Prince Alla

When it came to destruction-tinged Rastafarian mythology, Prince Alla was a keeper of the flame. This heavy, King Tubby and Scientist-produced single-- which begins with a huge thunder crash-- brings a pretty severe mystical dread vibe, talking about how Jah is going to bring a stone-- so big, and yet so wise-- to destroy Rome. BABYLON! A real classic.

Prince Alla "Stone" (1977)

Dave Bixby

Much has been said about Dave Bixby, the tortured psychedelic Christian behind 1969's "Ode to Quetzalcoatl." The "lost" record-- sold for buckets of money among collector geeks-- was recently remastered and reissued.

Bixby, apparently a victim of way too much LSD, found Christianity and wrote this record, which plumbs the darkest depths of his addled mind. It's a lot of songs about God, depression, fate, Satan, and drugs, all of them heavy, several of them beautiful.

Dave Bixby "Free Indeed"
Dave Bixby "Mother"
Dave Bixby "Peace"

Erik Wøllo

I've blogged about my Norwegian brother Erik Wøllo before but the great Wøllo is underserved by a mere single blog post.

Wøllo wrote the soundtrack to the dark urban 1980s. No disrespect to Glenn Frey but Wøllo should have done the Miami Vice theme song. He should have done the "9 1/2 Weeks" soundtrack. "To Live and Die in L.A." would have been twice as moody with Wøllo at the controls. In the mid 1980s, this guy had it.

Embrace this moment: It's 8 a.m. in Los Angeles, and you're sitting in your bare apartment with the shades drawn. You're unshaven. You've been on a bender for six days. You just got suspended from the police force for taking the law into your own hands. You gaze bitterly at a photo of your bitch ex wife, and finally something hits you-- you're invigorated by an old memory. You pitch the bottle of Old Granddad across the room, throw on a shirt and some stonewashed jeans, grab the keys to your convertible Chevrolet and rush out the door. The early morning sun blinds you. You slip on your sunglasses before jumping into the car. Keys in the ignition, and you hit the freeway.

It's 1986 and you're living Erik Wøllo's "Silver Beach." This is the ultimate vibe.

Erik Wøllo "Four"
Erik Wøllo "Dark Eyed Drums"
Erik Wøllo "Mountain Train" (bonus track from the reissue)

Article 58

An old favorite I nearly forgot until I found a mixtape I made several years back. This is a real delightful sliver of UK post punk from 1981. Rare as fuck, obviously, though Chuck Warner resuscitated it via his Hyped to Death series. TGFC (Thank God for Chuck)!

Article 58 "Event To Come"

The Stranglers

I haven't known what the hell to post lately... but The Stranglers always give me a warm feeling in a special place... Please enjoy while I figure out what to post next.

Grass Widow

Today my friend reminded me of the San Francisco band Grass Widow, who this spring released a record on the Make a Mess label (sorta the San Francisco version of What's Your Rupture?).

Some people might look at this band as overly trendy because their early Slumberland/Flying Nun sound is heavily favored by the trajectory of DIY underground pop music right now. But I think when you write pretty, fun songs like theirs (especially the irresistible "Lulu's Lips") you've earned your spot in the HOV lane of indie pop music. Check 'em out.

Oops

I forgot I had a blog. Be back soon...

Units

Community Library recently released a 21-song retrospective of the late 70s/early 80s San Francisco synth punk group Units. It's essential listening! Check it out!

Dave Berry

Absolutely yes, this is the same Dave Berry who sang the first version of "The Crying Game"! He was a strange guy and still is from the looks of it, but he sang some great blue eyed soul ballads with a very unadorned, straightforward delivery. Sometimes he sounds like he's just a guy singing in the grocery store. His hit version of "Little Things" is delightful (as is this televised performance).

Here is one of my favorite Dave Berry singles-- a propulsive, sassy one from '66 that never charted.

Dave Berry "Picture Me Gone"

Oppenheimer Analysis

The first release on New York label Minimal Wave was this set of reissues from UK new wave group Oppenheimer Analysis. Most of the songs come from a 1982 cassette release titled "New Mexico." All the tracks are straight out of the Human League songbook but a little darker and maybe even smarter (word is Andy Oppenheimer is now a nuclear weapons consultant).

As an added bonus, the Minimal Wave CD cover clearly features a shot of a Washington, DC Metro station interior. Gallery Place perhaps?

Oppenheimer Analysis "Radiance"
Oppenheimer Analysis "Behind the Shades"

Dalis Car

Bauhaus and Japan fans may fail to appreciate Dalis Car's "The Waking Hour."

Released in 1984, this LP is the surprising meeting point of Mick Karn (Japan) and Peter Murphy (Bauhaus). It has been a real heavy listen for me the past few months. At first I thought it was detrimentally unfocused and disjointed, but slip on some big headphones and it sounds vast and splendid. It's a real joy to listen closely to this album.

Dalis Car "Create and Melt"
Dalis Car "Moonlife"