June 2, 2022

a little break, some music podcasts, record store day

This newsletter missed your inbox last month. See, I took my computer in for repair at the end of April, and thought there was no way I’d be waiting for it as May rolled around. And yet!

I write to you from a very nice replacement computer, which doesn’t make the newsletter any nicer. It’s just later.

record store day recap

Record Store Day is a fun idea, but we’re still a little ways away from me wanting to spend a long time in a record store with people drinking beers and huddling around a makeshift stage. (Like, I drove by Electric Fetus, and there was a line. I’m not into lines.)

There was a pretty short list of stuff that caught my attention, but I found most of it, whether in person or online. I am picky about choosing stores on Discogs - and I didn’t pay more than retail prices. (Don’t reward Record Store Day scalpers!)

So what came in the mail (or from my other stores)?

It’s the Breakin’ soundtrack! On Coke-bottle green vinyl. I’m not sure why everything is Coke-bottle green these days - must be a manufacturing thing - but it’s a nice treatment and these songs rule.

Do you like the Wipers? I feel like a lot of Kurt Cobain’s favorite bands got a lot of extra attention, but not the Wipers. They were fiercely independent, cutting their own records on their own lathe (!), and they were at the forefront of a lot of what would eventually be called “college music” or “indie rock”. Greg Sage’s songwriting tricks are iconic once you know what to listen for.

I tried to resist this Vince Guaraldi Trio 7” of “Baseball Theme” (which is, now that you mention it, not iconic). But the cover is adorable, and the red label on white vinyl won me over.

Speaking of Kurt Cobain’s favorite bands, nobody needs to spend any more time talking about the Pixies, who are piling dreadful new music on top of their legendary late-80s / early-90s output. It’s so bad that one longs for the days of their initial clumsy reunion, back in 2004. This live album captures one of those 2004 moments. (The vinyl is a pleasant yellow-orange.)

Gojira is one of our thinkiest, most dynamic metal bands, and Brixton Academy sounds great. This is on regular black vinyl, but there is an ill etching on side 4.

I probably wouldn’t have bought this if not for the tragic death of Taylor Hawkins, which reminded me that these guys were always all right, if not exactly my cup of tea. But Mark Ronson is brilliant, and his work usually rewards a deeper listen. (His TED Talk about sampling is hilarious and touching. Sixteen minutes well spent.)

music podcasts of note

When podcasting first started in 2004 (if you remember RSS feeds, Adam Curry, and torrent delivery, you’re getting warm), I thought music shows were about the only thing that made sense. But that wasn’t legal, so “people talking” kind of took over the industry. While you have to go underground (or out of the country) for proper music-DJ mixtape shows (like mine), there are a few talk shows about music that are really worthwhile. Some of my favorites:

“Strong Songs” is a deep, deep dive into what makes music work, with a little bit of color and context around the personalities that drove specific songs into culture. Kirk Hamilton’s episode on the musical Hamilton (specifically “Satisfied”) highlighted a ton of little details that you don’t notice - maybe aren’t supposed to notice! - but that tie together a piece as complicated and nuanced as Hamilton. I am floored by how interesting Wichita Lineman is. And he really had his work cut out for him when he took apart Fingertips, which is actually 21 song pieces recorded by They Might Be Giants in 1992. If you know, you know.

Open Mike Eagle (the rapper) sounds totally surprised in every episode of Season 1 of “What Had Happened Was” - delighted and overwhelmed that he gets to hang out with Prince Paul. And Prince Paul’s stories are eye-opening. I don’t know if he’s talked about any of this stuff anywhere, in nearly this much detail, but he started Stetsasonic, made the first three De La Soul records, and also produced 3rd Bass, KMD (with a very young MF DOOM), Handsome Boy Modeling School….

And then, in season two, Open Mike Eagle does it all again with El-P (Company Flow, Cannibal Ox, Run the Jewels…). He’s terrifically interested in these subjects and they’re terrifically interesting.

I have yet to catch anyone but Rick Rubin hosting an episode of the multiple-host-having collaboration “Broken Record”, but I’m not complaining. Rubin is a great host with a huge appetite for stories and music. He teases some stunning vulnerability out of Andre 3000, and he really recently talked to Michael Stipe. Both are just great listens. Rick also got Spike Jonze, and the surviving Beastie Boys to sit down and tell stories.

other links

• Pitchfork’s The Woes of Being Addicted to Streaming covers a lot of territory I’ve been thinking about but unable to put into words. Is streaming really sustainable? Who is it for? Are people less passionate about music now that it’s always available? And what does it say about us that we prefer the convenience and occasional surprise of letting the algorithm pick what’s next? Isn’t this kind of harmful?
• Pitchfork balances that perspective with The Obsessive World of Digital Music Collectors, a rundown of your options if you need (want?) to maintain a digital library and turn it into your own personal music streaming service. There’s stuff you simply can’t find on streaming, and you’re a fool to think that you’ll always have all of the streaming access you have today.
• If you wanted to listen in on a Steely Dan rehearsal from 1996 well you're in luck. Vamping. Goofing. Soundboard. Legit.

oh yeah a calendar

I am trying to get this out just a little bit late but here’s at least the stuff I have plans for right now:

• Steeplejack (Friday, June 3, Turf Club) always seems to return during Macalester reunion weekends. Funny coincidence, that.
• Orville Peck (Sunday, June 5, First Avenue, but doing another show the day before that) is a secretive character with a booming voice. Country, but filtered through a wild set of perspectives.
• Tune-Yards (Tuesday, June 7, now at Fine Line apparently) have always been entertaining, but I thought their last album (and a couch concert I caught during the pandemic) was a breakthrough. They might be in my top 10 now.
• Jeff Rosenstock (Sunday, June 12, First Avenue) is one of the reasons I wanted to start a music newsletter. You guys have to hear this guy I would imagine myself writing. Incredibly hooky pop-punk.
• Eyelids (Thursday, June 23, 7th Street Entry) are unknown to me, but they have the dizzying Muun Bato opening, and those guys are cool.
• Diane Coffee (Saturday, June 25, 7th Street Entry) has charmed me in the past - I guess I have three weeks to figure out if I’m really doing that. (Competes with two other shows in town that night - Helmet at Fine Line and Breeders with Violent Femmes at the Palace. Big Saturday.)