This Track Is Fire!

What is Bandcamp Friday, you may ask? All you need to know is right  here . It's always good to support independent artists and independent music, especially when Bandcamp is foregoing their cut for 24 hours. Here's what I bought last month ! Buy something cool!

My daughter shared this track with me the other night (as we do) and at first I enjoyed the thumping rap, and though it was good, what sold me on this song is right about the 1:13 mark when that discordant electronic sound starts ripping through it. That, to me, is music to my ears. I know it's not all that similar to Aphex Twin "Come To Daddy" but that cold, synthetic riff does remind me of that track in its ability to create a discomforting song. Why do I like music like that? No idea, but I do, and this track is fire!

What is Bandcamp Friday, you may ask? All you need to know is right  here . It's always good to support independent artists and independent music, especially when Bandcamp is foregoing their cut for 24 hours. Buy something cool!

Mannequin Pussy I've Got Heaven was my favorite album of 2024 (I said so here ), and a large part of that are the songs that surprised me. MP were initially a punk band, and to that effect they still are, but on their Perfect EP from 2021 they started to experiment outside of the traditional punk sound, sometimes going quieter, more vulnerable. On I Got Heaven  they continued to grow, evolve, and though there are still plenty of face-melting punk tunes, this song is a nice balance of chill mixed with a boot to the face. I loved this song when I first heard it two years ago, but due to their Tiny Desk appearance I have rediscovered it and placed it back into my song rotation. Happy Monday! I Got Heaven by MANNEQUIN PUSSY

I discovered this track thanks to the custom playlist that was created for me by the excellent  Turn & Work blog , so be sure to check them out! You can find the entire awesome playlist  here .   This song has this muffled drum sound that breaks into femaile vocals before this loud, guitar-right-up-to-your-ear-while-I-scream-in-your-face-but-also-kinda-poppy aspect jumps in. I don't know what to call that, but I love it. Throw your hands! Angel's Mess by WAAX

I discovered this track thanks to the custom playlist that was created for me by the excellent Turn & Work blog , so be sure to check them out! You can find the entire awesome playlist here . Listen, I am already a sucker for electronic music, so when you couple it with a fun, driving beat, it's almost a foregone conclusion that I'm going to like it. I think that they best way I can describe this track is that it's a joyful cacophony. The first few times I listened to it I had no idea what the lyrics were, but loved it just the same. I just looked them up a few minutes ago, and honestly, it makes me like the song even more as it feels like a nice analogy to the chaotic feelings of young love/lust. Enjoy! The Pure Joy of Jumping by Drook

Hopefully you got to see the Nine Inch Nails/Boys Noize collaboration known as "Nine Inch Noize" performing this past weekend (and the weekend before) at Coachella, either online or in person, because it was fantastic ! So, is it any surprise today that I am on my 10th full listen of this entire album? If you're interested, I had more to say about it on my main blog . I watched the feed last week on April 11 (and bit of the April 18 performance) and was blown away; I also saw this collaboration twice on the recently concluded Peel It Back  tour and they were epic each time, which I talked about last September , so I highly recommend having a listen if you have not done so already. Truly, every track on this album is a banger, but I had to go with "Vessel" because I was simply not familiar with the track prior to the Peel It Back tour, and it has now become on of my favorites, not just off of this album, but as a NIN song. Happy Monday! Enjoy!

Just a reminder that the Nine Inch Nails/Boys Noize collaboration known as "Nine Inch Noize" is performing again on Saturday, April 18 in the Sahara tent at Coachella at 8:00 PST. Their new album came out today. I watched the feed last week and was blown away; I also saw this collaboration twice on the recently concluded Peel It Back  tour and they were epic each time, which I talked about last September , so check it out!

The xx just performed at Coachella on Friday night, and they're going to do  the same thing tonight . Other than some shows in Mexico City the week before, this was the first time that The xx had performed on stage together in almost eight years. Part of that time away was used by each of the respective members to release solo works. This one is from Oliver Sim's album Hideous Bastard , remixed by his bandmate Jamie xx. During their set last weekened Romy got a moment to shine performing one of her tracks, then Jamie, and finally Oliver, before shifting back over to selections from The xx's oeuvre.  I wasn't familar with this track before their performance, but now I can't stop listening to it. I guess that's how I know that this track is fire! Happy Friday! You made it to the weekend. Enjoy! GMT (Jamie xx Remix) by Oliver Sim & Jamie xx

The xx just performed at Coachella on Friday night, and they're going to do  the same thing next Friday . Other than some shows in Mexico City the week before, this was the first time that The xx had performed on stage together in almost eight years. Part of that time away was used by each of the respective members to release solo works. This one belongs to Jamie xx, and though this is not the track that he played during The xx set, it is my favorite track from his album In Waves . In short, if you're in the mood to shake your ass, you can't do much worse than this. That driving beat, man!, it just gets me going every time. I love it! Happy Wednesday, you're more than halfway through the week. Enjoy! In Waves by Jamie xx feat. The Avalanches

The xx just performed at Coachella on Friday night, and they're going to do the same thing next Friday . Other than some shows in Mexico City the week before, this was the first time that The xx had performed on stage together in almost eight years. Part of that time away was used by each of the respective members to release solo works. This one is Romy's, and hot damn, it's exactly the kind of dance pop that I am into. I confess that I hadn't taken the time to explore their respective solo albums, but after their fantastic set this weekend, I'm diving in head first, because this track is fire!  

Just a reminder that the Nine Inch Nails/Boys Noize collaboration known as "Nine Inch Noize" is performing on Saturday, April 11 in the Sahara tent at Coachella at 8:00 PST (moved a day back since the original announcement). Oh, and they have an album coming out next week, which they announced on the NIN Instragram account . I saw this collaboration twice on the recently concluded NIN tour and they were epic each time, which I talked about last September , so check it out!

Update:   As you may have gleaned from the post that follows, I am much more of a Leftfield fan than I am an Afrika Bambaataa fan. I had some passing knowledge of his importance in the rap and electronic music spheres, but what I was not aware of ( until someone commented on Threads ) was the sexual abuse accuastions made against him . I would never intentially laud such a person; this fault is on me for not doing a more in-depth internet search before I posted. I'm leaving it up because I don't want to hide my mistake; it happened and I own it, but also, as I noted in the post that follows, my interest was more in Leftfield than Bambaataa. The acccusations don't change the quality of the track, but it does greatly diminish my perception of one of the artists involved with said song. My apologies. Leftfield are a fantastic outfit who crafted one of my favorite electronic records of the 90s, Rhythm and Stealth . So why am I bringing up an album that's nearly 27 years old...

I was watching the Maya Rudolph episode of Track Star* the other day (isn't she just the best?) when the Paul Simon album Graceland came up. Let's be clear on something: Graceland is a classic album for a reason, and for my money, it's one of the small subset of perfect albums in existence. I have some other works by Simon, whether they are his solo efforts or with his former partner Art Garfunkel, either on vinyl, CD, or mp3, but this is the album that I have owned in various formats throughout the years because I just love it so very much. Selecting a song is difficult because there are so many strong selections here; the antagonistic side of my refuses to select the obvious choice ("You Can Call Me Al"), but should I have picked "The Boy In The Bubble," "Homeless," or "Graceland?" All are fantastic selections, but I am a sucker for songs that tell a story (see: almost every Johnny Cash song ever), so my heart goes with this track....

In my opinion and experience there are many, many great albums, but there are few perfect  albums where I never skip a single track. Weezer's debut, untitled album (often referred to by the fans as simply "Blue"), is one such album. And it would be so very easy to pick "Undone (The Sweater Song," "Say It Ain't So," or "Buddy Holly" as great selections from this album, and honestly, I might highlight them in the future. But for me, the song "Surf Wax America" reminds me of being in college, working third shift the week of Spring Break because I didn't have money to go anywhere fun, enjoying the song with my friend Steve, who also loved this song so very dearly. It's a core memory of mine, because this album, this track, was important to me in my youth. Also, it's straight up fire the way that they harmonize on that chorus. All along the undertow (you take your car to work) Is strengthening its hold (I'll take my b...

I'll be the first to admit that I am not necessarily a fan of Arcade Fire. I respect them and their art, and their music is fine, but for whatever reason it has just never appealed to me, except for a few select songs. This is one of them. Perhaps it says something that this isn't a typical Arcade Fire song, but this one does speak to me. A large part of it are the lyrics. I've always been a bit of a nerd, a bit left of center, and bit on the cusp of the norm, not a Goth, but sometimes Goth-adjacent. Finding your people and being who you are and true to oneself has always been a draw for me: They heard me singing and they told me to stop Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock These days, my life, I feel it has no purpose But late at night the feelings swim to the surface 'Cause on the surface the city lights shine They're calling at me, "Come and find your kind" Welcome to Friday! Enjoy!

It's been almost a year since Shalee and I were able to see one of our bucket list acts, Jack White, and as I was reflecting on that this morning I realized there here on my music blog (which started after said show) I have neither posted a Jack White nor White Stripes track. What is wrong with me? As we approach that personal musical milestone for us I am reminded of heading to Detroit last year to visit Third Man records, where I finally grabbed this album on vinyl. True, I often like the boop-boop-beep, but there's just something about the raw rock'n roll of it all when it comes to Jack White. I fucking love this song. Oh! And he's the musical guest on SNL this weekend . Note: I'm not saying you have to buy it on vinyl, and I have no science to back me on this, but it certainly feels like all of Jack White's music is best experienced on vinyl, but that's just me. Enjoy! No Name by Jack White