The Siddeleys, “Slum Clearance” (Clarendon Matinée, 2001; original recordings 1985-87)The Siddeleys were part of the mid-to-late ‘80s “C86” scene that pioneered Brit indie-pop. Their sound was strummy and redolent of the ‘60s, girl-group/Brit Invasion retro-roots drawn on by their peers, but choppier, more angular and post-punky. Picture a cross between Heavenly and the Fall, but […]
Side By Side, “You’re Only Young Once” (Revelation, 1988)Late ‘80s NY/CT straight-edge hardcore, leaning more to the street-fighting end of the spectrum. These guys rock hard and heavy, with a loose but precisely pummeling rhythm section driving a gut-punchingly thick, serrated guitar-roar. Songs are anthemic as hell, too.Try A/1, A/2, A/37/29/14
Siege, “Drop Dead” (Deep Six, 2008; original recording 1984)In early ‘80s Boston, Siege were almost so far ahead of their time they didn’t quite know what to do with themselves. Taking hardcore the next step beyond Void and Negative FX, they generated an evil-sounding light-speed blur that anticipated grindcore and power violence, sometimes still structured […]
Vera Sienra, “Nuestra Soledad Nera” (Lion Productions 2013; original releases 1969, 1972)Psychedelic-inflected Latin/European-style folk from this Uruguayan singer. Really stark, affecting, beautiful stuff, especially the first album. The somber mood and sense of distance/dislocation recall Nico, while the luminous minimalist intensity anticipates Angel Olson.Try 1, 5, 6, 10. 16.4/19/13
Silver Jews, “Early Times” (Drag City, 2012; original release 1990-91)First e.p. and album from this band are a very cracked, lo-fi and intriguing affair, with memorable melodies lurking across the dust-caked glass. Mid-tempo pummel reminiscent of a looser, Neil Young-inflected Pavement, but the song structures here actually anticipate Pavement’s later work (influenced it?), rather than […]
Nancy Sinatra, “Sugar” (Reprise, 196 )A somewhat atypical outing for Nancy, hilariously campy takes on vaudeville classics, so blankly pop-cute they’re almost like audio versions of Lichtenstein comic-strip-panel canvasses. And then the country-pop title tune, a perfect little minimalist mystery-dance.Try 1/ 1, 1/ 4 2/ 57/6/18
Siouxsie and the Banshees, “A Kiss In The Dreamhouse” (Geffen, 1982)The last great Siouxsie and the Banshees album, and their most swooningly dense, ornate and romantic ever, the postpunk guitar-chimes and tribal, driving beats blossoming and unfolding into towering, brilliant forests of sound.Try A/1,A/24/30/12
Sleeper, “Smart” (Arista, 1994). Like their contemporaries Elastica, this group played loud-guitar Britpop w/a debt to Blondie and Elvis Costello, but they better grasped the subtlety of those artists’ approach to songwriting, and rocked harder, too. Try 1, 5, 13.11/12/12
Roach Motel, “It’s LonelyAt The Top” (Florida’s Dead, 2011; original recordings 1982-84)Early band from future NYC punk scene godfather George Tubb. These guys were like a missing link between Queers-style garage-punk and hardcore. Ultra-snotty, slamming attack with catchy songs. Florida’s Dying collected these early-‘80s recordings in what looks like could be the first of a […]
The Roches, “The Roches” (Warner Bros., 1977)Vocal group of sisters from New Jersey, minimally accompanied on naïve strum-pop songs of almost K-like starkness and charm, contrast for their lush, overpowering three-part harmonies that wail through your soul and linger for a long while afterward.Try 1/ 2,, 2/11/12/11