Once every three months I list the best of what I heard in albums/songs/remixes for the quarter. I do this to personally keep up with all the awesome music I hear, as it ultimately helps me at the end of the year when I do my overall listing for the previous twelve months. I also do it to introduce you cool cats to tunes you may have missed independently.
Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!
Tracklist:
Kendrick Lamar – F*** Your Ethnicity
Nirvana – School (Live at the Paramount)
Kendrick Lamar – Ronald Reagan Era
Nirvana – Love Buzz (Live at the Paramount)
Kendrick Lamar – Members Only
Most of the time I am displeased with my satellite radio subscription. I can’t honestly say I use it much, the only channel I consistently enjoy is Backspin, but usually, just because I know every single song they play and it’s good for commuting, I listen to the 90’s alternative channel Lithium. And next month, that channel is actually doing something other than playing Soundgarden tracks over and over.
Jon Stewart will host “Town Hall With Nirvana,” kicking off a half week of Nevermind Radio in celebration of the landmark album’s 20th anniversary. Jon will interview the remaining members of the group Dave Grohl and Krist Novaselic, as well as the legendary producer Butch Vig. After that, it’s all Nirvana, all the time for an entire four days, playing hits, rarities, b-sides, etc. The interview airs September 24th at 8pm EST. Finally these guys give me a reason to keep my subscription.
This September, as I’ve recently mentioned, one of the most influential albums of the last quarter century turns 20 years old. I’m talking about the major label debut from Nirvana, of course – 1991’s Nevermind. And according to Pitchfork today, Universal Records is pulling out all the stops, releasing three different packages and a separate CD/DVD of a rare live performance.
On September 27, look for a remastered version of the album, as well as a Deluxe Edition with a second disc featuring “accompanying studio and live B-sides, a set of demos recorded at producer Butch Vig’s Smart Studios, boombox recordings of rehearsals, and a pair of previously unreleased BBC recordings.” The Super Deluxe Edition includes all of the above, plus the famous Devonshire Mixes, where Butch Vig produced and mixed the album himself, as opposed to Andy Wallace doing the mixing.
I’m probably springing for the Super Deluxe Edition, because it also includes a 90-page booklet and a CD/DVD combo of the famous Halloween 1991 Paramount Theatre show (which will also be available separately, apparently.) The DVD will also have the music videos for the Nevermind singles. And, just in case you forgot what year it is, the collection will be available in digital and 180-gram vinyl as well. So, Mom, if you’re reading this, Christmas has been taken care of. Love ya.
I recently wrote about a tribute album to Buddy Holly featuring new and old artists covering the legend’s hits. Â This tribute album I’m writing about today is a completely different animal – an impressive handful of contemporary bands came together for SPIN Magazine to pay homage to one of the finest albums of all time, Nirvana’s Nevermind, which turns 20 this year.
While bands like Surfer Blood and Titus Andronicus give us pretty straightforward covers of the driving tracks “Territorial Pissings” and “Breed,” respectively, most chose to stick to their signature sounds, which provides for an interesting listen. Â Midnight Juggernauts synth up “Come As You Are,” Butch Walker and the Black Widows turn “In Bloom” into an optimistic singalong, Foxy Shazam gets a little Elton on “Drain You,” JEFF the Brotherhood turn “Something In the Way” super heavy, and 62-year-old soul crooner Charles Bradley steps out of his comfort zone for “Stay Away,” by far the weirdest cover of the bunch.
But probably the coolest thing about the album (which is free for all – grab it here on the SPIN Facebook page) is the fact that two bands Nirvana famously covered on a regular basis, most notably on the Unplugged album, the Vaselines and the Meat Puppets, return the favor in their own special ways. Â As a tribute to what is still a pretty stellar, timeless album twenty years down the road, I’d say the kids over at SPIN did a pretty good job. Â I mean, they ought to, after snubbing the disc back in ’91 for Album of the Year over Teenage Fanclub.
One Wolf II: Secret of the Wolf by One Wolf (unsigned, 2010)
Two years ago, when Daniel Markham split from Waiting to Derail, he changed direction completely. He formed One Wolf, making a remarkable transformation from Whiskeytown alt-country to REM-influenced, Western-tinged rock. Much like the local peers in Thrift Store Cowboys, Markham had come into his own, producing what could only be described as the sound of Lubbock. Markham’s skill in pop craftsmanship was honed, but the lyrics were more introspective, the songs slower, sadder, and slightly more rock and roll than country. It was an audible representation of West Texas; Buddy Holly would’ve been proud.
And now, with One Wolf’s sophomore release, Markham and the boys have done a 180…..again.
I spoke with Markham many months ago during a podcast interview for the now-defunct KTXT-FM. Some favorite influences of his at the time were Nirvana, REM, Deadsy, and Starflyer 59. So what’s the new One Wolf record sound like? All of the above, and more. In a word, it’s a lot LOUDER.
