I think we have YouTube to thankfor Pomplamoose. Most folks, including moi, came across thispop music duo on their exceptionallywell recorded and filmed DIY videosof their original songs and wildlyinventive mash-up covers. Simpleaffairs, really, just a split screenor a quartered screen, each box featuring multi-instrumentalistJack Conte and his partner NatalyDawn performing live in the studio.Recently,Continue reading “#836: P is for Pomplamoose”
Tag Archives: vinyl collection
#835: P is for The Police
Of all the new wave and punk era drummers,Stewart Copeland was maybe the first and maybethe only one to call attention to himself, to distinguish himself in the genre as a drummerone would admire, and, if one was a fledglingpercussionist, one to aspire to. He was, possibly, the Neil Peart of the punk and newContinue reading “#835: P is for The Police”
#834: P is for Polacheck, Caroline
What Caroline Polacheck hasover her contemporaries, the likesof Taylor and Chappelle and Charlie, you know, these powerhouse singersblending the pop and the dance and the electronics, is that Carolineis musically far more strange, far more otherworldly, far more arty, I’d say. I mean, from the first notes: listen to that howl that begins the openingContinue reading “#834: P is for Polacheck, Caroline”
#833: P is for Plant, Robert
“Little By Little,” the opening trackof Robert Plant’s solo album, Shaken ‘n’ Stirred is a glorious thought experiment to find out what a love child between The Policeand Led Zeppelin would sound like. It’s a wonderful tune with the bestof what an 80’s stink has to offer, the big snare drum, some odd but heavyContinue reading “#833: P is for Plant, Robert”
#828: P is for Parks, Arlo
Groovy, slick, smooth, personal, poetic, and very English, Arlo Parks’ first album reachedthe #3 position on the UK album charts in 2021. It’s a funky mix of hip hop lo fi drum production, jangly guitars, cool synths and organs, and Arlo’s hooky melodies, soft delivery,and earnest, conversational lyrics. This debut is nearly irresistibly cool. IContinue reading “#828: P is for Parks, Arlo”
#827: P is for Paramore
Hayley Williams is a force.I have only one, the latest, album by Paramore, and if this one recordis any indicator, these cats form a incredibly talented and versatile band, but Hayley’s vocal performances areunhinged and over the top in the mostwonderful way, bursting with energy, as wild and as spunky as anything Debbie Harry everContinue reading “#827: P is for Paramore”
#826: P is for .Paak, Anderson
I think so far in my listening challengeit must be clear: I do not have any hip hopin the collection. I do not own any rap albums. There may be hip hop moments in a Beyoncérecord, guest spots by rappers on a James Blakealbum, spoken word artists doing a thing that could not justifiably beContinue reading “#826: P is for .Paak, Anderson”
#824: O is for Other Lives
So how does one get turnedon to a band from Oklahomadoing a kind of baroque chamberpop thing with electronics, folksy acoustics and understated and sometimes whispery light singingover the top of percolating percussion?Another pre-streaming discovery, I think I downloaded their debut 2011 album, Tamer Animals, froma service called Emusic, a musicsubscription site that allowed twoorContinue reading “#824: O is for Other Lives”
#823: O is for Ono, Yoko
I do not have any albumsby Yoko Ono. I do not have anyalbums by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. But I do have this thing, Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono, a collection of recordings by various artistscovering Yoko Ono’s songs. I remember distinctly that I found this album at the annual sidewalk sale ofContinue reading “#823: O is for Ono, Yoko”
#821: O is for Oingo Boingo + Boingo
In the first year or so of MTV, fronted by the theatrical, vocalist extraordinaire, andfuture film scoring giant, Danny Elfman, Oingo Boingo made their debut into the punk rock new wave universe and the national consciousness with the insane music video for their first single, the cringy (especially in hindsight), “Little Girls.” As a highContinue reading “#821: O is for Oingo Boingo + Boingo”
