Discussion: What’re You Listening To?

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

A few thoughts on kids in the comments, New Order’s Brotherhood, and brilliant closing tracks.

The kids are all right.

NPR recently shared a story about comments that were appearing underneath its podcasts. In isolation, they didn’t make much sense, but they did seem to be talking to one another. At first blush, staffers assumed they were bots and set out to clean up the comment sections.

But then they asked a Gen Z coworker for their take, and her response will shock you…

Just kidding—we’re not doing that here. But it is an interesting story. As most of you know, social media platforms have started age-gating, and, well, like water seeking its natural level, kids got creative in trying to find new places to chat. It just so happens that the relatively empty comment sections under NPR podcasts fit the bill, so there they were. I don’t know who these kids are—though Ira Glass spoke to one of them, because of course he did—but I hope all of ’em wind up at NASA someday. That’s my kind of subversion.

Kids will always find an overlooked corner of the internet and make it their own. In a much less technologically advanced version of that impulse, I’ve spent the week thinking about New Order’s Brotherhood: a great record that has spent far too long in an overlooked corner of the band’s catalog. If ever a record had middle-child energy, New Order’s Brotherhood is it. It’s also magnificent.

Talking about the record for an article on What Am I Making, I wrote:

Can a record have middle-child energy? If that’s possible, Brotherhood is it. Other records by the band spark lively discourse on fan forums or get slapped with a critic’s-darling label. Brotherhood has been unfairly exiled to a purgatory of inattention. Meanwhile, it’s just in the corner doing its thing, happy to be left alone. Split in half between electronic and analog, it’s a wild ride—and well worth it.

Brotherhood often gets overlooked in discussions about the band’s discography, and, to be fair, it does occupy a bit of a weird space in the group’s timeline. With one foot in the analog world and the other firmly planted in the electricity of Italian discos, the band was split on which direction to go. So they did the only thing they could: Side A is primarily acoustic, and Side B is dominated by digital. That represents a literal split in musical stylings and a fracture within the band.

So, you have a band growing tired of one another as people and split into two distinct tribes—rock and electronic—as musicians. All the while, their label was pushing them for a follow-up to Low-Life. No pressure, then! Those factors are a sure bet for disaster, and yet, once again, despite—or in spite of—themselves, they released a record that holds up well.

“Paradise” feels almost claustrophobic, with Sumner’s pleading vocals feeling almost smothering. Up next is the much brighter “Weirdo,” a track where everything feels like it’s this close to flying off into space, and the only thing holding everything in stable orbit is Hook’s bass. To my ear, it’s them at their best, and anytime I get a new stereo—or AirPods—this is the song I use to test them. “As It Was When It Was” gives listeners a wistful breather before things ramp back up with “Broken Promise.” Side A closes with “Way of Life,” a track that feels like a close cousin to “Weirdo.”

Initially intended to be a single, it was even released as a promo 12”, but it wasn’t meant to be. From Hook: “I really wanted to get another bass riff that was as good as ‘Age of Consent’… I managed it here by turning that riff backwards and using it again. Distorted bass intro. We got that by putting it through an Akai cassette player!”

“Bizarre Love Triangle” kicks off Side B and sets the tone early. As good as Side A is, the song isn’t halfway over before it’s clear what the future looks like for New Order.

That record turns 40 tomorrow, and I think it’s pretty clear that the future for the band did indeed include a lot of 808 synths and an overindexing on digital. I’m not mad about that, but it also included a lot of internal strife and the eventual fracturing of the band, with bassist Peter Hook advocating for a more analog sound and the rest of the band determined to follow the muse they’d first heard thundering out of clubs in NYC. The cracks really first start to appear here.

Hook is now performing with a supporting band, Peter Hook and the Light. Meanwhile, recent health issues have sidelined Gillian Gilbert and, by association, Stephen Morris, leaving frontman Bernard Sumner as the last original touring member. It’s a real Ship of Theseus situation, and, if I’m honest, for two people so at odds with one another, there’s not much daylight between what Messrs. Sumner and Hook are currently doing. One history, two ways. So be it. I guess this is my way of both plugging a great band and saying: get out and see yours while you can.

And listen to Brotherhood! Turning 40 tomorrow, it is no longer a kid, but what it does do—and does well—is hold up. For a record heading headlong into middle age, it sounds as good as it did the first time I heard it… as a kid.

In the above article, Morris talks about the band’s “Bizarre Love Triangle” and how it was initially grossly overlooked. He also talks about “Face Up” (from the band’s “Low Life” LP), which he loves but that fans met with indifference. You could’ve fooled me; it’s one of my favorites from the band, and arguably their best closer.

In my talk with Matty at WAIM, I mention another track from Brotherhood, “Weirdo,” and how anytime I get a new stereo, speakers, or even AirPods, it’s the song I use to first test ’em out. I don’t see that changing anytime soon; I’ve been doing it since I was a kid.

Onto the music:

“Face Up” and “Weirdo” are both here, as is “Way of Life,” which was initially slated as the record’s “breakout” single (You didn’t really think I wasn’t gonna try to squeeze a third New Order track on here, did you?). But there’s also much newer stuff, including the latest from community favorite Lydia Loveless, Julia Jacklin, and Nathan Kendall. We’ve also got one from Louisville’s Future Fossils that, if you’re not careful, will melt your speakers, and one from the Klittens. Isa Heller’s also here, closing things out with a sticky groove in “Wildflower.”

Speaking of closers, besides “Face Up” and Wildflower, there are a couple of others here. Over at The Runout Grooves, our friend Mitchell Stirling is running a survey on the best closers of the 2000s, and to say they’ve been on my mind and in my ears would be an understatement. If you’ve got a second, check out the survey and vote for your favorites. I can almost guarantee a couple will still be in your heavy rotation, and maybe some you’ve completely forgotten about.

If you’ve got some thoughts on closers, New Order, or anything else on this list, I’d love to hear them.

And if some random kids show up in the chat, be cool!

KA—

The Playlists: | Apple | Qobuz | YouTube Music | Tidal (NEW) |

Now it’s your turn.

What’s been exciting you lately? Any releases or shows you’re looking forward to? Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!

What’re You Listening To?

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

FTA: Some thoughts on family, football, and having a little faith. Plus a whole buncha killer new tracks.

Note: I’m resharing a post from this same weekend last year. It has only been mildly updated. In a world that’s gone sideways, celebrating life events has become much more essential. I also will take any chance I get to talk up John Hiatt and Ducks football, so there’s that. FWIW, I wound up finishing the book I mention below not too long after this first ran. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.

The Ducks and Badgers don’t play each other this year, but maybe next year? We can talk all day about the perils of college football, but in my case, it’s serving as an excellent pretext for family reunions, and my life is all the richer for it. Oh, and I still have no idea where my suit is.

KA—

Today, twenty-two four years ago, we had a party, and not a lot went according to plan.

For one, we ran out of food. I’m told it was delicious.

Attendance was capped at 150, split three ways between my mom, my in-laws, and us. With us in Oregon and most of my in-laws in Wisconsin, I assumed many people would not make the trip. Never underestimate Badgers’ desire to travel.

For my part, I have the sort of family where if you invite one, you must ask another 8. The ones you skip will drive 4 hours and crash it anyway (see my comment about the food). Never underestimate my family’s affinity for a gathering. 

We told people to prepare for any kind of weather. It was in the 80s. I sweat in March. You can imagine how this went. I’m fairly certain that was the last time I wore a suit. Last I knew, a kid in the neighborhood borrowed it for a science presentation at school.

Maybe he still has it?

Like most weddings, there are plenty of lovely, very professional pictures that document that day. They are nice, with everyone perfectly posed, beaming, and in just the right pairings: the parents, the moms, the wedding party—you know the drill. If nothing else, it’s evidence that I can clean up nicely. Outside of the 2-3 that we had printed, they’ve maybe seen the light of day a handful of times in the last two decades.

The candid shots taken throughout the event are much more interesting to me. None of these were taken on a phone or posted to Instagram. They found their way back to us via US mail, or more commonly after someone had printed them and shared them the next time we got together. Even with a candid shot, there’s an intentionality you don’t get with a phone. Each picture tells you as much as it leaves out. I wish someone had taken a picture of the food.

A quote in this article has stuck with me for several days now:

For me, at least, my Polaroid project this summer was really about memory and time, tangibility and loss. The act of reaching for something that you know, even in that moment of capturing it, is already out of your grasp. Like our memories, too, because what we choose to frame tells us so much about the things that we hold onto – as well as the things that we let go.

(Yes, another week of talking about Polaroid pictures, physical media, and how we used to use them to document the mile markers of our lives.)

The shots from that day are dispatches from the road, full of people still in our lives and those who aren’t, of people held onto and people let go. Some of those friendships didn’t survive the attrition of distance, and some have shuffled off this mortal coil.

One of my groomsmen lives 10 miles away. With two kids each and busy careers, we’ve seen each other once, and that was at a soccer tournament. Somewhere, there’s a picture of that, too—both of us a little older, both in cargo shorts; I guess we’re both suburban dads now. It was in the 80s that day, too.

I was probably sweating. We’re both beaming. 

One worked with me and left for another airline. He’s younger than me and somehow managed to retire. Lucky him.

My best man has been in my life for almost all of it. He and I still talk a few times a week via text, usually sending each other mildly offensive memes that the 12-year-olds in us would delight in. I haven’t seen him in five years. I’m grateful technology keeps us close. Lucky me. 

I hadn’t seen my cousins on one side in 10 years and wouldn’t see them for another dozen or so (at one of their weddings, of course). I’ll see them again in 56 days. It will have been one day shy of 6 years. I’m grateful the Oregon Ducks moved to the Big 10.

For our reception, we crowdsourced the music, adding a line on the RSVPs to request a song. In hindsight, this was a good idea, and I wish I had thought of it. In retrospect, we also should’ve known that picking the date we did would sentence us to a lifetime of receiving memes like this. On the plus side, it makes it easy to remember. 

Van Morrison’s “Moondance” was the most popular request. I don’t know what to say about that. John Hiatt’s “Have a Little Faith in Me” was our spotlight dance. He’s very much still in my life. I listen to his records often and just started a biography by the same name. That we could dance at all was remarkable; my wife’s knee had been demolished a few months earlier while playing soccer. She scored on that play, by the way. That injury was definitely not according to plan, but the dance was an incredible win. 

Of course, there were up-tempo songs too–it was a party, after all–and people rarely miss the chance to tell me how great it was to see my stepdad and father-in-law “fast dancing” at different points. They’re both gone, and I’d like to think that they’d laugh at that being their legacy. It’s a helluva snapshot if you think about it.

Whether at a courthouse, a church, or on the beach, a wedding is aspirational. The couple has a lifetime ahead of them, an early chapter in what hopefully will be a long story of life events and milestones, and regular Tuesday nights watching TV. 

Depending on when you see this, we may be celebrating at brunch, record shopping (I hope!), riding bikes, or at a concert by going to work and then hopefully somewhere cool for an early dinner. It’s fast livin’ for sure.

Twenty-two four years ago, not much went according to plan, but everything went right. Surrounded by friends, family, and lord knows who else, underneath a warm sun and next to the gorgeous Oregon coast, my (now) wife and I decided to have a little faith and said yes.

As always, thanks for being here.

KA—

On to the music…

Were I not solidly middle aged, I’d just type something like “Hard Life by The Tubs? OBSESSED” and call it good. The reality is that I’ve been playing it pretty much nonstop, and every time I do, a new favorite track emerges. Kalshi’s probably got the odds of this being on my AOTY list easily at 75-80%.

Speaking of Badgers, there’s also a couple of WI bands on here with Milwaukee’s Fellow Travelers and Madison’s Parting Blue (aka the band formerly known as Depression Glass). The latter have a new record out, and it’s got a great heartland indie sound going. RIYL: The Jayhawks, Spooner, or Son Volt.

We’ve also got killer sounds from Outer World, Phosphene, Devecia Mack, Gift, The Tisburys, and more!

The Playlists: | Apple | Qobuz | YouTube Music | Tidal (NEW) |

Now it’s your turn.

What’s been exciting you lately? Any releases or shows you’re looking forward to? Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!

In Conversation With: San Gabriel

by KevinLeave a Comment on In Conversation With: San Gabriel

The synth pop artist stops by to talk about his latest EP, his creative process, and the vibrant scene in southern Oregon.

San Gabriel. Photo: Kassy Balli

Good morning!

Today we’re talking with synth pop artist San Gabriel.

Retail jobs are an incredible incubator for side projects. Some people use the downtime to catch up on schoolwork. Others may work on a side hustle. James Bookert used that time to work on his music. Initially, something to do in between tours became San Gabriel, a fully formed synth-pop project.

If that name sounds familiar, trust your gut; last year’s Nights and Weekends caught the attention of many here in the community, and I recently took a quick look at the follow-up EP Adult Onset Goth, noting:

Last year’s Nights and Weekends was a revelation. Adult Onset Goth is the follow-up EP, and all of the dreamy synths, washed-out guitars, and sugary hooks are here. Are you a fan of New Order, or even Tame Impala? Maybe you spend a lot of time mining the crates for early 80s synth pop. This’ll scratch that itch.

Lead single “Paradise” explores themes of avoidance, emotional stagnation, and the tension between moving forward or remaining in unhealthy but familiar places, with Bookert saying, “This song is about avoiding the complicated feelings that come with growing up. It’s about avoiding moving on. It’s about avoidance and the fear of growth. It’s about feeling stuck in life, admiring the past through a not-so-healthy lens, and not knowing if to move forward into an open uncertainty, or stay rooted in a place/relationship that isn’t healthy.”

I wanted to talk more with James about the threads he’s been pulling in his work—both the lyrics and the sound—but I was also curious about where he’s at in life, both literally and figuratively. He currently calls Ashland, Oregon, home, and while I can tell you that Ashland is known for a lot of things, synth-pop ain’t one of ’em…or so I thought. But I was happily surprised (and happy to be corrected) by his take on life in Southern Oregon.

In our wide-ranging chat, we cover the local scene, what his creative process looks like, and what the rest of the year has in store for him. It’s only been lightly edited for grammar and flow.

Congrats on the new record! Can you walk us through the backstory of how ‘Adult Onset Goth’ came together?

Hey, thanks, Kevin! I’m pretty psyched on these songs! When I’m not on the road, I’m pretty much always writing. It feels like a productive way to distract myself from all of the crazy stuff that’s happening in the world. And since I’m just kind of always writing, I tend to have a ton of songs sitting around. Cayle, who owns and operates Share It Music, gave me a little nudge to put some of these songs out, which was super helpful. But, in short, they’re songs that I love, but maybe didn’t feel like they were fitting in with my next record, and I still wanted them to see the light of day.

I’m curious about the title (which I love, btw). What does it mean to you now, and has it changed since you first landed on it?

I’m 41, and it’s been crazy watching the world, or maybe just the US, turn into what it’s turned into. I think social media rewards a lot of performative negative behaviour (our president), and when that’s all that we see of society, that’s what we believe. If I’m perfectly honest, it’s really hard not to be cynical and give up hope, or think that we’re all against each other.

But I’m fortunate to get to tour, play music, and meet new people. And what I see is the exact opposite. I see and meet a lot of people who are sweet and kind and accepting and weird, and not afraid to be themselves.

Maybe the title was just me making fun myself, or maybe the songs on my EP are “the cure for adult onset goth” (take twice daily) I don’t know. It just sounded fun.

Did any of the tracks come together particularly quickly (or slowly)?

Yeah, I got pretty lucky with some of em! Sometimes, if I have a good idea, I’ll set an alarm for 30 minutes and tell myself that by the end of these 30 minutes, this song has to be finished. That means 2 verses, 2 choruses, and a bridge if needed.

With “Paradise,” I think I was playing bass and just said, “t t t take me back to paradise.” So I set an alarm and wrote the rest.

That said, “Magic” was the opposite. That was a completely different song that I shoehorned together, and that was over the course of maybe a year. I was just banging my head against a wall trying to write a chorus, and was like, wait a minute…this fits with this other song, and boom, Magic was born.

Double-clicking on that, what comes first for you: sounds or lyrics?

You know both. There’s never one thing that works. For “Paradise,” I was just sitting around playing bass, and the chorus came out. Other times it’s just been the rhythm of a set of words that will inform the rest of the song. It’s kind of all over the place.

Sometimes I’ll write a whole instrumental track, walk around, and sit in the park listening to it, trying to write lyrics; it all just kinda depends.

Shifting gears, you’re in Ashland, Oregon. I grew up in PDX, and synth pop is the last kind of thing I’d expect from that part of the world. What brought you there? What’s the scene like?

Ashland is freaking awesome. This place is crammed full of musicians and artists that you’d never expect. Ashland seems to function on its own terms, in a way that I really love. Super vibrant and healthy music scene.

For one, Sylvia Massy has a studio here. Sylvia is this genius engineer/producer who recorded Prince, Johnny Cash, System of a Down, you name it. She actually let me mix some stuff from my last record in her studio.

There are also a ton of local people here who would blow your mind. My buddy Mitch fronts a band called Slow Corpse. Dude has the voice of an angel and will write 5 amazing songs a week. I used to play bass in his band, and he’d come in with a whole new set every week.

Then there’s Sean, who is a synth wizard, and he fronts a band called Yaaro Light; there’s Casey and the Cutoffs, who are an amazing local band; and this dude Kyle, who does DIY shows out of his warehouse/skatepark.

I just randomly saw a Brazilian band at a thrift shop last weekend. We just heard music and walked over there.

Also, there’s a super vibrant theater scene here. That’s not ever what I’d considered “live music,” but boy was I wrong about that. Because, man, I just saw a play called “Come From Away” that had a full live band playing the entire time, and it was mind-blowing, from both a musical and technical perspective.

In short, Ashland is awesome. Super cool vibrant scene.

For someone that might be new to your work, what do you hope they take away from this record?

That’s a great question, and I don’t know if I have an answer, but I’ll try.

I feel like music has given me so much, especially as a young person. Life can be super isolating, and lonely, and confusing, and we’re always expected to put on this face and say things are okay when maybe they’re not.

Like, there are song lyrics that we’ll sing and fully 100% relate to, that we’d never say in a sentence. I feel like music is a place we can let our guard down and be immersed in our feelings. I think of it as the little friend I keep in my back pocket that understands me 100%

That said, I don’t know that I have any hopes for people’s takeaway from this record, but if it makes you dance, or tap your toes, or you like a little synth sound in there, I’m happy with that. If there’s lyrics in there that you really resonate with, that’s cool too. I just hope that it helps somebody in the world in some way.

What’s the rest of 2026 look like for you? More shows (I saw you recently did one with Limerence)? Back into the studio?

I’m about to jump on 6 weeks of touring with my buddy Griff, who is Goth Babe.

We’re doing 6 weeks opening for Foster the People, which is gonna go everywhere. I’m working on booking some PNW and California stuff for the end of the year, which will definitely include Limerence.

And yeah, always in the studio. I got a bunch of music I’m working on for whatever my next record is gonna be!

Last one, just for fun: I bump into you as you walk out of the record store. What records are you carrying?

Oof. Probably “Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player” by Elton John. That was my favorite tape when I was 5, and every time I see it I’m like, woah, look, it’s “Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player” by Elton John, only to come home and realize that I’ve forgotten that I already have three copies of “Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player” by Elton John.

But honestly, anything. I was a banjo player for years, so if I find any old bluegrass or old-time records, I’ll scoop ‘em. I’m also a huge prewar blues fan. I will say, I’ve been looking for it for years, but my hope is that I’ll walk out of the record store with a copy of “Tupelo Honey” by Van Morrison

Listen:

Click the record to preview/play ‘Adult Onset Goth.’

A Few Thoughts on Some Records From 2001, Cleaning Airplanes, and CDs as Comfort Food.

by KevinLeave a Comment on A Few Thoughts on Some Records From 2001, Cleaning Airplanes, and CDs as Comfort Food.

Also: a buncha new tracks.

I ended last week by meeting another MusicStack writer in town for a show. More of that, please! I am lousy about getting to shows, but the next one (lightly) penciled in on my dance card will be Sweeping Promises, who I’ve been waiting to see for a while now. They’ve got a new record out, and hopefully I’ll spill some ink on it soon. I found the previous one by chance, and it wasted no time locking in its spot on my AOTY list. It was definitely a case of good timing.

Meanwhile, the Best Album of 2001 is rounding third for home, and the last few standing are exactly who you might think (spoiler: with three of the last four records, suburban dads are in fat city). The lone exception is Björk, who found time to beam down from whatever planet she’s from to gift us Vespertine.

This sent me down a rabbit hole of records released on September 11 (talk about bad timing). Bob Dylan dropped Love and Theft, and if you know me, well, you know how that movie ends. Not the worst record I’ve heard, but this is still as good as it gets for me. It made it to Round 3 before being bounced by Rilo Kiley.

John Hiatt also dropped The Tiki Bar Is Open, and I’ll listen to that any time. I first found him via Perfectly Good Guitar when it was mandatory in-store play at the record store where I worked. I didn’t listen to it much until the summer of ’01. In those days, we still did our own cabin cleaning, and to make it a little less miserable, we’d jury-rig the PA system to play music. The guys on my crew were all Hiatt’s target demographic (read: dudes older than me), and he got a lot of airplay.

I don’t remember listening to him much after that fateful Tuesday. After that, my listening diet switched almost completely to a mix of news radio and old favorite CDs as comfort food. I’m not even sure I heard this record until much later, but I did manage to see him play, which was an incredible win in an era where they were pretty scarce.

That whole stretch colors a lot of this week’s picks. Dylan and Björk aren’t here, but there’s plenty of what I’d consider comfort food with Yo La Tengo, Afghan Whigs, Nada Surf, and more. There’s also some Dismemberment Plan, who might be my fave (re)discovery from this tournament. And the shared-member org chart of them, Maritime, and Promise Ring is (*chef’s kiss). If they’re new names to you, all three are well worth your time. Might I suggest starting with what might be the most Milwaukee-coded video ever?

Fear not; this isn’t a total retrospective. There’s plenty of killer new tracks from likes of The War on Drugs (new War on Drugs!), M(h)aol, and Teenage Fanclub—a band that took me way too long to come around to, but was totally worth the wait. We’ve also got some great fresh sounds from Jacob T. Simons and Working Men’s Club. Perfect for cleaning airplanes or wherever you might be listening.

One quick note before you press play (v2.0): You may have noticed there’s no Spotify link this week. That’s intentional. I’ve been yapping about supporting artists for a while, and it felt like the right time to finally (!) put my money where my mouth is. Nowhere’s perfect, but small steps matter. It’s also worth noting that the platform with the lowest-quality sound and worst pay for artists is also the most expensive. I first rolled this out with the playlists that go out to paid community supporters, and now I’m rolling it out fully.

Maybe you still really like Spotify or find value in it. That’s ok, too. No judgment here! Promise. Either way, if you have strong thoughts on the matter, I’d like to hear ’em! Please weigh in below.

On to the music…

KA—

The Playlists: | Apple | Qobuz | YouTube Music | Tidal (NEW) |

Now it’s your turn.

What’s been exciting you lately? Any 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?

A few thoughts on Airports, Dolly Parton, and pivoting away from a popular platform. Also: a buncha new tracks.

As some of you know, in addition to this here newsletter, I also edit an online music publication. We have a few rules around what is kosher to publish and what’s a no-go.

One of our informal rules is that we’ll turn back an otherwise fine piece if it’s the one too manyieth1 in a row on any given artist/topic. Think of it like the stock market’s circuit breaker mechanism. We like giving the people what they want, but there’s a limit. In five-ish years, I’ve only had to invoke this rule twice: once for Taylor Swift and once for Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter.

In theory, I could’ve—or should’ve—invoked it a 3rd time for Dolly Parton, but, well, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Sure, there were some submissions that were all too easy to decline—if you’re gonna write about an icon, maybe don’t have a machine do it for you?—but most showed a person who managed to touch a lot of people in a lot of different ways.

In our case, these indexed toward her records rather than things like Dollywood (and the second-order economic effects of an amusement park), but I’m still struck—as I assume many of you were—by how universal the sentiment seems. It’d be easy to just chalk it up to being hungry for something positive, but, well, you gotta earn it, and in this case, the hagiographies’ll write themselves.

There’s even a movement afoot to change the name of Nashville’s airport to honor her. Seems like a no-brainer, and the only argument one might make is that technically Knoxville’s airport is much closer to her hometown, and even that’s really just grist for the pedantry mill or avgeeks like me.

At any rate, I hope it goes through. It’d be a nice antidote to what recently happened to West Palm Beach’s airport.

On to the music…

This week, what’s old is new again with a fresh track from Dinosaur Jr. Our pal Brian K. Pagels (aka Brian K. & the Parkway) has a new one out (spoiler: It’s fantastic). We’ve also got a few old standbys that sound as good as ever from James and Peter Murphy. Speaking of Nashville, there’s a double dose of Total Wife. Parquet Courts came up in a discussion on songs about NYC, and, well, they’ve been in heavy rotation here ever since.

Closer to home, Madison continues to punch above its weight with killer sounds from both Mossmen and Get Well Now. From north of the border, there’s a little bit of Royal Ottawa. They’re on Wallytbm’s The Beautiful Music label, and you can check out the presser here to learn more about ‘em- really, though, just make some time to spin the EP. From across the pond, there’s a new one each from groove merchants Getdown Services and Cosey Mueller—not the first or last time we’ll see either of them.

One quick note before you press play: You may have noticed there’s no Spotify link this week. That’s intentional. I’ve been yapping about supporting artists for a while, and it felt like the right time to finally (!) put my money where my mouth is. Nowhere’s perfect, but small steps matter. It’s also worth noting that the platform with the lowest-quality sound and worst pay for artists is also the most expensive. I first rolled this out with the playlists that go out to paid community supporters, and now I’m rolling it out fully.

Maybe you still really like Spotify or find value in it. That’s ok, too. No judgment here! Promise. Either way, if you have strong thoughts on the matter, I’d like to hear ’em! Please weigh in below.

KA—

The Playlists: | Apple | Qobuz | YouTube Music | Tidal (NEW) |

Now it’s your turn.

What’s been exciting you lately? Any releases or shows you’re looking forward to? Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Remembering Steely Dan’s Walter Becker

by KevinLeave a Comment on Remembering Steely Dan’s Walter Becker

Photo: Variety.com

Perfection and precision can be funny things — especially in music, where all you really need are “three chords and the truth.”

Rarer still is the group that turns that alchemy into sounds with a unique (that is to say, hard to categorize) but universal appeal.

Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, aka Steely Dan did just that. Obsessive musicians on a perpetual quest to hit just the right mix of notes, they would’ve been at home in a lab. And in many ways, the studio was their lab. Edison had Menlo Park. Becker and Fagen The Village Recorder.

To operate smoothly, a machine needs every part to work well and work together. Becker and Fagen did this by swapping musicians in and out of songs. On the Aja album, there were 6 different lineups for 7 tracks. Recognizing that Chuck Rainey could play the parts better, Becker even took himself out of the lineup for “Black Cow,” “Aja,” and “Peg.” The end result of this endless iterating? Timeless music. Music that is (strangely) at home on the AM dial, at your local college radio station, and in the grocery store. You can still hear songs like Hey Nineteen and Peg fairly often.

As Becker himself noted:

“We have been fortunate enough to do something that has always been out of the mainstream and yet have an audience for what we do.“

We lost Becker on this day in 2017, but his legacy lives on the sounds of Steely Dan. On our radios, in our earbuds, and overhead in the aisles at Safeway.

Have a favorite track by Steely Dan or Becker himself? Let me know in the comments!

Discussion: What’re You Listening To?

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

A few thoughts on living with abandon, old cars, and a buncha new tracks.

I was supposed to be at the Milwaukee Mile this weekend, but well, there was rain in the forecast, and well, I’m at the point in life where such things are now a dealbreaker. Instead, we wound up at a car show about a half hour west of here. It was at a church, and whatever you’re picturing in your mind right now is correct. Small white building straight out of central casting… on relatively high ground overlooking an impossibly green valley broken only by the occasional farm field… wind turbines running across a distant ridge. Real “amber waves of grain” stuff.

At any rate, I’m also at the age where I’m just old enough to share some small talk with the people showing these cars. I generally have zero idea what I’m talking about, but it’s amazing what doors having gray hair and wearing cargo shorts will open for you.

One of the cars was a ’73 Malibu, and in this case I did sort of know what I was talking about. I mentioned to the owner that my first car was a ’74 Malibu, and that’s the sort of opening gambit that buys you 3–4 mins of chit chat. My car had just enough horsepower to be dangerous in my hands, and I still remember just enough about it to get in trouble. I can tell you about the engine (V8, 350, 4-barrel carb, etc.), and that it had a landau roof, because of course it did. We went a little ways into the weeds, but the short version is that this car was immaculate. Doubly so for being 53 and maybe triply so for spending its life in a place not afraid to use salt half the year.

I was curious about how it stayed that way; had it just been garaged most of the last half century? Was this the result of an extensive rebuild? Something different? Turns out it was a bit of both. You can do a lot to keep a car from rusting or parts wearing out, but time is undefeated. So where was he sourcing these parts, I asked? He rattled off a bunch of different places, “but really,” he said, “once you start looking, you start seein’ ’em everywhere.”

That’s the second time I’ve heard something similar in recent weeks, the first being while chatting with an artist for an upcoming article. Both are right, of course, and it’s also correct that the playlists below this text block are the result of mining all kinds of different sources; friends, articles, radio stations, the records in my living room, etc. In other words, actively looking and active listening. And if you’re here, the smart money says this is how you find stuff, too. No set-it-and-forget-it for this crowd.

I also (somehow) made it to a show Friday night, and got the chance to see John McCutcheon play. Other than a couple of kids in the crowd wrecking the curve, I’d say the median age was, well, older. It was also fantastic. The kid ripping that Malibu around Washington County wouldn’t have been here to save his life, let alone say something like “It sounded beautiful in the hall we were in (another thing meticulously renovated),” but here we are.

I’ll leave it with this: while he played, McCutcheon would share stories and riff on whatever, and something he said really struck me: he was talking about the current state of play in 2026, and rattled off the same list most of us know by heart, but his point was that now more than ever, it’s crucial to live not with control but with abandon; love with abandon, share with abandon, speak and listen with abandon. Maybe go all in on something you’re really into like rebuilding a muscle car.

Teenaged me would’ve recognized the hammer dulcimer on his right only as something gathering dust in the high school band room, but 110% would’ve understood his message.

On to the music:

This list kicks off with one from the Strokes, but really I want to talk about Comedown Machine’s cover art. It’s impossibly retro and looks like something that would’ve been right at home in either Malibu on the way back from the record store. There’s also some tracks from the Posies, the Amps, and the Judybats, who to this day are still the most polite people I’ve ever seen on stage (not derogatory). Snapping back to today, there’s a brand-new one from Thao and Neko Case, Immersion (new record later this week!), and one from Swervedriver whose latest track sounds just as white-hot as “Rave Down” did all those years ago. It’s best played loudly, with abandon.

KA—

P.S. O.R.R. fave Hazel English also dropped a new EP late last week!

The Playlist:

Other sources: | Apple | Qobuz | YouTube Music| Tidal (NEW) |

Want a little more Dolly Parton? Of course you do, and our friends at Qobuz have just what you’re looking for.

I’m trying Tidal out after getting a couple of requests for it. We’ll see how it goes! Mostly, I’d like to slowly move away from Spotify and make sure we’ve got as many bases covered as possible.

Now it’s your turn.

What’s been exciting you lately? Any releases or shows you’re looking forward to? Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!

What’re You Listening To?

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

A few thoughts on friction and a buncha fresh tracks.

I am finally getting around to going through a box of 45s my mom gave me. Ostensibly, this was “payment” for helping her downsize her house a few years ago. Really, I think it was just a face-saving exercise for her.

Wherever you fall on the friction spectrum, 45s sit at the far end.

Friction and intentionality are all the rage these days—I’m as guilty of yapping about this as anyone. I’m also a fan of it. I spend my entire workweek splitting my attention and keeping multiple plates in the air. Sitting down to do nothing but listen to a record is a great way to recover. There are, of course, all the other sensory experiences that come along with it: the smell of the vinyl…reading the liner notes…appreciating the art—all the tactile things.

Still, 45s feel like a bridge too far. I like friction, but not this much. My turntable is on one side of the room. Playing 45s means no couch; it means sitting right in front of the sound machine. That’s partly why it’s taken me so long to get around to this. Real life gets in the way, of course, but it also takes some work to get through a box of these things.

The upside is that going through a small collection like this lets my mind wander a bit. Everyone’s collection says a bit about who they are, and in my case, I’ve known this person my entire life—but I know very little about the almost one-third of her life before I showed up. These little slabs of wax help fill in the blanks a bit, but they raise almost as many questions as they answer.

I know the story behind my own 45s. Each of them tells its own little story, a plotline I can recite: where I was in life when I picked them up—literally—what buses I took to get there, and so on.

Did my mom find these on her own, or did someone else tell her she “had to hear this”? If she found them herself, the likely source would have been the radio. What station was she listening to? I know the house she lived in, but I also know it wasn’t close to any stores. Did she ride the bus to get these? I can pick up the story, but only from the midway point.

The station I remember playing constantly in the house has since become a talk-radio station. That’s a rant for another day.

Also, while I know why everyone put address labels on their records, it still strikes me as strange. Today, we live in a world where everything is collectible, and Lord help you if there’s a 1 mm crease on a corner. They were betting the other way. Records weren’t meant to be preserved; they were meant to be played, even if that meant someone changing things up every two or three minutes.

Maybe that’s the best takeaway here: treating records—or any physical media, really—purely as an investment vehicle is a weird choice. Of course, you should take care of them. Putting them in sleeves and storing them in the right place is the way to go. But ultimately, their place is on the turntable, spinning around and delivering sound.

On to the music…

This week, we’ve got killer tracks from all corners of the music universe. There’s a ripper from Wristwatch, one of my favorite Madison bands—it’s a long list—and one from Maritime, one of my favorites from just down the road in Milwaukee. Our pal Jodaki also sent us one he thought I might like. He was right.

There’s some Lungfish, because of course there is. Indy-based indie darlings Wishy keep their streak of great singles going, and the latest from Afghan Whigs is finally out. It’s been a long time coming, but it was worth the wait.

Catacroma from Riviera Gaz also dropped, and if you like the sort of stuff Winged Wheel—or Lungfish, for that matter—puts out, this is for you. This is also a Steve Shelley side project; he’s having quite the year.

Last but not least, there’s a track each from ORR favorites Wussy and The Paranoid Style. Lisa Walker and Elizabeth Nelson are pairing up for a series of upcoming house shows, and, well, if your favorite baseball team is in the NL Central, gas up the car and make a plan to get out and see them. There are a couple of East Coast dates, too.

KA—

The Playlist:

Other sources: | Apple | Qobuz | YouTube Music| Tidal (NEW) |

I’m trying Tidal out after getting a couple of requests for it. We’ll see how it goes! Mostly, I’d like to slowly move away from Spotify and make sure we’ve got as many bases covered as possible.

Now it’s your turn.

What’s been exciting you lately? Any releases or shows you’re looking forward to? Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!