Music of the Day, 19 January 2025
it might just be you got no problem with me
I don’t remember how I discovered today’s featured band, but I remember very well listening to the disc that today’s MotD comes from on repeat at home and in my car back in 1994. The music eventually faded from my mind but resurfaced several years later, as I was going through a difficult period. Its raw intensity buttressed me, and the lyrics gave me plenty to think about.
My best guess is my recent Pink Floyd MotD triggered something that eventually brought this song back in to the daylight. And wow, does it still hit hard.
Weight is the only Henry Rollins1 album I’ve owned from any of his musical projects. I think I want to keep it that way; its powerful music probably can’t be topped by other efforts. I listened to just a couple of other tracks from Weight before deciding to feature “Wrong Man”; I hope to make time to listen to the full album later today.
“Wrong Man” resonated with me at first listen for a variety of reasons, some of which are too personal to get in to here. The overall message—that an individual isn’t well served by stereotypes and/or prejudices that are intended to protect but instead project—is as relevant as ever, even as its specific subject is addressed in a way that’s uncomfortably close for some to an often dismissive meme.
Sim Cain on drums and Melvin Gibbs on bass are—forgive the pun—weighty and tight, providing a solid foundation for Chris Haskett’s guitar and Rollins’ vocals to build on. The album’s Wiki page categorizes it as alt-metal, which seems overly simplistic. It’s dirty, funky, and punky metal, and it’s irresistible to me.
I knew of Black Flag, but today’s research hasn’t jogged any musical memories from the band