Dakin Hardwick – Page 49 – Spinning Platters

Spinning Platters’ Top 50 Records from our First Decade: 31-50

Our very first photo posted was too small an image of Marnie Stern & I. I stand by the importance of this image.

The very first article posted to Spinning Platters was March 25th, 2009. It was a diary of the first few days of my second visit to SXSW. You can read that here, and even look at a picture of me 29 year old me with Marnie Stern.

That means this little music blog that has evolved into a music, film, theater, and comedy blog, and has been around for more than a decade at this point. So, in order to commemorate this time, I reached out to every person that has ever contributed to the site to pull together a top 50 records of the first ten years of Spinning Platters. That would be between March 2009 and March 2019.

Not everyone got back to me. I even got a couple, “I don’t remember doing this” emails from people that only contributed a couple of articles. However, this is definitely a list that represents the tastes of everyone that has been part of this thing. Since 50 records is a lot to take in at once, I’m just going to give you 31-50 today. Only without any words about the record at all, just a video from that album. Coming soon will be 11-30 with more commentary, and 1-10 with even more commentary will be coming your way before Christmas. So without further adieu, here’s your list!

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Single Of The Week: No Gifts For Nazis by Alice Bag

Not enough people have been talking about Alice Bag’s big comeback. One of the original LA punks, she was featured prominently in the original Decline Of Western Civilization before leaving music to focus on activism. Jump to 2016 and she put out an amazing new record, and then another, and now she’s got the perfect Christmas single! For those living in England, it’s probably a really good day to blast this one as loud as you can.

Alice Bag will be sharing the stage with fellow Decline.. veterans Circle Jerks, as well as Bikini Kill, Plastic Bertrand, Carbonas, Bleached, Panty Raid, and many, many more at Burger Boogaloo in Oakland on July 10th-11th. You can still get special early bird tickets NOW! These are going fast and make great Christmas gifts. Just please don’t buy them for any Nazis.

Burger Boogaloo 2020’s Lineup IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not a lot of people know this, but one of Oakland’s best kept secrets is this little rock festival in Mosswood Park called Burger Boogaloo. And this year’s line up is seriously the most impressive line up they’ve assembled yet! We have Bikini Kill playing their first Bay Area show in 25 years! We were their in April for one of their first shows back, and it was pure sonic catharsis. Also returning to the bay for the first time in over a decade is LA Hardcore legends Circle Jerks. (No word if they will be bringing Debbie Gibson along with them, but we certainly hope so!) And, if you thought those two things were impressive, they are also bringing to the United States for the first time ever, legendary French rock band Plastic Bertrand. And, yes, that does mean I will finally get to live my dream of getting thrown around in a pit to this song.

Filling out the initial line up announcement is LA punk vet Alice Bag, SF punk vets Flipper, Queercore groundbreakers Pansy Division, one of the greatest modern Power Pop bands, Bleached, who literally wrote the only song to ever make me cry, Panty Raid, Fevers, Twompsax, Younger Lovers, Midnite Snaxx, Carbonas and even more bands will be announced very soon. Oh yeah, and John Waters will be there to MC the party!

The event is in Mosswood Park in Oakland, CA, just a few blocks from Macarthur Bart. The event is happening July 11th-12th, and tickets are available NOW! Just remember, prices will go up, so buy them ASAP.

Single Of The Week: HANGERZ by Pussy Riot featuring Vic Mensa and Thunderpussy

This week’s Single Of The Week comes from Putin’s least favorite band, Pussy Riot! HANGERZ is one of the best songs to come out of Pussy Riot yet! It’s a heavy, industrial rap song about abortion. Bold, direct, honest, and you can definitely mosh to it. Bonus verses from Vic Mensa and Thunderpussy hit the message even harder.

Pussy Riot are embarking on a rare full North American Tour in 2020, with a portion of the ticket proceeds going to Planned Parenthood. They are encouraging patrons to “come to the performances with posters and banners, and with your face covered – masks, balaclavas, scarfs, anything. Let’s riot!” Tickets can be purchased here!

Show Review: 2 Nights of Sleater-Kinney with Kaina at The Fox Theatre, 11/16-11/17/19

These two shows at The Fox Theater in Oakland marked what was basically the last night on the road for what may have been the most challenging tour in Sleater-Kinney’s 25 years on this Earth. Not only were they out to support the single most-divisive record in their catalog, but their long-time drummer, Janet Weiss, abruptly quit the band in the middle of rehearsals.

A lot of hardcore fans felt betrayed. People were demanding refunds because they bought tickets under the impression that they were getting the core trio of Corin Tucker and Janet Weiss and Carrie Brownstein. All of this meant that, instead of hitting the road in celebration of their career, Sleater-Kinney have to prove themselves all over again. They couldn’t rest on their reputation of being the fiercest live band around.

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Single Of The Week: Feast by Bridal Veil

Bridal Veil are a band out of Portland, Oregon, and they recently put out their first EP, Morpho. We’ve selected their track, “Feast,” as our single of the week! The track opens with some swirling recorder, only to take you into some of the best dream pop I’ve heard since 4AD’s heyday! Lead singer Emily Overstreet’s voice weaves in and out of swirling guitars in a way that feels perfectly calculated for maximum serotonin release of the brain.

Morpho can be purchase on Bandcamp, or streamed in all of the usual places!

Single Of The Week: Come My Habibi by Habibi

Habibi is an Arabic word meaning “my beloved.” And, from the moment I first heard them listening to Pandora at work six years ago, I was immediately in love with their mix of garage punk, classic Arabic music, and Motown girl group. I also genuinely thought they had called it quits after their first, self-titled record. Then, late last year, an EP came out called Cardamom Garden, where they toned down the punk and turned up the psych. It only left me wanting MORE HABIBI! Well, you’re in luck! Er, I’M IN LUCK! This week’s Single Of The Week is the lead single from Habibi’s upcoming second full length, Anywhere But Here. It’s a track called “Come My Habibi,” and it’s a lofi, bilingual, psychedelic masterwork.

This record is destined to be one of the best reviewed albums of 2020. You can preorder the physical record here, or preorder a virtual copy here!

Also, don’t forget to see them at Bottom Of The Hill on February 29th as part of the Noise Pop Festival! (Tix on sale now!) And, Noise Pop also dropped a killer second wave of acts, including Spinning Platters’ favorites Best Coast, Destroy Boys, Clit Kat, Mannequin Pussy, and many more! Tix for those shows can be found here!

Single Of The Week: IUD by Lisa Prank

One year, I was working at the box office at a music festival in Florida. It was on the beach, and it was a pretty pleasant working experience. One little bit of inside knowledge- the “number” printed on the RFID wristband you get when going to a big festival? That’s called a “UID.” Whenever I’m stressed or tired, I find that I will reverse letters or words. This meant that I spent most of the weekend asking people for their “IUD” and not their “UID.” People kind of rolled with the mistake, although one colleague kept laughing hysterically. By the end of the fest, she told me what I was doing wrong, and what that word meant.

Lisa Prank’s latest record is called Perfect Love Song and features the single “IUD.” Now that I know what that is, I can safely make it our single of the week. You can listen to or buy the record in all the usual places!

Single Of The Week: Glorious by Sudan Archives

Sudan Archives have been floating around for a few years, and, well, I haven’t really given her any attention until now. Her latest single, “Glorious,” is a stunning blend of virtuoso violin work, African rhythms, and trip hop vocals and just enough hip hop. This is a slow burner that sticks with you.

Sudan Archives’ latest record, Athena dropped today, and is available from all of the usual stores and streaming services, or you can purchase the limited edition on Black & Cream vinyl with bonus 7″ and sheet music from Bandcamp!

Noise Pop 2020 also dropped their line up earlier this week, and it’s AMAZING! But, most importantly, Sudan Archives are playing Swedish American Hall on February 24th as part of the fest!

Single Of The Week: Raising Hell by Kesha featuring Big Freedia

So, Sunday is my birthday. And it seems like Kesha knew that, because she gifted the world the most amazing music video and new single for my birthday, “Raising Hell.” Structurally, we have a great 70’s country song video and lyric, all coming together with the classic, dirty and energized Kesha sound. It’s like the classic Top 40 Ke$ha melded with the more introspective and experimental Rainbow-era Kesha, and brought us a party starter that’s supposed to make you feel uncomfortable. Big Freedia’s deep and percussive voice comes through almost unexpectedly, coloring the track in a lovely way.

This track is the lead single to High Road, coming out January 10th, 2020. And, if you are still trying to decide on a Birthday present for me, you can just get me the album bundled with a bottle of Kesha’s Raising Hell Hot Sauce! You can also preorder it in normal ways, too!