Teen Mortgage "Falling Down"

A lot of people will tell you that punk can't be fun or even catchy, but those people forget that groups like the Ramones had a deep love for the melodies of the Beach Boys.

Besides, if you like it then listen to it!

And me, I really like Teen Mortgage.

Listen to that almost-twangy rock-a-billy/garage rock intro as the drums and guitar jump in before the fuzzy lyrics take hold, and then BAM! you're getting yelled at by that lovely chorus. For me, this is the hit of dopamine I need to get my blood flowing. This is the fun, aggressive punk that I enjoy so much!

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

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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...

Black Sabbath "War Pigs"

Sadly, just a bit ago, Ozzy Osbourne passed , having only recently staged his farewell concert with the other surviving members of Black Sabbath. While I admit that I am far from a metal-head, I certainly respect Ozzy's contribution to music in general, and metal in particular. They were the marred and tarnished flipside of the coin to their peers, Led Zeppelin, and yet, no one else was like them. No one else could be Black Sabbath, and certainly, no one else could have been Ozzy Osbourne. Rest in Peace, Ozzy. Note: I typically post links to music Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays, but made an exception this morning for a programming note to highlight Bandcamp Friday. Tomorrow I will continue posting links to music you can find there, but if anyone deserved to be part of an exception, it was definitely Ozzy.

The Beach Boys "God Only Knows"

My plan for this blog is to post at 10:00 AM (Eastern) most weekdays, but then Brian Wilson had to go ahead and die . ☹️ Cue "God Only Knows." This song always makes me think of Christmas, specifically the opening and closing scenes of Love Actually . Is that fair to Mr. Wilson? Probably not, his genius is far beyond that small connection to a favorite Christmas movie of mine, but this song is just that: genius. It's such a lovely bit of irony-bordering-on-sarcasm in a song that trancends its pop placement. "I may not always love you But long as there are stars above you You never need to doubt it I'll make you so sure about it..." God damn, that's good. Rest in peace, Brian Wilson.

This Track Is Fire!

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