A Bunch of Fives (New Challenge Thread)

[Flex]

In before new batch! My take on Heston's picks:

Dobie Gray - Out On the Floor
Love me some Northern Soul and this is great. The vocalist reminds me a little of The Drifters (think Up On The Roof or something) but with a bit more punch in the backing vocals, love it. Also, the name reminds me of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, really make you think. 9/10

Gruff Rhys - Own Your Loneliness
I like the way this sort of pumps along but it's all a bit limp. I get what he's trying to do here but it kind of lacks the sunshine of a lot of that dreamy 60s pop and doesn't really have any teeth either. Not bad but instantly forgettable, sadly. 4/10

Los Shakers - Break It All
Now we're cooking. This shit is my jam, gimme that international spin on rock and roll. Break it All, indeed. These guys are tight and it almost sounds like a lost Beatles single, but then you listen to the accent... 7.5/10

Ron Sexsmith - Radio
Sorry, I've long hated Ron Sexsmith's voice. He sounds like he should be singing for Coldplay, which I absolutely do not mean as a compliment. Impossible for the rest of the song to redeem itself. 1/10

Giuda - Fat Boy Boogle
Now we're fuckin' cooking again. I think you're the only who turned me onto Giuda, at least more seriously than the song or two that I knew. I'll lap up pretty much anything they do, THIS is just good as fuck rock and roll. 10/10

LMAO, I'd expect nothing less than a Heston top 5 to be highly polarizing to my tastes, mission accomplished. What shines really shines, tho. Fun picks.

[Silent Majority]

Coming On Strong - Brenda Lee. This one's probably best known for being mentioned in Radar Love, but it's a song with the most perfect arrangement. The single to beat.


Punk Special - Underground Heroes. Young fellas finding their way round a good groove and the endless energy of adolescent love, everything fresh and vital with no care if it's been done before.


Baghdad - Flo Perlin. An achingly pretty, bittersweet tune that's got a nagging depth.


Here's The Thing - Sports Team. Top shelf indie on the post punk edge, great sarcastic lyrics.


Hate It When You Leave - Keith Richards. A pretty damn famous artist for this exercise, and I know not to everyone's taste but this forgotten album track is the great lost soul song of the last thirty years. Beautiful, I'm obsessed with it at the moment.

[Marky Dread]

Maj up next according to Rev's order on page one.

He still needs to review both yours and my picks.

[Silent Majority]

Maj up next according to Rev's order on page one.

He still needs to review both yours and my picks.

I got a note from a Dr. excusing me from homework.

[revbob]

Maj up next according to Rev's order on page one.

He still needs to review both yours and my picks.

I got a note from a Dr. excusing me from homework.

Also James and I go to the same doctor.

[Marky Dread]

Maj up next according to Rev's order on page one.

He still needs to review both yours and my picks.

I got a note from a Dr. excusing me from homework.

Also James and I go to the same doctor.

Well this doctor says make a better effort slackers!

[Dr. Medulla]

Brenda Lee, “Coming On Strong”
So, so toe tapping. Some have argued that this period was rock n roll’s conservative wilderness, when the working class and African American performers were sidelined in favour of safe, white middle class sounds. And there is certainly something to that. But it ignores how this was the golden era for women—no longer fans screaming at Elvis, but on stage. And as much as we love the Beatles and all that, when they came on the scene, women were once again mostly sent to the auditorium seats. So there is something very forward about music that is, to be fair, much tamer than the RNR that immediately preceded it.

Underground Heroes, “Punk Special”
Could have been unearthed from 1978. Maybe you could knock it for that, but why complain about a band that sounds like a snarly early Clash? Better than wanting to sound like Genesis. *defiant spit*

Flo Perlin, “Baghdad”
I listened to this sober and in the middle of the day, so it’s basically pleasant. In the evening, with a few glasses of wine, I might be weepy and embracing this. Some music is like that.

Sports Team, “Here’s the Thing”
The delivery is too at ya, too listen to me and my inflections, like satire of a corny lounge singer. It reminds me too much of Barenaked Assheads with their contrived wackiness. It makes me grouchy.

Keith Richards, “Hate It When You Leave”
Nope, not for me. At all. Bland voice and just flat music for my tastes. And now I will go into hiding as muppet is burning with fury at my blasphemy.

[revbob]

Coming On Strong - Brenda Lee.
It's a good song but not really grabbing me but that's on me. 6/10

Punk Special - Underground Heroes. - The tune to this is absolutely fantastic but Im much less enthusiastic about the vocals.
Tune 10/10, vocals 5/10.

Baghdad - Flo Perlin. Not my bag, maybe it really requires multiple listens on my part. Im not giving this a number because I dont feel I can fairly do it.

Here's The Thing - Sports Team. I wasn't really following the lyrics initially because I was too caught up on the vocal delivery. After I got past that I was able to fully enjoy the song. 7/10

Hate It When You Leave - Keith Richards. - So I pretty much think Keith Richards is an asshole. That said the song while not really my thing was surprisingly better than I expected. Not something I would choose to listen to but might not rush to change the station if it came on the radio. 5/10

Great variety here James, and a few artists worth looking into further.

Im going to try and work my way back and holy shit I think I go next week.

[matedog]

Fun batch of new to me from Flex.

1. Lesibu Grand - Hot Glue Gun - I thought from her aesthetic it was going to be some edgy synth pop. This is cool though. Lots of energy, attitude, and some nice dissonance. I gotta dig into her a bit more. 7/10

2. Viagra Boys - Ain't Nice - This is almost an industrial tune with a lot of swagger. Surprisingly hooky in spite of the grime. 7/10.

3. Bad Cop/Bad Cop - Nightmare - This one is peppier than the other ones and a lot of fun. Very cool 60s influence with a solid punk edge. 8/10.

4. Jaya the Cat - Closing Time
Interesting juxtoposition between the gruffness of the singer's voice and the softer backing/acoustic guitars. This kinda sounds like if Fucked Up covered Island in the Sun. This sounds like a lot of things I've heard before but not combined in the same way. 7/10.

5. Bad Waitress - Let's Get Fucked Up!
Dirty, raucous, and fun. The rockabilly guitar licks are a fun touch. All in under 90 seconds. I'm not in love with it, but I definitely like it. 7/10.

[oliver]

Brenda Lee
Objectively well written, played, and sung but doesn't hold my attention the way it should. That's probably because I didn't grow up listening to Brenda and this seems to be a big component of anything I love that came out prior to the mid-80s

Underground Heroes
Took me a while to get over the vocals and I wasn't sure I could but I did and I'm glad I did. I like the main riff a lot too. They sound like they're influenced by The Libertines without being a rip-off. I dread to think what the singers vocal cords are like after a gig.

Flo Perlin
I think this suffers from it being a personal experience for her that I don't connect with so to really 'get' it I have to interpret the lyrics into a personal experience for me. I'm sure that's a 'me' problem though because if it was sung in a foreign language I wouldn't have that issue. Musically, it sounds like the theme to a gentle TV comedy like 'Camping' or 'Detectorists' and that's always something I like.

Sports Team
Another one where I had trouble with the vocals but this time I couldn't quite get over them. Annoyingly, I like the music and lyrics though. I'd love to hear it with a singer who was a little less 'exuberant.'

Keith Richards
Forgive me, but I don't really like any RS albums. I love the big singles (who doesn't?) and I've tried the albums that people rave about but they don't really do it for me. I wasn't expecting too much from this but I'm happy to say I'm wrong. Really liked it from start to finish and it didn't outstay it's welcome despite the repetition. I would never have pegged this as Keith Richards.

[gkbill]

Hello,

Brenda Lee - I am trademarking the acronym NFM - Not For Me. It's appropriate here. She's fine and the music is strong, but...

Underground Heroes - I like this for the most part as it's punk without the stereotypical 1-2-3-4 rush. The singer could take a less forced tone - a bit of over-acting. I like these guys, though.

Flo Perlin - A lot of my comments for Brenda Lee could fit here but I get a bit of pretentiousness from the vocals. I don't rate it as strong as Brenda Lee - although it's not for me (that should be a lyric somewhere).

Team Sports - I like these guys and have some of their stuff. They remind me of Art Brut (including the vocalist). Good rock and roll.

Keith Richards - I like most of Keith's songs better than Stones songs. His strength is greasy rock and roll (e.g., Little T 'n' A) and this isn't his strength. It's heartfelt and his intentions and sincerity are good, but it's not his strength.

Thanks! I'm familiar with some of these acts and will probably check out Underground Heroes for more.

[revbob]

My turn tomorrow... i need to go a few reviews yet. Yours is in Marky.

TV Smith - Immortal Rich
TVS really writes some biting lyrics. I love the passion that he continues to have so many years later. Great song 8/10

Eddie Floyd - Big Bird
Not familiar with the Jam cover, nor this artist but I LOVE this song. Those driving horns and strong vocals, I could listen to stuff like this all day long. 10/10

David Rovics - The Draft Is Coming
What ever happened to Dave? An excellent firebrand folkie. Dave used to play around here a fair amount back in the day.
Reminds me a bit of Casey Neil's old stuff, maybe because I was exposed to both at the same time.
7/10

Richard Thompson - Dad's Gonna Kill Me
Great fucking song. He's supposed to be coming to town I should go. 10/10

Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band - Apache
Ive heard this before but never knew the band. Great music, again love the horns. 8/10

Great selections Marky. If you said you picked these 5 specifically for me Id believe it.

[revbob]

Here it is the International 5 version. I went thru a time where I was exploring non-english speaking punk.

Slime - Stortebeker
I used to trade tapes back in the day. Anyone remember usenet? I traded tapes with a dude from Germany who I met over usenet. The first tape he sent started with this song, it kicks ass. Worth a read: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_St%C3%B6rtebeker




Paranoid Visions - An Bhfuil Tu Sasta
Ok I had them in my first 5. This is another cool song sung in Irish Gaelic, I believe the first punk song sung in Irish. the title translates to Are You Satisfied.


Anhrefn - Crafwr
They were sometimes called the Welsh Clash. Great band, great energy.


Oi Polloi - Ar Ceòl's Ar Cànan
Oi Polloi started doing songs in Scots Gaelic a few years back. A good band that doesn't seem to get enough recognition
Translates to Our music is our language according to my friend.


Les Partisan - Radio Rebelle
Another band I was introduced to via tape trading many years ago. Having Quebec to the north Ive been exposed to some Quebecois "rock music" that is pretty universally horrible. These guys are from France proper though and are quite good.

[matedog]

TV Smith - Immortal Rich
NIce uptempo rocker. Not crazy about the vocalist, though his delivery is good. Some good lead guitar licks. 7/10.

Eddie Floyd - Big Bird
This is a behemoth. The horns are just fucking immense. I'm not familiar with The Jam version, but I can't imagine it comparing to this. Love the chorus of the pounding drums and vocals and then the rest of the band comes in. Lots of cool arrangement tricks, this is just stellar. Easy 10/10

David Rovics - The Draft Is Coming
Not a style I'm too into, so I'm not going to rate. Seems like a timely choice, so I appreciate that. Looks like this dude has some questionable associations though.

Richard Thompson - Dad's Gonna Kill Me
I like the arrangement, not as crazy about the vocal. It's good, but doesn't move me too much. 6/10.

Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band - Apache
I'm just learning the long history of this song. I was familiar with the Sugarhill Version and I know the samples from that Grandmaster Flash song and I swear something from Paul's Boutique, but I can't put my finger on it. Another classic and good to better understand Shadows-Incredible Bongo Band- various hip hop songs. 10/10

[Marky Dread]

Coming On Strong - Brenda Lee.
Obviously I know this one well. And it's a quality tune. Can't be faulted for me. 10/10


Punk Special - Underground Heroes.
Not bad and always great to hear young bands just doing it with a care free attitude. 7/10

Baghdad - Flo Perlin.
Didn't quite grab me this one. Maybe it's just not my bag dad. C'mon now what did you expect. 5/10

Here's The Thing - Sports Team.
Really solid good fun this. This kind of sarcasm always works for me. Great little track. 8/19

Hate It When You Leave - Keith Richards.
This is one of those great tracks that just seems to come out of nowhere. I think this guy might have a big future. Seriously solid track from Keith. 9/10

Now go review mine you slacker.