Frank Turner is back with another happy-sounding, thought-provoking protest anthem. This one inspired by anger and frustration around the "the idea that Breitbart or Steve Bannon think they have anything to do with punk rock..."
He's coming to Austin for SXSW and then back again in June and I can't wait to be there singing along.
RIYL: Brian Fallon, Dave Hause, Hot Water Music, The Smith Street Band, Skinny Lister
Montreal duo She-Devils have a dreamy, U.S. 60's psychedelic-meets-80's U.K. shoegaze that is perfectly mid-oughts indie. I was hoping they'd pop up at SXSW but they're not on any official lists I've seen. Still, a lot of the states (and some of their native Cananda) can catch them on tour this spring.
RIYL: Best Coast, Dum Dum Girls, Bleached, Slowdive
A fun throwback track that floods me with memories. Definitely worthy of a Most Important Song, although not in the band's top 10. This song was never a hit in the U.S. but I must've been friends with some people who had cool older siblings because we used it to choreograph one of our high school competition routines. I don't think I've heard it in 25+ years, and even then it was at least 10 years old. Yazoo holds a special place in the amazing music history of Vince Clarke. If you don't know: he penned and played on Depeche Mode's debut album before leaving them to create this brief (2 album) duo with Alison Moyet, and then went on to partner with Andy Bell and form the everlasting Erasure. Love all that original new wave synthpop awesomeness.
