New WHY? on the Way

WHY? is a 2000s band, who I really believe was mysteriously transported from the mid-'90s. They do all that '90s stuff like mix rock and hip-hop, and sing and talk, and talk-sing, and who are always hugely deadpan. (Think early Cake or a less ridiculous Bloodhoung Gang.)

On paper, this doesn't sound like something that would appeal to me but I love both the two albums of theirs that I've heard (Alopecia and Eskimo Snow). There are certain moody afternoons where this is exactly the band I want to listen to.

Looks like they've got both a new EP and a new LP coming out this fall. They just released this new single (which, so far, suits me just fine).

Sod in the Seed (SoundCloud)

You can also check one of my favorite WHY? tunes here - These Few Presidents (YouTube). 

So Yeah, I Feel Electric Pink in the Cheeks

I was just about to start writing an article about the incredibly nice Rocky Votolato when I got distracted by Spotify. I started with Rocky V, but then the "related artists" made me think about The New Amsterdams. Before I even pushed play, my eye was drawn to a band I haven't listen to in years--The Promise Ring.

The Promise is a bit of an acquired taste, but I absolutely love Electric Pink. I love the perfectly simple bass line and, of course, the lisp-y vocal.

For a long time after I first heard this song, every time I wrote a new song I would the steal the line "I live a small street/With very small shoes/But in a small house" as a place holder. It doesn't make any sense. And I love it.

Electric Pink [on Spotify]
I'd also recommend Happiness is all the Rage. 

R.I.P. Heavy D, 1967-2011

Dear Dwight "Heavy D" Arrington Myers,

Thank you for playing a bit part in my life. I was nearing the end of my elementary school days in the early '90s. When birthdays came around, the cool kids bought cassette singles as gifts. Miss Karen Brochinsky bought me a copy of your semi-slow jam "Is It Good to You." I didn't love the track, but I loved your sense of style (e.g., flowy shirts and semi-Hammer pants). And now, even 20 years later, your big hit, "Now That We Found Love" still gets stuck in my head after just hearing the title. So, thank you.

Rest in peace, big guy.

Lemonheads Revisit 'It's a Shame About Ray'

The Lemonheads
With the Shining Twins
Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 9 p.m.
Urban Lounge

If you’re too young to remember the early ’90s, here’s a quick history lesson: There were a bunch of scruffy dudes in Seattle who took Black Sabbath’s big riffs and added a few extra layers of fuzz and feedback. They wore Doc Martens and screamed a lot and the media found a catchy little title to describe it all: grunge.

But before, during and after grunge there was a band called The Lemonheads. In the late ’80s, the three-piece act from Boston was basically a punk band, in the vein of The Replacements or Hüsker Dü. While bands all around them started playing heavier music, the Lemonheads got softer.

In 1992, the band released “It’s a Shame About Ray,” an album of upbeat pop songs that stood in stark contrast to the teenage angst of the time.

Frontman (and the only constant band member) Evan Dando found a way to fit the world into songs that rarely made it past the two-minute mark. There were bouncy rockers, soft-hearted ballads and flirtations with country music. With the addition of a ramped up version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” the album was the perfect package.

“It’s a Shame About Ray” should have been the start of big things for The Lemonheads. But it never happened. The Lemonheads released two solid post-“Ray” albums, but Dando’s descent into drug abuse became a distraction and led to the undoing of the band.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the end of Dando. After a long hiatus, he released an endearing solo album in 2003 before reviving The Lemonheads name for a self-titled record in 2006 and a covers album in 2009.

Nearly two decades later, things have come full circle. Dando is back on the road, performing “Ray” in its entirety. The tour may be a throwback to another era, yet the songs sound just as good as they did during the height of flannel and goatees.

Let’s hear it for second chances.