The Call - Let The Day Begin

The Call were a great band out of Santa Cruz, California, that played stripped down, groove-oriented music steeped in singer/bassist Michael Been's strong religious faith. All of their 1980s albums are great and highly recommended.

The Sound - From The Lion's Mouth

The Sound are another often overlooked band to emerge from the UK post-punk scene of the late-70s/early-80s. Fronted by Adrian Borland, they never quite shook off the Joy Division-lite description until late in their career, when few people were listening. Regardless, their first 3 albums (Jeopardy, From The Lion's Mouth, and All Fall Down) are essential for fans of the genre.

Sinead O'Connor - The Lion And The Cobra

My introduction to Sinead O'Connor was seeing her video for "Mandinka" on MTV. There was this beautiful girl wearing Levis, Doc Martens and a bra, with a shaved head, wailing away with this magnificent voice. I was immediately struck. She has put out some great music over her long career, but her debut album is still tops for me.

Chris Isaak - Forever Blue

There's no better break-up album than Chris Isaak's "Forever Blue." Wistful, dour, melancholy, with occasional outbursts of bitterness. It also happens to be a great low-key album for a lazy summer afternoon.

Hothouse Flowers - Songs From The Rain

RIP Papa Wemba

As Congolese artist Papa Wemba just passed away, I thought I'd post a little tribute. This album from 1995, Emotion, is one of my favorites. It's so brilliant and full of life, perfect for playing on a lazy, sunny afternoon. It also opened the door for me to further explore the music of Africa.

The Bolshoi

Another often overlooked band from the tail end of the post-punk era. Sounds a bit like Bauhaus mixed with Southern Death Cult. Their debut, Giants, is probably their best but they never had any radical stylistic change throughout their lifespan.