Tag: rock

Geekly Tunes: November 2025

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Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Today, our writers share what they’ve been listening to over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been listening to, Geekly Gang. I’ll begin by sharing my monthly tunes.

Kyra’s Tunes

Typically, I don’t pay much attention to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but this year’s class was an interesting one. Headliners include Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden, Joe Cocker, The White Stripes, Chubby Checker, Outkast, and Warren Zevon. Wow! What a group! I’m surprised it took Warren Zevon over 30 years to make the Hall. Notable exclusions like the Excitable Boy himself are the biggest reason why I don’t pay much attention to the Hall’s Inductees. Zevon’s Excitable Boy is a hallmark Rock album. “Ah-woo! Werewolves of London.” And I love “Lawyers, Guns, and Money.” The latter song is as pertinent today as it was when it was first released.

Many members of this inductee class are no longer with us, so several other artists paid tribute. Iggy Pop was hilarious when he sang the beat of The White Stripes’ “Seven-Nation Army.” The entire crowd joined the fun. And while there was a great version of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” Lily Cornell Silver’s rendition of “Fell On Black Days,” with a picture of her father (Soundgarden’s lead singer, Chris Cornell) over her shoulder, sends chills.

While “Black Hole Sun” is a banger, I much prefer “Fell On Black Days.” It better explores Cornell’s range. Both Cornells. Lily did her father proud.

I’m getting choked up again. Chris Cornell (and his close friend Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington) was always upfront about his depression. We lost Cornell and Bennington too soon.

My second entry pulls double duty: it’s a meme and a song. The Remix Brothers did a great job poking fun at President Trump’s Autism announcement from a handful of weeks ago. Here’s a link if you’d like to check out the remix. In short, the study President Trump references during this announcement says the exact opposite of what Trump declares. There is no correlation between Tylenol and Autism. Autism is hereditary. I’m a good example of the rise of Autism diagnoses. My daughter was diagnosed. I had some markers, and there’s a biological component to Autism, so I got checked myself and was diagnosed later in life. Tylenol is the only safe fever reducer pregnant women can take. Unchecked fevers can lead to issues far worse than Autism. Don’t listen to Trump. Returning to The Remix Brothers’ video, it’s eerie how they’re able to make Trump sound like Eminem. The Trump in this video has flow.

Sometimes one must laugh at the Idiocracy The United States has become. The Remix Brother’s “Trump Autism Remix” does a great job of doing that. Trump doesn’t need a third term. Can we get Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho as the 2028 Republican candidate for President?

That’s all I have for this month. Let’s check in with Skye.

Skye’s Tunes

It’s been a minute since I first heard The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, and I was happy to revisit it this month. I forgot how much I enjoyed it. Listening to songs like “Femininomenon,” “After Midnight,” “Pink Pony Club,” and “Casual” reminds me of why this album is in my vinyl collection. I specifically own the Peaches & Cream version, which contains the songs “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl,” “HOT TO GO,” “My Kink is Karma,” “Picture You,” and “Kaleidoscope.” While it’s nice knowing I’m lucky to have bonus content, it feels weird having an album with an odd number of sides. I need to remind myself that the D Side is blank, and I’m worried one of these days I’m gonna scratch it by accident.

Despite my love of upbeat pop songs, I enjoy mellow vibes and soothing tracks. Enter The Very Best of Roberta Flack. Songs like “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Where Is the Love,” and “If I Ever See You Again” are great for soothing vibes. Some people say that a nap is all you need after a long day of work, but The Very Best of Roberta Flack is all I need. I’ve been meaning to pay homage to Roberta Flack after her passing earlier this year. We’ve lost too many legends recently. Rest in peace.

On a lighter note, Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR has been another of my staples this month. Rodrigo’s musical stylings are easy to jam to. I get lost in the melodies of songs like “Traitor,” “Drivers License,” “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back,” and “Enough for You” while I’m busy working on projects. I can’t deny that part of me is transported back to my teenage years whenever I pop in SOUR. I can’t imagine why that is. I still relate to many themes present in SOUR. Wherever Olivia is, I hope she’s okay.

Sublime is another classic album from my childhood. Understandably, my parents never shared the entire album with me and my sister, but certain (clean) songs quickly became staples. We would sing “Santeria” or “What I Got” as loud as we could. Being a kid, I never understood anything these songs were saying, but I loved them just because we were having fun. I love the nostalgic feelings I get from this album.

That’s all we have for this month’s Geekly Tunes. Let us know what music you’ve been listening to over the past month, Geekly Gang. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly Tunes: October 2025

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. Today, our writers share the music they’ve been listening to over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been listening to over the past month, because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get things started with my geekly tunes for October.

Kyra’s Tunes

I’ve been revisiting Gorillaz’s catalog after their recent announcement of their upcoming ninth studio album, The Mountain. Gorillaz’s early stuff is phenomenal. Their first three albums resonate today. I’ll throw on Gorillaz, Demon Days, and Plastic Beach, while cleaning or doing some other chore. I giggle at “Clint Eastwood’s” beat. I had a Casio keyboard with the same “Rock” beat. All one had to do was hold down the drum break at the beginning to create the intro. So good.

Demon Days and Plastic Beach allowed Damon Albarn to stretch his creative muscles. And he got political. “Dirty Harry” tackled The War on Terror, while most of Plastic Beach addressed climate change. “Superfast Jellyfish” may be the catchiest song about destroying oceanic wildlife. But hey, the jellyfish left behind taste just like chicken. Yum.

Despite The Fall’s interesting premise (most songs were written and recorded while Gorillaz was touring in different cities), it may just be Gorillaz’s weakest album. It’s a quieter version of what the Foo Fighters would try a few years later in Sonic Highways (easily the Foo’s weakest album). Writing and recording music during a road trip sounds like a good idea, but I haven’t heard it done well recently. Let me know if another band does a great job with this concept.

While Humanz has some catchy tunes, it shows the band leaning heavily into featured artists and collaborations. I’ll still jam to “Saturn Barz” or “Strobelight.” Heck, “We Got the Power” is a catchy tune for positive change. Albarn admitted to rushing The Now Now with B-sides from Humanz, so the two albums have similar sensibilities. Several critics trashed The Now Now for not taking enough risks, and I can see that, but there are plenty of great tracks like “Humility” and “Tranz” from The Now Now. And I love that Ace (from Powerpuff Girls) filled in on bass for Murdoc. The Now Now is Gorillaz at their most optimistic. I liked this change of pace.

And then we get to my favorite modern Gorillaz album: Song Machine. “Aries” was my COVID-19 anthem. It’s so good, and it differs from “Momentary Bliss” and “Désolé,” which are both amazing. The latter may be my favorite track from this album. Featured artist Fatoumata Diawara is a queen. Gorillaz stretch their artistic muscles with Song Machine. The group ventures into world music, reggae punk, new wave, RnB, and even bossa nova. With so many music styles, I’m certain you’ll find your favorite Gorillaz deep-cut on Song Machine.

Cracker Island is more of a mixed bag. The singles are probably the best tracks from the band’s latest album, so they knew which ones to release. The title track is a bop. “Skinny Ape” lives rent-free in my head. And “New Gold” is synth-pop warmth. But many of the other tracks fall flat. Still, there’s enough to like from Cracker Island that I’m excited for The Mountain, which is scheduled for a March 2026 release. We should be hearing plenty of singles in the coming months.

I took longer with Gorillaz than I thought. While I have listened to many more artists, I’ll save those for later and check in with Season to see what she’s been listening to over the past month.

Season’s Tunes

I decided to go back in time for this month’s tunes, Geekly Gang. I watched a live (recorded) performance of “Runaround Sue” on YouTube, then listened to it for the rest of the week on repeat. No wonder “Runaround Sue” has so many covers. If you’re looking for an older bop, “Runaround Sue” is definitely worth a listen. Fun fact: Two years after “Runaround Sue” was released, Dion married Susan Butterfield. Coincidence?

“Sukiyaki” or “Ue o Muite Arukou/上を向いて歩こう” (“I Look Up When I Walk”) was released the same year as “Runaround Sue”: 1961. “Sukiyaki” didn’t break into the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 until 1963. Sukiyaki is a type of Japanese hot-pot dish that contains beef. They called the song “Sukiyaki” in English because it was easier for English speakers to recognize as a Japanese word.

Kyu Sakamoto performed “Sukiyaki,” but Rokusuke Ei wrote the song. Rokusuke Ei would write another of Sakamoto’s songs in 1963, “Miagate Goran Yoru no Hoshi wo/見上げてごらん夜の星を” (“Look Up at the Stars in the Night”). There’s a lot of looking up in Rokusuke Ei’s songs. Sadly, Kyu Sakamoto passed away in a plane crash in 1985.

Okay. So, I had a theme, but this song threw my theme out the window. Let’s get into some weird ’90s bubblegum pop with “Candy” by the K-pop boy band H.O.T.. They knew what they were doing with that band name. I originally saw a clip of a “Candy” cover by NCT Dream on Instagram and thought the lyrics were wacky. So, I watched the original music video. I recommend watching with the closed captions on, because this song is toxic. LOL. In a nutshell, they sing about waking up and wanting to break up with someone, then deciding to stick around because their lover smiles. What?

Outside of that, the outfits are bizarre. They’re in a mall theme park for part of this video, and most of them sport a single fuzzy mitten on one hand. I think the target audience for the music video was supposed to be tweens, but it came off as Sesame Street gone wrong.

That’s all from me. What are you listening to this week, Skye?

Skye’s Tunes

I’ve been revisiting the oldest records in my collection. Whenever I listen to Californication, I remember opening presents with my folks, who were all too eager to feed my vinyl hobby. My family’s discriminating musical taste has exposed me to all kinds of music, and some of my favorite memories come from the soft-rock tracks found on Californication. Notable tunes like “Scar Tissue,” “Otherside,” “Porcelain,” “Road Trippin’,” and the title track (my favorite) “Californication,” make appearances on Californication. Good times.

Transformer was also among the first records in my collection. I hadn’t heard of it before I received it as a present. In fact, at the time, my knowledge of Lou Reed was limited. My family provided me a quick history lesson, which piqued my interest, resulting in Transformer becoming a classic album in my record case. I listened to Transformer on repeat that Christmas Day. Songs like “Perfect Day,” “Hangin’ Round,” “Walk on the Wild Side,” “Satellite of Love,” and “Wagon Wheel” quickly became favorites, and now I can’t imagine life without Transformer. Thanks, fam.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. Those are the tunes our writers have been listening to over the past month. Feel free to share the music you’ve been listening to over the past month, Geekly Gang. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly Tunes: September 2025

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Today, our writers share what they’ve been listening to over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been listening to this past month in the comments. We’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get us started.

Kyra’s Tunes

In terms of music, this past month was an odd one for me. Nuke-Con (Omaha’s board game convention) is right around the corner–I hope to see some of you there next week–and Nuke-Con reminded me of a battle cry one of my friends said during one of last year’s games: Holy Fish Heads! I had to listen to Dr. Demento. There was no choice. But I didn’t listen to any Weird Al Yankovic tunes. No offense, Weird Al. “Fish Heads” by Barnes & Barnes made the rotation, as did The Firm’s “Star Trekkin,” and Ogden Edsl’s “Dead Puppies.” Fun fact: Ogden Edsl was from Omaha. Pour one out for my cornies.

Sometimes you need a good laugh. “Fish Heads” regales us with all the things severed fish heads can’t do: play baseball, play drums, or wear sweaters. “Star Trekkin”–obviously a Star Trek spoof–is the first novelty song to ever reach number one on the UK charts. “There’s Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, starboard bow. There’s Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, Jim.” And “Dead Puppies” laments how deceased pets aren’t much fun. I love how “Dead Puppies” ends with a mock religious tone. Cue the cathedral organ. None of these songs–or musical acts–take themselves too seriously. I needed that. The world is serious enough, bring on the levity.

Brian David Gilbert (BDG) may be one of the few modern acts who remind me of classic Dr. Demento. Not enough songs feature the recorder. Throw in some absurd existential dread, and “there is a rock in my house” has you covered. BDG contradicts himself in “Husky Voice.” You should also check out “i wish that i could wear hats,” but clearly BDG can wear hats. And I love teasing my spouse with “Don’t Tell Your WIFE About This Game!,” which serves as a warning about neglect. There’s a reason “Don’t Tell Your WIFE About This Game!” (pictured above) is Brian David Gilbert’s most popular song. Despite being a comedy song, the lyrics are brilliant.

Considered a one-hit wonder, Dishwalla’s debut album, Pet Your Friends, had plenty of other great tracks besides that one hit. Oddly enough, a handful of these tracks could also be considered novelty songs, and they happen to be two of my favorites: “Miss Emma Peel” and “Charlie Brown’s Parents.” When I first listened to Pet Your Friends (in the Nineties), I was rewatching Avengers episodes–not the Marvel kind of Avengers–so “Miss Emma Peel” chose the right subject matter. It doesn’t hurt that J. R. Richards has a hypnotic voice. Like “Don’t Tell Your WIFE About This Game,” “Charlie Brown’s Parents” may have some of the most clever novelty–or novelty-adjacent–song lyrics. “Charlie Brown’s Parents” adheres to lines and imagery from Peanuts and manages to say something greater than the sum of its parts.

“Counting Blue Cars” is Dishwalla’s one big hit, and it’s still a bop decades later. But “Haze” allows Richards to explore his vocal range, and “Give” features Dishwalla’s best groove. Post Pet Your Friends, Dishwalla had a few modest hits like (2002) Opaline’s “Somewhere in the Middle,” but Pet Your Friends remains the band’s best collection of tracks.

That’s all I have for music this month. Let’s check in with Skye.

Skye’s Tunes

Hooked on Classics is a love letter to well-known classical music compositions with a twist. Louis Clark and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra give a modern take on timeless classical pieces by increasing the tempo, jazzing up the beat, and modernizing the music. To some, I can understand how a modern rendition of Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and other renowned classical composers’ works could be considered blasphemy. With me, I say, “Let’s just have fun.” I’ve never been a purist, and I don’t plan on starting now.

I’ve had Pink Moon in my vinyl collection for a while and have listened to it many times. However, it wasn’t until last month I truly started appreciating it. There are albums in my collection that give me a sense of calm and comfort, but none of them are quite like Pink Moon by Nick Drake. Pink Moon feels like hanging out with close friends while camping or watching a sunset with a lovable extended-family member. If I close my eyes, I can almost drift into another dimension while listening to Nick Drake’s Pink Moon, and that’s my favorite part.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. That’s all our writers have for Geekly Tunes this month. Let us know what you’ve been listening to in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly Tunes: August 2025

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. This week’s Whatcha post is Geekly Tunes. Our writers will be sharing what they’ve been listening to over the past month. Feel free to share the music you’ve been listening to as well, because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get us started.

Kyra’s Tunes

Last month, I listened to the latest Wet Leg album, Moisturizer. I’m still listening to that album on occasion. But I mentioned in the write-up for Moisturizer that PJ Harvey was one of their influences, which led me to To Bring You My Love. I owned a cassette of PJ Harvey’s To Bring You My Love and listened to it on repeat in my first car, a jade Dodge Neon. At the time when I purchased To Bring You My Love, I didn’t know what to expect from PJ Harvey. Folks described her as grunge. The label didn’t fit. Harvey’s music occupies a space between punk, rock, blues, and folk. One can’t pin it down to one genre. And To Bring You My Love is one of her best albums. It earned countless perfect ratings from multiple music critics and continues to inspire.

I first caught Chappell Roan’s “The Subway” during a live performance stream. No offense to any of Roan’s other tracks, but “The Subway” was excellent. It was easily her best song in the set. There was no way Roan’s best song wasn’t on her album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Yeah. “The Subway” was kept off Roan’s album because she wanted it to be a live performance-only song. I get it. “The Subway” brings down the rafters when Roan performs it live. Pirating led to “The Subway” being released as a single this past month. I got to rediscover this song all over again, and I love it.

We go from a couple of acts that hit the big time (Chappell is the current Queen of Pop) to another that didn’t quite make it, Jellyfish. This Nineties band is one of the internet’s favorite what-ifs. Jellyfish would’ve fared much better in a decade that wasn’t dominated by torn jeans, flannel shirts, and grunge. During that decade, no one wanted a fusion of Beach Boy harmonies over thought-provoking–and sometimes esoteric and bizarre–lyrics. Jellyfish doesn’t shy away from eclectic instruments in the service of finding the perfect blend of Wonderland-Core. While “New Mistake” was the closest this power pop four-piece got to a hit, I really like “Ghost at Number One” and “The King is Half Undressed.” The latter is a great example of lead singer Andy Sturmer at his Mad Hatter best.

I omitted some other bands I’ve been listening to lately, but I may save them for another month. It’s time to hear what Season and Skye have been listening to this past month.

Season’s Tunes

I’m back with another soundtrack. I can’t seem to get away from them. This month’s soundtrack is from Singin’ in the Rain. I’ve only watched the movie once, but it was so memorable that I can picture every dance number while listening, especially “Make ‘Em Laugh.” Even though he was bedridden after the shoot, Donald O’Connor nailed that performance. Respect.

Continuing with ’50s nostalgia, I discovered Elliot James Reay last week. The song I listened to, “Boy In Love,” blends 1950s rock ‘n’ roll with blues set in today’s world. Reay said in an interview that he wrote this song with his girlfriend, and some of the lyrics are things she’s said to him. It’s sweet, and Reay does a great job of blending nostalgia with a modern setting. Seriously. The music video had a handful of people on their smartphones in the background.

Skye’s Tunes

I put my vinyl collection on shuffle this past month. I like The Who, but I don’t listen to their music often. After popping The Story of The Who back on my turntable, I felt guilty. I forgot how good The Who was. Even as I write this, several tracks are cycling through my head, including “Substitute,” “Boris the Spider,” “Magic Bus,” and “Baba O’Reilly.” Well, I knew I bought this album for a reason. Thanks, Past Me!

I couldn’t resist. I know American Idiot is a cliché album for my collection, but…come on. How could I not own American Idiot? Green Day is the kind of music I’m proud to say I grew up with. Before owning American Idiot, I had never heard every track on the album. After listening to American Idiot the way the band intended, I feel like I understand it much better. That and I’m listening to American Idiot as an adult as opposed to an oblivious child, an oblivious child who also didn’t understand swear words.

I have similar feelings about Billie Holiday as I do about Nina Simone. Both are great to listen to when I need something to wind down. As Simone’s predecessor, it’s easy to see the influence Holiday’s work had on artists like Simone. What feels especially comfy about Holiday’s music is the quality and tone. It qualifies more as “lounge music” than Simone’s, and the recording quality for each song on Lady Sings the Blues has a classic feel. That’s part of why I started collecting vinyl: albums like Lady Sings the Blues make me feel cozy.

It’s about time I talked about Queen. Don’t worry, I knew this rock band was coming sooner or later. As another band (and album) I grew up with, I have a strong personal connection with Queen: Greatest Hits. This album introduced me to amazing songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Killer Queen,” “You’re My Best Friend,” and many more. I don’t say this often, but I’m so glad my parents are as cultured as they are. Because of them, I dare say: I was classically trained. I’m sorry.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. That’s the music our writers have been listening to over the past month. Feel free to share yours in the comments, Geekly Gang. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.