Sound Advice: 13. Mar. 2025

by Kevin2 Comments on Sound Advice: 13. Mar. 2025

The flood of great records continues! Today we’re taking a quick look at the latest from Bob Mould, Seances, Andy Bell, and more!

Longtime readers may recall that I reviewed 100 new (to me) records last year. Because I’m a glutton for punishment love music, I’m doing it again this year. This is the latest in the series.

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at the latest from Bob Mould, Seances, Andy Bell, and more!

Every year, I celebrate all the great music we’ve been gifted while worrying that next year will see the other shoe drop. I first did that in December 2020 and have been proven wrong every month since. Not only are there a ton of releases steadily coming out, but it also transcends genre or any other artificial guardrail we try and put up—

In other words, a ton of good stuff is coming out, and there’s something for everyone. It’s almost overwhelming— but in all the best ways. Below is another batch that caught my attention recently.

Let’s get into it!

Bob Mould- Here We Go Crazy

At my day job, one of my coral duties is administering annual hearing exams and helping people find hearing protection that works for them. This is thanks to Bob Mould.

Husker Du’s New Day Rising hit me like a kick to the head and was never played at less than full volume. I liked it that way and loved his power trio, Sugar. To this day, it’s still the loudest show I’ve ever been to. I used to find that post-show ringing in my ears a weird badge of honor. When it was still there after day two, I started to worry. My hearing rebounded (sort of), which marked the point when I no longer cared how uncool I looked wearing earplugs at shows. But Mould hasn’t quieted down. He’s at his best when he’s at full throttle, and on his 15th solo record, he delivers. 

The opener, “Here We Go Crazy,” reminds listeners of the best parts of Sugar. “Fur Mink Augurs” and “Sharp Little Pieces” are equally intense. The songs come at you relentlessly: blast furnace chords, merciless drumming, and sometimes hard-to-understand vocals (especially for those with hearing difficulties). When you listen closely, they often touch on challenging subjects—it would be easy for a sound like this to wear down even the strongest among us. Yet Mould consistently shows us a bit of light (heh).

Here We Go Crazy isn’t exhausting; it’s invigorating. It’s a breath of fresh air at a time when we need it more than ever. Play it loud; just remember to limit your exposure and keep in mind that the most effective hearing protection is the kind you’ll actually wear. (Blow your mind —and hearing—here)

Seances-Power is a Phantom

Post-punk? From Milwaukee? Yes, please! I’m a sucker for a record like this, and this debut from Seances has plenty of it. Bandleader Eric Arsnow went to see The Chameleons play, walked out afterward, and had the outline of this record mapped out in a couple of hours.

You can hear traces of that band here, but this is also an outfit described as “sounding more like Joy Division than Joy Division does.” Listeners will also pick up notes of early Wire and even Franz Ferdinand. The fantastic “Hours” was featured on Playlist 286 and is just a glimpse of what the rest of this record has to offer. (Post-punk from Cream City? You bet.)

Andy Bell- pinball wanderer

It’s been 35 years since Ride’s showed up and gave us Nowhere. The band and the record (re)defined what shoegaze looked like and proved that stark distortion and atmospheric melodies could coexist.

Bell helped pen much of that history with his guitar and made his bones by exploring new sounds and pushing boundaries. That trend continues on his third solo record. On pinball wanderer [sic], he takes us on a long trip with psychedelic, krautrock, and shoegaze stops along the way. “Panic Attack” kicks things off with a steady rhythm that manages to invigorate and soothe simultaneously- a talent Bell has mastered. Bringing disparate elements together and making it all seem natural is another.

Bell is pushing new ground but also takes a look back. On “I’m in love…” Dot Allison and Michael Rother join him as he puts his spin on The Passions’ 1981 track “I’m In Love With A German Film Star.” “Moving Concrete” reminds me of The Units’ “High Pressure Days.”

As with many shoegaze artists, there’s always a risk that the record could wander off into the weeds. I love the shuffling drums and groove of “apple green ufo,” but at 8+ minutes, it veers dangerously close. Bell wouldn’t be the first musician from this genre to get lost inside his own head— but while we see the edge a couple of times, pinball wanderer always manages to pull us back in time. (Click here and enjoy your trip into space)

Rebecca Black- Salvation

Yes, that Rebecca Black. Given her past, I suspect a lot of people will cue this up to hate-listen. They’re gonna be bummed. This EP won’t rearrange any minds, but it holds its own. If you’re looking for a medium voltage dose of synth/hyperpop, this’ll fill the bill. The production feels gimmicky in a couple of spots and overproduced in others. But overall, it’s a pleasant enough ride. Living well is the best revenge. (Click here to be surprised…or have your suspicions confirmed. Either or. )

Monarchy of Roses- Bleeding Over

I found this band not long after the last Sound Advice column. We connected through CuVa BiMö, and they sent over a link to check out. No fuss, no muss. I meant to ask them if they took their name from the RHCP track of the same name—rookie mistake. After hearing this, I doubt it.

Bleeding Over is the Bay Area band’s first long player, and the short version is this: it rips.

The four-piece (Jeremy Arias (vocals/guitar), Andres Juarez (guitar), Cameron Clark (bass), and Austin Kane (drums) deliver 10 tracks of bruising hard rock, but not so hard that it wears out its welcome. Opener, “Million Miles,” comes out of the gate at warp speed, and things never really slow down. If you were lucky enough to have been going to see shows in the early ‘90s, this’ll remind you of a lot of those nights (in all the best ways). Bleeding Over is a record best played with the windows down and speed limits ignored. Watch this space. (Click here and try not to get a ticket).

Patterson Hood- Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams

All good things in time. It’s taken Hood a dozen(ish) years to follow up Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance, but it’s worth the wait. Hood, of course, has a second job as co-founder of The Drive-By Truckers keeping him busy.

His fourth solo record finds him in a reflective spot, and revisiting his past. For example, the gorgeous, spare opener “Exploding Trees” is about a storm he experienced as a kid. He’s also brought friends along for the ride, including fellow Alabaman Waxahatchee, Wednesday, and Kevin Morby. On Repeat fave Lydia Loveless joins him on “A Werewolf and a Girl.”

This is an intentionally (?) low-key record made by a guy at a point in life where there’s is plenty of “past’ to mine. Records like this are hard to pull off, but Hood hits the right marks here. (Click here to travel to the deep south)

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these records! Did I get it right, or am I way off the mark?

Forgive Me Father…

by KevinLeave a Comment on Forgive Me Father…

If you’re giving up laughter for lent, you might want to skip this one.

Good morning!

Lent began yesterday, so I thought it might be fun to share some musical confessions…if nothing else, I thought we could all use a bit of light & laughs right now.

Note: I copied this idea with permission from 

Steve Bradley. Steve writes the fantastic Musical Chairs. His original (and funnier) version is here. Be sure to check it out & the rest of Steve’s work!

KA—

The season of Lent begins today, so it felt appropriate to make a few musical confessions.

Father, forgive me…

…I used to point and laugh at the Grateful Dead. Now I love them

…I never saw Talking heads

…I used to put industrial amounts of Aqua Net in my hair

…I used to point and laugh at Rush..still kinda do, tbh.

…I don’t like Radiohead

…I love(d) New Edition

…I only realized how good The Fall were after we lost Mark E. Smith

…I used to tight-roll my pants

…I owned YBT’s “Tap the Bottle (Twist the Cap)”

…I missed Alvvays and Slow Pulp here in town. I wasn’t sick, didn’t have to work—nothing like that. I just straight up put the wrong day on my calendar. It was a free show.

…I ignored every Pearl Jam record after Vitalogy for far too long.

…I missed a Mighty Mighty Bosstones show because my GF at the time didn’t like them.

…I will pay way too much for any New Order record.

…I saw NRBQ play and spent most of the time blowing them off. In my defense, I was 14.

…I thought Web3 would be good for artists

…I used to think Bruce Springsteen was just another American stadium rocker (same as Steve)

…A buddy got to go backstage at a Dead Milkmen show, and I was too shy to go with him

…I will turn up Kylie Minogue anytime she’s on.

…I went to see Huey Lewis & the News as a kid but didn’t tell people for years.

…I was an insufferable gatekeeper for years. Just the worst.

But now I have seen the light.

(maybe)

Have any of your own “confessions?” Sound off below!

Thanks for being here,

Kevin—

What’re You Listening To?

by KevinLeave a Comment on What’re You Listening To?

Good morning! Looking for a place to share the music you love with like-minded people? You’re in the right spot.

As always, thank you to those who have recently upgraded their subscriptions. Your direct support fuels this community and makes a positive impact. Shares and reblogging also help! Thank you!

When you’re ready, joining them is easy. Just click the button below

On to the music:

For those of you who are new, we kick off every week by sharing what we’ve been playing.

This playlist includes some of what I’ve had in heavy rotation. There’s some future classics and a couple of old favorites.

Now it’s your turn.

What caught your ear this week? Any 2025 releases, RSD stuff, or shows you’re excited about?

Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Become a Friend of On Repeat Records today!

Sound Advice 01. March. 2025

by KevinLeave a Comment on Sound Advice 01. March. 2025

Longtime readers may recall that I reviewed 100 new (to me) records last year. Because I’m a glutton for punishment love music, I’m doing it again this year. This is the latest in the series.

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at the latest from Horsegirl, CuVa Bimö, Immersion + SUSS, Brief Candles, and Drop Nineteens

Every year, I celebrate all the great music we’ve been gifted while worrying that next year will see the other shoe drop. I first did that in December 2020 and have been proven wrong every month since. Not only are there a ton of releases steadily coming out, but it also transcends genre, or any other artificial guardrail we try and put up—

In other words, there’s a ton of good stuff coming out, and there’s something for everyone. It’s almost overwhelming— but in all the best ways. Below are another batch that caught my attention recently.

Let’s get into it!

Brief Candles- Unfinished Nature (2024)

There is a clip around social media where a GenZ record store clerk shares her favorite shoegaze records. At one point—and I’m paraphrasing here– she notes that the line between dream pop and shoegaze is fluid, and no one really knows how to define it, other than you know it when you hear it. I mention this because Unfinished Nature from Milwaukee’s Brief Candles does a great shop bouncing between both.

With its skittish riffs, opener “Remote View Finder” manages to work in a little post-punk while we’re at it. Follow-up “Rewards” was featured on ORR playlist 283; it still hasn’t fallen out of heavy rotation. If you’re a fan of Drop Nineteens (more on them below), this will remind you of the band at its most wistful, with just enough feedback to keep you from floating too far off into space. On tracks like “Murky,” the music takes a much more sturdy tone.

The band–and record–are more than just a bunch of effects pedals and reverb, of course. There are elements of psych, Krautrock, and more here. Fans of Yo La Tengo might also see some similarities peeking through.

Call ’em what you want: On Unfinished Nature, the band is locked in. (Listen here)

Immersion + SUSS- Nanocluster, Vol. 3

My love for Wire is no secret, nor is my love for frontman Colin Newman’s solo work. Immersion is his project with partner Malka Spigel (Minimal Compact), and Vol. 3 is the latest in their Nanocluster series. For this release, the electronic duo has partnered with the ambient Americana trio SUSS, and the result is fantastic.

Both groups play off each other well here. Immersion’s electronic & post-punk influences complement Suss’ painting of expansive soundscapes and vice versa. Together, Nanocluster Vol 3 is, at times, the perfect soundtrack to a desert sunrise. Other times, tracks like State Of Motion channel the energy of a new (urban) day and compel you to move. The video also includes early morning footage from an airport, and I can confirm that it captures that feeling to a tee. Either way, this record is an incredible (I had to squeeze in one more superlative there) way to set the tone for your day. I’m not usually an “ambient guy,” but this one proves the exception to the rule. Being a Wire fanboy might skew things a bit, but don’t be surprised to see this on my OATY list at year’s end. (Listen here)

Drop Nineteens- 1991

Before Delaware…before 120 Minutes…there was…1991. First recorded before the band had a record label, this collection of demos was recorded, put to tape, and then largely forgotten for the next three decades.

The band’s now back, and was time to bring these recordings back to life. With only a light touch editing-wise, they’re as raw as you might imagine— these are demos made by 18/19-year-olds in their dorm rooms!—but are a great look at what the band would become just a short time later. In particular, “Shannon Waves” (also featured last week) is a standout. This one might be best described as a record for the fans, but listeners new to the band will also find a gem or two in here. (Listen here)

Horsegirl- Phonetics On and On

The follow-up to 2022’s Versions of Modern Performance sees the band embracing a much more stripped-down sound. In the ensuing three years, the band members finished high school, left Chicago for NYC, and started college. In many cases, that’s the first red flag that a record will be pretentious and insufferable. Not here, though. With Cate Le Bon on the boards, everything here serves a purpose, and there is no excess. The result is both familiar and new, almost as if the trio is insistent on not being pigeonholed into any given sound. There’s no shortage of jangle here, but there is plenty else to explore as well. They’re growing up but aren’t afraid to still embrace whimsy. (Listen here)

CuVa Bimö- CB Radio

We next travel to the Best Coast, or more specifically, the East Bay, and check out Oakland’s CuVa Bimö and their debut, CB Radio. Like any good post-punk/post-whatever record, this has jagged guitar riffs and frenetic vocals. There are new wave and goth elements here as well.

“Bad Jacket” and “Crank Wave” see the band at their snottiest, right down to the “I know a few things that are true / That new jacket makes you look like a tool” lyrics on the former. “Post/Wall” is twitchy in just the right amounts. With its furious chords and fast/slow/fast/slow cadence, Doonm Loop reminds me of all the 7″ records I used to pick up back in the day and served as a reminder that I should dust ’em off and share them with my neighbor.

There’s also the requisite fist-shaking at the state of affairs in 2025 America. Any more, those are table stakes, and this record clears the bar from start to finish. But I also want to highlight drummer Ricky Cunliffe’s work here. It feels like it could explode anytime, yet it never does. It’s more animated than one might usually see from a band swimming in these waters. Honestly, it feels like there are a couple of drummers back there. He and bassist Jake Bilich keep things chugging right along down the track.

CB Radio is a harder sound than just about everything else coming out of SF/Oakland these days, And I’m here for all of it. Hopefully, this is the first of many more records by the band. (Listen here)

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these records! Did I get it right, or am I way off the mark?

Support indie journalism!

New Order’s Technique at 35: A Quick Look at the Band’s Seminal 1989 Record

by KevinLeave a Comment on New Order’s Technique at 35: A Quick Look at the Band’s Seminal 1989 Record

On their fifth release the dance rock pioneers hit their peak

Good Morning!

Today we’re taking a quick look at ‘Technique’ by New Order as it turns 35.

There’s not much point in burying the lede here; this lookback won’t come close to being objective. If you’ve been with us for more than a few weeks, you know my love for this band and are keenly aware that On Repeat could devolve into a New Order fan page at any moment.

That said, this record is a massive achievement for the band at a time when not much else was going right for them-certainly not internally, anyway. To put something out amidst so much strife and financial pressure alone would be worth noting. That it is some of the best work they’ve ever produced makes it all the more remarkable.

Most people will remember March 24th, 1989, as the date the Exxon Valdez ran aground. I remember walking to the closest shopping mall to get tickets to see New Order.

That was the closest Ticketmaster outlet, and I was probably halfway down the street before my mom had even finished giving me permission. With the benefit of hindsight — and now being a parent myself — I now know what a huge leap of faith this must’ve been for her. We lived in the suburbs, and she was giving the green light to an (almost) 14 yr. old to ride the bus across the metro area to see a band she heard nonstop but didn’t know.

I suppose on some level you just know when to let your kids leap

The band was on the road supporting their 5th studio album, Technique, and it came out when I was in junior high. The record was one of the bright spots in an otherwise blah era for me.

If Low Life is a show at an intimate venue, Technique is a sweaty rave filled with strobe lights and ecstasy. Indeed, the record was partly recorded in Ibiza with the band off their rockers. Technique is firmly rooted in the sounds surrounding them in their new environs. They choose the sunny locale at Hook’s insistence after a run of recordings made in “dark and horrible” London studios. The band decamped for Ibiza, hoping the change in scenery (and menu of drugs) would have the same positive effect that New York had had for them years earlier.

It worked…sort of…

After four months, the band only had ‘Fine Time’ and a couple of other tracks recorded to show for their time on the island. Declaring their holiday over, their label called them back to the UK, where they finished the record at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios.

We had expected to hear a lot of acid house music when we got to Ibiza because that had taken off in Manchester two to three months before we left, but we didn’t – we were hearing something called Balearic Beat,” Bernard said.We were actually disappointed at first because we were really into acid house, and what we heard, this Balearic Beat, was this crazy mash-up of styles and really commercial-sounding but there was also some really good stuff. By the end of our time there we were really influenced by it.

Their time in the sun may seem unproductive on the surface, but it had left an indelible mark on the group’s sound.

Fine Time is an acid-house Balearic Beat classic. Round and Round1 is pop perfection and saw decent airtime on MTV.

Run is credited to not only New Order, but also (*checks notes) John Denver?!

Yes, really. Denver sued the band, alleging that the guitar riffs were lifted from his Leaving On a Jet Plane.The case was settled out of court, with his name subsequently added to the credits.

A mediocre picture of the fantastic ‘Fine Time’ 12”

We could do a track-by-track breakdown, but the short version is this: Technique feels like the band’s most honest record. Whether that’s down to the drugs or the Balearic sun, I don’t know. In the end, I suppose it doesn’t matter.

Perhaps more importantly, it is economical. Listening to it, every note has its place, and there is nothing extraneous. It’s both a dance record and a pop record—in other words, a New Order record—but listening to it, there is a discipline that sets it apart from the band’s previous work.

The songs themselves are compact; the sequencers nailed down— there is no 9-minute version of anything on this LP. By this point, the band had also mastered the art of shifting between pop and dance tracks.

On Brotherhood, a distinct boundary exists between the two (literally- the styles each have their own side on the album). There are no guardrails here; the band makes segueing between styles look easy.

All of that is well and good, but why is it my number 1?

Technique was really the first record by the band that I found on my own. Yes, I knew them. Yes, I’d heard almost everything they had recorded up to that point. But this was different; I’d learned of its release on my own and gone and bought it with my own money.

No hand-me-downs from friends’ older siblings or songs clipped from mix tapes. You always remember your first…

Good records always take you somewhere special. Thirty-five years later, Technique still does that for me.

Listen:

New Order | Technique, 1989

Click the record to listen on the platform of your choice.

What are your thoughts on this record? Do you have any favorite tracks or memories associated with it? At 35, does it still hold up? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Thanks for being here,

Kevin—

1

The video features several supermodels, including Elaine Irwin, who would marry John Mellencamp a couple of years later, and Cynthia Bailey, who would rise to fame when cast on Bravo’s ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ reality series.

Let’s Active- “Every Word Means No”

by KevinLeave a Comment on Let’s Active- “Every Word Means No”

Good Morning!

Today we’re listening to “Every Word Means No” by Let’s Active

The line of producers that also perform in bands is long; Butch Vig & Garbage, Steve Albini & Big Black, and Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, to name just a few. On that same list is Mitch Easter. Easter has spent decades helping other artists get their sounds out into the world as a producer. He was behind the boards for The Connells’ Boylan Heights, Suzanne Vega’s Solitude Standing, Marshall Crenshaw’s Downtown, and many more.

From his Drive-In studio (so named because it literally was his parent’s two-car garage) also came such classics as REM’s Murmur, Chronic Town, and Reckoning. Arguably the band’s best run.

[The studio] was tiny. The entire space was probably about 225 square feet. It was a two-car garage that had been divided up before my parents got the place. The previous owners split it up and turned it into a one-car garage, and then the other half they made into a children’s bedroom and this sort of utility room. The car area was where the band stood together, the children’s bedroom was the control room, and I think the bass and guitar amps were isolated in the little utility area next to the control room.

~Mitch Easter

As R.E.M.’s stature increased, so too did Easter’s. It only makes sense, right? His track record of exporting sounds from the Southeast US to college radio stations nationwide was indisputable. Why not do the same thing on the other side of the recording booth?

Let’s Active was originally formed with Easter and Faye Hunter on bass. Drummer Sara Romweber—just 17 at the time— joined soon after. The Afoot EP was released in 1983 (and again in 1989 after being combined with the Cypress LP). Along with Afoot, the band released 3 LPs before splitting up in 1990.

“We didn’t have hits in the conventional kind of way at all, but that song got to be well known. It was played on college radio and stuff like that.”

“Every Word Means No” became the band’s biggest song, and while it didn’t exactly scream up the charts, it became fairly well-known and was even covered by Smash Mouth in the late 90s. That may have been the final step on the band’s path from indie darlings to cult heroes to the subject of a tribute album.

More:

North Carolina’s Let’s Active was probably the most misunderstood of the South’s ’80s new-pop bands. Though dogged by a rosy-cheeked nicest-guys-of-wimp-pop image, they could be downright moody. Producer/multi-instrumentalist Mitch Easter assembled the trio in 1981, but it only emerged nationally in the wake of R.E.M., whose first two discs Easter co-produced at his Drive-In garage studio outside of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Joining that band’s label, Let’s Active released a six-song EP, Afoot, bringing new meaning to such overused pop adjectives as crisp, bright and ringing. All the songs, even those with melancholy lyrics, are hook-filled, boppy and ultra-hummable.

Click here to read the rest of the overview.

Listen:

“Every Word Means No” by Let’s Active | Afoot (EP), 1983

Why Yo La Tengo’s ‘This Stupid World’ Could Be Your New Favorite Album

by KevinLeave a Comment on Why Yo La Tengo’s ‘This Stupid World’ Could Be Your New Favorite Album

There are two sides to Yo La Tengo. Both are very good sides.

The first is quiet, contemplative Yo La Tengo. That’s the one we’ve seen the most of in recent years. Sometimes haunting and/or listless, other times endearing. Occasionally, like on tracks like Looney Tunes, a sonic lazy river that seemingly stretches forever.

The second is rocking Yo la Tengo. Sometimes it’s vaguely menacing, as with tracks like Shaker. The sound is locomotive. I’ll also include their poppier side and impeccable taste in picking covers here.

Either way, they’re giving us straight rippers with Kaplan barely in control, playing like one of those inflatable wavy guys you see at low-rent used car lots.

Instead of a specific direction, they just chose ‘em all

Messy. Precise. Jarring. Soothing. Over the last forty(ish) years, Yo La Tengo have consistently been an exercise in contradiction. And yet somehow, it all fits together nicely, as it’s supposed to. 

This is one of those bands that always sound like themselves, no matter what boundary they’re pushing or which norm they’re winging out a third-story window.

It’s always a YLT record, ya know?

On their latest release, “This Stupid World,” they’ve kept all of that going.

Sidebar: Yo La Tengo can be a band that makes you work before you get it. The full listening experience requires intention. There’s friction. The effort is always worth it, though, with something new revealing itself with every spin. And while they have some songs that could broadly be classified as singles, this band’s work is best heard from A1 to the closer.

So I have to say that for as much hype as there was leading up to the release of This Stupid World, I’m grateful that they only released a couple of tracks ahead of time. Hearing the record unfold for the first time is a joy. 

The record opens strong with Sinatra Drive Breakdown. Look, I know “motorik” is fast becoming the most overused adjective in my arsenal, right up there with “awesome” and “fantastic.” but for this track, it fits. Just trust me here.

Drummer Georgia Hubley and bassist James “new guy since ‘92” Mcnew lay down a killer groove that promptly chugs on for 7+ minutes. So much for radio-friendly.

Another rule proudly ignored.

Next up is “Fallout,” easily their most pure pop offering since perhaps Ohm off of Fade, or Electr-O-Pura’s Tom Courtenay. With an easy rhythm and quasi-call-and-response-like chorus of:

Wanna fall out, fall out of time
Wanna fall out, fall out of time
Wanna fall out, fall out of time
Wanna fall out, fall out of time

Don’t be surprised if you get caught singing this at a red light. I’m not saying this has happened to me, but I’m not not saying it, either.

This band is famously introverted, with Hubley sometimes giving the impression that she’s using the drum kit as a shield. But perhaps more than anyone else, she has come more into her own with each release.

On “Aselestine,” her vocals are unguarded & lovely, even as she’s singing Where are you/The drugs don’t do/What you said they do.

On closer, “Miles Away,” they’re endearing as she laments those she’s lost along the way.

You feel alone
Friends are all gone
Keep wiping the dust from your eyes
So many signs
I must be blind
How few of them I see

But to get there, we get to get through a few more tracks. Kaplan’s usual knack for squishing an entire backstory into a paragraph is on display throughout the record, but perhaps no more so than on Apology Letter, where he sings:

It’s so clear
What I’m trying to say, but right on cue
It doesn’t ever come that easily
‘Cause the words
Derail on the way from me to you
It seems to happen with some frequency
Depressingly


Brain Capers is expansive and rides a thick groove. It’s relentless—and it’s my favorite song on the record. Kaplan is in full glorious wavy inflatable guy mode here.

The title track is a steely shoegaze monster. A weighted blanket of the band’s distortion and feedback, with Kaplan telling us, “This stupid world, it’s all we have.”

They know the only way out is through, and this is their way of telling us that if it’s not gonna end well, we can at least have a good time on the way down.

Bottom Line: Yo La Tengo has never been a band that fits nicely in a box, and 2023’s no time to start. They’ve gone from critics darling to your favorite band’s favorite band to indie rock elder statesmen.

And all of that from a band that feels more like neighbors you’d ask to watch your house while on vacation.

With seventeen records and a bunch of EPs and singles, this would’ve been a fine capstone to a storied discography. Instead, it feels like a band hitting its stride with the best yet to come. 

The 5 Latest Additions to My Record Collection

by KevinLeave a Comment on The 5 Latest Additions to My Record Collection

Another “little bit of everything” edition

B-Side records. Photo: Henry Alexander

Here’s to great teachers!

My son has photography as an elective this semester, and his class took a field trip downtown last week.

Remember when we’d get excited to see a teacher roll a TV in on a cart, and it was movie day? You knew you could just relax and kinda mail it in? This is the educator’s equivalent. There are 2–3 stops every school in this town makes, and regardless of what year you go, you usually come away being able to tell the same story- we went to the capital, we took some shots of the lake, etc. Only the clothes change.

Except that’s not what happened this time.

Sure, they touched all the usual bases, but somewhere along the way, she decided they should stop into one of the record stores downtown. This particular shop is small enough that you have to know how to sidle to navigate it, so 25 kids must’ve seemed like…a LOT.

But more than a few kids picked up some records, which was apparently the day’s highlight. My son grabbed a couple of hip-hop records I’d never touch, but I gotta say it was pretty cool to get a text asking if he could grab ’em.

My point in telling you all of this? Two things. First, sometimes even the most rudimentary experiences can wind up being novel.

Second, you never know what you’re gonna find in the crates. I guarantee my kid didn’t wake up that morning knowing he’d come home with two records, but that’s exactly what happened (and some really good pictures too). But that’s half the fun of going crate digging in the first place, right?

You might walk in with a list, but when another LP leaps into your arms? That makes it all worthwhile.

A few days prior, I’d gone on my own field trip to my usual store just a short distance away. I went 0-for-everything as far as my list went but came away with several other records I didn’t know I needed until they told me.

Yo La Tengo- Fade (OLE 944–1, 2013)

Lately, I’ve listened to more & more Yo La Tengo. It’s a deep discography, and few rabbit holes are more fun to jump down.

Part of the appeal is that their music requires attention. I mean, you can have it on in the background — especially a record like The Sounds of the Sounds of Science — but it’s best experienced intentionally. When one does so, the songs reveal something new every time.

I’ve been rotating through the trio of This Stupid World, Painful (my favorite), and Fade. Yo La Tengo can be alternately cool or confessional. Fade splits the difference. Opener “Ohm” is easily one of the poppiest songs they’ve ever created, and “Paddle Forward” feels vaguely unsettling.

Both are fantastic work.

Cleaners from Venus- Midnight Cleaners (reissue, CT-147, 2012)

If Guided By Voices’ Robert Pollard has a spirit animal, it’s The Cleaners from Venus’ Martin Newell.

I’m convinced, and It’ll only take a track or two from each band for you to buy in as well.

This record is split between an “art side” and a “pop side.” The latter has some of the best infectious lo-fi sounds going.

I’d been looking for this for quite a while before happening on it in the wild. It’s a reissue, but I’m cool with it. That’s for the purists on Discogs & AllMusic to quibble about.

Delaney & Bonnie– Accept No Substitutes (EKS-74039, 1969)

It’s ironic that the first words we hear on this record are, “We’ve got to get ourselves together/take some time and talk it over/we’ve got to get ourselves together/try to understand each other.”

By most accounts, the entire session was a hot mess, with everyone at each other’s throats and no shortage of screaming at one another.

At some point, each musician took their turn storming out of the studio. Dr. John wrote the track “When The Battle Is Over” and came in to teach the band how to play it- he also was kicking heroin at the time and was in full detox mode, sweating and shivering as he forced his way through the track.

Despite all that, something magical happened. Having a backing band that included Leon Russell, Jim Keltner, and Rita Coolidge (among others) surely helped. This record perfectly blends white soul, blues, and a good dose of kicks rocks. It’s raw, and my copy is a little rough around the edges- just like the music itself.

It’s an easy album to get into despite what it took to get it made.

Note: Bonnie & Delaney’s daughter Bekka, was Fleetwood Mac’s singer on Behind The Mask & Time along with her partner guitarist Billy Burnette

George Symonette & his Goombay Sextette, S/T (BR 34, 1961)

I am still on my Caribbean music kick, which fits the bill nicely. We’ve entered the “false spring” stage of winter up here, where it alternates between temps flirting with the ’50s and slush. It’s bleak, and some sunny rhythms go a long way toward making that tolerable.

Sidebar: One of my favorite things about some of these older records is the completely unpretentious nature of the liner notes, or in this case, the back cover:

The Dean of Bahamian Entertainers, Genial George Symonette finds it more convenient to sit sideways while accompanying himself at the piano. He plays and sings because he enjoys doing so and his natural humor and joi de vivre sparkle in his performance.

While formerly catering only to night club patrons George Symonette has now responded to the demands of a wider audience and is a familiar part of the Bay Street scene during the lunch hour as well as in the evening.

He is frequently accompanied by Berkeley “Peanuts” Taylor on Bongos and drums and the two entertainers have appeared together on several television programs, notably Today and Tonight.

The label advertised it as “Strong VG,” and at $4.99, it was a strong bet that I’d like this. And I did.

Pretenders- S/T (SRK0 6083, 1979)

Probably the one record on this list every reader had but me. I don’t know why it took me so long to find a copy of this. There are a bazillion of ’em out there, but somehow I could never find just the right one. Poor condition, too much money; some reason or another always managed to get in the way. Until now.

And what a record! From opener “Precious” to closer “Mystery Achievement,” there isn’t a skip in the lot.

So how about you? Found any good records lately? Have any thoughts on the ones I picked up? Share your thoughts in the comments!

by KevinLeave a Comment on

Bloomington Indiana: On this day in 1954, a baby was born to an ophthalmologist and teacher.

Almost from the word go, the child showed an interest in art-especially music & the radio. He was also hyper. Like, really hyper — enough so that his parents referred to it as “monkey hour,” and sent him to a psychiatrist for several years.

After a brief stay in Massachusetts, the family settled in Pasadena, Ca. Now in his late teens, the boy began singing in a band called the Red Ball Jets.

Another band named Mammoth featuring brothers on guitar and drums would occasionally rent the band’s PA system. Through a few twists and turns, the singer joined the brother’s band, they changed the name, and the rest is history.

The brothers? Eddie & Alex Van Halen.

The singer? David Lee Roth