Medium rare

There comes a time when it's hard to make distinctions between A-list, B-list, and even lesser bands of the post-punk era. I wasn't around to make those judgments first hand anyway, so it's all retrospective evaluations of other people's memories. And aren't we all in the same gang in the end? Listening to this track, I'm happy to imagine Medium Medium were the most innovative mofos in the UK. I might even be willing to believe they invented the slap bass and dour vocal posturing.

Medium Medium - Nadsat Dream

My signals in your brain

Having recently come across this Television-esque band from Norway, I'm reminded why groups aped this sound so thoroughly throughout the 'aughts. But these sadly unheralded guys got everything right about this aesthetic back in their day — zippy, angular, nice Gary Numan-like synth warbles, and in no hurry to get through it. Somehow, I continue to be a sucker for oh-so-serious voices like this.

The Cut - Atmospheres

Mob rule

Good to be back in New York. A week+ in the land of tango, succulent lomo, reversed moons, and 'relaxed' schedules had me itching to return to a landscape of jagged, if decidedly non-Andean, musicality. These cats are definitely scratching that itch. Maybe a little too hard.

Frank Sumatra & the Mob - The Story So Far

Perverted, converted, mind-bending, patent-pending

Huge, full-bald, lurching Mr. Bizarro approaches as you relax under a palm tree sipping a Pina Colada. He's wearing a 1920s bathing suit and carries a beachball in one hand and a coconut in the other. He makes as if to throw one at you, then the other, then lets out a fierce, unbridled scream like a terrified baby. Your move...

The Monochrome Set - Mr. Bizarro

Sleazy does it

From the sublime to...the Stranglers! These guys were so underrated, especially their humor. This track is actually more weird than sleazy. Punk feel with Boston-sized organ break. It also features what is now one of my favorite synth solos. The kind that reminds you how much the instrument is just asking to be used for nastier purposes.

The Stranglers - Nice n' Sleazy

The day of your ego

Does feeling a little alienated from the post-punk records you own signify a healthy engagement with daily life or deeper alienation from your snarling inner self? It occurs to me that I've been wrestling with this question for a while now, given my attraction to bright, upward-pulling sounds over the last few years. Digging out some Au Pairs and digging this tune in particular doesn't really clarify things. But it does spark some happiness. Maybe it's the crosseyed horns.

Au Pairs - That's When It's Worth It