What I've been listening to this week

The Vaselines - Enter the Vaselines
Remember when you were in like, 10th grade and Kurt Cobain told you to like the Vaselines, so you went out and bought The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete History on cassette? Then your band covered “Molly’s Lips” for Battle of the Bands and you got your ass kicked after the show for playing such “faggy music” by that kid with “Pantera Rules” scrawled on his book bag in Sharpie? Oh, high school – the best years of your life. Hearing this reissue made me wonder for a second why I ever bothered to listen to anything else post my introduction to the Vaselines. The bonus demo and live material (an even more complete history!) is fun, if a little rough, but so what? You like Wavves.

The Thermals - Now We Can See
Sure summer is bypassing Michigan right now, but I’ve still been craving good summer music. This record is doing the trick. I figured, “Okay, they’ve got four records out now and people seem to love them, I guess it’s time to give the Thermals a chance.” Though “I Called Out Your Name” sounds an awful lot like “Jeane” by the Smiths. But I don’t have a problem with that – it’s a totally underrated Smiths song.




Japandroids - Post-Nothing
Post-Nothing comes just in the nick of time. With the break-up of Oxford Collapse, Japandroids will now be my go-to band for super fun, loud indie-boy rock. Unless I’m in the car with my girlfriend where there is currently an “anything but Japandroids” rule. I can’t be the only person who thinks that “I Quit Girls” sounds suspiciously like "Mayonaise" by the Smashing Pumpkins. Because it totally does. That was always my favorite track on Siamese Dream though, so acceptable.




Olden days record bonus!

Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul
It is hard to separate Mr. Hayes from Southpark and Scientology, but in 1969 he released Hot Buttered Soul, and it really is the high point of his legacy. There’s no “Chocolate Salty Balls,” but his take on Burt Bacharach’s “Walk On By” is one of the most amazing songs ever. It’s one of those perfect tracks that totally doesn’t feel as long as it is – and it clocks in at about 12 minutes. The rest of the album is great, but "Walk On By” alone makes it a must have.