Captain Beefheart & His Magic BandTrout Mask Replica There is a bit on Marc Maron’s standup album Thinky Pain where, after talking extensively about his vinyl midlife crisis and trying to find the perfect record player how it’s time for him to “understand Beefheart.” I will never be smart enough or large enough of mind to assess and understand Captain Beefheart. It’s just hanging there. In many ways, he’s not wrong; there aren’t a lot of musical...
The ParanoydsTalk Talk Talk One look at the cover for the Paranoyds’ Talk Talk Talk and you can tell something stands out from your usual Third Man Records release. It’s lo-fi, playful, and punk rock. Certainly a stark contrast from the rest of their catalog which has a recognizable lovable sheen to it. You can’t blame the label; they take their craft seriously. One listen to this record and you can tell it’s not your average Third Man Records release...
WHO: The Paranoyds WHAT: Talk Talk Talk WHY: One look at the cover and it’s clear this isn’t your standard Third Man Records release. Never have I seen a sticker on a record that so perfectly encapsulates why a record matters. It says it’s for fans of Devo, Go-Go’s, Breeders, and X, and I’ll be damned if they’re not completely right. I would also throw Blondie in there. There’s an unmistakable buzz, rawness, and catchiness to these songs which sound...
Total Chaos: The Story of the Stooges by Iggy Pop (Editor), Jon Savage (Editor), Jeff Gold (Editor), Johan Kugelburg (Contributor) The Stooges are a great example that you can’t keep a good thing down, for better or worse. At least not in this day and age. For whatever reason, the Stooges were revived more than 10 years ago, with as original of a lineup as possible and Mike Watt on bass. Aware that he was not and would not ever...
White Stripes Elephant Photo: turntablelab.com The White Stripes’ elephant is an important album both for me personally and in the wider scope of musical history as it gives good perspective on what was going on with music at the time. For me personally it conjures up memories of driving through the redwoods for the first time, wondering how exactly Meg White manages to hit her drums so hard. It was also the first song we learnt as a band...
Charley Patton, Blind Willie McTell, & Mississippi Sheiks Document Reissues Volume 4 (Third Man Records) It’s hard being a music fanatic. No, I’m kidding of course. It’s actually really great. If you’re hardcore enough then you start wondering about the history and links in your music. Who begat what? What are the influences in your favorite band? If you’re serious about your music, you’ll want to know where it came from. Music has become just that for me...