It goes by many names: Doom Metal, Stoner Rock, Desert Rock, Heavy Psych, Sludge Metal… they’re all mostly describing the same thing. Low tuned fuzzed out guitars and slow tempos. Black Sabbath pretty much prototyped the genre, which is why I included them here.
If there are any vocals at all, the lyrics tend to involve drugs, space, paganism, or general feelings of doom (go figure). Not that it matters, they’re almost always unintelligible. đ
In the 90s there was a big stoner rock scene in the Palm Desert, California area, which is why it’s sometimes referred to as Desert Rock. Kyuss was probably the biggest band to come out of that era.
More recently there’s been a flourishing of doom metal bands in Poland. The last 3 bands in this mix are all from Poland. đľđą
Fun facts time!
Black Sky Giant is from Argentina. đŚđˇ
Black Sabbath pretty much invented doom metal in 1970. Good job guys.
Members of Kyuss have gone on to form or play in Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, and Them Crooked Vultures among many others.
Elephant Tree is from London. đŹđ§
Earth is one of the pioneers of Drone Metal. (Yet another sub-genre!)
Weedpecker, Spaceslug and Lowrider are all from Poland. đľđą
For other Polish bands, check out Dopelord, MuN, Bantha Rider, Major Kong, Fifty Foot Woman, Kapitan Bongo, Seedium, WEIRD TALES, Shine, Belzebong and Sunnata.
I think it’s safe to say that nearly all of the bands on this playlist were influenced by Joy
Division. Definitely a strong post-punk/goth vibe. There’s something about the
“echo” aesthetic of the music that makes it sound like it was recorded down a long empty
hallway.
I don’t think there’s a single Aussie or Canadian band in this mix. What is the world
coming to?
An alternate name for this mix could’ve been “Duos” considering how many of these
bands consist of only 2 members.
Fun facts time!
Blaqk Audio is a duo consisting of 2 of the members from the punk band AFI.
The Knife is a duo consisting of 2 Swedish siblings.
Wolfsheim was a duo from Germany. The vocalist, Peter Heppner, has gone on to collaborate with a
lot of other German DJs.
De/Vision is also duo from Germany, though they started out as a quartet.
The Chameleons UK were formed in 1981. They had to tack on “UK” to their name in the
US, because there was already a band called The Chameleons in the US.
She Wants Revenge was also a duo, though they toured with additional members.
Ladytron’s name was taken from the song “Ladytron” by Roxy Music.
Editors were previously known as Pilot, The Pride and Snowfield.
William Fitzsimmons - So This Is Goodbye (Pink Ganter remix)
Wideband Network - Earthbound
MTNS - Fears
All Hail The Silence - Looking Glass
Tycho - Awake
Tame Impala - Feels Like We Only Go Backwards
Neon Indian - Polish Girl
Washed Out - It All Feels Right
The Presets - Girl and the Sea
God Lives Underwater - From Your Mouth
Don’t really have much to say about this mix. Probably at least half of these tracks could
qualify for the “Chillwave” genre, if that even counts as a genre.
I saw All Hail The Silence open for Howard Jones in Seattle back in 2019. I was surprised when I
discovered the guest vocalist for AHTS was Brian Transeau (a.k.a. “BT”) because I had
seen BT open for The Crystal Method back in 1998! Thus proving I am old.
Unintentionally, this mix features 3 bands from Australia. Time to dig up some fun facts!
Both William Fitzsimmons’ parents are blind. (William is not blind.)
Washed Out is probably best known for the theme song to Portlandia.
MTNS are from Brisbane, Australia.
The Presets are from Sydney, Australia.
Tame Impala is from Perth, Australia.
Vocalist David Reilly of God Lives Underwater died of complications from a tooth infection.
Remember to floss.
Talk Talk started out as a synthpop band in the early 80s. They had some minor radio hits, most
notably the 1984 hit It’s My Life.
However, if you look at Talk Talk’s studio discography, there’s a very clear trajectory
towards something quite different. The first 2 albums are just standard pop. Their 3rd album,
The Colour of Spring (1986), hints at a new direction. The track April 5th in particular shows what’s to
come. Their final 2 albums move away from traditional pop song structures and into free-jazz
orchestral soundscapes and pioneered what would later become known as “Post Rock”.
The Rainbow is the opening track from their fourth album Spirit of Eden (1988).
Other than Mark Hollis’ vocals, it’s unrecognizable as the same band that produced
It’s My Life only 4 years prior.
The term “Post Rock” was applied retroactively once other bands followed in their
footsteps. Bark Psychosis’ Hex album helped solidify the term. Post Rock
approximately encompasses any music produced using traditional rock instruments, but not following
traditional rock structures. The results tend to be long, winding instrumental pieces up to an hour
long.
An hour is not a lot of time to fit multiple Post Rock tracks, but this’ll have to do.
If there’s a theme to this mix, I don’t know what it is.
Just a jumble of songs I like and hope go together.
Fun Facts!
A critic once described Electric Six’s music as “macho flippancy” and
“tongue-in-cheek pomposity”. Lead singer Dick Valentine estimates “90
percent of our songs, maybe even higher than 90 percent are about absolutely nothing.”
Comfortably Numb is, of course, originally by Pink Floyd. This version reimagines
it as a Beegees song.
Robert Levon Been, of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, is the son of Michael Been from The
Call.
:wumpscut: was the project of German DJ Rudy Ratzinger. Despite being active from 1991 to
2016, it was a studio-only project and never toured.
The movie Pretty in Pink is named after the Psychedelic Furs song. Not the other
way around. Molly Ringwald was a fan of the Furs.
The instrumental version of Cells has been featured in several movies and movie
trailers.
Dan Wilson and John Munson of Semisonic were also both members of the band Trip Shakespeare.
Both bands have a star on the outside of the iconic First Avenue club in Minneapolis.
Mike Doughty, former lead singer of Soul Coughing, has a Patreon where he releases songs weekly (if
not more frequently).
Jets to Brazil got their name from a travel poster on the wall in a scene from Breakfast
At Tiffany’s.
Mad Season is a “supergroup” consisting of members of Pearl Jam, Alice in
Chains, and The Screaming Trees.
Peter Murphy is the former lead singer of the pioneering goth band Bauhaus.
The Smiths’ lead singer Morrissey has made some truly reprehensible statements over
the years, but I enjoy his lyrics and vocals in spite of his being a terrible person.
Cigarettes After Sex recorded their first EP in a four-story stairway at the University of
Texas, El Paso. The quite androgynous sounding lead singer is Greg Gonzales.
Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
The Mighty Lemon Drops - Out of Hand
Pickwick - Hacienda Motel
The Smithereens - Behind the Wall of Sleep
The Castaways - Liar, Liar
Fitz and the Tantrums - Don’t Gotta Work It Out
The Black Keys - Tighten Up
My Morning Jacket - The Day is Coming
Band of Horses - Ode to LRC
Spoon - The Beast and Dragon, Adored
Shawn Lee - River Man
Say Hi To Your Mom - A Hit in Sweden
I don’t necesarily think every song in this mix qualifies as “Garage Rock”, but
they all kinda circle around that style. The combination of lo-fi recording and simple melodies
reminds me of the songs I grew up listening to in the car; my mom’s oldies station. Nearly
every song in this mix owes itself to Motown or the British Invasion. Even Liar, Liar,
which was a contemporary song from the 60s, but Garage Rock was basically America’s answer
to the British Invasion.
Fun Facts!
Hacienda Motel is about Sam Cooke’s murder at the Hacienda Hotel in Los
Angeles, California.
Behind the Wall of Sleep was written about Kim Ernst, the bassist for a band called
The Bristols-Boston. The lyrics compare her to Jean Shrimpton, a 60s supermodel, and Bill
Wyman, the bassist for The Rolling Stones.
The Castaways never released a full album. Just a handful of singles.
The Castaways released Liar, Liar on a split single with their fellow Minnesotans
The Trashmen’s Surfin’ Bird.
Fitz and the Tantrums owes its entire existence to lead singer Michael Fitzpatrick acquiring
an old Conn electric organ. It features heavily on their debut album Pickin’ Up
The Pieces.
The piano parts in The Beast and Dragon, Adored were recorded
“illegally” by sneaking into the piano lab at the University of Texas music
building with some recording equipment.
Say Hi To Your Mom is basically a solo project of Eric Elbogen. Eric has since shortened the
name to just “Say Hi”. Many Say Hi songs tend to involve vampires, robots, and
movie references.
In 1978, Brian Eno released his seminal work Music for Airports, coining the genre
“Ambient Music” in the process. And while that album is interesting and worth
checking out when the mood is right, it’s horrible music for a workout. (Maybe listen to
it in an airport?)
This mix is “Music for Bikes” because biking is my favorite form of exercise, and
recently I got some awesome Aftershokz headphones which means I can listen while I ride!
This mixtape is fairly high-energy. I tried to start off with some rock n’ roll and then
dive into the more electronic side of things.
Fun Facts!
Matt Berry is better known for his comedic acting. He’s been in many BBC shows,
including The IT Crowd and The Mighty Boosh.
Lou Gramm is better known as the lead singer of Foreigner.
Sturgill Simpson is primarily a country singer. His Sound & Fury rock album,
which Sing Along is from, was released on Netflix as a long form anime music video.
Definitely worth watching.
The version of Coma White in this mix is actually a cover of a Marilyn Manson song.
If you’re in a good mood, probably best to skip this one for now.
This one is definitely a “down note” mix. Most of these songs have served as a
soundrack I put on when I felt like wallowing in misery.
I generally dislike female vocals in songs, but apparently that rule doesn’t apply as long
as the song is slow, sad and probably with some echo effect. Personal preferences are weird.
The Sisters of Mercy track reminds me I should do a goth/post-punk/darkwave mix. Maybe up next?
Definitely cranking out the mixtapes. I have a fever… and the only prescription is
mixtapes. Will I ever do another format? WHO KNOWS! (The Shadow knows?)
I don’t know that this episode even has a theme. Just a jumble of songs that I like. Which
is pretty much how I approached mixtapes back in days of yore.
And yes, I know “Minniapolis” is the wrong spelling. That’s how
it’s spelled on the record label. If you have an issue with that, take it up with Lemon
Interrupt (a.k.a Underworld).
Another mixtape. I’m having a bit of decision paralysis about what to say about these
mixes, or how to format them if I include some talking. Perhaps I’ll record some talking
addendums for these episodes soon, but for now I’ll just write things in these little
blurbs.
The theme for this one is “drugs” which is not really any reflection on my own
experiences, but I find I do like a lot of music associated with drugs. Old psychedelic music
from the 60s, trance music, neo-psychedelic rock from the mid-90s up to today, stoner metal,
etc.
While not all of these tracks strictly fit in those genres, they all somewhat revolve around the
topic of drugs, or seem (to me at least) to have been composed while under the influence of mind
altering substances.
Anyhoo, I enjoy all these tracks regardless of mind altering substances, so hopefully you will as
well.
So, this episode is more of a mixtape than a podcast. There’s no talking. I did my best
with my meager mixing skills to make it seamless. The general “theme” is songs which
feature audio samples heavily, because I love songs that sample other audio. I particularly love
when after listening to a song for years I stumble across where the audio sample actually came
from! For example, in this mix the intro sample to Can U Dig It? by Pop Will Eat Itself
is lifted from The Warriors. I didn’t know that for years. It’s like a lifetime
easter egg hunt. (Yes, I could just Google it, but what’s the fun in that?)
Recently I discovered there’s an entire genre known as Plunderphonics which includes music
like this mix, as well as audio collages, mashups, and similar works.
Given this is my first episode, expect the format will change in subsequent episodes. Apologies
if it proves to be a bumpy ride.
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