End on End

Whereas Run D.M.C.’s Raising Hell was my first album and my first music purchase, Living Colour’s Vivid was my first rock album. Released in May 1988, I was just about to turn 12 years old and was finishing my 6th grade year. I started skateboarding that year, reading Thrasher magazine, and generally expanding my horizon through many new experiences.

One of my biggest memories from the 6th grade year was skating with my friend Chris in the church parking lot near my house, boom box on the curb, and blasting Vivid and Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction as we learned how to skate.

Looking back, Living Colour was the gateway that eventually got me interested in punk and hardcore music. In fact, I’ve come to realize it’s the keystone of my interests — hip-hop, punk, hardcore, pop music, and progressive politics.

The album has become so important to me, I was overjoyed when I came across a vinyl copy at my favorite local record store, Revolver Records, a couple years back. It’s a treasured part of my collection.

With that, I think it’s time to dive in and look back at each track. Here are some highlights from my focused listens over the last few weeks:

Cult of Personality
The Living Colour song everyone alive during that era knows… the iconic music video, the driving main riff, and my oh my the lyrics. It was certainly the first political song I liked and it hit at a perfect time. My daughters are currently 12 and 13 and this is exactly the time you start learning about injustice and what the world is really like in school. My parents weren’t as outwardly political as my wife and I are, but the social studies curriculum certainly starts to open eyes at this age.

You gave me fortune, you gave me fame
You gave me power in your god’s name
I’m every person you need to be
Oh, I’m the cult of personality

Couldn’t be any more appropriate 30+ years later.

I Want to Know
A love song with a heavy pop influence. I definitely enjoyed this song in the 80s, but not so much now. Other than nostalgia, of course.

Middle Man
An ode to being OK with who you are and not chasing other people’s expectations. I can certainly appreciate this song now as an adult, but at the time I wasn’t quite sure of the message.

‘Middle Man’ came from a suicide note Corey wrote when he was a teenager. “I was maybe 16, 17 years old, and I was just fed up with everything,” he said. “I was feeling just down and depressed. When I initially started writing it, it was going to be an open letter to anybody that found me, that I was tired of being caught up in everybody’s mess. I was tired of being in the middle of things. I’m tired of being the middle man. And then in the midst of me working this out in my head, it dawned on me that this was not a bad place to be in some cases, that at least I was somewhere. It doesn’t mean that it’s the best place in the world, but it doesn’t mean it’s the worst, either. So it actually got me out of the idea that I needed to stop being. It changed my life.”
– from Genius.com

Desperate People
Another favorite of mine. The main riff is so good. Glover’s lyrics focus on, what I assume is, the drug culture of the 80s and the lengths people went to in order to fit in. Between “Just Say No” of the Reagan era and my own personal beliefs to not drink or do drugs at the time (that lasted well into my college years), I could certainly relate to this song growing up.

You get your sunshine from a tab of paper
Then you’re sittin’ in a spinning room
The clock is tocking, it’s laughing at you
Your life’s a mystery without a clue
The crowd you’re in thinks you’re so amusin’
They’re oh so flattering and so sincere
They stand and laugh as they watch you crumble
And when you cry for help they don’t hear

Open Letter (to a Landlord)
This song is on the slower side, but it’s well written and I love the political lyrics. Glover addresses gentrification, capitalism, violence, and drugs in a very personal manner. Certainly my first exposure to these subjects as a white, suburban middle class 12-year old in 1988.

Funny Vibe
More political, funk/hip-hop-inspired thrash featuring Chuck D and Flavor Flav from one of my other faves: Public Enemy.

Memories Can’t Wait (Talking Heads cover)
I had no idea this was the Talking Heads song until a few years ago! It’s certainly a Living Colour-influenced take on this classic. The Talking Heads version is very post-apocalyptic and dark, so I can see why they (as a metal band) would be drawn to this song. Their version is very good and one of my favorite tracks on the album.

Broken Hearts
A slow, plodding love song that fit the era, but seems out of place in the grand scheme of the album.

Glamour Boys
I certainly remember this video and enjoying this song in 1988. The riff in the chorus is pretty solid, but in the end it’s a song that fits the 80’s well. Beyond the nostalgia it’s hard to sync songs like Broken Hearts and Glamour Boys with the band I remember and the influence it had on me as a 12 year old.

What’s Your Favorite Color? (Theme Song)

Which Way to America?
An overtly political song on inequality and racism. Another one of my favorites from the album and one of the songs, like Cult, that epitomizes the funk-influenced metal that is Living Colour. It’s also the most metal song on the record.

I look at the T.V
Your America’s doing well  
I look out the window
My America’s catching hell
–  
I just wanna know  
Which way do I go
To get to your America?

Bonus: Should I Stay or Should I Go? (The Clash cover – CD bonus track)

I certainly wished I heard this version in 1988, if only to get me on to The Clash earlier. I did get into Big Audio Dynamite a few years later, mainly due to their song Rush, so the dots were already connecting in many ways.

—-

Living Colour is Corey Glover on vocals, Vernon Reid on guitar, Muzz Skillings on bass, and Will Calhoun on drums. Vivid reached #6 on the Billboard 200 and “Cult of Personality” won a Grammy for best hard rock performance.

• Buy Living Colour’s Vivid on Amazon
• Buy Vivid on Discogs
• Even better, hit up your local record store!

Playlist

Continuing on with my recent newsletter theme, I put together a playlist of my favorite songs from 1986 to 1988.

1. Welcome to the Jungle – Guns N’ Roses
2. Bone Machine – Pixies
3. Jane Says – Jane’s Addiction
4. Desire – U2
5. Everyday Is Like Sunday – Morrissey
6. You Are (The Government) – Bad Religion
7. Teen Age Riot – Sonic Youth
8. Orange Crush – R.E.M.
9. Waiting Room – Fugazi
10. Cult of Personality – Living Colour
11. Children’s Story- Slick Rick
12. Clean Sheets – Descendents
13. Need You Tonight – INXS
14. Never Let Me Down Again – Depeche Mode
15. Pour Some Sugar On Me – Def Leppard
16. Paul Revere – Beastie Boys
17. It’s Tricky – Run-DMC
18. You Give Love a Bad Name – Bon Jovi
19. Bigmouth Strikes Again – The Smiths
20. In a Jar – Dinosaur Jr.
21. Happy When It Rains – The Jesus and Mary Chain
22. Alex Chilton – The Replacements
23. Faith – George Michael
24. Rebel Without a Pause – Public Enemy
25. Ain’t No Half-Steppin’ – Big Daddy Kane
26. Just Like Heaven – The Cure
27. Bizarre Love Triangle – New Order
28. Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel
29. Paid in Full – Eric B. & Rakim
30. I Against I – Bad Brains
31. You Gots To Chill – EPMD
32. The Bridge Is Over – Boogie Down Productions
33. Straight Outta Compton – N.W.A.
34. One – Metallica

Follow me on Apple Music.

Totally Digging

Here are a few recent albums I’ve been listening to:

• evermore by Taylor Swift (Listen) – another one?!
• One More Day by Clearbody (Listen) – grunge influenced shoegaze
• Closer Still by Change (Listen) – year’s best hardcore record
• Inlet by Hum (Listen) – what a reunion. So good.

Musical Moving Pictures

Bartees Strange on KEXP

The Music Theory Behind Phoebe Bridgers

Hayley Williams Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

Every Time I Die – Buffalo, NY (Go Bills)

Blu & Exile – KEXP at Home

Elsewhere

• Julien Baker offered up the stems for her first single “Faith Healer” off her upcoming album Little Oblivions, to allow for remixes and reinterpretations. Pretty cool!
• How Music Persisted During the Pandemic – Pitchfork – I touched on this briefly in my write up on Phoebe Bridgers last month. Music and musicians certainly continued to make a big impact in 2020, even if it couldn’t be “live” in the traditional sense. I suspect it will be a big change that lasts well beyond the pandemic — a whole new way to reach fans.
• What Awaits Us: A Beyond Story – a documentary on the classic hardcore band Beyond. Queueing this up soon.
• The Mask of Doom – RIP MF Doom.

That wraps up the third issue! Feel free to send me feedback, questions, ideas — anything. I’d also love if you shared this newsletter with anyone you think would enjoy and encourage them to subscribe.

See you next time.

— Jason

2020 was something else, right? Beyond the pandemic and resulting economic destruction, a lot has changed — some for the better and, unfortunately, a lot took a turn for the worse, including so many needless deaths from this virus.

Small businesses, including many of the bands and musicians I love, had to re-invent themselves when they relied so heavily on in-person commerce. Curbside pickup, contactless delivery, and paid livestreams all became commonplace during this year.

As an introvert, I couldn’t help but like a lot of these changes, though one thing I can’t imagine living without is live music. I’ve been to so many concerts and seen hundreds of bands since my teenage years — the experience of seeing live music is really hard to beat. (Though as I age, standing for such long periods of time is starting to be much less enjoyable!)

One of the artists that seemed to immediately jump in to this new world was Phoebe Bridgers. In many ways it was forced, as she kicked off the promotional efforts for her new album on February 26th with her video for Garden Song — right around the time everything got really bad in Italy, New York City, and other places around the world.

Since then, Bridgers has done many livestreams, whether it’s solo on Instagram or live performances with her band on talks shows, virtual festivals, and YouTube. She certainly isn’t letting the pandemic slow down her art.

—

A couple of my favorite live performances were her appearance on the Seth Meyers show:

And her Tiny Desk Concert on NPR Music:

The thing I enjoy and envy most about Phoebe Bridgers is her honesty and transparency — how comfortable she is with herself, doing whatever she’s doing. She not only bares all through her songwriting, but in interviews too. With humor and introspection. It’s a marvel to witness.

When I started this newsletter I was a little concerned that modern albums wouldn’t impact as me as much as older music or as quickly as I’d need to include them in an edition. Luckily, artists like Phoebe Bridgers exist and Punisher is not only good enough to be my top album for 2020, but one of my all-time favorites.

Let’s dig in to some highlights.

Highlights

I was lucky enough to score the indie-exclusive version on “red and swirly” vinyl from Revolver Records in my hometown of Buffalo. The record came with this awesome, diary-like booklet that included lyrics, doodles, and drawings that accompany each song. Reading along with each song and taking in the artwork brought me back to my bedroom in college, when I poured over the inserts of my favorite hardcore records to learn every word of every song. Such a welcome addition in 2020. I wish more musicians put in as much effort.

The best part of the album are her lyrics, which compliment 2020 really well. As she told Apple Music, the theme is: “the idea of having these inner personal issues while there’s bigger turmoil in the world—like a diary about your crush during the apocalypse.”

Musically, my favorite songs are the upbeat Kyoto, which tells a story of both loving and hating something at the same time.

A less upbeat (but more upbeat than most of the songs on the album) ICU (aka I See You), which is about a relationship she had with her drummer. The feeling of being depressed, then falling in love and hoping the person can fix you. Then ultimately breaking up after developing a codependency.

And then she saves the best for last — the final song, I Know the End. The song starts out slow and meadering, then builds and builds into the final verse and releases with the glorious cacophony of the final chorus, including horns, noises, screaming… a perfect way to end a perfect album in 2020.

Over the coast, everyone’s convinced  
It’s a government drone or an alien spaceship  
Either way, we’re not alone  
I’ll find a new place to be from  
A haunted house with a picket fence  
To float around and ghost my friends  
No, I’m not afraid to disappear  
The billboard said “The End Is Near”  
I turned around, there was nothing there  
Yeah, I guess the end is here

Enough of me blabbering on about how great this record is — just go listen to it already, will you?!

My Top 20 from 2020

1. Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers
2. Saint Cloud by Waxahatchee
3. RTJ4 by Run the Jewels
4. Ultra Mono by Idles
5. Honeymoon by Beach Bunny
6. Spilligion by Spillage Village
7. folklore by Taylor Swift
8. Color Theory by Soccer Mommy
9. Hannah by Lomelda
10. Jump Rope Gazers by The Beths
11. Miles by Blu and Exile
12. Shore by Fleet Foxes
13. Melee by Dogleg
14. SUGAREGG by Bully
15. Woman in Music Pt 3 by HAIM
16. Off Off On by This Is The Kit
17. Burst by Snarls
18. Streams of Thought, Vol 3: Cane and Abel by Black Thought
19. Likewise by Frances Quinlan
20. A Written Testimony by Jay Electronica

To listen to these and more, check out my 2020 Album of the Year Finalists playlist on Apple Music. And while you are at it, check my tops songs from 2020 playlist.

What was your top album from 2020?

Musical Moving Pictures

This Is The Kit — Live on KEXP

Small Brown Bike live at Cake Shop

Slow Pulp – KEXP at Home

Elsewhere

Remember live music?

—-

Some other Best of 2020 lists to check out:

• NPR Music’s 50 Best
• Stereogum’s 50 Best
• The New York Times’ Best Of
• Consequence of Sound’s Top 50
• Revolver’s Top 25

And I’m sure there will be a 100 more by the time I hit publish.

That wraps up the second issue! Feel free to send me feedback, questions, ideas — anything. I’d also love if you shared this newsletter with anyone you think would enjoy and encourage them to subscribe.

See you in 2021.

— Jason

My First Album

As we start this newsletter journey, I felt the natural place to start was at the beginning. For me, the true joy of music, discovery, and finding my own taste started with Run-DMC’s Raising Hell.

Not only was was Raising Hell the first cassette I bought with my own (10th birthday) money – purchased at K-Mart in Lockport, NY shortly after release in 1986 – but it was the first album I listened to repeatedly, memorizing all of the lyrics. It was also the first record I bonded with friends over: my friend Alex and I would listen repeatedly in his bedroom or while playing Sega Genesis – we’d each take turns being Run or DMC, nailing our parts as we went through each song.

The love of Run-DMC evolved creatively as well – we eventually started writing our own raps as Run-PVD (as creative a name as you could expect from a 10-year old) with our friend Eric. We even performed in the hall for our 5th grade student teacher the following school year.

The discovery of Hip-Hop was universe expanding for me in many ways – especially after a childhood of exposure to classic and yacht rock via my parents. Run-DMC led me to LL Cool J’s Bigger and Deffer, the Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill, and the Fat Boys’ Crushin’. From there: Public Enemy, Slick Rick, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Erik B. & Rakim, Nas, BDP, 3rd Bass, Black Sheep, Digital Underground, the D.O.C., Geto Boys, Ice Cube, Young MC, and Digable Planets. I was hooked.

Highlights From My Focused Listen and Reflection

Tracks

1. “Peter Piper” – 3:23

Wow, that drum and cowbell combo, sampled from Take Me To The Mardi Gras by Bob James, is so iconic. The lyrics, relying so heavily on nursery rhymes and fairy tales, made for a relatable introduction (for a 10-year old, at least) to the album.

2. “It’s Tricky” – 3:03

We are not thugs (we don’t use drugs) 
but you assume (on your own) 
They offer coke (and lots of dope) 
but we just leave it alone It’s like that y’all (y’all), 
but we don’t quit 
You keep on (rock!) shock! cause this is it…

As a ten year old, drugs and alcohol weren’t really a thing yet, but these lyrics did influence me as a young person. I didn’t drink alcohol until I was 21 and I’ve (still) never done drugs. Hardcore music and straight edge helped me get through the teenage years, but hearing this early on definitely had an impact.

Easily identifiable samples: Mickey by Toni Basil and My Sharona by The Knack.

3. “My Adidas” – 2:47

One of my favorites. This song definitely sparked my desire for Adidas in elementary school. For the record, I had black with white stripes.

Got a pair that I wear when I’m playin ball 
With the heel inside, make me 10 feet tall

4. “Walk This Way” – 5:09

Given my childhood to date, I was obviously familiar with Aerosmith, so this song was a weird mix of familiarity and something so new.

The Walk this Way video sums up my relationship with music and Run-DMC as a whole for me at that point in time: my parents were obviously Aerosmith playing their music loud and I was rebelling against it, experimenting with my own tastes, and putting my own spin on things. Such a good video.

5. “Is It Live” – 3:07

6. “Perfection” – 2:52

7. “Hit It Run” – 3:10

Now how devastating can an MC be? 
My name is Darryl, but you can call me D 
Hit it Run!

One of the hardest/toughest songs on the album. Run kicks it with some fast, aggressive beat boxing, while DMC’s rhymes don’t hold anything back… it’s certainly a precursor for modern day Hip-Hop music.

8. “Raising Hell” – 5:32

The title track continues the momentum started on Hit it Run — this time with an awesome metal-influenced guitar riff. Had Walk this Way not been a single, this track would have gotten way more attention.

The lyrics to start the track were some of my favorites:

Kings from Queens from Queens come Kings 
We’re raisin hell like a class when the lunchbell rings 
The king will be praised, and hell will be raised 
S-s-s-suckers try to faze him but D won’t be fazed 
So what’s your name? 
D.M.C.! 
The King is me! 
Your High-ness, or His Majesty! 
Now you can debate, you c-c-c-concentrate 
But you can’t imitate D.M.C. the Great!

9. “You Be Illin’” – 3:26

Man, this song! I vividly remember doing this song with Alex in his dining room area. Such fun, corny lyrics… how can you not enjoy this song?

(To)day you won a ticket to see Doctor J 
Front row seat (in free!) no pay 
Radio in hand, snacks by feet 
Game’s about to start, you kickin’ popcorn to the beat 
You finally wake up, Doc’s gone to town 
Round his back, through the hoop, then you scream “Touchdown!” 
You be illin’

10. “Dumb Girl” – 3:31

11. “Son of Byford” – 0:27

12. “Proud to Be Black” – 3:15

Lyrics and other goodies from Genius.com

Listen to Raising Hell on Apple Music:

Open in Apple Music

Listen to Raising Hell on Spotify:

Buy the Vinyl

Support your local record shop! But if not, here are a few online options:

• Raising Hell On Discogs
• On eBay
• On Amazon

What was your first record, cassette, or CD?

My November Playlist

I love this idea from Merlin Mann and Do By Friday: the “Follow Your Nose” playlist…

1. Pick a song you love and start a playlist
2. Go to the artist’s page and view the Related Artists/Fans Also Like section – then pick a group you aren’t familiar with…
3. Go to their page and start listening to their top songs & add one you like to your playlist.
4. Repeat 2 and 3 from that artist page, building out your playlist until you are bored or hit an artist where you can’t do #2.

Almost like a choose your own music musical adventure. So much fun!

Here’s my first attempt in Apple Music.

November, without a blush

1. Without a Blush by Hatchie
2. Lucky Girl by Fazerdaze
3. Show Me How by Men I Trust
4. Persephone by Yumi Zouma
5. Shadow by Wild Nothing
6. Nausea by Craft Spells
7. Dreaming by Seapony
8. Please Be My Third Eye by La Sera
9. Found Love in a Graveyard by Veronica Falls
10. Capricornia by Allo Darlin’

Feel free to follow me on Apple Music. I’d love to see and listen to your playlists!

My Favorite Recent Releases

Short Songs for End Times by The Casket Lottery (Listen)

Their first album since 2012. I vaguely remember seeing this band when we lived in Seattle in the early 2000s, though I wasn’t ever a super fan. This release however, was exactly what I needed at the moment it game out. Their sound is a good mix of post-hardcore and emo — think the almgamation of The Get Up Kids, Sparta, Thrice, Snapcase, and Grade. I only wish more of the bands I loved in the 90s and early 2000s released new, better recorded material like The Casket Lottery.

Side note: I rediscovered the band Small Brown Bike while listening to this, so that’s a bonus. They’ve been on rotation ever since. Check out The River Bedand Dead Reckoning.

Collapsed in Sunbeams by Arlo Parks (Listen)

Not officially out until 2021, but based on the collection of singles that have been released, I’d guess this album will be on many “Best of 2021” lists. Part bedroom indie pop, part R&B… all super talented songwriter.

Closer Than They Appear by Lyric Jones (Listen)

I love smooth jazzy beats and loops — classic hip hop. Lyric Jones delivers that and more on one of my favorite hip hop releases from 2020.

Hopefully you enjoyed the first issue! Feel free to send me feedback, questions, ideas — anything. I’d also love if you shared this newsletter with anyone you think would enjoy and encourage them to subscribe.

Until next month! (I’ll be tackling my “Best of 2020” picks next issue.)