5. The B-52s - Party Mix! (1981)
The B-52s - Party Mix
Released: 1981
I've been aware that the B-52s exist all my life. I can sing along to Rock Lobster and Love Shack, but I haven't really listened to them or thought of them as anything other than ironic auditory wallpaper. I picked this one up in the dollar bin at my local record store (in a 2-fer CD with "Mesopotamia", their ill-fated EP recorded with David Byrne, which is much less fun than it could have been) .
This 1981 remix EP takes 3 tracks from their 2nd album and 3 tracks from their first album and mixes them into two continuous songs. This cd kept returning to my player, and I got to appreciate less well known songs like "Party Out of Bounds", "Lava", "Give Me Back My Man"...
Totally danceable and totally fun. I didn't know it, but I needed more B-52s in my life. If you need more in your life, you can pick it up on the cheap from Amazon.
4. Farewell Bend - In Passing (1998)
The Farewell Bend - In Passing
Slowdime Records
Slowdime Records
Released: 1998
My recent Boys Life kick sent me to track down Farewell Bend, which was the band 3 members of Boys Life formed after that band broke up. This album is every bit as good as Boys Life's two albums if not better. Solid 90s rock all round. I got it cheap on amazon, but it's doing the amazon thing and selling it for 25 bucks now. Looks like Dischord Records is selling the LP cheap. Maybe I'll pick it up on vinyl too.
3. Hoover - The Lurid Traversal of Route 7 (1994)
Dischord Records
Released: 1994
More super classic 90s indie. I've known about Hoover for years and years (and had some great MP3s), but I've always meant to check out their full length, and there's always been some reason or other I passed on their albums. This one is right up my alley - Fred Erskine was later in June of 44 (one of my faves) and Hoover members have gone onto the Crownhate Ruin, Codeine, Radio Flyer and many other great bands.
Every time I hear this album it almost seems too perfect. I think I'm going to listen to it again. You can buy this on Dischord Records.
2. Roxette - Roxbox 86-06 (2006) / Charm School (2011) / Travelling (2012)
Roxette - The Roxbox 86-06 // Charm School // Travelling
Released: 2006 // 2011 // 2012
I got a lovely christmas present of all three recent-ish Roxette releases that I was too embarrassed to buy for myself. I can't get enough of saying "Roxette Box Set" ... say it out loud. It's pleasant.
Anyway, I binged on Roxette. Roxette (for the uninitiated) is pure Swedish pop in the vein of Abba. Their big hits came at the tail end of the 80s, and they are my favorite guilty pleasure. Per Gessle is a remarkably talented guitar player and songwriter, and their songs aren't quite as synthy and manufactured as their reputation may suggest.
The Box Set is a little excessive for someone who owns their albums, because there are lots and lots of album tracks on there. Nevertheless, the B-sides are sweet and tasty. There are probably 1 1/2 discs worth of goodness on this 4-disc set. The best tracks are the earliest ones (as you would expect), but the later songs are quite good, too.The reading material in the box set is quite interesting, too. It's an interesting case study about how giving away half their album for free in a McDonalds happy meal (it was 1995, things were weird.) killed their careers in America. Interesting stuff.
Charm School, coming on the heels of a retirement and reunion, and their first real album since 2004, is a solid chunk of pop. Roxette is in good form, and this is as good as any of their post-Joyride albums.
Travelling is a little inconsistent, and it apes their 1993 album Tourism by throwing in a couple of token live hits, but there are also some real solid pop songs on there, too. All worthwhile, at least if you've got the musical sweet tooth that I have. I guess you can buy these on Amazon here, here, and here.
1. Thermals - The Body, the Blood, the Machine (2006) // Desperate Ground (2013)
The Thermals - The Body, the Blood, the Machine // Desperate Ground
Sub Pop Records // Saddle Creek Records
Sub Pop Records // Saddle Creek Records
Released: 2006 // 2013
The Thermals played two shows in pretty quick succession at Level B in Salem Oregon about a year ago, which prompted me to finally buy their catalog (some 12 years or so after first seeing them)
The Body... is their 2006 third album, and in my opinion, their best. It's a concept album about Christian Fundamentalists, but you don't need to know that to rock out to it. 2013's Desperate Ground is a close follow-up to TBTBTM, if not quite as good. This time, the subject is war and soldiering.
I need to talk less about these albums and let the music speak for itself, because it does. Buy these records from the band here.
The Body... is their 2006 third album, and in my opinion, their best. It's a concept album about Christian Fundamentalists, but you don't need to know that to rock out to it. 2013's Desperate Ground is a close follow-up to TBTBTM, if not quite as good. This time, the subject is war and soldiering.
I need to talk less about these albums and let the music speak for itself, because it does. Buy these records from the band here.
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