Back to the grind this week.
“Flaw In The Design” – Home Front
Holy 1983, Batman! I hope these guys dress like they’re from the original New Wave, too.
“Harvard” – Briston Maroney
This guy can’t help but make solid, indie-pop jams.
“Kind of Light” – Bodywash
Super Beach House-y without totally ripping off their sound.
“God Bless the USA” – The Men
This is not a remake.
“Too Bored to Run” – Ryan Adams
I’ve held off listening to Adams’ music since the allegations that he sexually harassed/coerced many of the women he worked with. Both his older music, which I had fallen in love with, and his newer music, which to my ears has kind of sucked. Until this song, which sounds from the same pocket as those mid-2010s songs of his I loved. Not ready to forgive or forget, but can at least cautiously listen to some of the songs again.
“I’m So Excited” – The Pointer Sisters
Anita Pointer, the last surviving, original member of the Pointer Sisters, died just before Christmas. This was not their biggest single (six others charted higher), but maybe their most enduring hit of their prime years.
“Hazy Shade of Winter” – The Bangles
Back in my podcasting days, I typically ended each show with a cover. A few times over those years I had episodes that were entirely covers, one of them may have even been a rundown of my favorite covers. Looking back at the surviving playlists, I never included this song, which is a crime. There is no doubt it’s one of the greatest covers ever. And a pretty good song for January. Sixteen-year-old me probably struggled between deciding which woman in this video I was crushing on harder: Susanna Hoffs or Jami Gertz. BTW, the Less Than Zero soundtrack has three absolute bangers on it. Totally made it worth buying the cassette over Christmas break, 1987.