Cause & Effect : The Sun + Days

Cause: The Sundays were an English rock band that formed in the late '80s and remained active through most of the '90s.

Effect: Meet The Sun Days, a 5 piece indie pop group from Sweden.

Cause & Effect : Pinkshinyultrablast

Cause: American Shoegazers Astrobrite started in the mid '90s as a one man bedroom project by Scott Cortez of loveliescrushing that has long since morphed into to an occasionally still active band.

Their third full length release is entitled Pinkshinyultrablast.

Effect: Meet Pinkshinyultrablast, a St. Petersburg, Russian shoegaze group so inspired by Astrobrite that they named themselves after the third record in their discography. Pinkshinyultrablast have a brand new album out (their second) entitled Grandfeathered on Club AC30.

Something Worth Listening To : Downtown Boys

There is only perk when the world seems to be freefalling in a terrifying downward political spiral that resembles the film Idiocracy and that is the rebirth of tremendous pissed off punk music.

I had the opportunity to see Downtown Boys perform this weekend (along with Sheer Mag, Christi, and Dazeases) and they were everything I has hear them to be. X-Ray Specs, Crass, Dead Kennedys, and Bikini Kill rolled into one bi-lingual band from Providence, Rhode Island. The only thing better than a captivating, energetic, and powerful live band is one that is educated and saying important things about the state of the world around them.

2016 Favorite : Fir Cone Children

Dreams do come true! Heavy, distorted, GORGEOUS indie-pop from Berlin so down and dirty it could strike oil. You know all those bands who clearly worship My Bloody Valentine but then try to make a pathetic soulless copy of the band? Well, Fir Cone Children finally got this inspiration right. There is a shade buzzsaw guitar groups like Jesus and Mary Chain and the likes here but Fir Cone Children put a unique spin on it all. I could see outsider Metal fans (think Aquarius Record shop pick of the week) finding something to love among all the shimmering and buzzing. But I could also see Slumberland Records fans who believe there will never be anything better than the early years that included Lilys and Velocity Girl worshiping this too.

Throwback Thursday : Black Velvet

This week I have pulling records to DJ at a Girls Rock! RVA charity event with a bunch of my favorite people / record collector types. I will be spinning an all female artist set spanning records from the late '50s through the early '70s.

This is one of my favorite charities as this volunteer group offers young girls the annual opportunity to play around on a bunch of different instruments in a city summer camp type setting for one week. At the end of the week the girls form bands, write songs, and are given the opportunity to perform them in a local music venue for friends and family. I am a proud supporter of Girls Rock! RVA and really look forward to this Friday's fundraiser. Hope to see you there!

Here is a favorite 7" single I am bringing with me this Friday night. It is Black Velvet's "An Earthquakes Coming" from 1972. Mindblowing funk from a trio of teenage girls!

Missed This One : Gwenno

Arghhh! You can't catch it all. I missed Gwenno (ex-Pipettes) 2015 political concept album Y Dyadd Olaf presented in her two two languages, Welsh and the nearly obscure Cornish. The album title is based on an obscure 1976 sci-fi novel written by Welsh author Owain Owain about robots turning humans into clones. Applied to modern times, big themes like political brainwashing, media propaganda, and bullying of minorities permeate her retro/modern synth-pop record.

RIYL: Ladytron, Enon, and the last Broadcast album Tender Buttons.

Wonder Women in Music

Standard Issue Magazine has a cool list of female trailblazers behind landmarks in music.

Here is a look and listen to the women among this list.

Electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire with the Doctor Who theme.

The CEO of Sugar Hill Records Sylvia Johnson, also a singer, songwriter, record producer, and the list goes on and on. 

Managing Ozzy can't be easy no less being married to the man but he did write this song about Sharon Osbourne so there is that.

All hail the artists like photographers Annie Leibovitz and Pennie Smith who gave us iconic images in music (including record covers for The Boss and The Clash).

What didn't Carol King write? 

And speaking of Wonder Woman, did you know about this comic's mindblowing history that includes a love triangle marriage and feminist icons?