This year, 2019, a handful of my favorite musicians released new albums: Tim Barry, Jimmy Eat World, Jesse Malin, etc. I enjoyed each of their records but none of them hit me like I know they will at some point. Timing is everything and I’ve learned, time and again, that just because an album doesn’t connect right now doesn’t mean it won’t find its way into regular rotation up the road. The album that shook me to the core this year is by a band that has sold 60 million records worldwide and yet my newly discovered favorite, their self-titled debut, is all but forgotten. INXS was released way back in 1980, the year I was born, and it sounds nothing like the new wave arena rockers that they would later become.
For a number of years in the late 1980s / early 1990s INXS, along with U2 and REM, were amongst the biggest rock bands in the world. I was familiar with a few of their singles, enough so to sing along with them though, hearing it on the radio, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you whether the song was being performed by INXS, Depeche Mode, or Duran Duran. This is not to say that these bands sound alike but rather to put into context my lack of familiarity with the New Romantic bands of the era. This past June, while on a weekend getaway visiting my folks in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, my wife had an 80s mix playing on Spotify and twice after asking the question, “Who is this? It’s great!” I was surprised that the answer, on both occasions, was INXS. I listened to their most well-known album, Kick, three times in a row on the drive back to New Jersey and, on that ride home, I had realized what was so special about this band that dominated the airwaves for the better part of my youth. I was also quite surprised at how many songs of theirs off this album alone that I recognized, as I kept thinking to myself: that’s their song too?!?
Everyone has heard the phrase: find your happy place. It’s an exercise used in meditation or in situations where we find ourselves needing to calm the stresses of daily life. Well, my happy place is inside a musical rabbit hole. For a music-obsessed nerd like myself, there’s nothing better than discovering an album that makes each hair on your body stand at attention. My customary ritual for traveling down one of these rabbit holes is as follows: 1) discover an album that I like, 2) head over to Wikipedia to find an overview of the band’s career, and 3) check Discogs to see if the album is available on vinyl and attempt to justify to my wife why I need this album right now. After hours of obsessing in this manner, if the album passes the “Let me sleep on this and see if I’m still excited about it in the morning,” test, then it’s off to the races of delving into anything and everything the Internet has to offer about the band.
Scouring Wikipedia for all things INXS, I was surprised to read this on their page under Early Years: “These early records demonstrated their new wave/ska/pop style.” Having only heard the songs on Kick up until this point, I was very interested in hearing the early incarnation of the band as there was no ska to speak of in the songs I had heard. Spotify only goes back as far as 1982 with their Shabooh, Shoobah album (which contains one of the best songs ever written in Don’t Change) but Wikipedia insists that they had released two albums prior to this so I hopped on YouTube, found their first album, and didn’t come up for air for the rest of the night. Their eponymous debut has a sound more akin to Elvis Costello and The Jam than to the new wave hitmakers they would later become. The songs are upbeat, catchy, and powerful and will likely speak to any fans of melodic punk, power pop, and even early ska. While INXS does not have a horn section, the bass and drums have that bouncy, melodic flavor similar to First Wavers such as The Specials and Madness. Throughout the 33 minute album, INXS clearly left the fat on the recording studio floor, serving up ten straight-to-the-point cuts that will undoubtedly be stuck in your head for days to come.
Approaching middle age (or, at 39, am I already there?!?) I refuse to be the guy standing behind his imaginary podium yelling about how things were better when I was a kid. That said (doesn’t it seem as if a “that said” always follows a statement like that?) one thing I miss about the days gone by is the effort it used to take to discover new music. Before Spotify and YouTube, bands and albums carried a certain mystique. As fans we’d read about a band or hear about them from a friend and wonder what they sounded like. This speculation could germinate in one’s imagination for weeks or even months before finally being able to track down something to listen to by the band in question. The Internet made it relatively easy to acquire the first INXS album. YouTube held me over until the cd that I ordered from Discogs arrived. Then I struck gold at my local record store where I was fortunate enough to come across a copy of the album on vinyl for a great price. The level of difficulty was nowhere near what it would’ve been like when I was a kid, but it was still a whole lot of fun going on the hunt for this record and finally being able to hold this relic of the past in my hands, one that feels like my own little secret treasure.
INXS’s eponymous debut was my favorite discovery of 2019 but it was by no means the only discovery to resonate with me. Below is a list of the other albums that hit me hard, in no certain order, all released prior to 2019 that I was late to the party in finding. Each of these (except for the ever elusive To The Death by Earth Crisis) have found their way to my record shelves:
The Plimsouls- s/t: There’s a public radio station in my area, broadcast through Brookdale Community College, called 90.5 The Night. I’ve discovered a number of great bands from this station, one of whom being The Plimsouls. Spotify has their second album Everywhere At Once (which includes their pseudo-hit A Million Miles Away, which the Goo Goo Dolls do an excellent cover of) and a couple of live albums but it’s missing the album of theirs that resonates with me- their self-titled debut. It’s not easy to find but it is absolutely worth tracking down with its 32 minutes of straight up, Stones influenced, rootsy rock ‘n roll.
INXS- Kick: This sounds like a completely different band than the album I gushed over earlier. No longer the power pop band heard on their debut, and not even the darker/sexy rock band that wrote one of the best songs ever in Don’t Change, at this point in 1987 INXS were a full on new wave/pop rock group and this album made them one of the biggest bands in the world. Every song on this one is great, most you’ve undoubtedly heard, my favorite being the title track, Kick, with it’s zen-like chorus: Sometimes you kick, sometimes you get kicked.
The Alarm- Declaration: I, again, have 90.5 The Night to thank for introducing me to The Alarm. To get into this album proper you’ve got to look past the hairstyles that adorn the cover, keeping in mind that it was the 80s and also that they’re Welch (which should get them a bit of a pass based solely on the fact that you likely can’t name another band that hailed from Wales. I know I sure can’t). The songs on this album sound like a mix of The Clash and the best parts of 1980s anthemic rock, ala Bryan Adams, Billy Idol, etc.
The Jam- The Gift: I’ve owned Setting Sons by The Jam for many years but other than the once per year listen I give it, I’ve never been able to truly sink my teeth into it fully. Traveling down one of those musical rabbit holes, this year, I discovered their final album from 1982, The Gift, and finally I embraced the brilliance of The Jam. This album is equal parts funk and power pop and, fortunately or unfortunately, it makes me want to dance every time I hear it (which is not a pretty sight for my wife to see but my 6 year old son is always happy to oblige and join me). Their debut, In the City, also hits the spot when I’m searching for something with a slightly sharper edge.
White Lies- Friends: Because of how much INXS resonated with me, 2019 was the first year in which I began exploring new wave albums. I don’t recall exactly what led me to find White Lies, specifically their album Friends, but whatever it was I owe to it a massive debt of gratitude. Every song on this album is brilliant and each sound like they should be in a movie. White Lies play modern new wave/post punk that in no way feels like a novelty. If movies like The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink were made today, White Lies would be all over their soundtracks. This British power trio write excellent songs and Friends will be a part of both mine and my wife’s regular rotation going for years to come.
The Cure- Head on the Door: Prior to this year, I’ve never gotten into The Cure and it’s not for a lack of trying. Their track, Burn, from The Crow (a movie that I watched for approximately the 50th time recently and I’m happy to report that it still holds up) was my favorite on that soundtrack. I’ve asked friends who love them to recommend a starting point for me with the consensus always seeming to land on Disintegration. I gave that one a shot more than a few times throughout the years but The Cure’s brand of gloomy goth never did it for me. This year, upon further exploration, I discovered that it’s not all doom and gloom coming from Robert Smith and Co., and that they actually write excellent (and sometimes happy sounding) pop songs. I can’t get enough of Head on the Door and was lucky enough to find a great copy of the reissued vinyl for $25 at my local record store. There’s nothing gloomy about that! Wish is another album of theirs that checks all the boxes for me.
Smashing Pumpkins- Shiny and Oh So Bright: For a long time I had a theory that if the Smashing Pumpkins had a different singer (but one who still sang all of Billy Corgan’s excellent vocal melodies/patterns) they would be one of the greatest rock bands ever. Even without loving his voice, I still consider 1993’s Siamese Dream to be a near-perfect album (though it took me a good 22 years to come to that conclusion). Here, on their 2018 release, Shiny and Oh So Bright, Corgan is rejoined by original SP members, drummer Jimmy Chamberlain and guitarist James Iha, and, together, they have crafted what I believe to be their finest work to date. With a mere 8 songs, clocking in at 31 minutes, this record full of well-crafted and expertly played rock songs leaves me wanting more.
Sting- Ten Summoner’s Tales: This year I fell in love with yoga, and I owe that to Sting. I also owe my recent appreciation for Sting’s solo music to yoga. As a teenager I was introduced to The Police by a couple of friends who I played in a band with. I immediately took to their faster material, mostly from Outlandos D’Amour and their double live album. Last year I jumped back in and fell in love with everything The Police did- their slow songs, their reggae-influenced songs, and even their more pop-sounding tunes. But I always wrote Sting off as a wanker. I thought his solo work was reserved for yuppies and soccer moms. Last winter, in the midst of my binge of The Police’s catalog I decided to give yoga a try, knowing that Sting was a major proponent of the practice, and I fell in love. It was in yoga class, while in a Child’s Pose, where I first listened to his solo track, Fields of Gold. I’d heard the song many times before: on the radio, as people’s wedding song, etc. but never before had I truly listened. With my head between my knees I was so moved by the smoothness of the song and Sting’s voice that, upon leaving the yoga studio, I immediately pulled up the album it came from, Ten Summoner’s Tales, and I haven’t looked back. Both Sting and The Police are included in My Top Five Artists according to Spotify Wrapped for 2019 so, much to the dismay of my wife, it’s been a whole lot of Sting at my house this year.
Earth Crisis- Destroy the Machines & To the Death: One of the first hardcore bands I ever heard was Earth Crisis. A friend of my brother’s had showed me their groundbreaking ep, Firestorm, which had a massive influence on me. I saw them a handful of times back in the day (and again when they first reunited whenever that was, probably around 2007-08). I purchased their first full length, Destroy the Machines, back around 1996 at a CD show in New Brunswick that my dad drove me to and, although I liked the music, I could never get into the vocals. They had more of a deep, Cookie Monster tone, rather than the glass-eating ferocity heard on Firestorm. Fast forward all these years later and, traveling down a 90s hardcore rabbit hole, I decided to revisit, Destroy the Machines, the one that everyone considers to be their classic album. As Michael Scott once said: “it takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong, and I am that big man.” Boy was I wrong. I don’t know what it is in my brain that finally clicked but I now love everything about this record. My newfound admiration for it led me to check out their newer material and I found that their comeback record, 2010’s To The Death, is another killer hardcore album that I’ve been missing out on that I’m so glad I finally found.
Soulfly- Ritual: This past November my wife and I took our son to Disney World. We arrived at The Happiest Place on Earth with me listening to loads of Sting, INXS, and The Beatles and we left with me listening to Soulfly and Sepultura. Adults in Mickey Ears and old people willing to use their Mr. Jazzy motorized wheelchairs as weapons in order to secure a better spot in line will do that to you. I’ve long admired Max Cavalera but outside of Sepultura’s Roots and Soulfly’s self-titled debut (is it me or do a ton of bands not give an album title to their debut?) I’ve never gotten into much of his enormous catalog. One night, while trying to fall asleep in our hotel room I listened to an episode of Jamey Jasta’s podcast in which Max was the guest, which prompted me to hop onto Spotify to see what he’d been up to musically these days. There I found Ritual, Soulfly’s blistering album released a year ago and it was just what I needed to balance out all the Toy Story rides (which were awesome) and Mickey-branded junk food being shoved in my face all week. Ten songs of powerful metal- chock full of thrash, groove, and Max’s signature brutal scream.
Gojira- Magma: The name Gojira has been in my purview for years. They’ve been described as a mix between Tool and Meshuggah, but, even with such an intriguing comparison, I never felt compelled to check them out. I can again give credit for this exploration to The Jasta Show as he has time and again mentioned that they are a force to be reckoned with in the metal world and, while in Disney, after my Cavalera-binge I cued up Magma, Gojira’s 2016 masterpiece, and was immediately blown away. The style of heavy portrayed on Magma is perfect for the 39 year old version of myself. It is 1) heavy, yet not punishingly so, 2) short, clocking in at 43 minutes, at least for progressive metal standards, and 3) catchy as all hell, focused more on songwriting rather than just a collection of riffs. In the short time that I’ve considered myself a fan of their work I’ve fallen in love with three of their albums- Magma, L’Enfant Sauvage, and From Mars to Sirius. If you’ve never heard them I’d suggest Magma as a perfect jumping off point.
The Beatles- Help: As a teenage, middle class suburban punk I found it my duty to decry the work of The Beatles. They were, after all, my mom’s all-time favorite band and it wasn’t cool to like the music your parents listened to. God, what a schmuck I was. Even after growing out of that snarky phase, something about The Beatles never quite did it for me. I started to come around while watching Beat Bugs, the kids show on Netflix that featured a whole slew of Beatles songs but what really did it for me was seeing this cover of my favorite Beatles song by The Living End (a band whose album Wunderbar was one of my 3 favorite albums of 2018- a mammoth year for new music in my opinion). After watching that video upwards of 25 times, I dove headfirst into Help and, after all these years, it finally clicked with me and The Beatles, as Beatles for Sale also struck a major chord with me.
Dead 60s- s/t: At the end of last year and the beginning of this year I fully immersed myself in a band called Radio 4, an early 2000s post-punk band from NYC whose bass playing singer had roots in the hardcore/indie scene of the 90s. Under Spotify’s “Fans Also Like” feature is where I stumbled upon Liverpool, England’s The Dead 60s and their 2005 self-titled debut. Much like Radio 4, The Dead 60s play bass-driven songs clearly inspired by The Clash. The Dead 60s mix a heavy dose of The Wailers in there as well making the 34 minutes of music on this album quite enjoyable an enjoyable listen.
Dreamcar- s/t: Back in 2017, Davey Havok from AFI teamed up with the members of No Doubt (minus Gwen Stefani) and formed Dreamcar, a modern new wave band. As so often is the case with me, I gave this album a try when it was first released, because I’m a big fan of Davey Havok, but it did not resonate with me at the time. This year though, my tastes have leaned new wave so I gave it another spin and it became one of my most listened to albums of the year. Like anyone who grew up in the 90s, I was very aware of No Doubt, but other than their singles I’ve never listened to them. I had no idea that they were such proficient players and songwriters. I truly hope this album is not just a one-off and that there’s more to come from this supergroup.
Snapcase- Designs for Automation: I’m a 39 year old man but, if pressed, I would most likely consider myself a hardcore kid (a notion that makes my wife laugh with a touch of pity). I owe a lot to 90s hardcore, not just the music but the ethics I learned from the scene that are still a huge part of my life today. Snapcase’s 1997 album, Progression Through Unlearning, could be my favorite hardcore album of all time. Every part of it- from the music, to the lyrics, to the artwork, is perfect in my eyes. Oddly, my fandom halted after that release. These were the days before Spotify and YouTube made things so easy to listen to but I heard Designs for Automation a handful of times around its release in 1999 but it didn’t live up to the monumental album they released just two years. Well this year I dove back in and realized I had made a huge mistake in writing it off so quickly. This is an excellent album and the lyrics, especially on Side B, are truly special.
AFI- The Blood Album & The Missing Man: I’ve been an AFI fan since they released their album Sing the Sorrow way back in 2003. When they released The Blood Album a couple of years back, I tried it a few times but it didn’t click. I also missed the release of their 5 song ep, The Missing Man, last year so when I discovered what an excellent record that was this year, I gave The Blood Album another chance and I’m thrilled that I did as I had 19 songs (new to me) from one of my all-time favorite bands to digest this year. A lot of (grumpy) folks my age only want to hear “Old AFI,” when they were a hardcore punk band but I, for one, think that The Cure-influence that shines through on the more recent sound of the band works perfectly. It’s incredible how this band changes so much from album to album. From Sing the Sorrow onward, AFI are perfect to me.
Suburban Bourbon 