The Orange Line

Vibe Like Edie – Mood Board

Having connected to Jack on Farcaster through a discussion of one album bands, we started sharing songs so it seemed only natural to make a playlist together.

One of the nice things about being a member of the musicto community is that we’re never short of new music.  We get hundreds of tracks submitted directly by artists every week as well as being on the mailing lists of plenty of independent labels.  While there’s always too much music to listen to, every now and then I’ll find myself with some time to spare and will dive into the submissions.

LAB Music – an Indie promoter out of the Netherlands always seems to have the good stuff.  I was listening to the Indie pop vibe of Zo Lief before falling down the “Fans also like” section on their Spotify page and somehow ended up listening to Mood Board while checking out their booking agent and listening to Vibe Like Edie on repeat.

You’re up Jack!

An Ode To The Nite Ratz Club – The Hotelier

The song I’m adding is called “An Ode to the Nite Ratz Club” by The Hotelier.

I grew up with these guys, and while this track was featured on the band’s 2011 album, “It Never Goes Out,” this song had been floating around for many years prior — Shoutout (and probably also, apologies) to the Upton MA VFW Hall; A space that served as our local venue, hosting bands from all over, that without which, I think a lot of us would have been (more) lost.

In 2014, they released “Home, Like Noplace Is There,” which gained them notoriety, top lists, global touring, etc., but I don’t think enough people have been exposed to their earlier work, and that’s a shame.

A fun story: in the winter of 2010, Christian (lead singer) came up to my university for an open mic night and played most of “Home, Like Noplace Is There” acoustically just to see how they would resonate with people before they all went into the studio to record the album. 

One for the Cutters – The Hold Steady

Damn that track sent me on a loop ;-p  Love the groove and the guitar presence – and the super honest reflection on a relationship lost – but it was the vocal delivery that hit me – how he was telling the story – it felt so – real – and was making this bizarre association in my head with Ben Folds singing Brick.  And no – I can’t really explain that ;-p

I was trying a number of tracks but none of them felt right – I kept getting dragged back to the story – there’s something so desolate about it and that was my connection to The Hold Steady.  Lord I’m Discouraged would have been good but doesn’t have the energy I’m looking for at this point, so I’ve gone for another Craig Finn story off the same album!

A More Perfect Union (2021 Remaster) – Titus Andronicus

You can never go wrong with a pick from The Hold Steady. I’m thankful for finding this band when I did — I think they helped me out of my punk/hardcore phase and into adult listening (plus, I can’t hang in the pit anymore ).

There’s a really wonderful article about The Hold Steady from Buzzfeed, of all places, that I share with folks who listen to them: “How I Found A Steady Soundtrack For An Unsteady Life.”

Okay, anyways, down to business — In the spirit of THS, I added “A More Perfect Union” by Titus Andronicus.

I always think of these bands together for some reason. I really got into Titus Andronicus, particularly this album, The Monitor. I’m from Boston, so I appreciated their songs’ nods to the city. They’re from NJ, but I think they all went to school in Boston or something like that. I just did a bit of digging, and it seems like they’ve stopped touring, but if they’re ever in your area, they put on one hell of a show.

Plus, I think this picks up the mood a bit

A New England – Billy Bragg

That’s a great article: what more does one want from art but hope – and God in Chicago is one of my favorites too ;-p. I’ve spent some time behind a bar – whole different world ;-p. Thank you for the story – and not that we have to do the back and forth but…. ;-p. I did manage to experience this one live on Twitter – it was epic – https://x.com/nomichaelbrooks/status/1348065553110466560?lang=en

I’d known the name Titus Andronicus but not the music – what a symphony – and what a love letter to the idea of Boston – that’s an irish / celtic riff they have going on there – tempted to grab some Flogging Molly – but was again driven by the lyric – there was a line – I’m not looking for a new New Jersey – and it has me immediately has me thinking of Billy Bragg – he wasn’t looking for a New England either but it was a great track – even stripped down like this – there’s an undeniable energy.

The House That Heaven Built – Japandroids

Ed. Note: I, too, tended bar for a bit and think everyone should work at a bar/restaurant for some time — it’s character-building! 

Admittedly, I’ve not listened to Billy Bragg much over the years, but I like this song a lot. I had no idea he’s deep in with the Wilco/Uncle Tupelo folks! I need to dig in further…

All right, down to business… So, I resisted the (obvious) urge to pick a Wilco/Uncle Tupelo song and went with “The House That Heaven Built” by the Japandroids.

I think Celebration Rock is one of the best rock albums made in the last few years — plus, who doesn’t love some Canadians?!

It’s a shame that after the spree of touring post-Celebration Rock, they seemingly stopped touring entirely. I got a chance to see them a few times, and they did not disappoint!

Tommy Gun (Remastered) – The Clash

It can sometimes take me a week to get into the right headspace for a track – the mantra we’ve been working to in musicto this year has been: “remove the dread of obligation” – we’re not quite sure why ;-p but there’s something to the health of a community and indeed of a collaborative act that can stall under the weight of good intentions and changing life requirements – removing the pressure to interact for sure increases the time something takes but it also increases the likelihood of completion – it’d be interesting if we could find some data on that but it’s certainly our lived experience.

As for Japandroids – hell yes – love me some Canadians ;-p. It’s such a powerful track and my god you could put any number of Hold Steady songs after it ;-p I had a couple of tracks lined up but they didn’t have the rawness or energy that I felt was needed out of The House That Heaven Built the power of the gang vocals and that underlying snare fill – ah hah! – the snare fill – had me reaching all the way back Give ‘Em Enough Rope ;-p

Can We Start Again – Bane

It’s been a while, but I’ve been thinking about what song I should use next, and I think I found something.  I’m going with “Can We Start Again” by BANE. This band is from Massachusetts. They were the first hardcore show I ever went to, and without knowing at the time, they subsequently changed the course of my life.

The short story behind that show: When I was 13 or 14 years old, some old kids from school who I had become friends with invited me to a show one weekend. They picked me up, and we drove to the Quinsigamond Village Community Center in Worcester, Mass, where Bane and some other punk/hardcore bands were playing. The show was TOUGH, even before I knew who the players were in that scene. During the Bane set, I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on and inadvertently (or maybe not) got a moshpit fist to my nose — My eyes instantly watered up, and I was afraid the dude had broken my nose. One of the guys who I went with saw me move to the back of the room and asked what was up; after I explained the situation, he looked at me and said, “Who did it?” and after not wanting to tell him, I caved and pointed out the dude. My friend walked over to the guy and straight up clocked him.

While I don’t necessarily condone violence, someone going to bat for you like that really meant something then and still today. Take care of your people, have a good time, and always be respectful.

You won’t catch me in the pit of too many shows these days, but songs and moments like this still have a special place in my heart.

Ed. Note: My senior year of college, I wrote my thesis on the misconceptions of punk and hardcore music in the mainstream media — lots of stories like this. It’s a scene of mostly normal dudes who just like loud tuff music.

You’re up 🙂 

Meds – IDLES

Love the story – it really is moments like that that shape a life!  “Take care of your people, have a good time, and always be respectful.” – words to live by – hell yes!

I remember getting into a fight with someone when I was 12 and I was soooo in the wrong – he was younger and I was being a bully – I was on home turf and I think I was trying to prove myself to my older peers.  It felt so wrong and I think about that experience often – even now 40+ years later.  He’s part of Midge Ure’s touring band and will be playing the Perth Concert hall this December and we’ll be there – there’s a bit of me that wants to reach out and apologize but I suspect he won’t have a memory of it and it’ll be weird and awkward – 

life man – it’s fucking nuts ;-p

I’m loving the raw energy of Bane – I never had the balls for the mosh pit and for the tougher kind of music – I had a very sheltered upbringing and pretty much floated along without thinking or worrying too much – that all changed at 29 but – up til that point – I didn’t have the ears.  I’m making a playlist with somebody from the same school who had a very different experience listening to all the harder indie punk bands – he’s a huge IDLES fan and we’re trading tracks – he drops an IDLES track and I respond with something that makes sense to me – he then drops another IDLES track – it’s a great way to get into a band.

I’m matching the energy of Can We Start Again with Meds – I got this from their In The Basement performance – if Bane are singing about finding your tribe – IDLES conjure the – what seems more prevalent – situation where the lost find nothing but inevitable solace in drugs.  

I know what that feels like ;-p

Take A Break – Sven Wunder

I love IDLES. A chef friend of mine has become close with Joe Talbot through the restaurant. 

I’ve been away for the last week. I went to a weddingin Florida and was supposed to be heading to the southern Gulf Coast, but the hurricane forced us to cancel. The hotel we were supposed to be staying at is closed until November. It was pretty wild, but I found a beach to sit at for the week.

As such, most of my music this week has been a little laid-back. In honor of the sort of midway point, my next pick is “Take A Break” by Sven Wunder.  

After a few heavy hits, I thought this would make for a nice relaxing intermission before tackling the back half. 

Keep Moving – Jungle

Take A Break is just stunning – that opening drum groove and bass lick – I’m relaxing already – then the strings cut in and I’m Sean Connery on a tropical island drinking Mai Tais and taking in the scenery – beautiful! ;-p. I love the vibe shift and yes – halfway through the list – it feels like a refreshing break – one which I am certainly appreciating.

So I’m taking the vibe and spinning it a little – starting the second half of the list by arriving in a different groove.  Leaving the harder Indie guitar of the first half in favor of a more polished groove – let’s see where we end up.

Memory Box – Peter Cat Recording Co.

Jungle is such a cool band—I got really into their (I think) most recent album, Volcano, last year. They did a really beautiful video series for the whole album, which is, I think, how I found the album. I didn’t realize how many bops they had that I knew of or had heard of until I went down the rabbit hole.

While I listen to everything (except contemporary country, which, imo sucks), I feel like in the last 12-18 months, my listening habits have changed a bit, and this is the musical vibe that’s been occupying my ears — a fun and weird convergence of indie, electronic, jazz, etc. — Basically, we’re getting into my sweet spot with this switch.  

In that spirit, I’m adding “Memory Box” by Peter Cat Recording Co.

Admittedly, I don’t know much about them, I likely found them on Instagram (check out Somewhere Soul), but I just saw they’re opening for Khruangbin (a band I still can’t pronounce) on their EU run. I won’t lie, I looked at flights

I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On – Robert Palmer

There’s just so much music out there – rabbit holes for days ;-p. We listened to a contemporary country station for about 30 miles coming through the central valley and it’s just all so fucking beige – the music (actually – the countryside too ;-p) – although going through Bakersfield did mean I had an excuse to put some Haggard on.

I was introduced to Peter Cat recording company a while back when making a list with a curator from India – apparently they’re a New Delhi outfit describing their sound as: “gypsy jazz to psychedelic cabaret; ballroom waltzes to epic space disco; bossa supernova to uneasy listening.”  and yeah – you can totally get that from the track.  I spent over an hour searching for the right response – Memory box has this underlying disco groove – almost Nile Rodgers guitars and then there’s that whole lounge singer voice that sits on top of it – it shouldn’t work but it does beautifully ;-p. I couldn’t work out what was next and yet – there was something about the voice that had me thinking Robert Palmer – just the quality of the delivery – I Didn’t Mean… has a suitably funky groove and yeah – let’s see where we go from here ;-p

Overnight – Parcels

I really dug this Robert Palmer track. I feel like I’ve heard this before, but I couldn’t place it. I ended up checking out the full album… Addicted to Love!  

I was chatting with some friends over the weekend about some of these ‘ubiquitous’ classic songs that are omnipresent but  don’t know the story behind them, so this discovery was a pleasant surprise and topical lol

It’s wild to me how much the electronic/synth sounds have changed over the years. This album has a little bit of everything, too.

For my pick, I was trying to find something equally as fun, funky and electronic. At first, I was going to try something from Jun Fukamachi, and then Bob Sinclar and Parcels came up on my DJ mix this AM, and it was a perfect fit.

Parcels is a fantastic band that started in Australia and now resides in Germany (a place I’m dying to visit). A cool story about this track — Daft Punk saw Parcels play a show in France in 2008(?) and invited them to their studio, where they played and worked on this track… which is cool because you can hear this “Overnight” sound on some of Daft Punk’s later work.

Rhythm Is Gonna Get You – Miami Sound Machine

Love the backstory to Parcels – our middle kid hipped me to them a while back but I never knew the Daft Punk influence – he has them on his Dinner Party playlist  – ;-p.  

And yes – I’m totally taking a different tack with my track but – the core groove from Overnight just dropped this track in my brain and it wouldn’t go away – and I kinda dig the transition – and if we’re moving into a more accessible dance aspect of the list – then I’m here for it ;-p

White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) (Long Version) – Grandmaster Flash

I’ve been pondering what would make for a great next song (ed. note: I found so much cool new music searching — went down a little rabbit hole), but I think I found something that works, and it was under my nose the whole time. 

White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) by Grandmaster Flash — a certified banger, LCD sampled this hard and it’s just good advice lol 

I remember finding a first pressing of this album in a thrift store in Boston the first week I moved. We were spinning some tracks last night and this came up and I knew this was going to be my pick. 

Blue Monday – New Order

White Lines is such an epic track – love the extended mix too – I’m a huge fan of the Long Version of Rapper’s Delight – these are classic tracks from my childhood ;-p

I’m shifting the genre but the groove kinda blends (almost ;-p) taking the underlying beat and moving it from New york to the Gritty suburbs of Manchester – this was another seminal track and that got played at every dance we went to ;-p

Hope you’re getting a break for the season – sending you the grooviness!!

Cold (2005 Remaster) – The Cure

Last winter, I fell down the Brit post-punk/new-wave rabbit hole. For a long time, I didn’t like the sounds of the ’80s, but I have grown to love and appreciate it.

To that end, I’ve added my favorite song from The Cure — it’s not one that gets much play and is quite different from most of their other work.

Hope all is well — you’re up 🙂 

Lower Worlds – Rainer Maria

The Cure are just cool – Robert Smith an icon.  They had such a passionate following – they changed things.

I’m in deep 80’s mode and want to choose Depeche Mode but it’s not right – I’m drawn back to the lyric – the fuckedupiness of everything – the Cure kids sure looked cool but they rarely looked happy – so I’m going for a full on up-beat positive vibe track.

Bringing it back to this Century – moving it to guitars – bringing the optimism and the power – 

Lonely Sunday – Reignwolf

I’ve really enjoyed this journey we’ve been on, and we’re getting close to the finish line! I love the guitar on this Rainer Maria track—I need to check out more of their stuff.

For my pick, I went with something I think pairs nicely:

“Lonely Sunday” – Reignwolf

A little Reignwolf story for you…

I met Jordan at SXSW back in 2012 — he was decked out in black leather from head to toe, lugging around this crazy contraption to play all the instruments for his set. We chatted for a bit, stayed in touch, and later linked up when he was in Boston with his full band. They were supposed to play Governors Ball the next day, and I was going to head down with them to do merch. But… let’s just say we got a little banged up the night before. They ended up being late, got bumped from their set, and somehow ended up opening for Kings of Leon or something. It turned out to be a massive show for them, so it all worked out in the end.

Ah, the good ol’ days.

Another Celebration at the End of the World – Mammoth WVH

I too love the journey this list has been on – from cool indie rock vibes at the front end to more classic groove and dance in the middle and now finishing strong with heavy guitars.  I love the stories too – Lonely Sunday is a great track – I’d not heard it before (like most tracks on playlists I make ;-p) – can totally relate to getting a bit banged up ;-p. less no nowadays though – age does come at a price.

I was trying several different tracks but the one I kept on coming back to was from Mammoth II – wolfgang’s ridiculous display of talent.  The video always cracked me up too: yes – very reminiscent of life in rehearsal studios in LA ;-ppp

Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die – Four Year Strong

WHAT A JOURNEY IT’S BEEN.

Honestly, man, this is ~genuinely~ one of the most fun music things I’ve done online in a LONG time — I discovered a ton of new music, rediscovered some old hits, and listened to more music these last few months than I have in years.

First off, this music video is great — love it when a band puts time into their videos + the song slaaaaaps.   

Alright, let’s wrap us up… I went back to my hometown and picked a track from “Four Year Strong”

And a fitting final track, if I do say so myself… A little bit of rock, a little bit loud, a great message, and a cool guy breakdown at the end.

Track Listing

• Vibe Like Edie – Mood Bored
• An Ode To The Nite Ratz Club – The Hotelier
• One for the Cutters – The Hold Steady
• A More Perfect Union (2021 Remaster) – Titus Andronicus
• A New England – Billy Bragg
• The House That Heaven Built – Japandroids
• Tommy Gun (Remastered) – The Clash
• Can We Start Again – Bane
• Meds – IDLES
• Take A Break – Sven Wunder
• Keep Moving – Jungle
• Memory Box – Peter Cat Recording Co.
• I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On – Robert Palmer
• Overnight – Parcels
• Rhythm Is Gonna Get You – Miami Sound Machine
• White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) (Long Version) – Grandmaster Flash
• Blue Monday – New Order
• Cold (2005 Remaster) – The Cure
• Lower Worlds – Rainer Maria
• Lonely Sunday – Reignwolf
• Another Celebration at the End of the World – Mammoth WVH
• Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die – Four Year Strong

Playlist image Jack & Andrew