This band has been around for a bit now and gotten some play on KEXP (some years ago they did a great cover of Delta 5’s “Mind Your Own Business”), but it’s their new release Is It Now? that’s been getting a lot of play here in the office.
They’ve definitely got that early-eighties post-punk vibe going on with their stark production and twitchy beats, kind of coming across like a mix between Joy Division at their perkiest and Tones On Tail at their goofiest. [I recently learned that there’s an actual connection with the latter — drummer Lola Dompé is actually the daughter of Kevin Haskins, who was in ToT, Bauhaus and Love and Rockets. Their style is very similar in places.]
While I do enjoy the title track, it’s “Mercury” that’s been getting stuck in my head lately, which also gets a lot of play on KEXP.
Definitely worth checking out if you’re into that classic post-punk sound.
While we’re on the subject, I’ve been thinking about that very question, because there are quite a few.
Sometimes it’s a song that resonated deeply with me in high school which didn’t just show up on multiple mixtapes (and was played deafeningly loud on my Walkman at night) but also made repeat appearances on writing soundtracks and was quoted in some of my juvenilia…
…or an obscure non-album single I discovered in the bargain bin at a K-Mart and fell in love with…
…or a deep cut that gets stuck in my head for days at a time, and also serves as a perfect point where DM and Yazoo intersect thanks to Vince Clarke…
…or another deep track where they are at their most German-inspired industrial…
…or a song that displays their ability to be both romantic and unsettling at the same time…
…and oh yeah, even some of their new tracks retain the band’s ability to be creepy…
…or mysterious…
…or have the uncanny knack of writing a catchy song about dark subjects like mortality.
So yeah, I have a lot to work with here. This is by no means a complete list, as I know I skipped at least five other songs I wanted to add. I’m really looking forward to revisiting this band once again!
Interestingly, whenever I think of the 80s golden era of MTV’s 120 Minutes, I think of this song. It was one of the first videos I remember seeing when I started taping it on Sunday nights so I could watch it after school on Monday. It’s one of the first alternative rock songs I can think of that got more than light rotation on the channel outside of that show. If I recall, this video wasn’t actually on the first episode I’d taped but the last video just before the show started. Somehow it just hit me the right way just then and I was hooked. I remember picking up the single at the local department store on the edge of town one rainy afternoon just before I had to get myself fitted for a suit for some formal thing I’ve since forgotten.
I’d been a Split Enz fan earlier, of course. I owned their 1982 album Time and Tide (the one with “Dirty Creature”, “Never Ceases to Amaze Me” and “Six Months in a Leaky Boat”, all of which got play in the early days of the channel). So when the younger Finn brother Neil chose to go it alone after their 1984 split, I was curious. Would they be as quirky and catchy, or would they go in a different direction? By 1986, it would seem he’d take the latter route, taking his songwriting much more seriously, his style becoming more Beatles-inspired. [He’d eventually come full circle with 2024’s CH album Gravity Stairs, which has a very Revolver influence to it, especially its album cover.] This track would be a surprise worldwide hit, even here in the States where it made it all the way to the Billboard’s top ten.
I think the other thing that appealed to me was the guitar work on this song. In a decade of squealy solos and beefy barre chords, this was a song with gorgeous semi-acoustic resonance and curious augmentation. The lyrics told of a life in temporary limbo with an uncertain hope that things would eventually get better. The video manages to capture that perfectly, with Neil walking through room after dusty room, with his bandmates doing all sorts of mundane things like ironing, having breakfast, rehearsing their music. The payoff at the end isn’t success, but escape: Neil finally exits the seemingly endless house, puts on his coat, and walks away into the brightness of the landscape, that emotional weight no longer on his shoulders.
I still hear this song now and again, often while at work. I still air-guitar that opening bass riff. It’s a fun song to play on my guitar as well. And the rest of their discography definitely gets its fair share of play here, as A is quite the fan!
It’s been a whirlwind of a morning between our internet completely crapping out for some reason and having to reboot it…and receiving some incredibly awesome personal news a short time later! So yeah, I’m a bit behind on things right now and it may stay that way for a few more weeks. More on that later!
In the meantime, the above song popped up on KEXP this morning and I still say that playing that final chord on one of the original pianos in Studio One at Abbey Road is one of the coolest and most mind-blowing things I’ve ever done in my life. Today comes close, but this still tops it. 😉
I’ve been listening to a lot of music from 2000-2001 lately, and this song popped up on my playlist. Blur can be kind of odd at times, but this one’s strange even by their standards. It was a new track to sell up their Best of album that dropped on 30 October 2000, but it pretty much sounds like an extended jam session set in a single key, feedback and all. It might be filler, but it’s also infectious and demands to be cranked up.
Still, one of my favorite songs of theirs, and I absolutely love the oddball video they made for it.
I’ve been a long-time fan of the Manchester band Elbow. They’re high on my ‘I will buy anything they release’ list of bands. Guy Garvey has a distinctive voice, slightly tired yet sonorous, and his use of wordplay is absolutely wonderful and I wish I could write like he does.
Every now and again I think of the series of videos they’d dropped during the height of the COVID pandemic, which they cleverly named elbowrooms, featuring the band (and sometimes guest musicians and vocalists) performing some of their beloved songs via shared video. By far my favorite is their take on “Lippy Kids” from their 2011 album Build a Rocket Boys!, featuring not only four of the five band members but a full choral section!
When I think of the pandemic years, I often think of these videos, because they were part of a time when the world was going in a strange direction and somehow communities came together, locally and otherwise, if just for a little while to remind us all that we’re in this together.
I’ll return to those elbowrooms videos every now and again, just to lift my spirits.
I mean, yeah, I’m trying not to be overly (or overtly) political here on this site, but sometimes extenuating circumstances call for it. Heard this Beastie Boys track other day on KEXP, one you rarely hear on the radio these days as it’s a rather downbeat track and not one of their Big Hits, but I remember hearing this a ton on WFNX when Check Your Head came out in early 1992. It’s my favorite Beasties album and this is my favorite track of theirs.
Anyway, the KEXP deejay the other day pretty much said what I’ve been thinking lately: this second go-round is mask-off. They’re not even trying to hide it this time. And as A said a few days previous, we knew what happened last time so we’re ready for whatever bullshit he brings along this time out. We’re far more prepared to fight back, and more decisively at that.
They can call us names and spew and inspire hate towards us, and it still hurts just the same. But something’s giving this time. They’re ignoring it at their peril.
I’ve seen better days than this one I’ve seen better nights than this one Tension is rebuilding Something’s got to give Something’s got to give
This was definitely an interesting year for music! We had several ‘comeback’ albums from musicians who hadn’t had a studio release in over a decade — not just the Cure, but The The, The Softies and The Wolfgang Press — and we also had several excellent anniversary reissues popping up as well.
While my listening habits pretty much remained the same, I was super excited by the news that my favorite station, KEXP, would start broadcasting here in the Bay Area! We’ve desperately needed a good alternative rock station for years (I’m sorry, Live 105, but you are not cutting it even despite recently rising from the ashes), and they’ve always had a super strong fanbase here. So far they’ve been quite successful!
Musically I found myself leaning towards electronic and shoegaze once again, but that’s not to say I was firmly entrenched; the local label Slumberland has been consistently putting out some brilliant jangle pop and lo-fi gems and I’ve become a loyal fan. Still, a lot of non-KEXP listening was focused primarily on moods and vibes this year, mainly for a need of soundtrack music while working on Theadia, my first space opera.
So! Without further ado, here’s my official end-of-year playlist/mixtape for your listening enjoyment!
This one’s a long playlist/mixtape collection of 129 songs so I’ll spare you the list here. So instead, on with my favorite releases of the year! This time I’m merely listing them in alphabetical order as I tended to enjoy all of these equally, with the bolded title being my top favorite of the year. As I’ve mentioned quite often, these were albums that got a lot of play here in Spare Oom, whether on days off or during writing sessions.
ALBUMS Bastille, “&” (Ampersand) Bibio, Phantom Brickworks (LP II) Coldplay, Moon Music Elbow, AUDIO VERTIGO Four Tet, Three GIFT, Illuminator Hooverphonic, Fake Is the New Dope Kelly Lee Owens, Dreamstate La Luz, News of the Universe Linkin Park, From Zero Ride, Interplay The Cure, Songs of a Lost World The Fauns, How Lost The Reds, Pinks & Purples, Unwishing Well The Softies, The Bed I Made The The, Ensoulment Torres, What an enormous room Underworld, Strawberry Hotel Various Artists, Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense Various Artists, Red Hot Org Presents TRAИƧA
SINGLES Bad Bad Hats, “My Heart Your Heart” Corridor, “Jump Cut” deary, “Selene” DIIV, “Brown Paper Bag” Elbow, “Things I’ve Been Telling Myself for Years” English Teacher, “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab” GIFT, “Later” Girl and Girl, “Hello” Kamasi Washington, “Prologue” Kelly Lee Owens, “Love You Got” La Luz, “Strange World” Orcas, “Under the Milky Way” Orville Peck & Beck, “Death Valley High” Ride, “I Came to See the Wreck” RÜFÜS DU SOL, “Music Is Better” The Cure, “And Nothing Is Forever” The Fauns, “Doot Doot” The National, “Heaven” Torres, “Collect”
REISSUES American Football, American Football 25th Anniversary Edition Cocteau Twins & Harold Budd, The Moon and the Melodies Cranes, Collected Works Vol 1 Garbage, Bleed Like Me Deluxe Edition George Harrison, Living in the Material World 50th Anniversary His Name Is Alive, How Ghosts Affect Relationships 1990-1993 Hugo Largo, Huge, Large and Electric: Hugo Largo 1984-1991 Ivy, Long Distance 25th Anniversary Edition John Lennon, Mind Games: The Ultimate Collection and Mind Games: Meditation Mixes Kristin Hersh, Hips and Makers 30th Anniversary Edition New Order, Brotherhood (Definitive) REM, We Are Hope Despite the Times Seal, Seal (1994) Deluxe Edition The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Still Barking (1967-1972) The Dream Academy, Religion, Revolution and Railways: The Complete Recordings The Police, Synchronicity Super Deluxe Edition
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So what do we have coming in 2025? Good question. So far I know we have new albums coming from Franz Ferdinand, Ringo Starr, Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory, Doves (!!), Manic Street Preachers and Mogwai. Stay tuned!
Hope everyone has a great 2025! See you in the next year!
Granted, the last couple of months of the year usually go by in a blur, especially since I work in retail. Between the day job and writing and everything else, I tend to lose track of time and forget minor details and things like that. But thankfully the year did end on a positive note, with a wonderful handful of new records!
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deary, Aurelia EP, released 1 November. One of my favorite newer shoegaze finds with that wonderful guitar wash sound I love so much. I played this one a lot during my writing projects!
Ivy, Long Distance [25th Anniversary Edition], released 1 November. This is probably my favorite Ivy record and one that got a lot of play during the Belfry years. I highly recommend giving this one a listen!
The Cure, Songs of a Lost World, released 1 November. Their first studio album since 2008’s 4:13 Dream, this is well worth the wait, and both critics and fans alike have put this on their list of top albums of the year. The more I listen to this, the more I feel it’s one of their best albums to date.
Linkin Park, From Zero, released 15 November. It’s great to see this band not only returning but essentially picking up where they left off. Emily Armstrong is a great choice to heal the loss of Chester Bennington…while she’s got the same scream-vocal style he had, she gives it her own style and spin.
George Harrison, Living in the Material World 50th Anniversary Edition, released 15 November. This is my second favorite George solo record (after All Things Must Pass of course), and it’s got some of his best work on it. While the album itself leans heavily on the spirituality, it’s not overly cloying. It’s well worth checking out.
New Order, Brotherhood (Definitive), released 22 November. This reissue was also worth the wait as well, as their ‘Definitive’ series provides fresh remasters and intriguing bonus tracks and rarities. This was probably my favorite album of theirs after Substance and got a lot of Walkman play back in the day, so it’s great to hear these songs fresh once more.
U2, How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (Re-Assemble Edition), released 22 November. Another reissue, this one a twentieth anniversary remaster of their 2004 album plus several more tracks recorded during its sessions but mostly unreleased. It’s a fascinating listen as many of the extras feel much looser and more experimental than what showed up on the original.
Kim Deal, Nobody Loves You More, released 22 November. It’s surprising to know that this is actually Deal’s first solo album, after working so many years with Pixies and The Breeders. It kind of reminds me of The Breeders’ Pod actually, with several of its songs played loosely as if it was more of a demo record than a complete project. Yet that’s the kind of work she’s always done best.
Bibio, Phantom Brickworks (LP II), released 22 November. I first found out about this musician through the first Phantom Brickworks back in 2017, and this sequel is just as fascinating. His work leans towards slow and ambient — the perfect score for my writing sessions, of course — and this one in particular reminds me of one of my favorite ambient records, Global Communication’s 76:14.
Various Artists, Red Hot Org Presents TRANSA, released 22 November. Red Hot has always put out fascinating compilations, and this one is a heartfelt celebration of the trans community. It features forty-six tracks of all kinds of styles, including Moses Sumney’s groovy cover of Sylvester’s “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)”, a surprisingly calm cover of Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U” featuring none other than Wendy & Lisa themselves, a ghostly cover of Sinéad O’Connor’s “Feel So Different” by Sharon Van Etten and Ezra Furman… and the biggest surprise, an absolutely lovely track by Sade herself written for her trans son. It’s a fascinating listen and highly recommended.
Mixtape/Playlist, Re:Defined 2405, created 1 December. This particular mix showcases several songs that stopped me in my tracks in the latter half of this year — songs that literally made me stop writing or surfing the internet to focus on what I was hearing. That’s been sadly very rare these days, but I’m glad there’s still a lot out there that will do that for me.
Garbage, copy/paste, vol 1 (Abridged), released 6 December. A shortened version of a Record Store Day special release, this showcases the band’s penchant for the occasional cover song, many of which usually end up on single b-sides. I was familiar with half of these, but their take on The Psychedelic Furs’ “Love My Way” was a great find.
Saint Etienne, The Night, released 13 December. Glad to see this band returning after a couple of years (songwriter/keyboardist Bob Stanley has been doing a lot of music biography writing as of late, and I highly recommend them). It’s a bit quieter than their usual output, but it’s a great listen.
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….and that’s it for the year! I did leave out quite a few records, mainly due to space, but I’m glad to say that a lot of it stayed with me over the months while I focused on my writing!
Walk In Silence 