This Track Is Fire!

As you may already know, last week was Bandcamp Friday . I love Bandcamp Friday and make an effort to purchase music each time they occur, and mostly I do (though last month I confess I was perusing music late at night and fell asleep, waking up after 3:00 AM Eastern, meaning I had missed it; oops!). I'm not exactly sure where I found the article but I stumbled across that about Dean Garcia, one of the founders of Curve, a personal favorite of mine (who I recently highlighted ). Said piece mentioned Curve, of course, the band he is most known for, as well as SPC ECO , which I have known about for years. I was surprised to find that he had many other side projects as well, which is how I discovered Blurred City Lights. I immediately found the Bandcamp page for the group and found their more recent album from last month. I hit play and immediately was welcomed to the nefarious sounds of a darker, more aggressive form of shoegaze that I did not know that I needed in my life. I once sa...

As I said when I posted about Front 242 , after just over a year of starting this blog I can't believe that it took me this long to post about one of my all-time favorite bands, Curve. Like, seriously, what is wrong with me? Again, I am rectifying it now. There are times in your life as a music lover that you hear a band, a song, that first time, and your immediate thought is,"WOW! What is this? Why haven't I heard this before?" This has happened to me many times, whether it be Nirvana, Atari Teenage Riot, Front 242, or, in this case, Curve. For me, the best way to describe this music is LUSH (ironic, considering that such is the name of one of their shoegaze peers), but for me this song, with Toni Halliday's melodic chanting/harmonizing and Dean Garcia's thick, syrupy bass line, covers me like a thick, velvet blanket on a cold winter's day. If Heaven was a song, I think it would "Horror Head," which, again, ironic considering the title and lyric...

I discovered Nils Frahm, oddly enough, during a previous Bandcamp Friday, specifically his album Music For Animals  (so good!). I almost immediately became a fan of his electronic pieces, learning after that he started out as a pianist and then expanded into the realm of electronic music. This album captures his live performance at Funkhaus Berlin in Germany and I admit that it has been on my vinyl wishlight for a few years now. Last week it hit a price point that I was happy to pay, so I pulled the trigger. It arrived last Friday, and to say the album sublime does not do the word, or the album, justice. Neither does just saying "it's so fucking good ," though that is also certainly true. I have always preferred the visceral to the technical when it comes to my musical tastes, which explains my preference for Beethoven over Mozart, and this album moves  me. Shouldn't all great music? Honestly, it's hard to pick a single track from this performance as they are all ...

This is a recent discovery, but it fits with my unintended theme this week of synth-based music (other than, you know, the celebrities we lost). Also, I've been listening to it non-stop for the better part of the last day, but that's how my obsessions work. A couple listens? Sure, it's a good track. Almost constant repeat over the last 18 hours? Yeah, that has to go on the blog. I've already added this to my Bandcamp wishlish and will most likely be buying this track, if not the entire album, next week during Bandcamp Friday. I don't claim to be goth, but I am certainly goth adjacent in many of my interests, and that electric, throbbing synth line send chills up my spine, as a good post-punk track should. What can I say, this track is fire! Welcome to Friday, you've made it through the week! Enjoy! Matter of Choice by Cold Showers

I first heard of Scene Queen a few years back and her metal licks + pop hooks appealed to me much the same way that early BABYMETAL did.  I am not the biggest metal fan, but if it's catchy (like System of a Down, or at times, Korn) I am all about it. And this? This is fucking catchy while also being abrasive. That's my sweet spot. So, if you like your metal with phat beats and electronic boops & beeps with a tongue-in-cheek, sardonic feminist bent, then Scene Queen is for you! When I heard she was coming to Grand Rapids in October I hemmed and hawed about going to go see her as I knew she was defintely something my partner would enjoy, but on a whim I texted a fellow concert buddy and he was all in. And now we have tickets! Can't wait! Enjoy! Hot Singles In Your Area by Scene Queen

Note: In honor of one full year of This Track Is Fire I thought I would highlight the top 10 posts over the last year, but there's a tie in the seventh position, and a three-way tie in the tenth position, so instead you're getting the Top 12 Posts over the past year. As I said back in October , I did not even really know this track before I saw Elbow live for the first time last year, but as I said then, it was a live standout. Nine months later it's still in heavy rotation for me, which, of course it is, I love Elbow, but I love that a band that sells out stadiums in the UK but has a far more limited fanbase in the US is sitting safely at the number two spot in my list of most popular posts. I mean, they should be, but I am glad so many of you agree. Check it out !

I like to tease my partner, Shalee, that she has a thing for scruffy, kinda-dirty-looking male singer/songwriters, like Hozier, Ray LaMontagne, and today's selection: Damien Rice. Some of us have a type, even musically, and for Shalee, that's hers. (To be clear, I say this in jest; I have nothing but respect for these artists, I am just joking about the aesthetic; apparently my preference is for female lead singers with "squeaky" voices, as Shalee tells me, but again, this is not meant to be disparaging.) I try to keep this blog very "stream of conciousness" as to what I am listening to that I think is great, and while enjoying some downtime the other night this came on and I was reminded of just how fucking good this track, and this artist, is. I consider myself lucky that we got to see him live years back. Perhaps a poignant and powerful song about romantic betrayal isn't the way you want to start your weekend, nor is it mine, but there's something...

A friend of mine sent this track my way and I immediately loved it, I think it took all of 20 seconds for me to say, "yep, this song rocks." I liked it so much that I wondered if I had heard it previously. I listen to a lot of music, so I can't say for certain, so I am going to give credit where credit is due: Megan, you get all the props for sharing for this banger! Sometimes you wake up on Monday morning, you don't want to go to work, and the idea of choosing violence crosses your mind. Don't choose violence, but instead choose a song like this to focus your ire. Enjoy!

I discovered this track thanks to the custom playlist that was created for me by the excellent  Turn & Work blog , so be sure to check them out! You can find the entire awesome playlist  here .   This song has this muffled drum sound that breaks into femaile vocals before this loud, guitar-right-up-to-your-ear-while-I-scream-in-your-face-but-also-kinda-poppy aspect jumps in. I don't know what to call that, but I love it. Throw your hands! Angel's Mess by WAAX

Thanks to the Instagram algorithm I was fed Prostitute a few days ago, who will soon see their debut album released around the world on Mute records March 13. This is not a comfortable or easy listen, similar in that aspect to Death Grips, though Prostitute unleashes their rhythmic cacaphony through the medium of noise rock. Hailing from Dearborn, Michigan with Lebanese, Polish, Roma, and Maltese members, their music is an unrelenting assault on the ears. Prostitute may not be for everyone, but if you give it a chance you'll be rewarded with a unique musical experience. Enjoy! Attempted Martyr by Prostitute

Last year in November I highlighted another song by this group off of this album because at the time it was hard for me to choose between "Autogenic" and "Totem and Taboo." Here, on the second anniversary of the release of Chrysanthemum ,   I wanted to highlight another fantasic track by this band that deserves far more attention. Hope you have a great week!  Enjoy! Chrysanthemum (Deluxe Edition) by Black Nail Cabaret

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!

I found this group on Bandcamp a few of years back, and though I like their earlier, rougher stuff a bit more than this track that veers closer to pop, it’s still a fun, catchy tune. I'm always happy to see younger artists take different genres and challenge expectations by combining or changing them, something Alt Blk Era has been doing for years. Have a great weekend! Rave Immortal by ALT BLK ERA

As my anxiety increases at the thought of returning to work on Monday this track brings me the peace that I need to start my weekened. Also, it's really fucking good. Honestly, the first time I heard it (which, I confess, was only in the last few months), I thought this was Michael Stipe/REM.   Nope! Still a great song. Enjoy!

Last year I discovered this band via a collaboration they did with The Linda Lindas and immediately fell in love. I soon devoured their expanded version of their 2023 debut album, I Love You , with the appropriately titled I Love You Too (which I highlighted on my person blog ). The band shifted more from their punk roots toward power pop, evidenced by their 2025 album GLORY, and while I prefer their initial releases, "MOTHER" is a standout from their current album. It was just last night as I was driving in the car heading to pick up my dauther from work that this song came on and I thought to myself, "this song fucking rocks." Add to that the dark lyrics that are my happy place: I've got Mary on my shoulder Her hand on my back I'm a storm comin' in I'm the skies turning black So yeah, this track is fire! Have a happy and safe New Year tonight! GLORY by Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers

Full disclosure, I found out about this album because of this article and I figured I should check out some of these acts and their respective albums. I am still making my way through the list, though there are a few acts listed that I already know very well. This track, however, jumped out at me immediately and I am glad that it did. One listen and I knew immediately that it was my happy place. Hopefully you like it as well. Enjoy!  Don't Become The Thing You Hated by Rotersand

As I look out my window today I fully relate to the title of this track, if not the words. Sometimes at the end of the week I want something that adrenalizes me for the weekend, but sometimes, like today, I want a song that feels like a blanket near a fire with a hot mug of something. And while I get that this may not be the happiest song, comfort is sometimes knowing that others have struggled as well. Misery loves company, and all that. Lastly, I wanted to note that this is another track that my daughter introduced me to. I think she's a keeper. Happy Friday!

This song often reminds me of loss; I think I first discovered before my maternal grandfather's funeral and it really hit me because I had experienced a fair amount of loss in the previous 18 months: I had gone through a divorce, a friend of mine's wife lost her battle with cancer, and I lost two uncles and a grandfather. Do you realize That everyone you know someday will die? And instead of saying all of your goodbyes Let them know you realize that life goes fast It's hard to make the good things last You realize the sun doesn't go down It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round But paired with that sense of loss is realizing, yes, we are all mortal and will therefore die, that one should appreciate, and yes, be thankful for the people in our lives and cherish the time we have with our loved ones. I will miss those people not at the table with us this week as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, but I am also thankful for the time I had with them, a...

This album has been out for over a year, and honestly, I don't think it has received the attention, nor the acclaim, that I think it should have received. I love the old school (now) synthpop bands like OMD, PSB, Depeche Mode, etc., etc., but these bands of the current wave are putting out quality music that, in my opinion, stands shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the classic synth bands. No band exemplifies this better than Black Nail Cabaret. Each of their albums has shown growth, none more so than Chrysanthemum , their most recent release. That's not to say that these newer synthpop bands are a glorified tribute to what came before. Rather, it's clear that BNC grew up listening to those bands I mentioned and were inspired to create something in that fashion, but their own way through their own influences. Honestly, I had a hard time picking between this track and "Totem and Taboo" because they're just that good. ENJOY! Chrysanthemum (Deluxe Edition) by Blac...

Full disclosure, I had actually written up a completely different entry for today, but on Monday morning my friend Peter sent me this song and a message saying, "I don’t know if you’re familiar with this band or song already, but there is so much to like about this." My response to him? "Holy shit!" I knew nothing about Ecca Vandal two days ago, but every so often you hear a song that in the first few seconds makes you go, "fuuuuuuuuuuuck." This is one of those songs, and yes, it is straight up FIRE! And don't you worry, the original post I had for today will be posted on Friday, I just had to post this track as soon as possible. ENJOY! MOLLY by Ecca Vandal