Mix CD #39 - Kid In The 80's

And lo! They all did bear witness to the eventual arrival of a new and shining blog. As one they gazed upon its wonder and saw that it was the thirty ninth of it's kind, throughout its majesty lay a partial theme of sorts.

Yeah, this is the 39th mix, that's a bit late due to me losing a goodly portion of what I'd written due to the fecking up of Chrome not once but twice. It's not a themed mix, just the usual 'Here are some good songs, look!" Some of the songs are connected though and I shall now unfold the uninteresting tale of how so.

I love the photo I've used this month (just look at the mind-blowing joy on that kid's face! Also, I had pretty much all of that Star Wars stuff and it was ace) and the Mrs. Fletcher song seemed to fit it perfectly, so I stuck them together and here we are. The partial theme comes from the fact that I also had a few other songs waiting for inclusion that had geeky song matter, song titles or band names so I bunged a few of them into the mix as well. I did toy with the idea of doing a wholly Nerd based mix but there were other songs I really wanted people to hear so I abandoned that for now.

I hope you enjoy the songs, feel free to read what I've said about them and keep yourself alright,

Cheers,
Luke
x

Tracklisting
Mrs. Fletcher - Kid In The 80's
Adam West - We've Got Cake
Killing Heidi - Mascara
Thrashist Regime - Headshot
Kiefer Sutherland - All She Wrote
Edna's Goldfish - Trace Your Steps
Dreadnought - Transpiration
Thundering Asteroids! - I've Got A Thing For The Goblin King
30 Amp Fuse - Over The Hill
Bleachers - Like A River Runs
Sick Shit - Trichotillomania
Soup Or Villainz - I Can Teach You Magic
Which Witch Is Which - You Get What Anybody Gets
Morpheus Rising - Touch The Sky
Mudshark - It Won't Shine
Cloud Cult - Everything You Thought You Had
Amyl And The Sniffers - I'm Not A Loser
Tricklebolt - 1996
Bloods - Best Friend
Patterns Of Decay - Tricksy Hobbitses
Pence Eleven - Miss End Of The World

Let THE MUSIC flow through you, young Jedi


Mrs. Fletcher - Kid In The 80's
Taken from the 2004 album If Jesus Is My Co-Pilot Then The Devil's Riding Bitch!

I don't know a whole lot about this American band, I bought this album on a whim through CD Baby 13/14 years ago and it's been a mainstay ever since. I dunno if they had any other releases, though they do seem to have reformed lately (the photo I picked is fairly recent) so maybe not.
Kid In The 80's is a grungy Stoner Rock anthem about growing up in the golden era of nerdy toys and cartoons. it's full of references to things like Star Wars, GI Joe, Transformers and He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe. That particular franchise is the focus of a glorious refrain that crops up a couple of times throughout the song "In my games, Skeletor won".

Adam West - We've Got Cake
Taken from the 2006 album Longshot Songs For Broke Players 2002-2004

Another American band from a while ago.  Quite obviously named after the iconic Batman star, this Garage Punk band split in 2011 or so but released a handful of albums and compilations full of songs about sex, drugs and, actually, they seem to have quite a lot of songs about being very handsome. We've Got Cake is taken from one of a couple of compilation albums they did. The sound quality isn't the greatest but the song shines through  with a fine chorus that sees Jake Starr howling the peculiarly homoerotic "We've got cake, we've got cock and we just ran out of cake!" 

Killing Heidi - Mascara
Taken from the 2000 album Reflector

Here's a third older song, there'll be something more modern soon I promise! I've mentioned this a couple of times in previous blogs but, back in July of 2000, I spent a couple of weeks in Australia and discovered a ton of new music. At the time, Killing Heidi seemed to be getting massively hyped and both the album and this single were number one in the Aussie charts. Mascara is about how individuality is determined by confidence and believing in yourself rather than how you dress. It got played on Triple J radio a fair bit when I was there and I liked it a lot. It's mental to think this song is now older than Ella Hooper was when she recorded it.

Thrashist Regime - Headshot
Taken from the 2018 album Carnival Of Monsters

Here you go look, a current release. Admittedly it's by a band whose musical style is very rooted in the past but still. Current. The ridiculously-named Thrashist Regime are Scottish band who, as you might expect, play old school Thrash Metal. The whole album is an energetic blur of riffs and entertainment, with Headshot being a highlight. It's about surviving a zombie apocalypse and the sure fire way to stop a zombie is shoot them in the head, Boom.

Kiefer Sutherland - All She Wrote
Taken from the 2016 album Down In A Hole

This album completely passed me by when it first came out, I've only recently learnt of its existence. There's always a stigma attached to them famous folk starting musical projects but, thankfully, this is one of the good ones. I  knew Kiefer was into music as I'd seen him interviewed about starting a record label or something a few years ago but I had no idea he could sing himself. Down In A Hole is full of brooding Country and Americana songs with Kiefer's gravelly, whiskey-soaked voice a perfect fit. I dunno what this song is about particularly, he says 'Let me tell you a story' but then doesn't, really, but it's a great song all the same.

Edna's Goldfish - Trace Your Steps
Taken from the 1998 album Before You Knew Better

Signed to the legendary label Moon Ska Records, this Ska Punk band from Long Island had a relatively brief life, releasing just the two albums over a three year period at the tail end of the nineties. Both albums are decent though I prefer this debut one. There's a bunch of great songs on it and this pacey, upbeat song about sorting out your life is one of the standouts. Brian Diaz was/is a competent vocalist, on parts of this song he reminds me of Steven Tyler a bit. Trace Your Steps is a bright, pacy song that's about balancing always looking forward and improving yourself without forgetting your roots and where you came from.

Dreadnought - Transpiration
Taken from the 2015 album Bridging Realms

I imagine there are a ton of Metal bands called Dreadnought, the name conjures images of lumbering, unstoppable riffs and would be perfect for any Death/Doom Metal band. This particular outfit from Colorado do indeed have elements of Doom Metal in their sound but there's much more Progressive Metal and atmospheric Psychedelia, as well as flourishes of Jazz Fusion every now and then. Transpiration is from their second album of three and begins with a gentle intro followed by a nice Classic Rock riff before settling into atmospheric Prog Rock. The dual female vocals of Kelly and Lauren play off each other effectively throughout and I particularly like when things all drop out for the mid-section, It's a moment of quiet serenity before that main riff kicks in again all of a sudden, this time with a heavy, Doomy vibe.
There's a line repeated, about halfway through that goes "The Event Horizon and the universe beyond its gates". I don't know if that's a reference to the movie Event Horizon (A starship that uses portals to travel accidentally passes through Hell and comes back haunted) or not but, if it is, then it fits into the loose theme of this mix quite nicely.

Thundering Asteroids! - I've Got A Thing For The Goblin King
Taken from the 2012 album Tomorrow's Yesterdays Today!

Another American, female fronted band though much different to Dreadnought. Thundering Asteroids! offer up bright, cheery Pop Punk with songs very much themed in a nerdery spectrum. I've Got A Thing For The Goblin King is quite clearly based on the 80's classic, Labyrinth and a lot of the lyrics are paraphrased quotes from the film. It's an annoyingly catchy song and there's at least a couple of laugh out loud moments.

30 Amp Fuse- Over The Hill
Taken from the 1997 album Saturday Night At The Atomic Speedway

I've had this CD for about 20 years now and, as far as I'm aware, this is the only thing they ever did*. Saturday Night At The Atomic Speedway way is full of quality, Punk-tinged Radio Rock along the lines of Weezer etc. Over The Hill is one of the slower songs on the album but also one of my favourites. It's about the inevitability of growing old and not being as young as you once were.

*I've since had a Google and apparently it's not.

Bleachers - Like A River Runs
Taken from the 2014 album Strange Desire

Jack Antonof is probably better known as a member of the bands fun. and Steel Train but Bleachers is his latest venture and is something of a solo project. It's Indie Rock with some flashes of electronica with its main strength lies in Jack's songwriting ability, both albums are full of strong, memorable songs that could be singles. As it happens, Like A River Runs WAS a single so I'm talking sense, me. The verses kind of remind me of Alkaline Trio a little, in the vocals at least, both the pre-chorus and chorus proper are massive and the song sounds like it's an old classic, not a fairly recent one.

Sick Shit - Trichotillomania
Taken from the 2018 EP THICK SPIT

I stumbled across this band on the excellent Indie/Emo/Hardcore blog, Sophie's Floorboard, They're another female fronted band, this time a frenetic Hardcore band, teetering on the edge of Powerviolence. Trichotillomania (subconsciously pulling out your own body hair. I totally knew that and didn't have to Google, honest) is a breakneck screamfest but still has some chunky, powerful riffing. This shit is, indeed, sick.

Soup Or Villainz - I Can Teach You Magic
Taken from the 2011 album Villainz Are Everywhere

Somewhat of a change of pace, Soup Or Villainz are an entertaining, articulate Hip Hop duo from South Bend, Illinois and if the fact they're part of a genre called Nerdcore or that song title aren't enough to suggest that this song is gonna fit into the loose Geeky theme of this mix then one listen to the haunting piano sampled throughout this song should do it. Let's just say I Can Teach You Magic could well be of interest to those of you with Hogwartian sensibilities.

Which Witch Is Which - You Get What Anybody Gets
Taken from the 2018 album Which Witch Is Which

There's a lot of lady singers in this mix for some reason, here's another! Which Witch Is Witch are a Canadian Punk band with touches of Horror Punk and Garage Rock to their sound. Upon Googling for more info about them I instead got a load of gumph about a book called Which Witch Is Which? which is about twin sisters who become witches. I dunno if the band are named after that book or not, I'm not entirely sure it's even worth mentioning. 
Anyway, they're a good little band and this album is NYP on Bandcamp which is nice. This song is in reference to a line from Neil Gaiman's graphic novels The Sandman which, if you haven't read, I can recommend that you do so.

Morpheus Rising - Touch The Sky
Taken from the 2014 album Eximius Humanus

In a complete coincidence, this song kind of continues The Sandman theme. Dream, who's the main character in The Sandman, also goes by the name of Morpheus. A little more tenuous is the fact that one of the lines in the chorus is "One life, don't waste it" which is sort of similar to the "You get a  lifetime" from the Which Witch Is Which song. Anyway, Morpheus Rising are a Hard Rock band from my hometown of York. They've released two albums up to now, with this one being the last. Touch The Sky is less Trad Metal than a lot of their stuff and is all the better for it. Based around an intricate guitar line and a positive, life-affirming message. It's an accomplished, catchy song that sounds like that kind of song that plays over the credits of some action blockbuster and you have to wait for the music bit at the end just to find out who sang it.

Mudshark - It Won't Shine
Taken from the 1995 album Mudshark

This self-titled album was the only one released by this Glaswegian quartet and it's a gritty, riff-heavy hybrid of Grunge and Groove Metal, with big choruses and plenty of chuggery. It Won't Shine is one of the softer, more melodic tracks on the album but it's no ballad by any means, barked vocals and a regimented, staccato riff give the verses an angry bite and the chorus has a soft, almost mournful feel to it. there's a great, bass-led, mid-section too, full of groove. You can get the album for a couple of quid on the usual sites and it's on Spotify and stuff too I think. It's worth checking out if you like a bit of heavy 90's Grunge

Cloud Cult - Everything You Thought You Had
Taken from the 2016 album The Seeker

Cloud Cult are a peculiar, if worthy, bunch. Based around singer-songwriter Craig Minowa, their albums are recorded on his organic farm in Minnesota, the CD's made from recycled materials and a lot of their profits are donated to charities. Their music is often experimental but also moving and beautiful. The Seeker, the album this song is taken from is their tenth and latest proper album. Like Mudshark above, Cloud Cult were a band I've recently rediscovered via getting CDs out of storage and I'd forgotten how much I loved them. Everything You Thought You Had is an emotive song about the unpredictably of life and how, no matter how hurt you've been in the past, how lonely you feel, there's always a chance things will work out and you can still find happiness.

Amyl And The Sniffers - I'm Not A Loser
Taken from the 2017 EP Big Attraction

This young Australian band have released a couple of EP's so far, with both being entertaining bursts of bratty Punk that harks back to the original Punk of the 70's. Amy's voice is heavily accented and fits well with the ramshackle clatter of the band. I'm Not A Loser is the opening track of their second EP and I honestly can't stop listening to it, it's such a good song and I've frequently been caught singing "All these bad boys want to spank me, they all want the hanky panky" this week.

Tricklebolt - 1996

Taken from the 2018 album Tricklebolt

Another young band who also play music from another era, this time they're from The Netherlands and they peddle Classic Rock that also sounds like it could have been recorded in the 70's, maybe even the 60's as there's a strong Doors influence throughout their tunes, most noticeably with the organ/keyboards.
1996 is one of the paciest songs on the album and flies along on an engaging guitar riff with subtle flourishes upon yon keyboard, it's even a little bit Status Quo-esque in places. it's an abridged tale of vocalist Bastien's life and the forming the band, with 1996 being the year of his birth. Depressingly, I started at my current place of employment just two years after that. They make me feel very old indeed. 
 I really enjoyed this album, not sure if it's their only one or not though. While it's a varied album, its main drawback is that there's less of the faster songs and one too many mid-paced tracks. None of them are bad songs by any means but, personally, I'd like the dynamic reversed somewhat.

Bloods - Best Friend
Taken from the 2011 single Like A Diamond / Best Friend

The third Australian, female fronted band to appear on this mix, Bloods are a chirpy Indie Rock/Grrrl band from Sydney. I'd not heard of the band until quite recently when I stumbled on their new album, Feelings and liked it a lot. I was going to include a song from it but as it's very likely going to be featuring in my Album Of The Year in a couple of mixes time I thought I'd use a different track instead. Best Friend is one of several stand-alone songs available on their Bandcamp. Driven along by thumping drums, with MC and Sweetie both singing harmony together in an almost shouty style. The song is about betrayal and falling out, it's brief, simple but effective. 

Patterns Of Decay - Tricksy Hobbitses
Taken from the 2018 album Suicide Notes In Comic Sans

Patterns Of Decay are a Metalcore band from Long Island, New York and subscribe to that ancient Metalcorian practice of humorous, if not always relevant, song titles. It was song titles like this one and "By Grabthar's Hammer...What A Savings" that first attracted me into giving this album a go. I don't really listen to much Metalcore these days as I tend to find a bit formulaic and, at the risk of coming across all Manowar, false. There's nothing false about Patterns Of Decay however, from the opening LOTR sample to the closing scream of "If you're seeing me you're having the worst day of your life" Tricksy Hobbitses is a frenetic, technical and an exhilarating burst of riffery and fierce vocals.

Pence Eleven - Miss End Of The World
Taken from the 1998 album How The Nimrods Stopped Me Sinning

Yet another CD I've dug out of storage and not heard in years. Pence Eleven were a Uni band based in York, comprised of vocalist/bassist Nathan Blunt and guitarist Stuart Calton plus a battered, old computer. How The Nimrods Stopped Me Sinning is a gloriously unlistenable album full of programmed bleeps, loops and discordant noise, all topped off with Nathan's 'unique' vocal style and bitterly sarcastic lyrics. It's most definitely not to everyone's taste!
I saw them live a couple of times way back in the late nineties, most notably supporting Half Man Half Biscuit, when Nathan sneeringly insulted half of the other bands playing that night, taking great delight in alienating the audience, as if his music didn't manage to do that well enough.

Miss End Of The World is one of the less harsh songs with surprisingly gentle verses, although they're swept away by the 'chorus' and the closing maelstrom of jarring bursts of noise and Nathan screaming up his lungs. Pence Eleven might not be a metal band but they'll clear a dancefloor quicker than any Slayer track. I mean that as a compliment.