In House #1649: Grant-Lee Phillips' nineteeneighties

Due out tomorrow, Grant-Lee Phillips' fourth release is a covers album paying homage to some of the songs and artists that influenced him during his musical coming-of-age in the 1980's. nineteeneighties more or less features the A-list (as opposed to the Motley Crue and Poison covers some were hoping for), as Phillips covers New Order, The Smiths, Robyn Hitchcock, The Church, and Echo & the Bunnymen, among others (sorry, no Wham!), with consistently interesting results. Things are kept simple for the most part, never getting more exotic than a harmonica intro (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' "City of Refuge") or a toy piano (the Cure's "Boys Don't Cry"). Despite the new wave and alternative origins, Phillips flavors the songs with the folk-roots found on his most recent album, Virginia Creeper, as opposed to the poppier, more produced sounds of his second album, mobilize. As such, New Wave purists might hate it-- but the rest of us will probably find it hard not to like.

Grant-Lee Phillips


In House #1648.
Airdate: 6/26/06
Focus: New release from Grant-Lee Phillips, nineteeneighties, plus new music from Frank Black, the Watson Twins, Elvis Perkins and more.


BONUS MP3s from today's show-
Grant-Lee Phillips, from ninteeneighties:
"City of Refuge" (MP3) (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds cover)
and "Boys Don't Cry" (MP3) (Cure cover)

Elvis Perkins in Dearland, from Ash Wednesday:
Several tracks, including "Ash Wednesday" available here.



PLAYLIST

In House PODCAST #127