Prozac with a Bump of Tweek, Sonic Version: Listen to This 10 Times Today

Whatever I was feeling before I clicked this on, it was quickly and utterly forgotten. This is so happy it hurts. Dude’s got a shape like a tandoori oven and wears a drag queen eyeshadow palatte and he’s still the sexiest thing I’ve seen this week.

I need to listen to more Indian dance pop. Write this down: Tunak Tunak Tun (1998) by Daler Mehndi.



It started here with these clowns. And then they went to India.

A Wandering Grayhead in the Millennials’ Swamp, Vol 3

Angel Olsen, Lilianna Saumet (Bomba Estereo), PJ Harvey

Old man meets new music: Here are the results.

21) Brian Jonestown Massacre, Seven Kinds of Wonderful (2012): Not sure what’s going on here, if what we’re hearing is a sample of the advertised Tess Parks’ vocalizations or something else. The warbling lines of the female vocals intermixed with the flutey sounds and the synth string pads form a nice lattice of support for the groove. The lyrics are French which, having no idea what they mean, sound preachy and sexy at the same time – like being scolded by your teacher crush.




22) Ought, Pleasant Heart (2014): Formed in 2011 in Montreal, Ought was immediately greeted with gushing praise from Pitchfork and others. The plucked rage of the guitars, the stumbling drunk drum beat, and the fatigue in the vocals all convey well that pained and stressed sound that guitar rock does so much better than anything else on the planet. The unobtrusive and eery keyboards add effective atmosphere. It’s not a pleasant sound but one that makes an appropriate soundtrack to the loathing of a toxic working life.



23)  Preoccupations, Continental Shelf (2015): Yet another from Canada – Calgary in this case: The ambiance of Continental Shelf is as wide and inhospitable as the Canadian tundra itself. The guitars add a welcome but strained orchestral backdrop and offer just the right platform for the down-spiraling lyrics.

When all is said and done/You'll be around until you're gone
Crystallized, canceled eyes/Illegitimate merchandise

The band was originally named Viet Cong, a name that was a far more interesting choice, I thought. But, alas, one that proved to be too controversial – claims were made that it was “racist” and “culturally appropriating.” Gigs were canceled over it. Old wounds and their denials of the war period still live on, it appears. Given the United States and Canada’s involvement in the Viet Nam debacle – but only Canada on the low – you’d think people might have a more enlightened appreciation of the reference. But, sadly, that’s not the world we live in.



24) Dilly Dally, Know Yourself (2018): What’s up with Canada? Dilly Dally hails from Toronto. This Drake cover pushes away the THC clouds of the original and moves the needles into the red where they should be. Her scream is a delight.



25) White Lung, Dead Weight (2016): Continuing the trek across the inhospitable North: last stop Vancouver. Usually, it’s the vocals that are the vector of the best in punk. The spitting mouth being the proper and most direct font of the most effective rage. And in between the screamed lyrics, some light thrown into the dark corners of our messy urbanized existence. The rest of the accompaniment is generally perfunctory but the listener goes with it. This was famously the case with the Ramones. 

Not so with White Lung – that guitar player is the messenger here. He eschews the crunchy buzzsaw chords that are standard issue and goes for a more fluid, surreal kind of gloss. He’s digging into new territory and it elevates the otherwise generic proceedings into something far more noteworthy.



26) Flying Lotus, Never Catch Me featuring Kendrick Lamar (2019): Flying Lotus is the stage name of Steven Ellison. Beat music is what it’s called. I’m guessing that hip hop doesn’t apply here because of Ellison’s style involves a more intricate and academic musicality, much more than isolated and repeated grooves and oblique jazz references that we usually come to understand as the form. I also hear many tips of the hat to Parliament/Funkadelic and for me it’s about f--kin’ time. The sound Ellison drops here sparkles down like mylar confetti interspersed with streamers of fuller themes, plus a few leans toward what might be considered avant-garde.

This may be the future so we’d better get used to it.




27) Bomba Estereo, Fuego (2008): From Columbia and as sexy as only someone saying exotic stuff you don’t understand in a dayglo bikini top can be. (Props to the bilingual!)




28) Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band, Waiting for the D Train (2009): AllMusic called her “one of the most gloriously influential and notorious women in the history of rock.” She’s likely the most reviled non-political public figure in history. No one has endured more ire and condemnation for so little. She’ll forever be the Dragon Lady and Beatle-killer to many. Her childhood was ruled by upheaval and racism–moved to the U.S. from Japan during WWII where she was hated, returned to Japan, tainted by her American experience and was hated. Her very life has been an act of resistance.

Her art was often confrontational but joyful too. Her music could be difficult, her vocals pitchy, and words too often treacly and a wee patronizing in that heavy-handed, drugstore greeting card way. Though she’s had her moments, including a few great ones. Her album Between My Head  and the Sky was written “in six days and recorded quickly.” And she was 76 (!) at the time. What have your grandparents done lately?

I once dug deeper into Ono’s backstory here.



29) Silvia Pérez Cruz with Raúl Fernández Miró, Carabelas Nada (2014): The Spanish Cruz (b. 1983) works a variety of genres including fado, jazz, native folk, and flamenco. Her style tends toward the eclectic and goes between hard and a MOR* kind of soft. (Hear a softer treatment of the same song here.) For me, it’s the harder stuff that’s the more interesting, as is this one.

*Middle Of the Road



30) PJ Harvey and John Parish, My Black Hearted Love (2009): Deep in her career when a less alloyed artist might be spinning toward creative entropy, Harvey voices this masterpiece.



Bonus! Angel Olsen, Lark (2019): The brilliant if overwrought histrionics of the orchestrations grabbed me right away. Wiki claims she grew up listening to punk, noise, and Christian “rock.” She clearly has a record collection loaded with 80s selections – probably also spent some time with her parents’ Joni Mitchell records.

Sparks Still Have Some Left

Never loved by radio, Ron (b. 1945) and Russell Mael (b. 1948) AKA Sparks have managed to stay off the charts and working steadily since 1967. Their highest charting successes were in 1974. And even without charting, they’d gotten plenty of shout-outs from those that did: New Order, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and Björk have all credited them as influences. Their “quirky” sound, launched on the rocket fuel of darkly humorous and cynical lyrics, is like no one else’s. It’s a sound that spins on the axis of songwriter Ron’s melodies and the athletic castrato registers that vocalist Russ lifts them on.

Interesting note: The sound was born on Ron’s limited skills as a keyboardist which prohibited him from transposing the songs into keys more suitable for Russ’ register – by Russ’ admission – forcing Russ to accommodate.

A miniature Sparks history:

• As teens growing up in Los Angeles, they’d see The Doors, Love, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, etc. playing at the clubs in town.

• They moved to England to record second and third Sparks albums – Kimono My House, Propaganda – in 1974 where they enjoyed their greatest chart successes.  Their sound was exalted by the glam scene of the time. Since then, these albums have generally achieved classic status.

• In 1976 they returned stateside and retooled for a more “American,” hard rock sound. They appeared in a roller coaster disaster movie performing songs from the album.

• In 1977 they transitioned again, this time into a more electronic sound and recorded two albums with Giorgio Moroder

• By the 80s their sound transitioned yet again, getting tossed in with the New Wavers.  During this period they’d enjoy some of their greatest radio and television exposure. The songwriting would now be credited as collaborations.

• At the end of the 80s and early 90s they worked on collaborations with other artists and personalities and attempted to make a movie. The band concept was dispensed with entirely. Some songs got some chart interest in various European countries. They’d be compared to The Pet Shop Boys.

• In the 2000s they replaced the electronic club sound with a more orchestral sound, Russ’ vocals were presented in a wall of choruses. They received praise and attention. A very prolific musical period but nothing charting.

“Handcuffed to a Parking Meter” was their 2019 collaboration with French musician SebastiAn. Of his working philosophy, SebastiAn has said: “The brain is the enemy of music — you can use it, but way after you've finished working.”

As for the actual creation of “Handcuffed to a Parking Meter”: SebastiAn said that this line was something Sparks had come in with. Russ told him “...‘I don't need another sentence. This sentence is cool...OK, let’s go.’”

Sparks: Not Boomers; Old School.

Beatle Juice: Their Greatest Songs They Didn't Write

The Beatles and their impact: We know they’ve influenced multiple cultures, genres, and generations to follow – including former Beatles themselves. We know no one else that has produced as deep and rich a catalog as they did. And as you’ll hear below, their juice continues to affect Millennials and beyond. It’s like The Beatles aren’t a part of culture, they are a world culture unto themselves (as was described in the recent Yesterday film).

Interesting to note that when attempts are made to embody or parody their sound, it always seems a particular period is targeted —somewhere in the Revolver to Magical Mystery Tour period – 1966-1967. In terms of iconography, this may be them at their most Beatlesesque.

It’s a period hard not to love.

George Harrison, When We Was Fab (1987):  Produced by Jeff Lynne who may’ve, more than anyone, a PhD. in Beatles sponging—he’d later get the opportunity to hone his mastery at the very feet of the surviving band members themselves. He’d produce work by George, Paul, and Ringo individually and was brought in by George to work on the two new songs that would end up on The Anthology records, Free as a Bird and Real Love. (Lynne was also a Traveling Wilbury.) Plus, as you’ll l note below, Lynne began his career in a tribute band – ELO was originally conceived to recreate the sound of Sgt. Pepper.

While Lynne’s fingerprints are all over When We Was Fab, it’s still one of the best Harrison songs in many, many years. The song is like both Beatles’ trompe l’oeil and a pitch perfect parody. Better even than The Rutles, and they were good in their own right. (See below.)



The Knickerbockers, Lies (1966): There were a number of bands fronted by record companies that tried to look and sound like the Fab Four, and all of them are utterly forgotten now. Except for this. This may be the closest attempt of anyone to apeing Fab Four’s sound. It made it to #20 on Billboard’s Hot 100.



Graham Gouldman, Walking with Angels (2006): Gouldman has a history I briefly discuss here.

Like The Beatles, Gouldman was a celebrated songwriter coincidentally during the band’s classic period, 1966-1968, having written hits for many artists. (Gould would also have a hand as co-writer in his band 10cc, and have a finger in most of their hits from the 1970s.) As Angels demonstrates, Gouldman still knows well his way around that vintage sound, especially that lydian sounding signature that platforms the turnaround after he sings “walking with angels.” The song builds into a minor masterpiece. It should’ve made its way onto the radio and become a cultural earworm but, alas, that’s not the world we live in. When was the last time a 60-year-old dude (b. 1946) got a song on the radio? Well, there was Louis Armstrong (What a Wonderful World at age 69), but after that probably never.



Electric Light Orchestra: Mr. Blue Sky (1977) and 10538 Overture (1972): From the outset, ELO was formed emulate the sound of Sgt. Pepper. The sound accessed for 10538 Overture could’ve been squeezed from a budget George Martin orchestration outtake. Mr. Blue Sky, as confectionary as it is – seems modeled more after Maxwell’s Silver Hammer than the classic period. Despite its hyperglycemic index, it still stands as a piece of high craft; credit where it’s due.






The Monkees, The Porpoise Song (1968): Oldsters know that the television show intended to imitate the character of the band from the Richard Lester movies—A Hard Day’s Night and Help—but their sound was never that Beatle-esque. Though, the faux psychedelia from this Carole King and Gerry Goffin song was about as close as it got.



The Knack, Siamese Twins (The Monkey and Me) (1979): For those not alive at the time, the first Knack album was a phenomenon. My Sharona was bigger than Beatles huge – #1 all over the world. If you’re curious, the latter day band – who likely at the time of this video was probably no longer on speaking terms (leader Doug Feiger comes off as a real douche). Producer Mike Chapman – who was a big deal at the time – claimed that Sharona was destined to be massive and this fact was evident long before the song made it to tape. There was magic all over that first album, apart from the bathroom wall misogyny of the lyrics, and singer Doug Feiger’s sometimes creepy delivery (hear him in the above video gush like an incel about landing the actual Sharona as a girlfriend), the band was tight and the musicianship was stellar and in the pocket – especially notable are the drummer and lead guitarist.

On Siamese Twins, the opening guitar melody line, or signature as it’s called, is as Beatlesque as the band got. As much as their indulgent marketing was (note the album’s cover), other than some strong melodies, The Knack was no Beatles, in fact, they were no Badfinger (or even Dave Clark 5). But then, who could be?

Don’t bother with the rest of The Knack’s catalog; the first album was the only one where anything happened and it was a fluke.



The Jam, Start! (1980): Half of the song’s DNA is Taxman. The other half is makes it worthy of it’s thievery. The Jam did borrow a lot from the Mersey Beat sound of the mid- and late 60s, and cracked up the tempos a bit, but they were generally regarded as more than retro. Later, they’d abandon their Mersey roots for a more Northern soul sound. This may be the best argument for sharing musical DNA as you’ll ever find. Start! works.



The Rutles, Cheese and Onions (1978): If you don’t know, The Rutles was a televeision movie parody of The Beatles history by Monty Python alumnus Eric Idle. (George Harrison even makes an appearance as a journalist. George would also help fund Life of Brian.) Musician Neil Innes had worked with Monty Python in the early 70s – one of only two non-Python people to get a writing credit on their show –and was even in a band, GRIMMS, with Paul McCartney’s younger brother, Mike McGear. Idle would engage Innes to write Beatlesque songs for the show and unlike most of what else you’ll hear in this post, Innes tried to pattern his parodies on actual Beatle’s songs.

The songs were fun but wouldn’t have much use outside of the purposes of the show.




Emitt Rhodes; Live Till You Die, You Should Be Ashamed, Lullaby, Fresh as a Daisy (1970): He was called “The One-Man Beatles” and like Neil Innes above, was also a contemporary of the band. By the time of Rhodes’ first solo album in 1970, Billboard magazine would call him “one of the finest artists on the music scene today.” One of his songs ended up on The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack.

Despite all of the huzzahs, musical promise, and dashing good looks, Rhodes never really got to enjoy mainstream success. He was active again in the 2010s and recorded two albums.



The Merry-Go-Round was Rhodes’ band prior to the recording of his eponymous album and, I think, reveals a far more interesting sound; from 1967:



Klaatu, Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (1976): You’ll be forgiven for not making it to end if you listen to this one. This “Canadian Beatles” did have two distinguishing characteristics, however: They’re the only band on this list (that’s not a Beatle) to have been covered by The Carpenters; and a writer at the time tried to declare that they were the actual Beatles in some sort of disguise. Otherwise, they were little more than Lite FM hacks.




The Lemon Twigs, I Want to Prove to You (2016): And the tradition continues:



Tame Impala, Mind Mischief (2013): Singer Kevin Parker has been accused of sounding like John Lennon by no less than Sean (they toured together). Their “trippy hypnotic” sound seems to have been steeped in The Beatles’ Ravi Shankar period. Though Parker is from Perth Australia, the band is not The Australian Beatles. That title (see below) belongs to the Easybeats (1966).





Licorice Roots Orchestra (Raymond Listen), Cloud Symphonies (1993): It’s interesting to note that what may be generally considered George Harrison’s less than peak period as a songwriter would go on to become his most influential – particularly songs like It’s All Too Much, Only a Northern Song, and Blue Jay Way. George would’ve songs rejected by the band on occasion which probably would’ve made him even more agreeable to see the end of The Beatles. The All Things Must Pass album would be a showcase for some of them.

As far as Licorice Roots Orchestra, I know nothing about them and there’s not much to be found. Dangerous Minds gushed about this record and this may be the internet’s only available source of info on the subject.

A Golden Shower of Elder Styles