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On to the music:
For those of you who are new, we kick off every week by sharing what we’ve been playing.
The playlist below is some of what I’ve had in heavy rotation. This week’s list is packed with sonic comfort food/deep tracks form some of my fave artists.
Now it’s your turn.
What caught your ear this week? Any new releases or shows you’re looking forward to?
As some of you may have seen, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 1989 challenge and noted that I'd be occasionally writing some of these up.
I've started doing some quick hits of each match up and posting them directly to the page here. There's probably some typos. Check 'em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.
Also: As most of you have seen, I am a huge fan of the music streaming platform Qobuz. The sound quality is second to none, and the entire UX is fantastic. Thanks to our friend Kenn Richards, you can now see it for yourself.
I’m thrilled to share this exclusive offer for 2 free months. Not an ad, and there’s no catch. Just hella good sound quality, solid recommendations tailored to your tastes, and editorials well worth your time.
Note: The codes will be sent out by an actual human over the next several days. Please be patient.
Over at 3albums6oldguys, we have our first "Best of 2025 so far" list up (and it's our 50th post overall - hooray). Definitely have some power pop/Big Star-inspired choices in there - https://3albums6oldguys.substack.com/p/og-brians-best-of-2025-so-far. Written by Brian but I also have Fust and Prism Shores on constant rotation.
I gave the newest Turnstile album a couple of spins. Solid work.
But Mammoth WVH II spent the most time on my playlist. I remember when Wolfgang was about 12, Eddie Van Halen was on Stern and told Stern that Wolf was way more talented than he was, and I'm inclined to believe it. The dude can play.
Really loving the new Gigi Perez album. Recommend listening on headphones for full sonic experience as there lots of elements I missed on first listens.
You might enjoy a little-known album called Sunny Boy by Uncle Stranger, available on streaming. Similar vibe! One of my favourite records from last year.
- Preoccupations - Ill At Ease. Really digging this one -- thanks to Kevin and all who recommended it. I also listened to their 2022 record, Arrangements.
- Pulp - More. I need to spend more time with it as it's not a record that is served well by background listening.
- Wilco - A Ghost Is Born box set. I'm starting to work through the "Fundamental" cuts where the bands responds to what Jeff is going but he can't hear them. It's like turning the dial on a shortwave radio -- lots of static and meaningless noise and then, boom, the nugget of a song you know!
I also went down a YouTube rabbit hole listening to vaporwave and signalwave, which led me to analog horror clips. I ignore trends and hype, so it's fun to discover these trends years after they began.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, my ears are not really open to anything except We Are Scientists at the moment. An acoustic version of their as yet unreleased album has been available to paid subscribers for about a month and it really is the only thing I want to listen to right now. That said, I have played Brian Bond’s album Erase this week. It’s worth a listen. I really like the track Already Gone https://open.spotify.com/track/0jalq271vtJ477HI19pnSk?si=bxOCrglhSRC1OerfErWTuA
The Punch Brothers since I saw them last week and Yin Yin because they'll be playing in town this fall though I likely won't go. I'm old, standing for three-plus hours is now beyond me.
I had no idea Chris Thile was so young! He must have started recording while he still thought girls were icky.
Much like Dave Purcell, I couldn't fully escape the vaperwave rabbit hole for a second week in a row. However, I did manage to get out long enough to check out California's Mexican Slum Rats on Unquiet Live, a music discovery platform based in Los Angeles.
This post is a week late, I wanted to write last week but didn't get to it in time. So, Sunday a week ago I was being driven back from a road marathon, which took about the same time to drive as to run, and it gave me time to play DJ with the CDs I had brought along. I feel they reflect me quite well:
1) Bewitched by LUNA, because I had been to see Dean Wareham play at the Bearsville Theater a few days earlier and can't ever get enough of his vocals.
2) Goodbye Small Head by Ms. EZRA FURMAN. I was really happy that I got a complimentary CD with my ticket to see Ezra at Rough Trade East last month (the cost of entry seemed reasonable for an intimate concert by a full band, the CD felt like a bonus). There is so much to be said for having the tangible product with sleeve notes, artwork, and lyrics. I had gone to that show without deep knowledge of Ezra and still don't; she has a large back catalogue! But I loved the performance and love this album and what I really loved was that my partner Paula also really dug it. She doesn't dive around the deep end of music like me and I might not have immediately assumed she would be a fan. Similarly, something to be said here for letting a whole album play, with all its light and shade. https://ezrafurman.bandcamp.com/album/goodbye-small-head
3) Hammond Heroes, an instrumental CD I was given by a friend that appears to be 22 UK acts from the 1960s/early 70s and one German. Some of the names are famous - Small Faces, Spencer Davis Group, Georgie Fame, and even Julie Discroll, Brian Auger & The Trinity - which makes it all the cooler than the tracks are all instrumentals and leave those of us who have studied such things trying to guess the act by the Hammond organ player. I would argue there is more identifiable distinction between Hammond virtuosos than guitar virtuosos, and feel a post to that effect coming on.
Oooh and Fontaines DC! I’m so mad because I bought their newest album, party for Starburster, but also partly for It’s Amazing to be Young, which isn’t on the standard album 😢 I guess they will have it on a 7” bundled with the standard album in August.
For some reason, probably because my brain likes to do random things, I woke up this morning singing “Stone Cold Yesterday.” And here it is on your playlist. I’m sure this means something!
Last week I completed the Mothership Music League, where I finished last out of all people that completed all the rounds. Even though I didn't perform well in it, I did encounter some new music that I wouldn't have been exposed to otherwise. The last three rounds were (along with my favorites from those rounds):
Speechless (instrumentals only): Garland Waltz from the Sleeping Beauty Suite by Tchaikovsky, Mercy's Desperate Piercing from Vitamin String Quartet, Dolphin Shoals by Izzi Guzman
Not like the others (Songs that stand out in sound, style or vibe): I Am My Own by Dune Moss, The Becoming by NIN, and Star Wars Samba by Masayoshi Takanaka
End of an era (final song on an album): Mammon by GAUPA, Once A Day by Mac Miller, and Helvegen by Wardruna
I also listened to the album Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, to hear some of the tunes the late Brian Wilson produced. God Only Knows is a great tune off of that.
Dylan and Michael Hurley
Haruomi Hosono and Taeko Onuki (road-tripping in Japan)
Play some Shonen Knife if you are in Osaka!
Locked in and ready to go!
Over at 3albums6oldguys, we have our first "Best of 2025 so far" list up (and it's our 50th post overall - hooray). Definitely have some power pop/Big Star-inspired choices in there - https://3albums6oldguys.substack.com/p/og-brians-best-of-2025-so-far. Written by Brian but I also have Fust and Prism Shores on constant rotation.
Two very different but both soulful/gorgeous voice female singers released new ones on Friday that I've been listening to nonstop:
-- https://annahstasia.bandcamp.com/album/tether (more soul/R&B)
-- https://commonholly.bandcamp.com/album/anything-glass (more indie folk)
Continue to love the new Lifeguard -- https://lifeguardband100.bandcamp.com/album/ripped-and-torn -- and also catching up to the new one from the High Water Marks - https://thehighwatermarks.bandcamp.com/album/consult-the-oracle. Which is the perfect album to put on after you're done listening to Big Star...
I gave the newest Turnstile album a couple of spins. Solid work.
But Mammoth WVH II spent the most time on my playlist. I remember when Wolfgang was about 12, Eddie Van Halen was on Stern and told Stern that Wolf was way more talented than he was, and I'm inclined to believe it. The dude can play.
Really loving the new Gigi Perez album. Recommend listening on headphones for full sonic experience as there lots of elements I missed on first listens.
This album is so great!! One day I asked my Alexa to play Sailor Song and it followed with playing the whole album and I loved it!
Stumbled across the title track on a random office playlist last week!
Oh wow! Sailor Song was getting a lot of airplay on my local alternative station, and I became obsessed! 😂
You might enjoy a little-known album called Sunny Boy by Uncle Stranger, available on streaming. Similar vibe! One of my favourite records from last year.
Ooh thank you! I will definitely check it out!
Much more lo-fi but so tuneful. The whole album is like a hug from an acoustic guitar!
10 days straight of nothing but Turnstile’s Never Enough. The hype is 100% justified.
My week was about:
- Preoccupations - Ill At Ease. Really digging this one -- thanks to Kevin and all who recommended it. I also listened to their 2022 record, Arrangements.
- Pulp - More. I need to spend more time with it as it's not a record that is served well by background listening.
- Wilco - A Ghost Is Born box set. I'm starting to work through the "Fundamental" cuts where the bands responds to what Jeff is going but he can't hear them. It's like turning the dial on a shortwave radio -- lots of static and meaningless noise and then, boom, the nugget of a song you know!
I also went down a YouTube rabbit hole listening to vaporwave and signalwave, which led me to analog horror clips. I ignore trends and hype, so it's fun to discover these trends years after they began.
Looking forward to the playlist and your picks!
You may have seen me somewhere near the bottom of that vaprowave rabbit hole.
It's good to have company!
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, my ears are not really open to anything except We Are Scientists at the moment. An acoustic version of their as yet unreleased album has been available to paid subscribers for about a month and it really is the only thing I want to listen to right now. That said, I have played Brian Bond’s album Erase this week. It’s worth a listen. I really like the track Already Gone https://open.spotify.com/track/0jalq271vtJ477HI19pnSk?si=bxOCrglhSRC1OerfErWTuA
Can I just say that I love how into this band you are? Everyone deserves to have a group like that in their lives!
Yes! They really do! It’s the best thing in the world! 🥰
The Punch Brothers since I saw them last week and Yin Yin because they'll be playing in town this fall though I likely won't go. I'm old, standing for three-plus hours is now beyond me.
I had no idea Chris Thile was so young! He must have started recording while he still thought girls were icky.
Kool & the Gang - Fresh
This morning “Older” by George Michael was spinning on my turntable. Such a great record
Hope all the dads here had a great Father's Day!
Much like Dave Purcell, I couldn't fully escape the vaperwave rabbit hole for a second week in a row. However, I did manage to get out long enough to check out California's Mexican Slum Rats on Unquiet Live, a music discovery platform based in Los Angeles.
https://open.spotify.com/album/0rjiZnsgUyXywij2FBzR2n?si=-vH7DH0KRx6yLxYQNsRuxA
I discovered jany4ryss https://open.spotify.com/artist/5U68VIYMm7Tu8Aqxs1JcVG?si=2gUW8kSgSoaXlOK5ahyZRA
Rediscovered the band Heavenly https://open.spotify.com/artist/1sDWIdL18InXgES9TwvsL2?si=hODGU4s_TWOo2Ad8sNysXg
Finished off my Father's Day with a dose of 80's hair rock with Cinderella https://open.spotify.com/artist/7HL4id2U7FSDJtfKQHMgQx?si=7vTZDxkCR4KTzLd2YtcfGQ and some opera rock with Queensryche https://open.spotify.com/artist/2OgUPVlWYgGBGMefZgGvCO?si=yVNClNXuSf6Ot1Il-AI4OA
Still excited by RIO KOSTA's debut singles "Ancients" and "Unicorn" ✨🦄🔁
P.S. Love today's mix - it felt especially good hearing "O, My Soul"
Hi Kevin and all,
This post is a week late, I wanted to write last week but didn't get to it in time. So, Sunday a week ago I was being driven back from a road marathon, which took about the same time to drive as to run, and it gave me time to play DJ with the CDs I had brought along. I feel they reflect me quite well:
1) Bewitched by LUNA, because I had been to see Dean Wareham play at the Bearsville Theater a few days earlier and can't ever get enough of his vocals.
2) Goodbye Small Head by Ms. EZRA FURMAN. I was really happy that I got a complimentary CD with my ticket to see Ezra at Rough Trade East last month (the cost of entry seemed reasonable for an intimate concert by a full band, the CD felt like a bonus). There is so much to be said for having the tangible product with sleeve notes, artwork, and lyrics. I had gone to that show without deep knowledge of Ezra and still don't; she has a large back catalogue! But I loved the performance and love this album and what I really loved was that my partner Paula also really dug it. She doesn't dive around the deep end of music like me and I might not have immediately assumed she would be a fan. Similarly, something to be said here for letting a whole album play, with all its light and shade. https://ezrafurman.bandcamp.com/album/goodbye-small-head
3) Hammond Heroes, an instrumental CD I was given by a friend that appears to be 22 UK acts from the 1960s/early 70s and one German. Some of the names are famous - Small Faces, Spencer Davis Group, Georgie Fame, and even Julie Discroll, Brian Auger & The Trinity - which makes it all the cooler than the tracks are all instrumentals and leave those of us who have studied such things trying to guess the act by the Hammond organ player. I would argue there is more identifiable distinction between Hammond virtuosos than guitar virtuosos, and feel a post to that effect coming on.
Cheers all!
Tony
Good Morning to all.
In my ears:
1. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3wBlm9P7dw8ZMh4DgXzNcJ?si=e25bfd4b647f46dd
2. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1knJSMzp6SWo8aUh3W2hVo?si=2a2d2b93be754f95
3. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/627aLiTKOjoWAfyqcdqQie?si=1314206b8ae142a0
Have a great week. As always thanks for the links and leads I listen to the all.
JP
Oooh I see Gigi Perez’ Sailor Song on your list 🎉❤️ and TMBG ❤️
Oooh and Fontaines DC! I’m so mad because I bought their newest album, party for Starburster, but also partly for It’s Amazing to be Young, which isn’t on the standard album 😢 I guess they will have it on a 7” bundled with the standard album in August.
Lots of Beach Boys in the past few days, both to celebrate Brian Wilson and to spur me as I write an essay on him.
If you haven't heard this tribute yet, it's one of my favorites
https://www.discogs.com/master/290791-Various-Caroline-Now-The-Songs-Of-Brian-Wilson-And-The-Beach-Boys
Brian Eno.
Love to see Missing Persons on your list!
I’m freshening up on The Jayhawks since I just got invited to their sold out show this Thursday at Codfish Hollow 🎉🎉🎉
AND! As promised back in April, I finally finished my piece about seeing Bob Mould at Codfish Hollow https://open.substack.com/pub/kristinwritesmuch/p/bob-mould-at-codfish-hollow?r=1iil3&utm_medium=ios
Discover The Swell Season last night, so that's been fun.
Non stop Jonathan Richman
Saw him earlier this year and he still puts on a great show and he was also quite nice to my brother and I and signed a few things for us
That’s awesome!!
Have you heard this wonderful cover of That Summer Feeling
https://youtu.be/_-F9Ov57CiE?feature=shared
I've been immersed in this double album reissue by The Mighty WAH!
One of the finest albums you will likely ever hear, it's absolutely brilliant and cost about a million dollars to make then was scrapped and later came out on a single CD and recently reissued on a double CD and double vinyl record - https://www.discogs.com/release/33093306-The-Mighty-Wah-Songs-Of-Strength-Heartbreak
For some reason, probably because my brain likes to do random things, I woke up this morning singing “Stone Cold Yesterday.” And here it is on your playlist. I’m sure this means something!
My favorites this week:
Eddie Floyd - Knock on Wood
PRhyme - PRhyme
Polo & Pan - Dorothy
Beck, Bogert, Appice
The Lee Harvey Oswald Bard - Blastronaut
New Order - Low-Life
Incubus - Morning View
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
Morphine - Cure for Pain
I've been listening to Band of Horses ahead of seeing them for the first time on the 18th.
Also,. still into the new Pulp and Turnstile albums.
Last week I completed the Mothership Music League, where I finished last out of all people that completed all the rounds. Even though I didn't perform well in it, I did encounter some new music that I wouldn't have been exposed to otherwise. The last three rounds were (along with my favorites from those rounds):
Speechless (instrumentals only): Garland Waltz from the Sleeping Beauty Suite by Tchaikovsky, Mercy's Desperate Piercing from Vitamin String Quartet, Dolphin Shoals by Izzi Guzman
Not like the others (Songs that stand out in sound, style or vibe): I Am My Own by Dune Moss, The Becoming by NIN, and Star Wars Samba by Masayoshi Takanaka
End of an era (final song on an album): Mammon by GAUPA, Once A Day by Mac Miller, and Helvegen by Wardruna
I also listened to the album Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, to hear some of the tunes the late Brian Wilson produced. God Only Knows is a great tune off of that.
Here's my latest Kevin: https://danpal.substack.com/p/new-music-jacotene-night-moves-and?r=lru5s
Great call on Love is a Long Road. That's on the "Hope-to-cover" list for sure.
Been listening to a lot of Red Clay Strays recently.
Nice! And if you do ever cover Love is a Long Road, please let me know! I’d love to hear your take on it.