You got a fate that calls you - Pop Music Heroes: Half Japanese

Hear This!⇔ Half Japanese, “Put Some Sugar On It”

Lo-fi yet exhilarating, this track is the closest anyone can get to Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers without passing as just another one of their many sorry-ass imitators.

Half Japanese — with their primitive minimalism — took the DIY ethics beyond the limits imagined by the punk subculture and expanded it ad infinitum.

And you thought you knew avant-garde rock before you stumbled on this, huh? Well, think again, Sonny.

Bastards of young - Pop Music Heroes: The Replacements

Hear This!⇔ The Replacements, “Johnny’s Gonna Die”

I’ve always thought The Replacements needed more credit for their rightful contribution to the American alternative scene. And only a handful of bands can claim to have had a strong musical influence over new generations of musicians like they can.

Here is a live version of their superb song “Johnny’s Gonna Die”, recorded in 1981 when they were at their prime.

2 notes

The Singer, Not The Song - Pop Music Heroes: Scott Walker

Hear This!⇔ Scott Walker, “The Old Man Is Back Again”

A powerful balladeer and one of my favorite crooners in the pop cosmos: Scott Walker - is another forgotten musical genius (I know this is a tired old cliché, but it still true). If you are not familiar with his body of work then you must unfalteringly check the above link for a great performance of his song “The Old Man’s Back Again”.

(Source: whywrite)

5 notes

Hypnotizing chickens - Pop Music Heroes: Iggy Pop

Hear This!⇔ Iggy Pop, “Neighborhood Threat”

This undeniable classic song comes straight from Iggy’s mythological album Lust For Life. Co-written by David Bowie (who also recorded it on his album Tonight), the tune has a great pop-punk atmosphere and an uptempo that is both virulent and uplifting. This is also a great performance by Iggy Pop and his all-star band. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Personnel

Iggy Pop – vocals
David Bowie – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
Carlos Alomar – guitar, backing vocals
Ricky Gardiner – guitar, backing vocals
Tony Sales – bass, backing vocals
Hunt Sales – drums, backing vocals

3 notes

The Long Blondes, “Giddy Stratospheres”

The Long Blondes give me good reason to believe that women should indeed rule the world by means of popular music. But you shouldn’t believe my words alone. Check out their singer on the video above and try not to bow down to her musical prowess. I dare you.

Song of the Day: ‘Sister Europe’, The Psychedelic Furs

A great band which was never given due credit.

The song is from their first album co-produced by the legendary Martin Hannett.

Beyond Good and Evil - Pop Music Heroes: The Pop Group

Well, if this is not how a true art rock band must sound then I’d be damned. To me this band is seditiously influential. And I can see why they could never make the charts: they’re too fucking good for the masses!

Grab the full album here:

The Pop Group - Y

Under suburban rain - Pop Music Heroes: The Modern Lovers

Hear This!⇔ The Modern Lovers, “Modern World”

Dedicated to the Memory of Mario Cesar Rocha Fonseca, Musician Extraordinaire and friend

May 1972 - September 2010

A lot has been said about Proto-Punk groups, but not enough covering The Modern Lovers. They were effervescent, clever, funny and yet kept a low-key quality to their music. To me, their attractive quality was their obsession with writing and performing bare-but-in-the-face rock music and lyrics intended for an adult audience that still held a juvenile essence to them.

I was chatting with an old friend about this band earlier and I couldn’t resist the temptation to share a sample of their Meisterwerk for your pleasure.

3 notes