So, invarably, what happens in posts in the category “The Sound of Silence” is that they tend to be about the music I’m not considering for podcasts or any other Jukebox Heart feature. Hence, no musical interludes with these. Does that mean I’m trashing it? Not at all – though maybe…

Unwound – Challenge for a Cicilized Society (Kill Rock Stars CD, 1998)

This band characterized the Olympia sound of the early 1990s, and this was their sixth album for Kill Rock stars. Unwound’s main influences included Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Big Black, The Wipers, Black Flag, Rapeman, Can, Mission of Burma, Hüsker Dü, Flipper, and Gang Of Four., although this album has a markedly more experimental feel than those would suggest. For a defining moment of “where were you when…”, Unwound were scheduled to play The Middle East in Cambridge on the night of September 11, 2001. The show was cancelled.

Discharge – The Clay Punk Singles Collection (Clay Records CD, 1995)

THis collects all of the tracks on 9 of the band’s singles from 1980 through 1985. While roughly the first half of the cd sticks pretty close to the band’s earliest sound, there is a shift into more complex playing and songwriting about halfway through. Discharge is a reference point and huge influence on many pop metal bands like Anthrax and Metallica, so even if this music isn’t your thing, its historical value and cultural significance can’t be overstated.

Jah Wobble – Umbra Sumus (30 Hertzx CD, 1998)

For me the jury has been out about Jah Wobble for over 20 years. He has a HUGE body of work to his credit, but all of his credibility is tied to his stint in PIL. While that’s no short money, it WAS a long time ago. Plus his move toward world music LONG before it ever beame part of the broadband cultural horizon is cerainly noteworthy. On this CD, the use of tradional East Indian music is very profound. While critics seem to feel that he draws from a variety of ethnic traditions without explicitly evoking any one of them, I tend to disagree and point to a variety of tracks here which seem to purely emulate many of those traditions. THis is not a bad thing, in fact, most of this is hypnotic and strangely appealing. It’s just not as focused as I might like it to be.

UnUn – Super Shiny Dreams (bad taste USA CD, 1995)

While the timing of this CD is a bit nebulous, it is early in the career of post-Sugarcubes THor Eldon and the desperate need to find a Bjork replacement is sorta evident here. Beyond a handful of songs, I’ve never been much of a Sugarcubes fan – I mean, when they hit, they hit big – Birthday – My God! Coldsweat and Deus, well, they were pretty damn good too. But that was it for me. (Now <i>KUKL</i>, well, tha’s a whole ‘nutha story). Stylistically, this Unun CD has it down cold, but style only goes so far. And so will I…

The Vanity Projct (Flagship records CD 2006)

A very quietly promoted solo project of Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page. This is a collection of his songs whose lyrics deal with much of the same irony of modern life in much of the same irnic way as his songs in the Barenaked Ladies oeuvre does. That of course means You’d Love This – but good luck fdinding a copy. Oh yeah, the packaging is pretty gorgeous too.

Williamson – The Trashcan Electric EP (Williamson CD, 2005)

“All music written, recorded and mastered in the most unkempt bedroom in North America.” I can’t say anything better than that…