nice lo-fi charm and is catchy in the same way similar lo-fi ditties grabbed me in the 90s. And I agree with the song's message too!
[Coachella - Friday 4/15]"

Interpol - "Success"

Interpol - "Success": "Was their Coachella set a good one? No, not really - something was just kind of off with them (although I've since heard that their drummer had faulty monitors for the whole show, so that would explain a lot) and their pre-hyped multi-media display was rather tepid. That said, the set list would have had a nice slow build, had it been able to keep the intensity that I'm sure they expected to bring. I heard a lot of folks were not happy with this as their opener track (probably expecting 'PDA' instead?), but it made me remember this as an overlooked track from their recent, self-titled release and it's been popping in and out of my head since...so that was one win from their set for me.
[Coachella - Friday 4/15]"

Arcade Fire - "Wake Up"

Arcade Fire - "Wake Up": "Okay, so everyone knows by now about the amazing AF Coachella show and the synchronized LED light-up balloons they dropped over the crowd, but it really was just epic to see, especially in tandem with the huge swell of emotion coming back from the huge crowd at the same time. A really great show overall with an inventive climax.
[Coachella - Saturday 3/16]"

Duran Duran - "A View To A Kill"

Duran Duran - "A View To A Kill": "Where to begin - how awesome this song is? The great James Bond movie opening title sequence that features it? The extra-cheesy video at the Eiffel Tower with 'Bon, Simon le Bon' and telescopes that turn into guns? Any one of those would have been enough of a reason to send me into a full froth when I finally got to see Duran Duran perform it live this last weekend... BUT when DD added a live orchestra introduction, joining a white-tux'ed Simon in a bravado vocal performance, in tribute to 'View' co-writer (and legendary Bond composer) John Barry...well, I pretty much damn melted.
[Coachella - Sunday 4/17]"

The Kills - "Future Starts Slow"

The Kills - "Future Starts Slow": "A little sad, a little gritty, a little sexy - it's pretty classic Kills in that respect, not to mention that it's pretty much their stripped-down core of Alison, Jamie, a guitar and a drum machine. Is it wrong to consider this a (slightly downer) rough indie bump'n'grind tune?"

Urge Overkill - "Sister Havana"

Urge Overkill - "Sister Havana": "So excited this is finally in Rhapsody. I have a pretty large soft spot for this record, certainly more than most it seems. I don't care who 'actually' played on the record or if their Touch and Go records are 'better' - I just care that this record ROCKS...and, man, it does."

Telekinesis - "Coast of Carolina"

Telekinesis - "Coast of Carolina": "It's been less than a month since I saw them live at SXSW and I've become a full-fledged fan already. After John A. pointed me at their self-titled debut this weekend - I had only been listening to their 2nd and most recent album - I've now fallen in love with that too. The songs, particularly this one, are sing-along-chorus catchy but still with a nice emotional underpinning. It's kind of what I first loved about Superchunk (even if they don't sound the same), so no surprise they're on Merge.
(Should also thank Bob M. for first playing them at Distortion+ some months ago and putting John and I on their trail in the first place.)"

R.E.M. - "Circus Envy"

R.E.M. - "Circus Envy": "I like Monster. While more maligned R.E.M. records followed this one (Up, anyone?), at the time Monster came out, it certainly felt like a release that longtime R.E.M. fans greeted with a bit of 'WTF?'...which is probably why I feel like it's still a bit of a statement to say I like it. It's not pretty or jangly or whatever R.E.M. was 'supposed' to be, but it still has moments that are intimate ("Tongue"), touching ("Strange Currencies") or angry - like this track - that are worth embracing. Maybe it's the angry Michael Stipe that frightened people off, but I don't mind it one bit."

True Widow - "Skull Eyes"

True Widow - "Skull Eyes": "Even putting the band name and song title aside, the song still sounds like a metal tune at first, all low and heavy. That continues through the song, but more as as a base under a swirl of dark dream pop, cresting with overlapping boy-girl vocals leading into a pleasantly disorienting swoon. Yeah, you've heard a lot of these elements before, but this song puts them together pretty well."