Center Of The Universe #16
Giant Sand, “Center Of The Universe”
!!!, “Couldn’t Have Known”
Tracie Spencer, “It’s All About You (Not About Me)”
The Jesus Lizard, “Nub”
Kicking off this journey to the Center Of The Universe with a track from !!!’s fantastic 2019 album Wallop, and ‘80s tween R&B sensation Tracie Spencer’s 1999 comeback single. Though what she’s been up to since then, I can’t seem to find out online. And then Jesus Lizard being droll about somebody’s nub.
Sugar, “And You Tell Me”
John Mellencamp, “Ain’t Even Done With The Night”
Emily A Sprague, “Mirror”
Tamar Aphek, “Show Me Your Pretty Side”
One of the many B-Sides from Sugar’s second album that sure would have brightened that thing. While the band’s fantastic 1995 comp Besides has been deleted and replaced by bonus tracks on the reissues, it’s still my favorite place to hear that stuff. The former John Cougar’s first Top 20 hit, an adorable throwback genre exercise. A long bit of meditative ambience from synthesizer wizard Emily A Sprague’s Hill, Flower, Fog. I never when this stuff will resonate with me and why, but this does. Maybe it’s tastefully Eno-esque? And then some sultry sulf-noir from guitarist Tamar Aphek’s All Bets Are Off.
The Horrors, “In And Out Of Sight”
Coldplay, “Strawberry Swing”
Dead Milkmen, “Stuart”
Philly Boy Roy, “Punk Rock Girl”
Pulsing psychedelica courtesy of the Horrors on 2014’s Luminous, followed by Coldplay during that brief moment in 2008 where they were dressed like extras from Les Miserables and making arrestingly lovely music with four frikkin producers including Brian Eno. Forgive the jump from that to the Dead Milkmen ironically foaming at the mouth, reminding us that the internet didn’t invent homophobic conspiracy theories. In a more appropriate segue, “Stuart” is followed by Jonny Wurster, who hopefully found his burrow owl, covering the Milkmen’s “Punk Rock Girl” in the guise of Philly Boy Roy for Dr. Demento.
X, “Goodbye Year, Goodbye”
Cornershop, “Staging The Plaguing Of The Raised Platform”
Digable Planets, “Dial 7 (Axiom Of Creamy Spies)/ NY 21 Theme”
King Crimson, “Starless”
X, doing their anxious LA punk blitz legacy more than proud on 2019’s Alphabetland. Cornershop, as lyrically dense as The Fall, but deploying an adorable kids chorus to make their obtuseness ridiculously catchy on 2000’s Handcream For A Generation. Digable Planets doing the legacy of the dense, uncommercial sophomore hip-hop album on 1994’s Blowout Comb. King Crimson finally clicking with me on 1974’s Red.
Blondie, “Will Anything Happen”
The B-52’s, “Aint It A Shame”
Rodney Crowell, “Ashes By Now”
E.M.M.A. “Ballad Of Janet”
The second most famous song by Jack Lee of the Nerves on Parallel Lines, and a heartbreaking Cindy Wilson spotlight on Bouncing Off The Satellites. Not sure how Rodney Crowell went Top 40 in 1980, but he did! And then some synthscapin’ from soundtrack composer E.M.M.A. off her 2020 album Indigo Dream.
Evil Cowards, “Soldiers Of Satan”
Flaming Lips, “Rainin’ Babies”
Go-Betweens, “Bow Down”
Evil Cowards was Dick Valentine of Electric Six and soundtrack composer Will Bates, and hopefully someday they’ll do some synchronized dancing with headset mics again. Flaming Lips with a tripped-out religious vision from 1990’s In A Priest Driven Ambulance, an album chock full of them. And then The Go-Betweens gentle see us out of the Center Of The Universe with one hell of an off-rhyme chorus. Thanks for your time!