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Liner Notes (September 23rd, 2023)

Posted by Jason Tate
Wine

Well, Blink week finally came. How we feeling? Dry eyes? This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

A Few Things

  • I made a few changes around the website this week related to better sorting options. Adding sort to the author pages has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.
  • iOS 17 was released this week. My first impressions: It feels a lot like iOS 16 but with a few new niceties. As always, the MacStories review is the definitive review and dives far more into the details. I haven’t discovered anything so far that’s blown me away. The watchOS update has messed with my muscle memory, but I mostly like it. I don’t particularly appreciate that the new Shortcuts app on the watch now launches with a bunch of extra stuff at the bottom instead of listing all the specific Shortcuts I’ve said I want on the watch. Why show me Compass or other apps instead of the eight I’ve handpicked on my watch that I want instant access to? At least it remembers if I tap into the folder. I see myself using the widget view sparingly. Hannah upgraded to the new iPhone 15 Pro. I handled it a little last night while helping her set it up and transfer all the files. I love the feel of it. The weight difference alone made me jealous. She had ordered a FineWoven case, but that shit got sent back the moment she touched it. There’s no way that’s holding up in Oregon weather, and the tactile feel gave me the neck shivers.

Sponsor

MxPx has been sponsoring the website and newsletter for the past month. The band recently released their new album, Find a Way Home, and just released a new video for “What I Tell Myself.” And you can find the band on the latest episode of the Artist Friendly podcast.

A massive thank you to the band for sponsoring Chorus for the past five weeks. If you still need to check out their new album, please do, even if just to let them know you heard about it here.

In Case You Missed It

Music Thoughts

  • The big music news this week was Blink-182 announcing their new album and sharing two new songs from it. Usually, I wouldn’t say I like to pre-announce I’m reviewing something in case life gets in the way and I’m unable to finish; however, I want to save most of my thoughts on the new music for the full review. I think a lot of how I feel about “One More Time” translates to my thesis for the album as a whole. I will say that I got more emails and texts from people after the release of that song than I have any I can remember in a long time. My dad, old friends, group chats, everyone was talking about it, and everyone loved it. It seems to be doing quite well so far, and from what I’ve heard, their next video is also a smash. I promise I have much, much more to say about this band and album soon. We’re in the final stretch now.
  • Don’t sleep on Boys Like Girls’ “New Love” or Bleachers’ “Modern Girl” this week — both great.
  • The National’s Laugh Track reminds me a lot of what I said about their previous: “The new National album is a very National album. It’s the kind of album that works great late at night after a long day. It’s not breaking the mold or doing anything you wouldn’t expect, but it does what it set out to be well.” I could literally type that again.
  • Sincere Engineer’s new album, Cheap Grills, gives off nice alternative rock album vibes. I enjoyed my first listen. I wrote about Taylor Acorn’s new EP a few weeks back, but it’s now out and has some killer tracks on it. And Zach Bryan is a ridiculous songwriting machine. Right on the heels of a new album, he just drops a new EP full of even more great songs.
  • The new Al Menne album should fill that Phoebe Bridgers hole in your life.
  • I was listening to Justin Timberlake’s Man in the Woods earlier this week. That’s an album that just never grabbed me. It has some good songs, but it also feels middling. I may be in the minority, and the dude’s superstar success is undeniable. But a part of me wishes we could go back and re-do his solo career after FutureSex/LoveSound. Maybe mix it up with some different producers and songwriting partners? I feel like there was a lot left on the table.

The Stats: Over the past week, I listened to 40 different artists, 57 different albums, and 438 different tracks (502 scrobbles). Here is my Top 9 from last week, and you can follow me on Apple Music and/or Last.fm.

Entertainment Thoughts

  • Our new weekly show is Mrs. Davis. I knew this show would be weird, but I was not prepared for how weird. I was expecting something like Watchmen or The Leftovers and this is closer to Doom Patrol. It’s good so far, but out there. Curious to see how it all wraps up.

Random and Personal Stuff

  • I hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Ten Songs

Here are ten songs that I listened to and loved this week. Some may be new, some may be old, but they all found their way into my life during the past seven days.

  1. Blink-182 – One More Time
  2. Taylor Acorn – Sticking Around
  3. Zach Bryan – Deep Satin
  4. Al Menne – What U Want
  5. Against the Current – Silent Stranger
  6. Lost Stars – Shit Just Got Real
  7. Boys Like Girls – New Love
  8. Bleachers – Modern Girl
  9. The Maine – Blame (Acoustic)
  10. Blink-182 – More Than You Know

This playlist is available on Spotify and Apple Music.

Community Watch

The trending and popular threads in our community this week include:

The most liked post in our forums last week was this one by Jason Tate in the “blink-182” thread.

Previous editions of Liner Notes can be found here.

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