Bands of Renown!
These are some musicians I like so much that I try to get pretty much everything they do. Albums, EPs, b-sides, answering machine messages, you name it.
XTC
Probably my favorite band in the entire history of the universe.
For two and a half decades they’ve been putting out excellent albums full of great songs that would be hits if there were any justice in this universe. Andy Partridge may be the best lyricist rock music has ever produced, but it’s the bands hooks, licks, tricks, and melodies that drag you in.
Sugarplastic
Sparkly pop magic from LA trio.
They have a sense of auditory space that is almost completely absent in today’s highly compressed pop where every instrument exists in the same space. These guys somehow walk the line between big noisy sounds, clean licks, and melodic lines that occupy their own space. You can almost watch it come out of the speakers.
Brownly Corduroyd Ottawa Bonesaw
The Negro Problem
Amazing musicians, creative arrangements of great melodies, fantastic stage presence — I beg of you, see this band live if the opportunity ever presents itself. In the meantime, buy the albums.
Also keep an eye out for projects by Stew, the band’s leader! Different in tone, but just as magical.
God the Band
Brilliant, eclectic group out of NYC.
Their two full-length albums and e.p. never fail to get a “Hey, cool, who’s that?” anytime I play them around somebody besides me. Not afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves, but the influences are so diverse they blend into something brand new.
Dinomite The Lifter