This is not the usual post. For reasons. Mainly because Ilona usually handles the blog posts. She’s better at it. But occasionally, I pop in with a post.
Today, I just wanted to talk about an artist I found recently on Spotify and really dig. A few weeks ago, I was in the pool, enjoying a nice Shiner Bock, as one does, when a song came on that I liked immediately but didn’t recognize.
Was this a New Order song I didn’t remember? Surely not. I know I’m not a smart man but I have been gifted, or cursed, with an almost encyclopedic knowledge and or memory of 80’s alternative and new wave. Sadly, it takes up most of my brain.
A few years ago something similar happened when Ilona and I were watching Lockwood and Co when Party Fears Two by the Associates came on.
We were floored. We knew it had to be old school 2nd British Invasion but neither of us could remember having heard it before.
This was like that but it ended up being a newer artist. The song I heard was Stars (feat. The Horses) which Won released in 2016.
My favorite of his songs is probably The Night Has an Alibi which came out in 2017. All of his videos are a bit odd, in the best way but this one has, intentionally or not, a distinctly Greek myth feel to it.
He also has more recent songs like Everything Fits and Faithful Heart from 2024.
Honestly, I hate that I just now heard his music and really feel like he should be huge. I don’t know what genre he would be in other than really good music. I played some of his songs for Kid 2 who also digs that kind of stuff and she in turn shared a radio station she likes. By shared I mean she messed with the car radio and turned it from 1st Wave Channel 33 to KTSW 89.9, Texas State University’s campus radio station.
While I don’t recognize a lot of the songs KTSW plays, the DJ’s don’t always tell you name of the song or the artist, and it’s kind of fun to watch her frantically Shazam it.
I’m glad she did because it took me back to being a teen and listening to WWCU 95.3, Western Carolina University’s campus station.
I put the link there because the banner of the Smokey Mountains is really pretty and sort of how I remember it.
It was great because they played music you wouldn’t normally hear that deep in the Appalachian mountains. REM, INXS, the B-52s, Oingo Boingo. You know, 80’s college radio songs.
Oddly, enough, WCU and TX ST have basically the same mascot. Ours, I am a WCU alumni, is a catamount while theirs is a bobcat but the logo is nearly identical. I wish she’d been able to experience the beauty of WCU the way her mom and I did but I reckon TX ST is close enough.
Like many Gen Xers it’s easy for me to get stuck in the 80’s and 90’s musically, for instance, I’ve been listening to a lot of Alice in Chains, specifically their MTV unplugged gig from 96.
But do yourself a favor and give Wons a listen and maybe even give your local college station, if you have one, a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Quick edit. I wanted to share links to Wons’ Instagram. Not sure how to link to his Spotify. If you have it, just type in Wons Phreely and it should pop up.
thank you for the music recommendations. two of them made it past the skipping stage so off to explore a bit more 🙂
Several of the college and indie public stations in my area allow for shows to be streamed up to 2 weeks later, my favorite is KSER
https://spinitron.com/KSER/calendar
In particular The Vault on Saturday evenings is 70-80s music, some new to me and more familiar ones sometimes unfamiliar mixes. Dead Electric on Friday evenings is also 70-80s but synth/space/new wave. They have playlists…
Did anyone else see the Won video of “The Night has an Alibi” as a precursor to Orpheus in Sandman Season 2? Including being smuggled in a tote bag.
Makes me wonder who was influenced by whom: Won by the Sandman graphic novels, or the Season 2 show runners by Won’s video?
while I like a lot of the music from the 80’s and 90’s, I’m a die hard 60’s lover.
Love to hear from you! Great post.
Thanks for the introduction to Wons Phreely! I enjoyed his music and will put him on my list to watch. I played his songs for my hubby and he liked them too, and he is picky!
You just never know what the blog is going to be about on any day–it could be Wons Phreely, Maggie the Undying, or Knitting! So much fun!
“Friends don’t let friends get friends haircuts…”
Allegedly, that was a not so subtle dig at Metallica.
Enjoyed the difference in this post, thanks for the musical suggestions, the reminder about college radio stations, and the link to Cullowhee – we still have 95.3 playing often in the car when we travel to Sylva or Waynesville. I have lived several other places in my almost 64 years, but keep returning to these same mountains in the Nantahala Gorge. In fact, the first books I read by IA were KD, and I fell for your writing first, but the icing on the cake were the references to Curran’s family living in this area of western NC. Hope you and yours continue to enjoy the music!
Excellent – much needed music refresh for me today! Thank you!!!!
as a fellow GenX’er, I am glad for your musical foray. I am in Idaho, where the music from Boise State is usually classical with a little space music after I should be asleep. But I truly miss the Carnegie Mellon radio station in Pittsburgh that played anything and everything, and the New Wave show on the local PBS station. They were the ones that exposed me to Toad the Wet Sprocket and They Might Be Giants, two of my all time favorite bands from back then.
Lately I have gotten into TajMo, two of my favorite blues performers. Beautiful music, good for a difficult day.
I’ve been listening to this awful song”Ricky” by The Wolves of Glendale and honestly it might be the best/funniest thing ever. Give it a listen if you need a good chuckle.
He reminds me of Nik Hayward, mostly without but sometimes with Haircut 100.
Definitely New Wave and I’m enjoying it
As for “new” New Order music, you may or may not already know about Electronic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_(band)
It’s hard to go wrong with Bernard Sumner AND Johnny Marr…..
It’s not new, but if you didn’t already know about them, it would certainly seem new….!
You can find some great new wave vibes on the song Best Laid Plans by The Beths.
Thanks for the rec!
Thanks Gordon, will Listen!
I love your post and will listen to it tomorrow so don’t wake my husband. I love all the music you’ve mentioned here but know nothing about Won. I particularly love British bands. Thanks!
His voice reminds me of Pete Doherty from Babyshambles and The Libertines
I had a similar experience with an indie band that was opening for another act that I can’t even remember now. The opening act was Attica Riots and their sound from Love, Sunshine and Hysteria is so reminiscent of 80’s Alt music, that I am in love. I got to see them with a dear friend who has since passed and I am grateful beyond words to have this music to remind me of her awesomeness. Check them out! They rock!
My 22 year-old son has incredible taste of music and often shares things with me that I never would’ve found otherwise. My husband and I are a huge 80s alternative fans and I love that we gave our kid that musical background so he can come full circle with it and give it back to us.