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Ciler from Newsletter Circle's avatar

Nowadays, I've been listening Men I Trust on repeat. Lauren, Sugar, Show Me How and Billie Toppy are some must-check songs. I've been in their concert in Istanbul a few months ago. It was really cool.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I only know a little bit about the band. I'm going into work here shortly and will cue them up!

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LaNysha Adams, PhD's avatar

That Say She She track was nice! I also like the flow. You ending with Yo La Tengo was dope. It created a finality that inspired action. Thanks for sharing. I’ve been listening to Jessie Reyez’s work. I especially love her live music. Her NPR Tiny Desk concert is one to watch for sure. I spend way too much time listening to Elmo, too, courtesy of my two and four year old sons.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Right? I found them via a clip KEXP put out on IG. They're on the Karma Chief record label, and it (and parent Colemine) are packed with smooth sounds like this if you want a rabbit hole to go down!

Jessie Reyez is a new one for me- I'll have to see if I can find a clip of her playing.

As for Elmo? Been there, done that. lol. That phase doesn't last too long.

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

On his YouTube channel, Rick Beato tells a very sad story about a band that got screwed by the music industry. So I've been listening to them 15 years after they get screwed. Their new name is Heavy Weighs the King: https://open.spotify.com/track/3YCAZqeetC2ZgV6drQmODF?si=aAOswldvSuWjZs9q7Z_Low

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

This was really catchy!

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Ellen D Stone's avatar

I just purchased my 1 hour guitar lesson with Michael Gurley which is via Zoom! What?! I AM SO EXCITED! So, you know I listened to Puzzle and American Highway Flower. Favorite from Puzzle is “Who You Are” and from AHF is “Ask the Dust”. I was also listening to 7Horse, I AM a member of the 7Horse Nation! Joie and Phil, the other amazing members of Dada(Have I ever said that is my FAVORITE BAND EVER 😁) and their song “Meth Lan Zoso Sticker”. Oh and Queensryche’s “Jet City Woman”. I am happily a paid subscriber of yours...sorry I haven’t finished answering the email questions. Oh and I will get back to you about my friend from Newport (who is one of my 28(?) followers on Twitter!) HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Ellen D Stone's avatar

Lab, not lan...METH LAB ZOSO STICKER...the music is phenomenal!

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Happy new year to you too! First, thank you for supporting this project. That really means a lot to me, and shouldn't go unmentioned.

As for the lesson: you get to take a guitar lesson with a member of your favorite band? How cool is that?! How did that come about? I'd like to think I'd be calm/cool/collected, but the reality is I'd probably be a total fanboy. You'll have to share how it goes!

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Ellen D Stone's avatar

Imagine my shock when the name Michael Gurley came up on my cell last night! YES, YOUR EYES ARE FINE😳😱. I have singed items, CDs, merchandise, etc., from DADA, Michael’s solo stuff and 7Horse too...obviously, right?...so on a FB group DADA FOREVER LOUNGE Michael posted that he was doing Zoom guitar lessons and I had to have one!!!! So I purchased a lesson and assumed when they said I would get a call to set up the date and time that it would be a person working for him. Nope, he called like it was just a normal day. I have even more respect and admiration for him, and made sure he knew he “made my year.”Excited to get my first guitar lesson from such a talented artist.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I love it!

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Ellen D Stone's avatar

I am going to see if he has a problem with me taping our session for my own personal use. I will let you know. Also, I started, kind of, a Substack of my own AT LOW HUM, can I interest you in a free subscription?

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Yep!

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Ellen D Stone's avatar

Thank you!

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

The above link is for referrals. I went to look for Low Hum, but couldn’t find anything. Am I missing something easy here?

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Ellen D Stone's avatar

Try looking for AT A LOW HUM 😊

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Found it! 😀

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Ellen D Stone's avatar

Upcoming release I am excited about is The Last Resort, of course, by 7Horse. Got the t-shirt, mug and waiting on signed CD!

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Terry Barr's avatar

Patsy Cline, Margo Price, and Taylor's RED!!!

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I've been really enjoying about your return to some early country artists/records. It's got me thinking I might need to keep an eye out for similar records on my next crate digging trip!

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Jen Zug's avatar

My husband, Bryan, is reading Bono's latest book, which has sent him on a rabbit trail of watching old U2 footage. Over the weekend we found a 1983 1-hr performance at the US Festival in California, shortly after War was released. We then watched U2's 1985 Live Aid performance, which I think is after Unforgettable Fire was released. The difference in performance and confidence and neediness between these two performances is astounding. Also, The Edge was very un-cool back then. Both he and Adam Clayton embraced the peasant shirt style of that era. LOL

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Jen Zug's avatar

p.s. I don't know if you are a football person, but my Seahawks-lovin' heart was delighted that the Packers lost so we could make it into the playoffs. #sorrynotsorry

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I'm not too sad about the Packers losing, but it does kickoff about the annual "will he/won't he?" retirement speculation about Aaron Rogers. Really it means weeks of breathless headlines like "Rogers seen wearing Cal T-shirt. Could a move to the 49ers be too far behind?"

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Steve Goldberg's avatar

I was at the US festival concert at age 14! I was so far back I saw more of the concert decades later on YouTube but it was wild….can’t remember what f I was there the day U2 played or The Clash. Unless they weee the same day.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Wow! Lucky you! In the back or not, that had to be great.

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Jen Zug's avatar

Nice. Bryan grew up in San Bernardino and remembers the festival. He was 13 at the time and didn’t go.

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Eric Pierce's avatar

Mostly podcasts at the moment. Probably not the answer you were looking for. :)

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Jeremy Shatan's avatar

That depends...which podcasts?

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I'm always looking for good podcasts! Whatcha got?

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Fog Chaser's avatar

I’m in a Manchester Orchestra mood these last couple of weeks. Spinning ‘Black Mile to the Surface’ and their latest album ‘The Million Masks of God’.

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Jen Zug's avatar

I discovered Manchester Orchestra just last year and was disappointed to have missed their show when they played at the Moore in Seattle. Love them!

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I'm not sure how I missed these guys, but I'm really digging "The Million Masks of God."

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Nikhil Rajagopalan's avatar

The soundtrack from The Wonder Years TV show.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

The original, the new one, or both?

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Nikhil Rajagopalan's avatar

There's a new version? Goodness, I've been living under a rock!

The original :-)

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Matt Shaw's avatar

"Girl From North Country" — Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash

Next Up: "I Miss You" — blink182

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

That's my kinda segue!

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Jeremy Shatan's avatar

Over the weekend I finished up my Best Of 2022: Electronic list (http://anearful.blogspot.com/2023/01/best-of-2022-electronic.html#.Y7xPknbMJPY), which meant doing some close listening to things like Sophie Birch's Holotropica, Yeule's Glitch Princess, Ben Seretan's Sandhill Music...so many good things. Also still working on the 5 Albums 83 Twitter poll and caused some ruffled feathers when I called it as I heard it and said Punch The Clock by Elvis Costello and The Attractions was mostly not very good. The first sign of his decline, which lasted until Blood & Chocolate. Waiting now for the blowback from calling Let's Dance "half an album with one great song" - and I'm a huge Bowie fan!

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Lol. I saw that. People like what they like, I guess. Plus it's...you know, Twitter.

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Andrew Paul Koole's avatar

Cherry Chapstick! Love that song. Me? I had The Velvet Underground's Loaded on the turntable yesterday, but I might cheat today and go looking for Thundercat's album Drunk. Haven't listened to that in awhile.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I was reading a "YLT records ranked worst to first" list, and after I was done yelling at my screen went and dusted that record off. It's as good as I'd remembered. :)

I can't remember where I saw it, but someone once described Thundercat as the "sound of gold melting," and I thought it was perfect.

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Chris Zappa's avatar

I’m super excited for the new patchnotes LP coming out Jan 27!

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

YES!

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Challenge 69's avatar

Been busy working on a small 'tribute' playlist for a 'Challenge 69' post to celebrate the life of Alan Rankine, of Associates fame, after his sad recent passing.

If nothing else take a listen to the wonderful 'Even Dogs in the Wild'!

Tim

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