I spent my Sunday night talking with Brazilians and tweeting about the Brazilian election, and I spent a lot of yesterday continuing those conversations.
It's honestly not a country I knew a lot about - and I still don't, but I am a quick study. And Portuguese has always fascinated me. I really wanted to post a Brazilian song today.
I really didn't expect it to be this one.
Bonde do Rolê is a group I've posted about before, and I have to be honest - I thought I had posted about the 2007 single - from their album With Lasers - so many years ago. It has long been a favorite song of mine, in any language. The fact that they happen to be from Curitiba, Brazil.
Marina Ribatski - who did not stick with the group long enough but long enough to make that classic album - was so charismatic and truly did enjoy and go crazy ("Solta o Frango" is slang that means this).
You can see in this live performance that Marina really knew how to command an audience.
But by the end of 2007, Marina had left the band.
The group replaced her with TWO women - Ana Bernardino and Laura Taylor. In this performance from Coachella 2008, Laura takes lead.
Bernardino would later leave the band.
Anyway, they were fine with these two woman, but they were better when they weren't singing Marina's songs....
I've thought about doing a Down Under month like I do for Canada.
Because right now, Australian music is among the best in the world.
Take Mallrat and her 2025 album Light hit my face like a straight right. That was the best hyperpop album of 2025 and still spins on heavy rotation for me in 2026. This song, the fifth single from the album, has been on really heavy rotation for me lately. The frenetic pace of the song - which is at its core a love song - grabs the listener and does not let go. Co written by Grace Shaw (who is Mallrat), Styalz Fuego and Gab Strum (the later two who produced the album), it is absolutely brilliant.
Mallrat opened for Tove Lo last month on some dates of her tour - and here she is playing this song to an arena crowd. She's already commanding the stage, so I see great things coming.
We haven't actually gotten here yet, and I'm a little surprise.
Rosalía released one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2025 with Lux, which was three years in the making. It was an excellent album, too - a real breakthough for the Spanish artist who does perform in several languages.
My first introduction to her was her 2022 album Motomami. This song - which takes its name from a Puerto Rican slang term for outstanding rhythm - combines reggaton and electronic worlds to make a fusion that is unique and personal.
The song would become a huge hit in Spain and on the US Latin charts.
This is a song that has been performed live a LOT. It is high energy and the performance reflects that.
And yes, of course she opened her Coachella set with the song.
I haven't been talking about Australian music much lately. So, let's do that.
You see, last week, the Australian Music Prize announced their nine album shortlist for their $50,000 prize. I did have a bit of a prediction list, and I have to say I think I guessed 6 of the 9 ahead of time. My real wild card pick was Beanpole by Georgia Knight.
Imagine my surprise when I was right about this one. And, to her credit, so was Georgia Knight.
"I’m very pleased to be shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize. I hadn’t thought of this album as being musically competitive, so that’s surprising. It hasn’t really sunk in. Fifty thousand is exactly what I need to make the next album." - Georgia Knight
I don't know how the hell she didn't think Beanpole was competitive, because it is sincerely among my favorite albums of 2026 and one that I am really rooting for to win the prize.
"Desire" was the first single and it is an excellent, sexy song. Check it out!
Danish-Chinese isn't the ethnic combination I thought I needed, but I was wrong.
Best known thus far as a songwriter on Zara Larsson's hit "Midnight Sun" (and in fact on most of the album), she is a musician in her own right. She just released her EP Gao Dan Dan and it is a hyperpop masterpiece. With seven songs in 15 minutes, it is packed TIGHTLY and doesn't let the listener settle from beginning to end.
Born and raised in Aarhus, Denmark - a place not known for diversity - Gao grew up largely embracing the Danish side of her heritage but not the Chinese. With this EP, she embraces the Chinese.
Anyway, this is my favorite song from the EP and you should be checking it out.
Adèle Castillon has a new album coming in November and I am expecting it's going to be really good.
The album will be called (Re)belle. She released the 2nd single last week, alongside a video, and it is really bright and cheery - the best she's sounded yet. I am genuinely looking forward to this album.
I hope you enjoy this video, which runs through the artist's life so far.
In 2010, French electronic artist Kavinsky teamed with Lovefoxxx from CSS to make a single that would end up being used in a 2011 movie called Drive. The song ended up being a hit in France (#10) and Belgium - hitting the charts in both Flanders and Wallonia.
Here is the song with a fan-made video. The song is deep and cool and brooding, and Lovefoxxx's unique vocals blend well with the music.
The song would be Kavinsky's 1st Top 10 hit and it was his first single.
Kavinsky passed away in 2026, which is terribly sad.
He did end up having one more top 10 hit in France, and it was a bigger hit, reaching #3. It would reach #4 in Wallonia and be the biggest hit he would ever had - in 2024.
You see, in 2024, Paris hosted the Olympic Games, and at the closing ceremony, well-known French band Phoenix performed their song "Liztomania". Then, they invited a guest to the stage - Kavinsky - to perform "Nightcall".
When it came time for the female part, it wasn't Lovefoxxx that came out, but rather Belgian superstar Angèle.
They would go on to release this song as a single, and it would become Kavinsky's biggest and final hit.
I've been busy doing other stuff, so I have not posted here like I should.
But also, I was absolutely in a rut. I had a TON of new music to share, and I will still be doing that.
But today, I decided to reconnect with my classic favorite band, Throwing Muses. This was the first music video of these I ever saw - from a show called The Cutting Edge. This version of the song seems to be from their 1986 self-titled debut album, but an extended version - for which this video was actually made - appears on their 1987 EP The Fat Skier - but only on the Sire Records release in the US.
In my humble opinion, this song better illustrates the real harmonies that Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donnelly were actually capable of than any other.
When they performed the song back then, you could certainly still hear that harmony as the song went up and down.
This song was written in 1989 by Martin L. Gore and released in 1990, the second single from their album Violator, which was something of a commercial breakthrough for the band.
This would be the band's best selling single, and their highest charting in the United States, peaking at #8.
But it started off life being sung by Martin L. Gore as a simple ballad - on the band's request. They wanted simple arrangements to be able to play with the sound. Clearly, Dave Gahan ended up singing in the final released version - over a disco beat.
The song would be reinterpreted in 2004, in a remix by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park. It gives it a slightly harder edged chorus - adding distorted guitars.
So you're wondering why we chose today to post this song?
This live performance for French television was recorded in 1990 at a live venue that no longer exists - the roof of the South tower of the World Trade Center.
The views are spectacular, and they're performing one of the most influential songs of the 1990s.
But today, I'm posting it. Today is World Suicide Prevention Day.
Wendy was a real person - a friend of Andy Prieboy, who sang and wrote this song about his childhood friend. She grew up, lived fast and kept herself alive as a prostitute. Well, because of that, she contracted HIV, in a time when that was a death sentence. Rather than let AIDS take her life, she took her own with a heroin overdose.
The song is written from Wendy's perspective - she's singing to herself in a mirror and, in a life where she had very little control, her suicide was the one time she took charge.
Prieboy was hit hard and wrote a 27-verse song about his friend, which turned into three. Background vocals and alternate female vocals were provided by Concrete Blonde vocalist Johnette Napolitano.
I hate the song because it's sad and heartbreaking, but in a world where AIDS is no longer an automatic death sentence, it also gives me hope that the Wendys of today have more choices.
And, if you are in a situation where you want to hurt yourself or end it all, please, seek help. You can also go to https://www.iasp.info/suicidalthoughts/ for resources, or someone to talk to. We're glad you're here, and we want to keep it that way.
When I built my list of albums that were the best of 2025, for some reason, Bleeds by Wednesday did not make the list.
It didn't even make the honorable mention list.
I listened to the album for the first time last November. It was clearly critically acclaimed. And I really liked it.
And, every time I've come back to it, I've loved the album.
I felt like Getting Killed by Geese and Lux by Rosalia were critically adored albums that I liked but didn't quite feel were worth the hype. Bleeds, on the other hand, I think I just kept forgetting.
Well, today, I fix that, because Bleeds was a great album. You'll now find it listed in the Honorable Mentions paragraph.
This was the last single and the second song off the album, and it is a 90s alternative throwback like no other.
Of course they play the song live - and this is a slightly different version as MJ Lenderman no longer tours with the band. However, I'd argue this is a better version because you can see just how much Karly Hartzman sings the HELL out of the song.
Her new album, Prima, came out on Friday and this was the first single. As of this writing (and publication), the song sits at #68 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart - and has peaked at #61 with no signs of actually slowing down.
By the way, this is the list of all Slovak artists who have had hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in history.
1. ADÉLA
That's it. That's the list.
The song has drawn comparisons to Miley Cyrus's "We Can't Stop" and, since Theron Thomas was a co-writer on both, it stands to reason.
The artist has performed the song live a few times. Sometimes, she lipsyncs it, but in the case of the Reading Festival, she sang at least part of it live.
Well, Belgian singer Angèle has a new album coming in October.
Instinct.
It's about time.
Way overdue.
She also released the album cover for her third album....
If you look closely you can see the covers of Brol and Nonante-Cinq in there
This single was released last week in conjunction with the official album announcement. A very large rolling gazing ball much like the one she is holding on the album cover makes a prominent appearance.
It's a really upbeat dance-pop song. I like where this album is going.
Énola Bédard is, first and foremost, a dancer. She went viral on TikTok in 2020 because of her dancing prowess. She performed alongside Shakira as a dancer at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final halftime show.
But she's also a singer, and this, her latest single, was co-written by her, Taet Chesterton and producer Tannergard,
But let's face it. The song is dance-forward.
Also, she's from Quebec. She may be going by Enola Bedard on her web page and on Spotify. Sher name is Énola Bédard. Big difference.
I was not a fan of Gracie Abrams. If I heard "It's So True" one more damn time, I was going to delete Spotify.
OK, that's overstatement. But still.
I was not looking forward to listening to Daughter From Hell, her new album. But, you know, I'm listening to 2000 albums in 2 years, so, yeah. I did it.
And I actually really liked it.
This was the second single from the album and shares its name with the title of her tour in support of the album. It is, like the rest of the album, co-written by her and deeply reflective.
She has not yet had a lot of chance to play the song live - but she did when she appeared on BBC's Radio 1. Honestly, you can see in her face that it is deeply personal and reflective.
This is both the easiest and hardest one of these I've had to write. On one hand, I think we all know that Dolly Parton is one of the kindest and most influential country artists in history. I don't need to espouse about her impact on people, her advocacy and active giving to the cause of literacy, or the fact that you are greeted by Dolly when you enter Tennessee!
No, seriously.
But this is also hard because the loss is so great.
No, I instead choose to honor her in the way she would have intended - with this 2003 song that wasn't a hit but it perfect for today.
Let you think she did this just for vinyl - no, she brought the fire to the performance.
Dolly Parton will be sorely missed in the music industry, by her family, by Tennessee, and by music fans everywhere. She's with her Carl Dean now.
Frankly, I want you to enjoy this video and the 360 degree experience it is, so we're doing this first.
Gelli Haha's Switcheroo was one of my favorite albums of 2026.
"Switcheroo is a chaos record in the best way: jagged indie rock, synthy detours, sudden hooks that feel like tripping over a hidden step. It sounded like 2025’s attention span in album form, and I kept coming back to it whenever I wanted something that felt restless and playful but still weirdly, deeply emotional."
"Also, the red aesthetic really pops." - Literally me
"Bounce House" was a huge reason why I liked that record so much. It was fun, it was bright, and yet, it still had surprising hooks.
Here's the non-immersive version of the video, by the way.
I've written about Gelli Haha before. And when I did, I said she had not played as Gelli Haha much. That has changed, dramatically. In fact, the stage show is a whole..... thing.
From the KRCW studios.....
...to the MUCH smaller KEXP studios.....
....to this random club in San Francisco.
It's always consistent, and fun, and bouncy, and RED.
This was almost a Special Edition, and it really should be.
You see, Shelly Fabares, a musician who was best known as an actress - most notably on The Donna Reed Show - passed away yesterday. She was 82, and her acting career was long, with starring roles on several shows.
Her debut single was "Johnny Angel", and it actually debuted on The Donna Reed Show. It reached #1 in 1962, and did spark a sequel single, "Johnny Loves Me", a lesser hit in its own right. But this, her first single, was her biggest.
By the way, Glen Campbell is the guitarist on this song. Just thought you might like knowing that.
Her newest album, Detour, has been called her debut album. It's not - but that's the level of step forward this album is for the Grammy Award winning artist.
It took a long time for Republic Records to release this album (allegedly) but it was worth the wait because it was SO GOOD.
This is one of my favorite songs from this album.
This was a theme week. Did you guess the theme?
If you did, you can listen to this "Brutalist" demo version which is really great. If you didn't, go back and listen again.
Since well before her 2022 debut album Preacher's Daughter, Ethel Cain has been a fast-rising songwriting star. This song, from that album, is a fiercely anti-war song....
There's very little I can say about Jane Remover that hasn't been assumed already.
Born as a twin in 2003, they really loved Mario Kart growing up. I hear they are also avid watchers of Family Guy.
Yes, that is their preferred pronoun, and we're going to respect that here. Deal with it.
They are also a quickly-growing prolific musician who releases albums under many names - including leroy, under which they released an album this year.
This song is from the Jane Remover 2025 album Revengeseekerz, which is really good. I hope you will enjoy it.
Despite being so heavily electronic, they do perform live, and are touring this year. Here's a great performance of this song from this year in New York. I always like pointing out when the audience is singing along, and this is one of those times.
At age 82, Beverly Glenn-Copeland released his latest album, Laughter In Summer, which was recorded by him and his wife (who is singing here) as he was dealing with a dementia diagnosis. As someone in the YouTube comments of this video said far better than I ever could, "I'm sad for his diagnosis but so very happy for him being able to still enjoy his moment like this."
I chose a live performance of this song, which I also hope to see at the Polaris Gala in September, because I wanted to show the raw emotion and the love between this man and his wife.
It's what she calls a stage name - but it's who the songwriting credits on this song. So it's her name.
April is underscores, a persona she's been releasing music under since 2013 (it's still on Soundcloud if you're interested. I was). She was doing dubstep back then - and she was 13. It is absolutely crazy to me that someone so young could have been making such rich music by herself back then.
Well, she's still underscores, and in 2026, she released her 3rd album, U. Honestly, I didn't quite get it at first - but critics loved it from the start, and it grew on me hard. This was one of the singles from that album, and it is an energetic masterpiece.
underscores is also brilliant at marketing. Her lyric video for this song doubled as a choreography version. Her music is tailor-made for TikTok and she wisely positioned it as such.
And this is why she is on the verge of emerging from the underground and hitting the mainstream.
Lest you think a dubstep artist can't BRING IT live. She does.
There are very few posts I've been looking forward to posting lately.
This song - from Australian rapper/musician Genesis Owusu - is one that I very much have. It's frenetic, energetic, and in-your-face. From his album REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE, which has been a huge hit in his home of Australia,
The entire album is a political statement and this song is no exception.
As intense as the song is in its studio version, it's more so in a live version.
I have always thought of aespa of a version of BLACKPINK if you brought them from Temu.
With their new album LEMONADE I don't think that anymore. Without even mentioning that it's better than BLACKPINK's latest album, this is a more distinctive version of the group - and they have found a harder edged, in-your-face sound.
Is it groundbreaking? No. Is it pleasing, fun, and easy to dance to? You betcha.
Do they perform it live at Lollapalooza last week? Kinda.
Nia Archives released her new album Emotional Junglist last month..... and very quickly after its release was included on the 2026 Mercury Prize shortlist. I've listened to most of this shortlist, and let me tell you, they got the inclusion of this one RIGHT! It is excellent.
It didn't take long to realize this was a very special - and explicit - album.
This song, co-written by the artist (whose real name is Dehaney Hunt, so if you go hunting on Spotify for the credits, you know I'm telling the truth), Ethan P. Flynn and Livvi Franc, is a fast-paced exciting song, as is the rest of the album. It does not give you a break - and yet still stays cool and mellow.
You know, I thought Darling Buds Day was gonna die years ago.
And, yes, while I jokingly say that I'm the reason the Darling Buds got back together, I know that's not really true.
What I did NOT have on my bingo card was NEW Darling Buds music in 2026..... a whole new album called Same Sun / Same Sky, which was their first full length album in 34 years!!!!
And it's really good! I'd put it among their top four albums. (IYKYK)
So, yeah, guess we're gonna keep this going. And I'm really happy about that, because they are a great band and they have shown appreciation for what we're doing here. We couldn't have picked a better group to celebrate.
And now, I have enough material to actually post about the Darling Buds on a day other than May 6th.
The Cramps were an influential but not well known band.
Until, that is, Wednesday Addams danced to the song.
Yeah, I know. You saw this on social media with a different song. This is what they ACTUALLY played in the episode. And the song - along with the series - gets credit for reviving goth subculture among Gen Z, as its feature was a huge hit.
The song, a cover of a Ronnie Cook and the Gaylads single from the 1960s, was recorded by The Cramps in 1981 for their album Psychedelic Jungle. It became one of their best known songs.
But, rather than watching Jenna Ortega performing to the song, I feel like you should see how Lux Interior (yep, that was his stage name. Don't worry. No one named their kid Lux Interior) performed it live.... which was wild as heck.
I feel like you can't talk about K-Pop without mentioning HyunA. I've been a fan for a lot of years, long before every K-Pop artist was an instant hitmaker.... even before "Gangnam Style".
No, she had to work and toil for DECADES to get where she is.
This song, from 2019, was cowritten and produced by Psy himself. She's had many comebacks since then, but this was one of her best.
In June 2023, Karen Dió was a struggling Brazilian musician.
In July 2023, she had a badass single.
And just like that, there was some worldwide attention on the Brazilian punk scene thanks to this riot grrrl.
Formerly of Violet Soda (who broke apart in 2021), Karen Dió made the conscious choice to go solo this time, so she could keep the control. Kinda hard for a solo act to break up, eh?
Anyway, the song is great.
Hell yeah she does it live. This performance from Germany shows the energy she brings to the song.
This song - written by drummer Kelly Keagy, who also sings and drums on the track, as a tribute to his sister, Christy (Jack Blades just thought it was Christian) - was released in March 1984.
I was 12.
The song was EVERYWHERE and unescapable on radio.
I couldn't stand the song. HATED it.
Well, time has made me see that the song is brilliantly constructed. The second single from their album Midnight Madness, it is by far their biggest hit.
When you hear "motorin'", you should think "cruisin'", as in going SO FAST.
I find it absolutely fascinating that anyone can drum and sing at the same time, and yet, that's exactly what Keagy did live.
This is from a 1983 performance, and the lyrics are slightly different because they are performing the album version, which had more words. Single and album versions of songs were once a bigger deal.
Did you assume that Night Ranger was a thing of the past?
Nope. They're still together. And as you can see in this performance from 2024, still playing the hell out of this song.
They are not to be confused with Bobby Knight Ranger, who were a fictional band played by Yo La Tengo on the TV show Parks and Recreation.
But also, this is my blog, and when a new artist releases a new album and one of their songs gets into heavy rotation for me, I'm gonna post about it.
And Shhugar, Baby Nova's fantastic debut album that was released in January of this year, is a good album to talk up. After toiling in the industry for a decade and a half, Kayleigh O'Connor finally has an album getting its due.
This song, its lead single released in 2025, was co-written by Baby Nova, Lowell and Gus Van Go. It should be giving you Lana Del Rey vibes.
It came from Sick of it All's 2018 album Wake The Sleeping Dragon. It was a comeback of sorts, and it was met with universal critical acclaim.
Pretty impressive for a hardcore band that was formed in 1986 by Lou and Pete Koller to still be making music that aggressive and that poignant more than 30 years later. And that's what Sick of it All's music is - aggressive, poignant, and in your face.
But you all see that Special Edition label. You know I ain't here with good news.
Lou Koller, primary vocalist for the band, had been suffering with esophageal cancer. Yesterday, the band announced his passing. Now, at this point, I always say "he will be missed" and that's true but this is different.
You see, Lou knew he was one of the elder statesmen of hardcore, and he took that seriously. He famously mentored and befriended other up-and-coming musicians. There are hardcore bands that exist and thrived largely because Lou was their mentor and partner. Lou was one of the good guys in a rough industry.
So yeah, I feature a song with a funny title.
They kept releasing singles from the album through 2020. This video, which might not exist if not for the pandemic, featured videos of the band's fans, singing the song.
The band loved and respected their fans, and that started and ended with Lou.
Now, normally, I wouldn't be talking up so much a band in a genre of music I'm not generally all that into. It's not generally for me.
Sick of it All were talented enough and nice enough and resonated enough that I did like them. In fact, I was fortunate enough to see them live in 1995, on the first Warped Tour. I saw them at the Northampton Airport in Massachusetts, but the show I'm posting here is literally from two days before that.
Lou opened that show the same way he opened ours: by inviting fans closer and telling them to "watch out for each other and respect each other."
So today, when I say he'll be missed, it ain't a platitude. It's that a true pioneer and a nice person has passed, and he WILL be actively missed.
Well, this was not the route this post was going to go.
It started off with me hearing a Whitney Houston song earlier that I had not heard in several years, but found myself enjoying (I didn't particularly when it was new).
I decided I would do a post about it this week.
So I started looking for the song on YouTube and I found THIS first.
This was produced by Kygo and featured Whitney Houston doing a Steve Winwood cover - in addition to originating the song, he co-wrote it with Will Jennings.
The song was released in 2019.
Seven years after Houston's death.
And was a huge hit in the UK and elsewhere,
So this got me thinking - she must have done this during her life, right?
Turns out, she DID. The song appeared on Japanese pressings of her 1990 album I'm Your Baby Tonight, and she performed it live during the Japanese dates on her tour supporting that album.
Of course, then I had to dig, and it turns out that James Vincent McMorrow - an Irish singer - had a hit in the UK and Ireland with his very quiet and chilling version of the song.
Of course, nothing tops the 1986 version that marked Winwood's first trip to #1 on the US Charts. It's exciting. It gives that mid-80s feel. But also, the song endures.
Now, I could show you a live version from 1986 - I found a great one.
I am instead choosing his 2023 version from King Charles's Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle. He performed a pretty spry and solid cross-Commonwealth performance of the song.
Woefully under-appreciated in the rest of the world because it's in French?
Also yes.
Going to get more attention on here because French posts do about 5% better than any others?
Strangely, yes.
Unapologetically, Noor's album 1900 jours is one of my favorite of the year, and I encourage you to seek it out. It is a very quiet album. It's absolutely sublime.
Even though she's an obscure French artist, she does live versions of her music?
Last week, news spread that Jennifer Finch, bassist for L7, had an agressive form of brain cancer. Last night, she succumbed to that. She was the bassist for the band for most of its tenure, right up until July 13th. The band was planning a tour this coming October (I'm not sure they won't still do that), but Finch, who was originally supposed to perform, was forced to back out this week due to her cancer.
This song was from their 1992 breakthrough Bricks are Heavy, and was co-written by Finch and Daniel Rey. Even though she wasn't the primary vocalist for the band (that would be Donita Sparks), Finch also took lead vocals on the song.
Yes, Jennifer Finch will be missed.
Finch did leave the band for a bit, but she came back and performed with them again, to the delight of fans.
Here they are performing the song live in 2024 and they still sound just as good!
Her second album, Age of the Exhibitionist, is coming in September, and this is the first single, released last Friday. It's pretty solid hyperpop, and she doesn't really seem to be asking which seat she can take or reciting days of the week.
The occasional member of The Rentals didn't perform on the album but the other six members did.
Matt Sharp's post-Weezer indie project clearly had to make a dramatic video for their second single. I'm not sure if I like Petra Haden's bike jump into violin solo better or worse than current Iowa State Senator Cherielynn Westrich's background vocals into a CB as she's quickly driving in.
The Rentals have come and gone several times since the 90s with Sharp as the only constant member. Here they are performing in Japan in 2014.
No, there are no Iowa State Senators in this iteration.
She was, however, present at this in-store performance that was somewhat stripped down and lacked the multiple Moogs (only Tom Grimley on his) in 1996.
Before alternative music was mainstream, Dave Kendall brought it to MTV every Sunday at midnight and guaranteed that I would be blearly-eyed on Mondays.
The show was 120 Minutes, and it was groundbreaking.
But pioneers have their detractors, so in 1990, the Whitman Samplers combined cut-up samples of Dave speaking with AC/DC's "Back In Black" to make a rather funny song that amused Dave Kendall in life.
Dave Kendall passed away yesterday. This may be the first time we have paid tribute to a non-musician, but he was perhaps the one personality that shaped my musical taste, more than any other, and he will be missed.
And he really connected with fans. Here he is talking to a completely random Robyn Hitchcock fan on the street.
That fan was, of course, Matt Pinfield, who took over 120 Minutes when Dave moved on. I'm going to close this post with Matt's tribute to Dave.
Rest easy, Dave.
Heartbroken to hear about the passing of Dave Kendall.
Dave was one of the true believers. Long before alternative music found its way into the mainstream, he was there every week on 120 Minutes, introducing people to bands that would go on to define an era. He didn’t just host… pic.twitter.com/IVTHRV301i
I mentioned the Polaris Prize yesterday. But they aren't the only ones with a recent shortlist. The Prix Joséphine - a prize honouring French-language artists (mostly) - also has a shortlist that was dropped recently. I haven't listened to all of them yet - I will this week - but what I have heard so far is full of standouts.
One such standout is Belgian-Congolese dance artist Camille Yembe. Her latest album Jeune & Laide was shortlisted, and I have to say, it's REALLY good. Mostly performed in French, she does mix English language into her beats.
This is her latest single. Despite having nothing to celebrate, it is a spirited song. The video was recorded in Brussels.
The beats and sounds that back her sound dense, but as you can see live, it's her voice and flow that really fill the stage.
Last week, the Polaris Music Prize shortlist was released. 10 great Canadian albums are on there. Well, in my opinion, 9 great Canadian albums and one good one. I would have personally chosen six of them myself, and I really couldn't fault the rest of them.
One that I wouldn't have chosen but has really grown on me is the latest by singer/songwriter Charlotte Cornfield. Her March 2026 album Hurts Like Hell is a beautiful piece of storytelling. This title song - so far longlisted for the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize - is a heartbreaking, lush piece that evokes thought of Courtney Barnett and Randy Newman.
This cool and mellow vibe - which permeates the album - is even more apparent when listening to the song live.
By 1987. Foreigner was done really releasing new music. Lou Gramm, however, was at the top of his game, and so he released a solo album, Ready or Not.
It's weird to me that the guy I used to run into at the Webster Wegmans - this is not a joke, people - has a top 5 solo hit in 1987 that is broadly considered to be one of the most underrated pop-rock songs in history. He does still make music - even after a brain tumor impacted his voice - but this was his biggest solo hit. Written by Gramm and Foreigner bandmate Bruce Turgon, it really does endure.
There's a lot of recent performances by Gramm of this song, but I chose this one from 2018, from a fair in Wisconsin. Yes, the tumor impacted his voice and his body, but I have to say, he adapted well and he still sounds amazing.
And I hoped I wouldn't need to write another one too soon.
Two months and one day later, Bonnie Tyler has passed away from that very illness that sent her to an induced coma. I honestly thought she was going to recover.
I chose for this day her last US top 40 hit - hitting #34 in 1984 - from the Footloose soundtrack. You forgot it was on that soundtrack, didn't you? It was a much bigger hit in the UK, where a 1985 rerelease brought it to the top of the charts.
Written by Jim Steinman and Dean Pitchford (he co-wrote every song on that soundtrack), the song became a Bonnie Tyler staple and one of her most recognized. She rerecorded the song several times, but it was never as successful as the original.
She was performing right up until this year. This was her in Paris in 2023, and she was still going strong.
Bonnie Tyler was a force of nature. Her spirit and her unique voice will be missed.
I often tell the story of when I met Natalie Merchant and how she wasn't very nice because she was trying to make horse riding plans for the next day.
What I don't say much is that Robert Buck wasn't exactly nice either. But he just seemed tired, and he was nicer when I met him at a later date.
What does that have to do with anything? Well, guitarist Robert Buck wrote the music for Natalie's lyrics for this, the third single from their classic Blind Man's Zoo album that I feel was their best work.
I have been fortunate enough to see 10,000 Maniacs live several times, including a few times with Natalie on vocals. I definitely saw them on this 1993 tour, which was Natalie's last with the band, and while it wasn't this performance, it was the same tour.... and it also featured violinist Mary Ramsey on stage.
I actually saw them in July, just days before their final performance at MSG.
Nevertheless, 10,000 Maniacs have persisted, mostly with Mary Ramsey on vocals. Here is a 2025 performance with Mary Ramsey.
The more years we do this Darling Buds day thing, the more worried we get that we're going to run out of material. I mean, three four albums, plus an 2 EP's..... there's just not a ton to go on. And I blew it early on by posting three songs in one day.
Who knew this would catch on?
On June 5th of 2026, they released a new single that could just as easily sit on Pop Said... as any of the songs there. And, just like that, they gave us another year of this great celebration! For the record, it did sit on their fourth album, Same Sun / Same Sky, and it is honestly a highlight for me.
And now, our worry is abated, and this is a GREAT song.
I was too young to have heard Wire in the 1970s. My parents were not exposing me to UK punk. No, back then, I was getting crossover country by Mac Davis and Loretta Lynn and Kenny Rogers.
All of which I appreciate now, but still. It's not UK punk
No, I first learned of them when Enigma Records signed them in the 80s and brought their music to my ears. They had an electronic sound that was appealing to my 14-year-old budding music fan ears.
Boy, was I ever shocked to hear Pink Flag when I did.
This song, from their 1985 album The Ideal Copy, was written by the band and did fuel a minor comeback.
Wire, believe it or not, is STILL around, and still tours sometimes. This is a live show from 2017. They still sound great - even though they have returned to a guitar-driven sound.
I have to admit, I had a much better, classier, more epic post ready for Canada Day. I briefly considered moving this song to that day and doing Ariane Roy next year.
However, the kids are doing baton and flag this year, and that means a routine well-oiled to match a particular song.
The song they picked is an American classic that just happens to be sung by a Canadian and co-written by that Canadian and her South African then-husband (Robert John "Mutt" Lange - who also produced this). The lyrics are by Shania and are about the time she had to raise her younger siblings in Timmins, Ontario as a child after their parents passed away.
I bet you didn't know the song was so dark, did you?
So, yeah, I'm gonna be hearing this song a LOT this summer, so I either better get on board with liking it or else I'm gonna hate life all summer.
Anyway, the song was a monster hit in 1999 - hitting #1 worldwide on both pop and country charts. And the video should look familiar if you've been paying attention this week.
It also won two Grammys, so why don't we just share her absolutely tremendous Grammy performance?
And, let's be honest - she was 33 when she performed that song at the Grammys. She was 58 when she performed it at Glastonbury in 2024..... and she still sounded amazing.
I always thought about the Cocteau Twins as being this older, more refined band - the godparents of the 4AD label, I guess.
I wanted to open with this live performance from 1983 - about 6 months after their album Garlands was released. Elizabeth Fraser - the lead vocalist who joined the band in 1981 - is 19 here. She was 18 when the album came out and likely 17 when a bulk of the album was recorded.
They weren't the godparents. They were showing a maturity and depth of songwriting beyond their years.
Those of you who know the later work of the Cocteau Twins - being so ethereal and dream-poppy - might think this harder-edged sound with the killer Will Heggie bassline might sound strange and out of place.
It's not. There's still a dreamy quality, and Robin Guthrie's guitar still has a distant, ethereal quality - but just with more pronounced drum machine.
This was their debut album - they were still finding their sound. Garlands is very much noise on top of drum machine. By the time their next album - Head Over Heels - came in 1983, their sound was solidified.
Compare that to the 1982 Peel session - which preceded Garlands by a month - and how much more guitar heavy it sounds - and how Liz's voice is turned down so far.
I know my English language readers who aren't longtime hockey fans are pronouncing Ariane Roy's last night wrong right now. [ʁwa], for those linguistically inclined, is the correct pronunciation. But Montreal Canadiens fans and francophones already knew that.
What you don't know is that I really do sample my own supply. I listen to this music. And, one of my most listened to songs on Spotify in the month of March was "Apprendre Encore", by Ariane Roy, off her album medium plaisir. "Plaisir" translates to "Pleasure", for those of my anglophone readers who don't know that (I didn't).
(Editor's note (July 1): It STILL IS one of my most listened to songs)
On Repeat list from Spotify, July 1st, 2026
Well, I really really wanted to feature that song during #MapleLeafMarch. Unfortunately, there was no official video created for the song. What WAS created was a 5-song showcase live film, directed by Adrian Villagomez, released to commemorate the release of that album. And, since "Apprendre Encore" was included in the set (10 minutes in), but it was bigger than just one song, I went with it for today!
The whole performance is an absolute masterpiece and you should watch it. Yes, there's a significant cameo, but this was Ariane's show, and she was absolutely crushing it (and clearly enjoying herself).
As I write this, I am almost to the day the same age Robert Palmer was when he passed away. Frankly, I'm a few days older.
That's right. I'm an old guy. Oblivion really is all I crave.
Which is why I have such nostalgia for this song and video - featuring models that are supposed to look lie mannequins - when maybe I otherwise would not have.
This 1985 single, from his album Riptide and written by Palmer himself, would become his signature song and a HUGE hit. The song was originally intended to be a duet with Chaka Khan, but she was removed from the song by her record label.
Even though he couldn't do the song with Chaka, he did have a co-vocalist live in 1985.
Palmer was taken from us WAY too soon, in 2003. Eat heart healthy, kids. But that doesn't mean he slowed down. In 1995, he filmed this version of the song for Danish television.... and he sounded JUST as solid as he did in 1985
Perhaps my favorite live performance of this song - with the most energy - is the one he did in 1991 with UB40. Also, he always looked so dapper.
