Tag: lists

The Best Record of 2001: Day 4

by KevinLeave a Comment on The Best Record of 2001: Day 4

Slowcore legends Low take on post-hardcore band Thursday

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at Low’s Things We Lost in the Fire (#16) and Thursday’s “Full Collapse” (#113)

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—

Low- Things We Lost in the Fire

Duluth, Minnesota, is incredibly underrated. Yes, the winter weather is, um, “problematic,” but if you can tolerate a little meteorological volatility, it’s well worth your time.

Part of the appeal lies in its being right on Lake Superior. It’s a majestic, magical body of water that does well to remind one of their place in the universe. The city is also close to the Iron Range, where a lot of taconite pellets begin their journey to become products and infrastructure in our lives. They’re carried on freighters (”lakers”) that traverse the Great Lakes for most of the year, hauling all the underrated stuff we never notice until it’s not there. It’s what the Edmund Fitzgerald was carrying when the lake took her, spawning a song by Gordon Lightfoot and starting the tradition of that track appearing in every jukebox within 200 miles. It’s probably a licensing requirement. I dunno. Either way, the lake is now synonymous with the boat, and vice versa.

That’s a lot of words to say that Duluth is more important to people than they might realize. It’s also a great place to see a lot of ships coming and going.

When talking about transportation, I always have to remind myself that not everyone is as into it (or cares) like I do. I’m the kind of person who works with airplanes all day and then takes a vacation somewhere with front-row seats to shipping lanes. I like watching these leviathans come and go—from filling your entire field of vision to becoming a mirage on the horizon, then disappearing completely. They’re stately, steady, and a little anachronistic. Frankly, I’m often amazed at how much mileage (literally and figuratively) we’ve gotten out of this fleet of lakers, many of which were in service alongside the Edmund Fitzgerald, and have been going strong for over fifty years.

Duluth also gave us Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker, aka slowcore elder statesmen Low, and bear with me as I make one of the clunkiest analogies in the history of this newsletter. A lot of people don’t realize how important Low has been in their musical diet. If you like slowcore at all, Low’s probably a big reason for that. If you enjoy beautiful vocal pairings—well, I have some good news. If you like simple, stripped-down music with only rudimentary mechanics, you can find that at both the harbor and on records like Things We Lost in the Fire.

Like the lake following the seasons, across their career, Low’s sound has moved from icy to something warmer and open. Things We Lost in the Fire does a good job of capturing that shift. There’s a glow that feels (to my ear, anyway) like the light of morning. guitars hum and whir like the thrum of diesel engines, drums pulse at an unhurried pace, and the vocal harmonies fit nicely against the space around them, without ever threatening to take them over. Songs such as “Sunflower,” “Dinosaur Act,” and “July” feel more open(?) than songs from earlier records. Elsewhere, touches of strings and acoustic elements give the record a little movement without losing its placidity. Is placidity a word? It is now.

I should mention that this record sounds like most every other Low record, but what else was it going to sound like? Long winters can make people do strange things, but it’s not like they were going to spin off and do their version of Metal Machine Music. This, of course, is reductive and akin to saying every ship looks the same. Neither is true. There are variations here, and in a couple of spots, things plod along right on schedule until, as noted, there’s a burst of vocals, strings, or some other surprise element(s).

The knock on them is this consistency, this sameness, but like a boat still moving along after almost six decades, why would they have tried to fix what wasn’t broken?

Thursday- Full Collapse

Somewhere, there is someone who loves this record. Maybe they had a lot of angst in 2001, and this spoke to them. Maybe they just had a penchant for songs that burst into primal screaming right on cue. Someone loved this record enough to nominate it for this tournament. Enough someone’s liked it for it to make the cut. And it’s not even seeded last. That someone is not me. First track? Pretty rad! After that, the novelty wears off. Fast. Hard pass.

Bottom Line:
Thanks for bearing with me as I compared a slowcore record to an upper midwest port city and a fleet of Lakers. That might’ve been was clunky, but my vote and bracket pick are as clear as day: Things We Lost in the Fire takes it without a second thought.

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 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!

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A Random List of Silly Things I Hate

by KevinLeave a Comment on A Random List of Silly Things I Hate

Came across this on Manuel Moreale’s site, and figured I’d give it a whirl.

Hate’s obviously a strong word, and these challenges give really “If you don’t forward this email to 10 friends…” energy, but I thought it’d be fun to play along anyway…

  1. ASMR
  2. Internet scolds
  3. “bros”- as in all of ’em: Ai, Tech, Crypto…
  4. Gatekeeping
  5. Anything Meta (as in the brand)
  6. Vinyl snobs- if you’re making fun of someone for being excited about a record you don’t personally like, it’s time to reexamine your life.
  7. ICE (Should be obvious, but…)
  8. Low level managers that buy into Theory X and then wonder why morale is so low

What’d I miss here?

The On Repeat Records Best Of 2025: Part 1

by Kevin

AOTY season kicks off with an all killer/no filler roundup of some of the year’s most noteworthy releases.

Good Morning!

Today we’re kicking off a 3- part series spotlighting the best releases 2025 had to offer.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Welcome to AOTY season.

It’s no secret that I believe hearing the right album at the right time can change your life. I could point to plenty of examples — and odds are good you can too — but the point is simple: music sticks when it meets you where you are.

I know I sound like a broken record (heh), but 2025 was once again an incredible time to be a music fan. The big station in your town might’ve been filling the airwaves with empty calories, but on the other end of the dial (and online), it was a completely different story. New artists were showing up daily. Older artists were too. Geese put out a great record, Goose put out a bunch.

It’s worth noting that in 2025, we saw releases from Madonna, Mekons, and 7 Seconds, plus live sets from Hüsker Dü and the Dream Syndicate. That doesn’t even touch the loads of reissues we were gifted this year (Lush, Unrest, etc.). Madge has a new record slated for 2026, and odds are good it’ll be on more than a few lists next December. Bob Mould’s still making records too — great news for music fans and hearing-aid manufacturers alike.

Part of what made this year interesting for me personally was a side project: I spent a good chunk of the year (re)listening to records from 1989 as part of a bracket challenge, and De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising made the final four. Their Cabin in the Sky came out less than four weeks ago — and IMO, it’s some of the best work they’ve ever put out. The only reason it’s showing up here today is that it’s so new (note on that below). The more things change…

Growing up, the “best of” lists were both easy to find and incredibly monolithic — self-appointed tastemakers dictated what we heard on the radio, and that was that. Light work, but homogenized. Consumption was a collective experience. If you want to figure out someone’s age, ask about AT40 or name-drop Rick Dees. The reaction will tell you everything. That’s obviously no longer the case, though looking at some early lists, you’d be excused for thinking otherwise. After working through a bunch, I saw the same titles cropping up again and again.

It’s not that I think those records are bad. I just know there are hundreds of others worth your attention. As I read each of these, I kept thinking, where are the rest?

And that’s where lists like this come in.

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Sound Advice: 13. Mar. 2025

by Kevin2 Comments on Sound Advice: 13. Mar. 2025

The flood of great records continues! Today we’re taking a quick look at the latest from Bob Mould, Seances, Andy Bell, and more!

Longtime readers may recall that I reviewed 100 new (to me) records last year. Because I’m a glutton for punishment love music, I’m doing it again this year. This is the latest in the series.

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at the latest from Bob Mould, Seances, Andy Bell, and more!

Every year, I celebrate all the great music we’ve been gifted while worrying that next year will see the other shoe drop. I first did that in December 2020 and have been proven wrong every month since. Not only are there a ton of releases steadily coming out, but it also transcends genre or any other artificial guardrail we try and put up—

In other words, a ton of good stuff is coming out, and there’s something for everyone. It’s almost overwhelming— but in all the best ways. Below is another batch that caught my attention recently.

Let’s get into it!

Bob Mould- Here We Go Crazy

At my day job, one of my coral duties is administering annual hearing exams and helping people find hearing protection that works for them. This is thanks to Bob Mould.

Husker Du’s New Day Rising hit me like a kick to the head and was never played at less than full volume. I liked it that way and loved his power trio, Sugar. To this day, it’s still the loudest show I’ve ever been to. I used to find that post-show ringing in my ears a weird badge of honor. When it was still there after day two, I started to worry. My hearing rebounded (sort of), which marked the point when I no longer cared how uncool I looked wearing earplugs at shows. But Mould hasn’t quieted down. He’s at his best when he’s at full throttle, and on his 15th solo record, he delivers. 

The opener, “Here We Go Crazy,” reminds listeners of the best parts of Sugar. “Fur Mink Augurs” and “Sharp Little Pieces” are equally intense. The songs come at you relentlessly: blast furnace chords, merciless drumming, and sometimes hard-to-understand vocals (especially for those with hearing difficulties). When you listen closely, they often touch on challenging subjects—it would be easy for a sound like this to wear down even the strongest among us. Yet Mould consistently shows us a bit of light (heh).

Here We Go Crazy isn’t exhausting; it’s invigorating. It’s a breath of fresh air at a time when we need it more than ever. Play it loud; just remember to limit your exposure and keep in mind that the most effective hearing protection is the kind you’ll actually wear. (Blow your mind —and hearing—here)

Seances-Power is a Phantom

Post-punk? From Milwaukee? Yes, please! I’m a sucker for a record like this, and this debut from Seances has plenty of it. Bandleader Eric Arsnow went to see The Chameleons play, walked out afterward, and had the outline of this record mapped out in a couple of hours.

You can hear traces of that band here, but this is also an outfit described as “sounding more like Joy Division than Joy Division does.” Listeners will also pick up notes of early Wire and even Franz Ferdinand. The fantastic “Hours” was featured on Playlist 286 and is just a glimpse of what the rest of this record has to offer. (Post-punk from Cream City? You bet.)

Andy Bell- pinball wanderer

It’s been 35 years since Ride’s showed up and gave us Nowhere. The band and the record (re)defined what shoegaze looked like and proved that stark distortion and atmospheric melodies could coexist.

Bell helped pen much of that history with his guitar and made his bones by exploring new sounds and pushing boundaries. That trend continues on his third solo record. On pinball wanderer [sic], he takes us on a long trip with psychedelic, krautrock, and shoegaze stops along the way. “Panic Attack” kicks things off with a steady rhythm that manages to invigorate and soothe simultaneously- a talent Bell has mastered. Bringing disparate elements together and making it all seem natural is another.

Bell is pushing new ground but also takes a look back. On “I’m in love…” Dot Allison and Michael Rother join him as he puts his spin on The Passions’ 1981 track “I’m In Love With A German Film Star.” “Moving Concrete” reminds me of The Units’ “High Pressure Days.”

As with many shoegaze artists, there’s always a risk that the record could wander off into the weeds. I love the shuffling drums and groove of “apple green ufo,” but at 8+ minutes, it veers dangerously close. Bell wouldn’t be the first musician from this genre to get lost inside his own head— but while we see the edge a couple of times, pinball wanderer always manages to pull us back in time. (Click here and enjoy your trip into space)

Rebecca Black- Salvation

Yes, that Rebecca Black. Given her past, I suspect a lot of people will cue this up to hate-listen. They’re gonna be bummed. This EP won’t rearrange any minds, but it holds its own. If you’re looking for a medium voltage dose of synth/hyperpop, this’ll fill the bill. The production feels gimmicky in a couple of spots and overproduced in others. But overall, it’s a pleasant enough ride. Living well is the best revenge. (Click here to be surprised…or have your suspicions confirmed. Either or. )

Monarchy of Roses- Bleeding Over

I found this band not long after the last Sound Advice column. We connected through CuVa BiMö, and they sent over a link to check out. No fuss, no muss. I meant to ask them if they took their name from the RHCP track of the same name—rookie mistake. After hearing this, I doubt it.

Bleeding Over is the Bay Area band’s first long player, and the short version is this: it rips.

The four-piece (Jeremy Arias (vocals/guitar), Andres Juarez (guitar), Cameron Clark (bass), and Austin Kane (drums) deliver 10 tracks of bruising hard rock, but not so hard that it wears out its welcome. Opener, “Million Miles,” comes out of the gate at warp speed, and things never really slow down. If you were lucky enough to have been going to see shows in the early ‘90s, this’ll remind you of a lot of those nights (in all the best ways). Bleeding Over is a record best played with the windows down and speed limits ignored. Watch this space. (Click here and try not to get a ticket).

Patterson Hood- Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams

All good things in time. It’s taken Hood a dozen(ish) years to follow up Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance, but it’s worth the wait. Hood, of course, has a second job as co-founder of The Drive-By Truckers keeping him busy.

His fourth solo record finds him in a reflective spot, and revisiting his past. For example, the gorgeous, spare opener “Exploding Trees” is about a storm he experienced as a kid. He’s also brought friends along for the ride, including fellow Alabaman Waxahatchee, Wednesday, and Kevin Morby. On Repeat fave Lydia Loveless joins him on “A Werewolf and a Girl.”

This is an intentionally (?) low-key record made by a guy at a point in life where there’s is plenty of “past’ to mine. Records like this are hard to pull off, but Hood hits the right marks here. (Click here to travel to the deep south)

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these records! Did I get it right, or am I way off the mark?