The Vibrations - So Blue

Look Back In Anger: The haunting churn of this rare Doo Wop ballad is something to swoon us through the day. A choir of spirits croon behind the gentle tingle of a piano. Sleepily the drums drift along, as The Vibrations recount a tale of deep wallowing sadness. This sort of melody from the past reminds me of a dream I never had, where a mysterious box, tucked away in the attic, is dusted off to reveal a few faded reels of tape. The moon is low and the night-sky is filled with a shade of inky midnight blue. Late at night the old tape machine whirrs into life, and this ghostly ode to love-loss echoes through the rafters. Can you dig?

Leon Bridges - Coming Home

Leon Bridges, is from planet 1963. I had to check this recording twice, it sounded so authentically from another time. Texas native, Bridges, steps back to the era of Motown and Doo wop so convincingly he could be a compatriot of Smokey Robinson, or Clyde McPhatter. It's a startlingly impressive tune, with a timeless tape-like sound. Hats off to the production. Also shoutout to GVB for bringing this track to light. Happy Friday! Stay off the subway if you been to W. A. ;)

The Standells - Dirty Water

Look Back In Anger: Cali based Rock-n-Rollers, The Standells, were early pioneers of transitioning modern Pop from the Doo Wop sound to a more Beatles/Stones-esque guitar based tone. Dirty Water was a major hit that encapsulates The Standells defining, laid back, form of Garage Rock. Sounding a bit like a love-in between Brian Jones and The Black Lips, this song really kicks!

Frankie Avalon - Venus

Look Back In Anger: When we think about Memorial Day, we think back on a hazy America the midst of the 20th century. WWII, Post-WWII-Eisenhower-beaucolic Suburbia, JFK, trips to the moon, etc.... Flashes of the past, trapped in the golden tape loop of things how things used to be. Can it be that it was all so simple then? Probably not. But here at LBS we're firm believers in revisiting haunted memories of bygone eras, and who better to usher us down the mystical worm hole than Frankie Avalon? Venus was a chart topping hit from 1959 that swirls in a sound of enchanted romance, familiar to anyone who thinks of the 'sound of the 50s.' There's something about the echoing "OooOoo"s in the background, and the way Frankie croons the words, "make my dreams come true," that cements this tune in the eternal history of pop music. Not unlike The Flamingo's I Only Have Eyes For You, or The Fleetwood's Mr. Blue, there's an intrinsic dreaminess to this type of mid-tempo Doo- Wop that resonantes with nearly everyone. 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2 and number 1 is:

Palisades - This Is The Nite

Look Back In Anger: Not much info on this gem from 64.' The Palisades, who I'm assuming came from Jersey, slink out a an easy going ballad to the night, in a familiar Doo Wop'd tone. An interesting note about this single is its release date from 1964, squeaking in just before most Doo Wop became old news with The Beatles American arrival. Take a listen to this throw back and if you really dig have a wander on over to the B-side, Relic Rock.

David Lynch & Lykke Li - I'm Waiting Here

A chilling, midnight-in-the-desert melody, unwinds here, through the disquieting audio filter of David Lynch. Unlike most of the hazified, roots of Rock N' Roll songs, found on Lynch's latest LP, The Big Dream, this one off single with Lykke Li has an ambient yet, haunting refrain that raises it above the rest. Lynch has an ear for tunefulness and his love of Blues and early Doo-Wop has been a feature of nearly each of his film and television projects. Unfortunately, despite all the distortion, dissonance and pitch correction applied to Lynch's voice, his whiny Missoula drawl still dominates most of his songs, to an off-putting level. Lykke Li's voice on the other hand, has a much more dexterous and palatable tone, and so it works almost perfectly with the rest of the creeping instrumentation here. There is an almost transparent connection between this song and something like The World Spins, or even In Dreams, yet Lynch has not lost himself in the soup of the past, but rather reanimated some of its best qualities. Please, step into the passenger seat for this one, and enjoy.. the Full blossom of the evening...