Welcome to "Let's Remember Some Bands," a new blog series in which myself and a special guest reminisce about some of our favorite bands and songs. A Remembered band could be a band that was underrated in their time, or maybe just sort of okay but you liked that one song they did. Or they weren't very good at all, but you remembered that they existed and want to know if anyone else does, too. There are so many ways to Remember. Remembering is an art form, and it's on full display here.
If YOU would like to Remember Some Bands in blog form, feel free to send us an email at outcasttapes@gmail.com.
This week, I'm joined by the talented and versatile Valor Oak. Valor is a member of KC rock band Playing Dead!, who recently contributed an excellent track to our "shorts volume three" comp. Valor is also a music writer, and has most recently written reviews for our good friends over at Start-Track.
Outcast Bob: Before we get into it, can you tell me (and the blog readers) your name, what you're best known for, maybe what you're up to recently.
Valor: My name is Valor Oak, and I'm most known for my work with Start-Track, a DIY music blog and DIY label. I mostly write for them, but I also help out with random little things on the side. Lately, I've been working on turning old solo projects into new music with my Kansas City-based band, Playing Dead!.
Outcast Bob: Right on! Start-Track is the best. That Playing Dead! track on the shorts comp might be my favorite shorts song ever.
Valor: I always laugh whenever I listen to it. And seeing everyone's reactions in the chat at the listening party was so awesome.
Outcast Bob: It's always good when it catches you by surprise.
Valor: Right??
Outcast Bob: So...do you want to remember some bands?
Valor: Let's remember them so good.
Outcast Bob: I'll let you go first since I think you have more than I do.
Valor: Okay! The first band I have, and one of my favorites of all time, is Two Gallants. Their music primarily lives on in one of the first episodes of "Welcome to Nightvale" as their song "Despite What You've Been Told" is one of the songs that the podcast uses during their "weather" portion of the episode.
Valor: However, without new music in over a decade, it seems that, outside of me and my memory and the internet, that podcast is the only way in which they live on.
Valor: It's also just a really, really good song. I did a cover of it at my first open mic, almost three years ago. But I've never met anyone else, in real life or online, who knew of them.
Outcast Bob: This is one of those names that I remember seeing a lot but I don't think I've heard this song. This would be a cool song to cover for sure.
Outcast Bob: This is some peak 00s Saddle Creek.
Valor: For real!!!
Valor: Their other song, "Steady Rollin'" is also really good.
Outcast Bob: This is some cold drink porch-sitting music. I really dig this one.
Valor: For two summers, I worked as an intern in a town in the middle of nowhere, and every week and a half/two weeks I'd make the three hour drive back home. And I used to listen to this song, and more of Two Gallants, because those Midwest highways are just perfect scenery for this music.
Outcast Bob: Oh, absolutely. Gotta love those open Midwest highways. I have similar memories of listening to Band of Horses and cruising around southern MN. This is just the perfect style of music for driving around.
Valor: Yes, Band of Horses!!
Valor: I'm pretty sure Band of Horses and Two Gallants are right up next to each other in my driving playlist.
Valor: Two Gallants has been a long love of mine. I loved them when I first heard them on that Nightvale podcast, and I was listening to that episode not too long after it dropped.
Valor: Being brought back/revitalized by media or living on through media is a theme among the bands I picked out.
Outcast Bob: I still need to check that podcast out. I've heard good things. And that's a great theme.
Outcast Bob: Fits in very well with the Remembering ethos.
Valor: Exactly!
Outcast Bob: Okay, so it's about to get a little emo in here.
Valor: I'm so so so ready.
Outcast Bob: Do you remember...Hidden In Plain View?
Outcast Bob: Specifically their minor hit "Bleed For You."
Valor: It sounds vaguely familiar, but I think in the way that someone I know likes them. I don't think I'm familiar.
Valor: Oh my god, the intro!!
Outcast Bob: One of those bands that didn't get as much attention as they should have. It's very much a product of its time, but that hook is so good.
Valor: And the classic emo-style vocals...
Valor: It's awesome.
Outcast Bob: Considering they were on Drive Thru Records during their heyday, it's weird that they're rarely discussed with other bands on the label like The Starting Line or Senses Fail.
To be fair, they do sound a lot like Senses Fail. Drive Thru probably didn't need a second Senses Fail.
Valor: I liked Senses Fail, and maybe I'm biased, but I always need a second Senses Fail.
Outcast Bob: Now you have one!
Valor: My lucky day!
Outcast Bob: They're still making music, too, which is pretty cool for a band from their era.
Valor: The gang vocals on "again" in the chorus just scratch my brain itch.
Valor: That's so awesome!!
Outcast Bob: It's so 2005, I love it. This style is kind of coming back I think with some newer bands. What I liked about this era is that the songs could be heavy but still have hooks. You don't hear a ton of hooks these days.
Valor: You really don't! A lot of what really makes me love a song is the hook, and it's pretty exciting that that style is coming back with newer bands.
Valor: I really enjoyed "Bleed For You"!! It's got that nostalgic 2000s emo sound that I never can get enough of.
Outcast Bob: Glad you liked it!
Outcast Bob: You're up!
Valor: Okay! The next one I have is "Back To You" by the band Twerps. This song was revitalized by and lives on through the Netflix show Hilda. I love that show so, so much and they used "Back To You" in a scene in which the main characters travel across a lake via the help of a water spirit (if I remember correctly).
Valor: This song is very fun, very much a summer song.
Outcast Bob: Oh my gosh this is so catchy
Valor: Right???
Outcast Bob: I really like that little keyboard thing going on in the background. I think that's a keyboard.
Valor: I think so too. It's so cute!!
Outcast Bob: Seems very fitting for an animated show. Or even one of those cozy video games.
Valor: And the show "Hilda" is just so cute and sweet. Reminds me of a less serious "Gravity Falls".
Outcast Bob: Listening to this one twice. It's a little twee without being annoying. That's a hard line to toe.
Valor: They do it so well, not with just "Back To You" but with a lot of their discography too.
Outcast Bob: I'm glad they're getting some recognition.
Valor: They deserve it!!! I feel so strongly about them and that song.
Outcast Bob: I have to bring the mood down a little bit with my next pick, but I trust you'll be able to balance it out.
Valor: I'm so ready for it.
Outcast Bob: Do you remember...Rocky Votolato?
Valor: That's another vaguely familiar name - but I'm vibing so hard with "Goldfield".
Valor: That pre-chorus/chorus!!! OMG!!!
Outcast Bob: You mentioned you like folky-punk stuff, and while this is probably more indie folk than folk punk, he does have some punk cred.
Outcast Bob: Prior to going solo, Rocky was in a punk band with his brother, who also happens to be the guitarist for The Blood Brothers.
Outcast Bob: This does not sound like The Blood Brothers.
Outcast Bob: We're not done with great pre-choruses, and I'm glad you mentioned that
Valor: I love relating the sounds of songs to moments or memories - this feels like when I'd take my telescope out to the middle-of-nowhere Kansas, and it's just me in the middle of the night, in the middle of a field, the entirety of the universe above me. It feels like that.
Valor: It feels like seeing the cosmos stretch in front of you and feeling okay with the infinite smallness of the Earth.
Valor: The piano part !!!!
Valor: It's the perfect accent, omg.
Valor: And the building at the end. Holy crap.
Outcast Bob: Well said! It's super contemplative.
Outcast Bob: I don't know why he wasn't a bigger deal.
Valor: For real!!!
Outcast Bob: Boring story time!
Outcast Bob: In 2013 my wife and I decided to take a road trip out west to see the National Parks. We were in the middle of Wyoming and it turned out that mewithoutYou was playing in Billings, MT that night. So we decided to take an 8-hour detour up to Billings to see them play a dive bar next to some railroad tracks. The opener was Rocky Votolato. I can't think of a better venue for him to play this song than a dive bar next to some railroad tracks in Billings, MT.
Outcast Bob: The crowd talked over most of his set, which sucks, but he played a good set.
Valor: Holy. Cow.
Valor: That's the coolest story, what do you mean "boring"?
Valor: That show sounds like it was awesome.
Outcast Bob: It was really cool seeing our favorite band far away from home in the middle of the country.
Outcast Bob: Definitely worth the drive.
Valor: Definitely worth the drive, agreed.
Valor: The next band I have is Double Vision and their song "The Streets". They were revitalized by and live on through the show "The Great", also one of my favorite shows. It's a bit different from the others I've talked about, but this song is still really really good.
Valor: For me, this song is very autumn-coded. I can't explain why, it just is.
Outcast Bob: Okay, yeah, I immediately like this one. The trip-hop beat is excellent.
Valor: Right??? They used it as an end credits song in the show, so I don't think a lot of people got to hear it, because they'd skip over the credits. But it deserves to be known!!
Outcast Bob: This song was MADE for end credits. The dual vocalist approach always works really well for this type of music.
Valor: It really does, and I love the way their voices mesh in it.
Outcast Bob: To me it sounds like the kind of song that would play at the end of a good heist movie.
Outcast Bob: I LOVE this beat
Valor: It definitely would, omg - it's the perfect heist movie song.
Outcast Bob: Is this all the music they have out? I only see two tracks on Spotify.
Valor: Yeah, only two tracks.
Outcast Bob: I wonder if this was made just for the show.
Valor: It could've been, I also remember seeing it in a featured playlist somewhere at one point. Who knows!
Outcast Bob: I hope they do more. This is excellent.
Valor: Me too. It's ear candy.
Outcast Bob: Okay, so for my third and final selection I chose Abandoned Pools and their 2001 minor alternative radio hit "The Remedy."
Valor: Already off to an AMAZING start.
Valor: Holy crap.
Valor: I'm obsessed!!!
Outcast Bob: In keeping with the theme of this Remembering session, he's responsible for writing and performing the theme song for the TV show Clone High. I did not plan this at all.
Valor: "You can be the wannabe, I can be the remedy" !!!!!
Valor: CLONE HIGH????
Valor: That's literally my favorite show. No wonder I love this.
Outcast Bob: That's incredible!
Outcast Bob: I think most people don't know about his other work, and they should because it's so damn good.
Outcast Bob: I will take every opportunity I can get to talk about Abandoned Pools. This is one of the best albums of the decade and it's a shame it doesn't get talked about much. This song should have been MASSIVE.
Unfortunately he got screwed over by his label, and now the rights are owned by some guy in Japan who is apparently impossible to contact.
Valor: This song is so good. I love the slight lyrical variations in the choruses.
Outcast Bob: Also, major pre-chorus
Outcast Bob: It's basically a double chorus
Valor: It really should've gotten huge!!! And that's so sucky, he deserves the rights.
Valor: He could be so big.
Outcast Bob: He actually just released a new album like a month or two ago and it's very good.
Outcast Bob: If I could buy the rights from his old label and press this on vinyl, I'd do it in an instant.
Valor: And I'd buy the vinyl in a heartbeat
Outcast Bob: Or maybe...TAPES?
Valor: Tapes are infinitely better, of course.
Outcast Bob: That's what people are saying.
Valor: I really really enjoyed that. Holy crap.
Valor: That was a masterpiece.
Outcast Bob: He has some poppier stuff too, but it still works. "Start Over" is really good. "Fluoroscein" might be my favorite.
Valor: I'm going to have to check those out!! If there anything like "Remedy", I'm going to be obsessed.
Outcast Bob: Worth a deep dive for sure
Outcast Bob: That's all I have! I think you still have two to go, right?
Valor: This next one is "New Jersey" by Blue Deputy. As far as I'm aware, they no longer have any Blue Deputy social media, so I don't think we can expect any more music. This one isn't in a show as far as I'm aware, but is a favorite somewhat similar to the others.
Valor: This song has such a special place in my heart, it's another one that feels like western Kansas.
Outcast Bob: This is VERY midwestern sounding. It's like bedroom pop with a little twist of Midwest emo.
Valor: Right?? I love it so much. Especially the heavier crash/cymbal sounds.
Outcast Bob: Yeah, I like that they're higher in the mix.
Outcast Bob: It's too bad they disappeared from the internet. I feel like this style is particularly popular right now.
Outcast Bob: Too ahead of the game.
Valor: I feel the same way. I feel like if this was coming out now, we'd be hearing about them all the time.
Valor: It feels like a slightly more intense/heavier Phoebe Bridgers song - maybe it's the vocal style, but I really like it.
Outcast Bob: I can hear that. I'm not TOO well-versed in this style so I can't name-drop here, but I love the sound.
Valor: But yeah, I love them and their sound. "New Jersey" is so Midwest-coded and it has a very homey sound.
Outcast Bob: I was going to say that! They're not fooling anyone with that song title.
Valor: They really aren't!!
Valor: You ready for another?
Outcast Bob: You know what, I think I am.
Valor: My next one is "D&D + Asexuality" by Skull Puppies. That song was a hit, but they're not known for anything else or known much at all anymore. Their last release was 2016.
Valor: I found this song around 2016/2017, and it's been a favorite for a while.
Outcast Bob: Great title
Valor: Right? They get me.
Valor: And the lyricism is IMPECCABLE.
Outcast Bob: I like this a lot. Gotta pull up the lyrics real quick.
Outcast Bob: Pretty sure I've heard songs about D&D, but I don't think I've ever listened to a song specifically about asexuality.
Outcast Bob: That's really cool.
Valor: They really fill that niche perfectly.
Valor: I feel like this song would resonate with so many ace people or aromantic people.
Outcast Bob: Absolutely.
Outcast Bob: I like that the song uses a bit of humor to tackle a serious subject.
Outcast Bob: The lyrics are so good.
Outcast Bob: "It's perfectly fine to like your hand inside of mine
Without having procreation on my mind
It's plausible to crave for your affection
Without simultaneously sporting an erection"
Valor: I love them, and the breakdown near the end gets me every single time.
Outcast Bob: Sometimes you just want to play D&D with no strings attached.
Valor: Exactly. And I love folk-y songs with a little humor, so this song has always been close to my heart.
Outcast Bob: Really good choice.
Valor: My next one is "Collector" by I Kill Giants. They plateaued a while ago in terms of popularity before becoming more on the obscure side. I've loved this one for a long time.
Outcast Bob: Ooh, the emo vocals are back
Valor: It's definitely in the emo sphere and I've always been obsessed with the riffs.
Valor: The emo vocals are so good in this one.
Valor: There's nothing I wouldn't do to travel back in time and go to one of their shows.
Outcast Bob: I love this fourth wave stuff. I basically checked out of the emo scene from like 2010-2018, so I missed most of the good stuff coming out during that time. I kinda regret that. But it's fun to catch up now.
Outcast Bob: Surprised this band isn't better known.
Valor: I was just getting into it around 2012/2013 and I was obsessed with bands like them.
Valor: Right??
Outcast Bob: Awww you JUST missed them then
Valor: Literally. What a cruel world we live in.
Outcast Bob: Well, fourth-wave nostalgia reunions probably aren't too far off, so it could happen.
Valor: That is incredible news.
Outcast Bob: I've been really into Prawn lately, and they just got back together, so there's hope.
Valor: I'm going to have to check them out, especially if they just got back together!!
Outcast Bob: I think you'd dig them.
Valor: That was my last one, and I think my second favorite out of the ones I've shown you. Two Gallants still holds the top spot.
Outcast Bob: Well, thanks for taking the time to Remember Some Bands. I don't think we remembered any of each other's picks, but the next time we hear them we will, and that's important.
Outcast Bob: Setting the stage for future remembering.
Valor: Exactly. And hopefully someone else out there remembers them too.
Outcast Bob: That's what this is all about.
