#oh also the song is Some Of It Was True by The Menzingers

[gleniferskydays]

one day i will wake up from the dream and the meaning of it all will be revealed to me

[mxbitters]

Do you have any band recommendations? I’ve been trying to get more into the punk and/or emo scene more so I’m looking for some new bands.

AHA! yesyesyes i will share bands with you :)) this is gonna be wordy so i’m sorry--

taking back sunday!  they’re from long island, i’d consider them an emo band even though they’re a little hesitant about the label.  they started up around the same general time mcr did, same general scene too.  their first album tell all your friends is absolutely kickass and is great for laying around and listening start to finish.  however individual songs i’d recommend are timberwolves at new jersey, great romances of the 20th century, a decade under the influence, you can’t look back, and of course makedamnsure and cute without the e :)

saves the day!  another new jersey emo band formed in the late 90′s, i won’t lie i’m so biased everybody says through being cool was their most influential album, one of those landmark emo albums, but for me, my favorite album is their first one, can’t slow down.  from that one my gateway was the song jodie so i think that’s a good place to start!!

ok stepping away from new jersey, more recent bands, i’m like legally obligated to mention sorority noise because art school wannabe is a song by them.  they’re from my state and actually one of them went to the same (art) school i did!!  aside for that song, i’d really recommend dirty ickes, using, and mononokay.  but with those last two songs and blonde hair black lungs just be careful because they can be kinda triggering, their singer is pretty open about his struggles with depression, drugs, all that, so i should mention that.  they are on hiatus i believe at the moment but like they’re still an incredible band, and they’re AMAZING live.

modern baseball!!!  they’re a fucking classic, they’re from philadelphia (ok ok maryland at first if you really want specifics), and they’re about as emo as it gets.  they’re also on hiatus, or split, i don’t really know and it’s kinda sad but regardless they’re absolutely incredible.  my gateway was tears over beers, i’d also recommend the weekend, fine, great, your graduation, and all the other songs i’m suddenly drawing a blank over.

ANOTHER philly band but this one’s technically punk, kinda emo (in my opinion) and deserve every ounce of your attention.  this one’s the menzingers, and they are absolutely PHENOMENAL.  perhaps this is just my band friends converting me into somebody who will eventually have a shrine specifically to their album on the impossible past, but regardless oh my god listen to them.  i’d give you recommendations but the ones that pop up immediately are the opening and closing songs of that album.  just listen to on the impossible past tbh.

okay we’re going into more punk bands,, umm,, AGAINST ME!! they started up in gainesville, relocated to chicago, you want anarchist punk? against me! is the band.  you want a trans punk role model??  laura jane grace, i swear, she’s your person.  i have her memoir, i also saw them live front row and probably did way too much pointing because i’d never been to a real punk show, nevermind front row at the most crowded punk show on earth right before the tour got cancelled due to covid.  songs??  oh god there are so many.  baby, i’m an anarchist is such a classic, pints of guinness make you strong is so good too, thrash unreal, borne on the fm waves of the heart, i was a teenage anarchist, transgender dysphoria blues (the album and the song, this was after laura came out), true trans soul rebel, crash, white people for peace, and like every song i don’t know by them because i did not know half the lyrics at that show tbh.  they actually played something new but i genuinely cannot remember it :’)

ok back to more emo bands uh remo drive has been like blowing up these past few years and honestly? good for them.  anything off greatest hits (ironically their first album) is excellent, i haven’t really listened to tons of their new stuff.  but i’d recommend hunting for sport, yer killin’ me, strawberita, name brand, eat shit, i’m my own doctor, okay that whole album really.  i also really like the grind :) they just released a whole new album, portrait of an ugly man, i haven’t listened yet though

here’s a mouthful, the world is a beautiful place and i am no longer afraid to die, they’re from willimantic ct, (aka my state and the town i’m going to college in haha) and are like?  a nine piece band that kinda switches out for shows, which is kind of wild.  they are so unique in emo because you don’t usually see THAT much variety in instrumentals.  like you got the front bottoms with their trumpet or whatever but that’s not even close to what twiabp pulls off.  i can talk all i want but it’ll never truly do them justice.  listen to you can’t live there forever, and here’s a video of them playing heartbeat in the brain live!!

there are definitely a shit ton more than this but i’m gonna have to get up so i’m gonna leave you with that for now :))

[bipercabeth]

i love love loved your breakdown of Lover & i agree with so many aspects of it!! my favs are lover, paper rings, and cruel summer. the album makes me go absolutely feral at some of the lyrics and it’s so lovey dovey my heart can’t handle!! i was wondering what other artists or albums you really like???

oh man you have no idea what you signed up for with this question. i am taking this ask as an excuse to go fully music nerd up in here and i am doing so with no regrets. i’m gonna start with artists because there are a lot that i love that i can’t just pick one album or even a favorite. 

frank turner - i literally have a tattoo of his be more kind album art on my arm. he’s got an insanely diverse discography while still staying true to his punk rock roots and i think his evolution as an artist is so admirable. i’ve gone to a songwriting workshop he ran and it was the most eye opening experience. in may i went to his music festival in boston (lost evenings, look it up! he headlines every night, puts together a setlist of his favorite musicians, etc. it’s amazing) and it literally changed my life. every song of his has a point, and every single word drives that point home. his albums aren’t necessarily concept albums, but they’re all thematic and the songs drive home the point of the album as well. when i look at my playlist of favorite songs, his name pops up the most. 

bleachers - we knew this was coming. if u have looked at a single one of my posts about music, they always come back to bleachers, specifically dream of mickey mantle. jack antonoff is an incredible songwriter, performer, and producer. i can listen to a track and tell you if he worked on it. i am so ride or die for this man. bleachers has a unique style that i really can’t put my finger on with the exception of their heavy use of synths. seeing their set at riotfest was one of the highlights of whole ass life. their lyrics are sneakily profound, they don’t always hit you upon first listen. jack antonoff has absolutely mastered the art of simple songwriting and how to make the simplest lyrics absolute gut punches. 

okay i’m putting the rest under the cut bc i have a lot to say

julien baker - when people ask me to describe my music taste, i usually opt for saying “sad ladies with guitars” and that’s largely due to julien baker’s impact. she is unafraid in her exploration of her own suffering mental health, and it’s absolutely devastating, but it’s also so comforting. it’s the type of sad that tells you you’re not alone in your struggles, and i think that’s where her power is. it’s expression of her struggles without romanticizing them, and i think that’s incredibly important.

will varley - i got into him when he opened for the first frank turner show i went to and absolutely fell in love. best songwriter i have ever heard hands down. i need to give a few examples of my favorites because i do not have the words to describe his talent and do it justice. “Birth, death, weddings and wars / That's all we are good for / If all of the past was played as a song / Our lives are a beat of the drum” “Well playgrounds look like prisons the day after you leave school / And exes look like angels the day before they fall” “He got so many chains wrapped round his eyes that he cannot see / And he'd rather be blind than to realize he's never been free”. I could go on and on just quoting my favorite lines of his, but he’s so incredibly talented. it’s just him and his guitar onstage, but his albums have more production and instruments. very folk/bluegrass in sound. i would die for him. 

albums: 

punch // autoheart - this is such an emotionally diverse album, i always know i can find something to match my mood both tonally and lyrically. there are slow, melancholy songs like january and santa fe, bops like anniversary and moscow, hauntingly beautiful and profound songs like agoraphobia, and absolute gut punches like sailor song. i listen to autoheart’s other work, but this album is such a distinct work of art that i find myself gravitating towards it regardless. it’s one of the few albums among my favorites that isn’t a concept and doesn’t have a narrative, but i think that speaks to its strengths. 

sister cities // the wonder years - this is the one punk album that everyone i’ve introduced to it has liked regardless of their musical preferences. the lead singer’s vocals are absolutely INSANE (and just as good live) and his capacity for emotion is unparalleled. this album deals with a lot of guilt and baggage over the death of a loved one, and it encompasses every aspect of that on at least one song. it tells a clear story and every line works toward driving home the narrative, but never at the expense of honesty. this is a painfully honest album due to how specific it is, and how that specificity gives it universality. the wonder years also have mastered the artistic use of the word fuck, which i admire. there’s nothing wrong with just throwing fuck in a song for the fuck of it, but they write in a way that the word fuck is necessary to convey the emotion they’re trying to get across. “i drew a line in the sand with these worthless fucking hands,” “It's been over a year now / April turns into May / I barely stopped moving / I've been so fucking afraid,” etc. also i could write a whole essay on the ocean grew hands to hold me, but maybe another day. my favorite song on the album. perfect closer. they close their concerts with it and it’s PERFECT. also dan campbell (lead singer) said this is the song they’ve been trying to write since they started writing music and i cannot express how soft that makes me. 

routine maintenance // aaron west & the roaring twenties - the good thing is i don’t have to stop talking about dan campbell! aw&trt is his solo project, two concept albums about a man (aaron) who essentially has the worst two years of his life. the first one (we don’t have each other) covers him losing his dad, his wife miscarrying, and then leaving him. heavy shit. but THIS album is about him getting back on his feet, finding music, and eventually making his way back to his family. i have a soft spot for music about healing, and this hits that spot right on the mark. 

after the party // the menzingers - more punk! the menzingers are an incredible band, but i love after the party the most because of the narrative (can u tell i like albums that tell a story?). it’s about aging, nostalgia, and self-improvement, and all are really well done, especially in the song lookers. also mastered the artistic use of fuck (”i will fuck this up, i fucking know it”)

sing to me instead // ben platt - i already made a whole post about this

lover // taylor swift - listen i know i just did a breakdown of this too but it’s my favorite ts album okay

stranger in the alps // phoebe bridgers - similar to julien baker in how achingly sad some of the songs are, but phoebe’s music is just a little inexplicably softer. she explores topics other than mental health too, like toxic relationships, normal breakups, and a few abstract songs from another perspective. the album itself is less of a narrative, but there are common themes throughout it! 

[massmurdera]

2018 best (and some worst)

2018 was the shittiest year of my life personally and I was a trainwreck almost instantly. I was real hopeful going in, but I got my heart broken as badly as I could get (and it somehow just kept getting worse). Ugh. It’s boring to articulate, but it was a never-ending Russian nesting doll of heartbreak, disappointment, and frustration. But I made more positive changes in the last 12 months than I did in the last 12 years. So that’s something.

TV Funniest go-to show: Desus and Mero (wish they didn’t go on hiatus when they left for Showtime) Favorite shows: 1) Big Mouth 2) Atlanta 3) Killing Eve 4) Bodyguard 5) Haunting of Hill House

Other shows I enjoyed: American Vandal; Homecoming; Americans; GLOW; Better Call Saul; Succession; Cobra Kai; Kominsky Method; Corporate Meh: Barry; Sharp Objects; Who Is America?; Daredevil Favorite Comedy specials: 1) Rory Scovel 2) Bert Kreischer 3) John Mulaney

MOVIES 4 ½ stars: Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse; Sorry to Bother You 4 stars: Quiet Place; Hereditary; Mission Impossible: Fallout; Blackkklansman; Deadpool 2 3 ½ stars: To All the Boys…; Incredibles 2; Game Night; Revenge 3 stars (solid rental): Game Night; Upgrade; Revenge; Ant-Man; Hold the Dark 2 ½ stars (OK rental): Black Panther; Avengers Meh: Love Simon; Support the Girls Probably Good but bored the shit out of me: Roma; First Reformed; Eighth Grade Hated: Mandy; Ballad of Buster Scruggs 

STILL NEED TO SEE: Bad Times at El Royale; Bodied; Creed 2; Death of Stalin; Favourite; First Man; Free Solo; Green Book; Halloween; If Beale Street Could Talk; Minding the Gap; Solo; Star is Born; Vice; Widows

MUSIC Favorite Records: 1) Brian Fallon-‘Sleepwalkers’ 2) Story So Far-‘Proper Dose’

1975 has great songs but they have too much filler in their records. Damn good songs: Foxing-‘Nearer My God’; Wonder Years-‘Pyramids of Salt’; Thrice-‘Beyond the Pines’ PODCASTS Favorite Podcasts personally: -Filmdrunk Frotcast (Movies/comedy) -Dollop (history PLUS comedy) -Bill Burr’s Monday Morning Podcast (one-man rant from the best comic alive) -Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend (comedy + conversations) -Rewatchables (Movies/comedy) -Bill Simmons (conversations) -Pardon My Take (sports + comedy) -Chapo Trap House (leftist politics + comedy) -Press Box (media) 

Intercepted’s takedown of George HW Bush is great. That show and Citations Needed has its moments. I think if you’re a historian/leftist, the best podcasts are Hardcore History or Common Sense (Dan Carlin), Citations Needed, Intercepted, Chapo Trap House, and the Dollop. Dan Carlin is the one you can enjoy if you’re on ANY political spectrum—and the Dollop is not too far behind; that’s truly the most special when it hits.

Other: My Favorite Murder; Revisionist History; Matty + Nick; Hound Tall; We’ll See You in Hell; Binge Mode: Harry Potter; Bertcast/Open Tabs; Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez

Re-listening to Walking the Room for the 3rd time; that’s my favorite podcast of all time. Late pass: ‘Embedded’ series on Trump is amazing. Doesn’t come out often but when it does? Fascinating and goes in on Trump stories that don’t get talked about. Podcasts I’d recommend: In the Dark; RFK Tapes; Slow Burn (S2 on Monica Lewinsky scandal is great)

‘In the Dark’ is by far the best. S1 in 2016 I prefer over S2; check out both.  Podcasts I’m going to check out: Crimetown: Detroit; Serial S3

Vince Mancini (Filmdrunk/Uproxx) has an annual best list on the best investigative/true crime podcasts each year that are the best lists I’ve seen. Best Dollop Episodes of the Year (must-listens on serious subjects): Donald Trump; the Resnicks: Water Monsters; George HW Bush; John McCain; Wells Fargo; Erik Prince & Blackwater 

The above subjects deal with subjects to be genuinely outraged about versus faux things to be outraged about everyday (Russia; Louis CK or what a comic said) and the way the media talks or ignores subjects completely. The way it’s done is so great (Dave reading a topic coldly while his friend interjects with commentary—and then in the end coming together with a South Park-esque take on what the fuck is happening)

Other: Feinstein and the Flag; Levittown: the White Suburb Funniest episode of the Dollop:  1908 New York to Paris Car Race (live w/ James Adomian). Hands down the funniest. Dave purposely saved a great one for the fucking great and underrated James Adomian.

I can tune in and out of some Dollop episodes, but when it goes in on a subject or has a particular guest, you know it’s going to hit.

BOOKS Favorite book: City of Thieves by David Benioff Late pass great: ‘Slaughterhouse Five’ Pretty good: ‘Devil in White City’; ‘Lexicon’ Meh: ‘Sirens of Titan’ Hated: ‘the Bell Jar’

Best twitter follows/online writers: Justin Halpern; Drew Magary; Brian Grubb

BEST EVENTS: 1) Gaslight Anthem 59 Sound 10th Anniversary 2) Boston Calling: the National, Menzingers, Queens of the Stone Age, the Killers 3) Bert Kreischer @ Wilbur: near front row 4) Bill Burr @ TD Garden 5) Pats-Titans playoff game

Biggest regret and disappointment: Moving my ‘ex’ into my friend’s house in January (with the hope that I’d be living there half the time too)—only for her to end up wanting NOTHING at all to do with me that same day after I helped her unpack out of nowhere, threaten suicide in a non-joking manner in front of her new roommates and my friend after a political argument at the end of the first night she moved in, get with someone we work with behind my back almost instantly (a bland and lame cokehead who got busted for cocaine 18 months prior and faced 7 years in jail), try to fuck my friend when I was mid-conversation with them both first time seeing her 3 months after it all ended—and for her to eventually date my friend’s roommate who my friend warned me would try and fuck her but I didn’t take seriously because I thought he wasn’t good looking, tiny, just vaped all day long, and kind of a douche. Cool. Awesome.

I mean, that’s a simplistic breakdown of it all and how I feel about it when I’m angry. It’s more complex and fucked up than that and I could write a book on it to elaborate my thoughts, good and bad. It’s genuinely heartbreaking to articulate it and I withheld that from her:  part of the reason why I moved her into my friend’s place (she didn’t know him or anybody) was because I wanted her in my life and didn’t want to lose her. Instead, it felt like I locked myself out of a party, I’m banging on the door and it’s cold outside, but nobody hears me. It’s just that feeling constantly. At the same time, it’s also very simple: she just wasn’t that into me, valued me, gave a damn, respected me, or cared. It’s NOT as angry or mean as it sounds. It just is what it is. Do NOT move the person you’re seeing into a friend’s place. If it doesn’t work out, make sure you can get a clean break. Oh, and probably do NOT date at work if you can until you know one of you is leaving (or, in my case, she leaves 10+ months after it’. I fucked both up and it’s been impossible to move on. Thankfully, she just left work 2 weeks ago and there’s less anxiety, mental work (thinking about her all the time which I still do but it’s not on maximum overdrive) and tiny heartbreaks each day. I mean, I was devastated when she told me she was leaving and there was finality. I miss her and have missed her all this time, but it’s a good thing: there was nothing I was getting out of it. But still: why did she say yes to moving into MY friend’ s place if she was just going to do a 360 heel turn, be an asshole and resentful towards me out of nowhere, never bother seeing the place I moved into/what I did with it?. Just a disaster of my own creation. I like to think in time I’ll get over it all and move on. I highly doubt I’ll ever see or talk to her again. I refuse to ever go back to my friend’s house for a variety of reasons and I had those thoughts even before the Cinco de Mayo party, but definitely after. I just don’t belong there and it hurts. And I know she’s uncomfortable too if I’m there even if she says otherwise.

Best thing personally: my brother got married, his wedding, friends, and my family. It’s cool to see my brother have his life together, be married into an awesome family, and meet a nice girl. I’ve seen my brother have his heartbreaks, but it’s nice to see him finally have peace and consistency. He’s got a really great house near where the Pats play (closer than where we’d park to games), works 4 days a week and makes bank too. 

BIGGEST CHANGES I MADE moved out to a place of my own in late January-it’s my uncle’s 3-decker, which he intends to pass on to me. So I’m saving $ by being here and it’s decent. The drawback is that it’s 3rd floor and inhospitable during the summer when it’s an oven with no windows where they should be to put an AC unit in (I just stayed at my parents: I would have toughed it out but I desperately need sleep for school). But yeah, I’m over 30 and needed a place of my own. I’d love to live in Boston, but it’s completely fucking unaffordable unless you work 2-3 jobs.

One annoying thing: my driveway gets egged EVERY day since May. We have fake cameras, but pretty sure it’s the next-door neighbor and not some punk kids on their way to school. It is enraging. Who eggs a house everyday? And it’s literally only my car or the lady next to me, not even close to the street. I keep on looking at the trajectory of the eggs and it’s fucking ridiculous. Luckily, because of school (and because I was away during the summer), the egging doesn’t happen until after 8-10 AM.

I’m 10 minutes from my parent’s place (halfway to my workplace and gym as a cut-off place), 5 minutes from the school I attend, and centrally located to things I want to be (Boston, my brother, Cape Cod, possible job changes or to where I intend to move if I can)… went to school to be an electrician-In school 715 to 1245 Monday-Friday. Pain in the ass schedule and tiring, but a big change. I suck at being handy. Most people are sons of people in the trade or went to trade school. Then there’s me: never picked up a drill or a hammer. But I’m working on it. 

I mean, the job IS risky (it’s not an office job) and any job outside of going back to school for a master’s or doctorate to get ahead (I fucking tried!) requires backbreaking manual work that breaks you down in most cases (construction, plumbing and smelling bad to even fixing cars where I hear that breaks your body down). Being an electrician seemed like the least of them all unless you want to be a linesman stuck outside no matter the weather for National Grid or down in manholes—because they pay REALLY well (most people in class actually want those jobs without reservations). I’m fine with being paid pretty well while enjoying myself. I’ll stay away from something monotonous like solar panels or being on a roof all day though.

Jiu-Jitsu-did this for 3 months and loved it. Had to take a break because I can only do weekends and it’s expensive. And I’m too exhausted for 9 AM class come Saturday. After a 6 AM to 12AM schedule M-F, I just completely fucking crash come Saturday. I fully intend on going back and doing yoga too when I finish school in July. 

Most people start doing jiu-jitsu because of Joe Rogan. My answer got a laugh. ‘Yeah, I wanted to try something new. Also, I watched John Wick about a 100 times.’

Therapy-post ‘break-up’ I realized I needed help. I spent a month in February not being able to fall asleep (maybe 24 hours sleep in 3 weeks) before I finally got meds. About a million waking nightmares (holy shit that’s a thing). Constantly crying, particularly on the weekends without her, separation anxiety and just anxiety that did not go away at all: a constant weight. We had a Jim-and-Pam relationship at work, even when it was over—but once she started dating my friend’s roommate, she distanced herself more than ever and it was just fake as fuck. I was frustrated with not finding a job to not passing a test that I studied my ass for 3+ months for that would allow me to leave my job AND the girl. They threw in shit that was not on the study guide at all in the test. Blah. I punched a hole through my bedroom wall (like they do in the movies) and fucked up my hand a bit. 

But yeah, I’m working on my confidence, following through with my goals, challenging myself, making adjustments, facing fears, getting over my anxiety, relationships. I’m proud of how, even without therapy, I handled the girl who was cold and distant: I was ALWAYS warm and welcoming, had a good attitude about it with her. It wasn’t a point of pride to be that way; I just was. If I was around her, the hurt just kind of all faded, however briefly. In the back of my head I wanted to light her the fuck up for how she was acting or NOT acting, but I just didn’t. But it’s hard. I am depressed all the time, but not nearly as overwhelming as I was. I’m really lonesome—and I want to reach out, but I don’t know to who a lot of the time. I feel left out and it’s hard to maintain relationships, but I am trying. It’s hard at 32 but people fade away. You think you’re wiser and more mature that it won’t happen, but it does. It’s just harder to make friends, I guess. I ruminate all the time and think too much. I’m trying to be mindful and in the moment. But I keep on thinking about all the things I’m NOT doing or the things I’m waiting for to happen. But there’s always going to be that. I am doing a LOT and the changes aren’t coming all at once. I like my therapist (I had one when I was in 5th grade and again when I was 19: I didn’t like them: finding a therapist that fits you is the biggest thing)

I realized a lot of the problems I had were patterns even going back to the heartbreak I felt at 18-20 when I was the worst mess I ever was. It wasn’t the girl who broke my heart, but it was me. I should have been better and stronger far before I met her. I wasn’t really living I don’t think. In some ways, I gave up and was sleepwalking through things. But everything I thought I was past just bubbled to the surface. And I had to get it right, something needed to change, and I needed help.

I withheld my problems from everybody because I didn’t want to be a burden. I especially did NOT want to be depressing but I think I became a burden for the girl who broke my heart. She had nothing to give and she was upset at me for talking to her at work and being cheerful, telling stories, or anything. Secretly, I was a mess and it was painful. In a way, I was denying myself and that made it worse.

Here’s the thing: I don’t think I’m that big of a mess. I might be lonely, but I got a good head, attitude, and people generally like me. I make people laugh easily and without trying. I got a lot going for me and I got support.

Tattoos -got the lighthouse tattoo I always wanted since I was 18. I didn’t believe a tattoo artist could carry out my idea. Liked the tattoo artist so much that I stretched it out into a full sleeve. I want to do more and have some ideas. We’ll see.

Other-new car; collecting board games; got tour posters and Pats memorabilia framed WORST POLITICAL: the chaos that comes with Trump-Well, that hasn’t changed. I’ll hate the GOP/Republicans and that goes without saying. I have some small hope with people like Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, but I don’t have any faith in the Democratic party at fucking all: they will rather work with Republicans than work with people who actually want to make an actual change. You kind of just realize how shitty a party they and Obama were and how they are bought/paid for and resistant to any meaningful change. We are fucked.

LOOK AHEAD TO 2019: -finishing school in July and starting new career as electrician -cousin’s wedding and going to Las Vegas for a bachelor party (I’m more psyched for the awesome house we are staying in than Vegas itself) -Pats playoff run and possible end of Brady-Gronk: I’m not hopeful, but I’m going to enjoy my favorite Boston athletes of my lifetime. Couldn’t ask for anything more from them. I just wish Bill Belichick did a better job as a GM and not fucking up nearly every draft since 2006 besides 2010 and 2012. They’ve won 5, but feels like Belichick cost the Pats 3-5 more minimum. Every year you have Tom Brady, you’re in the AFC Championship or Super Bowl. Belichick and Patricia mailed in the Eagles Super Bowl on defense. WTF was that? -doing jiu-jitsu, yoga, taking up swimming, continue following through on my gym program: my goal is to delay having a bad back as long as possible. I’m in the best shape of my life by far, so that’s good. I want to cut some of my gut weight out though: when I bend down to put on my work boots, I feel it. -more tattoos? -dating again (I am struggling so BADLY with online dating and need to work on having better pics: I can’t get a single match/date) -looking at buying a condo or home. I’ve got about $100K saved up and just slowly collecting things in my apartment for the big transition. Still would like to see where I end up working. Ideally, I’d love to have a lake house somewhere decent and centralized.

BOOKS: -Don Winslow wrapping up cartel/border trilogy -new Gillian Flynn?!? -Marlon James’ African Game of Thrones trilogy begins -Stephen King

TV 1a) Desus and Mero returns 1b) Game of Thrones final season 2) Veep final season 3) Lovecraft Country 4) Watchmen 5) Stranger Things 6) Good Omens 7) Devs 8) Fosse/Verdon

NEW: City on a Hill; Deadwood movie; Star Wars; Veronica Mars

MUSIC -Boston Callling -new: 1975, Bruce Springsteen

MOVIES: 1) Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2) John Wick III 3) Us Toy Story IV 4) Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw OTHER: Avengers; Captain Marvel; Glass; It 2; Joker; Lego Movie 2; Spiderman; Star Wars; Under the Silver Lake; Where’d You Go Bernadette; Zombieland 2

[therandombanjo]

Songs From 2019 (one per artist)

Another mixed bag of stuff i either enjoyed a lot, thought was excellent or interesting (regardless of taste… sort of), emerging artists to maybe look out for, and generally music that for whatever reason connected with me in some way, including the odd earworm i just couldn’t shake. Some artists are left off just to vary a little more from some other popular lists. Hope you enjoy some of this too and find something new to be taken by. Please do buy their music if you can and hopefully from a local independent record store if possible to support their work. There’s a spotify playlist (below) for easier listening but I’ve also posted a few links to extra things on some of them if you want to check them out.  Spotify:

(As ever…. as i don’t tumblr or blog or anything (besides this list), this won’t be seen by many (if any?) people so if you like it or think it’s of any worth in any way, please do share this along)

In Alphabetical order:

A.A. Bondy - Killers 3 Abdallah Oumbadougou - Thingalene Alasdair Roberts - Common Clay Alex Rex - Latest Regret Andy Shauf - Try Again Angel Bat Dawid - We Are Starzz Angel Olsen - All Mirrors        bonus. her collab with Mark Ronson “True Blue” Anne Müller - Solo? Repeat! Antoinette Konan - Kokoloko Tani Arthur Russell - Words Of Love Asmâa Hamzaoui and Bnat Timbouktou - Sandia Baby Rose - All To Myself BCI - Grateful Bedouine - When You’re Gone Benny The Butcher - Crowns For Kings      ft. Black Thought Ben Walker - Afon Better Oblivion Community Center - Chesapeake Beverly Glenn-Copeland - A Little Talk     (from a reissue of her 2004 record Primal Prayer) Bibio - Curls The Big Moon - It’s Easy Then Big Thief - a. Not    b. Cattails    (from 2 excellent albums released in the same year: “U.F.O.F” and “Two Hands”) Bill Callahan - a. What Comes After Certainty    b. The Ballad Of The Hulk Bill Fay - Filled With Wonder Once Again Bill Orcutt - Odds Against Tomorrow billy woods - a. Spongebob w/ Kenny Segal     b. Western Education Is Forbidden    ft. Fielded        (From 2 excellent records this year: “Hiding Places” with Kenny Segal, and “Terror Management”) Black Country, New Road - Sunglasses Blu & Oh No - The Lost Angels Anthem    ft. Kezia Bon Iver - Hey, Ma Bonnie “Prince” Billy - Beast For Thee Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman      (”supergroup” of the great Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D Johnson & Josh Kaufman) Brent Cobb & Jade Bird - Feet Off The Ground Brighde Chaimbeul -  O Chiadain an Lo Brigyn - Oer Brittany Howard - Stay High    (the video for this, with Terry Crews, is a delight) Bruce Hornsby - Voyager One    ft. yMusic Burd Ellen - Sweet Lemany Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Thomas Bartlett - Kestrel Caribou - You and I Caroline Polachek - Door Cate Le Bon - Daylight Matters Caterina Barbieri - Arrows Of Time Clairo - Bags Cochemea - Mitote comfort - Not Passing The Cool Greenhouse - Cardboard Man    (a pretty hilarious song about David Cameron) CRAC - You Can’t Turn Your Back On Me    (Unreleased old track from ‘76) Cross Record - PYSOL My Castle CZ Wang and Neo Image - Just Off Wave Damon Locks / Black Monument Ensemble - a. Rebuild a Nation   b. Power Daniel Norgren - The Flow Danny Brown - Dirty Laundry Daphni - Sizzling    ft. Paradise Daughter Of Swords - Fellows      (Mountain Man member Alexandra Sauser-Monnig’s 1st solo record) Dave - Psycho David Kilgour - Smoke You Right Out Of Here David Thomas Broughton - Ambiguity     (from the 15th anniversary reissue of his remarkable debut album, The Complete Guide To Insufficiency) Denzel Curry - RICKY Destroyer - Crimson Tide Dry Cleaning - Dog Proposal Dubi Dolczek - Do The Gloop Durand Jones & The Indications - Long Way Home Ela Orleans - The Season      (From 2012 but on a career retrospective, Movies For Ears, put out this year) Elkhorn - Song Of The Son Emile Mosseri - a. The Last Black Man In San Francisco b. San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)    ft. Mike Marshall         (both from the wonderful score for the wonderful film The Last Black Man In San Francisco, the latter a cover of an old song sung here by the guy who sang “I Got 5 On It”!!) Erland Cooper - Haar Ernest Hood - Saturday Morning Doze        (from a re-issue of his “self-released proto-ambient masterpiece” in ‘75) Fat White Family - Feet Faye Webster - Room Temperature Fennesz - In My Room Fernando Falcão -  As 7 Filhas Da Rainha Sumaia     (reissue from ‘87) FKA twigs - cellophane Florist - Shadow Bloom Flowdan - Welcome To London Fontaines D.C. - Roy’s Tune Four Tet / KH - Only Human French Vanilla - All The Time Gang Starr - Family and Loyalty   ft. J. Cole Georgia - About Work The Dancefloor Girl Band - Shoulderblades The Good Ones - Will You Be My Protector?   (of Rwanda) Grand Veymont - Les Rapides Bleus       (of France) Gyedu-Blay Ambolley - Sunkwa     (of Ghana) Hailaker - Not Much HAIM - Summer GIrl Hana Vu - Actress Hand Habits - placeholder Hannah Cohen - Get In Line The Harlem Gospel Travellers - If You Can’t Make It Through A Storm Hayden Thorpe - Diviner     (Former Wild Beasts frontman’s debut solo record) Helado Negro - Running The Highwomen - Redesigning Women Hiss Golden Messenger - I Need A Teacher Holly Herndon - Frontier Homeboy Sandman - Far Out Hoops - They Say Hotel Neon & Blurstem - Language Of Loss House and Land - Rainbow ‘Mid Life’s Willows Ibibio Sound Machine - Wanna Come Down IDER - Saddest Generation The Innocence Mission - On Your Side International Teachers Of Pop - I Stole Yer Plimsoles    ft. Jason Williamson (of Sleaford Mods) Jacken Elswyth - The Banks Of Green Williow Jaimie Branch - nuevo roquero estéreo Jake Xerxes Fussell - The River St. Johns Jamila Woods - ZORA Jayda G - Leave Room 2 Breathe Jenny Hval - Ashes To Ashes       Jenny Lewis - Red Bull and Hennessy Jesca Hoop - Outside of Eden     ft. Kate Stables (of This Is The Kit) and Jesca’s 12 year-old nephew Justis. This live performance is so sweet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUPmE_hU7Ss Jessica Pratt - As The World Turns Joanna Sternberg - This Is Not Who I Want To Be Joan Shelley - Cycle John Blek - North Star Lady Jordan Rakei - Say Something        bonus. under his DJ pseudonym: Dan Kye - Focus Jo Schornikow - Incomplete Joseph Shabason - West of Heaven Julianna Barwick - evening Junius Paul - Baker’s Dozen Kali Malone - Spectacle Of Ritual Kate Teague - Sweetheart Kate Tempest - a. Firesmoke    b. People’s Faces Kelly Moran - Halogen (Una Corda)       (from a record full of all the bare piano parts she played for her prior record before all the editing and processing) Kim Gordon - Air BnB Kindness - Hard To Believe     ft. Jazmine Sullivan KOKOKO! - Buka Dansa     (Congolese collective upcycling discarded materials to make their instruments) Konradsen - Baby Hallelujah     (of Norway) Lambchop - Everything For You Laura Cannell - a. Sing As The Crow Flies     b. Flaxen Fields Laura Stevenson - Lay Back, Arms Out Le Groupe Obscur -  Planète Ténèbres Leonard Cohen - Happens To The Heart Leo Svirsky - River Without Banks Little Simz - 101 FM Lizzo - Tempo   ft. Missy Elliot Loren Conors & Daniel Carter - Departing Lou Roy - Bite Low Chord - Walkk Lower Dens - Galapagos Mahalia - What You Did    ft. Ella Mai Majja - Black James Dean Maria Somerville - This Way Maria Usbeck - Amor Anciano Mary Halvorson & John Dieterich - Vega’s Array      (Mary the recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Grant this year, because she is) Mary Lattimore & Mac McCaughan - IV Matana Roberts - As Far As The Eye Can See Meitei - Ike Melanie Charles - Trill Suite, No. 1 (Daydreaming/Skylark) The Menzingers - Anna Messiahs Of Glory - No Other Love      (from a collection of rare black gospel from the Midwest between ‘65-’78 put out on Tompkins Square) Mica Levi - a. Hosting     b. Lobo y Lady (from the excellent Colombian film Monos) Michael Abels - a. I Got 5 On It (Tethered Mix)    b. Pas De Deux (both from the terrific score to the excellent Jordan Peele film, Us) Michael Kiwanuka - Living In Denial Michael Nau - Poor Condition Mike Adams At His Honest Weight - Wonderful To Love Minor Pieces - Rothko      (duo of Ian William Craig & newcomer Missy Donaldson) Modern Nature - Footsteps Molly Sarlé - Twisted      (Mountain Man member’s 1st solo record) Moodymann - I’ll Provide Moon Duo - Stars Are The Light Moor Mother - After Images Moses Boyd - Stranger Than Fiction Moses Sumney - Polly Mount Eerie & Julie Doiron - Love Without Possession MSYLMA - Inqirad (Rihab-U Dhakir)     (Saudi Arabia) The Murder Capital - Don’t Cling To Life Nardeydey - Freefalling The National - Rylan   ft. Kate Stables (of This Is The Kit) The New Pornographers - Falling Down The Stairs Of Your Smile Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - a. Waiting For You   b. Bright Horses   c. Night Raid Nivhek - After Its Own Death: Side A    (Liz Harris of Grouper) Noname - Song 32 Octo Octa - Move Your Body ODD OKODDO - Auma      (Kenyan/German duo) Øyvind Torvund - Starry Night      (Norwegian composer) Pet Shop Boys - Burning The Heather Petter Eldh - Fanfarum for Komarum II Porridge Radio - Give/Take PREGOBLIN - Combustion Purple Mountains - a. Snow Is Falling In Manhattan    b. All My Happiness Is Gone   c. That’s Just The Way That I Feel Quelle Chris - Obamacare Quinie - Whas At The Windy Rapsody - Ibtihaj   ft. D’Angelo & GZA Reb Fountain - Faster Rian Treanor - ATAXIA_A1 Richard Dawson - Two Halves Robert Stillman - All Are Welcome Róisín Murphy - Incapable Rosalía - Milionària Rosenau & Sanborn - Saturday Rozi Plain - Symmetrical Ruth Garbus - Strash Sam Lee - The Moon Shines Bright   ft. Elizabeth Fraser (of Cocteau Twins) Sam Wilkes - Run Sandro Perri - Soft Landing SAULT - Smile and Go Seabuckthorn - To Which The Rest Were Dreamt serpentwithfeet - Receipts    ft. Ty Dolla $ign Sessa - Flor do Real         (of Brazil) Sheer Mag - Hardly To Blame Shit and Shine - No No No No Sinead O Brien - A Thing You Call Joy Siobhan Wilson - Plastic Grave Six Organs Of Admittance - Two Forms Moving Sleaford Mods - Kebab Spider Slow Meadow - Artificial Algorithm Snowy - EFFED    ft. Jason Williamson (of Sleaford Mods) SOAK - Knock Me Off My Feet Solange - Binz Sophie Crawford - A Miner’s Life Squid - Houseplants         bonus. Their cover of Robert Wyatt’s  “PIgs..... In There at End of the Road Festival) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DktZtQbo-YU Stella Donnelly - Old Man SUSS - Ursa Major Swamp Dogg - Sleeping Without You Is A Dragg   ft. Justin Vernon & Jenny Lewis Tami T - Birthday  Tenesha The Wordsmith - Why White Folks Can’t Call Me Nigga Theon Cross - Activate     ft. Moses Boyd & Nubya Garcia Thom Yorke - Dawn Chorus Tierra Whack - Wasteland Tim Hecker - That World Tiny Leaves - Respair Toya Delazy - Funani         (of South Africa) Twain - Death (Or S.F.?) Twin Peaks - Dance Through It Tyler Childers - All Your’n Vagabon - Water Me Down Vampire Weekend - This Life Vanishing Twin - Magicians Success Velvet Negroni - Confetti Vendredi Sur Mer - Chewing-Gum      (of France) Victoria Monét - Ass Like That Vieo Abiungo - Cobble Together Visible Cloaks - Stratum      ft. Yoshio Ojima & Satsuki Shibano Warmduscher - Midnight Dipper Weyes Blood - Andromeda Wilco - Love Is Everywhere (Beware) William Tyler - Our Lady Of The Desert Willie Scott & The Birmingham Spirituals - Keep Your Faith To The Sky     (from a collection of obscure 70′s era gospel on Luaka Bop, “The Time For Peace Is Now - Gospel Music About Us”) Xylouris White - Tree Song Ye Vagabonds - The Foggy Dew Zsela - Noise

[joementa]

Spring Punk.

I don’t know about you, but I vary what I listen to based on the seasons.  I have certain albums that I will only listen to in one specific month (and I’m not talking about Christmas albums).  One of the genres I listen to heavily this time of year is punk music. There’s something about the edginess of punk and the edginess of spring that go very well together.  Punk’s not quite my favorite genre, but it also has a lot of the qualities I like in my favorite music: consciousness, rock ‘n roll influence, often a Motown influence, and it tends to be played by people who are playing it because they love music.  And spring is definitely not my favorite season, but it has a lot of the qualities I like in the weather: you can get some sun, the birds are chirping, you probably aren’t getting much snow.

In a typical year (which 2020 is hopefully not, and 2019 wasn’t for me either), I spend a lot of the winter listening to slower, quieter and moodier music, and my summer albums are gathering dust.  For me, punk is a nice link between my winter listening and my summer listening, which tends to be catchy, shiny and perfect for having the windows down.

This playlist is just a collection of some of the punk songs I like to listen to this time of year. Some of this music isn’t even spring-only music for me (TGA, Bouncing Souls, Menzingers, Social D, Dave Hause all make great summer music), but to me, all of the songs on here are great songs for spring and some of the albums these songs are from are also perfect for spring.  In particular, check out anything by Husker Du, The Replacements, The Clash (maybe you’ve heard of this band before), X and The Sex Pistols – all of their music is great in the spring.  And make sure you check out more by Sheer Mag and Ex Hex, two newer bands that have put out a bunch of great albums over the past few years.

Next week’s playlist is already finished, but not by me.  I decided to ask someone who is quite influential in my passion for music (and life) to curate next week’s playlist.  Stay tuned!

Link on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/untitled-playlist/pl.u-2aoqqLqFVkeGyB

Link on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6o7hTkmFWybnxX5ola4N9B?si=TWd2h65_Q1qLJqHu_b7oGw

Jesse Malin & The St. Mark’s Social – “Burning The Bowery” (Love It To Life)

Alkaline Trio – “She Lied To The FBI” (My Shame Is True)

The Menzingers – “Burn After Writing” (On The Impossible Past)

Beach Slang – “Ride The Wild Haze” (The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us)

Husker Du – “Makes No Sense At All” (Flip Your Wig)

The Ramones – “Oh Oh I Love Her So” (Leave Home)

Sheer Mag – “Just Can’t Get Enough” (Need To Feel Your Love)

X – “Soul Kitchen” (Los Angeles)

The Sex Pistols – “No Feelings” (Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols)

Social Distortion – “Bad Luck” (Somewhere Between Heaven And Hell)

Cheap Trick – “Surrender” (Heaven Tonight)        

The Jesus and Mary Chain – “April Skies” (Darklands)

Ex Hex – “Waste Your Time” (Rips)

Against Me! – “I Was A Teenage Anarchist” (White Crosses)

Hot Water Music – “Trusty Chords” (Caution)

The Bouncing Souls – “Manthem” (How I Spent My Summer Vacation)

The Clash – “Death Or Glory” (London Calling)

The Replacements – “Little Mascara” (Tim)

The Gaslight Anthem – “Old Haunts” (American Slang)

Dave Hause – “Bury Me In Philly” (Bury Me In Philly)