Music Library: Point Juncture WA, Polecats, Police, Polvo, Polyphonic Spree, Pong, Ponytail, Pop Art Toasters, Pop Group, Pop Will Eat Itself, Popol Vuh, Porter Wagoner

Point Juncture, WA - Juxtapony EP (2006). Pleasant but sorta uninspired indie rock.

The Polecats - The Polecats Are Go! (1981) and The Polecats Won't Die (1989). Rockabilly pranksters at their best when covering "John, I'm Only Dancing" and "Jeepster."



The Police - Outlandos D'Amour (1978), Regatta da Blanc (1979), Zenyatta Mondatta (1980), Ghost In The Machine (1981), Synchronicity (1983). Although these guys are revered by most people of my generation, I don't enjoy their music like I used to. They're at their best on the first two, and the last three have some decent songs among the increasing filler.

Polvo - Today's Active Lifestyles (1993), This Eclipse EP (1995), Exploded Drawing (1996), Shapes (1997). Excellent guitarwork and experimental song structures from Chapel Hill. This is what indie rock promised to be in the mid-90s.



The Polyphonic Spree - "Lithium." Ugh.

Pong - Killer Lifestyle (2002). Excellent Austin band that leapt across genres without a care in the world. Serious stuff.



Ponytail - Ice Cream Spiritual (2008). Like Yoko Ono fronting the Boredoms. With ADHD and no ritalin.



Pop Art Toasters - Pop Art Toasters EP (1994). David Kilgour of the Clean and Martin Phillips of the Chills covering four fairly obscure tunes and one semi-obscure Who track.



The Pop Group - Y (1979). Intensely great post-punk album with elements of dub, world music, Beefheart, and funk. A huge influence on the Minutemen.



Pop Will Eat Itself - "Can U Dig It?" Nope.

Popol Vuh - Herz aus Glas: Coeur de Verre (Filmmusik) (1978), Nosferatu: Original Soundtrack (1979), Sei still, wisse ich bin (1981). All three of these were used to soundtrack Herzog films (the last one popped up in Fitzcarraldo) and all three are powerful and emotional enough to stand on their own. Nosferatu is the least of these by a hair.

Porter Wagoner - The Cold Hard Facts Of Life (1967), The Bottom Of The Bottle (1968), The Carroll County Accident (1969), What Ain't To Be Just Might Happen (1972), The Essential Porter Wagoner (compilation, 1955-77), The Essential Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton (compilation, 1967-80). I have no idea what happened in Wagoner's life to turn him to the dark side in the late 60s, but the four of these albums are just amazingly great stuff, by turns bleak and witty and perhaps the best thing in the world to listen to while drinking cheap bourbon in a dive bar. The best is What Ain't To Be Just Might Happen, which is pretty well perfect from start to finish. The compilations are killer, too.