6 July 2026 - Wire - Ahead

I was too young to have heard Wire in the 1970s.  My parents were not exposing me to UK punk. No, back then, I was getting crossover country by Mac Davis and Loretta Lynn and Kenny Rogers.

All of which I appreciate now, but still.  It's not UK punk

No, I first learned of them when Enigma Records signed them in the 80s and brought their music to my ears.  They had an electronic sound that was appealing to my 14-year-old budding music fan ears. 

Boy, was I ever shocked to hear Pink Flag when I did.

This song, from their 1985 album The Ideal Copy, was written by the band and did fuel a minor comeback. 

Wire, believe it or not, is STILL around, and still tours sometimes.  This is a live show from 2017. They still sound great - even though they have returned to a guitar-driven sound. 

3 July 2026 - Shania Twain - Man! I Feel Like A Woman!

Let's go, girls!

I have to admit, I had a much better, classier, more epic post ready for Canada Day.  I briefly considered moving this song to that day and doing Ariane Roy next year.

However, the kids are doing baton and flag this year, and that means a routine well-oiled to match a particular song.  

The song they picked is an American classic that just happens to be sung by a Canadian and co-written by that Canadian and her South African then-husband (Robert John "Mutt" Lange - who also produced this). The lyrics are by Shania and are about the time she had to raise her younger siblings in Timmins, Ontario as a child after their parents passed away.  

I bet you didn't know the song was so dark, did you?

So, yeah, I'm gonna be hearing this song a LOT this summer, so I either better get on board with liking it or else I'm gonna hate life all summer. 

Anyway, the song was a monster hit in 1999 - hitting #1 worldwide on both pop and country charts.  And the video should look familiar if you've been paying attention this week. 

It also won two Grammys, so why don't we just share her absolutely tremendous Grammy performance?

And, let's be honest - she was 33 when she performed that song at the Grammys.  She was 58 when she performed it at Glastonbury in 2024..... and she still sounded amazing. 

2 July 2026 - Cocteau Twins - Wax and Wane

I always thought about the Cocteau Twins as being this older, more refined band - the godparents of the 4AD label, I guess. 

I wanted to open with this live performance from 1983 - about 6 months after their album Garlands was released.  Elizabeth Fraser - the lead vocalist who joined the band in 1981 - is 19 here.  She was 18 when the album came out and likely 17 when a bulk of the album was recorded.

They weren't the godparents.  They were showing a maturity and depth of songwriting beyond their years.  

Those of you who know the later work of the Cocteau Twins - being so ethereal and dream-poppy - might think this harder-edged sound with the killer Will Heggie bassline might sound strange and out of place. 

It's not.  There's still a dreamy quality, and Robin Guthrie's guitar still has a distant, ethereal quality - but just with more pronounced drum machine. 

This was their debut album - they were still finding their sound.  Garlands is very much noise on top of drum machine.  By the time their next album - Head Over Heels - came in 1983, their sound was solidified. 

Compare that to the 1982 Peel session - which preceded Garlands by a month - and how much more guitar heavy it sounds - and how Liz's voice is turned down so far. 

1 July 2026 - A Canada Day Special - Ariane Roy - Le Grand Plaisir

I know my English language readers who aren't longtime hockey fans are pronouncing Ariane Roy's last night wrong right now. [ʁwa], for those linguistically inclined, is the correct pronunciation. But Montreal Canadiens fans and francophones already knew that. 

Patrick Roy, no relation.

As most of you, I dedicate an entire month to Canadian music.  This year, that included no less than three posts about today's artist.... including a song literally ABOUT her..... and another one in June!

What you don't know is that I really do sample my own supply.  I listen to this music.  And, one of my most listened to songs on Spotify in the month of March was "Apprendre Encore", by Ariane Roy, off her album medium plaisir.  "Plaisir" translates to "Pleasure", for those of my anglophone readers who don't know that (I didn't). 

(Editor's note (July 1):  It STILL IS one of my most listened to songs)

On Repeat list from Spotify, July 1st, 2026

Well, I really really wanted to feature that song during #MapleLeafMarch.  Unfortunately, there was no official video created for the song.  What WAS created was a 5-song showcase live film, directed by Adrian Villagomez, released to commemorate the release of that album.  And, since "Apprendre Encore" was included in the set (10 minutes in), but it was bigger than just one song, I went with it for today!

The whole performance is an absolute masterpiece and you should watch it.  Yes, there's a significant cameo, but this was Ariane's show, and she was absolutely crushing it (and clearly enjoying herself). 

30 June 2026 - Robert Palmer - Addicted To Love

As I write this, I am almost to the day the same age Robert Palmer was when he passed away.  Frankly, I'm a few days older. 

That's right.  I'm an old guy. Oblivion really is all I crave. 

Which is why I have such nostalgia for this song and video - featuring models that are supposed to look lie mannequins - when maybe I otherwise would not have. 

This 1985 single, from his album Riptide and written by Palmer himself, would become his signature song and a HUGE hit. The song was originally intended to be a duet with Chaka Khan, but she was removed from the song by her record label. 

Even though he couldn't do the song with Chaka, he did have a co-vocalist live in 1985.

 

Palmer was taken from us WAY too soon, in 2003.  Eat heart healthy, kids.  But that doesn't mean he slowed down.  In 1995, he filmed this version of the song for Danish television.... and he sounded JUST as solid as he did in 1985

Perhaps my favorite live performance of this song - with the most energy - is the one he did in 1991 with UB40.  Also, he always looked so dapper. 

29 June 2026 - Don't Mean Maybe - Colt 45

There was a brief time when I was a journalism major in college.

I mean, this shitty writing should tell you why that didn't stick. 

What DID stick was a lot of even more obscure music than I had ever heard before. You see, I was a college music DJ - it's where I met my former collaborator, Scott Colvin.  Our college radio station was programmed "classic rock", but during the late night, we switched to alternative music. 

Our late night director was Jonathan Falls, and he had a penchant for finding great underground music. 

This particular band and this particular song was his find.

The band hailed from Orange County, California, and were a trio that were clearly and heavily inspired by The Minutemen and fIREHOSE. Led by Mark Andrea, there were a lot of stop tempos and change-ups in their songs - and since none of them were really experienced in bands (their bassist only learned to play his instrument to play their FIRST SHOW - ironically opening for fIREHOSE), they could get inventive. 

Anyway, here's Don't Mean Maybe. 

26 June 2026 - Tiffany Day - NO LUCK

I really tried to not love Tiffany Day's new album HALO.  It's a frenetic hyperpop mess. 

But that's kind of the point.  Being a woman in her mid 20s right now is a frenetic hyperpop mess - so I hear.  I don't know, really. I'm not a woman in my mid 20s. I've never been a woman in my mid 20s. The fact that I can confidently state that is because HALO is just THAT good. 

In all seriousness, this is a woman with OCD making hyperpop about her OCD - that's precisely what this song is about - right down to the obvious overmedication and missing the days before she was medicated. 

Also, the music is just fun. 

 

Yes, she has perforned this live, and yes, the crowd knows the words, because they resonate. It's SMART hyperpop - some of the smartest made this year - and that is undeniable.