The Go-Betweens - 16 Lovers Lane

Details: 1988, Mushroom (Australia), Beggars Banquet (UK). Produced by Mark Wallis and The
Go-Betweens.
Hot take: Every music fan, at some point or another, arrives at Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and
knows it is hyped as the quintessential breakup record. I've always liked the album, but I've
never loved it as so many others do. It never resonated with me; perhaps it just didn't reach me at
the right (or in this instance, particularly wrong) time in my own life. For me, The Go-Betweens'
16 Lovers Lane accomplished everything that Rumours was supposed to. For a year, it's been a
favorite of mine and its poetic dissection of romance is just tragic to comprehend. This record
consists of 10 of the most heartbreaking songs about broken relationships, crafted beautifully by
Australia's indie pop gods and goddesses. The thing about The Go-Betweens is that they
perfectly encapsulate the feeling that love lost is still love, and no matter how hard we try to stop
it, that love goes on--as they so tragically phrase it on the album opener. Track after track, The
Go-Betweens will take you on a journey of true introspection when it comes to love and the
depth of emotions it draws from each of us. Most particularly, they explore the emotions that
come with relationships whose conclusions seem irrational. The Go-Betweens' amazingly sincere
treatment of their subject has brought me to tears more than once; this is the quintessential
breakup record, and the genesis of the fantastic subgenre of Australian pop. Listen if you have
ever loved. Listen closer if you continue to.
Go-to trax: Love Goes On!, Quiet Heart, I'm All Right (perhaps one of my favorite songs ever),
Dive For Your Memory
Roundup: 5/5

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Piata

Details: 2014, Madlib Invazion. Produced by the Beat Konducta.
Hot take: I was always a fan of rap, but I never embraced it as a full-on
musical obsession until a dear friend gave me an unparalleled gift in turning
me onto Piata: my first introduction to Mr. Otis Jackson, Jr., better known as
Madlib. His effortless beats, endless library of samples, his hypnotic cool, it
was all enough to give me one of the most important musical awakenings
I've ever experienced. Madlib forced me to reevaluate my definition of hip
hop, and explore the amazingly deep genre with reverence and energy. The
Konducta produced every track on Piata and the result is a staggering hour
of inspired hip hop history and beat production. In front of Madlib's beat
perfection is Indiana giant Freddie Gibbs, one of the hardest working
smoothest flowing realest keeping rappers you can find. Freddie's flow is just
impenetrable; he accomplishes that near impossible task of going step for

step with Madlib's clout, a success only enjoyed by the likes of MF Doom on
Madvillainy and ol Dilla himself on JayLib. Gibbs slithers and bobs and
swaggers his way through Madlib's untouchable beats with unforgettable
tenacity. Beyond these two titans, Piata includes nothing but A-grade
contributions from pros like Raekwon, Scarface, Earl Sweatshirt, Danny
Brown, Mac Miller, BJ the Chicago Kid, and so many more. The result is a rap
album that deserves every hyperbole I can throw at it, an impossibly smooth
and entirely perfect hip hop record. This is an all-timer for me; no album has
done more for my hip hop fanhood, and I will sing Piata's praises for the rest
of my days.
Go-to trax: Deeper, Thuggin', Robes (feat. Dino Genesis and Earl Sweatshirt),
Knicks, Shame (feat. BJ the Chicago Kid)
Roundup: 5/5
Sonic Youth - Murray Street
Details: 2002, DGC. Produced by Sonic Youth.
Hot take: This one's definitely my favorite Sonic Youth record. I'm admittedly
a novice listener in comparison to their more serious fans, but for my tastes
the noise gods don't get much better. This is their first effort with seminal
addition Jim O' Rourke, the multi-instrumental production sensation that
touches music projects and makes them cooler somehow, someway, always.
I think this album is one of the best efforts at capturing the paradox of life
that I've experienced; it's insanely complicated and seemingly arbitrary, but
somehow there's this twisted beautiful common denominator hiding
somewhere way behind the feedback to establish a this-makes-sensedespite-itself kind of narrative. I love the line of thinking behind that and if
you ask me, this sentiment has been Sonic Youth's musical vehicle for most
of their work. It's just that sometimes--only sometimes--that vehicle's been a
bit of a Pinto, sputtering along with more rickety buzz than creative drone
until it finally explodes. But on Murray Street, we find these post-modern life
ponderers in a Mercedez of rock and statement. A truly thrilling listening
experience all melodic and cacophonous, Murray Street is organized bedlam,
and of the most pleasantly frenetic sort.
Go-to trax: The Empty Page, Disconnection Notice, Rain On Tin, Karen
Revisited, Rain On Tin
Roundup: 4.5/5

Black Mountain - IV
Details: 2016, Jagjaguwar.
Hot take: When I was younger, I always felt a little ho-hum on Kentucky
arena rockers My Morning Jacket. Their studio work was great, but it never
quite translated for me until I finally saw them face to face, and they
reminded me what a rock concert was supposed to feel like. After that, all
their recorded work made so much more sense and it felt so much more like
a respectable representation of the band's epic nature tailor-made for
thousands to hear at once.
I think much of the same sentiment is here on IV for me too. This is
admittedly my first encounter with Black Mountain, but I wasn't all that
impressed with it. It feels extremely produced, as though it took forever to
record but longer to perfect in the lab. This is great for Black Mountain, who
floats in a sometimes gripping world of space prog that revels in the group's
attention to studio detail and complexity. However, the end result just never
quite feels like an accurate depiction of Black Mountain's true ferocity, a
ferocity I believe they have in droves. This is a record that seems like it's
supposed to be next-level kinds of epic and it just isn't for this reason or
another. Female lead vocalist Amber Webber, who gets far less center stage
action than she deserves, steals the show times a million with her shrill
surreal and galactic croon that can become a howl at the drop of a space
helmet.
I didn't love IV by any stretch, but you better believe Black Mountain is at the
top of my list for bands to catch in concert this summer. I have a feeling
they'll be quite ready to change the taste in my mouth.
Go-to trax: Florian Saucer Attack, You Can Dream, Line Them All Up, Space to
Bakersfield
Roundup: 3.25/5
The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
Details: 1976, Beserkley Records. Produced by John Cale and Robert Appere.
Hot take: Jonathan Richman is as pure a musical force as you can fathom on
The Modern Lovers' self-titled punk tornado of a record. An aggressively
minimal answer to the trippy flower psych of his preceding generation, The
Modern Lovers rages exactly as a fire, crackling with such raging intensity
during its softer and slower movements, and exploding with the most
beautiful pyrotechnix during its relentless rockers as a crazed Richman
drenches his rock kindling in gasoline. Richman was still very much a teen
when he recorded this album, and his helpless tear between the old world
that nurtured him and the bizzaro world that beckoned to him is a theme
that resonates as poignantly in me today as it might have to a 23 year old in
'76, amidst all the other cultural nonsense. The Modern Lovers is a

masterclass of punk and rock; the early Velvet Underground insane-o cool is
an obvious undercurrent, but Jonathan and his very rocksters used it to
transform themselves into a masterclass of punk and roll. Thrilling listen for
anyone who wants it.
Go-to trax: Roadrunner, Old World, She Cracked, Hospital, Dignified and Old,
I'm Straight
Roundup: 4.5/5
The Staple Singers - Uncloudy Day
Details: 1959, VeeJay Records. Produced by Calvin Carter.
Hot take: The Staple Singers' first major release is irreplaceable music.
Shrouded in darkness and swampy haze, Pops Staples and his magnificent
daughters dredge through a wasteland of sin continuously in search of the
light. Pops played an eerie style of gospel blues guitar, heavy with reverb
and tremolo to set this strange dreamlike atmosphere that he heightened
with a silky smooth tenor voice. The patriarch is merely part of the story
though; Pops' daughters, especially Mavis and Cleotha, possessed a musical
and spiritual power that I can't find in anyone else. Mavis handles lead vocals
for much of this debut release, and her efforts here are one of the very best
vocal performances you will ever hear. Ferocious and eternally confident,
hers is the sort of voice that you will never get over. She was an inimitable
alto with an aggressive raspy howl that would eventually become a rock and
roll staple, although none would ever match the gripping ride Mavis takes us
on here. And this girl was 17. All of the girls were teens in fact, but their
sound is unmatched and undoubtedly timeless, as if it appeared to us as
some sort of heavenly gift. The affecting power this family produced in their
music is just confounding. The Staples constantly sought salvation, a light
hiding in some abandoned corner of their world's darkness; it's clear to a
listener that the light was in fact with them. Uncloudy Day is mandatory.
Go-to trax: Uncloudy Day, Let Me Ride, I'm Coming Home, Low Is The Way,
On My Way To Heaven
Roundup: 5/5
The Flying Burrito Brothers - Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Brothers
Anthology 1969-1972
Details: 2000, A&M Records. Produced by Jim Dickson.
Hot take: Whatever you think the Grateful Dead did on Workingman's Dead
and American Beauty, the Burrito Brothers did it better and sooner. Hot
Burritos! includes, all in one place, basically everything The FBB's released in
this fruitful period under the legend Gram Parsons' leadership. That includes
The Gilded Palace of Sin in 1969, Burrito Deluxe in 1970, The Flying Burrito
Bros in 1972, and 11 rare cuts that didn't see a wide release until this

collection. Parsons' irreplaceable country band influenced every album that

followed it in the genre, fully defining and establishing modern country rock
as the always listenable music that we know it to be. Gilded Palace of Sin and
Burrito Deluxe are the real winners here, two releases that fully cash in on
the genre stew of country, folk, rock, and gospel that would come to
dominate a broad section of our musical tastes in the decades that have
followed Parsons' supergroup. Right around the same time, we heard The
Band celebrate the Burrito Bros' country rock and soul sound and bolster it
even more with their own creative musical backgrounds, further cementing
the Burrito Brothers' groove as a seminal musical style. A direct and
documented inspiration to my hero, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, the Flying Burrito
Brothers are a big behind the scenes name that we all deserve to spend time
with. This is a walloping anthology of 43 songs, but if you're looking for an
introduction to Gram Parsons or the Flying Burrito Brothers, sifting through at
least the first half of this collection (Gilded Palace and Burrito Deluxe) is the
thing to do. If you find yourself with a road before you, a sun above you, or a
vintage journey-some spirit within you, lend the Flying Burrito Brothers your
ears. One of the greatest bands of the 20th Century, and an anthology that
showcases exactly why.
Go-to trax: Sin City, Wheels, Juanita, Hot Burrito #2, The Train Song, Image of
Me, If You Gotta Go, Older Guys, Cody Cody, Dim Lights, To Love Somebody
Roundup: 5/5
Crocodiles - Boys
Details: 2015, Zoo Music. Produced by Crocodiles.
Hot take: As I left school Wednesday afternoon to begin my Easter break, the
life-giving Spring sun begged for all my attention since that is what it had
gotten used to after my week or two of spending every moment I could
under its rays. But it occurred to me that my tunes needed to reflect that
spirit as well, I needed a record that perfectly encapsulated the youthful
freedom that so naturally and triumphantly accompanies blue skies.
Crocodiles' 2015 release, Boys, was an immediate go-to. Garage noise pop
rockers at heart, Crocodiles spent considerable time living in Mexico City to
record their 6th studio release. As a result, their latest effort came teeming
with a new and very welcome musical element that embraced the rich
culture of Central America. The unlikely backbone of some seriously great
sunny weeird rockers, salsa rhythms and cantina instruments set an
inescapable tone of euphoric immersion in a culture that begs the individual
to let loose and adore everything that surrounds you. Crocodiles utilize this
mindset in stunning fashion stacking it up against the rowdy and wrecklessly
organized cacophony of modern rock, allowing the cultural and worldly life of
Mexico to infect their noise crackers with Spring. Worth listening to on your
happiest and sunniest of days.

Go-to trax: Foolin' Around, The Boy Is a Tramp, Hard, Blue, Transylvania,
Don't Look Up
Roundup: 4.5/5
Pangea - Living Dummy
Details: 2011, Burger Records. Produced by Andrew Schubert.
Hot take: You'll hear these guys do Deer Tick and Dr. Dog better than Deer
Tick and Dr. Dog do these days. You'll also hear them try to do the same
thing with Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees' sound, but they don't match them in
my opinion. Still, that sound is so fun that I don't really mind a soundalike at
all. Weird and rockin' album.
Go-to trax: Make Me Feel Weeeird, Night of the Living Dummy, Hold My Hand,
My Heart
Roundup: 3.5/5
Gang Of Four - Entertainment!
Details: 1979, EMI/Warner Bros. Produced by Andy Gill, Jon King, and Rob
Warr.
Hot take: Blistering post punk record that basically everyone adores. Easy to
talk this one up if you're a punk/rock fan of any variety. You'll hear things that
your favorite bands mimic. You'll hear things people steal without knowing
who they're stealing from. This album is thrilling and challenging, snide and
immediate, brash and brilliant. Jarring guitars, GNARLY bass, tight
percussion, all throwing in on a masterclass in the art of the stop-start sound
that dominates the punk umbrella. Also, excellent album cover that
completely captures the essence of the record. And I found that essence
rare.
Go-to trax: Ether, Damaged Goods, Contract, At Home He's a Tourist
Roundup: 5/5