exploremusic

“Funeral Song” by Minks

There are several artists who go by the name “Mink” or “Minks,” but the one we’re gonna talk about today is from Brooklyn. Alan has a 7-inch called “Funeral Song”—and we’re a little reticent to play it because it talks about the end of summer. That’s a little premature for July 19th, don’t you think?

But we decided to show it to you anyway because it’s awfully catchy and it’s the closest thing we’ll get to a record from The Cure this year. It’s all in the bassline and the keyboard.

Minks is a guy, not a band.  He’s got an interesting retro sound. He has obviously spent lots of nights in his room listening to early Cure records like Faith and Pornography. When he was done with that, he pulled out some Jesus and Mary Chain records. There’s not much available from this dude yet, but we like what we’ve heard so far.

“Sense The Fire” by Engel

Engel is on the metal and industrial side of things. They’re Swedish. Big guitars with symphonic keyboard flourishes. They’re the product of the coming together of people from a series of Swedish bands. The current record is self-titled and begin with a track called “Sense The Fire”.

“Cobra Strike” by Judgement Day

No too far away in terms of headspace is Judgement Day. They’re from Oakland. They’re more math-rock in their approach but just as heavy—if not heavier. Also they use cellos. If you can imagine the Electric Light Orchestra from about 1975 with fat, crunchy guitars crossed with a little late-70s Rush and modern System of a Down, you’ve got a good idea of where Judgement Day stands. Try a track called “Cobra Strike”.

“Pack Your Bags” by Endless Boogie

It’s back to Brooklyn for Endless Boogie. This is a bluesy four-piece that mine the Zeppelin. They have a record coming out tomorrow and we should start with a song called “Pack Your Bags”.

“Cuts You Up” by Peter Murphy

Finally, Peter Murphy. There was a period in the 80s when he was adrift. Bauhaus broke up in 1983 and while the rest of the band was doing well with their new project, Peter couldn’t seem to get anything going until 1990 when he released a record called Cuts You Up. The title track of that record is still a masterpiece. If they were making Twilight movies back then, this song would be a no-brainer for the soundtrack. I love it.