ON REPEAT: Optic Sink, Vampire Weekend, Lee Tracy & Isaac Manning, Nots, Blonde Redhead, Sassy 009, Pollyn, Annie-Dog, Jerry Green, KNOWER
“we’re fuckin’ around”
Hello. You can catch the season finale of The John Gentle Show now available on The Best Show Patreon! It’s got Jon Daly, Rob Michael Hugel, MVP co-host Emma Callahan and we finally find out what happened to Irwin:
Ok onto the songs:
Optic Sink “Modelesque”
Optic Sink was on The Best Show this week and I caught their set at Zebulon the night before. I prioritized this because I can’t hear the synths live in the room without headphones. The same thing happened with System Exclusive, and last week I mentioned how they sounded like Gang of Four. Optic Sink sounded like DNA or some other no wave band—it wasn’t bad!
They are genuinely awesome people and have roots in all sorts of great Memphis bands like Natalie’s old band Nots, who I loved and Jack Oblivian and Magic Kids. This doesn’t sound like any of that! They also recorded with Caufield of Sweeping Promises, more of my favorites.
Lee Tracy & Isaac Manning “Foxy Lady”
Personal Space: Electronic Soul (1974-1984) is one of my favorite compilations ever. This is not on it, but it could have been! Lee Tracy & Isaac Manning were total DIY in recording this to a cassette deck in early 80’s Nashville. The whole record has a very “we’re fuckin’ around” vibe to it, which I love. It jumps from genre-to-genre, from pop to gospel soul to electro-funk.
Vampire Weekend “Gen-X Cops”
Hey, look. I missed this album coming out last month. I first heard this song on SNL. This is not my usual “music discovery” story—otherwise you’d hear more Renee Rapp and Tate McRae in here, but give credit where credit’s due. I like Vampire Weekend, they are nice guys and are doing something pretty interesting with this song! I like the video too!
Sassy 009 “Pretty baby”
I’ve been trying to learn more about this act. Sassy 009 was Sunniva Lindgård’s Soundcloud name that just kinda stuck for years after. She’s from Oslo, and tours with someone named Sunniva Mellbye in her band. Sunniva was the 32nd most popular baby girl name in 2000.
Saint Sunniva is the patron saint of the Norwegian Church of Norway. She was a 10th-century Irish princess fleeing a forced marriage who got shipwrecked in Norway. Hiding in a cave from angry locals who wanted to kill her, it collapsed, entombing her. This was, apparently, divine intervention and supposedly she survived the cave collapse and was protected and lived a full happy life in the cave. She was declared a saint when they found her skull. This is what happens when history is written by the winners.
Blonde Redhead “Snowman”
I saw them in a church once, it ruled
KNOWER “Overtime”
Another (older) jam from KNOWER, the all star funkytime that I’ve featured on here a bunch. And of course you need to watch the guy in the newsboy cap I talked about reacting to this song. It’s more slow burn since the last time but you can see him processing the song and getting overwhelmed at points and he starts fingering his lips like a bass:
Pollyn “How Small We Are”
Genieveve from KNOWER was in this band before (formed in 1998 wtf?) and it’s a bit more in my wheelhouse and she gets her David Byrne on in this video. (Seriously, I thought she was, like, born in 1998.)
Annie-Dog “Pressures of the Heart”
I don’t know a ton about Annie-Dog besides that she’s from Dublin and gets her name from a William Patrick Corgan song and she says this Vincent Gallo beat is her favorite song. There are other, better inspirations in there too but those two stuck out to me because I imagined being stuck between them on an airplane and them having a conversation about “being provocative” or something over me because neither would give up their seat.
THE GOLD STANDARD
Jerry Green “Finally Found The Love I Need”
Here is one of my favorite tracks from the aforementioned Personal Soul comp. It’s by Jerry “J.G.” Green, aka THE VOICE MASTER (hell yeah). Jerry used to be a member of Motown act The Contours, and it has that classic Motown songwriting while also sounding like it was recovered from a crashed spaceship.
I don’t know why someone set to scenes from In The Mood For Love but I’m not complaining.
THE GOLD STANDARD
Nots “Decadence”
One more gold standard that’s just a killer Nots track! I wore out this mp3 file back in 2014.