“The Window” – Ratboys
Every time I type this band’s name, my devices autocorrect it to “Batboys.” You would think I’ve typed their name enough over the years that my various Apple OSes understand that, yes, I really mean Ratboys. Given that their up-coming album seems like it is going to be excellent and I will be writing about them plenty more this year, maybe the OSes will finally figure it out once the fall updates land and Apple’s new auto correct, machine learning algorithms take over. Three-for-three on great songs from said up-coming album.

“Cellar” – Sea Lemon
This song has been banging around in my running playlist of new music for nearly two months. I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to share it. Perhaps because its haziness seems ideal for the warmest part of the year? Sea Lemon is on tour with Hatchie right now. That’s probably quite a show if you’re into this kind of sound.

“Paper Machete” – Queens of the Stone Age
I was never a huge QOTSA fan. I loved their 2002 single “No One Knows,” which launched them into the mainstream. But not much else. This track rocks and rolls properly.

“Tooth Ache” – Lydia Loveless
Now we’re talking! Lydia sounding like the Lydia I love most again.

“Pit Viper” – Guardian Singles
Some fine, twitchy, post-punk from New Zealand.

“Come Back” – Pearl Jam, live in Chicago, 5/16/06
We are less than two months from Pearl Jam’s visit to Indy. I’ve always thought this was a highly underrated song, from the 2006 “Avocado” album. This live version was used in season two of *The Bear*, and miraculously popped up as a single on Spotify shortly after. I’m sure that was just a happy coincidence.

“Summer In The Park Pt 1” – East Coast Connection
I’ve been getting the free posts from Dan Epstein’s Jagged Time Lapse newsletter for some time. I came to know Epstein through his baseball books, but his newsletter is more about the music he grew up on that goes along with those classic baseball eras his books cover. This week he had an entry about his favorite 1970s funk and soul songs about/for summer time. This will likely not be the last song you hear from that list before this summer ends.

“Dear Prudence” – Siouxsie and the Banshees
I’ve long called this one of the greatest covers ever. The Beatles’ original was terrific. This, though? Utterly amazing. Tom Breihan just started a new column at Stereogum about the number one songs on the alternative chart. Siouxsie’s “Peek-A-Boo” was the first track to top that chart, in September 1988. In his first column, Briehan dropped some serious knowledge on me. I had no idea that the Cure’s Robert Smith played guitar on this song. In fact, he played guitar and sang on the entire *Hyaena* album as the Banshees guitarist John McGeoch was in the hospital because of complications caused by his alcoholism. Mind blown.