{"id":1472,"date":"2017-01-06T06:30:58","date_gmt":"2017-01-06T11:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nickzaino.com\/departmentoftangents\/?p=1472"},"modified":"2017-01-06T01:06:10","modified_gmt":"2017-01-06T06:06:10","slug":"what-i-missed-in-2016-elemental-rock-and-roll-with-the-i-dont-cares-and-ray-mason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nickzaino.com\/departmentoftangents\/2017\/01\/06\/what-i-missed-in-2016-elemental-rock-and-roll-with-the-i-dont-cares-and-ray-mason\/","title":{"rendered":"What I Missed In 2016: Elemental Rock and Roll with The I Don’t Cares and Ray Mason"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since I launched this blog in March, I have tried to write about as many wonderful things as I can, in essays, the podcast, and every Friday in the New Release Roundup. Try as I might, I can\u2019t write about all the good stuff coming out. This is the final entry in my attempt to correct that for this year, though I plan on doing this annually. For the next ten days, I\u2019ll be highlighting albums I missed in 2016. To cast an even wider net, I\u2019ve enlisted some talented friends to write about some of their favorites this year. You can read that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

1. The I Don\u2019t Cares<\/a> \u2013 Wild Stab<\/em><\/strong>
\nThis groovy little rock and roll nugget was slipped out by two writer\/performers who decided not to put their names on it (but that may or may not be Paul Westerberg<\/a> and Juliana Hatfield<\/a> smiling behind the liner notes \u2013 shhh!). It seems to have been kind of a blip on the radar this year, received well, and then put out of mind. Which is a shame, because there are so many great hooks and fun lines in the songs. But then, the whole point seems to have been to have a bit of fun, not overthink it, and move on. Their sensibilities are well-matched. They both write songs that are ragged and tuneful, and they can turn off their more sarcastic instincts to come up with something as adorable as \u201cKissing Break\u201d \u2013 about putting work aside for a little bit o\u2019 smoochin\u2019 \u2013 and sing it like they mean it. Or something utterly silly like \u201c1\/2 2p,\u201d which contains the lines, \u201cWhen you call me baby\/I need to find an alley\/Your voice always makes me have to pee.\u201d It\u2019s an extremely catchy song, helped out by the fact they are literally singing the alphabet at one point. Westerberg is the charming cad on \u201cSorry for Tomorrow Night.\u201d Rave-ups like \u201cDone, Done, Done\u201d and Hatfield\u2019s cool, tough \u201cDance To the Fight\u201d fall somewhere on a spectrum between Chuck Berry and the Ramones. I\u2019m glad, in a way, that I\u2019m only getting to write about this one now. For anyone who missed it, pick it up. And for those who got it the first time around, give it another spin. It already seems like an old friend, one you\u2019ll be happy to keep rediscovering. <\/p>\n

“Kissing Break”
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