Wilfully Obscure

Is this my favorite retro discovery of the year?  Hard to say, as even in the eye of the beholder these things are difficult to quantify.  A...

The number of homegrown various artists collections compiling rare, turn-of-the-decade power pop and punk singles that seemingly materialize...

This is a sad fu%kin' blog post.  I'll be lucky if I don't bust out crying.  In fact, 2024 was a tremendously sad f'n year o...

Yet another band I haven't featured on here, and obviously of a higher stature...and not-quite-obscure.  When I made a conscious decisio...

Every Chanukah I tend to alternate between offering up a volley of singles or a trio of eps, and this year I opted for the latter. Even with...

This one's a bit of a whopper, if only in terms of sheer length (and size, should you opt to download the lossless FLAC version of this ...

Welcome to night one.  Collectors of all stripes are always searching for "grails," so to speak, few and far between as they may b...

A generous, Chanukah-worthy passel of demos spanning 1978-80 from one of the best in the business.   **Please do not reveal artist in commen...

With a half-smile and a somewhat lighthearted *sigh,* my burdensome endeavor and your annual holiday treat is upon us in roughly three days ...

In 2010 when I shared the four art-damaged song-things constituting China Shop's lone 1981, Atomic Notions I was already a solid conve...

One of the only morsels of punditry I've encountered surrounding this platter is the notion that Farmers were a no-wave proposition.  T...

 Power pop from 1999. **Please do not reveal artist in comments!** Hear

A follow up to the label's choice 4 on the Floor 7" compilation from a year prior, C/Z Records threw another numerically named mic...

At least a bit more promising than it's sleeve implies, More Than I Can Do doesn't quite paint Minneapolis'  Johnny Rey and hi...

This week it's four eps, spanning four decades no less.  Enjoy. **Please do not reveal artists in comments!** Hear

So I really wasn't able to give you much this week beyond M/M, but not a total loss, as I do have this tidbit to share.  A scant four-so...

From 2000. I heard this band namedropped in a podcast today, and thought, "why not?"  This is the UK import version with a bonus C...

Alas, another one I don't own a physical iteration of, and even more so I don't recall where I procured the files from (though I...

I've probably thumbed by numerous Health & Happiness Show albums in used CD bins over the years, nary giving them a second thought....

From 2000.  Probably the only thing I haven't already shared by this long defunct bunch.  **Please do not reveal artist in comments!** H...

In multiple books I've encountered about the Seattle music scene, the Blackouts are commonly bandied about as antecedents to the more s...

I've owned a CD by this Mass. trio probably for a solid 60% of my life, yet the impression it left was somewhat nondescript.  The 45 I...

From 1997.  The second album by these Aussie wunderkinds.  **Please do not reveal artist in comments!** Hear

Here's one I've been intending to digitize for awhile.  A 36-year old compilation of Boston area bands that's both relatively co...

Recordings from 1987-89.  The word impeccable comes to mind.  Don't pass on this! **Please do not reveal artist in comments!** Hear