The Not-Pop Jukebox

The Libertines made decent rock, but the whole “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” concept rather went to the heads of some members, or at least to their egos. It's too bad, because songs like Narcissist prove that the group made a solid songwriting team. They actually managed to make a grungy, almost rockabilly song that doesn't wallow.

I like a little social commentary with my pop, so this song won me over to the Libertines' side of the fence (musically speaking, if not politically). While the band did meander into melancholy, The Libertines offered generally interesting, and often smart, lyrics as the cake to hold up their musical icing. They do a very old-school sound, with guitars straight out of the 70s. That's enough to earn them a spot in the jukebox!

Due to a misremembered lyric this evening, I found myself following a trail of songs that included the phrase "red hands" in the title. Since I've all but abandoned you all I thought I'd bring you the whole, sloppy mess, dripping with indie goodness via Walk off the Earth and Harlem Shakes, angry post-grunge from Calling All Cars, and even some classic Melvins death grind.

Now, I'll grant you some of these aren't fantastic songs. The point of these lists, however, is to point out the wide variations artists can come up with on a theme, in this case being red-handed (as in guilty). Some of them take the red a wee bit more literally than others. I did actually nuke one song from the list that was painfully bad but I left things like The Bravery, which sounds like a bad Cure cover band, because it's not my thing but Red Hands and White Knuckles takes the concept in a different direction and so still rates a listen.

The Builders and the Butchers come at things from yet another side, doing an Americana song that's almost bluegrass. Their Red Hands brings some classic storytelling and instrumentation to the table but manages to stay far enough on the not-painful side of the twang line that it remains enjoyable. So there you have it, my dears: seven songs about people guilty of something to one degree of violence or another. Have a listen and tell me which is your favorite or if you have a Red Hand Song I've missed!

In case you were wondering, I've been doing pretty much all of my posting at Google+ these days. While that's been quite interesting for me, it does leave this lovely mess in a bit of a stagnant heap. I'm going to try to find a better balance but, for now, I wanted to add this lovely bit of good stuff from Chewing on Tinfoil in both places. Let me know what you think!

While I've listened to and loved a lot of Lou Reed in my day, Harry's Circumcision is the one song I will recommend without hesitation when his name is mentioned. I've not actually heard anyone else mention it but to me it's the perfect distillation of Lou Reed's sense of humor and lyrical style.

In his memory, I want to share it today. Even if you aren't a fan, listen to the story he tells. Then spare a moment for the guy who could tell it.

For a Friday flash post, let me share with you the sort of thing I love for a band to do. Let's Get Funky and Blanc Garcon go in two utterly different directions. For someone familiar with the scrungy, filthy grunts of the former the latter was a total zydeco surprise. I listen to full albums for new bands whenever possible because I never know when one of them will pull just this sort of switcheroo. Enjoy!

Let us consider, today, the problem of being a narc. It’s an unhealthy and, essentially, untenable position. Thankfully, you can consider both perspectives by comparing Julie’s Been Working for the Drug Squad, in which The Clash tells you about a so-called friend who got a little too involved in her job, and Working Undercover for the Man. The latter comes from the ever-inventive They Might Be Giants and details what may have been Julie’s thoughts…though somehow I find that unlikely.

Whether you’re a fan of police dramas or just of great music, have a listen to Julie’s Been Working and Working Undercover. Let me know which you like better or if you think this would have made a better Perfect Pair post than letting You Pick the Winner.

I find myself in possession of the new Gogol Bordello album, "Pura Vida Conspiracy". Naturally that means I've been listening to it for ages and have come to a decision: you need this in your life.

As proof, I offer Malandrino, a song which not only shows the mellower side of the band that comes out much more strongly on the album but which also builds up in to a flailing, wailing, horns-screaming danceable smile factory. Seriously, by the time it was over I was panting and grinning like a maniac. This is Gogol Bordello at their best, my darlings, and I want you to hear it. So click, already!

Pura Vida Conspiracy

Razor Kings are a social media success story, as far as this writer is concerned. By that I mean that I'd never before heard of them but that they found me on Google+ and shared an older video that I quite enjoyed. That led me to seek more from them and to be pleasantly surprised at finding what I presume is a new album. Voila! Here we are.

I seem to be finding more old-school punk bands lately, which to me is all to the good. Razor Kings (or, as they style themselves, RAZOR KiNGS) are perhaps the most consistent example. They rock hard, they shout angrily about things other than women and drugs, and they're remarkably elusive on-line. Yet there they were, tapping me on the shoulder.

Have a listen to Questioning Intentions, a classic punk song name if ever there was one. If you're so inclined, you can enjoy the rest of "Truth Hurts" on Grooveshark.

Renowned reggae singer Jimmy Cliff released a new album in 2012, which I just discovered last week. It came to my attention via a most-unexpected cover of Rancid's Ruby Soho which I heard on the radio. At first, I thought, "How did I now know Rancid was covering Jimmy Cliff?" Then I realized that I knew they weren't. Mind? Blown.

It turns out that "Rebirth" is rooted in punk, having been produced by Tim Armstrong. Cliff not only covers Ruby Soho but Guns of Brixton in which The Clash sang about Cliff's The Harder They Come. That's almost as much fun as Peter Gabriel covering Vampire Weekend's Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.

Beyond all that, Jimmy Cliff's cover of Ruby Soho is solid rocksteady. Have a listen and do check out the whole album. It promises reggae fans and music lovers in general a return of the great Mr. Cliff and it delivers in full.

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I bumped into Claude VonStroke yesterday and spent a fair chunk of time giving his music a listen. While I like a lot of what he does (and am fairly worn out from dancing), it was Beat That Bird that I knew you had to hear.

Distasteful as I find the song around which it's based, I can't resist the bizarre flavor of it. And, of course, it put me in mind of Nuclear Rabbit's Sweet Nothings. Naturally, that means you get both, my dears.

I've decided not to make this a You Pick the Winner post because Sweet Nothings is so short, though it can definitely stand up in the "freaky" category. Have a listen to the pair and let me know if you don't think they go together like...bats and chickens.

With a name like Intergalactic Republic of Kongo, you might presume a few things about this band. If you make the same leaps I did, you'll be as wrong as I was about I.R.O.K. That's okay. Some of them sound right even when you listen to the music. Then you look them up and realize they just had the album release party in January of 2013.

I Work not only spearheads the album but gives you an excellent introduction to the band. It demonstrates their combination of electronic, raging guitars, shouting, and mellow moments that carries through the whole album. It's also got a driving beat that keeps you dancing even while you're trying to understand some of the lyrics.

Trickily, I.R.O.K. intentionally mixes and mashes genres so they're pretty defiant of labels. That's why I've given them so many. Have a listen and do click over to SoundCloud to hear a All My Children, Earthy Girls, and God, all helpfully posted by Acid Bath Records.

Do let me know what you think. Now pardon me while I get back to flailing about the living room. If you can get your digital fingers on Worms from Mars, put that one on the top of your intergalactic play list.

You know what warms the cockles of my frozen heart, here in the most painful part of winter (the end, I hope)? Punk from around the world, that's what. Today I bring you Superman Is Dead, all of the way from Bali. Kuta Rock City proves they have enough authentic chops to open for any modern-day punk band. I don't even know if they still exist any longer, as I could find no evidence of their having released an album in several years, or whether they're still signed with Sony. This one's been out ten years but it never gets old, to me.

It just so happens that a great post-punk garage band came to my attention just as I'm preparing to leave town for a few days. In the spirit of travel, enjoy the high-energy rollick of The Worsties and Let's Go. I've got the song in my head as I'm flailing about trying to finish packing and ready to get this show on the road.

Next week sometime perhaps I'll post the song that Ted Kelly brought to my attention on Google + but that's a brand-new video and you know I like to delve. Besides, I'm too hyper to right a proper review.

Do a little head banging a little jumping up and down, and generally get your rock on in the meantime. This player will give you the whole playlist even though it only shows Let's Go, by the way. I'll come back with a burning desire to post and a backlog of blather, so be prepared.

If there's one thing a punk group likes to do, it's sing about punk rock girls. For today, let's take two iconic bands and compare their takes on the women they know. First, The Ramones with Sheena Is a Punk Rocker, creatively names as so many of their songs are but still a seminal song. Then The Queers take their swing at it with Tamara Is a Punk.

One presumes The Queers stopped short of naming Tamara a punk rocker because of the Ramones song. If you listen to the chorus she is, indeed, one and you're now to knock her. The Ramones, however, do much less pining and more celebrating of the the fact that Sheena is, indeed, a punk rocker.

Have a listen to both and tell me which you prefer. Naturally, if I've missed a great song about a punk rock girl (except, of course, Punk Rock Girl, which is just too easy), drop me a note and I'll have a listen.

Some days, you need a song that's all kinds of wrong. Thankfully, I've got some Nuclear Rabbit here in my virtual pocket for just those days. That holds true for just about any of their songs but none more so than Champion of the World.

Note that this song contains a significant amount of cursing and ridiculous amounts of attitude. What else would you expect from someone who can punch a guy so hard his mother starts on fire? That's just a sample of how amazing this Champion of the World really is. Have a listen to the rest of his autobiography and tell me what you think!

Today is one of those days when, in the pursuit of one thing, I find myself distracted by something entirely...ooh, shiny! Wait, where was I?

In truth I can't even remember where I started when I found myself confronted with a song titled Bim Bam Boom from four different artists, one of them the Oingo Boingo song from the Forbidden Zone soundtrack. Naturally I got to wondering if that song had been a cover, as Violent Love was.

Happily, I can say that that particular bit of bizarre is, in fact, not a cover. However, we're left with The El Dorados with their doo-wop song, Roger Klug with his neo-swing song, and Surferosa with their synth-heavy 80s surf-punk shouter. Yet all of them are named Bim Bam Boom.

I blame Percy Faith for this. He recorded a raucous, swingin', late-60s ruckus of a track that made everyone want to use that name for their own. They don't have that one on Groovshark so I've included a static video so that you can hear the whole thing. I'm not generally a fan of his but, dang, this one really moves.

It being the ten-year anniversary of Joe Strummer's death, I thought I'd post my favorite non-Clash song from him, this one with The Mescaleros. Get Down Moses gives you a great, ska-flavored groove and some fairly mournful lyrics about the state of modern society and how we could use another Moses.

I don't think we so much need more rules as people who actually follow the ones we've got. Get Down Moses, however, isn't Strummer looking for god. Consider the chorus:

You better take the walls of Jericho
Put your lips together and blow
Goin' to the very top
Where the truth crystallizes like jewels, in the rock, in the rock

That's right, it's about drugs.

That's not particularly clear without the line about carving a table out of LSD but, trust me, it's there. While I'm generally opposed to facile hippy trips I just can't resist the almost-ragga beat and that Strummer voice. It's bonus material for a Clash fan, which is what I am. Enjoy!

Warning to all easily-offended religious people: These are songs about Jesus in one way or another. Some of them are funny. Some are a wee bit more bitter. Commencing post in 3...2...1...

I thought that, it being Jesus Season or whatever you want to call a holiday timed to replace a pagan celebration despite historical...hold on...I'm smashing my soap box...let's try that again.

I found a bunch of songs in my collection and elsewhere that are, ostensibly, about Jesus. At the very least his name is featured in the titles. Because I'm feeling snarky, I'm amusing myself by posting them just before Christmas. If you choose only one song, make it Ministry's Jesus Built My Hotrod. If it's only two for you, include Tom Waits and his iconic Chocolate Jesus because nothing satisfies like a chocolate savior. Realistically, however, you should follow that up with Scanners and Jesus Saves. Trust me.

Please note that my inclusion of Soundgarden and Green Day in this list is in no way an endorsement of the music of either band. I am, however, recommending Robert Randolph and the Family Band, with Eric Clapton as they are here or without, though you probably could have guessed that by now. And you know Depeche Mode is in there somewhere. I mean, really, Personal Jesus: how could I exclude them?

If you have a favorite, non-religious Jesus song please do let me know! I'm bouncing to Ministry right now so I'm feeling much, much better.

I bring you joyous news, this holiday season: Santastic VII has just been released. You can download the whole album for free from DJ BC's site but I thought I'd give you a particular recommendation because, well, Mojochronic's double-Ramones mash has been tickling me for days.

It's actually pretty rare that at mashup of holiday classics really works for me. In this case, however, not only have the songs been matched perfectly but the vocals have been combined in such a way that The Ramones sound as filled with Christmas cheer as those cheesy old chestnuts they're now backing.

Sadly, the version on Grooveshark is from four years ago and isn't nearly as polished as the new one that I linked above. Have a listen to get the idea and then download the new, extra-awesome I Wanna Be Dentated. Let me know if you agree, would you? And don't miss DJ Schmolli's Jingle Bells Pon de Floor while you're there.

You're having some holiday cheer today whether you like it or not. Don't blame me, blame Voodoo Glow Skulls and It Dies Today for recording two different and entertaining versions of Feliz Navidad.

I ran across them while building a 28-song holiday extravaganza for something else entirely. Neither made the cut but I had to share them with someone. That means you, my dears! I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, even if you're not the x-mas kind, because everyone could use more punk this holiday season.