Music

This Week’s Heavy Rotation #35

You make me wanna shout!

Note: Each week I take a look back at my playlists and share songs that were either played the most, got stuck in my head, or just stood out. Many are new to me, but there are old faves mixed in as well.

This week represents a huge shift in energy for me. Labor Day marks the passing of the lazy, languid days of summer. School up here starts “for real” now (why they go for two days ahead of the holiday has never made sense to me), as do my sons’ fall soccer seasons.

With the world more or less turning again — for now, anyway — our calendars are full, and some of the music here is indicative of the resurgence of controlled chaos that is our lives. That pace will slow as fall turns to winter, but for now, it’s full speed ahead.

The Thermals-Power Lies

The greatest city on Earth* has given rise to many great bands. The Thermals are no exception. Power Lies is off their 2010 album “Personal Life.” Sounding almost giddy while railing against the current state of affairs is a trait of many Rose City bands. The Thermals honor that here. Singer Hutch Harris doesn’t want to bring you down, he’s just looking for answers to the same questions we all ask.

*I said what I said

Tanokumbia-The Halluci Nation ft. El Dusty & Black Bear

The Halluci Nation (formerly known as A Tribe Called Red) teamed up with Black Bear and Texas-based El Dusty. The latter brought his flavor of Cumbia music to the party, and the result of that collaboration is the utterly danceable Tanokumbia. Speaking about their collaborators, the First Nation duo stated:

“From Corpus Christi, TX, El Dusty has been one person in particular we have always felt walked a similar path as us. With Black Bear holding down the vocals and T.O.N.T.O giving us a massive bassline, ‘Tanokumbia’ was intended for the dance floor. We dedicate this to our people who suffer because of colonial borders. In hopes that the condor will meet the eagle to the sounds of Cumbia PowWow.”

It may have been intended for the dance floor, but you don’t need to hit the club to have this one make you move. Enjoy.

Metallica-Enter Sandman

Okay, maybe not the whole song, but definitely this. Not a fan of the Hokies, or even the ACC (Go Ducks!), but it’s impossible to watch this and not get amped up. Yes, we’re in a pandemic. Yes, there’s a Delta — and now Mu — variant.

Despite it all, college football is back. And full stadiums are absolutely exhilarating. We all have our different highs, and a stadium full of bouncing people is one of mine. After the last 18 months, I think we all deserve a break from rational thought — if only for an afternoon.

Related: After a 651-day hiatus, this one is back as well. Jump up, jump up, and get down!

Ty Segall-I’m A Man

I was late getting to the station, but after catching myself singing this 2–3 times over the week, I realized that I’m on the Ty Segall fan train now. Paisley Lake calls him a “One-Man Rock Renaissance.” Not sure I’m ready to go that far in, but man, he’s good.

Well, if I had my choice of matter I would rather be with cats All engrossed in mental chatter Showing where our minds are at And relating to each other Just how strong our will can be In resisting all involvement With each groovy chick we see

Sonic Youth- Sunday

If Saturday is raucous (see above), then Sunday is the perfect song for, well, Sunday. A good one to put on while sitting on the couch, looking out the window, and waiting to take a nap. This track is off of their 1998 “A Thousand Leaves” album, which also saw the band in a quieter era after the wave of records like Goo, Dirty, and Washing Machine.

What are you listening to this week? An old favorite? Something new? Let me know in the comments!

As always, thank you to everyone here. We’re building something fantastic and it’s only getting better. Each week we’re seeing new people jump on board. It’s awesome.

And if you’re new to the page, welcome! Start by taking a look at the great work of Reuben Salsa, David Acaster, Kathryn Dillon, Terry Barr, Jessica Lee McMillan, Paul Combs, Rob Janicke, Danielle Loewen, Chris Zappa, Pierce McIntyre, Kathy Gerstorff, Keith R. Higgons, and many many others!

I say it every week, but all credit goes to each and every one of you. Thanks for being a part of this.

The usual light housekeeping:

In case you missed last week’s list:

*New to the site or not, we’d love to hear how you found the page! Be sure to check out Terry Barr’s article and share your story!

*Our next Album of the Month group discussion is coming up on 9/12. Make plans to join us! All the details are here.

*If you haven’t listened to The Riff’s podcast yet, grab it here. You can also follow the page and connect with me on Twitter.

If you enjoy reading stories like this, consider signing up to become a Medium member. Doing so gives you unlimited access to 1000’s of stories on Medium. Signing up using this link won’t cost you anything extra, and I’ll earn a small commission.