Tag Archives: rock

#759: J is for Jellyfish

I cannot think of a better 90’s bandthat did not sound like the 90’s. Maybe The Posies or They Might BeGiants both come close, but thesecats, this Jellyfish band, I saw liveonce in their first iteration at a smallclub downtown shortly after that firstalbum, Bellybutton, and it was nearlya religious experience. Andy Sturmer, lead singingContinue reading “#759: J is for Jellyfish”

#739: J is for Jackson, Joe

At first, Joe Jackson struck meas the “other” Elvis Costello, and at the time, in my teens, I could not imagine needing another one. I was wrong aboutthat, of course, and I knew itas soon as Jackson released the big band album, Jumpin’Jive. He actually beat Costelloto the punch with the genrehopping. But this, NightContinue reading “#739: J is for Jackson, Joe”

#736: I is for Illuminati Hotties

“Pool Hopping” has to be one of the mostcrushing power pop punk rock songs in recentmemory. Followed immediately on the albumLet Me Do One More by the equally sassy andwildly exuberant “MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA.” One would be hard pressed to find two more powerful opening tracks in the wholeof the year of our pandemic, 2020-21.The project ofContinue reading “#736: I is for Illuminati Hotties”

#722: G is for Green and Greep, Al and Geordie

Here’s an odd pairing for you rightnext to each other in the alphabet, the iconic soul singer Al Green and the contemporary prog rock madscientist guitar player singer GeordieGreep. Like the pairing of Glaspy andGlavor, I put them together here justso I can type their names side by side: Glaspy and Glavor, Green and Greep.OutsideContinue reading “#722: G is for Green and Greep, Al and Geordie”

#721: G is for Grant, John

I stumbled upon a live studio recording of Elbowperforming a song called“Kindling” from the Little Fictions album with a guestvocal performance by a guynamed John Grant. Who’s this person, I wondered. And I concluded, if he’s a friendof Elbow’s, he’s a friend ofmine, and then I watched thatvideo. Whoever this JohnGrant person was, he wasContinue reading “#721: G is for Grant, John”

#720: G is for Grandaddy

Before streaming, but longafter the days of asking a record store clerk to play something on the shop systemthat one was interested in hearing, there was the new tech developmentof the in-store listeningstation, some crazy multi-discplayer with a user interfaceand a decent pair of headphones,it gave you the perusal powerof a dozen or two dozenContinue reading “#720: G is for Grandaddy”

#719: G is for Gorillaz

These “guys” have been on my radar forever but something has prevented mefrom taking the plunge. Did I listen to some stuffthat I didn’t like? Was the cartoon character motif too much for me, like if I couldn’t identify the musiciansas real people I wasn’t able to take a chance? Even after I discoveredthat thisContinue reading “#719: G is for Gorillaz”

#710: F is for Freelance Whales

I love the name of this band. I like to think of whales out therefreelancing, as opposed to the otherwhales out there working for the manor some corporate interest. It’s funny. In so far as whales have jobs to do, you know, other than living as whales, I’d much rather champion the freelancers. It’s beenContinue reading “#710: F is for Freelance Whales”

#709: F is for FFS (Franz Ferdinand and Sparks)

It took a collaboration with Sparksto get me interested in Franz Ferdinand,this alt rock group from Glasgow, now into their twentieth year or more as a band. This record, the only album I have of theirs,is titled simply FFS. Not officially a FranzFerdinand album, but rather a new supergroup collaboration with a new super groupname.Continue reading “#709: F is for FFS (Franz Ferdinand and Sparks)”