This Track Is Fire!

INXS, one of my favorite bands from the 80s/90s, and honestly, the first band I was obsessed with before I discovered Depeche Mode, has finally been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame . Their return to the news of course has me reflecting on their music and some of my favorite tracks of theirs. Sure, there are the big hits like "Need You Tonight," "New Sensation," "Suicide Blond," "Never Tear Us Apart," and many, many others, but that's not the one that I chose today. It's not a particularly important memory, but whenever I hear "Don't Change" I think back to my teen years, specifically a day during a sunny day at my friend Dan's house, where I believe he and another friend of ours, Marre, were swinging in a hammock and one/both of them asked me to play this song again. A whole group of my friends were there, just hanging out as teens do on a warm, pleasant day, and it's just a few seconds of a memory tha...

Sometimes I post because I have discovered some new artist or song and I just have to share it as soon as possible. Other times I put on an album I haven't listened to in a while and as it plays in the background I am struck by the power and brilliance of a rediscovered tune. Today is definitely the latter, because wow, "Six Words" is peak Elbow and oh so sublime. Enjoy!

It's hard for me to believe that the album Sound & Fury  is over six years old because to me it still so fresh and alive. I bought it on CD back in 2019 after my friend, Alan, turned me onto it. This is one of those albums with zero skips. Though I already own it on CD I recently bought it on vinyl and put it on today, which is why I am reminded of how fucking good it is. I even had trouble picking which song to highlight. Given a change in mood I could have easily picked "Make Art Not Friends," "Mercury in Retrograde," or just about any song on this album. But this is the one that I picked in this reality. If you haven't heard this song or this album yet, you really should remedy that because, in my opinion, it's just that  good. Happy Monday! Enjoy! 

This past year has been a bit of a NIN resurgence for me. I never stopped liking them or listening to them, but I saw them in August with old friends and it was an amazing experience. So much so that I am going to see them again this Sunday with another group of old friends. On top of that, just a couple of weeks ago we went to go see a Depeche Mode cover band do a full DM set, and then immediately followed that with a NIN set, billed as "DM vs NIN." They played "Ringfinger" that night and it reminded of how much I really loved that song. Do I expect NIN to perform it this Sunday? Who knows, they've been full of surprises this tour (speaking of Depeche Mode) . If I am being honest with myself, no, I don't think they will play it. It's an almost 37-year-old song now (and we all know they're going to play "Head Like A Hole"), but it's back in my rotation. Why? Because this track is fire! Enjoy!  

This song is one of the first songs I ever remember liking. When I was young MTV was still a pretty new thing. I did not particularly pay close attention to most songs and artists, but as I got older and I began to develope my own musical identity and preferences I would get reminded of songs that I heard "back in the day." Peter Gabriel's hit "Sledgehammer," another fantastic song, reminded me of this, an earlier song with lyrics that I did not fully understand, but with visuals that implanted themselves into my young mind. As an adult I still do not fully understand the lyrics, but listening to this song (and entire album) on vinyl brings me deep, nostalgic happiness that I can't quite put into words. It's a classic for a reason and I song I return to again and again. I've included a link to the video as well as that is how I first discovered this gem. Peter Gabriel 4 (Security) by Peter Gabriel

Hello! Over on my main blog I've written about  my purchases from Bandcamp Friday for February 2026 .  What did you buy during the most recent Bandcamp Friday?

It's only been two weeks since I first posted about Chalk, so I probably should give it more time before I post about them again. The thing is, since first posting about "I.D.C." I have since purchased their three EPs and have become properly obsessed. There's not a bad song in the lot, but of particular appeal to me of late is the track "Afraid." A song like this make me want to turn it up loud and drive fast.  I don't, but I want  to. So, drive fast and listen to Chalk (only don't, because that's dangerous)! Enjoy! Conditions III by Chalk

Happy Valentine's Day! Please enjoy four hours of the "Gen X Love Songs" playlist I created:

Yeah, I know that today is Friday the 13th and that maybe I should be posting something scary, but it's also the day before Valentine's Day, so I have chosen to be sappy. Deal with it. Couples often have "their song" and while Shalee and I are not immune to that, what constitutes "our" song seems to change every few years. I think it's safe to say that currently this is our song. I hope someone loves you like you deserve. You deserve it. Happy Valentine's Day (tomorrow)!

I've been listening to Sleek Teeth for a couple of years now and they always bring the EBM goodness. Like your music electronic and especially stompy? Then LA-based Sleek Teeth are for you! Enjoy! The River by Sleek Teeth

I first heard of The Bobby Lees from my friend Lisa, whether it was this track specifically or another, I am not quite certain (welcome to your 50s, amiright?), but what I do know is that I would never have even heard of The Bobby Lees if it hadn't been for her. So, life lesson, there, kids: get you a great group of friends who share awesome music with you, because it will pay off in spades. Oh, and I just bought this track during Bandcamp Friday last week. Happy Monday! Napoleon by The Bobby Lees

An oldie but a goodie. I don’t think that I appreciated this song back when it first came out because I was just too young. I don't think that I really heard it properly until I was in my teens/20s. It came up in my music feed fairly recently so I took the time to really listen to it and now I get it, I really do.

What is Bandcamp Friday, you may ask? All you need to know is right  here . It's always good to support independent artists and independent music, especially when Bandcamp is foregoing their cut for 24 hours. Buy something cool!

It's funny the people you meet online. Just over a week ago I was helping my cousin clean out her mother's, my aunt's, house as she had passed in December. Among her things I found an assortement of awesome music on casette, that I shared to both Instagram (which is private) and  Threads (which is not). Several people liked/commented, and I interacted with both the people at Stereoscape Records  and one of their acts, Nightflyer . As we seem to have similar tastes in music that goes "boop boop beep" I checked out Imaginings  and was instantly enthralled by the first track on the album ,"Perpetual Motion." Sometimes friends send along new music, sometimes I find it myself, and sometimes I post a picture of tapes and I inadvertently run into an entire record label and one of their artists. Isn't music fandom great? Enjoy! Imaginings by Nightflyer

What is Bandcamp Friday, you may ask? All you need to know is right  here . It's always good to support independent artists and independent music, especially when Bandcamp is foregoing their cut for 24 hours. Buy something cool!

Last week my friend Jeff sent me a link to an Instagram post from KEXP and the band Chalk thinking I might like their music and boy, he was not  wrong.  I think I was hooked within the first minute, and by the end of the two songs I was full-on obsessed, so much so that I had already started looking for their live dates. I am now debating if I want to go see them in March in Chicago. To say that I was immediately impressed with this band in a very short time is an understatement. Their debut album, Crystalpunk, debuts on March 13, but they've released "I.D.C." as one of its singles. I fucking love it! Enjoy!