Everything Wrong Is Gonna Turn Out Right

Barry St. John “Turn On Your Light” – Barry St John belts out every line of this peppy bit of late 60s Glaswegian “Northern Soul” as though she’s trying to slap us in the face with the sound of her voice. The song is overwhelmingly upbeat and assertive to the point that it’s shouting out its own negativity — “you treat me so bad, but honey, it’s alright” — and creating a positive outcome by sheer force of will. (Click here to buy it from Soundlink.)

Paul Haig “Runnin’ Away” – Paul Haig’s 1982 version of Sly and the Family Stone’s “Runnin’ Away” has a slightly kitschy charm to it without pushing too far into obnoxious novelty or cheap irony. It’s a very smart song selection — though most Sly songs require a certain fire and passion, the clipped and somewhat deadpan delivery of the original lends itself well to being covered by post-punkers. That said, the reason Haig’s arrangement works mainly comes down to the way he transposed Sly’s brass hooks to a colorful synthesizer tone that sounds cut-rate, shoddy, and inexplicably comforting. (Click here buy it from CD Wow.)

Elsewhere: This will probably make absolutely no sense if you did not read 52, but the final entry of The Diary of Ralph Dibny is a classic, and definitely one of the best things you’ll find anywhere on the internet this week.