This Track Is Fire!

For a guy that predominantly likes synth-pop and dance music, I have to say that HEALTH is one of my favorite musical discoveries of the last five or so years, and this track  is  fire, so there. While I understand that the end of summer is technically the third week of September, just like how Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer. I'm getting older and the years, and their summers, are coming and going faster and faster each year. I don't like it, so here's some industrial/noise rock/metal whose marching guitars reflect my sour disposition over the fact that I have to say goodbye to summer before I am ready to let it go. This is wonderful, aggressive music that fits my mood today.  Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow, but for now, I want to listen to music like this and break stuff. Have a great weekend! VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR by HEALTH

  I recently rediscovered this lovely, chill track from five years ago, and it's immediately back into my rotation. If you're not familiar, SPC ECO is what came after one of the greatest bands of the 90s/00s, Curve, disbanded. While not the same band by any means, there is a vibe, a theme, a similarness that exists in both musical projects, most likely due to the fact that SPC ECO is the brain child of Dean Garcia, half of Curve, and his daughter, Rose Berlin. Sometimes I want to rock, sometimes I want to dance, and sometimes I want to chill the fuck out. This track is perfect for the latter. If you're interested, I wrote a much longer piece about SPC ECO, Curve, and this track on my main blog . Enjoy! FRI-20-2020 by SPC ECO

  I saw Nine Inch Nails for what I believe is my fifth time on Friday, and Boys Noize was not only the opening act, he was also on the "B Stage" playing with Trent/Atticus for four songs in the middle of the set, delivering a remixed/retooled version of "Closer" that I absolutely love. You can check out that part of the set below (starting with "Vessel" and moving into "Closer"): While all of that is certainly impressive, Boys Noize is no slouch when it comes to his own music. If I am being completely honest, I was torn as to which track of his I should post here, either "Close" or "Girl Crush," but as I listened to them both, man, it was a hard decision because they are both so good, but I had to go with my heart. That Gesaffelstein-esque, synth bassline just appeals to me in a way that is difficult to put into words, so I won't. I'll let Boys Noize's music speak for itself. Enjoy! Happy Monday! +/- by Boys Noize

As you read this I am most likely packing or already in a car heading toward Detroit to go see Nine Inch Nails perform at Little Caesar's Arena. I believe that this will be the fifth time that I am seeing them live, while this will be Shalee's first time. For a band (I can say that now because NIN is now Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) that has been around for as long as they have you might think that they'd be tempted to rest on their laurels, but not so with NIN. Yes, this track sounds  like them, but you can also hear the influence of synthwave on this track, with hints of pop, because, of course you would. NIN is still evolving, and that's exciting. This sounds exactly as it should: a newer, fresher take on the same kind of music you heard on Pretty Hate Machine,  all the way back in 1989. For a group to remain vital after 10 or 20 years is impressive enough, but nearly 35 years on Nine Inch Nails still bring the heat. As a lifelong fan I am happy to say that this t...

I know almost nothing about 21 Savage other than I knew he was a rapper with some amount of popularity, nor do I recall how I even came across this track. Honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of the lyrics (they hew a bit too misogynistic for my usual tastes). And yet....and yet, damn, there's just something about this track that I just love . Enjoy!

This is going to be a longer entry than most, so please bear with me. Last Friday would have been my dad's 72nd birthday, had he not passed away from cancer in the Spring of 2014, but I think he may have loved this. When this album first showed up in my Bandcamp music feed I was curious. "Wasn't Irvine Welsh the author of the book Trainspotting ?" I thought to myself, wondering why he would be making an album. Turns out this is the companion soundtrack to his latest novel, Men In Love , that takes place in the same world as Trainspotting  (I'm not entirely sure if it's a prequel or sequel). That said, Welsh thought that a soundtrack needed to coincide with the book, and honestly, I love it. Sure, I'm linking just the first track, but the entire album is great, so much so that for my money, this is my favorite album of 2025 (so far). This is a touch surprising for me; as you can see from this blog I'm usually the guy that likes music that goes boop-boop...

Certainly not a new cut, this is the first track I ever heard from REZZ, the Canadian by way of Ukraine DJ, known for her deep bass lines.  If you're like me, every so often you hear a song that makes you stand up and pay attention, and "Edge" certainly did that for me. I immediately dove into her back catalog, which wasn't that deep at the time (I think I found her in 2018), but I've been happily following her output ever since. And tomorrow night I get to see her at Breakaway Michigan (as long as it doesn't rain)! Check it! Have a great weekend!

Oh, hey, look! Another  another track I bought during Bandcamp Friday . Just as I said during Monday's post, I prefer a cover that brings something new to the song. I feel that this song, and really, this entire album, does that.  You see, these aren't just covers by some random reggae band. No, these are some true reggae legends collaborating as a group to give a Caribbean take on songs most of us already know and love. I confess that I have been on a bit of a Fleetwood Mac vinyl kick the last several months, so hearing this fun cover is a nice way to hear an old favorite in a new way. Enjoy! The Mighty Rootsmen by The Mighty Rootsmen

  Like a hazy, lush, cannibis-fueled haze, Cigarettes After Sex have put a new spin on REO Speedwagon's "Keep On Loving You," and I'm here for it. Listen, I appreciate a good cover, but I do not want to hear another artist try to recreate a song almost note-for-note like the original, especially if the latter was a hit. I want to hear a different take, an alternative approach to a song that I already know. Perhaps the most powerful example of this is what Johnny Cash did with NIN's "Hurt."  I'm not saying that the key to a good cover is to slow things down, sure, sometimes that is true, but the important aspect is to bring something new to the song, make the audience consider it from another perspective, and that's exactly what Cigarettes After Sex did here. Happy Monday! Affection by Cigarettes After Sex

  Remember what I said about seeing some of my recent purchases showing up here ? Dark, ominous synths with a beat are my jam. Conjuring comparisons to Gesaffelstein, the fat bassline and throbbing beat is sensual and sultry in the darkest, almost-ominous, ways. Is this track trying to get me into bed? Who does this track think it is, "Blue" by LaTour? All valid questions, which I will answer in the morning after I rethink everything this track talked me into the night before. Halo (Deluxe Edition) by Starfounder

When I'm not buying electronic music and punk on Bandcamp  you can sometimes find me buying independent rap instead. I know a fair amount of rap, but I'm the first person to admit that at 50+ years of age that my finger is not on the pulse of the current state of hip-hop, but I know what I like. And this, this I like very much. Give this a listen and tell me it's not catchy, I dare you. Horse by Prof

Hello! Over on my main blog I've written about my purchases from Bandcamp Friday for August 2025 . I'd like to keep this blog focused on individual tracks, so if you're interested in what I bought last week you can find that post there. I'm sure you'll be seeing some of the music I purchased show up here as well in the coming days/weeks/months. As always, support independent artists and music!

  My last post I noted how it was a touch difficult to post songs that weren't  synth-pop from my purchases on Bandcamp.com, because the bulk of my purchases do, in fact, involve a synthesizer mixed with pop. "Have You Ever?" is no exception.  Maybe it's a cop-out to say this, but there's a musical umami about this track that just works for me. I can't put my finger on it, but when I first heard this song all I could do was nod my head and say, "YES!" Side note: what is it about Austin, Texas that there are so many new synth and post-punk bands coming from there? Maybe it's the water, the food, or the atmosphere, whatever it is, I hope they keep pumping out bands like Urban Heat. I hope you had a good Bandcamp Friday last week. I'll be writing about my purchases soon! Enjoy! Wellness by Urban Heat

  I think I have said here before that synth-pop, that boop-boop-beep, is my happy place. As I have placed a limitation on myself for last week and this week to only link to those artists/songs that one can find on Bandcamp, well, that love for electronic music has become all too evident. So, it took a little extra effort, and I assure you, this track ain't that (synth-pop, that is). Hey, I also like punk, and there's not much better when it comes to punk rock than Idles. I mean, how do you not love both the title of this track or the album that it came from? My partner isn't the biggest fan of most punk, but when it's this good she actually enjoys it while she sings along. Maybe you will too. Happy Bandcamp Friday! Joy as an Act of Resistance. by IDLES