The Spins

Sorry about the delay. Life got in the way. If you will, please notice the change in subtitle for this week's edition of the Spins. For a confluence of reasons, I did not have time to deal with new music. So, instead, I'm taking you into my archive to hit on some older things that are certainly worth your time today. While some of these albums have been released in the 21st century, nothing in this dispatch was recorded after the year 2000. Much of it was recorded long before then. I aimed for stuff that the majority of readers would actually enjoy. A lot of it is obscure. Some of it isn’t. If you want me to get super weird, let me know and that can happen. I would love to spend time talking about Reversible Cords, Circuit Rider, and The Savage Young Taterbug. Let’s get started.

Antena, Camino del Sol

This is a Numero compilation of a Spanish trio from the early 80s that sat at the intersection of minimal synth-pop and bossa nova. You might read that and think it sounds weird, but it’s not; the two sounds complement each other well. It’s a good listen for our warming days.

RIYL: Young Marble Giants, Antonio Carlos Jobim, A Certain Ratio

Band of Susans, Here Comes Success

In a title that can only scream its irony, this is the final release of the criminally overlooked NYC-based Band of Susans. Born of the underground scene that gave us Sonic Youth among others, Band of Susans makes walls of guitar noise with its three-guitar attack, engulfing its listeners in a wave of beauty. While their other albums—particularly The Word and the Flesh and Veil—are brilliant on their own terms, this is the high watermark for this band and a high point for guitar rock of the 1990s.

RIYL: Sonic Youth, Rhys Chatham, Glenn Branca

Digable Planets, Blowout Comb

Digable Planets had sort of cornered themselves with “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat),” a song that typified the jazz-rap era of the early 1990s. It crossed over, and if you’re of a certain vintage, you can hum the song right now. If you turn on Blowout Comb expecting that, you will be sorely disappointed. A more radical, sonically diverse release, the trio of Butterfly, Lady Mecca, and Doodlebug come out swinging, and the result is far superior to their previous release and certainly one of the best conscious rap albums of the 90s, if not of all time.

RIYL: Shabazz Palaces, MF Doom, Gang Starr, A Tribe Called Quest

Eleventh Dream Day, Beet

I first experienced Eleventh Dream Day in undergrad when their first album, Prairie School Freakout, was re-released. Like everyone else, I had never heard of them, but I’m never going to turn down the opportunity to listen to an album with the word “freakout” in the title. I was blown away. Roots rock played with a fury that I had only heard in punk music. I, obviously, had to listen to more. Beet is the band’s first album on Atlantic, and it is everything I loved from listening to Prairie School Freakout. There are fantastic boy-girl harmonies, the guitars rip, and the rhythm section keeps the speed. If that weren’t enough, the lyrics tell sharp, interesting stories. If you like this, you can go dip into their rest of their archive, as it is much of the same done consistently well.

RIYL: Mekons, Neil Young, X

Female Species, Tale of My Lost Love

Another Numero release compiled of tracks from a band led by Vicki and Ronnie Gossett, two Nashville songwriters. The songs, dating back from the 1960s to the 1980s, are a mix of psych-pop, sunshine pop, and folk-pop. They are fun and absolutely perfect for your summer mixes and general chill listening times.

RIYL: Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Donnie and Joe Emerson

Fishmans, Long Season

This is a 35-minute album that plays as one track. The song morphs in fascinating ways throughout its runtime. You can hear elements of trip-hop, dub, rock, and experimental coursing through the music along with some accordion and violins. Honestly, anything I could say about this album will not equal the experience of actually listening to it. A psychedelic masterpiece.

RIYL: Buffalo Daughter, Cibo Matto, Saint Etienne

Prefab Sprout, Steve McQueen

This one isn’t so rare, but I just want more people to listen to Prefab Sprout. Paddy McAloon is one of the best songwriters of indie pop, and these songs just sparkle with quick lines and fantastic instrumentation. The production from Thomas Dolby rounds out the entire affair, and helps this album stand the test of time.

RIYL: Orange Juice, The Field Mice, The Blue Nile, Aztec Camera

Should, Folding Sieve

When I think back on shoegaze and how so much of it just sounded like people trying and failing to recreate those early albums from bands like Chapterhouse and MBV, you wonder why the bands that tried something different didn’t get more traction. Example to this end is Should, a trio that brought more pop sensibilities into their hazy atmospherics. While not a jam, it is good for a nice solid drift.

RIYL: Film School, His Name is Alive, Seefeel

The Church, Starfish

While they are still around, touring and making very respectable albums for a band that has been recording for 40+ years, this album is one of the peaks in this Australian band’s archive. The standout track on this album is “Under the Milky Way,” a shimmering piece of psychedelic pop music. If you find yourself enjoying this, there are like 20-plus more to enjoy. If you want ones to key in on, let me know and I can tell you.

RIYL: The Byrds, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music

Quintron, These Hands of Mine

Hailing from the Crescent City, Quintron and his wife, Miss Pussycat, and their friend, Drum Buddy, tour this grand country of ours playing their Cajun-inspired music and making rooms go crazy. I’ve seen this man twice, and they are two of the most fun shows I’ve ever gone to, full stop. This album is a good introduction into his work. It starts a little slow, but let the man cook. You’ll be on board by the end.

RIYL: Organs, drum machines, fun

The Field Mice, Coastal

If you are versed in indie pop, The Field Mice are an old friend, someone you’ve spent many years listening to in your headphones. Maybe you were crying during some of those times. I wasn’t, but maybe you were. If you aren’t, this is one of the truly seminal indie pop bands, a band whose influence can still be heard today. Coastal is a compilation of the band’s various singles and EPs. There is a slightly better one out there, but start here to see if you’re into it.

RIYL: Sarah Records, Orange Juice, The Go-Betweens

Beth Orton, Central Reservation

Again, this isn’t a rare album; Beth Orton is reasonably popular. That said, this is one of my absolute favorite albums of all-time. Returning to it is like hanging out with an old friend. If you’re not familiar with it, it has some of the electronic elements of her earlier album, Trailer Park, but it is a far more stripped down affair. The title track is an absolute stunner.

RIYL: Folk music, Everything But The Girl, Natalie Merchant

The Monochrome Set, Love Zombies

A fun, quick jaunt with one of the highlights of the British post-punk scene. Bid and company never took themselves too seriously, and it shows on this record.

RIYL: Buzzcocks, Josef K, The Fall

Air Miami, Me. Me. Me.

A highlight of the Teen Beat label, the sole album from Air Miami is a beautiful, noisy indie pop album, and it has my favorite sports-themed song in “World Cup Fever.” (Is it really about the World Cup? Debatable.)

RIYL: Unrest, K Records, Stereolab

Tsunami, The Heart's Tremolo

The duo of Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thompson made some amazing magic together as Tsunami. They started with noise glossing over their songcraft on their first album, Deep End. On The Heart's Tremolo, they adjusted the balance and made a legendary record. The guitars still rage, but the lyrics are made more prominent. The result is a more balanced record that better highlights their formidable talents.

RIYL: Velocity Girl, DC Indie Scene, Blonde Redhead

Alright, we're done with the extended trip to the archive. I'll be back on, hopefully, Saturday with a new long post about The Wake, a British band.