The Best Record of 2001: Day 3

by KevinLeave a Comment on The Best Record of 2001: Day 3

Mary J. Blige brings the family. Stars of the Lid bring the ambience.

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at Mary J. Blige’s No More Drama (#32) and Stars of the Lid’s The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid (#97).

Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challengeand noted that I’d be writing some of these up.

The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!

Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.

KA—

Stars of the Lid – The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid

Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie didn’t really write songs so much as they built spaces. I don’t mean that in the clichéd way of “you have to listen to what’s happening between the notes,” but also? I kinda do. There are a bazillion people more qualified to assess and review an ambient record, but you’re here with me, a dopamine junkie with the attention span of a fruit fly, and you get to follow along in real time as I try to sit through the antidote of a life lived with 50 tabs open all day, every day.

The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid runs two hours long, across two discs, and—to state the obvious—is never in a rush. It just chugs along until everything else around you slows down to match it.

The opener, “Requiem for Dying Mothers,” sounds like an attempt at being cheeky at first, but isn’t. At one point, I caught myself thinking, “This is really nice, like something they’d play at a funeral service that makes everyone feel 1% better about it all.” The follow-up, “Austin Texas Mental Hospital” (these guys have incredible naming conventions), stretches for twenty minutes, and by the halfway point, I started to lose track. I like to scribble down some quick notes for each song as we go, but decided early that was an exercise in futility. Everything just melts together.

For the last competition, someone entered a Pauline Oliveros record, and I had a similar reaction. My internet-addled mind doesn’t know how to sit still, and I made the fatal error of trying to listen to it at work, where the whole point is to keep as many plates in the air as you can. This time, I settled for the much more meditative practice of folding laundry and emptying the dishwasher.

People love to say this stuff takes patience. I’d love to argue that, but in this day and age, it takes a lot to sit down and listen to a record like The Tired Sounds… not because it’s bad (it’s gorgeous), but because we’ve been conditioned to do the opposite. Whatever vertical video is, this is the opposite. It took a good chunk of the record to get there, but it finally got me to do what few records can: sit the F down, listen, and let my mind wander wherever it wanted to go (Oregon in this case, for those keeping score at home).

Mary J. Blige- No More Drama

Every so often, the piano riff from Mary J. Blige’s ‘92 banger, “Real Love,” pops into my head. It’s a nice flashback to when Blige came crashing in out of (seemingly) nowhere with her own take on New Jack Swing and soul, earning her the title Queen of Hip‑Hop Soul. Fast‑forward nine years and a few records, and she’s been through it. The crown’s still there, but No More Drama is her saying, “I’m done with all this hurt.” No More Drama is a record about being done with all the nonsense. Oh, you’re back on your bullshit? Not on Mary’s watch.

This record feels like a recap of her therapy sessions. You can hear the exhaustion, but you can feel something resembling relief, too. “Family Affair” is the obvious anchor — if you don’t think you’ve heard it, yes, you have. If you went to a basketball game anytime between 2001 and, say, 2010, there’s 110% chance it was played. It’s a banger too; It hit number one for a reason.

Across the record, Blige leaves heartbreak and angst in the rearview mirror and steers toward resolution. The title track samples “Nadia’s Theme” from The Young and the Restless and levels up the melodrama. Mary starts soft, then burns through the mix, turning years of frustration into something close to catharsis. “Dance for Me” samples The Police’s “The Bed’s Too Big Without You,” keeping that mix of past and present going, and was a nice surprise for me.

No More Drama marks the start of Blige’s second act, and was full of ‘em.

Bottom Line:
This is a matchup between loud and quiet, or the space(s) in between and reclaiming one’s space. My love for mary J. Blige is real. My vote and my pick are going to No More Drama.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

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The Best Record of 2001: Day 2

by KevinLeave a Comment on The Best Record of 2001: Day 2

Rufus Wainwright takes on Kings of Convenience

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at Poses by Rufus Wainwright (#64) and Kings of Convenience’s Quiet is the New Loud (#65).

Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challenge and noted that I’d be writing some of these up.

The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!

Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.

KA—

Rufus Wainwright’s Poses is baroque pop personified. Strings and piano carry most of the weight here, wrapping even the plainest melodies in old-world finery. It followed his 1998 debut, the one that caught Rolling Stone’s attention and had Elton John calling him “timeless.” By the time Poses arrived, Wainwright was living at the Chelsea Hotel, brushing up against fame, trouble, and everything in between. Poses feels like a record made by someone living in an upscale hotel; the atmosphere feels like it’s surrounded in mahogany and tall-backed chairs…and I really hope that makes as much sense on your screen as it did in my head.

This isn’t a bad record. The production gleams, Wainwright’s voice comes across as a man out of time, and the arrangements feel expensive in the best way. The problem is me. Chamber pop doesn’t do it for me in 2026–and it definitely wouldn’t have been something I was into in 2001. Beyond “California,” most of these songs pass through like a conversation with someone I’ll never see again… in a place like a hotel lobby. Nice enough in the moment, nothing sticky (again, carving out an exception for “California” here.).

Wainwright’s voice reminds me a bit of what Cameron Winter from Geese does—except where Geese lean into the ramshackle, Wainwright pushes the emotion until it circles back around and starts to flatten. Maybe that’s the design? Maybe he’s chasing sincerity so hard it becomes too clever by half? Maybe I missed the point entirely. Either way, I find myself admiring the effort put into it more than I enjoy the ride.

Hooboy, I hope you don’t get tired of hearing me say, “This is a new one for me,” because it’s going to happen a lot over the next few weeks. I’d never even heard of Kings of Convenience before the submission window for this challenge opened. My surface-level take? They’re basically the Norwegian version of The Shins—part of that same narrow vein of quiet, introspective indie folk.

I had heard of The Shins, of course—mostly because everyone alive owned that Garden State soundtrack at some point. Like Wainwright above, I’ve never had much taste for this brand of muted, rainy‑day music. There’s a softness to it I’ve just never connected with. When I was younger, I wanted sharper sounds hitting my ears—you’d think that would mellow with age, but even now I still crave something with an edge.

Look, I get why people dig it (clearly, it made the cut over a few far more deserving records, IMO). But still…this is in that liminal space between “too slow for the Hyatt lobby” and “not new age‑y enough for the spa.”

Bottom Line:
This is a matchup between #64 and #65. In other words, the two records are right in the middle of the bracket. Some would say that’s indicative of a (relatively) broad appeal. Others would say it speaks of middling and ambivalence. Guess which camp I’m in? Matches like this are tough- you want to be objective, but when every fiber of your being is screaming “go listen to something faster!” it’s tough. In baseball, the tie goes to the runner. In today’s matchup, the tie goes to name recognition. Wainwright it is.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

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Check out the full bracket here.

Info on the tourney, voting, and more is here.

As always, thanks for being here.

KA—

The Best Record of 2001: Day 1

by KevinLeave a Comment on The Best Record of 2001: Day 1

Here we go! It’s a battle for the Midwest as Wilco takes on Slipknot.

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (#1) and Slipknot’s Iowa (#128)

Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challengeand noted that I’d be occasionally writing some of these up.

Each day, I’ll do some quick hits of each first-round match-up and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably definitely be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!

Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.

KA—

Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is one of those records that is usually described in hushed tones and with reverence. For a certain demographic (i.e., suburban dads), it’s canon. It’s given as a meaningful gift and passed down from dad to son. It gets boxed up for anniversaries and treated as the moment Wilco turned from alt‑country to something in the pantheon of dad rock. For many listeners, it’s a landmark and must-have.

For me, it’s never landed.

On paper, I should be all over this. I like the genre. I’m a fan of good writing and stories that aren’t quite in focus. I wear cargo shorts and Sambas. I prefer Microbrews over Miller. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot checks those boxes…and yet…

The opener, “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” is a declarative statement, despite a wonky groove, and vocals that range between weary and half‑asleep, which frankly is how it leaves me feeling. I can admire how the whole thing is put together. That doesn’t change the fact that my favorite part of the whole deal is the cover art.

I want to like this record, I really do. I’m supposed to, right?! Lord knows I’ve tried. “Kamera?” Check. “I’m the Man Who Loves You?” check. Absolute apathy towards the sound? Check.

Maybe it all feels undercooked? I know that was a choice, and there are a lot of records that aim for intentionally good, not great, as an aesthetic. Maybe the hype surrounding it has led to horribly mismatched expectations. I dunno. All I can tell you is that I walk away from the sound machine feeling underwhelmed. This is a record that should be a gut punch.

None of this makes Yankee Hotel Foxtrot a failure, of course. It’s thoughtful, was clearly labored over, and clearly means a lot to a lot of people. I’m just not one of them. This is the #1 seed in the bracket and will likely make a deep run in the tourney. Heck, even I’ve pipped it to take it all (I’m pragmatic if nothing else). My bigger concern is that it’s gonna hoover up a ton of discourse oxygen. Hopefully, I’m wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time.

Slipknow’s Iowa, meanwhile, felt like everything YHF wasn’t; it was loud, dangerous, and maybe most importantly unique. The production here is a choice as well, and that choice is “don’t sand the edges off.”

The masks, jumpsuits, and numbers for names read as a gimmick (and still do, tbh), but the band said they wanted people to focus on the music, and I get it.

Tracks like “People = Shit,” “Disasterpiece,” and “The Heretic Anthem” aren’t trying to steal your heart so much as rip it out of your chest and show it to you. Joey Jordinson’s drums sound fully formed, for lack of a better term. Corey Taylor sounds like a man possessed. It’s uncomfortable. It’s glorious.

I also think that part of the appeal is where the band came from. And I mean that literally. As in the flyer states. Specifically, well, Iowa. Pop culture and tastemakers love to ignore the Central time zone, and when you put out a record that sounds like a blast furnace, that’s hard to do.

Bottom Line:
Somewhere there’s a universe where Iowa is on the right side of a #1 vs #128 match-up. Unfortunately, we don’t live there. I love rooting for the underdog, and will vote for Iowa out of spite, if nothing else. But I can’t see a way out for Clown & Co. My bracket pick begrudgingly goes to YHF.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

Leave a comment

Discussion: What’re You Listening To?

by KevinLeave a Comment on Discussion: What’re You Listening To?

Good morning! Need an antidote for the algorithms? Looking for a place to share the music you love with like-minded people? You’re in the right spot.

For those of you who are new, we kick off every week by sharing what we’ve been playing, and the playlist below is some of what’s been in heavy rotation for me.

As always, thank you to those who have recently upgraded their subscriptions. Your direct support fuels this community and makes a positive impact. Shares and reposts also help!

When you’re ready, joining them is easy. Just click here:

For avgeeks, it’s hard to beat last week’s date run. March 19, 20th, and 21st don’t mean much to most people, but those also happen to be – at least in the US, anyway – written as 3/19, 3/20, and 3/21. And what better excuse to celebrate the Airbus family of narrowbody aircraft (i.e., the A319, A320, A321)? We’re incredibly fun at parties!

At any rate, that got me thinking a bit about the numbers for Playlist 341. I’ve never been a fan of math- I was that stereotypical kid who wailed about taking algebra. Why should I take the time to learn something I’ll never use?! Joke’s on me; I use it almost every day; sometimes I even use it while working weight and balance on flights flown by…A320s. Go figure.

I’d covered Roxy Music’s “Virginia Plain” a little over three years ago. It popped back into my head after watching an episode of Barry that everyone else watched in 2019. Late to the party again. The interwebs tells me the band’s “For Your Pleasure” LP turns 53 today. “Virginia Plain” and “Street Life” are on the records on either side of it.

It’ll be 36 years ago this summer that I first saw Sonic Youth. Two of the band members have newsletters right here on this very platform. A 3rd is in a band that made one of the best records of 2026 (so far). We’ve got 9 months to go, but I’m guessing it’ll make a deep run on my AOTY list. The 4th, Kim Gordon is here with my #1 favorite song off her 3rd album.

It feels like I’ve been listening to Wire for a million years (not true), and they’re back with “23 years too late” for the 19th Record Store Day on 4/18 (very true).

There’s also plenty of brand new 2026 stuff here, including fresh racks from Lawn, Genre is Death, and Weird Nightmare. We close things out with a great new track from our friend Binnie Klein.

There’s more tracks than usual this week (12, actually). Hopefully you find a new favorite or 2 over the next seven days!

This week, Side A is tracks 1–15 (ending with “Mantis”), with Side B being 16–39. Yes, it’s lopsided; sometimes, that’s just how it goes.

On to the music…

KA—

Other sources: Apple | Qobuz | YouTube Music |


Now it’s your turn.

Any new songs or shows you’re looking forward to? Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Leave a comment

Song Review: Lee Greenwood – “God Bless the U.S.A.”, or How Greenwood’s Musical Atrocity Exeplifies What is Wrong With America

by KevinLeave a Comment on Song Review: Lee Greenwood – “God Bless the U.S.A.”, or How Greenwood’s Musical Atrocity Exeplifies What is Wrong With America

Lee Greenwood – “God Bless the U.S.A.” March 22, 2026 SONG REVIEW OVERALL (OUT OF 10): 0, but only because you can’t get negative ratings on the …

Song Review: Lee Greenwood – “God Bless the U.S.A.”, or How Greenwood’s Musical Atrocity Exeplifies What is Wrong With America

For The Record- 21. March. 2026

by KevinLeave a Comment on For The Record- 21. March. 2026

Some thoughts on shared experience, The Big Dance, and degenerate gambling as a family activity.

Note: March Madness has again kicked off, and I wanted to reshare this previously paywalled piece from last year. It’s only been lightly updated- my feelings haven’t changed. My beloved Ducks weren’t invited to the big dance, so any references to them below should be seen as “manifesting” for 2027.

I’ve been known to search the house for my glasses only to realize I’m wearing them. I couldn’t tell you what I had for lunch yesterday. But I remember exactly where I was standing in 1985 when I learned that Villanova upset Georgetown to take the NCAA men’s basketball title.

I was at Civic Stadium for a Portland Breakers game. Turns out we got our ass handed to us by a San Antonio Gunslingers team whose wheels were coming off. I had to look that up.

Know what I’ll never forget? The deafening roar of the crowd as it was announced.

As I type this, We are in the throes of March Madness. Not “mad king” shit, but the good kind- the NCAA basketball tournament kind.

Many of us fill out brackets even in a small workplace like mine. There is a lot of interest and big talk. Our Manager even does one (allegedly, of course). Similar scenarios play out nationwide. Maybe a few of you are in pools, too?

Heck, we even had a president who used to fill one out and got tan suit levels of outrage in return…but it also showed he was, well, normal (Presidents! They’re just like us!). Does Obama still do these?

Update: He does indeed.

Does anyone in the current administration? I doubt it; most seem to have an allergic reaction to fun. It’s also hard to be a grievance merchant when you’re cheering from the stands. Whatever.

We love the bracket. The heroes. The villains. The Cinderellas. The quirky human interest stories (take a bow, Sister Jean!). We cringe in unison at injuries. Speaking of which, has anyone checked on Kevin Ware lately?

Who will be this year’s Cinderella? Beats me, but I hope I have ‘em making a deep run. It’s all tradition. It’s appointment viewing. The March Madness roller coaster is one we all ride on.

Speaking of ‘Nova, Rollie Massimino was a perfect name for a coach. Of course, he took them to the promised land! How could he not have?! It’s colorful characters. Colloquialisms. It’s a collective experience.

It’s also among the last bastions of “good” tribal identity. Walk into the party and announce some outré political belief. See where that gets you. Walk into the office wearing the jersey of your school or hometown? Totally copacetic. Heck, you might even get away with wearing an Oregon State shirt. I’m probably legally required to advise you to check with HR first on that last one, but still…

If all this sounds romantic — that’s because it is, and unapologetically so

I always do a couple of brackets. One is purely vibes-based. In this scenario, the Ducks always win. You gotta root for your people, right? The other is usually more measured, and I take some time to do more thorough research (translation: check with my kids). Two of my superpowers are pretzel logic and rationalization, so the Ducks often take it all in these simulations, too.

If you are a Houston fan, I will (quietly) cheer with you solely because it’s the alma mater of the greatest player of all time. None of this has to make sense, and it’s more fun when it doesn’t. March Madness is no place for logic, common sense, or stats.

Speaking of my kids, they play too; the family that gambles together stays together.

My point here is that millions of us participate in this. It’s one of the last-standing examples of shared experience. We don’t do that a lot in 2025 2026. We spent so long trusting people who told us that removing friction was a good thing that we developed an allergic reaction to it. All that got us was atomized content diets, sore thumbs from scrolling, and out-of-whack expectations.

Why is this page taking longer than two seconds to load?

Whaddya mean I have to wait a full week for the next White Lotus Episode?

(Sidebar: As this is still ostensibly a music newsletter, how come no one told me Mook was played by Lisa from Blackpink?)

I guess that’s what I get for trying to be less terminally online. It was bad enough when there were only 57 channels that had nothing on. Now there’s 500+, and worse… except in March when EJ in Atlanta, Charles Barkley, and the rest of the crew roll the party straight to your TV set.

You want me to fill out a piece of paper? Like with a pen/pencil?!

Yes, yes I do. The friction’s half the fun. There’s no buttons, no GUI, just graphite—bonus point for doing it ink in one run. Sure, you can fill one out online, and if you really want, you can even outsource the work to AI. You can enter huge pools with a bunch of strangers and win huge prizes (we love us some cash). But there’s something much more rewarding about filling it out at the breakroom table and being able to good-naturedly rib Jan from Accounting when your team beats hers at the buzzer.

Turning your back on social media, returning to Web 1.0, filling out brackets, filling the stands—this is half the fun. This is the way.

Go Ducks!

As always, thanks for being here.

Kevin—

Discussion: What’re You Listening To?

by KevinLeave a Comment on Discussion: What’re You Listening To?

Good morning! Need an antidote for the algorithms? Looking for a place to share the music you love with like-minded people? You’re in the right spot.

For those of you who are new, we kick off every week by sharing what we’ve been playing, and the playlist below is some of what’s been in heavy rotation for me.

As always, thank you to those who have recently upgraded their subscriptions. Your direct support fuels this community and makes a positive impact. Shares and reposts also help!

When you’re ready, joining them is easy. Just click here:

One of the biggest pulls of any given song or record is where you were in life when you first heard it. The older I get, the more universal that truth seems. Sometimes that “where” is literal. Ask me what I had for lunch yesterday, and I’d probably struggle to remember. Ask me about the first time I heard The Jesus and Mary Chain, though, and I can take you right back to the exact place (A-hall at my junior high). Last week, R.E.M.’s Out of Time was in the spotlight, but I first heard Green in that same spot. Both bands made it onto the “seen them live” list not long after, and I feel lucky to say “I was there.” I’d like to add Phoenix to that list before it’s too late, too.

Those memories don’t always involve discovery, either. Sometimes they’re about the circumstances you somehow stumbled into. I once drove from Portland to Los Angeles, and as we were backing out of the driveway, my partner in crime announced that we were going to listen to They Might Be Giants the entire way. I assumed it was hyperbole (It wasn’t). It could have been worse! If nothing else, it makes for a fun story.

Those moments don’t stop happening just because you’re no longer a teenager. Courtney Barnett is a perfect example. She’s got a record coming at the end of the month, and if Mantis is any indication, it’s going to make a deep run on the usual year-end lists. My onramp came on the way to work one morning, listening to Hrishikesh Hirway’s Song Exploder, where she deconstructed Depreston. That one held the favorite slot for a long time… until “Mantis” showed up a few days ago. Hirway, for his part, has a new single of his own out as well, which somehow brings everything around full circle.

Romeo Void first landed on many of our radars thanks to MTV. I was too young to make it to one of their shows back in the day, but by most accounts, they were events not to be missed. There’s a bit of secondhand redemption coming via a live album on Record Store Day. No spoilers, but I got to hear an advance copy, and it’s killer. I feel lucky to be able to say that, too.

That’s the thing about songs. They’re rarely ”just” songs/albums/shows. They’re markers along the way: a hallway in junior high, a car heading out on the highway, a podcast episode on another forgettable pre-dawn commute, music video decades ago. Getting older sucks, but the upside is that list of moments keeps growing. And if you’re lucky, every once in a while, you get to say: I remember when…

This week, Side A is tracks 1–15 (ending with “Mantis”), with Side B being 16–27.

On to the music…

KA—

Other sources: Apple | Qobuz | YouTube Music|


Now it’s your turn.

Any new releases or shows you’re looking forward to? Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Leave a comment

In Conversation: Kadrian Alvarenga- the Man Behind Latin Gold Records

by KevinLeave a Comment on In Conversation: Kadrian Alvarenga- the Man Behind Latin Gold Records

How family history, Latin music, and the thrill of crate digging inspired his growing online record store.

Good morning!

Today, I’m sharing a recent conversation I had with one of the coolest people in the vinyl collecting world. We’ll be back to business as usual next week.

One of my favorite vinyl pickups lately is a holiday record that Spanish airline Iberia put out in 1962. If you were to draw a Venn diagram of my life, it would land near dead center. I’ve always been the kid who looked up at planes as they passed overhead, wondering where they were going, and somehow I managed to turn a love of the golden age of aviation into a career. My feelings about records should be pretty well known by now. The cover is even blue, which happens to be my favorite color.

“One of my favorite things about digging for vinyl is the moment you pick up a record and realize it was made somewhere you’ve never been, by someone you’d never otherwise know, and somehow it still speaks directly to you.”

This particular record feels like it has a library full of backstories. Why did an airline issue a record? Was it meant for customers? Employees? How did it make its way to the U.S.? (By air, I’m sure—but who brought it?) How many hands—and holidays—has it passed through along the way?

I can daydream about that all day, but I do know the last leg of its journey: it came from Los Angeles, courtesy of my friend Kadrian Alvarenga.

Look, I know I like to kvetch about the internet. Writing about how it’s atomized us comes easily for me. But for all its faults, it still creates incredible connections with people I’d never encounter otherwise. Kadrian and I first crossed paths online—either here or on Threads—and I was lucky enough to have him contribute a guest post about KISS, where he talked about separating art from artist, and the line each of us draws in those situations.

He was also the writer behind First Pressings, a newsletter chronicling the adventures of life as a vinyl addict. The newsletter wrapped up last December. But, as you’ll see, it was for a very good reason.

Like many of us, Kadrian found solace in vinyl during the pandemic. Already a music fan, he suddenly had both time on his hands and a batch of records he’d inherited from his father. That was all the spark needed to ignite a full-blown passion for collecting.

Soon, he was attending pop-up sales around Los Angeles, first as a buyer and then eventually on the other side of the booth as a seller. At the same time, he was building a following through pop-up sales on Instagram.

Now he’s leveled up again: Latin Gold Records is a full-fledged online store.

Latin Gold Records is an online record shop—and Los Angeles-based pop-up—that specializes in Latin music: salsa, boogaloo, Latin jazz, and cumbia. But Kadrian’s taste isn’t limited to any one lane.

“I carry everything that catches my ear—from funk to punk, rock to jazz, world to weird, and all the notes in between.”

I’ve personally picked up several records from the shop already, and I’m sure there are more to come. It’s been all upside: I’ve discovered cumbia and other genres that were real blind spots for me, along with fun finds like the Iberia record I mentioned at the top.

In our wide-ranging conversation, we talk about the origin story of Latin Gold Records, the surprises he’s encountered along the way, and how inheriting records helped both of us understand our fathers not just as “Dad,” but as people.

One quick thing I want to mention up front: I’m a big believer in businesses giving back—whether that’s the “artistic tithing” we do here or direct support for important causes. Businesses can—and should—be forces for good.

Kadrian has chosen to support CHIRLA, an organization that’s important to him and does vital work advocating for immigrant communities. Currently, 10% of all Latin Gold Records sales go directly to the group.

Getting some killer records is cool enough. Knowing some of that money goes to a good cause? That’s music to my ears.

My original plan was to use this as a good time to “pivot to video” and see how it went. And I gotta say, from our side of the screen, it went great. But we had so much fun bouncing between business and real life that, without context, it might feel a little disorienting (note to self: next time, don’t pick ‘single screen.’). It was like we’d known each other for years and simply picked up where we left off.

I had a list of questions and a rough outline to keep things on track.

That lasted about 30 seconds.

What you’ll hear instead is the raw audio of two music nerds finally meeting, talking about records, and celebrating the thrill of finding the right record at exactly the right time.

Enjoy!

KA—

Connect: Latin Gold Records | Newsletter | Instagram | TikTok

As an added bonus, here he is DJ’ing a recent set. It’ll pair perfectly with your morning coffee, brunch, or whatever you’ve got going on today!

As always, thanks for being here,

KA—

Leave a comment

Discussion: What’re You Listening To?

by KevinLeave a Comment on Discussion: What’re You Listening To?

Good morning! Need an antidote for the algorithms? Looking for a place to share the music you love with like-minded people? You’re in the right spot.

For those of you who are new, we kick off every week by sharing what we’ve been playing, and the playlist below is some of what’s been in heavy rotation for me.

As always, thank you to those who have recently upgraded their subscriptions. Your direct support fuels this community and makes a positive impact. Shares and reposts also help!

When you’re ready, joining them is easy. Just click here:

Wilco is a band that needs little explanation: they make a record, people love it, repeat. Jeff Tweedy is often mentioned in the same breath as Dylan and credited with helping spark the entire alt-country genre.

Is Yankee Hotel Foxtrot an objectively good record? Yes.

Am I more interested in the apartments featured on the cover than the record itself? Also yes.

I’ve mentioned it before, but this has always felt like a record people liked because they thought they had to. It’s one that any hipster craft beer bar likely plays on repeat (heh). That’s reductive and unfair, of course, and listening again ahead of the Best Record of 2001 bracket, I can see the appeal. “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” is a classic, but tracks like “Kamera” sound far better than I ever remember them being. I can see myself sitting on the back patio of that bar with some friends, whiling away a summer afternoon. The strings on “Jesus, Inc.” are a nice touch, too. I get it. But I’m still more interested in the buildings.

I say all this to admit that my toxic trait is that (try as I might) I just don’t like Wilco very much.

BUT—and this is a big but—I will 100% carve out an exception for Summerteeth. To my ear, “I’m Always in Love” is the quintessential pop song, and that—more than even something like “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”—shows the genius of this band.

Wilco is here, but so too is everyone from Television and The Feelies to Heavy Looks—one of my fave WI-based bands. There are also new tracks from Jack Vinoy, Lala Lala, and Inner Wave (among others).

A few of you have asked whether I sequence these as an album or a mixtape. The answer is always yes. In my head, I imagine them being played on your morning commute or road trip. I’m too old to use the word “vibes” as much as I have lately, but, well, if the shoe fits…

This week, Side A is tracks 1–15 (ending with “1880 or So”), with Side B being 16–27.

On to the music…

KA—

Other sources: Apple | Qobuz | YouTube Music|



Now it’s your turn.

Any new releases or shows you’re looking forward to? Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Discussion: What’re You Listening To?

by KevinLeave a Comment on Discussion: What’re You Listening To?

Good morning! Need an antidote for the algorithms? Looking for a place to share the music you love with like-minded people? You’re in the right spot.

For those of you who are new, we kick off every week by sharing what we’ve been playing, and the playlist below is some of what’s been in heavy rotation for me.

As always, thank you to those who have recently upgraded their subscriptions. Your direct support fuels this community and makes a positive impact. Shares and reposts also help!

When you’re ready, joining them is easy. Just click here:

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and in honor of Social Distortion dropping a new single, I thought I’d reshare the 100% true, 100-word story about how I met the band. Worth noting that Mike Ness & co. were quick to steer me right toward the Gatorade (and away from everything else). Teenage me was annoyed. Middle-aged me is grateful.

In school, I won tickets to see Social Distortion by calling into a local radio station and naming the song (“Story of My Life”).

The show was at Pine St. Theater in Portland, & the band used plastic jellyfish as de facto backstage passes. My friend Pauli got one. We did not.

After an amazing show, she went up to meet them (backstage was actually upstairs). We were out front waiting when we heard a noise above us. It was guitarist Dennis Darnell, about to pee out the window. Instead, he asked us up.

And that’s how I met the band.

KA—

On to the music…

The new SD is here, but they’re not the only ones making a triumphant return. Heavenly is back, as is our pal Joel Daniel and Tinvis. There’s a new record on the way, and you can check that out here. We’ve also got some fresh sounds from Peter Patrick Pedro, Deary, and Hedge.

A few of you have asked whether I sequence these as an album or mixtape. The answer is always “yes.” In my head, I imagine them being played on your morning commute or road trip. I’m too old to use the word “vibes” as much as I have lately, but, well, if the shoe fits…

This week, Side A is tracks 1-13 (ends with “Other Lives”), with Side B being 14-27.

Other sources: Apple | Qobuz | YouTube Music |

Note: A couple of tracks this week aren’t available via Qobuz

Now it’s your turn.

Any new releases or shows you’re looking forward to? Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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