I still don’t have my head wrapped around it being 2023, but I’m here with another edition of the newsletter anyway. There’s also 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 14th, 2023)”
Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the newest single and visualizer video from Colony House, called “Would Ya Could Ya.” This Nashville-based rock band will be releasing their next full-length record called The Cannonballers on February 3rd, and this single is a great introduction for those unfamiliar with the artist. On the latest single, the band shared:
It’s too easy getting sucked into the grind of everyday life… the hustle and the hurry we all willingly subject ourselves to. “Would Ya Could Ya” is about breaking the mold. At surface level, it’s a ‘let’s get outta here’ open road, never look back type of cruiser, but beneath the surface, I think it recognizes that we are often the obstacle standing in our own way and that it’s up to us to make the next move.
If you’re enjoying the direction Colony House went for on this electric track, please consider pre-saving their full-length record here.
Read More “Colony House – “Would Ya Could Ya” (Song Premiere)”
The first newsletter of the year has some thoughts on some projects I’ve been working on to start the year and my usual thoughts on music, entertainment, and other random musings. 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 7th, 2023)”
Today is a great day to share the latest single and video from singer-songwriter Angel Abaya called “Over / On / Under.” The eclectic song comes from her debut album, The Bubble, which will be out everywhere music is sold on May 5th via Earth Libraries. Abaya shared this about the new single, “This song puts you in a chaotic mood. You’re either dodging lightning bolts or breaking shit and robbing a rich guy’s house.” If you’re ready to embrace the chaos, Angel Abaya is the right artist for today.
Read More “Angel Abaya – “Over / On / Under” (Video Premiere)”
We begin the new year as we have so many times before, with our annual ranking of the best albums of the year. Below you’ll find the contributor best of 2022 list with blurbs written by the staff talking about why we loved these albums. Each album title links to a streaming page so you can make sure to check out anything you may have missed. There’s also a playlist featuring a song from every album on this list, and a few staff members have shared their individual lists and some commentary, and you can find those at the bottom of this post.
As always, thanks for spending 2022 with us, and I hope you find something new to check out and love.
Read More “Chorus.fm’s Top 30 Albums of 2022”
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about noticing some suspicious activity on our Stripe account. It turns out that some nefarious actors were using the system to test stolen credit card numbers. I detailed the potential cost implications of this in the newsletter (in time and real money,) and I am now happy to announce that I’ve made a series of changes to hopefully mitigate this activity.
I have rebuilt the website’s supporter platform to better use Stripe’s tools for processing payments and managing subscriptions. I also took this opportunity to add a variety of features and better streamline the entire flow.
For anyone that is currently a supporter, nothing has changed. You don’t need to do anything to take advantage of the new system; your account will automatically work with it.
Unfortunately, I had to turn off membership signups for the past two weeks while I was making this change, and the end of the year is usually one of the biggest signup periods we have (end-of-the-year lists, holidays, etc.). So, if you were unable to signup before, or you’re a long-time reader ready to now, please do!
I’ll monitor the new system over the next few days to see how it’s all working while I finish putting together our end-of-the-year feature. If all goes well, I should have some time this week to work on a few other new features for the website I’ve had on my list for a while as well.
As always, thank you to everyone that reads this website and helps fund its continued existence. If you ever have any questions or issues with your subscription, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
Hello,
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas eve. I’ll be spending the weekend with family, so this week’s newsletter is very brief. I really just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful holiday and thank you all for subscribing and reading each week.
Next week I will be working fixing the Stripe issue I detailed here, and finalizing our end of the year feature for publication on January 2nd. I had hoped to work on a few other features I’ve had on my list for a while, but this Stripe issue really needs to take priority. I got a good start on it yesterday and hopefully there won’t be too many setbacks and I can get this rolled out within the next week.
Some things I saw around the internet this week that are worth your time:
Read More “Liner Notes (December 24th, 2022)”
Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the new single and lyric video from Victory Kid called “No Brakes.” This high-energy new single capitalizes on the momentum gained from their previous LP Discernation, and was recorded with Mike Pepe (Taking Back Sunday). Lead vocalist Harrison Nida shared this about the blazing new track, “The song is about ditching doubt, toxic thoughts, and anything else that may hold you back. Recognizing those as they come up and releasing them to become the best version of yourself.” By putting their best foot forward, Victory Kid are keeping excitement in their band high as we turn the page on 2022.
Read More “Victory Kid – “No Brakes” (Video Premiere)”
A mini-vacation behind, a holiday ahead. And, hey, who could have guessed it? Things are going great over on the bird site! As always, a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed this week is also included, 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 (December 18th, 2022)”
This week’s newsletter has me mostly frustrated with credit card fraud. There are also some thoughts on music I’ve been listening to, an app I don’t think I’ve recommended before, and various other tidbits. As always, there’s also a playlist of ten songs I liked, 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 (December 10th, 2022)”
Today I’m excited to bring everyone a stream of the recently reissued LP by The Co Founder, called Gymnasium. The reissue of Gymnasium, previously released in 2018 on Slang Church, features two live acoustic versions of the singles from the record that were recorded and released by Slang Church via their Brunch Tunes sessions. The band will also be recording new music next month with producer Jordan Krimston (Oso Oso, The Obsessives, Weatherbox). I was able to catch up with songwriter Hayden Eller for an exclusive track-by-track look at this reissue. If you’re enjoying the LP, please consider purchasing it here.
Read More “The Co Founder – Gymnasium (Album Stream)”
The holiday season is upon us!
I’ve once again collected a list of things that I’ve personally used, enjoyed, and think make pretty good gifts. I have recommendations posts that I update regularly for software, headphones, and miscellaneous stuff, so this list is more focused on things not included in those posts and geared towards stuff I’ve come across in the past year or so that I like.
I used my Amazon affiliate link when the product showed up there, which gives our website a slight percentage back if you make a purchase and therefore helps fund our continued existence.
If you’d like to get me a gift, becoming a supporting member or gifting another user a supporting membership for a year would mean the world to me. And, if you’re looking for something in just about any price range with a Chorus.fm or AbsolutePunk.net logo on it, check our merch shop.
Read More “2022 Gift Guide”
Today I’m excited to bring everyone the new single from The Mortal Prophets called “Death Letter.” The single comes from the band’s debut LP, Me and the Devil, that hits all music platforms on December 9th. The Mortal Prophets’ John Beckmann shared this about the direction of the material, “Life is about unknowing yourself and so it is with making music. It’s about the journey, and I know that will be discernible in the music as new songs and new albums are released over the next few years.” If you’re ready to join The Mortal Prophets on their musical odyssey, you’ve come to the right place. I was also able to catch up with Beckmann for a brief interview below.
Read More “The Mortal Prophets – “Death Letter” (Song Premiere)”
Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the new music video from folk rock/Americana band Under The Rug. The great-sounding new single is called “Lonesome & Mad” and features a guest contribution from Ariel Posen. For those new to the band, they are comprised of guitarist Sean Campbell, vocalist/guitarist Casey Dayan, and drummer Brendan McQueeney. Dayan shared this about the new track:
”Lonesome & Mad” was the first song we wrote for this record, and, unlike the other songs—which we mostly wrote on the road—this one came together in our dilapidated little mobile at a time when we were feeling alienated from the rest of the world. Between everything that was happening politically in this country, to the kinds of effects-heavy movies and television that had become so popular, to the way people seemed to treat each other in a crowded grocery-store aisle, we felt out-of-touch and unmoored. Nothing was wrong, but something was really wrong. That’s why we wanted the video to feel very home-made, and it’s also why we show our little mobile home at the end. Of course, getting to have Ariel on the track brought the whole thing home in this pop-irreverent, rootsy, Americana way. It all just came together so neatly.
The song comes from Under The Rug’s forthcoming LP, Homesick For Another World, that will be released everywhere music is sold on February 17, 2023. If you’re enjoying the direction the band took here, you can pre-order the vinyl here.
Read More “Under The Rug – “Lonesome and Mad” ft. Ariel Posen (Video Premiere)”
Today I’m excited to bring everyone a look at Hunter Daily and her new single/music video for ”Skeleton Key.” For those unfamiliar with this talented artist, she would fit in well for fans of Maggie Rogers, Lorde, and Mitski. Speaking on her new single and the inspiration behind it, Hunter shared:
’Skeleton Key’ is about a relationship that inevitably has to come to an end because you are no longer a match, like a broken lock and skeleton key. No matter how much you love that person and want to make it work, sometimes the damage is irreparable…sometimes the only thing left to do is to walk away. Originally, my sister and I wrote this song about her relationship ending, but later on, the meaning of the song changed for me…it became more about the falling out my sister and I had after we decided to no longer be in a band together, and at the time, it felt like the death of a part of me.
If you’re ready to discover your next favorite artist, you’ve come to the right place.
Read More “Hunter Daily – “Skeleton Key” (Video Premiere)”