This Track Is Fire!

I discovered Nils Frahm, oddly enough, during a previous Bandcamp Friday, specifically his album Music For Animals  (so good!). I almost immediately became a fan of his electronic pieces, learning after that he started out as a pianist and then expanded into the realm of electronic music. This album captures his live performance at Funkhaus Berlin in Germany and I admit that it has been on my vinyl wishlight for a few years now. Last week it hit a price point that I was happy to pay, so I pulled the trigger. It arrived last Friday, and to say the album sublime does not do the word, or the album, justice. Neither does just saying "it's so fucking good ," though that is also certainly true. I have always preferred the visceral to the technical when it comes to my musical tastes, which explains my preference for Beethoven over Mozart, and this album moves  me. Shouldn't all great music? Honestly, it's hard to pick a single track from this performance as they are all ...

This is a recent discovery, but it fits with my unintended theme this week of synth-based music (other than, you know, the celebrities we lost). Also, I've been listening to it non-stop for the better part of the last day, but that's how my obsessions work. A couple listens? Sure, it's a good track. Almost constant repeat over the last 18 hours? Yeah, that has to go on the blog. I've already added this to my Bandcamp wishlish and will most likely be buying this track, if not the entire album, next week during Bandcamp Friday. I don't claim to be goth, but I am certainly goth adjacent in many of my interests, and that electric, throbbing synth line send chills up my spine, as a good post-punk track should. What can I say, this track is fire! Welcome to Friday, you've made it through the week! Enjoy! Matter of Choice by Cold Showers

Clue It Legend The list of movies and stage productions that Tim Curry starred in is vast and varied, showing his many facets as an actor. But yes, he will forever be tied to the iconic role of Dr. Frank-N-Further from  The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Apologies for the title of the song, it's a product of its time and the language used then. I do not intend to upset or offend. Again, kind of like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer , language, as well as what is acceptable, can change over time, and if you listen to the song and its lyrics, it's clear that the term was not used as a slur; in fact, it seems to be used in a very positive light. Don't get strung out by the way that I look Don't judge a book by its cover I'm not much of a man by the light of day But by night, I'm one hell of a lover I'm just a sweet transvestite From Transexual, Transylvania Curry was a bold and powerful talent who will be greatly missed, but we still have his art.

As you may have noticed from selection of Priest "Python" earlier this week, I am on a little bit of a synth kick (you should see my Shazamed songs), so I was reminded of this song earlier this week and just how much I love it. While I don't think that Blaqk Audio are trying to mimic Depeche Mode, the opening few seconds of "Stiff Kittens" certainly sounds like something DM would have put out in the early 80s. This isn't new; the song is 19 years old, but like any good synthpop tune, it sounds timeless (or, at least to my ears). "If you show me Heaven I will meet you there." So fucking good! You're halfway through the week! Enjoy!

I don't typically post on Tuesdays, but today we lost one of the last living legends of country music, Dolly Parton. There's nothing that I can say that could properly convey how important she was, not just to country music, but to the world. The affect that she had on people, her community, to countless number of people, is immeasurable. Yes, she was a celebrity, but she used that as a tool to help as many as she could. She was a diamond. She was unique. Saying that she will be missed is a vast understatement, to say the least. Thank you, Dolly, first for the music, but also for your philanthropy and for being a model human being. Thank you!

"Wait, didn't you just highlight Priest just five weeks ago ?" In fact, I did, and typically I would wait awhile before noting them again, but as fate would have it, Priest released the new single, "Python," for their forthcoming album Altered State Police  and holy shit, is it good! How do I know?  Because I am listening to it now, I listening to it earlier today, and according to Last.FM, I have listened to it several times since it was released on Friday. Obsess much?  Yes, I do, especially when a track is this good. So, yeah, I highlighted Priest back in July, and that song is very good as well, but they went ahead and released another fantastic song that I can't stop listening to daily. That's the very definition of fire! Happy Monday! Enjoy!

Today's vibe. Where were you when I was lonesome? Locked away with freezing cold Someone flying only stolen I can't tell this light so old I don't wanna swim the ocean I don't wanna fight the tide I don't wanna swim forever When it's cold I'd like to die Is it comforting or terribly depressing? Maybe both. You tell me. All that I know with certainty is that it is very moving. Welcome to Friday. Enjoy!

So, funny story. Actually, two funny stories. Last week when I was deep into Scene Queen and Wargasm (UK) I let the music keep playing and I stumbled across this track by Delilah Bon. I liked it immediately, but also the song, and her, seemed familiar, but I couldn't figure out why. Her music is clearly similar to the other artists I was listening to and I thought my friends Adam and Holly would like her, so I sent her a link to her track. They had, in fact, heard of her, and Adam reminded me that they had sent me a text in March of this year asking me to check out Delilah Bon, so yeah, I had listened to her before and forgotten. Ope. Now, is that because of my age, or the fact that I have too much music, because this is not the first time that I thought I had discovered an artist only to find out that I had already encountered them before, like I did with Boys Noize . Once again, if you like aggressive, female-fronted music with hip-hop beats and shredding guitars, Delilah Bon i...

Recently I heard something off of Dermot Kennedy's new album, The Weight of the Woods , and while it was a good song, it took me back to 2019, right before the pademic and this track that pulls at my heart strings. I remember we bought tickets to see him here in our town, but then COVID happened. Finally, in August of 2022, he was able to perform, and masked up we enjoyed hearing this song, and many others, live. And really, that's it: sometimes you hear a voice that hits you just right, and then, if you're lucky, you get to hear that talented singer all the way from Ireland perform in your town in the Midwest and it's a magical moment. Whenever I hear this I am thrown back to that evening. It was perfect. Just like this song. Happy Monday! Enjoy!

I first posted about Wargasm just over a year ago when I discovered them during a Bandcamp Friday and was only familiar with a few tracks of theirs. I saw in Intagram that they were touring wiht Scene Queen this year and were coming to my town, which I mentioned the other day . While I loved "Vigilantes," I wasn't sure if I wanted to see them as just an opening act, so I went to go listen to them some more and found that they released Live In London 2025  earlier this year. I threw it on and just let it play. And then I listened again. And again. Some bands put out bangers, no question, but some bands simply must be experienced live, or in this case, at least listened to live. I quickly went from "they might be fun to see" to "holy shit, I need  to see Wargasm!" Honestly, this album is 100% no skips for me, but I keep coming back to "Modern Love" over and over (why yes, I do obsess sometimes). Now that I have tickets to see them with Scene ...

I first heard of Scene Queen a few years back and her metal licks + pop hooks appealed to me much the same way that early BABYMETAL did.  I am not the biggest metal fan, but if it's catchy (like System of a Down, or at times, Korn) I am all about it. And this? This is fucking catchy while also being abrasive. That's my sweet spot. So, if you like your metal with phat beats and electronic boops & beeps with a tongue-in-cheek, sardonic feminist bent, then Scene Queen is for you! When I heard she was coming to Grand Rapids in October I hemmed and hawed about going to go see her as I knew she was defintely something my partner would enjoy, but on a whim I texted a fellow concert buddy and he was all in. And now we have tickets! Can't wait! Enjoy! Hot Singles In Your Area by Scene Queen

As I have noted before, I listen to a lot of music, and honestly, I can't always keep up with every band that I listen to, so imagine my surprise when I found out that a band that I was obsessed with a few years ago have released at least two albums that I wasn't even aware of, one of which came out this year. Oops! So just this last week I was doing some catching up and after a first listen, I really like what I am hearing from MISSIO's latest, Love & Heartbreak , so it would probably make sense for me to post one of their new songs. But that's not how my brain works sometimes. Their new album sent me down a musical rabbithole and I was tearing my way through their back catalog when I stopped several times to say, "oh man, this song is great" and then did that about four or five more times. Like I said, their new album is good, but I need to live with it a little bit longer (so don't be surprised when I post about it later), but my ADHD has taken be b...

I've already selected two EDM tracks this week, and though there's the contrarian part of me that thinks that maybe I should include something more guitar-based, as I was listening to various electronic artists this week I was reminded of how absolutely incredible Gesaffelstein was and is. So, fuck it, I am keeping with the vibe this week and highlighting one of my absolute favorites from his album Aleph (which is a great album from start to finish). Besides, while this is definitely not guitar-based, it is darker and heavier than the other tracks I shared this week, and since when is launching into the weekend with aggression a bad thing?  But also, DAMN! Do you hear that? This piece is the very definition of a track being FIRE! Have a great weekend! Enjoy!

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 back in February ! Buy something cool!

I know I posted another EBM tune on Monday , but sometimes that's just my mood (when I'm not obsessing over Joey Valence and Brae , that is). What do I know about the artist "i'm loam?" Nothing, other than this short track is a banger that I keep listening to and wiggling/dancing in my chair as I do so. A coworker/friend sent it along a few weeks ago, and yeah, I love it, it's fire. That's it. It makes you want to dance and it's really fucking good. I'll definitely be grabbing this during Bandcamp Friday this week. 'Nuff said! Enjoy! I'm loam - stay here don't go by CLUBR

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!

I discovered Ninajirasha sometime last year and was immediately blown away at the new-yet-old-school-sounding techno she was dropping. Porter Robinson, if you're not familiar, is a bit of an icon in the EDM world (and also, my stepson's favorite artists), so seeing the established working with the up-and-coming is always fun. This is especially true when their collaboration brings forth a track as good as this, but I may be biased by my love for both artists. It's Monday, start your week strong! Enjoy! WannaCry by Ninajirachi & Porter Robinson