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70s-80s experimental punk band from Britain started by brother duo Epic Soundtracks, and Nikki Sudden. Although they didn’t garner much success while they were together, their sound was a large inspiration to the likes of Pavement and Sonic Youth. After they broke up, Sudden (vocals/guitar) went on to form “The Jacobites,” Soundtracks (piano/drums) joined ”Crime and the City Solution,” and Head (bass) joined “Television Personalities,” all of which I recommend. My favorite album of theirs, “Jane from Occupied Europe” is linked above.
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Epic Soundtracks and Nikki Sudden, and 10 other bands they were in.
Apr 21, 2024
Numero Group has just released a gorgeous boxed set of the D.C. band Tsunami’s collected works. Their first record, Deep End, was a part of the soundtrack to my 1990s (they were involved with the Riot Grrl movement) and revisiting it now, it still packs a punch. There’s such great interplay between the singers, Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson, and the songs are ragged and noisy while also being deeply melodic. Jenny's DIY mentality (she also founded Simple Machines Records) and genuinely indie/alt ethic certainly helped put them on the map, which then charted the course for so many bands which came along after them. What with '90s indie-pop having its moment (think: bands like Soccer Mommy, Alvvays, Snail Mail, and Mannequin Pussy), there’s no better time to return to the source, to a time when politics was kinda boring and the insidious dismantling of the democratic process was only in its infancy.
Heroines. The title track to their sophomore release, 1994's "The Heart's Tremolo," gives a good sense of that oh-so-Tsunami thing without diving headfirst into their noisier mudbaths.
Nov 5, 2024
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I can't stand music discourse—particularly of the "rock is dead" or "rock is back" variety—because I find that nobody has decent taste, and often they're not even aware of the best bands making music now. I feel like most adults have a period of their life when they discover a lot of music and then they give up searching. I'm relentless when it comes to discovering new favorite bands. I don't think there has ever been a time with as much incredible and timeless guitar-driven music as right now. Nothing, Teenage Wrist, Soft Kill, Ruby Haunt, Ski Lodge, cursetheknife, Jorge Elbrecht, Narrow Head, Sports Coach, Gold Star, Choir Boy, Better Person, Private World, Peel Dream Magazine, Salem, Heavenward, Broken Head, Sweet Trip, Valleyheart, Sculpture Club, Winter, Deafheaven, No Joy, Sheer Mag, Day Wave, Roseville, Kitten, Glare, Amusement Parks On Fire, Soft Blue Shimmer, Black Marble, Provoker, Anonymous Club, Holiday Sidewinder, House of Harm, Superbloom, Softcult, Tigers Jaw, Second Skin, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, NewDad, Failure, Beachy Head, The Chain Gang of 1974, Cindy, Seer Believer, Fearing, and VR Sex are the names of some current bands you should probably be listening to that come to mind. And Drab Majesty's The Demonstration, a melodramatic tragedy pageant in honor of the Heaven's Gate suicides, remains the best album of the last decade. If you want something more electro, go for Real Lies, these two Islington dudes who make the most tasteful club pop since the Pet Shop Boys. Their recent single "Late Arcades" was written as an ode to their old schoolmate, Richard Spencer, who vanished years ago. That shit makes me cry. (Especially in the car.)
Mar 3, 2022
Top Recs from @violette
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Poet & songwriter best known as the frontman of “Silver Jews,“ and the lesser known “Purple Mountains,“ Berman has a way of exploring the beauty in the darker aspects of life. Berman tragically took his in 2019. He had such a special way with words both as a poet and a songwriter. My favorite song of his, “Famous Eyes” is linked above.
Jan 25, 2024
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Founded in 1995, Broadcast was an English band that drew influences from 60s psychedelia, electronic, and experimental music. Following the death of their lead singer in 2011, Broadcast has found a new life and a cult following due to the mystery surrounding the band. I’ve linked my favorite album, Tender Buttons above.
Jan 29, 2024
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Due to the involvement of the US Military Sponsoring SXSW, many bands and artists have opted to pull out of SXSW as protest for the ongoing genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine. I’m very proud of my friends from Perfectly Imperfect and Baby’s All Right for dropping out of SXSW, and for standing in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Free Palestine 🍉
Mar 13, 2024