30 September 2025 - The Lonely Island ft. Michael Bolton - Jack Sparrow

Well, we're up to Connecticut on our list.   

And, yes, I know.  The Lonely Island are from California, largely.   But we're not here to talk about them today.

We're talking about Michael Bolton, and, while I find most of his music to be dreck, this collaboration he did with The Lonely Island is absolutely fantastic.

He did not, however, write the sexy hook.   In fact, it took the group some doing - and eliminating most of the profanities (the Scarface reference near the end couldn't be sanitized). But what came out was a classic weirdly big hit song.  

And by the way, a lot of it was recorded using Skype.   No word on whether or not he was in Westport when he recorded it, but that's where he lives to this day. 

Of course, Michael Bolton isn't known for his club bangers.   He's known for piano-driven ballads, and yeah, he does a solo version of the song.

It kinda works.  

But it almost works better live, with all of them together. Yeah, it's the first part of an Emmy medley, but still.  It's incredible.  How did Michael Bolton make such a quick change?

29 September 2025 - Pixies - U-Mass

OK, maybe I should have done this song instead.  

But I always say, give the people what they want.  

And also, this song is in a live version with the original lineup, and not the studio version.  

Bonus: the performance is FROM Massachusetts. 

By the way, this song is one they still perform, like they did at this performance in Boston this year. 

29 September 2025 - Pixies - Monkey Gone To Heaven

Maine was hard.

Massachusetts?  Probably the easiest choice of the whole list.  You see, I grew up in a town called Enfield, CT.... which is right on the Massachusetts border.  I grew up going to concerts in Northampton and Springfield.... throughout the Pioneer Valley.

And in the valley full of pioneer, a band formed in the 1980s called the Pixies. And I heard them and enjoyed their music.  This was the first song of theirs I heard - it was fuzzy and noisy and weird and deep. 

I have been lucky enough to see the Pixies live.  I saw them in 1991 in Springfield, MA, in a pretty large music hall.

This performance was from the same tour, and it's pretty much exactly as I remember it sounding. 

Even though Kim Deal left to be a full-time Breeder, the Pixies are still around and still touring, and of course they still perform this song.

And it still sounds just as dark and noisy and weird and great as it always has. 

26 September 2025 - Patty Griffin - Little Fire

Maine was one of the hardest states for me to do.  Not a lot of nationally famous musicians have come from Maine.  

Patty Griffin is the anomaly - hailing from Old Town, ME - who has made a name for herself as an excellent folk and gospel singer.   This song is from her 2010 Grammy Award-winning album Downtown Church, and it was literally recorded in a downtown Nashville church.  Written by Griffin, it is an absolutely beautiful song, and no, you don't have to be a believer to believe this song is excellent.

Despite not being the most popular artist, Griffin is held in high regard and is seen as influential.  Here she is on Austin City Limits performing this song with the legendary Emmylou Harris. 

25 September 2025 - Phantogram - Funeral Pyre

New York is a big-ass state.

So yeah.  Here's a second band from New York NOT from New York City.  

Saratoga Springs, in fact. OK, fine, Greenwich, which is closer to Glens Falls - but trust me, they're all close together.

I have had the opportunity to see Phantogram live, and they were spectacular.  That was on their tour supporting their third album, Three, which this song opens.  That album catered to rock radio a lot more than their other work has, so it has a slightly harder edge, which works.  

All these years later, they still perform this song live, as they did last month in Rochester. They still sound amazing performing it. 

25 September 2025 - Joywave - Destruction

Anyone who thought I wouldn't be using Joywave for the New York entry hasn't been paying attention.  At all. 

Joywave are from Rochester, NY, the city I lived in for a quarter century.  I don't live their anymore, but that doesn't mean I don't love Joywave.  

And there was no fucking way I was featuring a band from New York City.  Fuck that.  Just, no.  

This song, from the band's debut album How Do You Feel Now?, is one that they often use to end their shows...... and they frequently play it twice in a row.  It, and not "Dangerous", is absolutely their signature song.   The song is scary and in-your-face - by design.  That's how it's supposed to sound. 

It received a lot of modern rock radio airplay, and is just a great song. 

I mention they frequently play this song twice in a row during their sets.

In this particular set, they played it SEVEN times. In the band's words:

On June 21st, 2018 at 6:30 PM Joywave took the stage at PNC Bank Arts Center (now known as The Joywave Center For Performing Arts) in Holmdel, NJ. Dozens of fans were packed into the 17,500 capacity shed, eagerly awaiting the evening’s headline performers. As the band walked out on stage to roars of silence, one devilishly clever audience member suggested the band perform “Free Bird” that evening. But with roughly 17,400 seats reverberating his request throughout the Greater Holmdel area, it was a bit difficult to hear. The following video is an uninterrupted feed of 6:30 PM -7:00 PM ET on that fateful day. A simpler time. The power. The musicianship. The Destruction of Holmdel, NJ. Enjoy.

Yeah.  I listened to all of them.  They're all solid.  The crowd, however, was a little pissed. 

24 September 2025 - Beirut - Elephant Gun

Yes, I on purpose used a really obscure way to put these in order, mostly because I wanted to reliably mix in the territories and not put them all in date of admission or acquisition, because that's a boring list.  

Which is why New Mexico is 3rd, and that brings us Beirut. Despite their Santa Fe roots and Middle Eastern name (yes, they are named after the Lebanese city), their sound is a lot more Balkan than Dessert Southwest.  And by "their" sound, I mean his - it is largely the brainchild of Zach Condon, although he clearly has a lot of support in his efforts. The world music feel is one that has been met with pretty widespread critical acclaim....

.... and this sound is a bit leaning on the side of cacophony, and yet, still seems melodic.  Please, enjoy this American music. 

Now, listen to the live version of this song. I believe that Condon's voice comes through a lot stronger, and the cacophony feeling is much reduced.  

All in all, this is a great song with a lot of horns. 

23 September 2025 - Circo - Antes Del Fin

Y'all were expecting reverse order of admittance into the Union, weren't you?

Nope.  

Today is Puerto Rico's day to shine.   

And, for today, I decided to go with Circo.  They are in that category of "best band you've never heard" DESPITE their multiple Latin Grammy nominations.   

Anyway, they rock.  And you should have been listening to them already.  But we're giving you the opportunity to do so now. 

22 September 2025 - Poi Dog Pondering - Living With The Dreaming Body

Happy Autumn!  Today is the Autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.  

If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, Happy Spring, but I'm not making two hashtags.

Anyway, I wanted to do something special this autumn - and that is feature artists from the United States, one state and territory at a time.   Because yes, I am including territories.   

#AmericanAutumn

I did choose a non-logical order that I will probably reveal at some point, but for now, we start with the most logical beginning, Hawaii, or, if you prefer, Hawai'i.   The state consists of all but one of the islands of the Hawai'ian Archipelago (Midway Atoll is outside the state), and is a volcanic state.

Poi Dog Pondering, a bunch of street musicians from Honolulu, with a mi of modern and traditional instruments, are the perfect representatives of the state.  Starting as a solo project of Frank Orrall, the lineup grows and shrinks, currently sitting at about 17 members. 

This song was from the band's 1989 self-titled debut album and introduced the Hawai'ian sound to the rest of the world. 

I mentioned their lineup grows and shrinks.   Because it does.   

Here they are in 2021, in New York City, performing their 1989 song.  And sounding different and great and neat.

19 September 2025 - Toad The Wet Sprocket - Walk On The Ocean

Next week is Courtney's birthday - she and I have been together for a bit more than three years.  I already have a post scheduled for her birthday.... because on Monday, I'm starting a thing on this blog that's going to run for a couple of months.  Frankly, this post was previously scheduled for November 13th as part of that, before I moved it here.   

And also, we're at the ocean now. 

And, as I was watching some of my sister Dawn's concert videos, I played a video of this song that they performed this year, and Courtney, who is present for the writing of most of these posts, remarked - and really, reminded me - that it is one of her favorite songs.  

I have to admit, I did not always like or appreciate this song.   I liked other stuff of theirs a bit more.  But this song has grown on me.  It's a sweet song, with great harmonies.  And singer Glen Phillips, who wrote the lyrics to the song (bandmate Todd Nichols largely did the music) wrote these lyrics as a placeholder as he was whale watching with his family.... and couldn't come up with anything he liked better.

So yeah, that's how a hit song is written. 

Remember when I said my sister saw them live and I was watching that video?

Here's the video I was watching. And although the song is in a lower key now, it still sounds great. 

18 September 2025 - PinkPantheress - Illegal

This song was/is a TikTok trend.  I put it like that because I know you come back to read my stuff years later.   

From a pop chart standpoint, this barely registered in the US (#96 on the Hot 100), but that hardly matters, does it?

The video explores the negative impact of drugs - which seems like an 80's thing to do - and the song samples heavily from "Dark and Long" by The Underworld - which seems like a 90's thing to do.  It's all combined to make something cute and fun and modern.  

I know it's weird that a DJ would perform live (and SING), but here ya go.  Glastonbury is weird, man.  But also, the crowd loves it and she puts on a great show.

OK, but anyone with a little stage presence can do a huge stage show. What about an NPR Tiny Desk Concert?

Yep.  And it is amazing and fun (as is the whole concert.  Watch the rest, too!)

17 September 2025 - Yves Jarvis - The Knife in Me

Last night, the Polaris Music Prize was awarded.   It's a Canadian prize, loosely based on the UK's Mercury Prize, honoring the best in Canadian music over the last year.   Traditionally, they've awarded a prize (occasionally 2) to the best Canadian album of the past year.   This year, they also awarded a single prize.

The album prize this year went to the Yves Jarvis album All Cylinders.  It's very reminiscent of CSNY, and yes, I made sure I added Neil Young for the Canadian artist, with a hint of disco. This single from the album is one of my favorites. 

I think watching him perform it live and seeing how he builds the song in front of the audience is a sight to see, and you should see it too.

16 September 2025 - The Cardigans - Carnival

This early single by the Cardigans was the first thing I ever heard by the band.  I knew there were great things to come, but no one could have predicted how great. 

It is a sweet and basic love song.   That's all you need to know.   

Except there's a lot more to say.  

This very sweet song begging for love is practically a prequel to "Lovefool".  Basically, it's about a girl who wants to go to a carnival with a boy but doesn't because the boy does not ask her.  The first single from their second album, Life, it was their first UK hit.  Which is why I chose a live performance from the UK.  

15 September 2025 - Isabela Merced - PAPI

Is Peruvian-Ohian Isabela Merced an actress - who was recently featured as Hawkgirl in the new Superman movie and who also made an appearance in a Marvel-adjacent movie we shall not mention (ok, it was Madame Web) - or is she a musician?

Why not both?   This is her debut single, from 2019, and it is a Latin-tingled pop masterpiece, a modern Spanglish classic.  

But also, she was the first live action Dora the Explorer.  

But also, this is a great song.  

This song was from 2019, just before the pandemic, and so, when trying to promote the song, quarantine got in the way.  

So she did an at-home concert which was, no lie, pretty cool.  

She did manage to sneak in a few performances pre-lockdown, including this one in San Francisco on March 5, 2020.  

She has a soulful presence.  

12 September 2025 - Ultra Vivid Scene ft. Kim Deal - Special One

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the 4AD label roster was a tight-knit group.  

Kurt Ralske was a New York City-based guitarist who started a band that made compelling alt-pop music.  That band was mostly him, and called Ultra Vivid Scene.  

Kim Deal was a Dayton, Ohio-based bassist who started a band with a bunch of people from Massachusetts called the Pixies and then another band with someone from Rhode Island called the Breeders and then moved back to Dayton to do the band with her sister. 

All of these bands were signed to 4AD Records (including the former AND future bands of the someone from Rhode Island) and, well, it was natural that they'd work together.  From the Ultra Vivid Scene album Joy 1967-1990, reflecting Ralske's birth year and the year the album was released, the song is just a sweet pop love ditty, simply constructed, with Deal contributing vocals.

UVS wouldn't be around much longer, but this flash in the sun is a song that should be remembered fondly. 

11 September 2025 - The Hooters - All You Zombies

In 1985, a group from Philadelphia called The Hooters had a song they wrote called "All You Zombies" become a pretty minor hit.  It was a great pop-rock song with a video tailor-made for MTV. 

Of course, they originally recorded it in 1981 and performed it live an awful lot before they were a national hit.  Here they are on Delaware television.

It's a little different, but you can tell - it's the same song. 

They're still performing the song together - and Eric Bazillian and Rob Hyman are still the core of this band.  Here they are in 2023, in Germany, sounding as strong as ever.

10 September 2025 - Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun

Cyndi Lauper rose to fame in the 1980s with this energetic song that's all about girl power.... that was written and originally performed by a man, Robert Hazard, who wrote and performed the song from the male perspective.

Lauper flipped the script, upped the poppiness, recruited The Hooters for her backing band, and a classic was born. 

Oh, and that's really her mom.

A decade later, when it was time for that greatest hits albums, Lauper rerecorded the song with a reggae flair.  Was it as good?  No.  Was it different?  Yep.

Yep, this is part of Dawn's concert series.  She sure did see Cyndi Lauper in Toronto.  And this is probably Lauper's last tour, so this is one of her last live performances of the song.  

9 September 2025 - Mitski - Washing Machine Heart

Mitski was born in Japan to an American father and a Japanese mother and is really a citizen of the world.  

She lives in Nashville now.   But I don't know that I'd call her Tenneseean.

Anyway, this 2018 song, from her album Be The Cowboy, is one of her best known - never released as a single but charted overseas anyway.  It's kind of a weird ballad about.... well, a washing machine?  Domestic bliss?  The exact opposite of domestic bliss?   At any rate, the throbbing keyboard and steady, hard beat are somewhat jarring up against the lyrics.  

And yet it works.  And you're going to be humming this song all day long. 

Somehow, the live performance at the 2022 Glastonbury music festival in the UK is even more jarring.  SHE DOES NOT BLINK.  Also, the audience knows the words because, well, it was a hit. 

Her fans know the song so well, she doesn't even need to sing it, and often, she doesn't.

Now THAT'S iconic.  

8 September 2025 (Special Edition) - Supertramp - The Logical Song

Rick Davies of Supertramp has passed away.  It doesn't seem logical, but here we are.  

This huge hit song - one of the band's biggest - was written by Roger Hodgson and features Davies on backing vocals and practically every instrument with keys.  

Anyway, his music will be missed.   

8 September 2025 - HUNTR/X - Golden

Let's talk about KPop Demon Hunters.  

Yep.  The biggest Netflix movie of all time is a juggernaut.  Basically, it's about a girl KPop group - HUNTR/X - who are rivals with a boy group - Saja Boys.  Oh, and the boys are actual demons and the girls are, well, demon hunters.

And one of the girls is half demon.

And people love this movie.  CRITICS love this movie.  I've seen it.  It is a fun romp and there is a lot of great music.  Several actual KPop groups were consulted in making this movie, And real musicians - Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami - really performed this song. It's a real song.  

And it is the real current #1 song on the Billboard pop chart, right now, in September 2025 as we write this.  

And no, I didn't know it was the #1 song when I started writing this.  I DID know it was a big hit song.  

Anyway, check out the movie, and definitely check out the song. 

5 September 2025 - Kneecap - C.E.A.R.T.A

Kneecap are an Irish rap group who perform in a mix of English and Gaelic.  This particular song has a Gaelic title - it means "rights" - and was their debut in 2017. They've since released a lot of angry, loud, innovative, acclaimed music. 

They are controversial and bombastic, but the trio has some serious skills.  

By the way, in Ireland, these guys play arenas.  They're huge.  And they deserve to be. 

Also, they would prefer strongly that Ireland be reunified.  

4 September 2025 - Sabrina Carpenter - Manchild

A large number of great albums came out last week.  

By a whisker, my favorite was Man's Best Friend, the new set from Sabrina Carpenter, and my opinion of it is rather unexpected.  I expected to think it was just all right.  Nope.  It's great.  Highly recommend.

This was the lead single, and it took a while for the combined country/80's homage to grow on me, but it did.   This is, in my opinion, a solid candidate for Song of the Summer - we're going to have to wait and see what Billboard says about that, I guess - and one of the biggest hits of the year so far. 

The song is also a little mean.  But doesn't it sound fun?

Yes, despite how new it is, she has performed the song live a few times - like this performance from Lollapalooza a few weeks ago.  Man, I remember when Lollapalooza was cool.  And yes, Sabrina Carpenter is very cool.... but it's different now.  Anyway, here's the performance.

3 September 2025 - The Beaches - Last Girls At The Party

I sincerely questioned whether or not I would ever post this song.  It didn't connect me as immediately as "Blame Brett" did.  

Then I listened to their new album, No Hard Feelings, which came out last Friday.  I was way more blown away with the song in context..... and also, it is the title song of the album.   They're really leaning pretty hard into a party girl mystique on the album in general, but in a fun and self-deprecating way.  

These ladies are talented and I hope they don't burn themselves out too soon.

I mentioned yesterday that my sister had seen a band with Lights opening in Buffalo earlier this year.  

That band was The Beaches.  And of course they did this.  And of course they sounded great.   And of course she got video.  

And a couple of days ago, I updated another post about The Beaches because she got that song, too.  (And I updated THIS ONE today)

My sister was also there when they debuted this song in January.  She's a big fan of The Beaches.  Wanna see that one?  I know you do... and that's good, because I added it as well.    

2 September 2025 - Lights - Clingy

I did not expect A6 to be my second favorite Lights album. 

It's still not Siberia, but it's got a similarly unique - yes, I know.  Oxymoron.  Stay with me here - sound.  It's a great, great album, end to end.   

And I really can't wait until the as-of-this-writing-not-annouced-but-history-tells-me-I-am-right A6 Acoustic album next year.  I'll happily update this post with the new version of 'Clingy", the fifth single from A6 and my personal favorite song on the record. 

Anyway, my sister goes to a lot of concerts.  One of them she went to earlier this year is tomorrow's featured artist, and I'll talk more about that then, but this was a special one-off show in Buffalo, and Lights was one of the opening acts.  

And yes.  She got video.

Yes, I know I post Lights too much.   Sue me.