| Song | Artist | Year | Pick | Genre(s) | Willis Notes | Gregg Notes |
| Lonesome Tonight | Bow Wow Wow | 1983 | Willis | New Wave, Pop Rock | Although not a BWW fan, I felt a deep dive would be fun. Little did I know that Annabella Lwin was only 15 when they released “I Want Candy”, and discovered singing in a dry cleaners at 13. I had heard about Boy George’s start in this band, but didn’t know he went by “Lieutenant Lush”. Neither did I know their drummer David Barbarossa was stolen from Adam and the Ants and studied Burundi tribal drumming which was core to Bow Wow Wow’s sound. For the backstory alone, It’s too bad they only released 2 full albums, neither of which are well presented on streaming platforms. She got fired after this album and tour, the band broke up, regrouped, and then split in two different groups named BWW. This song has punk energy with the dynamic guitar work, rocking “whoa whoa”, even the silly plucked chords “boop boop boop boop” are something I can play, but concisely convey anxiety. | I’m so glad you picked them. Admittedly, I almost shunned this band & unfairly considered them a blatant rip off of Adam & The Ants, and further to the point in yr notes, even went so far to steal members and the ‘tribal’ look (thx to Malcolm McClaren). Several songs are great, don’t get me wrong, I just had an odd ‘thing’ about them. But listening now, I can see I clearly missed some deeper cut gems! I can say i LOVE this, and will now pull out the record for listening this weekend lol. |
| Kings of the Wild Frontier | Adam & The Ants | 1980 | Gregg | Tribal /Post Punk/New Wave | Like BWW, I could never find a proper approach to Adam or the Ants, and chose avoidance. Maybe his timbre was too punk-rebel for me, but that energy oddly integrates with the cowboys and indians vibe. The drumming energy stands out, and like BWW works well in a mix of other music. | It only makes sense to fully immerse ourselves in these 2 bands, back to back. This is considerably more ‘tribal’ than BWW, but the template for both bands is the same. I’m often amazed at how adventurous Adam Ant was at this point in time. Music didn’t sound like this! It was almost alien, if not for the old cowboys & indians movies that featured Native Americans singing in this style. But to make it melodic is stunning. And then the climax is insane; When Adam sings “Down below those dandy clothes you’re just a shade too white. SHADE TOO WHITE!”, it makes me want to jump onto the battlefield with him. It’s so passionate and sincere. It’s easy to see how Trent Reznor took inspiration from Adam Ant. |
| Dope on a Rope | The Growlers | 2016 | Willis | Indie Rock | Streaming algorithms are doing their job here. They call their style “Beach Goth” blending surf, pop, rock, and beat and even hosted a festival for about 8 years. Vocals in the realm of Tom Petty, which are not usually my cup of tea, but their guitar work generally stand out. This song in particular has a vocal layering and effects that hit like Paul Banks. Guitar melodies are reminiscent of Johnny Marr. A theremin and synth that sneak in during the chorus as a nice electronic surprise. | So cool to see the Growlers make the Deep Dive! I have a loose affiliation with them, due to my friend / label partner Buck – who managed them and got them signed. So I guess technically they were part of our label, in a small way lol. They had several good-to-great albums, but I kinda lost track around 2015. I remember this album, but I wasn’t familiar with this track. It’s got a great, driving groove – and the melody is very poppy (surprisingly). Reminds me of early-mid Strokes, but also a more mainstream Spoon. I’m totally feeling this at this precise moment, late Friday night. Their earlier stuff is much more like psych 60’s garage rock, which was cool but less polished. |
| Days Go By | Sean Nicholas Savage | 2011 | Gregg | Retro Pop /Indie /City Pop | Confident warm vocals turned slightly imperfect is so indie. Simple rhythmic acoustic guitar and tom tom accents on the drum beat. This production resembles either a stretched tape (like Nocera from last show) but this has to be intentional. Also feels like a bootleg recording of a live show on a bandshell stage. It is endearingly classic and nostalgic, if not maddening to a technophile like me. | A breezy, summer morning song. Feels like it was written and recorded in 1968. I wish I could remember when or where I found this, but for some reason it has remained in my orbit via playlists for 15 years. I can never put my finger on who he sounds like, but he also sounds like so many and like nobody (at the same time). My musical synesthesia takes me to old memories, but in a photo album form; Pages turning with non-descript, sepia toned pictures that might not even be my own family. But someone’s family, and it gives me a warm feeling and a hint of melancholy. |
| Goodnight Moon | Shivaree | 2000 | Willis | Alt-Pop/Rock, Americana | I found this song on an old Capitol records sampler called “Bear Essentials” which has a lot of forgotten music. This is the best track on it. Featured in Dawson’s Creek, Kill Bill Vol 2, and Silver Linings Playbook. Vocalist Ambrosia Parsley sings like Gwen Stefani’s older sister mixed with Nina Persson from The Cardigans. As a No Doubt fan, I found myself listening to all 3 of their albums on repeat without fatigue. The mood is mysterious, slightly psychedelic Americana from the instrumentation such as this theremin and tremolo guitar. | Interesting! New to me, for sure. I agree 100% about the psych-americana tag! It’s mildly poppy and straightforward, but with just the right touch of weird & mysterious. It feels like a theme song to a tv show. I wasn’t sure where it would go – but the casual flow actually suits the song. It keeps enough of the Nancy Sinatra vibe, and staves off the obvious Gwen Stefani similarity. |
| Bach Ze | The High Llamas | 1999 | Gregg | Baroque /60’s Sndtrk /Orchestral pop | Another band I thought I found on my own while previewing this show and immediately began exploring for the next show…. only to realize it is already here on your list. Intentionally weird, with minor keys and dissonant melodies – but often warm production and occasional electronic glitches, sometimes hazy auto-tune. | Arguably the most distinct + unique thing I’ve ever brought to the Deep Dive. I started a love affair with this band in 2001, and my love has only blossomed with time. Imagine the Beach Boys, Steely Dan and Burt Bacharach writing period-piece soundtracks with Stereolab producing. It’s truly incredible how brilliantly written these songs are, with boundless changes and melody shifts and hooks weaving in and out. All with a soft orchestration that sounds like every European 60’s film. The lyrics are written about moments in time in small villages, many decades ago – and are never about love. I also find it fascinating that Sean O’Hagan never uses the word “I”, which automatically brings you somewhere different, and makes you feel a part of these fictional places. This isn’t near their most adventurous pieces, but it’s most appropriate for our show. |
| Birds of a Feather, We Rock Together | Vulfpeck [ feat. Antwaun Stanley] | 2017 | Willis | Contemporary Funk / R&B Soul, Minimalist | A collective rooted with several U. of Michigan alums, based in LA making a fun,modern/sophisticated blend of funk-soul. They once raised $20k in Spotify royalties by releasing an album called Sleepify of silent tracks for fans to stream on repeat all night. This funded a 6-city tour with free admission. Alicia heard the funky “Back Pocket” and we were both intrigued by the cold German-sounding name with overt soul and positive energy. This song is way more downtempo than most of their work, but shows their dynamic expertise and sweet vocals that are top notch IMHO for a baritone. A strong consideration to watch live: Oct 16,17 @ The Greek Theatre | Jeez dude – how has this not been in my sights for so long? The production is genius, esp in good headphones. The drums cloak like a horse’s hooves, which sounds almost hypnotic. The vocals kinda compete with the snare (hooves), but the mix separates them beautifully. There is a slight “Taxi” feel to the hammond (or whatever keyboard they’re using) and the wah wah’d guitars. Infectious. Gets better as it goes. Minimalist, but not lacking for energy, and the instruments fill a lot of space. |
| Why Can’t We Live Together | Timmy Thomas | 1972 | Gregg | Minimalist /Soul /Dub | Very good match vocally to previous song.I had never heard of Timmy Thomas before. This latin drum loop predates the Roland 808… Casio-tone is exactly what I thought of also, except neither of those produced realistic sounding percussion like this. So live makes sense. The organ notes are masterfully played – with attack and abrupt cutoff that feel like either tense anxiety, or unbridled groove… choose your own adventure. | Has there ever been a song like this, before or after? It seems ludicrous that a simple drum loop (which sounds like a preset on a casio keyboard, but is actually played acoustically/live) with a loosely played pipe organ and some random groovy bass would provide more than enough for a soulful voice to sing over. Knowing the fatigue I get listening to modern pop music, it boggles my mind that a song like this could become a nationwide smash hit in 1972. Could you imagine this next to Drake, Sabrina Carpenter or Katy Perry nowadays? Lol. It’s a work of minimalist art. And so f’n badass. |
| Shadows, Pt. 2 | Blue Man Group | 2003 | Willis | Alt / Electronic Rock | Inspired by Vegas show. It is so visual, physical and clown-like. It’s a lot to absorb live and the music must share the stage, yet their percussion and musicality is on another level. So I think just listening is an experience in itself. Features vocals by Tracy Bonham and turntablism by Rob Swift of X-Ecutioners. I wish it were developed as a song even further, but it’s a cool vibe regardless. | This all came back around so nicely! Piggybacking with the prior song, it feels like the Wizard of Oz when it went from B&W to Color! I’m very familiar with BMG, but I don’t think I’ve heard this one. In fact, I’ve probably only heard 10% of their catalog. But seeing them live was one of the cooler things I’ve experienced on (off)Broadway. The musicianship is so high level, it’s almost sinful that their “schtick” overshadows their skill. |
| Zeus | Midnight Magic | 2026 | Gregg | Electronic /Kraut /Neo Disco | I immediately love this. I absolutely hear LCD and Juan Maclean, with roots from The Human League but really it’s that female vocals in the Disco style. The bassline is trancey, yet the spacey disco groove is so uplifting. It would be cool to dance to them live. | When this song first played on the air, I had to check & see if it was The Juan Maclean. It could also sound like LCD Soundsystem and Kraftwerk (and Moroder). But it’s luscious just the same. It’s repetitive in a way that lulls you into a zone. Almost like when you’re on a moving surface, and not thinking how when you step off, you might need to keep running or else you’ll fall over. But you’re too ‘in the zone’ to think about anything else. This borders on relentless, but in the best way possible (for me). The oscillating synth sounds are so soothing to my ears. |
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