NUDGE Tunes XI - All Summer, No Drains

Shot at Starcade/The Bad Penny. Model: CherryBomb

Late spring in the midwest rules. There’s like, shitloads of sunlight. The more you walk around, the more you realize that everyone is in a good mood. Nothing else has changed, just the weather. Seriously. Like, today on my ride back from the arcade, I got a flat tire on my bike and I had to walk it the rest of the way home. You know what? I actually enjoyed myself. That’s how good the weather was. Just me walking a bike with a flat tire down the street with a big idiot grin on my face listening to this mix.

We stand by all of our Nudge playlists, but even by those lofty standards, this shit slaps. How do I know? I’m no RayDay, but even I was able to put up 600 milly on Jaws with this thing blasting in my headphones today. And yeah, the whole time listening to Courtney Barnett and The Dickies and The Bosstones. For real, this is stuff that gets me going. It’s also going to get you going.

Start A Nudge Playlist Right Before a Ball 1 Plunge

If we’re syncing this up like Dark Side of the Moon and The Wizard of Oz (P.S. Still waiting on a JJP code update for a Pink Floyd mode on WoZ), you want to start a Nudge mix right before you plunge. Like, get your other shit out of the way. Wipe down the glass or drink beer or whatever it is you do, you freak. After that, let’er rip. OK, so what’s on this thing?

`Heavy on punk and indie-punk vibes. In the past we’ve featured Hardcore Punk (maybe our best ever, by Music Reviewer, Matt Keil), New Wave, Metal, and even uh, whatever this is. This one is almost exclusively fast, loud, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’s an unusual amount of Australian and New Zealand music here. That wasn’t by design, it just happened.

The Lovely Eggs (Lancaster)

The Lovely Eggs are a duo of punk-ass goofenbachers from England. What part? Lancaster? What does that even mean? We can’t really say, only Neil Mcrae knows the difference as far as the pinball community is concerned. Holly Ross and David Blackwell do a sorta punk/psych mix of songs that are catchy, short, and full of ridic hooks that have you singing in a Lancaster accent. Don’t Look at Me is one of my favorites on the playlist not just cuz of the energy, but because it’s exactly how I feel. Yeah, I’m gonna kick my legs around and look goofy. Please stop perceiving me.

The Pinball Machine Most Like The Lovely Eggs: Deadpool. People might knock Deadpool for being simple (is it the poor man’s Godzilla?) but there’s a reason it’s one of the most enduringly popular pinball machines in the modern era. Never bet against George Gomez. And guess what? If it was this easy to be a crowd pleaser, then everyone would do it. I’m looking at you, Led Zeppelin (the pin, not the band). Anyway, Deadpool is a lot of people’s desert island pins, including Deadflip. Yeah, Deadflip. Now look at YOUR life, you cynic. Tsk tsk, friend. Tsk. Tsk.

Constant Insult (MPLS)

We’ve featured Constant Insult in the past, and for good reason. The duel VOX of Katie Thornton and Will Olsen absolutely RIP. Fast, fun, and not too agro, almost every track is a great example of how punk is home to just as many great songwriters and craftsmen as any other genre. Plus, they rep midwest punker values strong. They’re like the Jimmy Carters of punk. These dudes tour fairly regularly, so go check ‘em out on the road (or if you’re in MPLS, GO FIND THEM).

The Pinball Machine Most Like Constant Insult: Foo Fighters. It feels weird to say this, they sound NOTHING like the Foo Fighters, but at the same time they’re unconventional, super fun, and a great intro into what they represent on a larger scale. That sounds like Jack Danger’s SMASH hit from 2022.

Aborted Tortoise (Perth)

Per capita, Perth has to put out some of the most music in the world. Feels kinda like Eau Claire to me, in that everyone gets into the arts because there’s FUCK ALL else to do there. Well, what’s bad for teenage boredom is great for the rest of us. Aborted Tortoise is maybe the “most” Nudge sounding band on this whole mix. Crunchy guitars at breakneck speeds while they yell at us about having shit for brains. YES PLZ.

The Pinball Machine Most Like Aborted Tortoise: Black Knight Sword of Rage. Fast, brutal, and rock as hell. I used to play a BKSOR at this DISGUSTING lil’ bar nearly every single day when I moved back home. I’d play the hell out of it for like an hour or two, then eat giant-ass burgers that DEF had salmonella or food-borne illness in nearly every bite. Eventually that spot closed down, but my love of BKSOR’s butt rippin’ gameplay stayed with me. Aborted Tortoise is gonna be one I come back to again and again, even if it’s rippin’ my butt.

Dion Lunadon (Aukland)

It took until 2017 for Dion Lunadon to release a solo album, which is a bummer because this one is really good. Seems like he was in a bunch of bands before then, but to be honest I don’t have a ton of context for what this is. It just ran past me algorithmically, you know? He’s from Auckland, which seems again, like a bitchin’ place. This one def fits in with our already fully established southern hemisphere motif. Also, I think Spooky Danni is from Aukland, so there’s that?

The Pinball Machine Most Like Dion Lunadon: Big Lebowski Sure it took Dutch Pinball 10 years to finish the run of Big Lebowski’s that was pre-sold — but hey, once you get a Lebowski, you’re frickin’ floored. Everything about it is the right choice aesthetically. I love taking pictures of this pinball machine. I find something new about it every time. Perfect TIMA as Joe C of Pinball Degenerates would say —or theme integration as it’s known in more “normie” circles.

Also Featuring the Music of…

NOBRO (Pinball: Rush)

The Soft Boys (Fire)

Junkie XL (Scooby Doo)

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (Aerosmith)

Bad Nerves (Big Guns)

Courtney Barnett (Waterworld)

Dear Nora (Trashland)

The Records (Data East Star Wars)

Radioactivity (Stern Star Wars)

While we can’t legally say with any real medical certainty that this playlist will make you cooler, sexier, or better at pinball — who cares? Oh you’re going to let doctors and lawyers rule your life? Have fun. Not me, I’ll be down at the arcade, sucking on rusty quarters because they make my tongue tingle. PEACE OUT NERD.