Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

Anteater · 05-31-2020, 12:55 PM

Trevor Something - Procreation (2016) [Hip-Hop/Ambient/Synthwave]

Just as The Residents managed to keep their identities secret for decades as they produced fantastic music, the Florida-based genre hopping phenom known as Trevor Something is also somebody we know practically nothing about despite his growing prolificality over the last decade. All we know is he's talented at dipping his icy, digitized fingers into everything from vaporwave to post-punk and you can never expect the same thing twice from project to project.

'Procreation' is the opening cut from 2016's Soulless Computer Boy And The Eternal Render, and as a love song it is simultaneously catchy and somewhat disturbing...as all good synth-pop tends to be. The fluttering keys add an extra dimension of forlorn isolation that sweetens the deal.

Anteater · 06-01-2020, 03:29 PM

Boom Boom Satellites - What Goes Round Comes Around (2007) [Electropop/Rock]

One of the better electronic acts to come out of Japan over the last few decades, Boom Boom Satellites were made up of guitarist / vocalist Michiyuki Kawashima and bassist / programmer Masayuki Nakano, effectively jumping from industrial, EDM and ambient into more pop oriented work as they shifted from the 90's to the 00's. This particular track is a good example of their more commercial bent, featuring Kawashima's distinctive processed vocal style and Nakano's knack for good hooks.

Unfortunately (and I didn't know this until recently) Kawashima died from cancer in 2016. R.I.P.

Anteater · 06-02-2020, 04:34 PM

Dan Fogelberg - Empty Cages (1981) [Westcoast / Country Rock]

Fogelberg is an interesting contradiction within soft rock canon. On one hand, he's done some massive squishy hits your mom probably loves. On the other hand, he comes up with baddass songs like this one that explore themes of death with a biting blend of cynicism and heartfelt sentiment in equal measure. The man is a goddamn champion.

Quote:

Fury rages through your restless days
Shades of time that's gone before
Empty cages where the prisoner plays
'Til the door swings closed behind for evermore
Evermore
Evermore

Anteater · 06-03-2020, 04:56 PM

Hawkwind - Images (1990) [Space Rock]

I'm likely not alone in thinking Hawkwind are fairly underrated, but I'm particularly fond of their album Space Bandits, which came out at the dawn of the 90's and marked the debut of frontwoman Bridget Wishart. She brings a different, altogether more experimental and acidic character to the band's blend of prog, post-punk and metal, as shown in the propulsive opening suite Images here. It features spazzed out, free-jazz styled violin soloing courtesy of Simon House...and somehow it works in the context of the song. Marvelous.

Anteater · 06-04-2020, 04:59 PM

Cowboy Junkies - Crossroads (1986) [Blues / Country / Jazz]

One of my favorite indie bands to come out of Canada, these guys managed to create a pretty neat sound combining early alternative rock, country, blues and at times jazz into a neat concoction that swaggers like classic Danzig but ultimately does its own thing. Their debut, released in '86 to a quiet sort of acclaim among a small audience, has a series of great covers on it. The grand finale, a fantastic Lynchian rejiggering of Robert Johnson's song 'Crossroads', is a real jam and worth the price of admission for Margo Timmins's smoky delivery and some juicy bass / guitar interplay.

Anteater · 06-05-2020, 05:51 PM

Sevendust - Black (1997) [Grunge / Alternative Metal]

Basically an anthem for all the protests going on right now...except I dunno how many of them even remember this slice o' slamming salami. Lajon Witherspoon made his debut here, and he sure knows how to belt it. There weren't that many black guys in the whole post-grunge / alt-metal scene to begin with, but Lajon carried that flag with finesse and still kicks ass today.

Anteater · 06-06-2020, 12:19 PM

Ice Choir - A Vision Of Hell, 1996 (2012) [Synth-Pop]

A bouncy slice of New Romantic virulence courtesy of consummate Brooklyn soundsmith Kurt Feldman. It's got a little Wire, a touch of Gangway, some Pet Shop Boys and a lot of Scritti Politti embedded in it's DNA...but tells a more thoroughly modern tale of faceless anger in the digital age. Great synth-pop from a guy who knows his way around a good song. Enjoy.

Anteater · 06-07-2020, 04:44 PM

Blue Öyster Cult - Deadline (1980) [Classic Rock / Post-Punk]

A groovy bassline heavy cut to get going the next time you want to hold someone hostage and extort lots of money. Like a lot of classic BOC singles, there's something timeless and hard-to-pigeonhole about this song anyway, but the straightforward criminality described in the narrative is the icing on the cake for me.

Anteater · 06-08-2020, 01:34 PM

Colin Blunstone - Misty Roses (1971) [Folk / Baroque Pop]

Former Zombies frontman giving the Tim Hardin classic an avant-folk makeover. The results are devastatingly beautiful, akin in spirit to Scott Walker's best work during the same era.

Anteater · 06-09-2020, 04:50 PM

Weekend Players - I'll Be There (2002) [EDM / Trip-Hop]

English trip-hop project comprised of vocalist Rachel Foster and producer Andy Cato. This opening cut is a wonderfully executed example of what early 00's people were chilling to during those twilight hours between acid drops at Ibiza music festivals. It sways like a warm breeze from the Mediterranean, welcoming you into it's billowy hook with TLC. It could very well be the greatest car commercial jingle of all time.