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.
As always, thank you to those who have recently upgraded your subscriptions. Your direct support fuels this community and makes a positive impact. Shares and reposts all help as well! Thank you!
When you’re ready, joining them is easy. Just click here:
For those of you who are new, we kick off every week by sharing what we’ve been playing.
The playlist below is some of what I’ve had in heavy rotation. This week, we’ve got sounds from Santa Fe to the South Coast. Sounds from close to home and tracks from a Million Miles Away.
Now it’s your turn.
What caught your ear this week? Any new releases or shows you’re looking forward to?
The flood of great records continues! Today we’re taking a quick look at the latest from The Tisburys, Mekons, and Silvis.
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 listening to the latest from The Tisburys, Mekons, and Silvis.
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!
The Tisburys- A Still Life Revisited
There was a time—even in the recent years— when Twitter had a few redeeming qualities. Sure, you still had to wade through AI slop, Temu ads, and tech bro weirdness, but the reward was connecting with people like Tisburys frontman Tyler Asay, and in turn the band’s fantastic Exile on Main Street, a record I described as
“… an album with a seriously well-put-together sound. The tracks are well-balanced, blending Americana, Power Pop, and just the right amount of jangle.
It’s meant as a love letter to Philly, but it feels like it could mean just as much to anyone, anywhere.”
Hard to believe it’s been roughly three years since that record’s release, but here we are. And here The Tisburys are with A Still Life Revisited. The band’s sound has evolved with each release, and this latest iteration shows them hitting on all cylinders.
With it’s rollicking piano and anthemic chorus, lead single “The Anniversaries” is a bit of sonic comfort food. But before we get there, we get to first pass through fantastic tracks like “Painted Eyes” with just enough horns, and the delightful, sensible pop of “Elephant Hotel” (this writer’s favorite track on the record), before ending on a strong note with “Here Comes The Lonesome Dove.”
If Exile felt like an homage to ‘90s college rock (it did), Still Life feels like a reflection on running full speed into the wall that is adulthood. The band might be growing up, but so is their style, with more harmonies and a fuller sound. They’re also not afraid to explore new ground (see: the dancefloor-ready “Wildfire”). The guitars are brighter, and the horns are more prominent (yes, please!). Asay might be singing about time marching on, but he refuses to sound down about it.
A Mekons record in 2025? I can’t think of a more timely release. If you’re a fan of the band, it will not surprise you in the least that they’re not happy with the state of the world and have some thoughts about it. In a time of presidents floating Papacy trial balloons and measles on a comeback tour, current members Jon Langford, Sally Timms, Tom Greenhalgh, Dave Trumfio, Susie Honeyman, Rico Bell, Steve Goulding, and Lu Edmonds have gifted us an antidote. Will it surprise you to hear that the tracklist contains tiles like a “War Economy,” “Private Defense Contractor,” and “Sad and Sad and Sad?” Probably not. Nor will it shock that their particular blend of styles are on full display here. It’s leftist punk stylings with a steady beat, “War Economy” and “Mudcrawlers” in particular. Seen through her lens of historic British imperialism, it’s a record only Mekons could’ve made. The band is on tour and will return to the States starting in July. Catch ‘em if you can.
One of the things that amuses me most about living in flyover country are the chronic debates about which states count as part of the Midwest and which ones don’t. Should Ohio count? Indiana? And in what universe does Missouri make the cut?
What does this have to do with anything? Not much other than I like to spotlight Midwest bands, and Silvis is from Columbus. On their latest, A Tendency to Seek Distraction, the trio of Luke and Matt Johnson and Nick Allen delivers another dose of catchy melodic guitar pop. Opener “Do I Need It?” was featured on Monday’s playlist, and sets the tone and expectations early. This is gonna be a record full of smart hooks, smarter lyrics, and plenty of oohs and ahhs.
“This album is about the push and pull between distraction and clarity—how we sometimes run from our realities but eventually find meaning in the chaos,” says Luke, Silvis’s frontman. “We wanted to create something that feels distantly familiar, real, and emotionally resonant.”
Tracks like “Avert Your Eyes” take a bit of a harder tone with crunchier riffs, while “Who I Am” shifts toward the more gentle, but neither strays too far from the blueprint. This is a good thing. The closest RIYL line I can draw is to Saint Paul’s’ Hippo Campus. This is also a good thing.
Minnesota? Definitely in the Midwest. A Tendency to Seek Distraction? Definitely a record you should have on your radar.
Today we’re listening to “Sluttering (May 4th)” by Jawbreaker. Yes May 4th is a day for Star Wars (and Dave Brubeck!) memes, but it is also Sluttering Day— half celebration, half inside joke enjoyed by Jawbreaker fans the world over. Below is the original post from the early days of On Repeat Records. It has since become one of several annual traditions here. Enjoy!
KA—
This isn’t the first I’ve written about Jawbreaker, and it likely won’t be the last. The challenge for me isn’t picking songs by the band I want to share; it’s making sure that I don’t do it every week.
It’s pretty safe to say that everyone has at least one band that completely rearranged your mind the first time their sound met your ears. Jawbreaker is one of those for me, and in fact, I can remember excitedly picking up each of their 1st three records.
But it was also the early-mid 90s, and people were still drawing extremely Talmudic definitions of what constituted “selling out” or not. Jawbreaker happened to sign to DGC and release “Dear You” at exactly the wrong time, and the blowback was swift—and wholly unfair.
If “Sluttering” is the tale of someone being done wrong (it is), Dear You is the story of a band being turned on by its fans (also yes). For years, it was a dividing line amongst a fan base otherwise monolithic in their love for everything the band put out.
I didn’t buy this record right away. In fact, I waited some time before picking up the CD, and even then it was at a pawn shop in one of Portland’s suburbs. What a waste. The record is different from the previous three but no less excellent.
A garbage shot of the start of an amazing show. Photo by me.
In the fallout, the band split up. They reunited for 2017’s Riot Fest, and I consider that show one of the best I’ve ever been to.
And for all the thrashing and wailing about “Dear You?” The setlist had quite a few tracks off the album, and the crowd never missed a beat.
More:
“The word ‘sluttering’ means a kind of drunk muttering,” he added. “I actually defined it once as ‘pontification under duress.’ There was an angry love triangle and then an elaborate revenge plot designed to incur maximum humiliation. It succeeded horribly and I wound up in the hospital in Concord.”
The Madison band is back and sounding better than ever.
The Flavor That Kills. Photo credit: Catherine Cahoon
Good Morning!
Today we’re listening to “Spin” by Madison WI band The Flavor That Kills
Over the last few years, our journey to find new music has taken us to some odd corners of the country. We’ve made stops in places as far afield as Bellingham, Washington; Bloomington, Indiana; Athens, Georgia; and Portland, Maine.
Today, we’re heading somewhere much closer to home: Madison, Wisconsin.
A year ago (literally yesterday), I shared the story of how Madison-based band The Flavor That Kills had me wandering around in circles looking for a treasure they’d buried. A code was listed in the liner notes of their Book Of Secrits (sic) record, and I was hell-bent on finding it. That didn’t pan out–turns out I’m terrible at geocaching–but I did find a new favorite local band.
And now they’re back.
If any band is appropriate for now, it’s The Flavor That Kills. They’re chaos agents who describe their sound as a “mix of rock, soul, melody, punk, and a dash of classic psychedelic sensibilities.” In other words, it’s the perfect soundtrack to the madness we’re currently living through. I described the music as an existential threat to any roof it’s played under. Their latest single is no exception and wastes no time getting to work.
Ahead of their fourth release, they’ve added a fifth member and more synthesizers. After splitting recording sessions between America’s Dairyland and Oakland, Thunderbird Lodge will be out later this year, but for now, we’re getting a taste with “Spin.”
Talking about the single, drummer Eric Hartz noted, “We didn’t really have a complete song when we recorded Spin.” We wrote a lot of that song while we were in the studio, which was a new experience for the band.”
They could have fooled me. Spin finds the band channeling all that frenetic energy with laser-like precision and shifting into another gear.
“Spin’s” recording process might have been new territory for the band, but delivering mind-blowing sound is not. This is another one that goes to 11. Your neighbors will thank you later.
Listen:
The Flavor That Kills | Spin (single), 2025
Click the record to listen via Bandcamp.
Cover art courtesy of Shortwave Records
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this record!
We’ve got a great host and a killer record, all set to go. All we need now is you! Here’s how to join the fun.
Good Afternoon!
Today we’re talking The Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat, and well, how you can talk about the band with other like minded people.
Note: As some of you know, I’m one of the editors for an online music publication called The Riff. Each month we host an album discussion (via Zoom), and this month’s is coming up on Sunday.To be clear, all credit goes to Terry Barr who facilitates the meeting, and Scott Fountain this month’s host. These two are doing the heavy lifting.
As you’ll see below, these are low-key affairs; all are welcome! If you want to share some thoughts, that’s awesome. Wanna just sit back & listen? That’s cool, too.
Either way, it’d be better with you there.
KA—
It’s that time again; it’s time for our monthly album discussion!
One of The Riff’s core tenets is sharing music. That obviously involves writing about it, but also talking about it together. We do that monthly here.
This Sunday May 4th is that day.
Below is my boilerplate explanation of these discussions and the value you’ll get from joining us. Under that are both the record being discussed and the meeting log-in details.
Don’t know the record? Doesn’t matter.
Not comfortable speaking in public? Me either. And you don’t have to if you don’t want to. Heck, you don’t even have to turn your camera on. It’s a safe space, but you control what you share.
Ultimately, you’re part of the community; we want you to be a part of this, too.
So check out the “rules” below, and then plan to dial in.
What is this?
For new readers (hi everyone!), The Riff hosts an online discussion every month.
Here’s how it works:
A writer (more on that in a second) picks a record to discuss and writes a brief piece about their choice and the meeting details.
At the meeting, they discuss why they picked it, offer a bit of a backstory/context, and whatever else they’d like to share.
Everyone else on the call can share their own “hot take,” related story, or anything else you think is relevant.
At the end of the meeting, next month’s writer volunteers (or is chosen), and the process repeats itself.
NOTE FOR INTROVERTS: If you’d prefer to sit in and listen, that is 110% okay. Keep your video off…stay muted…it’s up to you. It’s a safe place; you can participate as much/as little as you’d like.
This month’s host:
This month’s host is a star contributor to The Riff and a friend of On Repeat Records. Scott Fountainis afantastic writer, and his expertise spans many genres. You can also find him here on Substack, where he recently planted his flag. If you’re unfamiliar with his work, I highly recommend it!
Cool! So, what are we talking about?
Scott has chosen The Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat.
I’m not sure if critics called it proto-punk in the 1990s, but during that time, I could identify that sense of evolution between late 1950s rock and late 1970s punk. Likewise, recognizing how different forms of rock share a common lineage with rhythm and blues, jazz, and country was always (and still is) fun to consider.
While songs from White Light / White Heat may not be as upbeat and have as much drive as other proto-punk songs from the 1960s, Lou Reed’s lyrics, amongst an orchestrated sea of noise and distortion, set a bar for topical songwriting involving sex, drugs, and violence.
Musical adventure, exploring new sounds, and sharing great music with great people make these discussions a joy.
Join us and see for yourself.
Listen:
(Click the record to listen on your platform of choice)
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.
As always, thank you to those who have recently upgraded your subscriptions. Your direct support fuels this community and makes a positive impact. Shares and reposts all help as well! Thank you!
When you’re ready, joining them is easy. Just click here:
For those of you who are new, we kick off every week by sharing what we’ve been playing.
The playlist below is some of what I’ve had in heavy rotation. This week, we’ve got new sounds from Young Gun Silver Fox, Fishbone(!), and more. Also a couple of old faves to balance out the mix.
Now it’s your turn.
What caught your ear this week? Any new releases or shows you’re looking forward to?
The flood of great records continues! Today taking a quick look at the latest from Rhymies, Dick Valentine, Avery Friedman, Mythical Motors 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 Rhymies, Dick Valentine, Avery Friedman, and Mythical Motors and several 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.
A lot of recent releases landed on my radar all at once, and I want to shine a light on them before too much more time passes. Not quite an 88 lines about 44 records kind of deal, but close. More of a clearing the decks, if you will.
Let’s get into it!
Rhymies- I Dream Watching (EP) There is a trend on social media where Gen Z kids cue up Bronksi Beat’s “Small Town Boy” and film as their parents reflexively start dancing to it. It’s a lovely song, but it’d be better if they used Rhymies “I Dream Watching” instead.
Rhymies is the latest side project from Bay Area musician Lauren Matsui. That name might not ring a bell, but her other bands, Seablite, and Neutrals, have both been featured here and are On Repeat favorites.
With that as context, this EP is a world away from both. Seablite draws easy comparisons to Lush, and Neutrals are a great bit of indie pop and/or post-punk, depending on your mood. I Dream Watching is 100% a synth-pop record. Matsui’s vocals pair perfectly with the keyboards, making for an intoxicating mix.
If Seablite took you back to early 90s shoegaze, this will take you back to the era of 80s dance parties, just like we (or your parents) used to dance the night away to.
Grab your cloves and hit the club here
Avery Friedman- New Thing The Rosy Overdrive blog recently reviewed this LP and prefaced it with noting, “I get records that match this description emailed to me every day, so you can rest assured that I wouldn’t be writing about this one if it wasn’t a clear standout from that pack.”
I’ll take that one step further; I am convinced someone, somewhere, decided that any promo email had to include either “pedal steel” or “indie folk” in the description. It feels like a bit of PR Mad Libs or refrigerator magnet poetry gone wrong. I can’t speak for Rosy’s inbox, but in mine, those two phrases are as ubiquitous as UPCs are on the records they’re trying to move.
For better or worse, to my ear, “Folk” means acoustic, maybe a mandolin, and a general lack of oomph. Slapping ” indie” on the front of it just tells me it was made after 1995. I’m mindful that those words telegraph a lack of objectivity.
“New Thing is a conduit for emotions too frenetic to hold on your own. This record is a collection of the first songs I’ve ever written, after many years of orbiting the music world but denying myself my own musicianship. Many of these tracks were born of anxiety—from my turning to a guitar to externalize (and organize) a sense of chaos that otherwise felt trapped inside me. We recorded the bulk of it with a live band as a means to maintain the raw energy at the center of the record. What results is a time capsule for a year of intense personal expansion in my life—and the layers of warmth, wonder, sensitivity, and sharpness that come with growing.” – Avery Friedman
That said, I gave this one a spin, and while it’s not my place to tell an artist or PR firm what genre to go with, folk would not’ve been my first pick here. There’s far too much energy and emotion on New Thing for that. It’s electric (literally and figuratively).
Earlier this week, we featured the title track on our Playlist. Songs that make the cut are ones that are in heavy rotation. With New Thing, I had about 4 to pick from before ultimately going with the title track.
Besides the title track, “Photo Booth” is synth-tinged with blurry guitars and a solid rhythm section that keeps everything moving. With its washed-out fuzz and soft vocals, “Somewhere to Go” feels fluorescent. It’s a slow burn that will keep you wanting it to kick into gear. “Biking Standing” might be the closest (again, IMO) the record comes to folk, and even then, I’d say that it feels more like a lovely bit of lilting bedroom pop than anything.
On the title track, Friedman tells us, “It’s a little bit of a new thing / It’s a little hard to predict / And I can’t quite describe it / But it’s like a magnet flipped.” Honestly, I can’t think of a better way to sum up this record than that. This album fades in and out; sometimes, it feels like the light of midday. Other times, like a fever dream or fuzzy memories, struggling to make it out of the back of one’s mind.
Hard to describe, hard to predict, and it definitely feels fresh. New Thing was something I didn’t see coming. But it’s not PR spin when I tell you that’ll be a contender for a spot on my AOTY list.
Folk? Not folk? Click here to listen and decide.
Mythical Motors- Travelogues and Movie Stills I’ve often joked that we need to check in on Robert Pollard if we go more than six months without a Guided by Voices record. The reality is that someday, he will slow down. Luckily, Matt Addison is already releasing records at almost the same rate.
Like GBV, Addison’s specialty is lo-fi quick hits. This record is pared down from its predecessor but still squeezes in 15 songs in less than 30 minutes, the longest clocking in at 3 minutes even. With those numbers, it would be easy to assume he was flooding the zone, hoping something would stick. That would be wrong. Travelogues and Movie Stills is packed with the gorgeous jangle and bright hooks we’ve come to expect from him.
In other words, it’s just what we need right now.
Fourteen months ago, I described Upside Down World as what lo-fi power pop looks like. It’s the same story here. In a world as wild as 2025 is shaping up to be, it’s nice to know some things haven’t changed.
Listen to the record and grab your copy here.
Dick Valentine- The Final Musician Valentine might be better known as the frontman of Electric Six, but he’s also released a huge catalog of solo records (books, too, for that matter). His latest, The Final Musician, is a little more stripped down than some of Electric Six’s work, but no less manic.
The title track kicks things off, and we’re immediately met full-on with his distinctive voice. The song itself feels like something from Jack Black and/or Tenacious D. Not my fave on the record, but it sets the mood early that this is gonna be a Dick Valentine record.
That’s followed by a heapin’ helpin’ of garage rock in “Asian Freckles.” It’s all gas and no brakes, followed up with a much more (relatively) sedate “Bombs for Baby.” We even get a bit of folk (sorry!) in “Leave the Rest of It to Me.” And is that a fiddle I hear in the back? Just a few tracks in, and the blender’s already full of genres.
Again, this is a hallmark of any Valentine’s record.
“Duchess in a Tree” is a bit of stripped-down funk, as if they purposely left the amps turned down. It’s understated but rides high on a slinky groove. It’s also this writer’s favorite track on the album.
Ask four people to describe Electric Six, you’ll get at least five opinions. It’s a sound that’s so versatile (and so good at genre-hopping) that it defies easy categorization. Valentine’s solo work is no different. He’s still the Dance Commander and still giving out the orders for fun.
He’s spent years making music his own way, maybe to the detriment of his bank account. With The Final Musician, maybe that’ll change. If not, I can’t see him changing a thing. Indeed, I hope he doesn’t.
Valentine was also recently on the Center Stage Podcast, and you can catch that here.
Grab your copy via Madison-based Shortwave Records
Also awesome: Hairpin- Modern Day Living (EP): This EP has Blast furnace riffs and heavy beats for days. The band describes the tracks here as “post-hardcore through a power pop lens.” I just describe it as good. RIYL: High Vis, Pegboy, driving guitars, running red lights. (Buckle up and get in here)
Palamara- Tomorrow Is a Friend: Soothing, introspective sounds from an artist once described as “Lambchop or the Magnetic Fields with a country twang.” An excellent release that’s equal parts Americana and country. Will remind you of the singer-songwriter records in your grandparents’ cabinet (100% said as high praise). Pairs perfectly with spring morning sun, big mugs of coffee, mountain views, or any one of the Great Lakes. (Slow down to the speed of life here.)
Marshy- Light Business (EP): 4-song EP from NYC’s Marshy. Light Business is a fantastic mix of emo, power pop, and just a touch of shoegaze. Four songs weren’t enough. Hoping we’ll see an LP in the not-too-distant future. RIYL: Momma, Wednesday, crunchy guitars. (Grab a copy here)
Wayside- Dusk to Dawn: Full throttle rock from the Twin Cities. After a long layoff, the band is back and in their best form yet. This isn’t a heritage act, but they are 100% standing on the shoulders of many of the bands that came out of the 612 before them. Either way, the whole thing rips. Bar trivia: Richard Stuverud of The Fastbacks, Three Fish, Tres Mtns, RNDM, War Babies, and Pearl Jam (briefly)….is sitting in on drums on one of the songs. (See what’s happening in the flyover states here.)
West Coast Music Club- Need You Beside Me (EP): Another release of West UK’s West Coast Music Club. The title track reminds me of Chameleons, and it just goes up from there. If you only have room for one track on your playlist, make it “Summer Loving.” It’ll already be stuck in your head anyway. (Pick up your copy of Need You Beside Me here)
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these records! Did I get it right, or am I way off the mark?
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.
As always, thank you to those who have recently upgraded your subscriptions. Your direct support fuels this community and makes a positive impact. Shares and reposts all help as well! Thank you!
When you’re ready, joining them is easy. Just click here:
Kevin Sent 
Leave a comment