KDHX 88.1 FM
- I Was A Fool-Sunflower Bean (My favorite song of 2018, so far. That might sound like faint praise, as it's only February 6. Nevertheless, this track from the "Twentytwo In Blue" release, due out March 23, combines at least three strong elements; Julia Cumming's vocals remind me of Blondie and Harriet Wheeler from The Sundays, the guitar arrangement brings the best of Real Estate to mind, and the alternating vocals between Nick Kivlen and Cumming remind me a bit of The Human League.)
- Right Back Where We Started From-Army Navy (The Maxine Nightingale hit, reworked to fun, energetic effect with crunchy guitars and indie rock vocals.)
- Novocaine Heart-Kandace Springs (When your heart takes a pounding, it takes considerable fortitude to grapple with the pain. Springs sings with a strong, convincing level of pathos here.)
- Limehouse Blues-Lionel Hampton (The rhythm section's prowess with a brisk melody and Hampton's mastery of a propulsive vibraphone part conjure up images of the hippest train on the tracks.)
- Machine Gun-The Commodores (Yes, you read that right. The same station that plays copious amounts of Beethoven, Mahler, and Vivaldi also has room during "The Jazz Collective" on Saturdays to accommodate the first hit by The Commodores. Seemingly scored for an early '70s action film, this instrumental, which would segue well with Billy Preston's "Outa-Space," has a very different sound for the band that would become known mostly for Lionel Richie's ballads.)
