Demons and Painkillers

This is one of the discs of the Hardcore UFOs box. It consists of rare bonus tracks and country exclusives. There are alternate shiny versions of "Game of Pricks" and "Unleashed!" and a few off of Mag Earwig, including the superb "Choking Tara (creamy version)." There are also some rock solid classics like "Dodging Invisible Rays" and "The Ascended Master's Grogshop," the former being a Tobin Sprout song and the latter lasting all of thirty beautiful seconds. A long, great collection of loose ends that in typical GBV fashion has stand-outs that rank with the best.

DL

Robert Pollard - Not in my Airforce

It says Robert Pollard but it might as well be another GBV fan-club release. This early boy is filled with short weird songs but somehow insanely good songs like "Quicksilver" and "Beauty Flat" snuck in. Pollard's golden period has some secret releases. This is one of them.

DL

Guided By Voices - King Shit and the Golden Boys

A collection of outtakes. There are some solid gems here. Nothing so good that you can't believe it isn't on Bee Thousand or anything like that, but some winners nonetheless. You should probably just delete "Tricycle Looper" from the start though, that song bugs the shit out of me. "Indian Was An Angel," "We've Got Airplanes," "Crutch Came Slinking" and "Scissors" are all classics. If you like the scrappiness of GBV, here is a another fix.

The title comes from the line in "Don't Stop Now," which is also included here in an early version.

DL

Guided By Voices - Tonic and Twisted Chasers

This "fanclub-only" release is every bit as good as a full fledged album. The songs are a little odd, and pretty lo-fi, so they might require a couple more listens than normal, but there are some solid tracks here. "Key Losers" is great, "Dayton Ohio 19-something and Five" is solid, and shows up later as a live version on the "Selective Service" EP. My favorite tracks of this collection are the three that start with "At the Farm." That one, "Unbaited Vicar of Scorched Earth" and "Optional Bases Opposed" are so goddamned good. Download this shit and listen to em.

DL

Guided By Voices - Hold On Hope

This little man is pretty overlooked. No one thinks of "Do The Collapse" B-sides as anything worth listening to, but I have always thought of these oddball songs as true GBV and the Ocasek approved collection on the album as an imitation. "Underground Initiations" would have made an excellent fit on "Isolation Drills" and "Fly Into Ashes" is a solid song too.  Don't overlook this EP like so many have. It's good.

DL

Guided By Voices - Static Airplane Jive

Another GBV EP. Another from the golden era. This one has the brilliant short jam "Hey Aardvark," and the slow burn of "Damn Good Mr. Jam." The latter's finale of "everything for free" might be recognizable from the clip in "Back to Saturn X Radio Report" off of "Propellor."

A good, short EP. It doesn't hold together as well as "Fast Japanese Spin Cycle," but it still has a bunch of solid tracks. Totally worth getting.

DL

Guided By Voices - Fast Japanese Spin Cycle

I'm seeing Guided by Voices on October 30th when they come to Detroit. I am so completely excited I'll be posting a bunch of odd loose ends (that are still brilliant) in preparation.

"Fast Japanese Spin Cycle" is an 8 song EP that has alternate versions of Marchers in Orange from "Vampire on Titus" and Over the Neptune from "Propellor" (here called Kissing to the Crying Cooks), as well as a solid classic in My Impression Now and a short gem in Indian Fables. Listen to this boy all the way through. Like a mini-"Alien Lanes."

DL

Guided By Voices - Sunfish Holy Breakfast

There's some food upon the table boys. 

This is an EP from the Under the Bushes sessions. In typical form for golden period GBV releases the variety is great, and while the standout classics are minimal, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. "Stabbing a Star" is an old outtake and probably the weakest member here. "If We Wait," is a stunner, and "Cocksoldiers and their Postwar Stubble" (how did he name a song this good a name that terrible?) is uhh...better than it's name. 

DLLLLLL

Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts

The first video (linked below) for "Years Not Long," the opening track off of Male Bondings debut Nothing Hurts features a pretty wild twist. The entire video has jocks playing football and then arm wrestling, until the last third of the video where a giant man-on-man make-out party erupts. It is pretty hilarious and encapsulates the I-don't-give-a-fuck mentality of the band. What's the first thing we should do when we get a record deal, and have money to shoot a music video? GIANT BRO MAKE-OUT SESH!

Nothing Hurts kind of reminds me of the pop sensibilities of Harlem and the energy of caUSE co-MOTION. They tear through a bunch of hits rather quickly.

DL

Tobin Sprout - Moonflower Plastic

I imagine it would be hard to stand out if you're in a band with Robert Pollard. I mean, no one gives a fuck about Mitch Mitchell, or the millions of other members that have come and gone throughout the years, except for Tobin Sprout.

His two to three songs per album from GBV's golden age are standouts on albums full of standouts.

Moonflower Plastic is his first post-Guided By Voices album, and it is also his best record. Listen to "Beast of Souls" and "All Used Up." These are classic songs. I can't even imagine how awesome Do the Collapse would have been with a couple of these nuggets.

DL

The State Lottery - When the Night Comes

1/4 from Detroit, and 3/4 from various other places, The State Lottery's latest album "When The Night Comes" is real good. It has a Titus Andronicus vibe (basically early Springsteen) and the yelped choruses and varied instrumentation make it a fun listen. It is bright, and urgent.

But really, you'll love the choruses.

DL



p.s. They are on tour right now. You should check them out. They are predictably great live.

Hanoi Janes - Year of Panic

German lo-fi guys - Hanoi Janes.  It has almost twee instrumentation but the vocals are blown out, Jay Reatard style yelps. It turns out to be a great combination. They do enough different things to keep the record interesting, and their ear for a seemingly endless stretch of catchy melodies doesn't hurt one bit.
A one hundred dollar bill.

DL

The Mice - For Almost Ever Scooter

Please download this album. "The Mice" are a power pop punk band from 80s Ohio. This album is a collection of their first EP and first LP. Then they broke up.

Start at "Little Rage," (the first song on the full length) and play it on repeat. This album has blown my mind. It is exactly what I want to hear. It has a solid closer, and gets better and better on each listen.

10/10

DL

Bill Fox - Shelter From the Smoke

Bill Fox is one of the guys featured on the "I Stayed Up All Night Listening to Records" album I posted a couple weeks ago. His "Shelter From the Smoke" is real good.

A bunch of lo-fi solo gems. Similar to Tobin Sprout's GBV stuff. Give "Lonesome Pine" a listen. You will like it.

DL

Pet Shop Boys - Singles

Keeping the 80s electronic spirit alive I present the singles collection for the first decade of The Pet Shop Boys. Maybe you'll get a kick out of how "West End Girls" sounds like "Jizz In My Pants," but there is no denying that "Suburbia" is a rock solid classic. Then you'll get all over "What Have I Done to Deserve This" and "Always on My Mind" and others. This hit-machine duo sure knew how to call em. It can't be all lo-fi all the time. This is summer music.

DL