Hip-D PodBlast » Sixer » Treat Her Right

Before making his name with the critically-acclaimed Morphine, Mark Sandman played stand-up bass and shared lead vocal duties with a down and dirty Boston dive bar outfit known as Treat Her Right, no doubt named after the classic Roy Head hit song. When you listen to this band, you can practically smell the endless ounces of stale Falstaff spilled on the floor and see the Pall Mall smoke from a dozen desperate barflies wafting through the speakers. This ain’t no happy music, but it’s not mopey in the least, either. There’s a primal power at work here, which makes the listener just want to go smash a longneck over some guy’s head and start a barroom brawl that would rival one of Philo Beddoe’s legendary backlot bare-knuckle boxing matches.

Tragically, Sandman’s untimely onstage death pretty much guarantees there shall never be a Treat Her Right reunion, but few bands ever packed more of a wallop into a mere three albums. Most folks continue to point to his work with Morphine or his subsequent solo recordings as being the cornerstone of his legacy, but as far as I’m concerned, Treat Her Right was every bit as good as anything else he ever did. And speaking from personal experience as recent as the compiling of this Sixer, this is about the best music around for drowning your misery. It’s certainly a lot less likely to land me in jail than flying up to South Bend and bashing a longneck over Brady Quinn’s head, which is what I was fully intent on doing before hunkering down to get some content posted to Hip-D for the first time since The Carter Administration.

• “An Honest Job” (from 1986’s Treat Her Right)

• “Big Medicine” (from 1989’s Tied to the Tracks)

• “I’m Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail” (from 1991’s What’s Good For You)

• “I Think She Likes Me” (from 1986’s Treat Her Right)

• “Hank” (from 1989’s Tied to the Tracks)

• “Standing By Your Window” (from 1991’s What’s Good For You)

Hip-D PodBlast » Sixer » Daryll-Ann

Chances are pretty slim you’ve ever heard any of the melodic Dutch pop gems from Holland’s Daryll-Ann, because they simply have never managed to make any sort of impression here in the States. The only reason I ever stumbled onto them a couple of years ago was the accidental result of Epitonic-fueled boredom.

I almost never take fliers on bands I’ve never heard of before, unless they were recommended to me by a trusted friend. But this was once instance I did, and will be forever grateful for having done so, because these guys are fantastic!

So, consider me YOUR trusted friend, and give Daryll-Ann a listen. You’ll be glad you did (unless you are Goldmember and hate the Dutch)…

• “Everybody’s Cool” (from 2001’s Happy Traum)
• “10:45″ (from 2004’s Don’t Stop)
• “Serenades for the Lonely” (from 2002’s Trailer Tales)
• “Rollercoaster” (from 1996’s Daryll-Ann Weeps)
• “We Love Danger” (from 2004’s Don’t Stop)
• “When You Cry” (from 2001’s Happy Traum)

Hip-D PodBlast » Sixer » The Oranges Band

For this second edition of the “Six-Pack” version of the Hip-D PodBlast, let’s delve into the fine work of Baltimore’s The Oranges Band, fronted by former Spoon bassist Roman Kuebler.

Since their inception in 2000, they’ve released two EPs and two full-lengths, each of which is just as much a point of pride to Charm City as crabs and Meldrick. Just ask E. Fu…he knows wut-wut. So, without further ado, here’s the tracklisting for this Six-Pack….

• “Keep Your Teeth” (from 2003’s All Around)
• “nextstopexjock” (from 2000’s The Five Dollars [EP])
• “White Ride” (from 2005’s The World and Everything In It)
• “Self and Siddhartha” (from 2002’s On TV [EP])
• “Sweater Weather” (from 2001’s 900 Miles of Fucking Hell [EP])
• “OK Apartment” (from 2003’s All Around)

Hip-D PodBlast » Sixer » Sunset Valley

This is the first edition of the “Six-Pack” version of the Hip-D PodBlast, which will feature six of an underappreciated artist’s best songs rolled up into a single MP3 for your listening pleasure. To kick things off, let’s pop the top on some Sunset Valley…

Based in Portland, Oregon and fronted by Herman Jolly, Sunset Valley has released four outstanding albums since forming in the late ’90s. The tracks featured in this Six-Pack are taken from all four of these albums. Here is the tracklisting, along with the album and release date:

1. “Red Thai Sunday” (from 1998’s The New Speed)
2. “Megapills” (from 1999’s Boyscout Superhero)
3. “Wired Nights” (from 2001’s Icepond)
4. “Grubby Cartoon Hands” (from 2004’s Goldbank 78 Stack)
5. “Happily Frozen” (from Boyscout Superhero)
6. “Touch You” (from Icepond)

For more info, check out the band’s website at http://www.sunsetvalley.net.