NUDGE Tunes VOL IV: Time to Tilt
Themed playlists for your pinball pleasure
A note from your editor: We’re gonna try something new. Sure it’s great to get MY input on what tunes to listen to — but I’m just one measly man. What if we opened things up to people who like dope music? What if we themed it to the kinda music you like? Welp, that’s exactly what we did, cowboy. Sometimes you wanna get punk, but other times you get wanna New Wave. We get it. Stay tuned in the future for hardcore tunes, nu-soul, and whatever else we find that’s completely DAUPE and 100% certified NUDGE FRESH.
This mix was scientifically designed to get you off
That place where good pinball happens? This mix gets you there. Not every time, and not forever — but it works. Put this shit on and do what needs to be done. It’s going to happen. That’s a Nudge guarantee. We spend a lot of time in various stupors putting mixes together. We’re really good at this. Trust us.
Spotify sucks. Why Spotify? That’s not very punk of you.
Well hey, who died and made you punk rock sheriff? But seriously, legit question. As a buncha former middling musicians and dudes who are still friends w real musicians who struggle to make money: Why are we doing a Spotify playlist? Spotify is notorious for not paying artists what they’re worth, they ruined downtown Oakland, and uh, the whole algorithm approach to liking stuff weirds us out. That said, we’ll give you a couple of reasons why we decided on this format.
It’s easy. We don’t have a team of hackers working around the clock to get you amazing content. We have a guy smoking weed at 11:30 PM and just sorta figuring stuff out. Spotify makes it insanely easy to make and embed playlists.
They have a ton of music. Do they have everything? Hell no. Not even close. They do have a surprising amount of awesome stuff.
Our goal is not to get you to support Spotify. It’s to support these artists. When applicable (and available) we’ll try and link to better, more equitable links for the artists we feature. That’s gonna include a buncha Bandcamp and other streamers who put artists first. IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND ARE AN ARTIST AND DON’T LIKE SPOTIFY, CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY AND WE WILL TAKE YOU OFF — NO QUESTIONS ASKED. That said, I hope y’all take this in the spirit with which it is intended: we wanna showcase dope artists that will make you play pinball better. That’s it. We good?
NUDGE VOL IV: Time to TILT
OUR SECOND GUEST PLAYLIST COMES FROM OUR MUSIC COLUMNIST, MATT KEIL
Who are you?
Hello it’s me, Matt K. I am the OFFICIAL MUSIC REVIEWER of Nudge, which makes me the staff member most likely to be kidnapped and carved into pieces over my terrible opinions. The only thing people love more than music is their own taste in music. They love getting high on their own ass fumes and arguing with others online who disagree. You know who has great taste? Me. So I’m bringing you with me on a journey. Would you like to join me in the sweaty basements and VFW halls of planet Earth to enjoy some of the finest hardcore punk our species has to offer? Do you have what it takes to deal with the violent dancing and stench of the most oafish music fans possible? While admiring the art of the most tenuously employed musicians possible? Let’s go.
Why should we care about you/this music?
At this point I have spent the majority of my life up to my ass in this stupid music. This playlist has been (sort of) carefully curated to bring out the best in those stubby flipper stabbing digits of yours. And I’m not just selling this stuff…I’m also a customer! My basement is jampacked with decades of vinyl and CDs that you can honestly just have. Come over and take my stuff. I really want to get a pool table and all this shit is in the way of my dreams. Let’s make my problems your problems! This playlist blends some tunes that have been stuck in my head for nearly 20 years, as well as some “newer” under-the-radar hits that will maybe inspire you to go hard, and possibly to then go even harder.
What’s on the playlist?
At the heart of the matter, good hardcore punk should compel one to skate, and skate with reckless abandon. If my beautiful soul didn’t currently occupy the body of a little fucked up old guy, this playlist would have me bombing hills. Unfortunately, I have a very high insurance deductible, so that’s not possible. But you know what is just as exciting and athletic as skateboarding? That’s right, pinball. Put this in your ears and hit the tables. This playlist has a wingspan, folks. From the earliest dawn of the genre to modern day bangers. From Scandinavia to California. I put the word new in quotation marks earlier because I absorb music at a snail’s pace, so what’s considered new to these old ears might in fact be “washed,” or even “cringe” to you young people.
Artist 1: Violent Minds
Violent Minds to me are as close to a “perfect” hardcore band as we’re going to get in 2021. Combines all the best aspects of early American hardcore with a stripped down Motorhead/D-Beat kinda thing. Very straightforward and confrontational sounding. The recording quality toes the line between old and new very well, in my opinion. They draw scary dogs on their album art too, so while you listen you can picture yourself being chased through a junkyard by a deranged mutt. Spotify doesn’t have a lot of their tunes up there because Spotify does NOT come correct. For shame!
Artist 2: Impalers
What’s that, ANOTHER band from Canada? That’s right, everybody. I’m a big Canada guy. It’s quality over quantity up there. Actually I’m not even sure this band is from Canada, they’re sooooo mysterious. Impalers just sound like an absolute nightmare. Ripping and ferocious hardcore. Leans heavily into that primitive and fuzzy recording technique that bands like Hoax have popularized recently. Again, that was actually like 10 years ago but whatever. The music does the talking, check it out.
Artist 3: Leatherface
Not technically a hardcore band, though Jerry A from Poison Idea said that if he could write a song half as good as “Peasant in Paradise” he would die a happy man.If it’s good enough for Poison Idea, it’s good enough for you. Honestly, Leatherface are probably my favorite punk band of all time. Simultaneously abrasive and beautiful. The depth of expression in the guitar playing alone is untouched by their peers, in my humble opinion. (I am known for my humility, just read any of my music reviews on Nudge). They made most of their music in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and they’re from Northern England, so many of the lyrical references won’t register and you’ll have no idea what the fuck they’re talking about. It’s lovely! Just TRY not to shed a tear in the darkened corners of the arcade while Frankie Stubbs and company belt out that rich Thatcher era melancholy.
