Bands That I Like

 113 Future Islands   Future Islands For years, this synth-pop band from Baltimore (who formed in 2006) were one of the best kept secrets in the indie-world. The band built up their own fan base the old-fashion way: self-recording and self-releasing a handful of CD-Rs, splits, and cassettes before they began working with a producer on a proper debut. What’s crazy is that it would take the band four albums and eight years before they really came to prominence. That’s at least when I became a fan, in 2014, with the release of their fourth album, Singles , which featured one of the greatest songs ever written: “ Seasons (Waiting on You) .” The lead singer Sam Herring has the vocals of Morrissey (who they toured with as an opening act) and stage presence of The Riddler. There’s a reason their performance on David Letterman went viral. Herring considers himself a writer and performer first and a singer last, having said, “Those are the things that are most important to me- tha...

 112 Future Future Hands down, Future is apart of the Atlanta Mt. Rushmore of Rappers, along with Andr é   3000, Ludacris & T.I. I first came on board as a fan with his 2015 release, Dirty Sprite 2 . I had never heard anything like it. Pure hip-hop heads will say the vocal effects and indistinguishable words aren't real rap, but I beg to differ. Music has always been about the vibez, and Future is the king of vibin' out. Dirty Sprite 2 wasn't even a proper album, but a mixtape... but then again... Future doesn't abide by the traditional album cycle. This dude is one of the most prolific rappers in the game right now... It all started in 2010 when he first started droppin' mixtapes. There's been years when he has released upwards to four albums... in one year! I haven't seen that kind of work ethic since The Beatles. Future has a lot of material for someone who popped onto the scene only a decade ago. Back to me being introduced to Future with the Dirty ...

 111 Fugzai   Fugazi Fugazi has been such a righteous & immortal force in the underground rock scene- charging reasonable prices for concert tickets, scrupulously avoiding any taint from the corporate-level music biz- that it’s easy to forget they’re an actual band . At least until you put their records on, or see one of their legendary live shows. But singer/guitarists Guy Picciotto (whose earlier band Rites of Spring pretty much invented emo) and Ian MacKaye (whose earlier band Minor Threat was the formal pinnacle of hardcore) and the mighty rhythm section of Brendan Canty and Joe Lally are a staggeringly powerful combination. They’ve been challenging themselves and their audience constantly for their entire existence, giving some of the hemisphere's hardest punk rock an increasingly arty, thoughtful spin. Compiling two early EPs, 13 Songs leads off with Fugazi’s best-known song, the white-hot dub-punk anthem " Waiting Room ,” and keeps going with one feral rocker aft...

 110 Fucked Up Fucked Up I first became aware of this six-piece Toronto hardcore band with the release of their ambitious 18-track double-album (and third album overall), the rock-opera David Comes to Life . I remember hearing “ Queen of Hearts ” and being totally blown away. I felt like a teenager hearing Nirvana for the first time. The energy was infectious. The melodies were more than enough to get one’s head banging. The hardcore-gruff-barking vocals of lead-singer Damian Abraham were sweetened by the beautiful-vocals of Madeline Follin of Cults were enough to make anyone want to start a mosh pit. The band formed in 2001 and in 2002 released their first single, a vinyl 7” called “ No Pasaran .” By the time they got around to releasing their  proper debut, 2006’s Hidden World , they were already darlings of the underground punk scene. In 2008, the band released their second album through legendary indie label Matador Records , that album was titled The Chemistry of the C...

 109 Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Doo-wop music didn’t make it out of the ‘50s as a commercial force, but New Jersey’s the Four Seasons, the genre’s Caucasian branch, flourished in a form updated for the go-go ‘60s. Relying on tight doo-wop group harmony, an utterly distinctive lead tenor (Frank Valli [pictured above {in 1966} from left to right is the band: Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, Charlie Calello and Frankie Valli]), and songs of love and loss- with added ballast for the new era provided by exquisite, visionary production that blended the best of Phil Spector-era rock & roll and Motown pop-soul sensibilities- the quartet topped the charts out of the box with “ Sherry ” in 1962 and maintained a steady presence in the Top 30 before its run petered out in 1968 with a perfectly serviceable remake of the Shirelles’ hit “ Will You Love Me Tomorrow? ” By then, the group had sold more than 80 million records worldwide. Against all odd...