This Friday, February 17, Pinkney Hall will be extended for an extra hour, running from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m.. After 10 a.m., we will be playing nothing but jazz. Mardi Gras is just around the corner, so during both hours we’ll emphasize music from New Orleans.

If John Fahey still walked the earth, he would be 73 years old on February 28. On February 25, Pinkney Hall will celebrate Fahey’s birthday by playing his music and other music related to his life.

Requests related to these themes can be sent to wrctpinkney@gmail.com or by calling the studio (412-621-9728) while the show is on the air.

Few albums can remind me of home like ZOX’s 2006 release, The Wait. Perhaps this is because the just so happens to be a local legend where I come from. The Providence based quartet is on a sort of hiatus right now, but that doesn’t stop them from reuniting and tearing apart Lupo’s (a local venue in Providence) for an evening once or twice a year. The Wait, their second of three releases, is a masterful blend of ska, punk, and alternative influences, with a shredding viola player thrown in for good measure.

The album opener (after a 30 second intro track of echoed drums) is “Thirsty,” which is carried by guitarist/lead singer, Eli Miller’s catchy ska riffs. His heartfelt, straight-to-the-point lyricism is displayed prominently here, as he bellows in the chorus “This wouldn’t be the first time / You left me thirsty / This wouldn’t be the first time you went your way and left me empty, dry.”

The album’s lead single comes in third and it is the bass driven “Carolyn.” A gorgeously structured pop song driven by Dan Edinberg’s smooth bass lines, Carolyn offers a very honest story about the troubles of being in love.

This is a reoccurring theme on The Wait, as Eli Miller tends to focus on the more difficult part of his love life. Unlike many of the genre’s whiney counterparts, he comes off entirely sincere.

Other stand out tracks on the album include “A Little More Time,” “Spades,” and “Anything But Fine.” The songs are phenomenally constructed, sporting clever lyricism (“You said that words could only get you so far / But I’ve got sentences to cover up all my scars”) and intelligent musicianship. What is astounding about ZOX as a band is that they are simply a whole band. Each member shines in their own particular way, whether it be Spencer Swain’s catchy viola riffs in “Can’t Look Down” (embedded below… try to not get it stuck in your head, I dare you) or John Zox’s simply undeniable drum grooves on tracks like “Big Fish”.

I will leave you with this: ZOX is a very tight band. It’s simply four musicians who know how to write great songs. If you want to up your indie hipster cred (sample conversation: “Have you ever heard of ZOX? No? I didn’t think so. They’re pretty obscure…”) and find some music that is in no way shitty, but is in all ways awesome, I would suggest listening to The Wait.

In 1988, pop culture’s unkempt poster child of doom and gloom and lead singer of British supergroup The Cure, Robert Smith, married his childhood sweetheart — Mary Poole. To honor the occasion, Smith wrote “Lovesong,” perhaps one of the world’s most covered songs.

Despite the fact that musicians such as Adele, 311, Jack Off Jill, Tori Amos, and Death Cab for a Cutie have covered this song, it is perhaps one of The Cure’s weakest. When compared to every other song on 1989’s Disintegration, something isn’t quite right.

It could be Smith’s disregard for his signature three-minute introductions, or perhaps the lack of multifaceted lyrical interpretations, that make the song so boring in comparison to the rest of the album. In “Lovesong,” Smith croons “however far away / I will always love you” over and over again. What happened to the sad, dark, and depressing Smith that we all know and love?

Other songs on Disintegration follow The Cure’s formula of melodic happiness juxtaposed with oh-so-sad lyrics. On “Lullaby,” Smith is afraid of a spider, while on “Pictures of You,” Smith reminisces on a lost love. Despite this shift in formulation, “Lovesong” peaked at number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and has been covered too many times to count.

I guess people love the straightforward presentation of the song: It’s comforting and idealistic. I know Valentine’s Day is coming up, but please, whatever you do, do not play this song. If you’re alone and looking for some good music, check out The Cure’s extensive back catalog.

Also, regardless of your plans for this fantastically commercial holiday that allows Hallmark to stay in business and creates an artificial demand for roses, you should call up your mom, and tell her that you love her.