This Week’s Heavy Rotation #4
“Just play that music!”
I spent a good part of this past week helping my son comparison shop for a utility trailer.
That’s a sentence I never thought I’d find myself writing, but here we are. He has a lawn care/snow removal business and is working hard to scale it up. No “hacks,” or other short cuts; just good old fashioned sweat equity and customer service.
I’m obviously biased but it’s hard not to respect the hustle.
Speaking of hardworking, these are my top 5 of the last 7 days. Some are old standbys, and some were brand new to me. All of them got a lot of airtime.
Wait for Me- Hall & Oates
A gift from the algorithm gods! Maybe the only track I’d recognize off of their 1979 album X-static. I’ll bet I hadn’t heard this since the mid-'90s. It sounds as good as ever.
Just Play Music- Big Audio Dynamite
“Move my feet And touch my soul Bass sound drum beat Rock and roll Just play that music”
Q. What did Mick Jones do after The Clash?
A. Put on a hat and formed Big Audio Dynamite
A bouncing, sunny song off of 1988’s “Tighten Up Vol. 88,” Jones and Co. took it to #1 on the then-new Billboard Modern Rock chart. I first heard this after checking out the CD from my local library (and then racking up a lot of late fees). I always come back to it.
Oh, Honey- Delegation.
A gift from The Riff! I’d never heard of this group before reading Oliver Norris’ recent article. It was a sample in a song he shared by Your Old Droog. That track was good, but this one hooked me. The smooth rhythm reminds me a lot of “Float On” by The Floaters- both make you feel like you’re floating down a lazy, groovy river.
Delegation hailed from the UK but would’ve been right at home in Motown or Philly.
No 13 Baby- The Pixies
My friend Mark and I rode our BMX bikes to Tower Records to buy Doolittle when it first came out. We only knew “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” but quickly learned that this album is a goldmine. Between Black Francis’ screaming “I’m in a state!” and the killer outro, this one’s my favorite.
Cars- Gary Numan and Nine Inch Nails
Not a whole lot I can say about this, other than it was on my running playlists all week. It’s the sort of jet fuel I need to get through my longer runs.
Related: I cannot wait for live shows to be a thing again.
What’s in your heavy rotation?
As always, thank you to the fantastic writers here at The Riff!
In case you missed last week’s:
