Artists starting with G

Heartbreak Pass

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Giant Sand, “Heartbreak Pass” (New West, 2015)
From his base in Tucson, for 30 years Howe Gelb has been making fine records that have steadily developed his signature style – dusty, off-kilter, cubist roots-rock, a sparse desert soundscape dotted with tangles of noise and vistas of acoustic beauty – while retaining a core of consistency and integrity of sound. This one is a little gentler on the whole, but the bottom line is, it’s another Giant Sand record, and that’s a great thing indeed.
Try 2, 7, 8, 15
6/1/15

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I Can Always Live

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Get Rad, “I Can Always Live” (Hyperrealist, 2010)
Current HC from Wisconsin, clean, fast and hard. Something sets these guys above and apart from the crowd, maybe a sort of snottiness that keeps things swinging and snappy. Great cover art as well.
Try 2, 8, 10
4/4/11

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Live At The Starwood, December 3, 1980

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Germs, “Live At The Starwood, December 3, 1980” (Rhino Handmade, 2010)
The Germs are among the occupants of the very pinnacle of American punk rock, and this recording – their last show, released in full at last after years of bits and pieces appearing on bootlegs and comps – is perhaps the greatest live recording of any punk band, period. The band is desperate, iron-fisted, alternately wild and violently precise, racing to the limits of their sound and almost beyond music. Darby sings like he knew he’d be dead within the week, which he was.
Picks: 3, 7, 11, 18, 19, 21
4/4/11

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Germicide

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Germs, “Germicide” (ROIR, 1981 [?]; original recording 1977)
“OH WOW, BIG PUSSY!!” That and other witticisms are to be found on the between-song banter on this, the first recording of the Germs, live and completely incompetent. This is the most primal punk rock ever, sludge-chunks of sound skanking across the floor with an every-instrument-doing-something-unrelated-to-the-others panache rivaled only by the Shaggs. Pictures the Stooges trying to navigate the LaBrea tar-pits wearing shat-in-pants and you’re starting to get the picture.
Try 1, 3, 8
7/29/13

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Schizophonic

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Geri Halliwell, “Schizophonic” (Capitol, 1999)
I love the Spice Girls. Now that that’s out of the way “Ginger”’s debut is just a flat-out great dance-pop record, period, with the stylistic and autobiographical range of a first0rate singer-songwriter effort as well. Befitting the angel/devil motif of the cover, the softer stuff is beatifically fluffy, the club-bangers strut with lip-smacking panache, and the whole thing testifies breathlessly to a thrillingly well-travelled life, equally well-recollected.
Try 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10

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Generation X

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Generation X, “Generation X” (Chrysalis UK CD, 1987; original release 1977)
Billy Idol’s first band was a class-of-’77 punk outfit that steered clear of the weightier socio-political confrontations of some of their peers, but were every bit as snotty and disaffected in their own way, and rocked like a hurricane, too, with uber-catchy songs and storms of snare and guitar-blare delivered at manic velocity.
Try 1, 2, 4
10/11/11

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Die Alone

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Gazebos, “Die Alone” (Hardly Art, 2016)
Current group that has an intriguing resemblance to the U.S. postpunk/new-wave sounds of the early ‘80s that never quite achieved canonical status. Quirky, staccato minimalism filtered through a warm offhanded bar-band/power-pop chug. Nice stuff.
Try 2, 3, 6
11/10/16

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Live 1994

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Gate, “Live 1994” (Poon Village, 1994)
Monolithic drone/improv guitar duel with Dead C.’s Michael Morley and Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo. 1 is a long one, Morley’s trademark foghorn-emissions of midrange grime enlivened by Ranaldo’s signature chimes and echoes. 2 though 7 add electric harpist Zeena Parkins for extra chaos/ecstasy.
Try any.
8/23/12

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U. S. Bonds, The Best Of

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Gary, “U. S. Bonds, The Best Of” (MCA, 1984; original recoding 1960-62)
Great early-‘60s rocker, combining explosive Brill-Building pop with New Orleans stomp-and-roll. Produced to sound hazy and crazy, like you can’t tell if it’s a riot, a party, or both.
Try A/5, B/1
4/4/11

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Not Your Kind of People

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Garbage, “Not Your Kind of People” (Stunvolume, 2012)
First new one from the ‘90s prime fusioneers of vanguard dance music, shimmering pop and razor-edged rock and roll (since ’01), and it’s quite good. Part of the fun of their ‘90s stuff was how au courant it was, and inevitably the passage of time has left them a step or two behind, but their almost inhuman discipline ensures that lots of this hits exactly like they want it.
Try 2, 7
7/29/12

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