Tales From The Drop Box Episode 180 (2020-28) The Pandemic/BLM/Vote Trump Out/ Episodes

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Many of you, from around our great nation, will have received your ballots by mail. So, fill them out and vote. In past elections the choice came down to perceived differences in policy. That is, reasonable minds could differ on the policy objectives of a particular party that would dictate a common objective – to build a more perfect union. The sole objective in our democracy is to “form a more perfect union” as that goal is embodied in the preamble to the Constitution:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution.”

Our Union supposed to get better over time, not worse. When the president ignores the Constitution and destroys the fundamental underpinnings of it’s validity at every turn we all lose our freedom. These past 4 years are demonstrably worse for America by all measures – economy, health, racial injustice and inequality, individual rights, the general welfare of all citizens, voting etc. All of these failings are the symptoms of a failing democracy. These symptoms are caused by the personal failure of Trump to be a President for all people. The disease is Trumpism. Notably, the current occupant of the office of the President is a corrupt pathological liar incapable of executing the office of the President or carrying out the duties of the office i.e upholding the oath every president, upon assumption of the office, swears:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

If the past 4 years portends the next 4 years then America is truly lost if Trump is re-elected. So, regardless of your view of the perceived deficits of Biden, vote as if your life depends upon it, because it probably does.

Tales From The Drop Box Episode 180 is filled with a ton of new releases this week from Drop Box faves King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Frankie & The Witch Fingers, as well as exciting new music from Mercy Music and The Medicine Dolls with a couple of oldies mixed in from Ty Segal & Mikal Cronin and Alternative TV. How could you go wrong?

Here is what you’ll find in Tales From the Drop Box Episode 180 (2020-28):

  1. Death Valley Girls – “Breakthrough” (Breakthrough b/w Rock n’ Roll/EGA 7”)
  2. Elm Tree Circle – “I Get It” (No Fomo)
  3. Mercy Music – “Living With A Ghost” (Nothing In The Dark)
  4. All Souls – “Sentimental Rehash” (Songs From The End Of The World)
  5. Frankie & The Witch Fingers – “Where’s Your Reality?” (Monsters Eating People Eating Monsters)
  6. Acceptance – “Wildfires” (Wild, Free)
  7. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – “Let It Bleed (Demo)” (Demos Vol. 1 & Vol. 2)
  8. Bob – “Telepathy” (You Can Stop That For A Start)
  9. The Medicine Dolls – “She Tastes Like Cocaine” (Filth and Wisdom)
  10. Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin – “Pop Song” (Pop Song 7″)
  11. Faded Paper Figures – “She’s Walking Out” (Kairos)
  12. The Cheats – “Take No Prisoners” (Cussin’, Crying n’ Carrying On)
  13. Lost In Society – “All Is Fair” (Love and War EP)
  14. Alternative TV – “Action Time Vision” (Action Time Vision)
  15. Anna Graceman – “Night Follows” (The Way The Night Behaves)
Tales From The Drop Box Episode 180 (2020-28)

10, 000 Maniacs miscellaneous old mister time he looked funny the children called him the scarecrow . . . I want to see my love bird want to see my love bird again . . .

KFR

Tales From The Drop Box Episode 179 (2020-27) The Pandemic/BLM/Vote Trump Out/ Episodes

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Nah, I’m not even going to try to hide the fact that this opener is political given this week’s new twist in the soap opera that is American politics. Following what some, including myself, have described as a shit show of a presidential debate where Trump demonstrated his true self (i.e. a weak insecure little man prone to lying), the news that Trump, three Republican Senators, and a number of others attending an event in the Rose garden tested positive for COVID-19 certainly was a karma twist. I note that Melania tested positive for COVID-19 as well, so maybe it isn’t true that she won’t get within 6 feet of him. Anyway…

It should not surprising to anyone that the idiot in charge gets COVID-19 at his own super spreader event. After flaunting his own department’s COVID-19 guidelines, mocking the use of mask wearing, hosting events where no one wears masks or physically distances from one another, and lets not forget spreads a shit ton of coronavirus misinformation on a daily basis, the chief architect of evil responsible for the death of more than 209,000 Americans is now feeling the virus’ effects. Given that Trump is a pathological liar, and those around him are also liars (as evidenced by the medical staff having to walk back misinformation within an hour regarding the orange idiots medical condition and treatment, it is not surprising that many see this COVID-19 incident as a political stunt to deflect from the overwhelming amount of evidence that Trump is not fit for office, dangerously incompetent, and whose continued occupancy of the office of the presidency constitutes a clear and present danger to democracy. I would venture to say that 100% of the American people are concerned about whether Trump dies. I cannot estimate that percentage secretly hope he does. However, I do know that evil does not die, so every single person who cares about America, about democracy, and about American values – honesty, decency, and justice still needs to vote to eliminate the Trump scourge as well as the Republican bootlickers who have enabled his brand of lunacy for the past 4 years. We are not perfect as a country but we can do much better than this freaking mess.

As for music, this has been a tremendous week for new releases. Episode 179 has several of them. I would venture to say that when we look back at 2020 we will find that some of the records released this year are generational. That is, they will be records that you will dig out of your collection and say, “damn this is still a ripper, isn’t it?”

Here is what you will find in Tales From The Drop Box Episode 179:

  1. Poppy – “Khaos x4” (I Disagree)
  2. A. Swayze & The Ghosts – “Suddenly” (Paid Salvation)
  3. The Asteroid No. 4 – “All Mixed Up” (Northern Songs)
  4. Bob Mould – “Next Generation” (Blue Hearts)
  5. Knuckle Puck – “Earthquake” (20/20)
  6. The Hunna – “Young & Faded” (I’d Rather Die Than Let You In)
  7. The Menzingers – “Anna” (From Exile)
  8. The Archaeas – “Lip Gloss” (The Archaeas)
  9. Cabbage – “Get Outta My Brain” (Amanita Pantherina)
  10. Idles – “War” (Ultra Mono)
  11. Second Narrows – “Liquor Store” (Second Narrows)
  12. Death Bells – “Heavenly Bodies” (New Signs Of Life)
  13. Osees – “Rainbow” (Levitation Sessions)
  14. Bikini Kill – ‘Rebel Girl” (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah)
  15. Pillow Queens – “Holy Show” (In Waiting)
Tales From The Drop Box Episode 179 (2020-27)

When she talks, I hear the revolution in her hips, there’s revolution when she walks, the revolution’s coming . . . I’ve memorized every single moment every fleeting passage of time the way you’d laugh and dance in the kitchen . . .

KFR

Tales From The Drop Box Episode 178 (2020-26) The Pandemic/BLM/Vote Trump Out/ Episodes

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I cannot recall a time in modern history when the need for Americans to vote was so great so to avoid a continuous and persistent attack mounted against democracy by a sitting President of the United States of America. How is that for an opening sentence, eh?

N.B. Skip the next paragraph if you don’t want to read about threats to democracy…

What makes the threat so great? An express reservation by the occupant of the office of president against the peaceful transition of power following an election. Simply unimaginable. (See Trump Won’t Commit To A Peaceful Transition of Power.) has forever changed America and has exposed the deep fissures in American culture. As evidenced by the unwavering support of a minority (42%) of the electorate the division is I fear permanent. How do you explain a significant minority of the electorate continuing to support a corrupt and morally bankrupt individual whose massive and repeated failures in handling the Coronavirus pandemic as well as his numerous repeated lies about the non-lethality of the virus that has resulted in the death of more than 204,000 people in this country and counting? I can’t. If you know the answer to this fundamental question about the psyche of a people, let me know because I am truly baffled. So, vote as if your life depends upon the outcome because, regardless of the side of the democracy fence you are viewing this election, your life I fear depends on the outcome.

If you skipped the above paragraph like I warned you, then you can relax knowing that you will have no politics to distract you from joy. Tales From The Drop Box Episode 178 is all about love. But I should inform you of this fact: Threats to the peaceful transition of power following an election are fuel for revolution.

Speaking of revolutions, in case you haven’t noticed, the music this year is great! So, take a dip in the music pool, I think you’ll find the water is fine…

Here is what you will find in Episode 178:

  1. SUN – “Higher Fire” (Brutal Pop)
  2. Close Talker – “Pace” (How Do We Stay Here?)
  3. Junkbunny – “Another Summer Song” (Down The Rabbit Hole EP)
  4. Silverbacks – “Dunkirk” (Fad)
  5. Black Pumas – “Fire” (Black Pumas)
  6. Giant Rooks – “Heat Up” (Rookery)
  7. As Sirens Fall – We Go Down Together” (L’appel Du Vide, Pt 1 EP)
  8. All Them Witches – “Enemy Of My Enemy” (Nothing As The Ideal)
  9. The Magic Gang – “What Have You Got To Lose?” (Death Of The Party)
  10. Honey Joy – “Finally Home” (II)
  11. Be Well – “Tiny Little Pieces” (The Weight and the Cost)
  12. Go For Gold – “Forget About It” (Color Me)
  13. The Haddenfields – “Bars on Mars” (EP-Idemic)
  14. The Dicks – “Hate The Police” (Hate the Police 7′)
  15. Echo 2 Locate – “Woodlark” (Misery & Fools Among The Best of Us)
Tales From The Drop Box Episode 178 (2020-26)

Enemy of my enemy never been a friend of me keep my name from awful truth . . . Mommy, mommy, mommy look at your son you might have loved me but now I got a gun . . .

KFR

Tales From The Drop Box Episode 177 (2020-25) The Pandemic/BLM/Vote Trump Out/ Episodes

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RIP RBG. Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a force of nature with her intellectual insights as an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death. RBG was the Supreme Court’s conscience. She advocated for equal protection, was a champion for women’s rights and impassioned leader against gender discrimination. Throughout her career as a jurist she was strong advocate of individual rights. Significantly, she was a careful observer of the practical impact and consequences of the decisions she made. Ginsburg was only the second woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, after Sandra Day O’Connor. During her tenure Ginsburg wrote notable majority opinions, including United States v. Virginia (1996), Olmstead v. L.C. (1999), and Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Environmental Services, Inc. (2000) (read about her most significant opinions here).

RBG’s death ends the delicate balance on the Supreme Court between the strict constructionist/conservatives and the centrist/liberals. As a corrupt, highly politicized administration is in power and a Senate controlled by Trump sycophants and bootlickers, until at least November 3, the selection of the next associate justice to serve on the Court is a generational pick that could advance the objectives of extreme variants of conservative philosophy, misnamed as populism/Trumpism. To be clear, the Court has always been political, but the Court until recently followed tradition and the fact that the judicial views of the constitution do not widely vary i.e. all are somewhat construed through a lens of constitutional interpretation rather than overt effect on domestic politics. A purely political pick of an unqualified individual could free the Court from the Constitution and change the Court’s Constitutional role as a co-equal branch of government and neutral arbiter between the Executive branch and the Legislative branch. I fear that the Court will evolve into a tool of the President, subsumed by the Executive branch, and serve at the lap of the fundamentally corrupt and dishonest current holder of the office. This is how dictatorships arise. Vote on November 3.

Here is what you will find in Episode 177:

  1. Dehd – “Flying” (Flower Of Devotion)
  2. Alex The Astronaut – “Happy Song” (The Theory Of Absolutely Nothing)
  3. Clt Drp – “Where The Boys Are” (Without The Eyes)
  4. Amyl & The Sniffers – “Gacked On Anger” (Amyl & The Sniffers)
  5. Answering Machine – “Bad Luck” (Bad Luck)
  6. Abbey Glover – “The Breakup Song” (Everybody Leaves)
  7. Honeychain – “Pocket Full Of Good Luck” (Pocket Full Of Good Luck)
  8. Hey, Chels – “Take Me Anywhere” (Hey Chels)
  9. Bloxx – “Changes” (Lie Out Loud)
  10. Belako – “All Nerve” (Plastic Drama)
  11. Otoboke Beaver – “Akimahenka” (Okoshiyasu!!)
  12. Say Sue Me – “One Week” (We’ve Sobered Up)
  13. L.A. Witch – “Fire Starter” (Play With Fire)
  14. Batmobile – “Kiss Me Now (1987 Demos)
  15. L.A. Machina – “Not Another Teenage Head” (Welcome To The Machina)
Tales From the Drop Box Episode 177 (2020-25)

I’m working off my ass every single day for the minimum wage . . . I want to be where the boys are. Is that sexist? I want to be where the boys are I fucking earned it…

KFR

Tales From The Drop Box Episode 176 (2020-24) The Pandemic/BLM/Vote Trump Out/ Episodes

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So, I’m dealing with a little fire issue. I’m sitting in my bunker which is slowly filling with smoke. The bunker is situated about 1/2 mile from the Bobcat fire on the edge of Monrovia in Los Angeles. The fire has been burning for just over 1 week and is about 6 percent contained. The air, to say the least, is unhealthful. The smoke is triggering in no small part some of the anxiety I have about the general state of affairs in this world.

NB: There is a brief anti-Trump rant that is going to follow. I’m a little angry, so I’m giving fair warning – skip the next paragraph. After that it is all sunshine and rainbows…really!

It has almost been a week since Bob Woodward released tapes of Trump indicating that in early February 2020 that he knew that COVID-19 was 5X more deadly than the annual influenza virus, but still chose to lie to the American people about it’s lethality, transmissibility, and everything else about the virus in, what he now says after the tape recordings release, an effort to “keep the American people calm.” What a load of horseshit. Trump’s lies have cost American lives and once he is removed from office, his negligence, which is criminal, should be tried. He will be convicted and should be executed. Trump, it turns out, is the world’s greatest mass murderer. Okay, I feel a little better getting that out. Less stressed.

So, sunshine and rainbows! This week’s episode of Tales from the Drop Box, Episode 176, is filled with sunshine and rainbows in the form of a pretty indie pop filled episode. Not sure how that happened, but I’m in need of some positive given the fires, politics, climate change, COVID-19 etc. At least this has been an awesome year for new music!

Here is what you will find in Episode 176:

  1. Ängie – “Two Together” (Not Pushing Daisies)
  2. The Happy Fits – “Go Dumb” (What Could Be Better)
  3. The All-American Rejects – “Damn Girl” (Reject Faves)
  4. Broken Hands – “Run Away” (Split In Two)
  5. The Front Bottoms – “Camouflage” (In Sickness & In Flames)
  6. The Milwaukees – “Our Blues” (The Calling)
  7. Rainout – “Bleach” (Rainout)
  8. Rezurex – “House On Haunted Hill” (Skeletons)
  9. Sea Girls – “Transplant” (Open Up Your Head)
  10. The Telescopes – “Sadness Pale” (Altered Perception)
  11. Grayscale – “Baby Blue (Reworked)” (Live From The Barber Shop Studios)
  12. Anna Burch – “Can’t Sleep” (If You’re Dreaming)
  13. Illuminati Hotties – “b yr own b” (Free I.H. – This Is Not The one You’ve Been Waiting For)
  14. 45 Grave – “Evil” (Sleep In Safety)
  15. Hazy Sour Cherry – “Little Run” (Tour De Tokyo)
Tales From The Drop Box Episode 176 (2020-24)

Blind me with all your lies, you’re evil I can look into your lies, you’re evil . . . and to think I was having a mental breakdown the same time you were painting your walls

KFR