Reasons To Be Cheerful, Jan 2025 edition
roll band of the moment: two teenage sisters,from Liverpool, and now their little brother on bass. They’ve mastered their Ramones tributes and are now branching out in seemingly every possible direction playful covers, stripping Boa’s “Duvet” of its pop sheen and turning it into a “raw wail from the gut” (thanks L.B.), The Cranberries “Linger” into a moan of longing, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Bad Idea Right” into a snotty punk sneer and now Lana Del Reys “West Coast” into a surly blues-rocker that sounds like Lucinda Willams jamming with Johnny Thunders. More importantly, they’re already knocking out originals worthy of their influences, singer Mathilda can seemingly sing anything, and her sister Rose is already one hell of a guitarist (kudos for being hip to Jason and the Scorchers, too!). Their breadth of interests and good taste suggests limitless possibilities and their allegiance to their punk-rock forebears suggests they’ll stick to their values too.
Meanwhile out in L.A. The Linda Lindas, continue to walk the line between teen pop and the punk roots they proclaim, sometimes not so successfully (uneven but rewarding albums), sometimes very successfully (“Resolution/Revolution”, “Stop”); they’re live stuff sounds tougher and hotter than their recordings, as yet, but good writing, solid chops, and showmanship – all the ingredients are there, and at median age 16, they’ve got time to get it right. Shoutout to the first line of their descendents Peaboo and the Cats, right here in my own backyard and already showing more than promise. Shout-out to their antecedents The Warning and Skating Polly. Thanks to Exene Cervenka for turning me on to the latter.
The Fangin’ Felines - Australian psych/garage rock with a touch of The Cramps!
Fur Dixon - former Cramps bassist (c.f. A Date With Elvis) and roots-rocker. A nice tuff mix of rockabilly, blues and a touch of psych.
The Schizophonics – yet to push past their MC5 worship but hearts in the right place and a welcome presence no matter what. Madmen on stage, too.
Kitty, Daisy and Lewis - Anglo-Indian siblings rooted in 50's R&B ala Jimmy Reed, soul, garage rock and West Indian music. DIY in their early days and got Mick Jones to produce an album for them. My friend Frank Novicki's dream band.
Papa Mali - freaky vintage swamp-blueser from Louisiana. Anyone who can pull off Dr. John's "Walk On Guilded Splinters" is all reet in my book.
Technology – I’m aware of some of the challenges in terms of artists not getting the royalties they deserve, and the ease of which anyone can grab a song for free, if they truly want. But the fact remains that for music geekdoms like myself having things like Spotify, YouTube, file sharing et al is beyond a godsend. In the last few years I’ve been able to dig through the vast catalogs of prolific, beloved, but not always consistent artists such as John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Sun Ra, to build draconian but immaculate collections.
Christine Ohlman – anyone with the smarts to cover Dion’s “Daddy Rollin’ In Your Arms” is gonna get my attention. Another good roots-rocking gal. With great hair.
Kim Logan – criminally unknown modern soul-rock princess – here’s hoping she finds the audience she deserves
The Kills - Anglo-American duo (guitar, vox, beatbox) fronted by chain-smoking rocker Alison Mossheart, who I first noticed in the James Williamson Re-Licked video, backed by punchy, scratchy John Lee Hooker-meets-Sonic Youth guitar from Jamie Hince. All bad vibes and delta blues-cum-NY/London proto-punk.
War On Women - fierce female punk band from Baltimore, with politics as tuff as their music.
Gary Clark Jr. - great guitarist and performer fusing blues (he knows his roots), soul and urban beats into something contemporary and new and exciting. Based on this, he knows Ted Hawkins, too.
The Replacements - Tim (Let It Bleed edition) - fuck the box set and just download the 11 remixed tracks. I don't usually get this excited about a remix and I loved Tim anyway (they're greatest album unless Let It Be is), but this one's a revelation - endless nuances on the guitar, vocals, (finally audible) bass and drums and a mix so hot it sounds like you're standing in the room with them.
Courtney Barnett – Lou Reed reborn as a tiny gay Australian girl. Whoda thunk?
Gin Wigmore – “Black Sheep”!
Angel Olsen - Roy Orbison reborn as a heteroflexible girl from St. Louis. Whoda thunk?
Susan Cowsill - the former Cowsills junior member grew up to be the real deal as a singer and front-woman on her own, with the Continental Drifters and on her own.
All Them Witches - bluesy, doomy, psych-influenced heavy mood rock from Nashville.
Not Very Cherry, Oldies but Goodies – A 20-something co-worker told me his dad took him to see The Who and they were the best band he’d ever seen. Would I argue that the legendary `Oo are anything but a shadow of their former selves? Fuck no. But if they can still blow a young one’s mind in their much-diminished capacity, what does it say about just how overwhelming they were/are? No one is going to mistake the Stones new one for anything like a classic Stones album – but the Lady Gaga duet is pretty flippin’ great. Keef’s cover “Waiting For My Man” is a gem. Dylan is still knocking out meaningful music. Iggy is still Iggy. The Feelies recent one is a gem. Need I say more?
PINS - this batch caught my attention when their song "Young Girls" showed up as background on an episode of the excellent Better Things. Moody, tough monoto-rock, Velvet-y, sexy.
X - these veterans are still kicking. Their previous comeback album, Alphabetland, wasn't bad. The latest, Smoke and Fiction, said to be their last bow, is great.
Valerie June - fascinating "mountain-music eccentric" who covers Mazzy Star and can take a JimmyReed pastiche and twist it into a Funkadelic c. 1971 pastiche (c.f. "Shakedown"). And also great hair.
Bardo Pond -moody, doom-laden psychedelic jams with oblique chanted lyrics courtesy Isobel Sollenberger on vocals. The musical equivalent of a downer bad trip. Think Mazzy Star on a bad day.
Mr. Airplane Man - another creepy blues/psych band, from Boston.
The Old Stories Will Endure – the 20-somethings at work keep giving my compliments on my Replacements. Stooges, Dolls, Husker Du and Velvets shirts. The future is assured.
Stef Chura - punchy rock with solid hooks. And she's a Michigan gal!
Wild Belle – “Another Girl”!
The Regrettes – the new one bums me out even if Lydia Night says it’s “punk as hell”. What is “punk as hell” is the fact she couldn’t care less if anyone calls her a sellout. Plus “Monday” is a great song, they sound great on stage, and her rapport with her audience is a wonder to behold. Still hope they crank up the guitars on their next one, though.
The MC5 - the publication of Tolinski/Uhelzki/Edmonds bio and their induction into the RnR Hall of Fame - which outdid itself this time - usually they wait until one or more of the members are dead before inducting any punk or proto-punk acts - this time they waited until all of the members were gone. Congrats, ghouls. Nevertheless, the 5's legend continues to grow...
Chuck Prophet – I loved Brother Aldo, parts of the next three, then kind of ignored him for years after. That is because I had my head up my ass. A place I still find it from time to time.
Amoeba Records – “What’s In My Bag” videos - c.f. YouTube. Musicians (mostly) go record shopping and talk about what they bought.
The Hoodoo Gurus – also still got it (“Get Out of Dodge”, “Carry On”)
Amyl and the Sniffers -Melbourne punkers so old-school they sound straight out of London `77.
Jason Ringenberg – still Jason after all these years – forever obsessed with history, country music, punk rock, and faith.
L.A. Witch - Cramps-ian bad girl garage rock from (surprise!) L.A.
Low Cut Connie - this guy got offered up to me by Spotify (which actually tends to do a pretty good job) and he's such a fratboy dweeb I almost don't want to like him. But the facts are he's got himself a really great band, writes great songs with a real grasp of the verities, and he's a true showmen (his geekiness is the major part of his charm). P.S. he's the biggest horndog in rock since Prince.
The Raveonettes - Danish duo (mostly) not exactly new but new-ish to me, all twang and surfy guitars and pop hooks soaked in White Light / White Heat-ish noise, kind of like the Jesus and Mary Chain with more talent and less hype. Don't get me wrong - I like the Jesus and Mary Chain.
Nick Waterhouse - probably wouldn't have given this hipster throwback a second look - except he rocks.
Sarah Borges - rock solid Boston roots-rocker - and she's pals with Eric Ambel!
Dengue Fever - thanks to Amoeba's "What's In My Bag" and The Linda Lindas for pointing me to this one. Retro Cambodian psychedelic rock revived in 2020's L.A. Go friggin' figure!
Bomba Estereo -another one from the LL's. "electro tropical" or "psychedelic cumbia" - who cares? it rocks.
The Night Beats - raunchy neo-garage with a touch of exotica via Seattle-baes Danny "Lee Blackwell" Rajan Billingsley - equal parts The Sonics and Arthur Lyman.
Divine Horsemen – welcome back Chris and Julie! The two recent albums are solid, and feel like D. ismaking the kind of music he's always aimed for.
Lydia Loveless - alleged country singer who cites The Replacements as her favorite band. And "Boy Crazy"'s a classic.
Sasami - slightly(?0 crazed multi-talent who ranges from murmured ballads to full industrio-metal rage. Funny as hell, too.
Others of Interest (Still Exploring): The 22-20's, Alex Cuervo, The Bad Livers, Waxahatchee, Horsegirl, The Gossip, Wicked Lady, Bacchae, The Hives, Battleme, Neko Case, Cat Clyde, Alabama Shakes, The Jim Jones Review, Best Coast, The Lumerians, Chelsea Light Moving, The Be Good Tanyas, Eleni Mandell, South Filthy, White Lung, Anna Calvi, The Black Keys, The Dead Weather, Dead Men Walking, Fantastic Negrito, Acid King, Nathaniel Rateliff, The Submarines, Corrina Repp, Black Pistol Fire, Leo Bud Welch, Leopold and His Fiction. Soledad Brothers, Tacocat, Thee Oh Sees, Richmond Sluts, Elijah Honey, Rhiannon Giddens
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