We start today with the countdown to my list of favorite albums in 2016. Today we cover positions 35-14. It doesn’t mean that these any worse than the ones we will put in top 13, it’s just a matter of personal taste. This year was not an easy one, but it brought us some records that will stay with us for many years I think. In this bottom end of the list you will find two bands that did really well in our list last year, with their new albums (Datura4 and Faux Killas). Some of the old friends returned (Ray Mason, Descendents, Westerberg, Jonathan Richman, Javier Escovedo and Apache) and there are a few records from what used to be Yugoslavia (Bernays Propaganda, Thee Melomen, Erotic Biljan). Plus a healthy dose of new bands. It all makes a good playlist! Come back in 7 days to find out what’s in top 13!
Medicine Boy – You’re an Animal Now;
Datura4 – Mary Caroll Park;
Bernays Propaganda – Lazi me, lazi me;
Thee Melomen – Criminals;
Ray Mason – I Gave Up Giving Up Drinking;
Descendents – Feel This;
Don’t – Fever Dreams;
Radkey – Le Song;
Purling Hiss – Fever;
Faz Waltz – Dynamite Sam;
Flesh Panthers – Let It Die;
Scarcity Of Tanks – Into Your Activities;
The I Don’t Cares – Dance To The Fight;
Javier Escovedo – Bad And Good;
Seger Liberation Army – Chain Smokin’;
Erotic Biljan And His Heretics – Wham Bam;
Faux Killas – Laura’s Song;
Apache – Hey Medusa;
Zig Zags – No Brains No Balls;
Dan Stuart – The Whores Above;
Jonathan Richman – Outside O’ Duffy’s;
Meet Your Death – Tracking The Dog.
We start off today with the new Swedish quartet Honeymoon Disease with a cool, denim-clad, straightforward rock’n’roll sound. Javier Escovedo, of Zeros and True Believers, brother of Alejandro has a new record as well. We introduce King Mud, a duet from from Fort Wayne, IN. Legendary Dan Stuart is back with a new band and a follow up to his great album Deliverance of Marlowe Billings hecho en Mexico. Our Italian friends Cheap Wine, who never shied away from naming Green On Red as their biggest influence are back with their second live album that contains longer, improvisational pieces. And in the end, we say goodbye to the rock’n’roll legend Giorgio Gomelsky who passed away in January. He helped the career of Yardbirds when we worked as their manager and producer over in the swinging 60s London.
A ton of new things today. A lot of it comes from advanced downloads that artists made to promote their upcoming records, so search, stream and download. Amy LaVere and John Paul Keith have a new duet together called Motel Mirrors. Howe Gelb has a new tune that he recorded together with Will Oldham. City of Cool from Australia also have a new tune and so does Eamon McGrath. His new song Exile is meant to announce a three part series of eps that will eventually comprise his future LP. R. Stevie Moore has a new hilarious song as a support for Pussy Riot and he has a reissue of his 1978 record called Delicate Tensions. Alejandro and Javier Escovedo together with Jon Dee Graham reunited into True Believers and prepared a newly recorded song as an advance for their future new record. Talking about reissues, The Replacements are back together and I saw that over in Toronto. They sounded great and we have three songs bootlegged at the reunion show today. Two new exciting records are also out Bras by Bad Sports and Nobody Realizes This Is Nowhere by Terry Malts. And Dirtbombs! Two new records, one with brand new records done in bubblegum rock style and the other – a compilation of B sides and singles.
Today we say goodbye to the rock’n’roll pioneer Bobby Charles who died on January 14. Bobby Charles is one of those authors that kick-started the entire rock’n’roll, the way we know it today. After Bill Haley with his Comets recorded Bobby’s See You Later Alligator rock’n’roll ghost was out of the bottle forever. In 1972, Bobby Charles resurfaced and recorded a masterpiece record with Rick Danko and The Band. Songs that Bobby wrote will stay forever. This show is dedicated to him. We also presented some new records here at The Little Lighthouse. Miro Kusacic of Messerschmitt is back with a new band Junkers 5, fronted by the new name on the scene – Elizabeta Petric. Sarah Borges covered Clive Gregson’s Yesterday’s Love and Javier Escovedo had a really great new record in 2008, but for some reason, it fell through the cracks and I only got a chance to hear it now. It’s called City Lights and it’s truly exceptional.