Good late afternoon / early evening! Whoops! We are slow getting you our new arrivals list today, but that is because we’ve been so dang busy with all of these records coming in and out of the store all of the time! There are tons of records! We are open every day at 418 E Monroe Street downtown – and now our hours are 11:30 am to 5:30 pm every day. Online is still busier than ever too at shopdumbrecords.com! What else is new… we got more lava lamps… turntables… the arcade is still open. That’s pretty much it. Here is a list of new records, we don’t even care about CDs this week!
New LPs Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness Audioslave – Audioslave Benny The Butcher – Burden of Proof Bon Iver – Blood Bank Bonny Light Horseman – Bonny Light Horseman Botany – End The Summertime F(or)ever Fleetwood Mac – Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac The Hold Steady – Open Door Policy James Brown And His Famous Flames – Tour The U.S.A. Kings of Leon – When You See Yourself Metallica – The $5.98 EP Mort Garson – Didn’t You Hear? My Brightest Diamond – This Is My Hand Oliver Tree – Ugly Is Beautiful Skullcrusher – Skullcrusher Son Lux – At War With Walls & Mazes Uncle Tupelo – Anodyne Wire – Chairs Missing
Used LPs ABBA – The Visitors April Wine – First Glance April Wine – The Nature of the Beast Arthur Brown – The Crazy World of Arthur Brown Barbara Mandrell – Moods Barbra Streisand – The Barbra Streisand Album Bill Monroe – The Father of Blue Grass Music The Cult – Love Dave Gardner – Did You Ever? Dionne Warwick – Very Dionne Dukes of Dixieland – The Dixieland Greats Eddy Howard – The Uncollected 1946-1951 Elton John – Tumbleweed Connection Elvis Presley – Sings Flaming Star Eric Clapton – August Erik Satie – The Electronic Spirit of Erik Satie Fleetwood Mac – Tusk Frank Sinatra – Sinatra’s Swingin’ Session! Frank Sinatra – Greatest Hits: The Early Years Frank Sinatra – Sings Days of Wine And Roses Frank Sinatra – L.A. Is My Lady Freddy Fender – Before The Next Teardrop Falls Freddy Weller – The Roadmaster Gap Band V – Jammin’ Glenn Miller Orchestra – Great Songs Of The 60’s The Hollies – Greatest Hits The Kinks – The Kinks Greatest Hits! Kitaro – Oasis Jane Jarvis – To Hoagy With Love Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses Jethro Tull – Songs From The Wood Joe Williams – Nothin’ But The Blues John Coltrane – Countdown John Lennon – Men Love Ave. Johnny Mathis – In Person Johnnie Ray – The Best of Johnnie Ray MFSB – Universal Love Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels – Take A Ride Mott The Hoople – Rock and Roll Queen Paul McCartney – Tug of War Paul Revere And The Raiders’ – Greatest Hits Rainbow – Difficult To Cure Ramsey Lewis – The Movie Album Ringo Starr – Ringo Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs – On Tour Stan Freberg – A Child’s Garden of Freberg Styx – Caught In The Act Stuff – More Stuff Stuff – Stuff The Temptations – Anthology Toby Beau – Toby Beau Toquinho – Acquarello Tomita – Tomita’s Greatest Hits Tuck & Patti – Tears of Joy Warren Baker – 77 Sunset Strip Willie Nelson – Sings Kristofferson Willie Nelson – Without A Song Wings – Venus And Mars Wings – Back To The Egg Wings – Wings Over America Wynton Marsalis – Hot House Flowers The Ventures – The Ventures on Stage Various – Grand Ole Country Hits Various – Joyful Moments Various – Paper Roses Various – Spuds MacKenzie’s Party Faves Various – The Very Best In Country Music
12” Singles Don Blaq – I’ll Explain Don Yute – Row Da Boat Donell Jones – This Luv Down Street Playaz – Game In My Heart Ja Rule – Mesmerize feat. Ashanti Trenseta – Freak Ya Body Trina – No Panties
Whoops! We have a lot of catching up to do as far as what’s been released for local music so far this year, in the year 2021. Here we go trying to catch up a little bit. Here is a new one for solo instrumental ambient / electronic project – Imaginary Colours with a new five track release that came out right at the start of the year called Subnivean. You can check that out streaming on the player below. Also head on over to the Imaginary Colours bandcamp page where you can purchase the download of the release or check out more music!
Here we go again trying to keep a list of what all local releases have came out this year. This puts us at 2 for the year on our Springfield album archive page!
November is over. We extended November through the end of February for our Ghost N’ Goblins Arcade Contest, so now it’s really over. Now that it’s over over, that’s a wrap on our first ever arcade contest (finally)! Here are the high scorers (official):
KOLTON – 164,300 LUIS P – 160,900 ZAXXON – 61,500 JIM W – 52,000 CONNOR S – 24,700 TYLER S – 18,300 TOM R – 16,700 LANNY D – 12,300 GREG – 7,700 SAM R – 4,500
Wow! Congrats to all of these winners out there. Kolton and Luis P come on down to our office to claim your prizes! Kolton gets $100 in downtown gift certificates for places including Prairie Archives, Jerk Shop Go, Whimsey Tea Company, and Custom Cup.
Are you ready for some good big Central Illinois music news?? Well… today we are reporting the launch of a new website – MIDWEST-HARDCORE.ORG. This is a new website that is being compiled (and still being worked on) by Springfield hardcore legend Drew Kodrich (Asthma, Gazeebo, Mouthsex, Small Man, Pryss, Torture Trend, Prevention, GUSH, Final Order). Drew had this to say:
“Hello world! I made this website that’s attempting to work as a database of all the “active” hardcore bands in the midwest. I’ve gotten to about 200 bands on my own, but I could really use your help! Share this around (if you’re so inclined) and either use the submit form or just message me if you have any bands to be added. I know I’m definitely missing stuff. Thanks!”
Amazing. On the site, you can search and look at active hardcore bands by the city or state they are in. You can also submit bands, checkout featured bands and playlists each week! How fun! What do you think of this? Let us know on our underground discussion forum.
It’s a Tornado Drill Tuesday!! Our store has many many new records!! We are overflowing with them! Yowch! Our store (Dumb Records) (418 E Monroe St.) is open every day from 12:00 to 5:30pm right now. We are open at 10:00 am on Saturdays now for you early birds. The arcade is open too. Mostly everything is online still at shopdumbrecords.com. We have a lot of fun. Masks are required. We have hand sanitizer. Okay. Here is what’s new:
New LPs Another Michael – New Music And Big Pop The Apostles – Black Is Beautiful Beach House – Thank Your Lucky Stars Bent Wind – Sussex Big K.R.I.T. – K.R.I.T. Wuz Here Black Flag – Who’s Got The 10 1/2 Black Milk & Danny Brown – Black And Brown! Brothers of the Same Mind – Brothers of the Same Mind Charleston Grotto – Raw Sewage 1976/1978 Clear Soul Forces – Still Defizit – Growth Spurt Dillon & Batsauce – On Their Way Dr. Dog – The Psychedelic Swamp Flobots – No Enemies King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Paper Mache Dream Balloon Larry Fessenden – The Hole Digger Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker Lil’ Kim – The Notorious Kim Madlib – Rock Konducta Part 2 MF Doom – Live From Planet X Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators – Happiness In Every Style Poison Idea – Pick Your King EP Pom Poko – Cheater Pusha T – Fear Of God II Let Us Pray Show & AG – Full Scale Sly Stone – Sly Before The Family Stone Toots And The Maytals – Pressure Drop: The Golden Tracks T-Rex – T-Rex Tuxedo – Tuxedo III Various – Baker’s Dozen: XIII Various – Classic Freestyles Vol. 1 Various – Kearney Barton: Architect of the Northwest Sound Various – Pacific Breeze 2 Various – Ultimate Block Party Breaks Volume 3 Willie Nelson – That’s Life
Used LPs Al Martino – Daddy’s Little Girl Ahmad Jamal – Ahmad Jamal At The Pershing Bing Crosby – Christmas Classics Bob Welch – Man Overboard Chick Corea – My Spanish Heart Clifton Chenier – Out West With Elvin Bishop Dan Seals – The Best Enoch Light – Far Away Places The Fauntleroys – Below The Pink Pony Frank Sinatra – She Shot Me Down Helen Reddy – Long Hard Climb Hollow Sunshine – Held Above James Galway – Man With The Golden Flute The James Gang – Thirds Jarry Murad’s Harmonicats – Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White Johnny Mathis – Rapture Jose Melis – Melis At Midnight Jose Melis – Jose Melis At The Opera Julio Iglesias – Libra Kahil Gibran – The Prophet Lani Hall – Collectibles Laurel & Hardy – Sons of the Desert Laurel & Hardy – Babes In Toyland Liberache – Piano Gems The Manhattan Transfer – Bodies And Souls The Melachrino Strings – April In Paris The Memphis Horns – Get Up & Dance The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Plain Dirt Fashion Oscar Ghiglia – The Guitar In Spain Patsy Cline – A Portrait of Patsy Cline Paul Muriat – El Condor Pasa Peter Nero – Career Girls Peter Nero – Peter Nero’s Greatest Hits Reba McEntire – The Last One To Know Rick James – Cold Blooded Rockin’ Sidney – My Toot Toot Roger Whittaker – The Best of Roget Whittaker Roy Buchanan – You’re Not Alone Roy Orbison – The Orbison Way Steve Green – He Holds The Keys Tony Orlando & Dawn – He Doesn’t Love You (Like I Love You) Urbie Green – Blues And Other Shades of Green Voyager – Halfway Hotel Waitresses – I Could Rule The World If I Could Only… Walter Egan – Not Shy Wardell Piper – Wardell Piper
12” Singles Apsci – See That / Bike Messenger Diaries Blackstreet – Girlfriend / Boyfriend Blackstreet – Deep C-Bo – Money By The Ton / Boo Yaw C-Murder Caffeine – Ride With Me Natural Elements – Live It Up Paula Campbell – Champion Slum Village – Get Dis Money Rev Run – I Used To Think I Was Run
New / Used CDs Austin Lounge Lizards – Never An Adult Moment Clint Black – The Greatest Hits Everclear – Sparkle And Fade Everclear – Songs From An American Movie Vol. Two Gin Blossoms – Congratulations I’m Sorry Gin Blossoms – Outside Looking In Kasey Chambers – Barricades & Brickwalls Marianne Faithfull – Greatest Hits Mary Chapin Carpenter – Party Doll Mary Chapin Carpenter – A Place In The World Suzy Bogguss – Greatest Hits Trace Adkins – Big Time Tracy Byrd – Ten Rounds
Happy normal Tuesday everybody!! The weather is not zero degrees outside so we are open and alive. There have been new records hitting the shelves every day at intense rates at this point. We’ve got plenty of new records coming in, also used, and a few new and used CDs. The store is still open every day from 12:00 to 5:30 pm downtown. We are officially opening at 10:00 am on Saturdays now as well. Check out our online stores at shopdumbrecords.com. The arcade is open. The virus is getting better. Things are getting better. Spring is on the way. Happy new year.
New LPs Africa – Heaven Basket Case – Original Soundtrack Betty Davis – Betty Davis Betty Davis – They Say I’m Different BlackkKlansman – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Blaze – Original Cast Recording Brain Damage – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Claud – Super Monster Danny Elfman – Scrooged Original Soundtrack Iron + Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days Judas Priest – Rocka Rolla Lee Hazelwood & Ann Margret – The Cowboy & The Lady Neil Young – The Times New Tutenkhamen – I Wish You Were Mine Pixies – Head Carrier Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Luciferian Towers The Last House on The Left – Original Soundtrack Serenity – Piece of Mind Vagabon – Vagabon Violent Femmes – Hotel Last Resort The Weeknd – Starboy Weezer – OK Human Weezer – (White Album)
Used LPs Aretha Franklin – Jumpin’ Jack Flash The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour The Bill Gaither Trio – Especially For The Children Buck Owens – Act Naturally Captain Beefheart – The Spotlight Kid Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band – Clear Spot Chick Corea – Inner Space Chick Corea – Circling In The Clash – Give ‘Em Enough Rope Classics IV – Spooky Conway Twitty – I Love You More Today The Crusaders – Those Southern Knights Dave Mason – Headkeeper The Dukes of Dixieland – Featuring Pete Fountain Emitt Rhodes – Emitt Rhodes Eric Schneider – Eric’s Alley Frank Sinatra – I Remember TOmmy Frank Sinatra – Ol’ Blue Eyes Is Back Freddie Jackson – Don’t Let Love Slip Away Grandpa Jones – Sings Hits From Hee Haw Herbie Mann – Windows Opened Herman’s Hermits – On Tour Indigo – Indigo Isaac Hayes – Tough Guys James Booker – Classified Jay & The Americans – Sands of Time Johnny Hodges – Dance Bash Keith Green – I Only Want To See You There Ken Griffin – Hawaiian Magic Lee Greenwood – Inside Out Leon Patillo – I’ll Never Stop Loving You Leslie Pearl – Words & Music The Lettermen – All Time Greatest Hits Mantovani – Golden Hits Mantovani Orchestra – Midnight Blue Mel McDaniel – Greatest Hits The Milkman’s Union – The Golden Room Mink DeVille – Return To Magenta Mitch Ryder – The Detroit – Memphis Experiment Pat Boone – Moody River Roger Williams – To Amadeus With Love Roy Clark – Back To The Country Stanley Black – Film Spectacular Vol. 3 Sweet – Give Us A Wink Tanya Tucker – Greatest Hits Todd Rundgren – A Wizard, A True Star Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart – Test Patterns Various – Dumb Ditties Various – Ronco Presents Super Sonic Various – A Very Merry Christmas Volume IV Walter Jackson – Tell Me Where It Hurts Willie Nelson – Tougher Than Leather Willie Nelson – Partners Wings – At The Speed of Sound Yes – Yessongs
12” Singles Blaxuede – Dey Don’t Know / Bring Da Pain Jay-Z – I Just Wanna Love U Timbaland & Magoo – Drop Feat. Fat Man Scoop Tina Novak – Been Around The World
New / Used CDs Alabama – Cheap Seats Alabama – American Pride Baha Men – Who Let The Dogs Out Beastie Boys – Licensed To Ill Big Audio Dynamite – Greatest Hits BR549 – This Is BR549 Brooks & Dunn – Borderline Earl Thomas Conley – Super Hits Emmylou Harris – Roses In The Snow Erasure – The Innocents Erasure – Wild! Faith No More – The Real Thing The Fixx – Extended Versions The Gloria Record – The Gloria Record Good Riddance – The Phenomenon of Craving Jessica Andrews – Heart Shaped World Jessica Andrews – Who Am I Mark Chesnutt – Greatest Hits The Queers – Beyond The Valley Sawyer Brown – Greatest Hits Seven Mary Three – The Economy of Sound Shelby Lunne – Epic Recordings Staind – Break The Cycle
Wow, good morning! Now that we have gotten all of our Best of Springfield Music 2020 series out of the way, it’s time to jump back into some new local music that has been coming out this year in the 2021! Today we are bringing you a brand new album from a new local project that we just found out about! The group is called “Lovelorn” and features Keegan Cross, Richard Stone, and John Peters (members of No Good Deed and other projects). You can check out their debut album, May You Find Worth In The Waking World below. Also head on over to the band’s bandcamp page where you can purchase the download of the album. It looks as if this band formed during the pandemic, so they likely have not played live yet!
Happy Friday everyone, and welcome to the final part of our Best of Springfield Music 2020 series! Today we are bringing you your top voted albums / releases from local bands and artists in 2020 in the non-hip hop category numbers 1-10. We kept track of a total of 93 local releases in 2020, which you can see the full list of on our Springfield album archive page. All of this series along with many write-ups are featured in the January 2021 issue of Activator Magazine, which we still have a few copies of available in the store. Thanks to all who contributed this year by doing write-ups! Okay let’s dive into this list! We’ve embedded the music for listings that we could. Shortcode
#1. Attic Salt: “Get Wise” Attic Salts’ Get Wise is like receiving bad news in the best way possible. With songs about being a fool, dealing with breakups, and lies, it’s not as emotional as you think. It’s really fun to listen to. It has many ups and downs which keeps the record interesting. You won’t just cry, you will dance and cry simultaneously. Also, the two vocalists mix up the sound too! It’s not just one vocalist. Many bands don’t have two main vocalists but Attic Salt executes that well. Many people can relate to the lyrics of the songs. It’s also hard to stay still with this record. I need to dance, walk, or nod my head while listening to this. The upbeat rock sound is something I will turn on while hanging with friends. My favorite track from the record is Fool 4 U! It’s so relatable and catchy! Stream Attic Salt’s new release Get Wise! The whole album is bop! – Nia TillerShortcode
#2. Bottom Bracket: “I Don’t Care Enough To Stay” I’ve enjoyed watching Bottom Bracket just continually progress since their inception. In my opinion, they are one of the better bands to come out of Springfield in quite some time. Their second effort, “I Don’t Care Enough to Stay”, was my top release of 2020 out of Springfield. To me this album harks back to the 2000s, a release that could be heard on labels such as Deep Elm. Kick back, find the groove and nod yo head. Mario’s licks and vocals shine. BJ’s drumming always fits in so well and Carter can flat out hold it down. Production is great. Just a super solid record. Favorite track, “Doggie Heaven” – Fred Malcom (Attic Salt)
If you haven’t heard Bottom Bracket already, you’re missing out on one of the most exciting musical projects coming out of Illinois right now. Mathy indie rock can sometimes sound technically impressive at the expense of sounding good, but Bottom Bracket’s focus on dynamic songwriting ensures that even their LP’s most complex riffs feel effortless. “I Don’t Care Enough to Stay” is the most contemplative work Bottom Bracket has released to date, but there isn’t a track on the album that can’t elicit an enthusiastic groove. Standout tracks like “Failures,” “Doggie Heaven,” and “Touching Face” showcase this band’s ability to be thematically mature while still feeling youthfully energetic. “I Don’t Care Enough to Stay” is essential listening for anyone interested in where Midwest emo could go in the 2020s. – Mitch Baker (Looming)Shortcode
#3. Blushe: “MAD” MAD is Blushe’s debut EP and a snapshot of a band intent on pushing themselves. This no-bullshit, concise 5-track punk album features grunge-tinted guitars, a solid rhythmic backbone, and a melodic vocal delivery that ranges from serene to frantic. MAD gives a sonic nod to the 90’s, but doesn’t feel stuck there and if you haven’t listened to it yet, you should probably be MAD at yourself. – Brandon Carnes (Looming)Shortcode
#4. Stick People: “Mondoduke” “I think I’m in control but I’m not entirely sure”, says singer Blake Durbin on “The College Try”, with an accepted weariness that would make J Mascis proud. Thus opens the chaotic door of “Monoduke”, the soundtrack to watching your emotions squeeze through your tight fist. The lyrics- weary, angry, disillusioned- are elevated by the musicianship. The rolling chaos of Chaz Davis’ drums (“We Didn’t Have To”), the dancing, barbed-wire of Kevin Carman’s lead guitar (“Homebody”, “Idwg”), and Durbin’s catchy, clever bass lines (“Spiked Lemonade”) act like a powerhouse tide washing over you, pulling you into the sea. “Somewhere, somehow, someone will” sings Durbin on “Somewhere, Somehow”, summing up the emotional waves you find here: Self-deprecation, painful honesty, regret, and ultimately, unexpectedly, hope. – Mark Beanblossom (Idle Oath) Shortcode
#5. The Telephone Junkies: “Dress It Up And Call It Living” The Junkies put in the work on their first ever full-length LP “Dress It Up & Call It Living” and it really shows. It’s an understatement to say that it blew me away on the first listen, and sonically they have stepped up their game with something as uniquely ambitious as it is impressive. The self-proclaimed soft grunge band establishes the vibe of the album early on with the first few moments of “Midwest Band (We’re A)”, which feature a satisfying build of steady reverberated guitar before the band breaks through the wash, led by drummer Jack Moore’s first of many tasteful grooves. And that vibe train stays rolling through all 12 tracks. “Date Night” is one track that stands out to me as a true gem. Not only does it include an extremely catchy chorus-drenched guitar lead, but there’s this one moment where vocalist Jacob Armbrecht sings “I’ll tell you about my rock n’ roll band” just before the juiciest guitar lick comes out of nowhere. It’s an easter egg that when you hear it, your face immediately scrunches into a ball in ecstasy. Other notably stellar moments include the somber slide guitar intro to “Goodbye My Silent Friend (ode to)” as well as the pulsating contemplation of “So I Left the Party (Part 1)”. I distinctly remember hearing the latter at a live show pre-covid, feeling like I was transferred back to a typical college Friday night, a blur of cheap beer, awkwardness, a can-do attitude, and possibly a little bit of heartbreak. If there’s one thing crystal clear after listening to Dress It Up, it’s that the Telephone Junkies mean business and have more tricks up their sleeves than they’ve been given credit for. Major props to them is deserved for not just releasing an album during a pandemic, but a truly excellent one that should absolutely not be slept on. – Mario Cannamela (Bottom Bracket, Looming)Shortcode
#6. Vector Noise: “Vec Vec Vec” Vector Noise self describes themselves in two words: Fast and Loud. I think they should add a third word: Exceptional. The outfit’s second entry, “Vec Vec Vec”, is a master class in technical prowess, intelligent composition, and inspired industrial beats. The fearlessness of the record’s opener, I Need Help, sets the stage for experimentation and the unexpected, enticing the listener to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. The title track is my favorite song on the record, featuring a build up that never gets too excited and a bassline that isn’t afraid to get dirty. The culmination of this album, Father Johnathan, could get any dance floor in the country moving. If there’s one thing that gets me excited about 2021, it’s the possibility of seeing Vector Noise spin these jams in person. – Kolton Ray (Tilt Warning)Shortcode
#7. Vector Noise: “Spilling A White Claw And Mopping It Up With Your Sock” With 2020 putting limits on social gatherings, live shows, and practice sessions for many bands as we know them, it was the perfect time for recording projects to thrive. Local artist Vincent Sgro was no stranger to experimenting with recording different mediums on his own in his own home studio before the pandemic (Vincent released his debut solo album, Interference under his own name last year where he performed all of the instruments and recorded all songs himself). So it comes as no surprise that one of Vincent’s newer electronic noise projects called “Vector Noise” cranked out two EPs this year. Spilling A White Claw And Mopping It Up With Your Sock (yes, that is the full name of this release) is five tracks clocking in at under ten minutes and it’s the project’s latest. It’s loud and in-your-face electronic music, but perhaps less noisy and more dance-y compared to the project’s previous effort Vec Vec Vec. Will we ever see this project perform live? Who knows… but I honestly don’t mind a wet sock. – Brian Galecki (Dumb Records)Shortcode
#8. Headbug: “Pain Pill” Headbug is made up of vocalist and lyricist Bri Skeels and backup vocalist, musician, and producer Cee Jones. (The very same that brought us the projects Rootbound and, my personal favorite ever, FunMachine.exe-All Our Friends Are Algorithms.) Self defined “Generalists” the pair are no strangers to experimenting in mediums and genres. Working in everything from clothes to puppets to video games and beyond, their individual creative talent is real and their passion for creative expression is undeniable in this first glimpse at what the pair can do when they put their collective talents together. In “Pain Pill” Cee and Bri have given us 7 tracks over 12 minutes which pair, and often contrast, the affecting nature of Bri’s soul bearing and intense spoken word poetry and boppy sing song voice with jarring glitchy effects and vocal distortions. The stand out track, for me, is the title track Pain Pill. The longest track on the album at just over 3 minutes is a harsh look into “maladaptive escapism” (something I am relatively certain most us in the “scene” know at least a little something about) as well as an observation of the Midwest opioid crisis. It works you through the extremes of t upbeat highs and frantic heart pounding lows of addictive behavior by beginning with Bri’s bubbly exuberant delivery of gritty, even gut wrenching lyrics and it feels wrong. You know shit’s about to go sideways…and then it does. – Carol Weems (Activator)Shortcode
Surprise! Welcome back to another portion of our Best of Springfield Music 2020 series. This year we are throwing in a completely new category which is something we have never done before, and that is a category just for local hip hop releases that came out this past year. (We have included hip hop in our polls before of course, we just decided to run it as a separate poll this year). (This way we make sure different genres are highlighted in our best-of’s, and it give more releases the chance to be highlighted) (It also maybe kinda makes up for us not having a “shows” section this year)? (Not quite, we know). We don’t have any write-ups for this category, but we do link to the music or embed music for you to listen to below. And of course you can pick up a copy of January’s Activator Magazine for the full Best of Springfield Music 2020 series.
Good morning! We are continuing our best of Springfield Music 2020 series today and diving into your TOP voted albums / releases of 2020! Yes, we know 2020 was a minute ago now but we are still doing this. These were all featured in the January print issue of Activator Magazine, which we still have a few copies of left at Dumb Records. Thank you for everyone who contributed in doing write-ups for this series. We’ll be back again tomorrow with the top ten voted releases for the year.
20. Marble Teeth: “Park” Park is a great release. Marble Teeth is a project that continues to grow now into mixed instrumental sounds that carries Caleb’s message, creating new and pioneering textures that we all can be influenced by. Every time I listen back to this release, I always find something new in a sound on a different track or I pick up a new chord change that catches my ear. Caleb’s epitaphs of emotional instances and fables will indeed grow fondly with Park but, I keep finding myself wanting to hear loud drums and big guitar swells. Maybe, that is just the post rock indie guy in me. Bob Dylan once said, “my favorite sound is the sound of a song played on an AM radio across a busy street.” I hope Marble Teeth will be that sound Dylan pleasantly discovers one day. I hope. -BJ Pearce (Bottom Bracket)
#19: Bonards: “Mask To Protect” The Bonards may arguably be the closest thing Springfield, Illinois has ever had to the experimental, anonymous -weirdo geniuses, The Residents. From the late eighties and on through the early 2000s, These cats made a point of keeping their identities on the hush. It may not have been that hard to figure out who Exacto Mundo (vocals) or Nomad Repos (guitar) or even Zaphod Beeblebass (Bass) were, but the whereabouts of the periphery members [Cynthia Sugercane-(Synth-guitar), ButterMonkey- (Noises/ Sounds), Hanger The Cat- (Drums) and Dave the Hot Dog Cook- (Grill)] was, and remains a minor mystery. I remember once watching the oddity known as The Bonards play in the early 2000s. While this fascinating sound and visual experience was happening, I had to shake my head and laugh at the ensemble’a slendered-up hot dog cook. His sheerly confident grilling abilities whilst grilling those damned wieners. Working on his physique by pumping iron at the same time as grilling. This was dada-esque In the perfectly odd mix of experimental music and outlier performance. On their latest release, “Masked To Protect”, The Bonards present 18 tracks that Exacto and Nomad recorded during shelter in place orders that were issued due to Covid-19. They recorded these songs by emailing WAV sound files back and forth until each song was as finished as those grilled hot dogs. “Masked To Protect” has more of a “techno/politico rap (feel) than any of their early recordings”, states Nomad himself. The song “Confusion”, may be the best example of Nomad’s description, as it revisits the sound of the mid 1980s, when exploring this newer (to many) and exploding music form known as “rap” or “hip-hop” grew from urban America to worldwide phenomenon. – Jeff Williams (NIL8)
18. Demons On Wheels – “Still Left Standing”
17. Mark Schwartz – “Suite Aidan“
16. Forest Saints – Backyard Twilight Symphony
15. Baby Ocho: “Demos EP” Im kicking back to another 2020 pandemic evening. I’ve got my eggnog and am thinking back to years ago when Baby Ocho rocked the house in one of the last few Dumb Records shows before we all had to go home forever. That night they played full band and Rocked it! It seems the followup release is a nice quiet chill batch of solid accoustic tracks. It has a bit of an alt country vibe with some Bazan level of morose wistfulness. The title of the EP straight up tells you these songs are going to be a little rough around the edges, but there also lies the charm. Still since this came out back in April, I’m thinking someone better check on Mateusz as he was cranking out these bummer jams back then and has been a bit quiet since… Still has anyone come up with a more killer lyric as “I could be your dog, I’d lay down at your feet, just to watch you sleep, until i die”. – Jeff Black (Dumb Records)
14. The Dixie Narcos: “Nantucket 2” I’ve got a fairly blank, yet vivid memory. A show at Black Sheep, a band from Jacksonville, IL called Flamingo. They opened, I think, and destroyed. That’s all i remember. I don’t remember what the show was, who booked it, if I did or someone else, who else played. The only detail that stuck was goddamned Flamingo. I became a fan. A few years ago, there I was minding my own business, and band pops on the feed. Lo and behold, it was The Dixie Narcos. And John Franz came so absolutely correct. They haven’t missed a beat since with album after album after EP after album. Just cranking out good ass tunes. And 2020’s been no different with two full lengths and a new EP. Nantucket 2 (IE Charley) is now the 2nd most recent release by the John Franz helmed Dixie Narcos. And it wastes no time, a psychedelic barnburner straight out of quarantine. Great songwriting and melodies, LOUD recording, cool visualizations. Just a straight up cool record. It’s a real heart warmer knowing this came out from our corner of the globe. All I can say is I’m stoked to finally see this band again, as we inch closer to be on the other side of 2020. Recommended listen: “Samsara” and “Do Androids Dream of Electric Meth Mouth” into “Stuck In Line at the Post Office With the Methamphetamine Psychosis Blues Again” – Cory VanMeter (Caterpillar Club, Night Night Boy)
13. Imaginary Colours: “HEAD_SPACE” This year, Imaginary Colours, the electronic project of Michael LeFrance (Balki Bros, Snuff Rider, and drummer of other past groups) came out with another release called HEAD_SPACE. Head_space feels like it’s not meant to be individual songs to be played by Imaginary Colours live, but rather a listening experience for us to take in while alone. Perhaps kicking off with the first track “Drifter” while you are coming up on the Stanford Overpass at 3:00 am, with absolutely no other traffic in sight in a very quiet city. It’s foggy out. Then you get to the title track “Head_Space” and the sun is starting to rise. You’ve made it all the way down Wabash to Centenial Park. With “City Limits” the sun is out and shining brighter than ever. Okay, with “Up All Night” we’ve made it to the party that we were heading to. Okay, I change my mind, this is the song that would be good to hear Michael do live. There are a bunch of aliens and robots dancing at the party and a bunch of lasers. Then the tone of things takes a turn. “Broken Memories” is about a ghost that lives deep within the rubble of the Pillsbury Factory, who is very sad. Then with the last track “Stay With Me” the camera shifts focus to a leaf or a feather that is blowing past the buildings of the factory through the air. The wind blows it up very high. We see the city in the background and we are reminded that life is beautiful and things maybe aren’t so bad. The end. – Brian Galecki (Dumb Records)
12. Demons On Wheels: “Souvenirs“
11. Ricki Marvel: “The Prisoner” Ricki Marvel has created something powerful with “The Prisoner.” The album is filled with ups and downs, highs and lows, and incredible emotion both in what is said, and in what is left unsaid. Ricki creatively uses varying material and patterned sounds to build her rhythms, and it works to develop her sometimes mechanical grooves that you’ll feel in your body. But she does not hide behind rhythm by any means, choosing to often venture beyond any traditional structure. There are no limits in this record. Ricki takes this music where it was meant to go, creating deep and immersive synth soundscapes that could easily be the score to an art pop film. Never does the music feel bare or underdeveloped. There seems to be intention in the quieter, more sparing parts of her songs. The vocals speak to a beautiful but challenging journey of bravery and authenticity. There is so much honesty in this record, and the listener walks away knowing a deeper Ricki. – Dani Sakach (Blushe)
Dumb Records 