I was watching Anvil: The Story of Anvil on VH1 Classic the other night, and I believe it was Slash who said something like: “You know, there aren’t many bands who have been together for 30 years.” And he’s right (well, if Slash really did say what I attributed to him). Bands or singers who have been recording music for long periods of time are rare birds indeed. Some certainly hang on to their core sound and often fit prevailing musical trends into one or two songs (Think “Emotional Rescue” or “Miss You” by the Rolling Stones), while others will revamp their sound and sail off on a new musical direction– leaving puzzled fans wondering: “What the hell is this?” (Think KISS in Music From “The Elder” or when Rush went headfirst into a synthaholic binge).
What I wanted to do for this mix was to feature bands and singers who, by hook or crook, have been able to maintain a musical career that went beyond their salad days. In putting together this mix, I generally took the first album and the most recent release, paired them together to see what, if any, changes or similarities were there. Sorry if this sounds a little too academic in its description, but really what I’m trying to do is best summed up in the title of this mix: “Then and Now.” (more…)
There is half a good album here, and there’s no other way to put it. Primary Dreaming in Stereo member Fernando Perdomo has a heck of a time balancing the disparate worlds of power pop and prog rock, sometimes achieving a nice cross-section, as on the tune 
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I was digging through some old CDs the other day and happened across a compilation disc I made in the mid-’90s that had the title “Aimee Mann: My Miserable Life.” Don’t get me wrong, I love Aimee Mann, and have been a big fan of her music since the ‘Til Tuesday days, but there’s something about the misery and pain of a broken heart that Aimee chronicles so well. Maybe it was her relationship with Jules Shear that went sour and she used that pain to become a minor queen of misery. But whatever the case, she was able to use that failed relationship and mine some lyrical gold for two of ‘Til Tuesday’s best albums (Welcome Home and Everything’s Different Now), and three wonderfully written solo albums. Mann, um, lost her way with Lost in Space and The Forgotten Arm. Then Mann’s Christmas CD came out, and I had pretty much thrown in the towel and said “Uncle.”
“David Denies,” from ‘Til Tuesday’s awesome, awesome 1986 album 
