As a pillar of SoCal desert rock, Brant Bjork -- the seminal drummer for Kyuss, a propelling force in Fu Manchu, and a solo singer/guitarist -- clearly has a rooted history with the fuzzy, dazed, rock & roll sounds of the region, and the subsequent movement that broke out in the early 90s. On his newest album (his 13th!), 2018s Mankind Woman, he continues to further the reach of that heavy-yet-laid-back vibe in incorporating the groove of blues, funk and jazz with his desert rock foundation. To celebrate this release, we asked him to make us a playlist, and found that when it comes to history, its not just his own that Bjork has to boast. Check out his playlist dissecting what was truly heavy in 1968 and see what he had to say about it below.Explains Bjork: "1968 was the year that shattered America. The war in Vietnam had officially become the countrys worst nightmare, The Civil Rights Movement was in full effect after the assassination of both Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy and American women and students had basically lost all faith in the establishment. Music has always been an extension in one way or another of its surrounding environment. Music is spiritual and recordings are modern magic capturing the moment. Music heals and it communicates essential ideas and feelings that arent always easy to express. Especially in time of crisis. In a catastrophic year like 1968, the music that is left for us to absorb with wonder is a true gift. The courage of these artists and their songs cant be understated and taken for granted. Its 2018. the 50 year anniversary of 1968. Its Pretty Hairy to see what weve accomplished since...and what we havent. Dig this music. Dig deep and imagine carrying this load. 1968 was the birth of Heavy."
Nashville-via-Detroit power-pop maestro—and one-time wingman to Jack White in The Raconteurs—Brendan Benson is back with a new single, “Half a Boy (and Half a Man)” on White’s Third Man Records label. As he puts the finishing touches on his first solo album in nearly half a decade, and preps the upcoming reissues of his back catalog, Benson made us this playlist of great moments on the mic. “This list began as a ‘favorite singers’ list. After listening though, I think a more apt theme would be ‘favorite vocal performances.’ There are way too many to list, but I thought these were some fine examples of some really inspired and moving vocals. The power that comes from a believable vocal delivery is undeniable. It can reach deep inside you and tug at your heart strings. (What are those, btw?) It can make you pull your car over to cry on the side of the road. It can cause rebellion and incite riots. It can give you physical sensations like goosebumps or chills. It can make you believe in love. Or it can make you despise love. It’s all about the singer and the song.”—Brendan Benson
The erudite Brian Eno once said, “There were three great beats in the ’70s: Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat, James Brown’s funk, and Klaus Dinger’s Neu!-beat.” They are so great, in fact, that strains of their DNA can be detected in practically every groove-based genre of the last 35 years. These include not just hip-hop and techno, but industrial and jungle/drum ’n’ bass as well. Bringing together landmark recordings from all three, this playlist is a sprawling tapestry of densely undulating polyrhythms, purring 4/4, and ecstatic syncopation punctuated with seriously nasty breaks. The bulk of the tracks feature Kuti, Brown, or Dinger, obviously. There are exceptions, however. Kraftwerk, for instance, explored Dinger’s motorik rhythm to great effect years after the group and drummer had parted ways. Hit play and find out why Eno knows what the hell he’s talking about.
Justin Peroff is the drummer for Toronto indie-rockestra Broken Social Scene. Hes also the manager for Harrison and McCallaman, two artists at the forefront of the citys avant-R&B/future-funk movement. For his Dowsers playlist, Peroff shines a light on the beatmakers, MCs, and art-pop savants who comprise the citys current musical vanguard.
"I love Toronto. Lately, the source of my citys inspiration comes from the young music communities whose members average birth year is 1995. That also happens to be the year I left the burbs for the city and officially called Toronto my home. This playlist is an example of that inspiration." — Justin Peroff
Nashville indie rockers Bully have returned with their second album, the fierce ‘n’ feisty Losing (Sub Pop). For her Dowsers playlist, band braintrust Alicia Bognanno shares a selection of recent favorites. “I wanted to put together a list of what I’ve been listening to recently, because a lot of really great music has been released in the past six to 12 months. Here ya go!”—Alicia Bognanno, Bully
Theres so many songs that shape the music we create, and its hard to put them together in a playlist that is under 50 songs. Its always all over the place. I actually had bandmates tell me my list had to be shorter than this. Hit me up for the extended playlist if you like. I also have four other playlists that the rest of our band members are happy to share with what theyre listening to right now. ~Eric Nordby
Recently at The Dowsers, we had Dale Crover of sludge-rock titans The Melvins make us a playlist of his favorite drummers to coincide with the release of the bands double-album opus A Walk with Love & Death. Now, it’s bandmate Buzz “King Buzzo” Osborne’s turn to salute his six-string heroes: Of course, I could fill countless playlists with the likes of Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Billy Gibbons, and Jimmy Page but that would be too easy. Everyone likes those guys. Here are a few guitar players that are interesting to me and not necessarily in a “traditional” guitar-hero sense. As a thinking and working guitar player, I find all of these guys extremely inspirational.—Buzz Osborne, The MelvinsJames Honeyman-Scott, The Pretenders: "Tattooed Love Boys" Love the solos on this and his cool use of harmonics. It’s a pity he ODed. Lord knows where he could have taken his guitar.Dave Shepherd, Weedeater: "Weed Monkey"Shep has a way of dragging out the riff that I love. Weedeater to me are what Flipper would sound like if they played heavy metal. Shep’s a huge part of that. It’s in his hands and attitude and I’m a big fan.Jon Spencer and Neil Hagerty, Pussy Galore: "Dick Johnson"I think Jon Spencer is the most underrated guitar player out there. Once again, it’s all in the attitude. This song is perfect. (I included Neil Hagerty on this because I don’t know who plays what.)Dave Davies, The Kinks: "Attitude" (One for the Road live version)Daves guitar makes this song. What a great riff! No one ever talks about Daves guitar playing and they never talk about this song, which is one of their best.David Hidalgo, Los Lobos: "Viking"Los Lobos are the most eclectic band from L.A. and Davids guitar playing is an essential part of this. Also, his work with the Latin Playboys is some of the best music ever made. I’ve seen Los Lobos countless times and I’ve never seen them play a bad show. It doesn’t get any better.Eddie Hazel, Funkadelic: "Hit it and Quit it"Eddies solo at the end of this song buries me every time. One of my all time favorites ever. Tragic early death of a supersonic talent.Ron Emory, T.S.O.L.: "Weathered Statues"This stuff was very refreshing when it came out in the early 80s. I’ve always thought Ron’s playing on this song was electric, and a nice change from the “hardcore” that seemed to boringly dominate everything at the time. Huge inspiration.Ted Falconi, Flipper: "I Saw You Shine"I have no idea what Ted’s playing most of the time and it doesn’t matter. Without Ted, Flipper it wouldn’t work. Flipper is one of the best bands ever.Andy Gill, Gang of Four: "Paralysed"This is the first song I ever heard by these guys and Andy Gills guitar playing worked its way into my brain and never came out.Robin Trower: "Bridge of Sighs"Yes, he sounds like Hendrix—but who cares? This is one of the most soulful songs ever, and it’s the right tempo! I saw him once in the early 80s and he toasted two Fender Twin reverbs during the last song. Smoke and fire.Jeffrey Lee Pierce and Ward Dotson, The Gun Club: "Ghost on the Highway"I listed both of these guys because I have no idea who plays what on this and I love it either way. An amazing song on one of my favorite albums. I’ve listened to this at least once a week for well over 20 years.Captain Sensible, The Damned: "Smash it Up Parts 1 & 2"Severely underrated guitar player. Don’t skip the first part of this song. Saw them in the early 80s and it remains one of my favorite memories of live music. I never tire of The Damned.Greg Sage, Wipers: "When It’s Over"My God… nothing describes the hopelessness that was and probably is the Northwest better than this guy. I still get chills every time I hear this song. The Wipers aren’t given the attention they deserve and Greg Sage is one of the best guitarists ever.
During Car Seat Headrest’s meteoric 2016 ascent, various fans and critics tried to pin down the band’s sonic DNA. An obvious touchstone was Matador Records mid-90s golden era—the hushed/clanking dynamic of Yo La Tengo and the absurdist suburban ennui of Pavement are both evident—but there was also strands of polished ‘90s alternative rock in the album’s clean and at-times intricate production. “Sounds of Denial”—the Spotify playlist that band braintrust Will Toledo posted around the time of the album’s release—features “songs that are responsible in some way for the creation of my new album Teens of Denial.” It’s a surprisingly broad playlist that leans very heavily on the rock canon, beginning with The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and continuing with tracks by the likes of Queen, Nirvana, The Clash, and Rod Stewart. You’d like to imagine your indie rock heroes being inspired by something a bit more obscure and idiosyncratic than “Maggie May,” but there’s also something oddly appropriate about it. After all, much of the charm of Teens of Denial was a sense of teenage nostalgia, and the album perfectly captured the boredom of hazy drug-fueled days spent listening to classic rock radio and gazing into the abyss of disposable relationships and strip malls. This playlist captures that, to some extent, even if it’s largely inessential listening.
American-born, Oslo-based dream-pop chanteuse Carmen Villain recently released her mesmerizing second album, Infinite Avenue. To mark the occasion, she created this playlist for The Dowsers. Here, she explains its unifying theme: "This is a collection of abstract and cosmic jams, recent obsessions, and inspirations. Some of these I listened to a lot during the album recording process, some of the tracks are by brilliant friends and collaborators, others are more recent discoveries, or older favorites that have resurfaced to the front of my collection again. Usually, Im drawn to music where theres a kind of magic between sounds, something that might not be audible, but maybe felt more. I think most of these tracks have that."
At a time when US-Mexico relations are strained, theres fortunately indie-pop fusion ensemble The Chamanas spreading their homegrown sound from both sides of the border. Hailing from Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas, the band has just released their album NEA II, featuring some of their first ever English-language songs. In mixing Spanish and English-language music, the collective aims to bring their varied musical culture to all people all over the world. As NPR explains, "The bands name is a alternative vocalization of "shaman," a spiritual person with healing energies. The Chamanas is definitely living up to the name." We asked them to put together a playlist for us, and taking another queue from their lifestyle north and south of the border, they chose some songs to play when driving the I-10.Says the band: "One of our favorite things to do is to road trip along the I-10 or el hay ten and visit new places along with our best friends/bandmates. We really enjoy playing in front of new crowds, and feeling the feedback from them listening to us for the first time. Our musical influence varies, just how the culture in the border can vary too. The four of us come from very different backgrounds and hence different musical influences. Still, we enjoy listening to music on the road together. We can jam to classics like Bronco and Jeanette, or new artists we just discovered and want to share." Listen above or go right here.
The ’90s have never sounded better than they do right now—especially for modern-day indie rockers. There’s no shortage of bands banging around these days whose sound suggests formative phases spent soaking up vintage ’90s indie rock. Not that the neo-’90s sound is itself a new thing. As soon as the era was far enough away in the rearview mirror to allow for nostalgia to set in (i.e., the second half of the 2000s), there were already some young artists out there onboarding ’90s alt-rock influences. But more recently, there’s been a bumper crop of bands that betray a soft spot for a time when MTV still played music videos and streaming was just something that happened in a restroom. In this context, the literate, lo-fi approach of Pavement has emerged as a particularly strong strand of the ’90s indie tapestry, and it isn’t hard to hear echoes of their sound in the work of more recent arrivals like Kiwi jr. or Teenage Cool Kids. Cherry Glazerr frontwoman Clementine Creevy seems to have a feeling for the kind of big, dirty guitar riffs that made Pacific Northwestern bands the kings of the alt-rock heap once upon a time. The world-weary, wise-guy angularity of Car Seat Headrest can bring to mind the lurching, loose-limbed attack of Railroad Jerk. And laconic, storytelling types like Nap Eyes stand to prove that there’s still a bright future ahead for those who mourn the passing of Silver Jews main man David Berman. But perhaps the best thing about a face-off between the modern indie bands evoking ’90s forebears and the old-school artists themselves is the fact that in this kind of competition, everybody wins.
It may be that 2019 was the best year for ’90s metal since, well, 1999. Bands from the decade of Judgment Night re-emerged with new creative twists and tweaks: Tool stretched out into polyrhythmic madness, Korn bludgeoned with more extreme and raw despair, Slipknot added a new drummer (Max Weinberg’s kid!) who gave them a new groove, and Rammstein wrote an anti-fascism anthem that caused controversy in Germany (and hit No. 1 there too). Elsewhere, icons of the era returned in unique ways: Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor scored a superhero TV series, Primus’ Les Claypool teamed up with Sean Lennon for some quirky psych rock, and Faith No More’s Mike Patton made an avant-decadent LP with ’70s soundtrack king Jean-Claude Vannier. Finally, the soaring voice of Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington returned for a moment thanks to Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton, who released a song they recorded together in 2017.
Taking a look at the playlists for my show on Boston’s WZBC might give the more seasoned college-radio listener a bit of déjà vu: They’re filled with bands like Versus, Team Dresch, and Sleater-Kinney, who were at the top of the CMJ charts back in the ’90s. But the records they released in 2019 turned out to be some of the year’s best rock. Versus, whose Ex Nihilo EP and Ex Voto full-length were part of a creative run for leader Richard Baluyut that also included a tour by his pre-Versus outfit Flower and his 2000s band +/-, put out a lot of beautifully thrashy rock; Team Dresch returned with all cylinders blazing and singers Jody Bleyle and Kaia Wilson wailing their hearts out on “Your Hands My Pockets”; and Sleater-Kinney confronted middle age head-on with their examination of finding one’s footing, The Center Won’t Hold.
Italian guitar heroes Uzeda—who have been putting out proggy, riff-heavy music for three-plus decades—released their first record in 13 years, the blistering Quocumque jerceris stabit; Imperial Teen, led by Faith No More multi-instrumentalist Roddy Bottum, kept the weird hooks coming with Now We Are Timeless; and high-concept Californians That Dog capped off a year of reissues with Old LP, their first album since 1997. Juliana Hatfield continued the creative tear she’s been on this decade with two albums: Weird, a collection of hooky, twisty songs that tackle alienation with searing wit, and Juliana Hatfield Sings the Police, her tribute record to the dubby New Wave chart heroes (in the spirit of the salute to Olivia Newton-John she released in 2018). And our playlist finishes with Mary Timony, formerly of the gnarled rockers Helium and currently part of the power trio Ex Hex, paying tribute to her former Autoclave bandmate Christina Billotte via an Ex Hex take on “What Kind of Monster Are You?,” one of the signature songs by Billotte’s ’90s triple threat Slant 6.
