@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialAutumn is finally here, and somehow this song by the English alternative pop band The Dream Academy strikes me as the perfect soundtrack to this season that I love so much. This band was active from 1983 to 1991 and is regarded as a one-hit wonder.
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialAlthough The Killers have long since passed their creative peak and have become rather cheesy, there was a time when they released one exciting song after another – but after that, they unfortunately veered off into stadium rock and mainstream radio.
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialOugenweide was a German folk-rock band and a pioneer of medieval rock in Germany. The band took its name from the song of the same name by the medieval poet Neidhart von Reuental: ‘Ougenweide’ is the Middle High German word for ‘a feast for the eyes’.
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialLinda Ronstadt’s voice has always had that shining and sparkling brilliance, as her first hit with the Stone Poneys back in 1967 proves. Unfortunately, due to her Parkinson’s disease, this magnificent singer has been unable to perform since 2013.
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialYeah Yeah Yeahs are an alternative rock band formed in New York in 2000, consisting of Karen O. (voc), Nick Zinner (guit) and Brian Chase (dr). They originally started out as a folk duo before discovering the irresistable appeal of electric guitars.
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialKEXP is my favourite radio station where I keep discovering interesting new music – including this fascinating live performance by American musician Hannah Lew, which, to be honest, I like even more than the studio version of the same songs.
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialMichael Rother is an extremely underrated German guitarist who played with Kraftwerk in their early days, and he was also a member of NEU! and Harmonia. As a visionary solo artist, he created wonderful albums and film scores.
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialWhen I watched Nick Moran’s film ´Creation Stories` yesterday, it reminded me once again just what a brilliant song *Part Time Punks* still is. When the song came out in 1978, I thought it was rather daft – after all, what teenager likes being held up a mirror?
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialMuse are often described as pretentious and overly intellectual, and for this reason they aren’t exactly the darlings of music critics– but Matthew Bellamy is an outstanding and innovative guitarist, and they’ve got some really brilliant songs up their sleeves.
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialThrobbing Gristle pioneered the industrial genre – period. This band mastered the art of creating an acoustic pandemonium that was not mere noise, but had a hypnotic and mesmerising effect. They were so far ahead of their time that they still sound futuristic today
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialSometimes the perfect pop song comes from a direction you’d never expect – at least, I’d never have thought the Dum Dum Girls would come up with such a brilliant song – but they’ve done just that with ‘Bedroom Eyes’: dead catchy guitar pop at its very best!
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialJohn Hiatt is one of those artists who are always held in highest regard by their fellow musicians, but who never quite made it commercially. Nevertheless, he is an remarkable singer, guitarist and pianist who wrote this really great song.
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialWilko Johnson (1947 - 2022) probably influenced more British punk guitarist than you can shake a stick at, as his guitar playing was both super-edgy and style-defining. In 2014, he released an album with Roger Daltrey that contained this brilliant song:
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialBay City Rollers? Seriously? That ineffable 70s teen band whose members allegedly didn’t wear underpants and whose songs can at best be described as fiddling bubblegum pop – have these blokes actually left behind even one good song? Yes, they have – and it’s this one
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialHowever daft the video and however controversial this band may be, the song itself is a bloody catchy tune and has been stuck in my head ever since I first heard it. So this German spoof band, which mostly covers well-known pop songs in neofolk style, has got it spot on
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialThe Babes in Toyland were absolutely furious – and one could hear that fury clearly on all 3 albums of the band. And compared to songs like ‘Handsome and Gretel’, Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, released a few months before, sounds almost like a gentle ballad.
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialThe Bambi Slam were a UK based Canadian-British quartet with an unusual instrumental lineup of guitar, cello, bass, and drums. By the time of the release of their first album in 1988, the group had, unfortunately, already split up, but this great song will stay on.
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialAlthough I find the idea of making a hell of a racket with just drums and an electric guitar quite appealing, I’ve never been the biggest fan of the White Stripes, as Jack White in particular really bugs me. Nevertheless, ‘Hotel Yorba’ is a truly fantastic song…
@sidofantichrisis.bsky.socialSteve Earle is a prime example of the fact that country music does not have to be conservative and backward-looking, but that there are countless musicians in this genre who write socially critical lyrics and do not at all fit Donald’s vision of ‘America First’.
@probono77.bsky.social