It’s been a while since any album has been on such heavy rotation on my iPod. I found myself taking unnecessarily long drives just so I could listen to more of Only Revolutions, with its atypical time signatures and sometimes funny lyrics.

Sometimes rock can get a bit over the top, but man, when it’s done right, there is no better.

R.I.Y.L. Terrorvision, Foo Fighters, the Alan Parsons Project

Cliffy Byro – Only Revolutions

I don’t know much about Delorean except that they are from Barcelona, and that they were formerly a punk band––which explains why there’s an immediacy in their otherwise cool, electronic grooves. They named the EP after a British F1 legend (who happens to be Brazilian), so it could have intentionally been a driver’s record.

It’s also used for Singapore’s latest tourism campaign, which features an F1 fan’s take on the country.

R.I.Y.L. The Avalanches, Bertrand Burgalat, Telepopmusik

Delorean – Ayrton Senna EP

Classic and enduring. They just don’t make tunes like that anymore.

This is their debut.

R.I.Y.L. The Beach Boys, Fountains of Wayne, the Rosebuds

Miniature Tigers – Tell It To The Volcano

[UPDATE: Link doesn't work anymore. Copyright issues.]

Let’s not mistake what feels effortless to be without effort. It’s a masterful piece of work, a long-playing record of well-crafted pop gems. The good news, you won’t care about the kind of genius that went into it. No, you would probably be too busy bopping your head along to care about a thing in the world.

Check out the video and marvel at how this was released only in 2006. Her attention to detail extends from her songs to her films.

Or better, just download the album.

R.I.Y.L Serge Gainsborough, Stereolab, La Buena Vida

Mareva Galanter – Ukuyéyé

What followed was the strangest music I had ever heard–then or since. Tape loops. Cryptic singing. David Lynch atmospherics. Heart pumps. Someone laughing, or was that crying. Uneasy time changes. Guttural sounds. Childlike melodies. Someone knocking in the room.

I threw up all over myself, and on his bed.

I apologised profusely, quickly commented that this was the most amazing shit ever, and somehow never found myself back at his place again.

R.I.Y.L. Broadcast, Stereolab, Arthur Russell

White Noise – An Electric Storm

R.I.Y.L. Aztec Camera, the Field Mice, the Beautiful South

The Sugargliders – We’re All Trying To Get There

Spain is most definitely not a jazz band.

But you could be fooled on first listen. It’s slow, intimate delivery could be mistaken for lounge. Until you realise that there’s a restlessness simmering beneath the music: a mix of discontent, desperation and fight that could only be rock.

“Nobody Has To Know” is possibly the most achingly beautiful song about a secret relationship ever written.

R.I.Y.L. Idaho, Red House Painters, Cowboy Junkies

Spain – She Haunts My Dreams

It was my first time on the Greyhound, and it wasn’t completely unpleasant. I didn’t talk to anyone nor did anyone talk to me, which was fine because I was still in a state of shock about the rejection letter. (Looking back at it now, perhaps I had been too arrogant; I hadn’t allowed for the possibility of rejection.)

I had to switch to a different Greyhound bus at an interchange midway. I switched to a wrong one and arrived four hours early in the Bay Area. I got into the hotel where the conference would be held but was driven away. Me with my headphones, hoodie, cargo pants and all around dishevelled look didn’t inspire confidence among the hotel staff.

I was forced to walk the streets of San Francisco at 4 AM. No coffee stalls were yet open. I discovered something that morning: nobody looks at the homeless (or in my case, someone who appears to be homeless). I walked past people who gave no recognition of my being there. No one gave me a smile, or even looked my way. I felt a kind of isolation I had never felt before. I began to crave the sound of my own voice, but was wary about starting a conversation–I didn’t know what to say. Still, I knew I would be incredibly warm to anyone who would talk to me. But no one did.

Eventually the sun would rise and light would trickle in. I would wash my face and clean myself up. I would bump into some of my schoolmates from Eugene, Oregon, who, too, had gotten to the conference, except they drove. We would talk, laugh and have lunch together. It was a world away from where I was just hours before, when all I had was myself, my rejection letter and my Discman.

That’s what I think about whenever I listen to Technicolor.

R.I.Y.L. Junior Varsity KM, Color Filter, Sweet Trip

Technicolor – Normal Control Range

So it’s too bad this 1996 release would be the band’s last. If they had continued, they would have surely come into their own by now. No more charges for being derivative. Just as how now no one thinks Muse to sound anything like Suede.

R.I.Y.L. Pavement, Velvet Underground, the Strokes

Sammy – Tales Of Great Neck Glory

Note: This post got me thinking about other bands often accused of being too derivative. Whatever happened to Gene?

This debut effort of Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow was initally meant to be a demo to recruit more musicians so they could form a full band. But the final result turned out to be good enough for release in 1988.

It generated considerable buzz for the band in Seattle, with its cassette tapes often duplicated. But success was limited. Everyone then were listening to this new thing called grunge.

R.I.Y.L. Gigolo Aunts, Big Star, Matthew Sweet

The Posies – Failure