Category: New Wave

80s-music Dream Pop New Wave Prog rock
October 13, 2022

Broken Bells Bring Me Back To My Roots

Broken Bells are an unlikely group. It consists of James Mercer, former lead singer of The Shins, and underground DJ, producer, and Hip Hop artist, Danger Mouse. Given their backgrounds and musical range, Broken Bells albums don’t follow a defined modern style. Previous albums have explored 80s sounds, especially late-stage new wave. The latest album, Into the Blue, is completely different. Listening to Into the […]

80s-music Dance Music Modern Rock New Music New Wave
July 19, 2022

Does The New Metric Album Measure Up?

It’s almost embarrassing how long it took me to discover Metric. First off, they’re from Toronto, which is practically in my backyard. They also create 80s inspired dance pop and techno, two of my favorite genres. I suspect that they aren’t better known just because they seem so retro. It wasn’t until 2012 that that I ran into them through their near perfect techno song, […]

60s 70s 80s-music Blondie Dream Pop garage New Music New Wave Power pop Shoegazer
September 27, 2021

The Shivas Make Me Feel So Good.

Back in the early 1970s, the rock music writer Lenny Kaye was asked to put together a compilation of lesser-known songs from the 60s. The result was Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. The album featured raw, DIY music from bands practically no one had heard of, or at least heard from in a long while. This music, later tagged garage or psychedelic […]

80s-music 90s Concert heavy-metal New Wave Punk
September 7, 2021

Concert Review: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Ok, usually I’m writing about new bands and music that will appeal to a… mature?… crowd. Yeah, mature. We’ll go with that. It’s rare that I delve into the past. This is, hence, a BIG exception. Cut me some slack. On Labor Day (US) I went to the New York State Fair. State fairs are a celebration of agriculture and industry. New York State is […]

80s-music 90s Alternative Dance Music Euro New Music New Wave Punk
April 9, 2021

So Much New Music I’m Going to Explode

Sometimes I go weeks without hearing anything interesting. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed by waves of new music released practically on top of each other. Last week saw a brilliant release from St. Vincent and a decent, though uneven, EP from Foxes. This week, there is more new music goodness than I can describe. It’s as if the buffet was getting depleted so the kitchen decided to […]

80s-music Dance Music Euro Modern Rock New Music New Wave
April 1, 2021

Christine and the Queens – A Gift from France

Throughout my life as a music lover, I’ve listened to artists from outside the English-speaking world. Whether it was world music from Africa, such as King Sunny Ade, German 80s dance music (think: Falco), or Scandinavian metal, I’ve always trawled the places outside the American and British music scenes for great tunes. This includes the French-speaking world as well. Back in the late 70s, one […]

Classic Rock Dance Music Modern Rock New Music New Wave Punk
January 7, 2021

Tunes Past to Present Introduction

Next month will see the launch of Tunes Past to Present. Tunes Past to Present is a podcast where I explore new music through the lens of the music of my youth, predominantly rock, dance, and punk. Let’s face it. As you head into your mid-forties and beyond, it can be difficult to find new music that suits your tastes. You might listen to the […]