A New Year

Want to feel old? All of these songs are over a decade old.

Vagrant Records: Another Year On the Streets. Long In the Tooth. Bargain bin.

Video Time

I would always get excited for Living Colour videos on MTV.

None more than "Glamour Boys."




Living Colour - Glamour Boys. Amazon.com. Used.

Cheryl, Please

Nicole Scherzinger did her best to ruin The X Factor.

Girls Aloud - The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits. Amazon.com. Used.

Filler

Good song. Good cover. Why not some remixes?

Ace of Base - Cruel Summer: The Remixes. Amazon.com. Used.

Style

The albums, videos and singles are always stylish.

But I particularly love the artwork of the Post singles.

Bjork - Army of Me. Amazon.com. Used.

Tabloid

The Life of Agony story sure got interesting in the past few months.

Life of Agony - Ugly. Long In the Tooth. Bargain bin.

WBHC

I think the first track is from a different rip than the other tracks. At some point compiled on the Internet into a digital copy of the seven inch.

You shouldn't let that stop you from downloading this fine piece of Wilkes-Barre hardcore.

Magnus - Nothing Means More. Long In the Tooth. Used.

Holidays End Days

It's the final of minutes of Christmas.

KMFDM seems particularly un-Christmasy.

KMFDM - Light. Amazon.com. Used.

Sucker

I wonder how many times they can repackage what limited Joy Division material exists into new releases.

Not that it matters. I'll keep buying.

Joy Division - Let The Movie Begin. Amazon.com. Used.

Worst/Best

You could make the argument that Gay Dad is one of the worst band names ever.

But I would make the argument that Gay Dad is one of the best band names ever.

Gay Dad - To Earth With Love. Amazon.com. Used.

Getting Close

JJ72 had a short, two LP career. And thanks to that I think I'm getting close to completing the CD discography.

Although I would have preferred a longer career over completion.

JJ72 - Oxygen (Single 2). Amazon.com. Used.

Discovery

Prior to this purchase, my only exposure to Paul Haig was a track on a La Roux "mixtape."

Paul Haig wasn't the only act to pique my interest on there. Sometimes I forget how great an artist compiled "mix" can be for discovering new music. New to me at any rate.

The Back To Mine series was always up to that task.

Paul Haig - Cinematique 2. Amazon.com. Used.

Holiday Bump

I just uploaded this record. But 'tis the season to push a holiday release ahead in my pending list.

Velocity Girl/Tsunami - Season's Greetings. eBay. Used.

Go Buy it

Frontier(s) - There Will Be No Miracles Here. No Sleep Records Webstore. New.

Told You So

I told you there would be more Clinic on the way. The posts are strangely close based on the way I upload. Not that the reader should be concerned with my OCD listening, ripping, uploading, buying, filing habits.

All of which are intricately linked.

Clinic - Harvest. Amazon.com. Used.

Go Buy It

Best Coast - Make You Mine. iTunes.

Also-Ran

I believe Tove Styrke was an also-ran on a Swedish reality program.

I don't know who won, but I doubt their release is anywhere near as good as this album.

Maybe my favorite X Factor also-rans will also put out something like this. Probably not.

Tove Styrke. Amazon.com. New.

Coming Across Come

It started with an eBay purchase. But I've been coming across a lot of Come recently.

That's a good thing. Because "Come" is a pain in the ass to search on Amazon.

Come. Amazon.com. Used.

Go Buy It

Best Coast - iTunes Session. iTunes.

Go Buy It

Vanbot. iTunes.

Fresh

His Name Is Alive do a pretty good job of having a different sound with each release. That's not always true, but true enough for the purposes of this post. If you asked me to describe their sound, I'd have a difficult time doing so.

That being said, Last Night is not one of my favorites. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it. But it's a bit slow. And not shoegazer slow. Just slow.

His Name Is Alive - Last Night. Amazon.com. Used.

Going All In For Clinic

I went to see Clinic a few months ago. I always liked Clinic, but only owned Internal Wrangler. Seeing them live made me realize I needed work on my Clinic collection.

Clinic - Walking With Thee. Amazon.com. Used.

Go Buy It

Pet Shop Boys - Before (Maxi-Single). Amazon.com. Used.

Other Bell

For a band that only put out two albums I sure have a lot of Hurricane #1 releases at this point.

And there are still more to follow.

Hurricane #1 - Only The Strongest Will Survive Mixes. Amazon.com. Used.

Pop Not Pop

I kept seeing this album for $9.99 at Target in the "new hip music" section, but for some reason never picked it up. I didn't know anything about Sia, but I liked the album art.

Eventually the price went up and I ended up picking it up on Amazon.

She's not nearly as pop as I expected, but still excellent.

Now if only her other releases would come to me cheaply.

Sia - We Are Born. Amazon.com. Used.

Soft Spot

I admittedly have a soft spot for white MCs from the U.K. Rightly or wrongly.

This interest predates The Streets and is rooted in my mid-nineties dabbling with Talkin' Loud/acid jazz releases. Marxman and Galliano in particular.

Plan B - Who Needs Actions When You Got Words. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Love You Bargain Bin

I don't know much about Thompson Twins beyond the hits.

So a bargain bin find was a good time to delve deeper into their music.

I feel like I'm twenty years too late. But that's okay.

Thompson Twins - In The Name of Love. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Another Never Forget

I think I already posted this. A search of my posts says otherwise.

Inspiral Carpets are another one of those bands that seem to be fading into obscurity. At least among people I know. It might not be the case elsewhere in the world.

I think it's because people don't consider them one of Manchester's "heavy hitters." Which is a shame, because I think they are a pretty important part of that scene.

Inspiral Carpets - Commercial Rain. Amazon.com. Used.

Go Buy It

Wavves - Wavvves. Amazon.com. New.

Making Believers

Everyone doubts Frankie. Until they really dive into Frankie.

I made a believer out of my brother. Who in turn is making believers out of his friends.

Believe in Frankie.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Reload! Frankie: The Whole 12 Inches. Amazon.com. Used.

And That's a Good Thing

Say what you want about Example. He brought the world Oh My!

Example - What We Made. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Serious Actress

HBO would air Who's That Girl over and over. And over again.

I have watched it more times than I care to admit.

And I like it more than I care to admit.

Who's That Girl: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

The Range

The album is fine. I enjoy it. But I'm in it for "The Way It Is." And you should be too.

Even though I might prefer Tupac's interpretation of the song.

Bruce Hornsby and The Range - The Way It Is. Princeton Record Exchange. Bargain bin.

The X Factor

Now that The X Factor has started in the U.S. I can't help but think how much better it would be with Cheryl Cole eye candy.

Girls Aloud - Long Hot Summer. Amazon.com. Used.

Buy Happiness

I think I bought this over a year ago. And I'm only now posting about it.

Hurts should be bigger.

Hurts - Wonderful Life. Amazon.com. New.

Bargain Rules

I like buying the Air Miami stuff because it tends to be considerably cheaper than Unrest compact discs and records.

Air Miami - Fuck You Tiger. Amazon.com. Used.

The Search

It always surprises me which Sub Pop singles I find digital copies of without a lot of effort. This is one.

I have the most difficulty finding what I would consider to be "bigger" bands.

Seaweed. The Spinanes. Hazel.

Perhaps they aren't "bigger" bands. And I have a warped perception of what Sub Pop was.

Love Battery - Foot. eBay. Used.

Go Buy It

Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

I Can't Find My Baby

I recommend dabbling in the entire Lisa Stansfield catalog.

But if you don't have the time or desire to do so, you at least need "All Around the World." So get it here.

Lisa Stansfield - Affection. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Go Buy It

Cut/Copy - Zonoscope. AKA Music. New.

Buy It, Really

Sometimes I debate whether I should or shouldn't post something. I guess I am.

But you should buy it.

Ronika - Do or Die/Paper Scissors and Stone EP. iTunes.

Perfect Timing

Hawkwind - Decide Your Future E.P. Amazon.com. Used.

Go Buy It

The XX - XX. Amazon.com. Used.

Sing the Sorrow

I remember Tim saying how funny it was seeing a member of Redemption 87 at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Redemption 87 - All Guns Poolside. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Seventeen Minutes In Heaven

I warned you, the reader, that there would be a steady stream of Heaven 17 coming your way. Enjoy. Or don't.

Heaven 17 - (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang (The Rapino Brothers Remixes). Amazon.com. Used.

Go Buy It

The Cardigans - Your New Cuckoo. Amazon.com. Used.

Fading

The Lightning Seeds seem to be another band slowly fading into obscurity. Don't let it happen.

The Lightning Seeds - You Showed Me. Amazon.com. Used.

Clueless

I didn't know anything about this band when I bought the seven inch because it was on Sub Pop.

I didn't know anything about this band when I bought the compact disc because it was in the bargain bin.

I still don't know anything about this band.

S.F. Seals - Truth Walks In Sleepy Shadows. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

A Rare Miss

I thought they were a Sub Pop band. Which is the only reason I made the purchase. They might have been at some point. This particular release is on Epitaph.

It makes me feel like I'm listening to The Aquabats or some such nonsense. Lesson learned.

Gas Huffer - The Inhuman Ordeal of Special Agent Gas Huffer. Amazon.com. Used.