Monthly Archives: April 2025

Song of the Week – Dizzy, Wyldlife

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Ignored             Obscured              Restored

Recently, I was listening to Little Steven’s Underground Garage when I came across his pick for his Coolest Song in the World.  It was “Dizzy,” the latest single by the New York City-based post punk/power pop group, Wyldlife.

In an interview with Thrasher Magazine, lead singer Dave Feldman shared some insight into the band’s eclectic influences:

Someone said that Wyldlife was the sound of an infinite amount of influences. I think that’s a good way of putting it. We like Cheap Trick and The Raspberries and 20/20 but I don’t think we’re a power pop band. We love Johnny Thunders and The Dead Boys and The New York Dolls but I wouldn’t say we’re a punk band. I think you can take notes from all of those bands, you can be a little bit of everything, and you can keep people guessing and then not everybody has the same favorite song of yours. We don’t know what we are, but to say we’re a rock ‘n’ roll band is too vague. But I think the best NY bands are loud, slightly dirty, slightly sketchy and they look really fucking cool, so yeah, that’s us.

Their sound is a collision of styles, and I’d also throw in other bands like The Replacements, Oasis, and The Undertones as reference points.  It’s that blend — raw, catchy, and unpredictable — that gives Wyldlife their distinct vibe.

“Dizzy” will appear on the band’s upcoming album Sorted, but until the full release drops, at least we’ve got this high-energy single to hold us over.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week Revisited – Heaven, Pere Ubu

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I just learned that David Thomas, the leader of the avant-garde rock band Pere Ubu, died yesterday. In his honor, I’m reposting a SotW that was originally sent to my mailing list on July 18, 2009. You can read more here: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/apr/24/pere-ubu-david-thomas-rewrote-rocknroll RIP.

The song of the week is “Heaven” by Pere Ubu.

The Cleveland based band pioneered the “art punk” genre and were a major influence on any number of groups, from Talking Heads to The Pixies.  Here’s a description of the band from the Trouser Press:

In its first incarnation, Ubu combined disorienting, often dissonant, rock and urban blues in a stunningly original and outlandish mix, but never lost an urgent, joyous party atmosphere. Lead singer David Thomas’ plebeian warble, the band’s most noticeable sonic feature, colors all of Ubu’s proceedings in a bizarre light; casual listeners might, as a result, overlook the powerful, polished musicianship. One of the most innovative American musical forces, Pere Ubu is to Devo what Arnold Schoenberg was to Irving Berlin.

“Heaven” was originally released as the b-side to their indie single “Modern Dance” in 1977.  It was later included on the Datapanik In The Year Zero EP (1978).

About two decades ago I made a mix tape that my cousin Tom listened to on a cross country trip.  “Heaven” was on it. He later told me the tape saved him from hours of boring, heartland country music stations.  If that’s true, it was because songs like this get better with every listen. 

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Too Much Blood, Rolling Stones

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Ignored             Obscured              Restored

The Rolling Stones’ Undercover (1983) album is one that I never listened to very much.  But I dropped the needle on it a few nights ago and was drawn in by the raw energy of the track “Too Much Blood.”

Though credited to the classic Jagger/Richards duo, it was largely written by Mick Jagger and may have been recorded with little to no input from Keith Richards.

The lyrics were inspired by the disturbing true-life story of Issei Sagawa, who murdered and cannibalized Renée Hartevelt in Paris in 1981.  The grisly details are best left to your own research — but suffice it to say, the subject matter is intense.

Jagger has described “Too Much Blood” as an anti-violence song and a critique of the media’s sensational coverage of such horrors.  But it isn’t the lyrics — or his somewhat cringey attempt to rap — that drew me to the song.  What hooked me was the music — the driving rhythm, punchy horn arrangement (featuring the late, great David Sanborn), and the primal, hypnotic percussion by Sly Dunbar.  This track puts the F in funky — it’s all about the groove.

“Too Much Blood” proves that even on one of the Stones’ most insignificant albums, there are still gems waiting to be discovered.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – New Girl Now, Honeymoon Suite

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Ignored             Obscured              Restored

“New Girl Now” was a power pop, one-hit wonder that burst onto MTV back in 1984.

Written by Canadian guitarist Derry Grehan and recorded by his band Honeymoon Suite, the track has become a quintessential slice of ’80s rock.  Like many bands of the era, Honeymoon Suite got their start playing covers in local Ontario venues.  But they weren’t just mimicking hits—they slipped in a few originals too, and “New Girl Now” was one of them.

When Toronto rock radio station Q107 announced a song contest, the band jumped at the chance.  They recorded a demo, sent it in, and—lo and behold—they won.

The 2 Loud 2 Old Music blog opined:

The song is pure 80’s cheese…and that isn’t a bad thing. It is about as AOR as you can get too. Crunchy guitar riffs, banging drums, stinging keyboards and a catchy chorus. Johnnie Dee has that high-pitched vocal of the time and of course there is a guitar solo. All the boxes are checked. With that being said, it is a great song as this was the sound of the time and Honeymoon Suite did it well. It is an earworm and will stick in your heard long after it is over.

I couldn’t agree more.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Mary, Mary; The Monkees, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Run-D.M.C.

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Ignored             Obscured              Restored

The story of The Monkees is well-known. The “Prefab Four” — Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones — were a group of actors/musicians assembled to portray a band on the NBC television sitcom that aired from late 1966 to the spring of 1968.  Although each member possessed some musical talent, the group was initially prevented from playing their own instruments on their early recordings.  Instead, the famed Wrecking Crew, a collective of top session musicians, performed on their tracks.  Furthermore, many of their Top 40 hits were penned by renowned songwriters such as Neil Diamond, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, and Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. This arrangement was met with resistance, and in 1967, the band finally gained full control over their music.

From the beginning, Nesmith stood out as the most accomplished musician and songwriter.  He is widely recognized for composing “Different Drum” in 1967, which was released by the Stone Poneys and sung by Linda Ronstadt.  Ronstadt favored the country-tinged arrangement, which was inspired by the original version recorded in 1965 by the Greenbriar Boys.  However, producer Nick Venet preferred a more intricate, pop-oriented sound, complete with a distinctive harpsichord.  The result?  A hit — the Stone Poneys’ version peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Nesmith also contributed songs to The Monkees catalog, including “Mary, Mary,” which appeared on their second album, More of the Monkees (1967).

The track is a straightforward, upbeat rocker, featuring sharp guitar work from James Burton and Glen Campbell, and dynamic percussion by Hal Blaine and Jim Gordon — members of the Wrecking Crew.

However, you might not know that the Paul Butterfield Blues Band recorded a version of “Mary, Mary” before The Monkees did, for their East-West album in 1966.

The Butterfield group hoped the song would be a commercial success, but it was never released as a single.  Nevertheless, their rendition stands as a compelling interpretation, marked by a bluesy harmonica, keyboard flourishes, and a wild Mike Bloomfield guitar solo that brings the track to an exciting climax.

The song saw a resurgence in 1988, when producer Rick Rubin brought it to the hip-hop group Run-D.M.C.  It was recorded in the rap-rock style that yielded a massive hit in 1986 with their collaboration on Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”

Their version of “Mary, Mary” made a modest but noteworthy appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #75.

Each of these versions offers a unique listening experience, making “Mary, Mary” a fascinating song to revisit across different genres and eras.

Enjoy… until next week.