This week’s newsletter has thoughts on the new releases from Electric Century and The Spill Canvas and my usual commentary about movies and other entertainment I consumed over the past week. And, of course, there’s a playlist of ten songs I liked this week, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
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Read More “Liner Notes (March 6th, 2021)”
Tigers Jaw’s new album I Won’t Care How You Remember Me serves as a re-introduction to the Scranton, PA band. For starters, guitarist Colin Gorman and drummer Teddy Roberts were made permanent members, solidifying the band as a quartet once again. But the biggest wrinkle was including Gorman and Roberts in the songwriting mix with original members Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins – fostering a more lively and collaborative setting for the record and resulting in Tigers Jaw’s most ambitious and personal album in their discography. Tracks like “Can’t Wait Forever” and “Lemon Mouth” showcase the new writing dynamic while the title track serves as an all-time highlight – a song that uses its slow build and Andy Hull guest vocals to set the tone of the record. “I think having a group dialogue about each song, and what ideas we had to make each one special and have a distinctive place on the record, was super beneficial to creating something that sounds fresh but still feels authentically like Tigers Jaw” says Walsh. Below, we discussed working with Will Yip, how the Andy Hull collaboration came about, and I Won’t Care How You Remember Me’s writing process.
Read More “Ben Walsh of Tigers Jaw”
Recently I was able to get a hold of a brand new pop-duo called Yo Kinky to provide a track-by-track breakdown on their self-titled EP. Yo Kinky is a Queens, New York, post-pop duo that layers seductive patter lyrics over shimmering angular guitars and drum machines. Following the premiere of their first single on the Tower Records site in November and positive coverage from several outlets, Yo Kinky is already forging a name for themselves among the disillusioned and hopeful.
Tom Unish and Laura Wight met at the start of 2020, bonded over shared musical interests, and immediately started working together on songs. Over the course of the pandemic, they recorded and produced their self-titled debut EP out today. These songs touch upon themes such as truth, adaptability, love, and anticipation as Wight’s bright vocals are delivered with a conversational precision calling to mind acts like X, Sleaford Mods, and Blondie. I’d recommend checking out this artist if you’re a fan of similar acts such as Metric and Le Tigre.
Read More “Yo Kinky – ‘Self-Titled’ EP Track-by-Track Breakdown”
Hello weekend readers.
This week’s newsletter has early thoughts on Julien Baker’s new album, thoughts on various articles I read last week and enjoyed, and other random musings about music, entertainment, and life that have been running around in my head the past week. As always, there’s a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed, and 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.
Read More “Liner Notes (February 27th, 2021)”
Hanalei will be releasing his fourth LP Black Snow on March 12th via AF Records. While AF is known as a punk label, Hanalei is of decidedly different stock – if you like the folkier side of The Weakerthans or Kevin Devine you’ve got an idea of what to expect from Hanalei. This is never better exemplified than on “Steep Ravine,” the seventh track from Black Snow that we’re premiering today.
Brian had this to say about the song:
[It] draws parallels between the loss of love and the loss of the environment. A female narrator residing in the barren and nearly lifeless western fringes of Marin County, CA is crippled by grief and nostalgia. Memories of rain, redwoods, owls, and a deceased lover paint the monochromatic landscape in every shade of gone.
Stream it below.
Read More “Hanalei – “Steep Ravine” (Song Premiere)”
I hope everyone had a good week.
This week’s newsletter has some thoughts on the current state of technology and how I feel about it all as I get older. Then I share thoughts on the Manchester Orchestra video performance and new single, plus some other commentary on music I enjoyed this week. And there’s the usual entertainment thoughts and a playlist of ten songs I think are worth your time. 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.
Read More “Liner Notes (February 20th, 2021)”
Big Loser put out one of the most underrated albums of last year, Love You, Barely Living. Mixing punk and Americana a la The Menzingers or The Gaslight Anthem, Big Loser catalogued struggles with addiction and relationships coming to an end. But through it all Love You, Barely Living is positively anthemic. The band is getting ready to press the album to vinyl for the first time, nearly a full year after its release. To celebrate, we’re proud to premiere an acoustic session by frontman Chase Spruiell in which he performs “Post-Almost-Overdose” and a performance of Billie Eilish’s “I Love You” acoustic. Stripped down, “Post-Almost-Overdose” takes on a whole new level of melancholy, while his take on “I Love You” retains the haunting atmosphere of the original.
Check those out below, and if you like what you hear, pre-order Love You, Barely Living on vinyl..
Read More “Big Loser – “Post-Almost-Overdose” and “I Love You (Billie Eilish)” (Acoustic) (Video Premiere)”
There’s that beep. There’s that panning over Asheville, North Carolina. The Manchester Orchestra logo. It’s all so familiar – we’ve seen the trailer for this film. We are subsequently cast to Echo Mountain Recording Studios, NC, where the band recorded their greatest album to date, A Black Mile to the Surface. We’re not here for an anniversary show, nor are we here upon release of the album. No, it’s been four years since Andy Hull (vocals, guitar, producer, all-around legend), Robert McDowell (guitar, keyboards, vocals, producer, engineer, all-around legend), Andy Prince (bass, another all-around legend) and Tim Very (drums, legend) released their fifth album into the world.
We are here – over 6.5 thousand people watching this live stream at 8 pm EST/12 pm AEST – watching an exceedingly special performance of Black Mile played in its entirety right from our living rooms. In a statement, Hull shared that the band was excited to share this concert, for free, to everybody: “This album and your reception to it has exceeded our expectations, and we felt this the best way to thank you all for supporting our music.” This presentation invited speculation: after all, Andy did say that this would be more than a concert. It’s also the beginning. Of what, exactly?
Read More “Manchester Orchestra Is the Best Band in the World”
It’s a snow day here in Portland.
This week’s newsletter has my thoughts on Big Sur, thoughts on Jimmy Eat World’s Clarity performance, thoughts on music I listened to this week, a few articles I found interesting this week and have been on my mind, and some random thoughts on entertainment and other musings. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed, and 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.
Read More “Liner Notes (February 13th, 2021)”
Last month we shared our favorite albums of 2020, and as we’re ramping into 2021 it’s a good time to look at what we’re anticipating throughout the year. What records do we think we’re going to fall in love with over the next few months? What albums can we just not wait to hear? A bunch of contributors have written up blurbs about the albums and artists we’re most excited about, and we’d love to hear what’s on your most anticipated list as well.
Read More “Most Anticipated of 2021”
This week’s newsletter is pretty music heavy with thoughts on the new releases from Hayley Williams, The Night Game, Pale Waves, and discovering Matt Maeson. There’s also my usual commentary about the entertainment I consumed last week, a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed, and 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.
Read More “Liner Notes (February 6th, 2021)”
Recently I had a chance to talk with Brian McTernan (producer, vocalist) of Be Well. McTernan has a storied past of producing legendary records from bands such as Thrice (Illusion of Safety, The Artist in the Ambulance), The Movielife (Forty Hour Train Back to Penn), and Senses Fail (Still Searching, Life is Not a Waiting Room). These are just a few of the many producer credits to McTernan’s name, and we discussed his process for producing bands as well the advice he would give to young producers looking to make their unique stamp on an album. Not to be lost in the shuffle, Brian McTernan also released a solid album from a project called Be Well this past summer, and he shared his favorite tracks from The Weight and The Cost, and what he’s most looking forward to once its safe to tour again.
Read More “Brian McTernan of Be Well”
This week’s newsletter has thoughts on the new Foo Fighters and my usual commentary about music and entertainment I experienced last week. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed this week, and 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.
Read More “Liner Notes (January 30th, 2021)”
Mighty has finally properly followed up their 2018 self-titled debut. The following year they dropped the “David’s Park Bench” single, then last year saw the release of a b-sides EP, but now, at long last, they’ve put out their true studio EP followup, You Deal With the Trash. It’s a continuation of the grimy alt-rock sound explored on Mighty, and in many ways also both a refinement and an extension thereof. Angelo Fiaretti, frontman of Mighty, walked us through the EP track-by-track.
Read More “Mighty – ‘You Deal With the Trash’ EP Track-by-Track Breakdown”
This week’s newsletter has early thoughts on the new Jetty Bones album, some commentary about a few new apps I discovered this week, and the usual thoughts on music and entertainment I consumed. And, as always, there’s a playlist of ten songs worth your time, and 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.
Read More “Liner Notes (January 23rd, 2021)”