Dow Jones And The Industrialists, “Can’t Stand the Midwest” (Family Vineyard, 2016; original recordings 1979-1981)These guys got together in college, at Purdue, in East Lafayette, Ind., and this is absolutely classic Midwest avant-garage rock and roll, as catchy, driving and hard-edged as Cheap Trick but with an Ubu-esque command of weird post-industrial discord-effects and a […]
Dressy Bessy, “Little Music: Singles 1997-2002” (Kindercore, 2003)Collection of early singles from this much-loved indie-pop combo. These songs find their ultra-melodic bazooka-buzz-guitar-and-backbeat sound at its most pure, as bright and stark as an empty swing-set on a spring morning.Try 2, 4, 65/12/11
Drugs Dragons, “Drugs Dragons” (Dusty Medical, 2010)Garage punk with twisted song structures and a heavy, dynamic sound, reminiscent of Stooges/MC’s/etc. Good stuff, and a great band name. Try A/1, A/3, B/2, B/4, B/61/29/12
Drunk Tank, “Drunk Tank” (Radial/Matador, 1992)Noise-rock from NYC via Chicago. Rooted equally in Gang of Four, Birthday Party and Motorhead, with metal-shard guitar and a rumblingly polyrhythmic bass/drums axis, this is an excellent racket, like a rhinoceros stuck in a giant washing machine.Try 1/1, 2/1, 2/2, 2/3.4/19/13
Dum Dum Girls, “He Gets Me High” (Sub Pop, 2011)This band/person stands out among the post-garage indie crowd for her distinctive blend of cold, chrome-sheened precision (almost akin to synth-pop) and rough-cut rock-and-roll passion, as well as her sharp songwriting. A/2 represents a further advance in melodic/textural complexity, but B/2 is the real killer – […]
Dum Dum Girls, “Only In Dreams” (SubPop, 2011)I’m told the Dum Dum Girls’ flavor-of-the-month status has well and truly worn off by now, but that’s actually good news, because it gives us the chance to approach this as “mere” music, and it turns out to be great music this time. The charming but skeletal attack […]
Dunes, “Noctiluca” (Post Present Medium, 2012)First heard these guys & gal on a fine 7” somebody compared to Best Coast, and this is in the same jangle/fuzz indie-guitar-pop universe, but with a strong Anglo/post-punk vibe that’s lush yet angular. Imagine if Bethany Cosentino had fallen in love with Robert Smith instead of Brian Wilson.Try 1, […]
Bob Dylan, “Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid” (Columbia, 1973) Soundtrack with a lot of mythic/atmospheric slow sunset strumming, which I quite like, and of course one of the guy’s Major Anthems, if you demand that from him. Try 1/ 1, 2/ 2 7/11/18
Bob Dylan, “Knocked Out Loaded” (Columbia, 1986) Dylan’s ‘80s stuff is often reviled for reasons that I actually find exciting—he was kind of lost, trying to find his way in a mainstream rock scene full of synths, spandex and shoulder-pads, and so there’s a loose, anything-goes desperation to the rootsy L.A.-studio-cat rock stylings here, a […]
Eastlink, “Eastlink” (In The Red, 2014)Lots of interesting stuff coming out of Australia lately, and these guys are particularly out there. One pole here is rumbling, scrambled, uproarious fuzz-punk; the other is arcing, oceanic psych-guitar-drone that’s oddly moving. And there’s lots in between.Try 1, 37/15/14