Plastikman "Placticity"

 

I first heard Plastikman when I was going to university. I have always loved dance music, everything from disco, Italo, High NRG, house, and techno, so falling in love with Richie Hawtin's brand of minimalist techno was no stretch for me. I distinctly remember going to a local college bar back then and seeing this CD in the jukebox; I would select whatever track was longest to make sure I got my money's worth.

Again, this is not a new track, this original album came out way back in 1993. And while I have the original CD somewhere, a 2LP vinyl reissue came out for the album's 30th anniversary in 2023, so of course I scooped that up last year.

If you like slow-building boops and beeps that churns along like an accellerating freigh train, then this track is for you.

Hope you had a great Canada Day!

Suuns "2020"

I fucking love this song, and no, it's not new. I believe it's about 10yrs. old at this point, so maybe you're wondering why I'm posting it.

A little something about me: I have 900+ CDs (in storage), ~150 vinyl LPs, and terabytes of mp3s. I like music, I like music a lot. 

With such a vast collection I have lots and lots of individual songs. I'll like a song and listen to it obsessively for a while, but eventually move on to another set of tracks. 

Every so often I'll dig up a song from the past and rediscover how awesome it is.

This week that's Suuns "2020."

So what's to love? Part of it is the wailing guitar combined with that pulsing bassline, but I think the best way to describe this track (and many of the tracks I post here) is that it contains a sort of aural umami. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I find this song to be terribly catchy despite it not being a typical pop song.

To be fair, I couldn't tell you anything about any other music that Suuns have put out, but for me this is perfection.

Bonus: tomorrow is Canada Day (and I might just happen to be in Canada this week) and Suuns is a Canadian band. This wasn't planned, but I appreciate serendipity when it happens. You'll notice a theme this week because of this track. Happy Canada Day tomorrow for those that celebrate!

Enjoy!

Fleetwood Mac "Tusk"

Fleetwood Mac certainly have a whole host of fantastic and classic songs, several more popular than this one.

But this one is my favorite. Maybe it's the slow build. Maybe it's the horns. Maybe it's because it's different, not a typical pop or rock song.

All I know is that I bought the entire 2LP (on sale, mind you), just so I could listen to these few minutes on vinyl.

Have a great weekend and see you again on Monday!

Enjoy!

Wargasm "Vigilantes"

This is obnoxiously loud and aggressive, but it speaks to me. On the strength of this track I briefly considered going to see them open for In This Moment, but $66 (+ service fees) is a lot to pay for just one song from one band.

Regardless, this track will melt your face off and you'll thank them for it.

Enjoy!

INXS "What You Need (2025 Mix)"

A few weeks ago a friend of mine was telling me how good the 40th anniversary remaster of Listen Like Theives was. Serendipitously, the collector's edition went on sale a week or so later, so I scooped it up.

Just as he said, this mix sounds fuller and brighter than the original. There's nothing wrong with how it was mixed back in 1985, but this new mix is fantastic.

If you're an INXS fan you owe it to yourself to have a listen, and if you can find it for a good price, grab the LP/3CD collection. I'm very happy with my purchase.

Easers "Kompany Kar"

I admit that I had never heard of this Grand Rapids band before seeing them open for Jack White this Spring, and I live here!

That said, I love that Jack had a local band open for him, but more importantly, they're fucking good. I immediately bought their album on Bandcamp after hearing them play.

Have a great weekend! See you on Monday!

Tyler, The Creator "Sticky"

Maybe it's the bass, maybe it's the drum march beat, maybe it's Sexxy Red or Lil Wayne, I don't know, my place isn't to understand why a song grabs me, but this one does.

Enjoy!

Pixel Grip "Bet You Do"

Pixel Grip is a band I've been watching for a couple of years now. I honestly don't know how I stumbled across them, probably from an NPR podcast on new music, but what matters is that I was immediately hooked.

They straddle this space between dance music, EBM, techno, dark wave, synthpop, you name it, if it's electronic with a slightly sinister tinge, well, that's Pixel Grip.

I was lucky enough to see them open for HEALTH in Detroit last year and have been eagerly awaiting their new album ever since.

This track in particular is frenetic, lusty, and just overall fantastic.

Enjoy!

Nation of Language "Weak In Your Light"

A friend of mine suggested this band, and this song, to me about 18 months ago. Clearly I fell in love with it.

I didn't own the album so I bought it on vinyl and I'll be damned if this isn't one of my favorite opening tracks of all time. It's just so fucking good.

They have a new single out ("Inept Apollo") and I am debating going to see them this fall when they play in Detroit, but it's a weeknight and I'm old.

Thinking about them made me return to this song again, and I know I just said this above, but damn, it really is so fucking good.

Have a great weekend and we'll see you again on Monday with more music! Enjoy!

Nitzer Ebb "Getting Closer"

When I posted earlier today about Brian Wilson I didn't think that I would be making a second exception so soon, let alone just a few hours later.

Sadness...

We all have those songs that when we throw them on we instantly get pumped up. For me, "Getting Closer" is one of those seminal songs.

I first heard of Nitzer Ebb when I saw them on the ticket that I purchased for my first concert: Depeche Mode at Pine Knob in 1990.

I had no idea what "Nitzer Ebb" meant, but after talking to anyone who might have known I found out they were an EBM band from the UK, and were lablemates of Depeche Mode on Mute Records. They had just released their album Showtime and would be supporting DM on their "World Violation" tour that summer.

This was in the decades well before streaming, so if you wanted to check a new band out you had to actually buy their album, or in my case, their CD.

So, I did.

35 years later "Getting Closer," as well as "Fun To Be Had" and "Lightning Man," are still favorites of mine. That opening track will always have a special place in my heart as it illicits memories of me in my teens, driving parents' boat, listening to my taped copy of the CD as I bounced on the waves.

In the last few years many of the bands that I grew up with have seen a resurgence via live shows. I had intended to see Nitzer Ebb again but in the last couple of years Douglas had suffered some health setbacks.

Today, he passed. 😭

Sadly, that band I saw open for Depeche Mode all those years ago will no longer be the same lacking one of its founding members.

Thank you, Douglas, for the music; it formed the soundtrack of my youth, and ultimately, my life.