2023
31 Almosts from 2023: great tracks that didn’t quite make the cut
31 is an arbitrary number. Even the year “2023” is arbitrary, as we consider any album released from 1 Jan 2022 through 31 Oct 2023 eligible. And what constitutes an album? We don’t really know even though we sorta tried to write it down. There’s no real magic directly tied to any of it, really.
Keep reading
120 Minutes from 2023: zombies, cowboys, and old punks
Continuing from our earlier year end lookback, we present 120 minutes of music videos pulled from our 31 Songs playlist.
Keep reading
31 songs from 2023: a year of good and bad
For some it’s been a good year. Covid is on the wane, employment is down, the market is up, and we’ve been enjoying what will likely be a short interval of relative stability in the United States. For others this has been the worst year imaginable and, for that, we must share good fortunes and hope humanity can be restored.…
Keep reading
31 Almosts from 2022: a big year demands a bonus list
Some years it’s tough to pick 31 songs and 2022 was definitely one of those years. Whatever the reason, these songs likely would have made the 31 list on weaker years so it seems only right to share our runners-up list.
Keep reading
120 Minutes from 2021: a video pandemic
120 Minutes of music videos based on our 2021 song list
Keep reading
120 Minutes from 2022: music videos never die
Here’s to Matt Pinfield and the amazing show that was 120 Minutes. We watched every episode, even if only we wound up liking only a handful of videos. But 120 Minutes was always entertaining, diverse, and engaging. In tribute we offer a video playlist based on our 31 Songs from 2022. The videos aren’t one-for-one with our 31 Songs playlist.…
Keep reading
Welcome to 2023
2023 is starting off bright and clear in my part of the world. We’re carrying a few releases over from 2022, given (for the most part) they finished dropping in either November or December. Here’s the starting list of 2023 contenders with many more to come:
Keep reading
31 songs from 2022: post-plague plethora (revised)
Of late it feels like music was slumped over the wheel, exhausted from years of struggle against a cruel pandemic and concert grift. It’s not like we didn’t find great songs, but the contenders’ list was often short. Even favorites didn’t always come to the table with winners. Then comes 2022, swinging in like an exuberant toddler who is way…
Keep reading
Danny Elfman Returns
Known for epic soundtracks and the seminal post-punk ska-pop masterwork, Oingo Boingo, Danny Elfman knocked me dumbstruck with his single Happy. That, alone, was a gift but it was just a first offering. Elfman’s got a full album out now and, while it pulls from every aspect of his career, it showcases his moody angst perfectly. Neither pop nor inaccessible…
Keep reading
Thanks, Letterkenny
Discovered PONCTUATION via Letterkenny: French garage-punk sitting adjacent to White Denim and The Lovely Eggs, all wild-haired great-grandchildren of The Sonics
Keep reading
Wombats Welcome Here
The Other Liverpudians, the Wombats, roar back with one of the best singles of 2022!
Keep reading
The Return of Simple Kid
We first heard Simple Kid open for Suede at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire way back in 2002. It’s rare for us to get excited by an opening act but Simple Kid defied history and won us over. I’d thought he’d long since vanished but I was very wrong – and happily so. Love the new tracks!
Keep reading
Thanks, Colbert
I don’t know who books musical acts on Colbert’s Late Show but they’re good enough to merit a listen no matter what. Genesis Owusu is only one but very great example:
Keep reading
Thanks, Devo
I would have never discovered Sator if the Devo newsletter hadn’t called them out. It’s a perfect little album of short, tight post-punk sounds reminding me of both the Ramones and the Dickies. Fun, sharp, awesome.
Keep reading
31 songs from 2021: mask up
Every year brings old and new faces alike, even if they all arrive masked. We’re starting to see artists adapt to the reality of a post-pandemic world where performance, recording, and fandom have all taken some strange turns. Music abides, though, and artists persevere despite significant obstacles. NEWCOMERS Debuting in the heart of a global health crisis isn’t anyone’s idea…
Keep reading
31 songs from 2020: we will not be stopped
Fuck Covid. Music isn’t going anywhere. Live shows may have ground to a halt. Musicians are learning entirely new skills, mastering the live streaming broadcast. And we’re seeing a whole new side of our favorite artists, often set in their living rooms.
Keep reading
