#BestTunes hashtag - Bluesky - nopzon.com

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#BestTunes

@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

3 weeks ago

Eighties’ best 100 redux: #76 The Mission “Tower of strength” (1988) << #77 | #75 >> At track #76 is The Mission's eight-minute epic single, "Tower of strength". The Mission (known as The Mission UK in North America) was formed by Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams after they left Sisters of Mercy due to a disagreement with frontman Andrew Eldritch before the recording of that band's second album. In fact, a handful of songs that appeared on The Mission's debut album, "God's own medicine", were written by Hussey and were meant to be recorded as Sisters of Mercy songs.

Eighties' best 100 redux: #76 The Mission "Tower of strength" (1988)

#BestTunes #Retro80s #TheMission #GothicRock

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

1 month ago

100 best covers: #30 Eddie Vedder “You’ve got to hide your love away” << #31 | #29 >> Well, we’re finally breaking into the top thirty on this list of my favourite ever covers and it’s Pearl Jam frontman doing The Beatles’ "You’ve got to hide your love away". This is the fourth cover of a Beatles song we’ve seen on the list so far* and the third track to be pulled from the "I am Sam" soundtrack.

100 best covers: #30 Eddie Vedder "You've got to hide your love away"

#BestTunes #Covers #TheBeatles #EddieVedder

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

1 month ago

Best tunes of 2020: #8 No Joy “Birthmark” << #9 | #7 >> It’s been just shy of four months since we last visited this series counting down my favourite tunes of 2020. I don’t know that I’ve stayed away on purpose. I do have a few series on the go and the usual end of year festivities often take up lots of blog space. However, I admit that I've been finding 2020 an odd year to look back upon of late.

Best tunes of 2020: #8 No Joy "Birthmark"

#BestTunes #Indie #Shoegaze #NoJoy

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

2 months ago

Best tunes of 2003: #5 Death Cab For Cutie “The sound of settling” << #6 | #4 >> "Bop-baaah… bop-baaah! This is the sound of settling!" Yes. "The sound of settling". This was my first of many favourite songs by Bellingham, Washington’s Death Cab for Cutie. As I wrote back in August in relation to the number 10 song on this list, it was the many promotional posters, wallpaper style, in the windows of a local independent record store, The Record Runner, hundreds of blackbirds tangled in red yarn, that first piqued my interest in the band and their fourth album, "

Best tunes of 2003: #5 Death Cab For Cutie "The sound of settling"

#BestTunes #2000s #Indie @deathcabforcutie.bsky.social #DeathCabForCutie

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

2 months ago

Best tunes of 1994: #24 Cranes “Shining road” << #25 | #23 >> Here’s another song by a band whose introduction came by way of a sampler. Yes, they really did work! Back in the latter months of 1994, I was living in a basement apartment just north of Toronto while attending my second year at York University. Although it was definitely a shorter commute from that apartment than it was in…

Best tunes of 1994: #24 Cranes "Shining road"

#BestTunes #Retro90s #Cranes #AltRock #Gothic

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

2 months ago

Eighties’ best 100 redux: #77 Morrissey “Interesting drug” (1989) << #78 | #76 >> Song #77 on my Eighties' best 100 list is Morrissey's fourth solo single, "Interesting drug". Stephen Patrick Morrissey was quick in releasing his first solo album, "Viva hate", less than a year after the dissolution of The Smiths. "Interesting drug" was released the following year in 1989 as a non-album single, though it would be included on the 1990 compilation "Bona drag".

Eighties' best 100 redux: #77 Morrissey "Interesting drug" (1989)

#BestTunes #Retro80s #Alternative #Morrissey

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

2 months ago

100 best covers: #31 A.C. Newman “Take on me” << #32 | #30 >> If you’ve been following along with this list, as I know a bunch of you might be, you’d know that I came across a bunch of the covers on this list by way of compilation albums, many of which placed focus on cover songs. I had a bunch of these on my CD shelves before I started culling my collection and a good portion of them were tracked down in the mid- to late- 2000s.

100 best covers: #31 A.C. Newman "Take on me"

#BestTunes #Covers #ACNewman #AHa #Indie

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

3 months ago

Best tunes of 2003: #6 Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros “Coma girl” << #7 | #5 >> Where were you when you first heard that OJ was acquitted? When the challenger shuttle exploded? When Ben Johnson tested positive for steroid use? When the first plane crashed into the World Trade Centre? History is filled with these big transcendental moments that ‘everyone’ vividly remembers and inevitably remembers exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard about it, saw it on television, etc.

Best tunes of 2003: #6 Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros "Coma girl"

#BestTunes #2000s #JoeStrummer #SingerSongwriter #Icon #AlternativeRock

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

4 months ago

Best tunes of 2013: #15 Still Corners “Berlin lovers” << #16 | #14 >> True story: Back in 2006 or 2007, when this newfangled thing called the Facebook was still a relatively new concern*, I joined a Facebook group called "Shoegaze" and promptly forgot all about it. And then at some point early in 2013, I started receiving a barrage of updates in my "News Feed" from this very group, which both surprised and delighted me.

Best tunes of 2013: #15 Still Corners "Berlin lovers"

#BestTunes #2010s #StillCorners #DreamPop #Indie

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

4 months ago

100 best covers: #32 Black Box Recorder “Seasons in the sun” << #33 | #31 >> Well, I learned something new when writing this post. Before sitting down to draft it and indeed, when putting together this list, many moons ago, I was thinking that Terry Jacks was the originator of this song and I had an idea that the flavour of this post would be highly nostalgic, given that his version was one of my father’s faves.

100 best covers: #32 Black Box Recorder "Seasons in the sun"

#BestTunes #Covers #BlackBoxRecorded #TerryJacks #JacquesBrel

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

5 months ago

Best tunes of 1994: #25 Frank Black “Headache” << #26 | #24 >> Back in the early 90s, Toronto alternative radio station CFNY collaborated with music retailer extraordinaire HMV on a series of alternative music compilations. Fittingly titled "Free at last", the radio station would hand them out as promotional items at events and the store would give them out free with purchases of music by at least one of the artists appearing on the compilation.

Best tunes of 1994: #25 Frank Black "Headache"

#BestTunes #Retro90s #FrankBlack #AltRock

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

5 months ago

Eighties’ best 100 redux: #79 Love and Rockets “So alive” (1989) << #80 | #78 >> At track #79, we've got "So alive" by Daniel Ash's third and longest lasting band, Love and Rockets. After the ground-breaking goth act, Bauhaus, disbanded in 1983, guitarist Daniel Ash focused more on his side project, Tones on Tail, with friend Glenn Campling and Bauhaus drummer Kevin Haskins. They would release an album and a litany of EPs (including popular club single "Go!") before dissolving in 1984.

Eighties' best 100 redux: #79 Love and Rockets "So alive" (1989)

#BestTunes #Retro80s #PostPunk #NewWave #LoveAndRockets #DanielAsh

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

5 months ago

Best tunes of 2003: #7 Stellastarr* “My coco” << #8 | #6 >> Here’s a band that may be largely forgotten to the quickly moving trends of musical history. Stellastarr* was formed in 2000 out of the ashes of a couple other short-lived bands, arising from the burgeoning indie rock scene in Brooklyn and Manhattan that would also give us The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, and TV on the Radio.

Best tunes of 2003: #7 Stellastarr* "My coco"

#BestTunes #2000s #Indie #IndieRock #Stellastarr

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

5 months ago

Best tunes of 2020: #9 Andy Bell “Love comes in waves” << #10 | #8 >> Ever since pioneering shoegaze rock band, Ride, called it quits rather spectacularly back in 1995, I’d been firmly planted in camp Mark Gardener in terms of following the post-breakup careers of the two warring principal songwriters and driving forces behind the band. I’d always preferred his voice and with the exception of "Vapour trail…

Best tunes of 2020: #9 Andy Bell "Love comes in waves"

#BestTunes #2020s #Indie #AndyBell #DreamPop

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

5 months ago

100 best covers: #33 Yoav ft. Emily Browning “Where is my mind?” << #34 | #32 >> Fifteen years ago or so, I was going out to the cinemas semi-regularly with a group of guys from work. All four of us were happily married but the films we often went to were ones that our wives would likely not have been interested in seeing so they gladly allowed us these nights out with the guys.

100 best covers: #33 Yoav ft. Emily Browning "Where is my mind?"

#BestTunes #Covers #Yoav #EmilyBrowning #Mashup #Pixies

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

6 months ago

Eighties’ best 100 redux: #80 Depeche Mode “People are people” (1984) << #81 | #79 >> If you’ve been around this blog before, you’d know that I’ve written about the legendary synth pop band originally from Basildon, England many times over. So instead of treading and retreading over familiar ground, I’ll tell you a story*. (Mind you if you are looking for more words about the band and this song, have a gander at…

Eighties' best 100 redux: #80 Depeche Mode "People are people" (1984)

#BestTunes #Retro80s @depechemode.com #DepecheMode #SynthPop #NewWave #Alternative

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Cheeky Alpha Monkey

@alpha-aurora.bsky.social

6 months ago

Sometimes when it’s late,
And people share the gift of gab -
Between themselves…

Just like we do here 🤓

#Resist
#ClassicSingerSongwriters
#BestTunes
#NoKings
#HandsOff

open.spotify.com/track/4uTTd2...

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

6 months ago

Best tunes of 2013: #16 Black Hearted Brother “This is how it feels” << #17 | #15 >> For a time back at the end of 2013, I found myself listening to nothing but Black Hearted Brother and their debut album, "Stars are our home". The album was released in October of that year and took me completely by surprise. At the time, I had pretty much given up on any new material from Mojave 3, and well, forget about Slowdive, and Halstead's solo work, while excellent, had never been mind-blowing.

Best tunes of 2013: #16 Black Hearted Brother "This is how it feels"

#BestTunes #2010s #Indie #Supergroup #PsychRock #NeilHalstead #BlackHeartedBrother

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

6 months ago

Best tunes of 1994: #26 Sonic Youth “Bull in the heather” << #27 | #25 >> On my old, long defunct blog Music Insanity, I remember writing a post about all those bands that I’ve respected and tried many times over the years to ‘get into’ but ultimately, failed. The list at that time included The Ramones, Skinny Puppy, Husker Du, Bon Iver, Destroyer, Broken Social Scene*, and of course, Sonic Youth.

Best tunes of 1994: #26 Sonic Youth "Bull in the heather"

#BestTunes #Retro90s #SonicYouth #AltRock

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

6 months ago

Best tunes of 2003: #8 David Bowie “Days” << #9 | #7 >> We’re pretty sure it was Victoria’s idea. It sounds like something she might have come up with and has definitely had similar ideas a few times during our many years together. She surprised me one day early in 2004 by asking if I would be interested in seeing David Bowie in concert. Neither of us could tell you how she heard that he was coming to town on his latest tour and playing the arena out in Kanata that used to be called the Corel Centre, but perhaps she heard mention of it on the radio.

Best tunes of 2003: #8 David Bowie "Days"

#BestTunes #2000s #Alternative #SingerSongwriter #Icon #DavidBowie

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

6 months ago

100 best covers: #34 First Aid Kit “America” << #35 | #33 >> I’ve written a few words on these pages already about First Aid Kit, the indie folk duo of Swedish sisters, Johanna and Klara Söderberg. I got into them shortly after the release of their second album, 2012’s "The lion’s roar"*, loving their stripped back sound and vocal harmonies, reminiscent of the folk music my parents had me listening to in childhood.

100 best covers: #34 First Aid Kit "America"

#BestTunes #Covers #FirstAidKit #SimonAndGarfunkel #IndieFolk #Duos

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

7 months ago

Best tunes of 2013: #17 Suede “It starts and ends with you” << #18 | #16 >> Suede (aka The London Suede) is a band that I didn’t love upon first hearing. I thought their self-titled debut was just… ok. Nevertheless, I grew to appreciate them more with each new album and upon return listens and further reevaluation of their previous outputs. So by the time of their fifth album, 2002’s "A new morning", the album that would ultimately break up the glam rock, erstwhile Britpop outfit, I was a full-fledged fan.

Best tunes of 2013: #17 Suede "It starts and ends with you"

@suedehq.bsky.social #Suede #BestTunes #2010s #Indie #GlamRock

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

7 months ago

Best tunes of 2020: #10 The Exbats “Hey hey hey” << #11 | #9 >> I couldn’t imagine being in a band with my father, whether at 10 years old, 20, or any age really. But that’s the relationship between the two primary members of The Exbats, the band behind our song at number 10 from my list of favourite tunes from 2020. Originally called The Numbats, the band began over a decade ago when Kenny McLain, who had recently picked up the guitar, decided that his 10 year old daughter Inez needed to learn to play an instrument.

Best tunes of 2020: #10 The Exbats "Hey hey hey"

#BestTunes #2020s #Indie #IndieRock #TheExbats

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

7 months ago

Best tunes of 2003: #9 Belle & Sebastian “Dear catastrophe waitress” << #10 | #8 >> "Dear. Catastrophe. Waitress." Back when I first moved to Ottawa, I was employed at a call center taking calls for a utility company that I will not name here. It was unionized and pretty good pay and I was often able to pick up extra shifts to pay down my student debt. And if they hadn’t closed up shop in 2006, I might even still be working there today.

Best tunes of 2003: #9 Belle & Sebastian "Dear catastrophe waitress"

#BestTunes #2000s #IndiePop #Twee #BelleAndSebastian

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

7 months ago

100 best covers: #35 Michael Andrews and Gary Jules “Mad world” << #36 | #34 >> I used to be a massive horror buff. It started off with me reading "The Body", one of four novellas in Stephen King’s "Different seasons", because I learned that it was the story upon which "Stand by me", one of my favourite movies at the time, was based. And because I flew through it in a matter of a couple of days and I still had a few weeks on my Bowmanville Public Library loan, I read the other three in the series*, loving those as well.

100 best covers: #35 Michael Andrews and Gary Jules "Mad world"

#BestTunes #Covers #Soundtrack #MichaelAndrews #GaryJules #TearsForFears

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

7 months ago

Best tunes of 1994: #27 Green Day “Longview” << #28 | #26 >> For a couple of weeks last month, my life* revolved around Ottawa’s Bluesfest, the local big music festival and arguably one of the biggest in Canada. I’ve been attending this shindig to some extent for the past fifteen years or so and have seen some amazing acts in the process. In fact, one of the things I love most about it, besides discovering new bands, is how it has made it possible for me to see a litany of acts that I likely wouldn’t have otherwise seen.

Best tunes of 1994: #27 Green Day "Longview"

#BestTunes @greenday.bsky.social #Retro90s #GreenDay #AltRock #Punk

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

7 months ago

Eighties’ best 100 redux: #81 Leonard Cohen “Everybody knows” (1988) << #82 | #80 >> When I was a teenager, I wanted to be Mark Hunter, aka "Hard Harry". Much like the character portrayed by Christian Slater in the 1990 film "Pump up the volume", I spent most of high school painfully shy and socially awkward. And though working with the high school drama club did draw me out of my shell, especially during my fourth and fifth years, I still identified with the character and found the story appealing.

Eighties' best 100 redux: #81 Leonard Cohen "Everybody knows" (1988)

#BestTunes #Retro80s #SingerSongwriter #LeonardCohen #Legends #CanCon

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

7 months ago

Best tunes of 2003: #10 The Postal Service “Nothing better” << #11 | #9 >> If memory serves, it was Jezreel, a former call center colleague and friend, that got me into The Postal Service. I had, up to then, only just discovered Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Gibbard’s primary outfit, and their recent album "Transatlanticism". Posters of the telltale crow pulling on a strand of yarn from its cover was, for a time, plastering the windows of 'Record Runner', the indie music store I had taken to frequenting after relocating to Ottawa a few years before.

Best tunes of 2003: #10 The Postal Service "Nothing better"

#BestTunes #2000s #Indie #IndiePop #Collaboration #BenGibbard #JimmyTamborello #PostalService

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

8 months ago

100 best covers: #36 Sinéad O’Connor “Ode to Billy Joe” << #37 | #35 >> This wasn’t going to be next post. In fact, it wasn’t even supposed to be any of the next few posts. However, I was recently contacted by email (once again) by someone who mentioned they were enjoying the list and asked after the rest of it. And of course, I had to explain (yet again) how I am still working my way through it.

100 best covers: #36 Sinéad O'Connor "Ode to Billy Joe"

#BestTunes #Retro90s #Covers #SineadOConnor #BobbieGentry

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@jprobichaud911.bsky.social

9 months ago

Best tunes of 1994: #28 Meat Puppets “Backwater” << #29 | #27 >> I first came across Meat Puppets care of the old MuchMusic late Friday night alternative music video show "City Limits". I used to sit poised, close to the TV and VCR, and ready to hit the play and record buttons whenever KCC (and later Simon Evans) would announce an interesting or familiar upcoming video. One night, and I’m not sure why I did, perhaps it was the interesting band name, but I recorded the video for "Sam", a single off of Meat Puppets' seventh and first major label album, "Forbidden places".

Best tunes of 1994: #28 Meat Puppets "Backwater"

#BestTunes #Retro90s #AltRock #AmericanIndie #MeatPuppets

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