Somebody Likes It

What the hell is up with Sweden! Those motherfuckers know their way around a melody. You could spend all day making mix-tapes of Abba or Cardigans songs, but instead let me propose this. You should maybe consider listening to this episode of Somebody Likes It wherein we discuss the album "Passive Agressive" by Swedish band Radio Dept. That record is already a mixtape of sorts, as it is a collection of singles and b-sides. Maybe we liked it, maybe we didn't. That's a mystery you'll need to unravel yourself. If you're up to it. Chicken. Bok-bok... Pick up The Radio Dept. on Amazon LL Cool J (hip)hops in to Rock The Bells for A Few Minutes With and we take a nice psychedelic digestif in the form of Slowdive's Star Roving (or is it Star Rover?).

Somewhere, embedded in the occasionally cracked warble of Evan Stephens Hall (which sounds like the name of a room they might play), Montclair, NJ's Pinegrove caught stride with 2016's Cardinal release. They presumably spent much of the rest of the year touring and floating on the accolades of reviewers' laudatory sentiment; and to be certain, there are some high points at play, including one that begged an ironic comparison to a Tim Conway picture. But we wonder why some can't follow that twangy doesn't always equal country, that unpolished tracks are occasionally built that way on purpose (to the consternation of some), and how wearing your influences on your sleeve can sometimes work wonders, or occasionally seem a yarn not yet fully woven. Listen and weigh in yourself: send your thoughts, suggestions and manic ramblings to messagesomebody@gmail.com.

It would be hard to overstate the prolific nature/work ethic/buxom beauty/absolute sweetheart nature of this week's subject of Somebody Likes It, one Ms. Dolly Parton, with her 1973 record "Jolene." If anyone has any doubt as to the grandeur of what they're about to encounter, just take a look at the cover--which if one weren't lucky enough to encounter the over-the-top (literally, this hair has to be seen to be believed) fashion of 1970's ladies in the South, well, you're in for a treat. It's too bad that Ms. Parton only has time to write more songs than virtually anyone else on the planet, found an amusement park, act in mostly-credible movies, and somehow not manage to come off as completely full of herself. Which she probably, by all rights, ought to be by this point. and hey, maybe she is--I've never met the lady--but I doubt it. Tune in and decide for yourself. --Ryan Purchase "Jolene" on Amazon A Few Minutes With: The Weakerthans - "Sun In An Empty Room" A Current Affair: Temples

Prolific singer-songwriter Jason Molina released 19 albums, more than a dozen EPs, and many more singles between 1997 and his death in 2013. This week, we give a listen to the 7th and final release under the moniker Songs: Ohia; Magnolia Electric Company. For our first podcast of 2017, we welcomed special guest Matty Wishnow and what he affectionately refers to as an anthem for his 40s, Songs: Ohia. Magnolia Electric Company is at times haunting in its presentimental lyrics that feel like a farewell from a man that was clearly dealing with demons that would claim his life only 10 years later. The album, recorded by Steve Albini, marks a departure from previous Songs: Ohia releases and sets a new direction for Molina's work that he would release under the Magnolia Electric Co. band. Pick up Songs: Ohia on Amazon Shane tries to lift the mood during A Few Minutes With by reminding us that just because you can ask a girl to "sex you up" with your flip-up sunglasses and big-shouldered jackets in 1991, do

Not all artists who grow up under dubious circumstances emerge as groundbreakers on the other side, but essentially, that's at least one dimension of Anderson.Paak's multifaceted rise. Paak — aka the erstwhile Breezy Lovejoy — has come a long way from a bumpy childhood that saw him crafting tracks in his bedroom, to a stunted stint as a marijuana farmer, to a first record that caught the attention of one Dr. Dre, who had him guest on no less than six tracks of his comeback effort. It seems even when he wasn't on the map, Paak was never far from its focus. His second album, Malibu, had the full attention of tastemakers, and the forecast has called for steady praise ever since. Join us as we bend an ear and figure out what all the fuss is about And as always, route us thoughts of your own at messagesomebody@gmail.com Buy Malibu on Amazon

Outside of the empirical truism that 'Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas' is an amazing song title (and that's not even arguable), Beach Slang are a study in certain contrasts and other constant consistencies. Lead singer James Alex fronts a punk act chiefly constructed of members half his age, and for all of his lyrical angst, his spins around the block have brought some noted success. There have been seriously noted (and politely discussed) brushes with the law, the band has broken up onstage and requested immediate refunds for the audience, and yet, somehow, they not only continue -- but manage to wax prolific. I chose The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us not because it was their current record (it isn't), but because it seemed to be the exclamation point on a band recklessly rising toward something. Or maybe rising beyond something. Tune in and find out what that is exactly. (Got an idea for something we should cover? Shoot it over to messagesomebody@gmail.com)

Any band that can take a stance against “rubbish” vs. “rubbers” to turn down a slot on “Top of the Pops” has my vote. Dig this record, but do find them very serious. Like Karl Marx on spring break serious. Awesome to find these guys on many best-of lists, but sorta near the bottom of said aforementioned. Listen for yourself, and break into individual discussion groups after. There will be a test.

Hey remember that time Ronald Reagan tried to un-ironically use one of the most ironic songs of the Eighties Born in the USA (copyright Bruce Springsteen) as a campaign song? Well, the palm to forehead that followed for a lot of people 32 years ago became more like a GIF on an endless repeat this year… Springsteen was blue collar when blue collar wasn’t cool. Springsteen put his damn money where his mouth was long before billionaires co-opted his populist stories, albeit with none of the sincerity or clarity or pathos, or fucking anything other than a line to elicit applause. (CUE: Born in the USA!!) I know Podcast Overlord Chris hates it when I tip my hand, but this time I think I have to. There is probably not a musical moment on Born to Run that I can relate to. But the STORIES are heart racing and badass and sad and real. And he really has a talent for making the everyday/mundane feel immediate. I am so bewildered by what is going on in our world right now…why people that are afraid of losing everything i

What we may lack in sheer volume of listener feedback, we make up for in quality. At least, that’s what we keep telling ourselves: Exhibit A in that regard, a terrific note we received from a listener named Michael, who wrote after lending an ear to the Travis episode, and suggested a record (a few records, actually) that we might consider that he knew — but we might not know — so well. Chief among them, his musical connection to one Mic Christopher, a dearly departed musical pal of famed frontman of The Frames’ Glen Hansard. At any rate, Michael suggested that we either cover Skylarkin (Christopher’s breakthrough — and last — record) or, perhaps, might we consider one of The Frames’ early works? In the end, we landed on The Frames Fitzcarraldo with the single off of Skylarkin taking center stage in our A Few Minutes With segment. Lots to wrap a noggin around here, but never let it be said we don’t heed a great letter. Send yours to messagesomebody AT gmail.com, and until then, lend us an ear to see just what

When I was a small child, I played my A Chipmunks’ Christmas 8-track non-stop until the tape unwound itself all over the living room floor and I could no longer play it. It wasn’t until many years later that I realized that, not only was that album extremely annoying, but its demise may have been aided more by the hands of a family member and less from the shelf life of a standard 8 track tape. The point I’m trying to make is that not everything you love at a point in your life stays as dear to your heart as you mature. The Flaming Lips’ Transmissions album does not match the extreme bipolar apex for me as did that album of singing fictional chipmunks but I did find that my initial enthusiasm for it waned with age. Perhaps it’s due to the band’s ability to mature and put out even better releases, or maybe my dad took a pencil to the precious ribbon of fidelity and ripped it from it’s armor plated case. Also in this episode, Ryan et. al. introduce me to missed opportunities in the form of Candyman’s Knockin’ B

Much has been made of Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie’s terminal condition, and Canada’s responded by treating the band as something of a national treasure, clear up to the prime minister, including a final concert live broadcast viewed by, if the numbers are correct, a full half of the country. It seems that long ago ‘The Hip’ (again, Canada) achieved critical mass, and it’s with that idea in mind that we dive into their 1998 release Phantom Power. Deemed by some the last record of their most fertile period, this one couldn’t be more Canadian if Bob and Doug McKenzie popped up in hockey jerseys on the cover. It’s a sociological exploration with a musical answer. Tune in.

It would seem that I couldn’t rest until we’d covered the other of the mighty triumvirate of proto-punk bands (see also: Iggy and the Stooges, The New York Dolls), and thus unearthed this 1969 classic-to-many. I won’t get into it too much here, but all I can say at this point is…balls. Balls for having your debut album recorded live. Not “in the studio” live first-takes, but a genuine live performance (although, if memory serves, it was a mesh of two nights). But also, balls all the way through, as these dudes were clearly of the take-no-prisoners and also fuck-you-The-Man! You can’t tell me what to do! Detroit clearly had some shit going down back in the day.

Hey ya’ll! Have you heard about this Elvis dude? Me too! Didn’t he shake that “pelvis” on the T.V. that one time? I, of course, had been aware of the myth of Elvis Presley, but I had never actually “listened” to him. To me the whole myth of Elvis (one word) had completely superseded any actually enjoyment of the music Elvis had put out there, other than the parts of hits we all collectively know (we can’t go on with…you ain’t nothing but a…wise men say…). He was larger than life, and his larger than life persona was more than actual music to me…as much as The Beatles or Nirvana are for some people, 60 years after Elvis dropped his first record Elvis Presley. I don’t think we all loved this record equally, but we all loved it, if for no other reason because it is incredibly obvious after listening to it that you can see the launching pad of what popular music would become for the next 50 years and that is humbling… But we also all loved it caused the shit is just good.

“I put in work, and watch my status escalate” – Guru You wouldn’t call them a Gang, exactly (as two constitutes a pair), and hard to argue that they were the brightest stars in their own right, at least compared to some of their contemporaries, but if they were anything, Gang Starr were hotly anticipated by those in the know. Guru and DJ Premiere dropped records eagerly gobbled up by scores of the hip hop loving public, and carved out a niche at the intersection joining literate and clever. And downright danceable. As so often happens, all doesn’t always end well, but occasionally that’s what makes the ascent all the more memorable. Drop the needle on this one and dig in with fresh ears. And as always, route us your suggestions or bizarre theme show musings at messagesomebody AT gmail.com. Peace!

As producer Todd Rundgren reportedly put it as he recorded the glam-punk-whatever pioneers that he’d seen at Max’s Kansas City: “Get the glitter out of your asses and play.” It’s up to debate however much glitter ultimately was expelled from various band members’ sphincters, but there’s little debate as to the effect that The New York Dolls had on both punk and (what ultimately became) glam rock/glam metal. For good or ill, they were there at the beginning. Also, singer David Johansen inexplicably morphed into novelty one-hit-wonder Buster Poindexter in the 80’s with his hit Hot Hot Hot, so there’s that. This week, we’re joined this week by third-time-offender and music journalist-about-town/the nation Chad Swiatecki, who was gracious enough to provide commentary to make the rest of us look smart.

A couple of years ago I used to go to happy hour at a bar where the beautiful Scottish bartender was fond of listening to Poison, Warrant, Ratt and countless other mid-80’s hair metal bands. I never could figure out how that kind of music aroused passions good or bad. Well, after listening to Poison’s Open Up and Say Ahh I still feel that way, but I can’t say the same for Ryan and Kevin…step inside and get rocked won’t you?

The Music Men put together another mixtape for ya, this time in honor of Memorial Day, as they talk about all the songs on their collection… Damn Yankees– High Enough: Where do you go after you see this one? Ted Nugent in animal print kimono deflecting bullets with his guitar solo. Archie Bell and the Drells– The Tighten Up: Ever wondered what it would be like to be conscripted into a dubious foreign war and hear your song become a massive hit, played over Armed Forces radio, while you are trying to fend off the Viet Cong? No? Well, Archie Bell can, and he’s a Houston product, to boot. Highly recommended. Naked Eyes– Always Something There To Remind Me: First of all, did anyone remember that this was a Burt Bacharach cover? What the what? The video presents the torrid tale of the guy who loses the girl, the other guy (who just happens to be his bandmate) who gets her, and the weird scenario where the local newspaper prints the lowlights of locals’ love lives. At the very least, you’d think that would make you

Welcome to another riveting installment of Somebody Likes It. Wherein our heroes brave the beginnings of another endless Texas summer heat wave to bring you beautiful musings on the 2009 inaugural release from London’s Fanfarlo, Reservoir. Ryan spends the first 20 minutes speaking into the wrong end of the microphone. Kevin learns us on how Ted Leo & The Pharmacists went from garage band to music superstars overnight through the miracle of musical theater. Ryan wraps it all up with the catchy, if someone annoying, Spirits from The Strumbellas. Next up… join us for our retrospective Memorial Day Mix Tape show as we take a look back at some of our favorite one-hit-wonders. Until then!

For whatever reason, singer songwriters who write obsessively hook-laden, occasionally Beatlesque pop-rock tracks tend to be overlooked (or outright dismissed) by certain tastemakers. Such seems to have been the case with Brendan Benson, who you may know as the other chief songwriter from The Raconteurs, but who also arguably perfected undeniably catchy ditties of his own craft. Which brings us to Lapalco, a well received if under publicized effort that helped hone some summer rock for the ages. Tune in as we reveal Lapalco, and as always, send questions, musings or crazy ideas to messagesomebodyATgmail.com. Cheers!

Serendipity is, apparently, a real thing. Mr. Matt Munoz, longtime friend of the show, had as much (or more so) of a need for this album to show up in his life just when I re-discovered it and just so happened to contact Shane a week before we were already set to cover this record.. A sorely somewhat-forgotten genius record that bridges Radiohead and every misbegotten relationship you’ve ever had. It’s forlorn, and it’s beautiful. And we talk about it in this week’s Somebody Likes It. As always, we welcome your questions, comments and suggestions at messagesomebody@gmail.com. Holla!