Punker Than Thou

As you can see by my infrequent postings, my life is overrun with high-NRG laziness. How delightful, then, that the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion has finally seen fit to release every blessed JSBX Jukebox Single (released by In The Red Records over the last 15-something years) on one glorious loud-playing CD. No longer do I have to weep over my dusty collection of JSBX 45's and think "What Would Jesus Digitize?" My fingers get their scuzz on by pressing "play" for Get With It, Down Low, Bent and Son of Sam, letting each tune wail in all its fucked-up barely-mixed-for-CD splendor. Best of all, with Tupac still rumored to be dead and East Coast/West Coast rivalries now permanently replaced by Kanye West & 50 Cent verbally volleying over unit sales, La Spencer has finally gathered the balls to include the long-gestating unreleased masterwork Only God Can Save Me Now by tacking it as a hidden track onto the end of Dig My Shit. If you don't buy this CD, can we still agree to just stay friends?

Arms & Charms

You probably haven't heard of French art/punk pioneer Thierry Muller and it is for this reason I spit on your grave. Steal yourself a credit card and order Rare & Unreleased 1974-1984, a new comp which showcases the many charms of Muller (all of them dangerous). What other recent CD release will give you Mescalito, where the band and the vocalist appear to be racing each other towards some unseen sonic finish line? How else can you treat yourself to the one-chord-wonder of Mon Pote? Trust your instincts and buy this CD right now. Your ears will love you this much (you can't see it but I'm holding my arms outstretched to quantify the amount).

Homeless Is As Homeless Does

One of the pictures to the left shows Matthew Houck (who goes by the stage name Phosphorescent) on the cover of his latest album Pride, where he warbles familiar Southern Gothic tales of death and salvation, played at tempos as slow as a hangover. The remaining three are merely pictures of homeless winos sleeping in their own filth. Can you tell which album cover actually depicts Phosphorescent and which ones are images of homeless people?  It's harder than it looks!

Answer: In the end, when it comes to the meanings in Phosphorescent's music, aren't we all a little bit homeless?