Continue Feeling Joy, Please (new Stereolab & Saint Etienne should help)
Some Joy
Happy Stereolab Album Release Day to all who celebrate.
This is their first album in 15 years. If you are not currently blasting this complete treasure on repeat all day, what are you even doing. Personally, I only discovered the singles from it a few days ago, having no idea they were recording again… I’m about halfway through the album now and it’s fantastic. Fans new and old, rejoice.
On a more bittersweet note, English art-pop geniuses Saint Etienne just dropped the first single, “Glad” from their forthcoming final album. It is a collaboration with Tom Rowlands of Chemical Brothers and Jez Williams of Doves. And it’s a banger.
What are all of these fancy European art-pop veterans doing at the top of my first email in several months?1 Well, for one, their music expresses (and makes you feel) pure joy for just existing. Both groups manage to retain an accessible, inviting atmosphere while simultaneously exploring far-flung realms of sound and creativity. You feel invited to come along on their journey, and your life is ultimately better for having done so.
I keep seeing videos and articles proclaiming “Joy Is Resistance”, and talking about how the whole goal of fascism is basically to stifle joy and creativity, to make you feel like there is no other option. You’ll be forgiven if, like me, you’ve found these past few months incredibly difficult from a Joy QuotientTM perspective.
In that sense, it’s a personal commitment to yourself, to your survival, and ultimately to your ability to thrive, to fill your life with as much joy and art as humanly possible right now. What better way to start (or hopefully continue) than with the above music?
Cello
I haven’t been creating much lately, but some things are in the works. I’ve upgraded some home recording equipment. J Robbins and I have a chill acoustic show coming up in Boonton, NJ at Boonton Coffee on July 19 — if you are in that area (NYC exurbs, it looks like), we’d love to see you. I’m continuing to chip away at a Chavez On Cello album.
But more importantly, my family adopted a wonderful Labrador retriever named Peri, who has brought us immeasurable joy and snuggles this spring:
I am hoping to record more2 music in the second half of this year.
Some Rednote Finds
The hilarious and ironic mass migration of TikTok users to even-more-Chinese social media app Rednote has resulted in a fairly large contingent of people just… staying there and continuing to bridge cultural divides.
In my last email I noted how great this is from a music and cultural sharing standpoint. That continues to be true, even though the novelty has worn off somewhat. The algorithm is no longer elevating things we would find amazing/unusual, like guzheng post-punk, Malaysian mouth organ techno, or bassists dressing in formal gowns to record Primus covers. I still browse it periodically and have found a bunch of cool stuff, though:
IRIS MONDO
This new Japanese band combines pop, grunge, rap, folk-punk (especially when they’re busking, which appears to be constantly), and just about any other genre you could think of. The result is an urgent, intense aesthetic that is entirely original, with an infectious energy:
Apparently IRIS MONDO was initially met with ridicule and confusion, especially at home in Japan… but after a video of theirs went viral on Rednote late last year, they are suddenly appreciated and are starting to tour throughout Asia.
I especially like it because any of their songs would fit perfectly on a Splatoon soundtrack.
Midwest Emo, Shoegaze, and other bands
Every genre has some sort of representation in China, including midwest emo and shoegaze. Here are some good ones:
Chinese Football (yes, there is a Chinese Football, lol)
宇宙幼儿园 (Kindergarten Universe?) (jazzy midwest emo/mathcore)
文雀（Sparrow）(pretty post-rock)
Corn Wave (actually a Ukranian lo-fi post-punk band that is very popular in China)
Search those in your music platform of choice (I recommend Bandcamp)
What are you listening to? What is bringing you joy?
Reply and let me know!
Until soon,
GW
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