“Birthdays” – Craig Finn
Hey, I had a birthday this week! Coincidentally this is the best song from Craig Finn’s latest solo album.
“I Was Neon” – Julia Jacklin
The first single off JJ’s up-coming album was solid. This one cooks.
“Wait ‘Til the Morning” – Frightened Rabbit
Spotify suggested this, a bonus track from the final FR album, a few weeks back. When the disk came out I didn’t think much of the extras. But the passage of time made this one sound fresh, and it’s been in my rotation lately.
“Talk For Hours” – Fever Dream
If the lead singer sounded more like John Lydon, I would think this was a new track by Public Image Ltd. They absolutely nail the sound that PiL and other first-gen, post-punk bands had in the late ’80s.
“Cruel Summer” – Taylor Swift
It takes some guts to name re-use this song title, especially if you are an artist who has pulled from 1980s influences. Leave it to Taylor to pull it off.
“Couldn’t Know” – Paw
Tuesday I went on a late-night, YouTube search for bands I was into in the ’90s. Naturally I ended up doing a deep dive for Paw content. There’s not a ton out there, but I found a few official videos like this, and a few live performances. From there I spent the next day listening to the band’s two major label albums. They hold up. Their two indie releases aren’t on Spotify, but they are tucked away on the media server in the basement, and I’ll likely listen to them soon.