12 Songs: Lost in Translation

Let’s spend the week abroad, shall we?

1. First up is Guitar Wolf. Godzilla rips the roof off CBGB’s: Japan’s fab four are rocking, unphased, as the ghosts of Johnny, Dee Dee, Tommy, and CJ Ramone all headbang in approval.

2. Next we’ll hear from Poland’s Brygada Kryzyz. This is a band with a fascinating story: banned from performing in or leaving their home country by a military junta in 1982 but ended up touring in support of their first album anyways. They made the Clash look like model citizens. 

3. At times, Mexico’s Los Dug Dugs were just a dirtier, psychedelic, fucked-up sounding Zeppelin. 

4. Not much is known about Takeshi Terauchi, but the jury is out: “Musume Doujouji” puts anything by the Ventures, Surfaris, or Trashmen to shame. 

5. Jacques Dutronc’s “Hippie Hippie Hourrah” sounds like Bob Dylan took a wrong turn somewhere off Highway 61 and wound up on Sesame Street instead. Weird but true. —Jackson Todd

Listen to the rest on Spotify here.

Listen on Apple Music here.

[above photo: Los Dug Dugs, mid ‘70s, photographer unknown]