I had no idea until I was researching today’s vegetable that there was some sort of Mesopotamia controversy. Reportedly it was supposed to be a whole album, but they abandoned the recording session (making it an EP). Also reportedly, they did not like the production by David Byrne, which was the wrong way to [...]

Navigating By The Stars, the first solo album by the New Model Army vocalist, is remarkable. I don’t know what else really to say — it’s an amazing achievement. If you are drawn at all to seafaring themes of adventure, serenity, and woe, you go grabbit now.
Justin Sullivan - Ocean Rising from Navigating [...]

Hey, so Thanksgiving weekend. I’ll be back on Monday.
I’m way hella thankful for what has been an amazing year for pop music.
I’m also thankful for my ass, which continues to shake even as the rest of my body betrays me.
Evil Nine - Crooked (feat. Aesop Rock) from You Can Be Special Too (amazon CD [...]

Today I’m going to make some people very happy.
Detroit Grand Pubahs - Sandwiches from Funk All Y’all (amazon)

I mentioned Craig Mack last week, so here he is. Great, great, great!
So great, in fact, that when Ja Rule rapped over a sample of it for Jennifer Lopez’s “Ain’t It Funny,” he copied his delivery 100%. I hope he at least took Mr. Mack to dinner. (And just like a piece of [...]

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the 100th Hello Vegetables song than with two from the greatest American songwriter of the 20th century.
I’d say “greatest North American songwriter,” but I’m tired of Leonard Cohen leaving mean-spirited comments.

Townes Van Zandt - Pancho & Lefty
Townes Van Zandt - Lungs
from Live At The Old Quarter, [...]

Everything about this song blew me away when I first heard it and I was driven to total distraction. The production, the melody, the harmony, the guitar, the bass, the drums. Gimme, gimme, gimme.
It was like they had figured out how to go to the moon.
My Bloody Valentine - Feed Me With Your Kiss [...]

Yeah, so I thought about maybe posting a lesser-known song, but when you really get down to it, this really really is probably the best goddamn rock and roll song of all time. Last night she pulled a young kid, maybe 12 years old, in a Dead Kennedys shirt up on stage to [...]

When she sang “Gloria” on national TV in 1976, she pretty much changed the world. I don’t remember an awful lot of my childhood, but I vividly recall seeing a rerun of this when I was just old enough to have an inkling of how important it was.

OK, so I read Jason Isbell is 28 years old now, which puts him somewhere around 24 when this record came out, which is just plain ridiculous. He’s written some of the best songs of the last 5 years, and he’s got a long future ahead. He recently left the Truckers to do [...]