Top8 - 03/03/25 - WTSQ 88.1 FM

March 02, 2025 - 06:21 PM

Welcome back to Top8. I really should be writing a paper about the information behavior of a specific population of people. And here I am with you, talking about music. I don't have much else to feel good about these days. But I am grateful for all of you. Put on your headphones and let's do this. Send your reasons to ignore school work for a few hours to wtsq.org/contact

Louella - Pedestrian

Louella are a grungy, shoegazy out of Morgantown, WV. They are also exactly what I needed right now. I don't know these guys. I haven't seen them live. I have no idea what their unreleased songs are like. But I know that "Pedestrian" absolutely fucks. I am not a producer, but I would imagine that it's hard to produce this kind of track. There's a ton of noise here. But there are also quieter, almost reflective moments. There's also Ani Colombo's vocals here. Against the hellfire of this band, the vocal sounds almost angelic. That's one of the cool things that great shoegaze can do – create contrasts that make a vocal track or guitar lead really shine and stand out. I honestly can't say enough good things about this track. I have been listening to it nonstop and telling everyone I know to do the same. If Louella come up with 8-9 other tracks like this in 2025, they could end up with my album of the year. Plus, I'll remind you, this is a WEST VIRGINIA band. We may never get to see Julie or Feeble Little Horse, but we might get to catch Louella and that's pretty cool.

Cloakroom - Story of the Egg

I have been into Cloakroom for a bit now. One thing I love about this band is that while they find their core in the sort of searing shoegaze that I am apparently obsessed with, they also come up with tracks like "Bad Larry" that sound like a completely different band (in the case of that song, they remind me of something between Calexeco and The Cactus Blossoms). I think that's fantastic. If I could be in a band, I'd want to play wildly different things, even on the same album. In any event, Story of the Egg is more of a proper MBV style banger. The new album is called "Last Leg of the Human Table" and you should listen to the whole thing as soon as you're done listening to everything on this playlist.

Girl Cologne - Blew (Nirvana Cover)

Normally I am a little reluctant to add a cover to Top8, especially not one from a band that I have featured several times already. But then again, not all covers rip as hard as this one. Girl Cologne are queer punks from Cleveland and they play the absolute shit out of "Blew" by Nirvana. They find a kind of grunge menace on this song that powerfully evokes the original. Two important things to remember about Nirvana. They were *always* a punk band, and Kurt was always a vocal feminist. I bet he'd have loved hearing a band like this one cover this song. I am a big fan of Girl Cologne and I always expect them to deliver, but they really find a different gear here.

Rocket - Take Your Aim

When I get to Rocket I start wondering if I am including too many bands with heavy 90's flavor. I do find a ton of this sound that vibes with me. I am not sure, but I think that a big part of that is that there's just a ton of that energy with bands making music now. Which is cool. Contrary to popular opinion, the 90s sucked. Something good should come out of them, and it may as well be the music.

So here's Rocket playing music that sounds strikingly like something Veruca Salt would have put out in '94. And I fucking loved Veruca Salt. So spin "Seether" a few times and then come back to the also terrible 2020s and turn it up even louder for "Take Your Aim." After all, with all this hearing damage 90s kids have, we kinda have to. Rocket is quite a bit heavier if we're being honest, but all the DNA is there. I am 19 or 20 again and walking downtown from the mall to the library wearing headphones, a slightly destroyed army green jacket, and a pair of red lens sunglasses. Meet me at Taylors for coffee. We can talk about our favorite bands. And Rocket would have been one of mine.

Touchdown Jesus - Hairdryer

Damn. This is cool. "Hairdryer" by Cincy band Touchdown Jesus lands somewhere between Talking Heads and Black Midi. This track is a kind of twitchy, bouncing bass-forward blast. There's a little prog here with segments of jazz-influenced brass and a tight weave of twisting guitars and bass. The whole thing goes kind of insane near the end, before finishing with a quick stop. More like this please.

Jawdropped - Skully

"Skully" comes in right away with an absolutely crushing guitar sound. Surprisingly, things relax into a longish restrained acoustic section. This willingness to lean heavily on this lighter sound makes me think of bands like Smashing Pumpkins (when they were good).

Watchhouse - All Around You

If you share a music orbit with WTSQ's The Crows Nest, you're already turned onto Watchhouse. The modern folk duo are from North Carolina, and they've been releasing gorgeous, dreamy songs for well over a decade. They are back with a new album in May called "Rituals". In the meantime, we have "All Around You". To me, the magic of Watchhouse is that they unravel all the old folk and americana tropes before spinning those threads into something new. The result is something warm and familiar but still fresh and new. Combine this with Andrew Marlin's heartfelt lyrics and I have to say that Watchhouse are one of the best bands playing this kind of music today.

Sharp Pins - With a Girl Like Mine

A lot of Sharp Pins tracks are in the sparkly Big Star power-pop vein. "With a Girl Like Mine" sounds like a lost solo acoustic Kinks demo. I think this guy is singing in a fake British accent. I don't know, I feel like this has everything it needs to suck. But it's actually quite charming. If Sharp Pins are power pop, then this song is their "Thirteen". It's slight, sweet, and just a little sad.