120 Minutes from 2023: zombies, cowboys, and old punks
Continuing from our earlier year end lookback, we present 120 minutes of music videos pulled from our 31 Songs playlist.
Read More31 songs from 2023: a year of good and bad
For some it’s been a good year. Covid is on the wane, employment is down, the market is up, and we’ve been enjoying what will likely be a short interval of relative stability in the United States. For others this has been the worst year imaginable and, for that, we must share good fortunes and hope humanity can be restored. Soon. Really, really soon.
Musically it’s been a good year. We listened to over one hundred albums from artists new and old. In the “new” bucket we have artists like Nikki Lane and Ken Yates who would have surely been on prior lists had we discovered them sooner. In the “old” group we have perennial favorites like Metric, Robyn Hitchcock, and The Hives. And Iggy Pop. You always gotta have Iggy. He’s in the “timeless” category.
Read More31 Almosts from 2022: a big year demands a bonus list
Some years it’s tough to pick 31 songs and 2022 was definitely one of those years. Maybe it’s because musicians have just emerged from quarantine, maybe the industry is putting more money out there, or maybe we’re just paying more attention. Whatever the reason, these songs likely would have made the 31 list on weaker years so it seems only right to share our runners-up list.
Read More120 Minutes from 2021: a video pandemic
I’m going back in time and creating video playlists in homage to Matt Pinfield’s iconic 120 Minutes. 2021 proved to be a tough year to hold to my “only official music video” goal. Even so, this list has twenty-eight great videos that capture the spirit of our 31 Songs list from that year.
Read MoreTeddybears + Flaming Lips? Yes, please
Starting out as an ironically named Swedish grindcore band, Teddybears is led by the wonderful Joakim Åhlund (from fellow awesome Swedish band Caesars). Their sound quickly evolved into electropop which is where I first became infatuated with them.
The Teddybears tend to show up, from time to time, presumably whenever they feel like playing music together. This little ditty has them partnering with the presumably influential Flaming Lips to create just the perfect blend of two amazing bands.
The Teddybears [Wikipedia] [Spotify] [Apple Music]
Caesars [Wikipedia] [Spotify] [Apple Music]
Flaming Lips [Wikipedia] [Spotify] [Apple Music]
120 Minutes from 2022: music videos never die
Here’s to Matt Pinfield and the amazing show that was 120 Minutes. We watched every episode, even if only we wound up liking only a handful of videos. But 120 Minutes was always entertaining, diverse, and engaging. In tribute we offer a video playlist based on our 31 Songs from 2022.
Read MoreWelcome to 2023
2023 is starting off bright and clear in my part of the world. We’re carrying a few releases over from 2022, given (for the most part) they finished dropping in either November or December. Here’s the starting list of 2023 contenders with many more to come:
Read More2022: concerts
I’ve already written about the impact of Covid on our lives here and here, so I won’t belabor the obvious. While we did get watch some pretty good live show simulacra (the Hives FTW, along with Robbie Fulks at-home confessionals) there’s no replacement for feeling that floor shake underneath you as concertgoers dance their asses off.
Read MoreThe History of 31
I think most music diehards make mixes. They’re more than just convenient arrangements of favorite songs. They’re extensions of identity, audible introductions that represent who we think are or who we hope to be. They are deeply personal, even the fun ones (especially the fun ones).
If you’re of an age you might have painstakingly recorded vinyl tracks or radio singles to a cassette tape. Being of that age, I made mixtapes for all occasions: meeting a new friend, meeting a new friend friend, random gifts, work soundtracks, exercise pacemakers, or for no reason other than fun.
Read More31 songs from 2022: post-plague plethora (revised)
Of late it feels like music was slumped over the wheel, exhausted from years of struggle against a cruel pandemic and concert grift. It’s not like we didn’t find great songs, but the contenders’ list was often short. Even favorites didn’t always come to the table with winners.
Then comes 2022, swinging in like an exuberant toddler who is way ready for nap time to be over. We had around 150 albums in the evaluation queue, dwarfing lists from recent years. Most albums had more than a few banger tracks which made picking the shortlist pretty tough.
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