Tag: Music

Music Wire #11

I think I finally figured out what “Music Wire” is supposed to be. 3 years ago I tried writing this eleventh edition but it’ll live in my drafts until the server dies. Never could figure out what this series was supposed to be. I took these things so seriously like anyone would ever actually read this garbáge. I cared too much, and 6 years later I don’t at all.

This series will just be a few hundred words about new LPs I’ve acquired, concerts, news, and current listenings. Nothing specific or planned with each new entry. Just been feeling the need to do this, typing, whatever that means in 2025, or this mortal coil.

3 years ago Brutus crafted their best record (so far) and personally one of the best in 2022. A strong year in its own right, Unison Life stood out by refining their style from 2019’s Nest which I found during COVID. While raw and less cohesive from track to track Nest still presented the band’s unique structure. Female lead vocals who also played drums, take some old plays out of the Deftones gameplan, sprinkle some blackgaze with the vocalist’s big voice.

On Unison Life however these elements are pieced together smoothly, intentionally, and delve deeper into the shoegaze subgenre’s bag of tricks. More dreamy little coloring and soundscapes. If Deafheaven pushed “blackgaze” forward into popular consciousness, then Brutus is pushing what I call desertgaze. What is that exactly? Imagine a recording studio in the Coachella valley, say Joshua Tree, and Deafheaven, Deftones, and Kyuss are all hanging out sharing ideas, gear, and peyote. This album scratches those grains of sand.

Oddly I haven’t played that album in at least a year. Still held up. I’ll have to account for why it took so long to revisit these songs. Checking in on the band they recently finished a tour with no new shows on their schedule. Hopefully they’re head to a recording studio to track their next project. I’m sure looking out for it.

Yet another record I hadn’t popped on for years, at least 2 if not 3. Snagged one of only 2000 copies during the height of COVID in August of 2020. Played that record over and over again. Listening back to Comadre’s self-titled, and only studio album, reminded me a lot of Touché Amoré’s Stage Four and Lament. Kind of impressive considering those albums came years after Comadre disbanding. Screamo in the present general reminds me of this record. Their loud and chaotic energy definitely comes from Rites of Spring, but with better guitar playing and brighter guitar tone.

Surprise suprise, Comadre guitarist Jack Shirley has spent the last 15 years producing records which have push many subgenres forward. Sunbather by Deafheaven. Sway by Whirr. Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired by Joyce Manor. Post- by Jeff Rosenstock. Many of Jack’s records I own and adore, particularly Sway and Deafheaven’s first demo and Roads to Judah. We will in the age of paying attention to producers and showrunners. Jack is someone I check in to see what he’s working on. Check out Suburban Electric by Telethon mixed and mastered by Jack this year.

A few months back at Doc’s Records I came across Big Country’s sophomore album Steeltown in the new arrival bin of used records. Never heard this one but I love their debut album The Crossing which I found thanks to those VH1 nostalgia programs back in the 2000s. Generally presented as a forgettable 80’s one hit wonder with “In a Big Country” but certainly not to the celtic folk. My good friend Jake gave me The Crossing on vinyl one summer when we were helping clean out his garage. Jake had a bunch of solid records in storage, but The Crossing was by far the best of the bunch he gave me.

While their debut has some general themes and disputably celtic in style Steeltown focuses on the plight of Scottish workers experiencing industrial decline and moving into manufacturing cities to put food on the table. I read several accounts the album failed, relatively, in the US due to it’s unrelatable themes. Can’t say I’m surprised the American public in 1984 was woefully unaware Ronald Reagan was fucking them out of a better future. Ask all the farmers who weren’t bailed out after voting for Reagan to help them out after the US government put them in arrears.

Over 40 years later Steeltown surpasses The Crossing musically and thematically. Having not listened to their entire discography I can’t state fully informed opinion; however, consensus says it’s their best work. Lead vocalist and guitarist Stuart Adamson took his song writing and guitar playing up levels. Really underrated player I never hear mentioned like due to his early death. Adamson killed himself in December of 2001. The man battled alcoholism and clearly had personal demons. Thankfully the Scotts haven’t forgotten him or the band.

Steeltown captured the decline of the middle class, specifically in Scotland, at the same time Bruce Springsteen spoke to it here in America. I’m not sure how this material couldn’t be more relatable in 1984. It’s fucking relatable now! Few prospects to obtain a better life economically. I haven’t even scratched its other themes of anti-war, domestic violence, national and personal frustrations with society. One of the best random finds in a while for yours truly. This is way I always search through new arrivals, new or used.

Photo by Eva Vlonk

Crate Dive #1

In searching for some writing inspiration I figured why not take a deep dive into my expansive collection of 336 records. Still not certain how we got here as I infamously shat upon vinyl collecting in my youth. I blame hanging out and eventually living with my friend Amelia during my late 20’s. Either way my collection has grown exponentially since COVID and moving in with my fiancé. Take a look at some of my favorite diamonds from the rough of my crate.

Back in the heat of COVID in 2020 I spent a lot of time online with my closest group of friends. Honestly, I look back at those times fondly since I got to reconnect with them. We were all scattered around California at the time. My buddy Jake found Pops Tuna on Reddit and shared his Bandcamp with us on Discord. I was instantly hooked on “Say What You Think” and eventually Lame Fiction, which I still contend was one of the best albums of 2020. A little over a year ago I connected with Joe from Pops Tuna and he was nice enough to send me this postcard flexi-disc. Definitely one of the most items in my collection and a personal favorite.

The tale of how I actually found Clever Girl has been lost to time; however, I definitely found them during my college days which were my peak years of excavating obscenely talent bands from obscurity. No Drum and Bass in the Jazz Room was just one of many discoveries during those years. The band broke-up soon after uploading to Bandcamp in 2010 but unbenounced to them their album organically grow a cult following for the next five years. In 2018 they pressed the record for the first time and sold every single copy for sale in hours. I was lucky enough to grab one of 150 yellow copies. It’s been over 13 years since it’s release and I still regularly put on this masterpiece while reading a book or scuttling around the house.

I visited Japan for the first during Golden Week in 2017. My buddy Andrew was living and teaching English in Nagoya at the time. Part of my incredible adventures took me to the city of Nara, where the local deer roam free (and bite your ass cheek if you leave biscuits in your back pocket). Just down the street from our hostel Deer Guesthouse lies a hole in the wall record shop called Django. Like many sleepy foreign towns the hours of operations seemed a little discretionary and the seasoned gentlemen running the shop took an oblivious approach to customers.

I got his attention by asking if he had anything by The Pillows. He seemed a little shocked I knew who they were and unfortunately didn’t have any Pillows, but he offered Ranmadou’s self-titled record from 1972. This happened to be a 2001 repress but I came to find out there aren’t a lot of these out there. Super interesting rock and heavy blues from 1970’s Japan. I can imagine The Pillows possibly hearing this record, or others like it, growing up in Hokkaido. It’s a very warm record and clearly reminiscent of American blues and rock of the late 60’s. Truly a time warp, but in a positively thought provoking way. Kind of difficult to track down this album online for digital consumption but I highly recommend it if you’re into digging deep into old defunct blogspot sites.

Somehow I got obsessed with yet another band after their break-up. Headroom hailed from Manchester and made just a handful of songs, which you can find on Bandcamp. They pressed two 7″ singles from those songs. I managed to acquire Carry Me Away easily but not their self-titled 7″ until I somehow got in touch with someone at Dog Knight Productions. Whoever was running things for them at the time was on tour in his own band but was kind enough to send me the 7″ after he returned home. This self-titled single only popped up recently on Discogs after last being sold in 2018. Hard to come by, especially since it made for an excellent beginning for an emotive pop punk band. Reminds me a bit of Citizen’s Youth record.

Long story short, my high school journalism and social justice teacher fronted Tamora before becoming a teacher. Knowing him during high school years makes song titles like “Put A Quarter In Your Ass Cause You Played Yourself” totally make sense. He was always polite but underneath it all had an enjoyable sick sense of humor. I never got mp3’s of his music while in high school, which in retrospect was a mistake. I saw there was a copy available on Discog recently so I had to get it. Man did these guys throw the fuck down! This 7″ will definite put lead in your pencil before unleashing your best mosh moves in the pit. I happened to get number 295 out of 300. There aren’t many of these out there. Pretty unique record in my collection and a one of a kind teacher in my life.

Photo by Joseph Pearson

Lines Sway

Photo: Krista Mangulsone

Feels like I haven’t written a real post in years. I wrote a little piece about the Raiders earlier last year and wanted to write about the team every week; however, it fell by the wayside as I started taking a project management course and then the COVID-19 pandemic broke. The last twelve months have felt lost in some ways. In other ways it’s trimmed the fat and inefficiencies from my life, and shown me what I care about most.

Expending my energies on responsibilities, commitments, and activities that causes unhappiness needs to stop. Sometimes it’s unavoidable but there’s opportunity to stop wasting time and energy on frustrating and unpleasant matters. I’ve not made the most of the past twelves. Certainly tried various experiences and projects to varying results. Recently I stepped back from a newsletter I’d been making with some friends. I’m glad I tried the project but it was a miserable experience by the end.

I felt a little defeated and bummed after but I’m glad it’s over. Doesn’t change the fact I love music and discussing my amateur connoisseur music takes. This seems like the best space I have to share my thoughts the way I want, when I want, how I want, and about what I want. The format of these writings remains unclear at the moment but I wish to write about my current listening rotations, new and old songs/artists/albums, and commentary on my listening experience.

Occasionally I may comment on current, or past, music events and non-music events simply to stroke my curiosity. Either way I want to use this space again for my own benefit. Share with anyone who reads this what I’m listening to so they can experience the same tasty goodness my ears enjoy.