Moldy Beaches, The Kowalskis, The Getup Kids, and The Decals – certainly nothing all that new here. Most of it is almost ten years old. Then there is also Elvis Costello’s Armed Forces. All good stuff though …. maybe some new music after the first of the year.
Live365 has a genre called classic alternative – a name I find a bit comical. Can the alternative really become classic? If it it, is it truly alternative? And I am not really sure what kind of music fits under the category? WBRU, the local alternative radio station in Rhode Island, has a retro lunch, but it seems to largely consist of what the programmers wish they had played back in the eighties, rather than what they did. Certainly anything with an edge is missing – The Replacements, Warren Zevon’s Sentimental Hygiene, Jesus And Mary Chain, Husker Du, Archers of Loaf. You sure can hear a lot of the Cure and the Smiths though. Anyway, the point being is classic alternative the alternative music that still gets airplay? Or is it just 80’s and 90’s alternative?
And the ironic thing is …. I list my station under classic alternative. And am adding Elvis Costello’s Live at El Mocambo, Archers of Loaf Icky Mettle, and Buffalo Tom’s Sleepy Eyed to the stream because I can’t seem to find them on the radio any more ….
Peace …
I saw a mention that Darkbuster was opening for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones at the Hometown Throwdown this year and it brought back some memories of some of their shows. Sobriety was never their strong point but they were still a lot of fun to watch – and to have the whole crowd join in on “Hometown Zero” at the close of the show was quite an experience. A music critic once said the Replacements were hero’s to all those who almost made it and could not quite buy in to what it would take to go all the way. I feel the same way about Darkbuster. Anyway, “That’s Correct”, “Hometown Zero”, “Nothing at All” and “I Hate the Unseen” are all a part of the stream now.
I also added in some Beltones, a punk band out of the Florida scene. “F**k You Anyway” captures a certain attitude towards those those look down on others that still makes me smile and “Let the Bombs Fall” may be one of angriest/sweetest songs about the death of parent I have ever heard – certainly punk songs at least.
Throw in a Punchdrunk comp as well….
As for the Barcelona, it certainly is not punk, but how can one not like a band that sings about hacking and Commodore 64’s?