"TELL" THE RADIO DEPT. (2006)

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

Putting The Radio Dept.’s first two full-length albums side by side – Lesser Matters and Pet Grief – I have trouble saying which one I like better. They are quite different from each other. The band’s debut album has more guitars, more of that characteristics shoegaze distortion and fuzz, and more variations. But the remarkable consistency between the tracks on their sophomore release is Pet Grief’s biggest strength and it’s what makes it such a great listen from beginning to end in one sitting. Just as critical to the overall sound as the early tracks are the ones that bring up the rear of the record, including “Tell”.

That dream pop essence is captured so poignantly in those high synthesizer single notes that seem to soar wistfully and tragically at the same time. As with many of the other tracks on Pet Grief, the synthesizers are king here and the guitar plays a secondary role, complementing the atmosphere and textures defined on the keys. The “Tell” is perfect for slow, lazy afternoons. Perfect for rainy days. Just perfect, in general.

“Will you keep this up, As long as you can if I don't make it stop?”

"DOUBTS EVEN HERE" NEW ORDER (1981)

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

It is sobering, yet also somewhat disorienting to think that Movement came out just a year and a half after Ian Curtis’ suicide. In some ways, it seemed much too soon to be getting back to writing, playing and recording. But this was how Sumner, Hooky and Morris moved forward. Movement, in many ways, was a way to keep Ian Curtis’ legacy alive. Many of the songs unequivocally feel more like Joy Division than New Order, including “The Him” and the lesser heralded “Doubts Even Here”.

While Movement isn’t my favorite New Order album by any stretch, ”Doubts Even Here” has been captivating and, at times, it has possessed this magnetic quality. There’s something in the song that continually pulls me back into it. Before the changeover to a brighter, synth-driven sound, here New Order saluted the post-punk agenda of Joy Division. “Doubts Even Here” conjured up a complex melee of emotions, from sadness to despair, to fury. And they pulled it off magnificently here before the mold was set – with Stephen Morris writing all the lyrics and Hooky on lead vocals.

“Too much of heaven's eyes I saw through.”

"THE LIGHTHOUSE" INTERPOL (2007)

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

Our Love To Admire is an album that was a bit of an acquired taste for me. Lacking the instant likability of Turn On The Bright Lights and Antics, OLTA has gotten better over time for one reason. This is Interpol stretching and exploring, creating some of their most epic musical arrangements ever. “Rest My Chemistry” is the big one. “Pioneer To The Falls” is a killer opener. But the track that I only turned onto recently is the deep cut “The Lighthouse”.

I used to think that Interpol was at its best when it thrusted the rhythm section to the foreground, and paired Kessler’s angular guitar tirades with Banks singing with a catatonic gusto. But there’s another side to the band that’s under appreciated and exceptionally unique: the dark, expansive side. “The Lighthouse” might be the best example of this. Cinematic. Enveloping. Haunting. I could listen to it a hundred times in a row and still be caught off guard with the instrumental transition at the 4:25 mark. In some ways, it is the quintessential deep cut. Interpol giving the fans something more, something different, something truly ambitious.

“Here I've been loosened, unliving within. Inwardly urgent, I'm sinking again.”

"PAPER TIGERS" THE CHAMELEONS (1983)

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

The Chameleons enjoyed a bit of a cult status back in the eighties. It wasn’t until several decades later, in the early 2000’s, that the band’s undeniable influence became fully apparent. Now, it’s hard to imagine that some of the post-punk revival acts from that era could exist without The Chameleons. Of course, the two bands that stand out the most are the Editors and Interpol. The angular guitar playing, driving bass lines, atmospheric soundscapes and ominous vocals became a blueprint from which a new generation could build off. Script of the Bridge is required listening for any post punk music fan. And the listener must push past “Don’t Fall”, “Second Skin”, and “Up the Down Escalator” and hear the album in its entirety. The deep cuts, like “Paper Tigers” are just as good as the more well-known tracks.

“Paper Tigers” is a rollicky ride, a banger of a track where every instrument becomes a rhythmic element. I hear a little Interpol here with the foreshadowing of Daniel Kessler’s chiming guitar explorations. I sense a little Editors going on as well a la Tom Smith. The Chameleons were around creating these superb sonic landscapes twenty years before these great post-punk revival bands made their appearance. “Paper Tigers” is proof of the sheer depth of this pioneer’s catalog. When it came to the impact on future acts, the deep cuts from The Chameleons often cut the deepest.

“Too much and it makes me crazy. Not enough and it makes me lazy.”

"TERRITORIES" RUSH (1985)

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

Power Windows was the first CD I ever purchased. Funny thing is, I continued to buy cassettes afterwards. In retrospect, I’m confused as to why I went backwards with my album format before returning later to CDs. It seemed Power Windows was simply deserving of a higher quality sound. The decision to buy a CD ultimately paid off, allowing the exceptional production quality of the album to shine through. Typically, a deep cut appears as one of the last couple of tracks on the album. But “Mystic Rhythms”, a single, can hardly be considered one. “Territories”, on the other hand, is – even as the fifth of eight tracks.

It’s the Alex Lifeson show here. One of the few tracks from Power Windows where the synthesizers take a hiatus and the monster riffs come out to play. I have no problem when Rush mashes on the keys, but I always felt the band felt more complete when Lifeson was wielding the axe early and often. “Territories” marks out clear boundaries all the over place – the verses, the chorus, and the instrumental refrains – with one guitar riff after another trekking, traversing, globetrotting and taking us along for the ride.

“Better people... better food... and better beer... Why move around the world when Eden was so near?”

"SUNDAY SUN" BECK (2002)

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

Look, some days you just don’t want to be cheered up. On those days, you still need your music. And maybe Beck’s Sea Change is part of your go-to rotation on those days. Few albums are equally self-loathing and melodic as this one. It’s still my favorite Beck record because there’s no place for the lyrics and melodies to hide. Beck bares his soul and uses minimal production (well, for him at least) here. The album is a perfect listen from beginning to end. However, as it’s 12 tracks long, “Sunday Sun” in the #10 spot qualifies as a deep cut, and a very good one at that.

Despite the title, this is not a song with a sunny disposition. It is a continuation of the themes of depression and sadness explored on Sea Change. This track’s defining characteristics are two elements mired in the miserable malaise of life: the piano and Beck’s somber vocals. “Sunday Sun” ends with a cacophony of feedback and distortion a la Wilco. Even in its minimalism and even at his lowest, Beck is still Beck. And no breakup can take that away from him.

“There’s no other ending. Sunday sun. Yesterdays are mending. Sunday sun.”

“PLING” JUNIP (2011)

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

I’ve loved the acoustic-driven, underrated guitar prowess of Jose Gonzalez for many years. But only recently have I delved into the catalog of Junip, his collab with keyboardist Tobias Winterkorn. I’ve found some hidden gems on their albums and EPs. While some songs sound very similar to his solo stuff, there are more experimental, instrumental layerings to be heard. On the EP In Every Direction, the track “Pling” has lived in relative obscurity, just waiting to be devoured by music fans.

“Pling” is far more than an instrumental. It’s audio candy. A visceral experience where every single instrumental element – even the most delicate ones – exercise enormous power. The tactile noises of this track include what sounds like a xylophone, a pulsating bass line and a steady tapping of snare rim shots. It is a hidden gem from an instrumental and production perspective. Listening to it now, it feels like Christmas has arrived exceedingly early this year.

“FOLLOW YOUR BLISS” THE B-52’S (1989)

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

I’m not a particularly huge fan of The B-52’s in general. The band’s bigger hits (“Rock Lobster”, “Planet Claire”, “Love Shack”) are my least favorite tracks of theirs. When they come down-to-earth a bit and leave the party at home is where I think there’s interesting music to be discovered. On Cosmic Thing, this side to the band came to fruition with songs like “Roam”, “Topaz” and my deep cut pick, “Follow Your Bliss”.

I can see why many fans would almost consider this track to be a throwaway. But it was instantly one of my favorites. The musical equivalent of a change-up pitch, it gave the album a different tempo, timbre and demeanor to close out with. “Follow Your Bliss” is a slow, lazy, feel-good musical statement. Nothing more. It’s not trying to hype you up, but instead it lifts you up slowly but surely. It’s a track that’s easily forgotten, but I’ll take it over “Love Shack” any day of the week. It’s the essence of deep cut.

“TRANSCONTINENTAL, 1:30 A.M.” VIENNA TENG (2006)

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

A friend introduced me to the music of Vienna Teng several years ago by way of the album Waking Hour and the piano-heavy song “Gravity” in particular. I didn’t need any convincing that there was talent here in her understated presence. With Vienna, it felt very much felt like a friend was writing and performing these songs. There was nothing hyped about her music, which points to the strength and pure talent embodied in her songwriting. My stance remained unchanged when Dreaming Through The Noise was released, which contains my deep cut pick for today, “Transcontinental, 1:30 a.m.”.

The best songs are the ones that invite us to be a part of their story. The great ones make us feel like we’ve transported to another place. “Transcontinental, 1:30 a.m.” accomplishes this. Vienna may have written it to be about trying to make a long-distance relationship work. But every single time I play it, without fail, I’m brought to a quiet and empty airport terminal that turns into a dark, smokey jazz club in the dead of night. And I don’t want to leave.

“I know we're transcontinental, 1:30 a.m. and there's not even a wire. Just a whispering in air. I know we're transcontinental, 1:30 a.m. but I'm here.”

“CROWING” TOAD THE WET SPROCKET (1994)

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

Toad the Wet Sprocket started to build momentum with the release of Pale. Then when Fear was released, the band practically became a household name overnight. The follow-up, Dulcinea, went platinum, but somehow seemed to be a lesser celebrated album. But it’s my favorite of theirs. Listening back to it nearly 30 years later (!), I’m impressed by Toad’s resolve to do their own thing and stay the course when many other acts at the time were being influenced by grunge. Dulcinea builds off the musicality and songwriting of Fear, never veering, and in doing so, they establish a more mature, reflective output. My deep cut pick from the album is “Crowing”.

“Crowing” drew me in immediately when I first heard it. It is a prime example of the band’s strength: the perfect marriage of Glen Phillips’ lyrics and the melody. They are inseparable and made for each other. “Fly From Heaven”, “Something’s Always Wrong” and “Fall Down” all contain great moments on the guitar. But “Crowing” relies solely on the earnestness of the sung words, which has given it a sort of timeless quality untainted by chart positions and streaming stats.  

“You’d give yourself to anybody who would cross that line.”

"SINKING" THE CURE (1985)

You can get off to a fast start. You can sustain your opener with the main course, not filler. But can you end on a high note? Sometimes I wonder if recording a strong closer is the most difficult thing to pull off when it comes to album rock. When it comes to the cream of the crop in music, I can think of more strong openers than strong closers. Nonetheless, I still have my favorites which I’ll be featuring on Mental Jukebox all month.

I count The Head On The Door among my top five favorite Cure albums. This was the record that brought me into the fold. True, it is known for being one of the more accessible recordings from their catalog. It’s poppier for sure. And often times, fans will recommend that new enthusiasts start with this album first, then branch out to the less accessible stuff. But the thing is, The Head On The Door tends to get written off as a one-dimensional pop fest. The final proof that this is preposterous is the last track, “Sinking”. It might be my favorite closer of all time, from any band.

That sinking feeling is captured so perfectly and profoundly on the track. In true Cure fashion, the instruments take on a life of their own, personifying human emotions so beautifully. The guitar harmonics and tragic synth interludes seem to drag each other down into the mire. Smith doesn’t sling a ton of lyrics around on this one. But every word counts. Every word has a nearly unbearable weight attached to it. Gallup’s bass line mopes around, pacing back and forth in its misery. “Sinking” might seem more at home on a record like Disintegration, but as the final track on The Head On The Door, it’s a reminder that The Cure, as always, is in touch with every emotion.

“I CROUCH IN FEAR AND WAIT. I'LL NEVER FEEL AGAIN... IF ONLY I COULD REMEMBER ANYTHING AT ALL.”

"THE END" THE DOORS (1967)

You can get off to a fast start. You can sustain your opener with the main course, not filler. But can you end on a high note? Sometimes I wonder if recording a strong closer is the most difficult thing to pull off when it comes to album rock. When it comes to the cream of the crop in music, I can think of more strong openers than strong closers. Nonetheless, I still have my favorites which I’ll be featuring on Mental Jukebox all month.

The amalgamation of sound from The Doors was unique, irreplaceable and captivating for many music fans, including me. The compositions often felt truly epic. And, of course, the sound felt truly their own largely because of Manzarek’s keyboard contributions and Morrison’s presence, one of the greatest frontman to ever take the stage. The debut album is exceptional, packed with several classics and ending on a high with “The End”.

“The End” keeps going, and stretches for nearly 12 minutes. It’s a breakup song that has become far more than a breakup song. It’s pure poetry. Riding on a wave of rock, psychedelia, blues and even Middle Eastern and Native American musical explorations, the song doesn’t fit neatly into one category. This is probably the one characteristic that has made it such a celebrated and highly recognized song. If you’re going to make a powerful statement to end your album, you’d be hard pressed to make something as truly epic as “The End”.

“THIS IS THE END, BEAUTIFUL FRIEND. THIS IS THE END, MY ONLY FRIEND, THE END. OF OUR ELABORATE PLANS, THE END. OF EVERYTHING THAT STANDS, THE END. NO SAFETY OR SURPRISE, THE END. I'LL NEVER LOOK INTO YOUR EYES, AGAIN.”

"DECADES" JOY DIVISION (1980)

You can get off to a fast start. You can sustain your opener with the main course, not filler. But can you end on a high note? Sometimes I wonder if recording a strong closer is the most difficult thing to pull off when it comes to album rock. When it comes to the cream of the crop in music, I can think of more strong openers than strong closers. Nonetheless, I still have my favorites which I’ll be featuring on Mental Jukebox all month.

Few bands can be described as monumental. But I’ll go ahead and say that Joy Division is truly monumental as pioneers and influencers. They were simply doing things no one else was doing. And no one else sounded like Joy Division. Much credit, of course, goes to the irreplaceable Ian Curtis. His tortured, almost catatonic vocals crawled under your skin. There are many monumental tracks in the Joy Division canon, and one of the premier examples is the closer to Closer. There’s a tactile quality about “Decades” that makes it stand out from all the other JD tracks.

Every musical component on “Decades” feels incredibly tactile, a huge credit to Martin Hannett. I don’t love everything he produced for the band, but I think he totally nailed this closing track. The synthesizer chords are like glass shards. The bass line isn’t your typical riff from Hooky, but it works as the listener feels the pluck of every note. The drum intro kicks off eerily similar to “She’s Lost Control”, only here Morris switches into a heavier, rock-like drum part at the 4:35 mark. But the hero once again is Ian. His voice sounds like a ghost that refuses to leave the premises.

“Each ritual showed up the door for our wanderings, Open then shut, then slammed in our face.”

"MOGWAI FEAR SATAN" MOGWAI (1997)

You can get off to a fast start. You can sustain your opener with the main course, not filler. But can you end on a high note? Sometimes I wonder if recording a strong closer is the most difficult thing to pull off when it comes to album rock. When it comes to the cream of the crop in music, I can think of more strong openers than strong closers. Nonetheless, I still have my favorites which I’ll be featuring on Mental Jukebox all month.

Mogwai is a band that made an impact instantly – and somehow seems to get better with each recording. There hasn’t been a single dud in their entire album collection. But interestingly, the best closer, in my opinion, is still from their debut record, Young Team. It sounds like something created from a band that’s been at it for years. It’s a magnum opus for Mogwai and for the post rock genre. While the band certainly didn’t invent the genre, you could argue that no band has done more to help get the genre out there than Mogwai – and it all started with “Mogwai Fear Satan”.

What distinguishes itself immediately from other Mogwai anthems is its length. Clocking in at over 16 minutes, it is truly a magnum opus. It’s a swamp of timbre, textures and distortion. The kind of music you can get lost in and yet also the kind of music that can lead you to discover something significant. The drums are one continuous fill that tumbles over and over again. And the guitars sound like sirens in the night – running parallel to a distant flute in the background.

"FORTRESS AROUND YOUR HEART" STING (1985)

You can get off to a fast start. You can sustain your opener with the main course, not filler. But can you end on a high note? Sometimes I wonder if recording a strong closer is the most difficult thing to pull off when it comes to album rock. When it comes to the cream of the crop in music, I can think of more strong openers than strong closers. Nonetheless, I still have my favorites which I’ll be featuring on Mental Jukebox all month.

The Dream of the Blue Turtles was my first experience hearing a former frontman turn solo, and it didn’t disappoint. Sting’s musicianship and songwriting, in fact, took a big step forward here. Sting’s debut solo album is full of varied themes, genres and personalities. and my favorite track was always “Fortress Around Your Heart”. I first discovered it on MTV and was instantly mesmerized by the music and lyrics. Then I got my Dream of the Blue Turtles cassette – and was blown away by its presence as the final track to an exceptional album.

It’s a love song written like an epic war story. This wouldn’t be the only time Sting would use a metaphor to describe the heart. Later, on Ten Summoner’s Tales, he would revisit the subject with a different metaphor, featuring a card player in “Shape Of My Heart”. Here, the imagery is epic – consisting of bridges, crumbling towers and battles. The melody is infectious, yet utterly unique, and contains one of Sting’s self-proclaimed finest choruses. and the instrumentation is impeccable, with the calculating guitar picking, prodding bass line and Branford Marsalis’ sly sax solo marching in sync.

“I RECOGNIZED THE FIELDS WHERE I'D ONCE PLAYED. HAD TO STOP IN MY TRACKS FOR FEAR OF WALKING ON THE MINES I'D LAID.”

"WHATSERNAME" GREEN DAY (2004)

You can get off to a fast start. You can sustain your opener with the main course, not filler. But can you end on a high note? Sometimes I wonder if recording a strong closer is the most difficult thing to pull off when it comes to album rock. When it comes to the cream of the crop in music, I can think of more strong openers than strong closers. Nonetheless, I still have my favorites which I’ll be featuring on Mental Jukebox all month.

Before American Idiot, I had nearly written off Green Day. They had some solid songs over the years, but they all felt like these one-off expressions that were great for just a moment in time. American Idiot changed all that. It was the antithesis of everything that turned me away from the band. As a concept album, American Idiot presented the narrative of a disillusioned teenager following 9/11 and the Iraq War. These weren’t two-minute punk rock songs. It was a story. And the songs were often combined into longer pieces, taking on the form of an opera, not a traditional rock album, which closed with the oft-overlooked “Whatsername”.

American Idiot is full of great moments, like “Holiday”, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, “Wake Me Up When September Ends” and the title track. But “Whatsername” had this wit and charm to it that the other tracks didn’t. It’s a reminder that the simplest of chord progressions can still do powerful things in music when other dynamics within a song are shifting. It had this quiet-loud dynamic thing happening that launched the song out of its romantic daze into the bridge, almost out of nowhere. “Whatsername” is a modern-day punk rock song because it captured all these complicated states: anger, despondence, regret.

“THE REGRETS ARE USELESS IN MY MIND.”

"MIAMI 2017" BILLY JOEL (1976)

You can get off to a fast start. You can sustain your opener with the main course, not filler. But can you end on a high note? Sometimes I wonder if recording a strong closer is the most difficult thing to pull off when it comes to album rock. When it comes to the cream of the crop in music, I can think of more strong openers than strong closers. Nonetheless, I still have my favorites which I’ll be featuring on Mental Jukebox all month.

As a New Yorker, the music of Billy Joel has always resonated with me on a deeper level than with the average casual fan. My first show was a Billy Joel concert at Giants Stadium. An Innocent Man, The Bridge and Storm Front were the albums of my youth, but my favorite album from the Piano Man is Turnstiles. It is a quintessential New York album. A record that signals Joel’s return to New York after his time in Hollywood. Several songs reference New York, including the apocalyptic masterpiece “Miami 2017 (I’ve Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)” – a prog rock anomaly and a hell of a closer from the Piano Man.

It might be my favorite Billy Joel song because even as it portrayed the downfall of New York City, it seemed to celebrate it with a sense of pride and nostalgia that can’t be fathomed with any other city. The song is narrated by a grandfather telling his grandchildren about the fictitious fall of NYC in the 70’s as he sits in his retirement home in Miami some forty years later. “Miami 2017” did something very few art forms are able to accomplish. It used a fictitious story to remind us of the things in reality that we really love and the things we might even die for.

“THEY SENT A CARRIER OUT FROM NORFOLK. AND PICKED THE YANKEES UP FOR FREE. THEY SAID THAT QUEENS COULD STAY. THEY BLEW THE BRONX AWAY. AND SANK MANHATTAN OUT AT SEA.”

"THIS MUST BE THE PLACE (NAIVE MELODY)" TALKING HEADS (1983)

You can get off to a fast start. You can sustain your opener with the main course, not filler. But can you end on a high note? Sometimes I wonder if recording a strong closer is the most difficult thing to pull off when it comes to album rock. When it comes to the cream of the crop in music, I can think of more strong openers than strong closers. Nonetheless, I still have my favorites which I’ll be featuring on Mental Jukebox all month.

Talking Heads is inarguably one of the quintessential music acts of the decade. They helped round out the new wave genre with songs that dared to mingle in the universe of world music. No else did this. Songs like “I Zimbra”, “Slippery People”, “Born Under Punches” and “(Nothing But) Flowers” were global in scope. No one else could’ve made those songs. Their recording studios and concert stages were strewn with instruments most bands have never touched. But, if I’m honest, my favorite Talking Heads anthem is almost the antithesis of what made them so unique. The song is the closer from Speaking In Tongues – “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)”, which also played on the closing credits of Wall Street.

It lacked funk. There was not a single polyrhythm to be heard. No djembe. No congas. No surdo. It was almost all synthesizers, with Weymouth switching to guitar while Harrison played the bass lines off a Prophet synthesizer. And here’s the kicker. It was repetitive as hell. Almost monotonous. Which is the brilliance of the song. Truly a naive melody, the song hypnotizes you with its sameness. It always puts me in a good space. It always gets me good. Locks me in its groove. After hearing it, I know. This truly must be the place.

“HOME, IS WHERE I WANT TO BE. BUT I GUESS I'M ALREADY THERE.”

"THE PRICE YOU PAY" LOW (2021)

You can get off to a fast start. You can sustain your opener with the main course, not filler. But can you end on a high note? Sometimes I wonder if recording a strong closer is the most difficult thing to pull off when it comes to album rock. When it comes to the cream of the crop in music, I can think of more strong openers than strong closers. Nonetheless, I still have my favorites which I’ll be featuring on Mental Jukebox all month.

The harmonies of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker are some of the most beautifully haunting elements of music ever uttered. When Mimi passed away from cancer late last year, the music world lost a great human being but also one half of the greatness that is Low. Even if Alan continues on, Low will never be the same again, which saddens me. As their last studio album release prior to Mimi’s death, HEY WHAT builds on the distorted, experimental sound of their more recent recordings. The album ends in epic fashion with the seven-minute anthem “The Price You Pay”.

The track contains large swaths of distortion where no lyrics are sung, where Alan and Mimi are locked in instrumentally. The engineering work of BJ Burton emphatically takes this track – along with all the album’s songs – to the next level. It even earned him a Grammy nomination. But the most powerful element of “The Price You Pay” is and always will be the bone-chilling vocal harmonies where Alan and Mimi sing together in their final studio recording. It feels so final and infinite at the same time.

“I put a lot of thought Into the price you pay To hear the morning come. Keep the ghost another day.”

"LEAVE ME ALONE" NEW ORDER (1983)

You can get off to a fast start. You can sustain your opener with the main course, not filler. But can you end on a high note? Sometimes I wonder if recording a strong closer is the most difficult thing to pull off when it comes to album rock. When it comes to the cream of the crop in music, I can think of more strong openers than strong closers. Nonetheless, I still have my favorites which I’ll be featuring on Mental Jukebox all month.

Power, Corruption And Lies is the album where New Order’s unique identity began to come to fruition. On their debut recording, Movement, they seemed almost chained up by the ghosts of Joy Division and Ian Curtis. After all, it was literally months after the death of both entities when the began headed back to the recording studio. Probably the two biggest changes that occurred on PC&L were the larger emphasis on synthesizers and the distinctly different vocal approach of Bernard Sumner, which was far lighter than Curtis, even whimsical at times. However, for the final track on the PC&L, New Order chose a song that still has delightful tinges of Joy Division.

This is the strength of “Leave Me Alone”, the fact that it straddles the fence between both eras without compromising artistically. In fact, it’s the influences of both bands’ sounds that make this track so good. Barney is no Ian and would never be mistaken for him. But this is also a far cry away from the dance rock approach that New Order would become famous for. In his depression, Ian often sounded detached from everyone. But with Barney, his own struggles seem much more relatable and within reach. The guitars on “Leave Me Alone” stretch upward to a more New Order-esque sound, but the song maintains strong roots to the Joy Division sound especially with Stephen’s drum finale.

“On a thousand islands in the sea, I see a thousand people just like me.”