First and foremost, stellar mixes of late, Matthew—my daily trek to the five o’clock hour has been hella tempered by some fresh backtracking. And right on about “Off the Pedestel”—love the H&A cut, but they really put some air under it on stage. (Also, one of us should definitely be That Guy who randomly shouts during an AoL outro; God willing, we too will be immortalized on tape.) Anyhoo, in the interest of returning the favor, I thought I’d throw up some (in my mind) great construction jams. For whatever reason, nothing says domicile erection to me like the pub rock-new wave crossover perfected by Joe Jackson, Graham Parker (the Rumour), Elvis Costello, Paul Weller (the Jam), and Nick Lowe (Rockpile) during the late seventies/early eighties. Emerging in an era dominated by the excesses of progressive rock and glam, these progenitors of England’s Angry Young Men movement embraced the throwback aesthetics of garage-y lo-fi R&B—rootsy enough to scream “gettin’ it done,” but with that Stiff edge to let you know it isn’t your dad’s classic rock, like some beautiful mélange of Springsteen and the Clash, sans the sentimental grandiose* but with just as much sneer-filled giddyup. May the wiggly bass lines prove the perfect accouterment to carpentry….

“I’m the Man” by Joe Jackson, off I’m the Man (1979)

“Local Girls” by Graham Parker, off Squeezing Out Sparks (1979)

“Pump It Up” by Elvis Costello, off This Year’s Model (1978)

“Going Underground” by The Jam, off Setting Sons (1979)

“When I Write the Book” by Rockpile, off Seconds of Pleasure (1980)

“Emotional Traffic” by The Rumour, off Frogs, Sprouts, Clogs, & Krauts (1979)

*Don’t take this wrong. I like the Boss. A lot.