When the history of music is written, there will be the bands who are remembered, then there will be the bands who laid the foundation for those bands.  Most of them will be forgotten.  I always found the X-Ray Spex to be one of the latter.  This band that pushed boundaries and made it okay for other girl rock bands to follow in their chaotic footsteps, but never had an audience strong enough to give them the mainstream recognition they deserved.  Now with the loss of lead singer, Poly Styrene, this week, the survival of the band will be laid at the footsteps of the bands who followed them.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The X-Ray Spex:

1.  Oh Bondage Up Yours! (7-inch single)

2.  The Day The World Turned Day-Glo (Germ Free Adolescents)

3.  I Can’t Do Anything (Germ Free Adolescents)

4.  Identity (Germ Free Adolescents)

5.  I Am A Cliche (7-inch single)

6.  I Live Off You (Germ Free Adolescents)

7.  Junk Food Junkie (Conscious Consumer)

8.  Sophia (Conscious Consumer)

9.  Obsessed With You (Germ Free Adolescents)

10.  Prayer For Peace (Conscious Consumer)

11.  Art-I-Ficial (Germ Free Adolescents)

Buy Poly Styrene’s new album, Generation Indigo now.

This weekend, when my parents were in town, I had on the Cure’s Disintegration.  About half way through the album, my mom commented that she was really enjoying the music and wondered what it was and if it was new.  I told her what it was but did not inform her that this was the same album I used to play in high school that she used to complain about.  To her it was so dark and dreadful and now twenty years older and less open-minded, she was enjoying it.  I think a lot of it has to do with how the culture changes.  As a certain style of music becomes the norm for society at large, it becomes more acceptable.  The Cure, which was far outside the mainstream in the 80s, has now laid the foundation for so much popular music today.  A perfect example: Adele recently covered The Cure’s goth love classic, Love Song.

Twenty years ago, hip-hop was not the accepted mainstream norm.  Parents hated it, kids loved it.  But now it’s the norm, while rock music is struggling to keep up.  Joan Wasser accepts, and proved it when she covered multiple rap songs on her recent covers album.  And they weren’t just a novelty, they were done as serious covers.  And honestly, they’re pretty darn good…strangely (or maybe not) better than most of the rock songs.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Joan As Police Woman:

1.  Holiday (To Survive)

2.  Christobel (Real Life)

3.  The Ride (Real Life)

4.  I Defy (Real Life)

5.  Whatever You Like (Cover)

6.  To Be Loved (To Survive)

7.  Magpies (To Survive)

8.  She Watch Channel Zero (Cover)

9.  Eternal Flame (Real Life)

10.  Overprotected (Cover)

11.  Ringleader Man (Cover)

Buy Joan As Police Woman’s new album, the Deep Field…now!!

One of the main things I love about music is how it becomes the soundtrack to our lives.  Certain songs can instantly bring me back to memories from twenty years ago.  My own brain can’t even bring me back to memories from last week let alone two decades back.  Explosions in the Sky have the pleasure of the being the soundtrack to other people’s lives.  Fake people at that.  I don’t think I’ll ever be able to remember the lives of Coach Taylor and his football team equivalent of the Bad New Bears without hearing the warbling guitar of the Explosions crew setting the backdrop.  In fact, it was the film version of Friday Night Lights that turned me onto the band.  My strongest memory from the movie is sitting there in the theater, being so wowed by the chaotic rock score, that I barely remember the actual film.  When a score is more memorable than the plot of a movie…that is some good music.  Or it’s a really bad movie.

Here is Explosions in the Sky – Live at the Grey Eagle 2007:

1.  First Breath After Coma

2.  Welcome Ghosts

3.  The Only Moment We Were Alone

4.  Great Death

5.  What Do You Go Home to

6.  Yasmin the Light

7.  Catastrophe and the Cure

8.  Memorial

Buy Explosions in the Sky’s new album, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care…now!!!

Record Store Day did everything right by just doing everything right.  If you haven’t heard yet, the 2011 Record Store Day was the most successful yet.  With over 200 exclusive vinyl releases, it did something that no one in the music industry thought was possible:  it got people to buy music. It didn’t try to sell people what they wanted us to buy…they sold us stuff what we wanted to buy.  Rock Music.  The number one singles and albums were rock bands…not pop.  That should be a sign…we’ll see if anyone listens.

With all the great releases, I thought I would break down some of the unique ones, since I’ve had the chance to hear a lot of them. I’ve stayed away from the re-issues…since they’re already out in some form.  I wanted to highlight those releases that truly made RSD an event.

The Good:

1.  Foo Fighters – Medium Rare

2.  Deftones – Covers

– though most of the tracks are previously released, putting them together in an official package is an extreme delight.  Both bands are notorious for their unique covers and to release this is a real exclusive.

3.  Jimi Hendrix – Fire/Touch You

4.  Velvet Underground – Foggy Notion

5.  Derek & Dominoes – Got to Get Better

5.  Rolling Stones – Brown Sugar

– Four of the most elite rock stars of all time…release “unreleased” material.  It’s too good to be true.  And the new songs are all surprisinlgy good…and not throwaway tracks.

6.  Decemberists – Live At Bull Moose

– an exclusive live comp featuring songs from the new album live.  Not just a couple songs…but a full solid set.

The Bad:

(okay…to be fair…none of these are truly bad…most are cool.  a better title might, I was just hoping for more.)

1.  Death Cab For Cutie – In Living Stereo

2.  Bruce Springsteen – Gotta Get That Feeling/Racing in the street

– both seem like exclusives…but their just songs that are just previews of upcoming releases.

3.  Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Class Mythology

– in all fairness…the songs are decent.  but they’re each about 2:00 long.  all four songs clock in at less than 10 minutes.  For $17, I expected more…considering it cost me more than the Foos full length vinyl.

4.  Rise Against – Join The Ranks

– cool picture…but pricey for songs we’ve already heard.

5.  Panda Bear – Tomboy (t-shirt bundle)

– it’s record day…not t-shirt day!  okay…just including this to bring it to 5 discs.

The Unknown:

1.  White Flag 7″ – Future Crimes

– A preview of the Sleater Kinney-Mary Tomony supergroup.  theyre off to a great start

2.  Guided By Vioces – Sing For Your Meat

– An expanded vinyl with 5 extra songs over the CD -when does that happen?  And it’s one of those rare “good” tribute albums

3.  Regina Spektor – Four From Far

– 3 solid b-sides…and an exteremely cool live track.  the Live version of EET is one of the best vinyl songs I picked up all day.  a song this good is the reason we buy vinyl.

4. Antony and the Johnsons – Swanlights EP

5.  Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma Al Takes

6.  Fucked Up – Town Comp

7.  Black Angels – Phosgene Nightmare

– for fans only…but fans won’t be disappointed by entire collections of unreleased material.

8.  kode9 – Otherman

– nevermind that there were only 100 made.  it’s one of the elite dubstep gurus putting out some of his best material to date.

Now…here’s youre turn:  What did you get?  What did you like, love, hate?

With Record Store Day reporting record numbers…no pun intended, it seems like a new trend might be forming in the music world as Record Store Day Part 2 may be quickly being thrown together for May 17th.  And this time, it’s not pop music pushing sales…it’s good old fashioned rock n roll.  As in the past, trends that end up ruling the music industry grow from the underground through grass root campaigns.  And who ever thought that records might actually save the music industry in the digital age?

Duff McKagan may be an odd person to mention in the same paragraph as praising RSD, but before he was a financial expert (true story) he was part of two underground movements.  The metal scene of the 80s, and the Seattle scene of the 90s.  Now he may have had a bigger role in the 80s part, he is definitely well-entrenched in the Seattle world.  Recently he gave a very smart examination of the Seattle Sound.  Check it out here.

Basically, when you break it down, the Seattle scene had personality for being unique.  It didn’t take multi-million dollar processors to find its sound…it found its sound in its personality.  RSD has its own distinct personality…and its not the music industry controlling it, it’s the little guys…which makes it truly unique.

The 11 Best Solo Songs By Duff McKagan:

1.  I See Through You (Sick)

2.  Who’s To Blame (Beautiful Disease)

3.  Just Not There (Believe In Me)

4.  Flatline (Sick)

5.  No More (Wasted Heart)

6.  Wrap My Arms (Dark Days)

7.  Mezz (Beautiful Disease)

8.  Trouble (Believe In Me)

9.  Translucent (Sick)

10.  The Slide (Sick)

11.  Seattle Head (Beautiful Disease Version)

Buy Duff McKagan’s Loaded’s new album, The Taking, now!!

Jim Ward is truly the unsung hero of the Austin music scene.  I truly believe that Ward was the songwriting presence that made At The Drive-In the tight punk rock package that it was.  Once he was pulled out of the fray…the band became The Mars Volta, which practically threw song structure out the window.  Ward formed his own band, Sparta, which I thought had even crossover potential that ATDI had, if not more mass appeal.  They didn’t take off as hoped.  Ward went in another direction with his alt. country band, Sleepercar.  That only lasted one band until Ward gave that up for his own solo folk career.  Yep, from punk to alt. rock to country to folk, Ward has churned out fantastic overlooked songs.  What I love about Ward’s career is that he just doesn’t prescribe to any pre-conceived identity.  He is true to his music and it shows.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Sparta:

1.  Taking Back Control (Threes)

2.  Atlas (Threes)

3.  Breaking The Broken (Porcelain)

4.  Air (Wiretap Scars)

5.  Mye (Wiretap Scars)

6.  La Cerca (Porcelain)

7.  Guns of Memorial Park (Porcelain)

8.  Each Brave Eye (Cut Your Ribbon)

9.  Cut Your Ribbon (Wiretap Scars)

10.  Untreatable Disease (Threes)

11.  Farewell Ruins (Porcelain B-side)

Buy Jim Ward’s 3 E.p.s ( The End Begins, Quiet, In The Valley) now!!

The Promise Ring was the first emo band I found myself obsessed with.  I had recently graduated college and was still clinging to the last of the grunge bands while I swam around in the rap-rock infested radio waters.  The future of rock seemed rather bleak, until I listened to Very Emergency.  It was like wandering around in a darkened room and someone suddenly turned on the lights.  Was this singer really embodying Morrissey while crooning over indie punk chords?  I was hooked.  It didn’t sound produced.  It sounded out of sync, uncoordinated, disheveled…but it a beautiful mess.  It wasn’t supposed to sound perfect, and that’s what made it so fascinating.  The band had energy and drive…and excellent songwriting.  Yet, there didn’t seem to be the least yearning for production.  And, it didn’t need it.

Maritime is now two bands removed from the emo legend, but they still manage to harness Davey Von Bohlen musical vision.  In a world dominated by musical artists, who can’t survive without production, it’s nice to hear someone who appreciates good song writing is still around for the rest of us.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Maritime:

1.  The Window Is the Door (Glass Floor)

2.  Young Alumni (We, The Vehicles)

3.  Don’t Say You Don’t (We, The Vehicles)

4.  Someone Has To Die (Glass Floor)

5.  Adios (Glass Floor)

6.  Tearing Up The Oxygen (We, The Vehicles)

7.  Be Unhappy (Heresy and The Hotel Choir)

8.  For Science Fiction (Heresy and The Hotel Choir)

9.  People, The Vehicles (We, The Vehicles)

10.  Sleep Around (Glass Floor)

11.  Guns of Navaronne (Heresy and The Hotel Choir)

Buy Maritime’s new album, Human Hearts, now!!!

The music industry has been on a roller coaster ride for the past decade, and no one, not fans, not the artists, nor the industry insiders have any clue where it’s headed…or for how long.  Right now, all we can do is throw our hands in the air, scream, and hang on for the ride.  This weekend we witnessed the bi-polar yet beautiful chaotic mess that is music.

On Saturday, the old school music dinosaur that I am, pulled myself out of bed at the unGodly hour of 9AM to go stand outside a record store for 2 hours.  I was 10th in line, which made me nervous initially that I wouldn’t get the over-priced 7-inches on colored vinyl containing tracks I already owned digitally.  But I was more relieved when the line ballooned to about a 100-rabid music fans, knowing I was in slightly better shape than them. No one waits in line to buy music anymore, which made this moment so much more fulfilling. Walking out of that store with my 4 top choices and 11 total pieces of an ancient art form felt like a victory. I got albums I really wanted (Foo Fighters, Decemberists, Ryan Adams, Fucked Up, and White Flag), some I didn’t know I wanted (Regina Spektor, Mumford and Sons, Fistful of Mercy).  I didn’t get Pinback or Deftones…but I did get the uber rare Kode9.  I went home to listen to my spoils…but something distracted me along the way…

I learned early Saturday morning that I could watch the big acts at Coachella streamed live via youtube channel.  Dubbed by the online community as “Couchella,” I found myself glued to my computer enjoying my favorite bands without the obnoxious screaming of the shirtless drunk guy.  Showstealers would have to go to Mumford and Sons, The National, Arcade Fire, Cage the Elephant, and Kanye West, which made wish I had been there.  Then of course, there were the letdowns like The Strokes, Kings of Leon and She Wants Revenge…who made me glad I could just switch to another channel.

This weekend celebrated the past, the present, and the future of music.  From the record, to the outdoor festival, to the streamed live feed of the show for those too broke and without the time to spend three days in the blazing desert.  There’s no telling if Record Store Day will last or the internet will eventually render it meaningless.  But for the moment…for today, they both exist in a beautiful harmony.

Animal Collective hit the tri-fecta this weekend.  A slot at Coachella…an new album by lead singer Panda Bear…and an exclusive Record Store Day release.  We may not know where the industry is headed…but it looks like Animal Collective will be definitely be one of the first to get there.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Animal Collective:

I finally got my live Soundgarden CD.  I ordered it on the 24th of March and received it on the 12th of April. That’s what I got for the $5.50 they charged me for the speedy delivery option.  I’m glad I didn’t pick the freight price.  I wouldn’t have received the CD until the next reunion tour.  Here’s the kicker, I ordered this from Soundgarden’s own website.  Shouldn’t that have great service for the most devoted fans?  Why did I get the pony express service?  It’s not like CDs are some new technology that’s been invented in recent years.  They had CDs last time Soundgarden was around.  Yet, somehow the industry will blame this on internet downloading…and turn around praise Steve Jobs for saving the music industry.

I was going to buy Jason Isbell’s new album from his site…but after this, I’ll stick to the $5.99 price on Amazon.  At least I know I’ll have the album on my computer before I even finish completing the service.

Here are the 11 Best Solo Songs By Jason Isbell:

1.  Good (Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit)

2.  The Last Song I Will Write (Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit)

3.  Brand New Kind of Actress (Sirens of the Ditch)

4.  Streetlights (Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit)

5.  Devil Is My Running Mate (Sirens of the Ditch)

6.  Seven-Mile Island (Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit)

7.  Shotgun Wedding (Sirens of the Ditch)

8.  Into The Mystic (Live at Twist & Shout)

9.  Dress Blue (Sirens of the Ditch)

10.  However Long (Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit)

11.  The Magician (Sirens of the Ditch)

Buy Jason Isbell’s new album...Here We Rest...now!!! (only $5.99)

When the Kills came out, they had the unfortunate luck of have a band name that was only a couple letters off a the more commercially popular Killers.  Killers fans came out in droves to accuse the band of trying to milk off the Killers success.  Those who bothered to stick around and listen for a bit, discovered they were a very different breed of band.  They fell more into the White Stripes world rather than the world of 80s throwback dance.  But that only opened another can of worms.  Now, White Stripes fans were giving them crap for trying to rip off the Stripes sound.  When Jack White recruited The Kills singer, Allison Mosshart, to join his Dead Weather wrecking crew, he legitimized them.  Ten years down the road, the Stripes are no more.  The Killers are less relevant than the 80s music their mimicking…and The Kills are still rocking.

Be sure to check out my $5 store for an updated roster of new albums…many recent releases among the classics.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Kills: