Daily living is a tightrope. One second I’m walking the dog with my head in the clouds, and the next I’m watching Ms. Johnson smack her kid on the mouth for dripping his drawers. The Circle Jerks captured sordid moments in time. Here was a group of derlicts making sharp observations about the muck flooding the streets. Here was a band weaving together tightly wound punk tunes about urban blight, as an attempt to make sense of this mess known as the human experience .

The 1985 LP, Wonderful, is one of the great punk albums of all time. Standout tracks include every song on this album. Quick fixes that work better than a shot of Red Bull include: “The Crowd,” followed by “American Heavy Metal Weekend,” “Wonderful,” and “I and I”. But this tune, “15 Minutes”, is timeless — good stories always are, especially ones that take the listener on a walk across the tightrope.

Listen and hear the song of a boy making a decision. How 15 minutes is all it takes to change the direction of one’s life. The buildups are intense — especially when the drums push the tempo to another level (right about 2 min/30 seconds), a level where madness is the only clarity worth drinking.

Have a good walk.

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Evan Dando released a Lemonheads album in 2006; he called it The Lemonheads as well. I found the reunion a little strange, especially because Dando is the only original member standing. Then again, the band pretty much sported a revolving cast of characters, besides Dando, since day one.

The album isn’t remarkable, but I love the fact that Bill Stevenson and Karl Alvarez joined forces to back Dando. Alvarez is a solid bass player (Descendents/ALL), while Stevenson is one of the great punk drummers of all time (Black Flag/Descendents/ALL,etc.). I also admire the spirit of the Lemonheads: low key roots rock meets post punk, ala Husker Du, Replacements, etc.

My mind expected greatness. But reality said, “This beast is a little boring.” Don’t get me wrong — it’s a hell of a lot better than the radio crap infiltrating the airwaves, or that hip stuff trolling down Avenue A. But I wanted more. I wanted Lick meets Milo Goes to College. Some days it’s best to be okay with third place.

Let’s play a track. “Steve’s Boy is the grabber on this album. It was written by Stevenson, and features rock demigod, J. Mascis, on guitar. This song belongs on the mix tape for cleaning out the mess in the bedroom closet. This song belongs magnetized on the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Listen well.

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So many songs — so little time to pay my bills.

Black Mountain’s “No Satisfaction” reminds me a hell of a lot of the Velvet Underground’s “We”re Gonna’ Have A Real Good Time Together”. Both songs help me feel cool inside. I wonder though, is Black Mountain a group of contrived hipsters, or are they simply solid musicians that write sharp witted tunes? Does it matter?

Here’s a few words from the lead vocals:

“Everybody likes to claim things/And everybody likes to shame things/And everybody likes to clang bells around.”

At the point when those lyrics enter — the song hits a majestic climax that rivals a perfectly executed Chasey Lain moment. Suddenly, I’m thinking warm and fuzzy thoughts, like how the curry chicken my wife made for dinner last Tuesday tasted damn good. I’m also thinking that sometimes it’s best to remember we’re all sputtering around in the mud together.

Following that bridge, a voice appears and starts chanting “Da Du Na — Na Na” over and over. This voice sounds a hell of lot like Lou Reed, and I want to tuck it away in my drawer to help me through the Monday morning grind.

Enjoy the song.

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