I’m still here! There is not a better way to start the week than with some new tunes. This episode of Tales From The Drop Box explores a very poppy side of the musical world. This week’s episode is really a trip through some neglected pop music that inhabits the multiverse and that is not on any popular radio in the U.S. (for the most part). Episode 195 explores that indie pop genre with some lyrically catchy and somewhat dark themes sprinkled throughout. It is interesting to hear music that is somewhat upbeat and then takes that dark sharp left into the uncomfortable. It’s not all dark as you’ll quickly discover, but then that is the joy of these podcasts – you’ll discover that we like to do it with the lights on!
Here is what you will find in Episode 195 (2021-07):
Nessa Barrett – “I Hope Ur Miserable Until Ur Dead” (Pretty Poison)
Sly Withers – “My Bullshit” (Gardens)
Islands – “(We Like To Do It) With The Lights on” (Islomania)
Latewaves – “Too Much” (Hell To Pay)
Juliana Hatfield – “Suck It Up” (Blood)
The Reds, Pinks, and Purples – “Living On Sunday” (Anxiety Art)
Captain Kaiser – “Moscow Mule (The Drover’s Inn)
Sydney Sprague – “Object Permanence” (Maybe I Will See You At The End Of The World)
Why Elephant – “A Pair” (Today EP)
Nasty Cherry – “All In My Head: (The Movie EP)
Longstocking – “Teenage Angst At 27” (Once Upon A Time Called Now)
Adult Books – “Holiday” (Grecian Urn)
The Beaches – “Blow Up” (Future Lovers)
The Stranglers – “5 Minutes” (No More Heroes)
Remember Sports – ” Like A Stone” (Like A Stone)
Tales From The Drop Box Episode 195 (2021-07)
When I think of you I, I get angry and I – I see couples in love, I hope they die I don’t really, I’m not that violent . . .I lost my love on the holiday my drugstore flowers bought with change the smell of wet leaves in the fireplace . . .
Well, I’m back again for another week of new-ish fine-ish music. Thanks for the positive comments. I missed you all as well. So, there should be some candy in this week’s episode of Tales From The Drop Box because for some unknown reason there are more pop sounds than usual. So, don’t be alarmed if there is not a plethora of heavy music or you missed your favorite punk rock track. We will get back there at some point but for now,
here is what you will find in Episode 194 (2021-06):
Faded Paper Figures – “She’s Walking Out” (Kairos)
Bull – “Green” (Discover Effortless Living)
Cloud Nothings – “Things I Fucking Like” (April 2021 EP)
Fightmilk – “Hey Annabelle!” (Contender)
Polish Club – “Stop For A Minute” (Now We’re Cookin’)
Acid Dad – “Good Time” (Take It From The Dead)
Ferraro – “Fools Paradise” (Sweet Fever EP)
The Jungle Giants – “Treat You Right” (Love Signs)
Nonagon – “Hack” (They Birds)
Free Throw – “Ocular Pat Down” (Piecing It Together)
Authority Zero – Seas And Serpents” (Ollie Ollie Oxen Free)
LionLion – “Language” (Perspective)
Demolition Doll Rods – “Believe” (Into The Brave)
Eddie And The Hot Rods – “Do Anything You Wanna Do” (Life On The Line)
Maggot Heart – “Lost Boys” (Mercy Machine)
Tales From The Drop Box Episode 194 (2021-06)
Meet me in the club tell me that’s what’s up baby hold on hold on, wait stop for a minute … Well, I’m a lover, girl, I want you to know well, I will treat you right I got your number, babe …
Well I bet you thought that this podcast had evaporated into the sands of time. It still might, but I’m going to give it a shot. As this is only Episode 5 of Tales From The Drop Box in 2021, and we’ve had several COVID vaccine options in the time I’ve been away, I’m hoping that as things now, after some clusterfuckery, are heading on a positive trajectory. Maybe it was the January 6th insurrection and coup attempt that got me sideways, but I’ll try to get back on track. So, rather than jibber-jabber about nonsense, here is what you came for – nuggets of sonic goodness that will make you want to shake a body part or two.
Here is what you will find in Episode 193 (2021-05):
Neighborhood Brats – “Miss America Pageant” (Confines of Life)
Chubby And The Gang – “Coming Up Tough” (The Mutt’s Nuts)
Jake Bugg – “All I Need” (Saturday Night, Sunday Morning)
Kurt Vile – “Run Run Run” (I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute To The Velvet Underground)
Kenny Hoople/Travis Barker – “Estella//” (Survivor’s Guilt: The Mixtape)
New Candys – “Evil Evil” (Vyvyd)
Social Haul – “The Bayou” (Social Haul)
The Lillingtons – Project 313″ (Can Anybody Hear Me? A Tribute To Enemy You)
Mighty Oaks – “Ghost” (Mexico)
Useless I.D. – “Turn Up The Stereo” (Most Useless Songs)
The Snuts – “Always” (W.L. (Deluxe Edition))
Citizen – “I Want To Kill You” (Life In Your Glass World)
Skeggs – “Fantasizing” (Rehearsal)
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros – “Coma Girl” (Assembly)
Halsey – “The Lighthouse” (If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power)
Tales From The Drop Box Episode 193 (2021-05)
Two broken hearts, but I won’t let you go until you are a ghosts to me…Coma Girl was beating with the oil drum gang some fast food fanatic was burning down a burger van . . .
Positive news on the COVID-19 front lines with the emergency approval of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for distribution in the U.S. This is an important first step in ending the pandemic. Given the large number of people in the U.S., it is going to be quite some time before it gets to the average individual. A look at the CDC Advisory Committee’s plan for allocating initial supplies prioritizes 21 million health care workers and 3 million residents of long-term care facilities. After that it is likely to go to the 87 essential million workers not involved in front-line health care, then to the 100 million adults with certain high-risk medical conditions and the 50 million people who are 65 years old or older. I also anticipate that there will be line jumpers a plenty because nothing says American more than me first. After the shameful actions of the 106 republican members of Congress who signed off on frivolous Texas lawsuit challenging the actions of other states in conducting their elections because they did not like the outcome and after the lawsuit was rejected for lack of standing by the Supremes, it was not surprising that they subsequently tossed around the idea seceding from the U.S.. It’s not enough that these assholes are attacking the foundation of democracy i.e. the right to vote in free and fair elections but they are attacking the idea of a united states. So, in a country with a significant number of gutless and stupid leaders who are both morally and intellectually bankrupt, there are going to be continuing problems with vaccine distribution regardless of the good intentions of the person the large majority of the citizens elected to lead us out of the valley of death. At least this paragraph started positive. Here is hoping that sanity, cooperation, and science prevails over the cult of stupid.
I was missing live music this week and apparently a number of bands thought it was a good idea to release some pretty awesome live records this year, so I have cued up a number of tracks from those records. There are also some outstanding reissues from bands many of you who are under the age of 45 years old will have had little experience, so, they may sound like awesome new tracks, but trust me they are old, some real old. I have included tracks from The Gun Club, Gang of Four, Powderfinger and the House of Love, so how bad can that be? It’s not. It’s lovely really. So, like always, let’s enjoy the now and contemplate our navels for a few moments before rushing ahead into, what I hope is, a brighter, more positive new world. Oh, and this episode is a little bit longer. You are getting 25% more music for the regular price! Until next time, here is what you will find in Episode 188(2020-36) of Tales From The Drop Box:
Pale Honey – “Some Time, Alone” (Some Time, Alone)
Powderfinger – “Daybreak” (Unreleased 1998-2010)
Bearings – “Transient Colours” (Hello, It’s You)
The Lathums – “I Know That Much” (Fight on EP)
Heavy Lungs – “(A Bit Of A) Birthday” (Ultra Stereo)
Frankie And The The Witch Fingers – “Where’s Your Reality? (Levitation Sessions)
Arctic Monkeys – “Four Out Of Five” (Live At Royal Albert Hall)
Kelly Jones – “Dakota” (Don’t Let The Devil Take Another Day)
Cut Worms – “Castle In The Clouds” (Nobody Lives Here Anymore)
Gerry Cinnamon – “Where We’re Going” (The Bonny)
Fontaines D.C. – “A Lucid Dream” (A Night At Montrose Live)
The Gun Club – “A Devil In The Woods” (Miami)
Gang of Four – “Damaged Goods” (Gang Of Four 77-81)
The House Of Love – “Marble” (A Spy In The House Of Love)
Dream Wife – “Kids” (IRL Live In London)
Tales From The Drop Box Episode 188 (2020-36)
I designed the line that keeps you way down here I destroyed the void that echoes in your ear In a flash you were ashes in a cosmic ray . . . just how dark can an animal be? How dark can an animal be? Dark like darkness dark like a devil out in the woods now . . .
We are still in a pandemic. America should have it under control by now. We should, as a nation, have a plan. Public safety is not a violation of your individual rights. Public safety keeps us all safe. While you certainly do have an individual right to be an idiot, your individual rights do not exceed mine. I have a right to be safe. So, as you consider the next 4 years, think about those you love, those who have died needlessly from an abject lack of competence and leadership, and do the right thing for all of us – vote for someone who is not an idiot. Vote out the idiots enablers. Stop watching Fox News. Wear a mask and keep your distance, eh? It’s simple.
As for the tunes, you know that Tales From the Drop Box has got you more than covered. So rather than belabor the obvious i.e. turn up the volume as this one is bit of an uptempo affair and have a blast, here is this week’s episode …
Here is what you will find in Tales From The Drop Box Episode 182:
Girl Friday – “Earthquake” (Androgynous Mary)
Disheveled Cuss – “Wanna Be My Friend” (Disheveled Cuss)
The Blinders – “From Nothing To Abundance” (Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath)
Mando Diao – “All The People” (All The People EP)
The Howl & The Hum – “Love You Like A Gun” (Human Contact)
The Sonic Dawn – “Loose Ends” (Enter The Mirage)
Slotface – “Murder On The Dancefloor” (The Slumber Tapes)
The Dirty Truckers – “Arms Length” (Second Dose)
Devon Kay & The Solutions – “In A Prairie State” (Limited Joy)
We Versus The Shark – No Negative Space Rules Forever” (Goodbye Guitar)
The Bouncing Souls – “Highway Kings” (Highway Kings)
Emily & The Blackouts – “Domino” (Emily & The Blackouts)
Takers & Users – “The Town That Committed Suicide” (Tales Of This Town)
The Clash – “White Riot” (The Clash)
Current Affairs – “Draw The line” (Object & Subject)
Tales From The Drop Box Episode 182 (2020-30)
Oh, I love you like a gun loves the bullet right before it’s gone . . .Sitting here drinking again…Thinking back on how simple it used to be. Can it ever be that way again?
