someone with username carrieclownstein asked Sleater-Kinney a question in their AMA today and SK responded and had a normal AMA conversation and I'm still laughing about it
Was thinking today that there hasn’t been an album in almost a decade that makes me *feel* like Wildflower and In Colour made me feel. Does anyone have a suggestion for any albums with that same super bright, summery, electronic/indie/hiphop crossover sound?
Feel like we went through a quick phase of that and then almost entirely abandoned it despite how damn good it sounds.
Ah dang. I forgot the daily today.
Mainly listened to a bunch of Mountain Goats through the day. Listened to the run of *Get Lonely* to *All Eternal Deck*
Also been thinking about (and missing) TV on the Radio lately. I spun Kyp’s solo record as Rain Machine. Damn is it good. Well worth checking out if you need more TVOTR in your life.
Lastly, my wife doesn’t listen to a lot of the music I do but last night, while making dinner, I had some YLT playing and she was enjoying it. *Our Way to Fall* was the gateway. Which is perfect cause it’s such a warm love song. Nice little moment.
Ah fucking hell Wayne Kramer died. RIP.
Aside from playing in one of the greatest garage rock groups, dude sounded like a really sweet guy per his interviews.
Guess it’s time to blast “Kick Out the Jams” at full volume 😭
Not really the place to ask but anyone here familiar with Bill Laswell? Thought the Method of Defiance record Inamorata was an incredible blend of jazz and drums n bass.
yeah i fuck with bill laswell. not heavily, but every time I would find his name tied to a release I sorta realize "shit, he's like the architect of a lot of stuff". insane bass and dub dapper gent i realized, having been spinning some of his late 90s ROIR stuff on my radio show back in 2020. I was hoping to see him at big ears last year as part of painkiller, but that was cancelled.
naturally then I find out he's the bass player on Herbie Hancock's Rockit. well hot dimma damn! then I realize his long running group, Material, had been remixed by madonna and had tapped into the ambient network of the Orb. A few folks here do know [this insane longform cut](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9TcFYiK22w)
haven't hear the Method of Defiance album (no clue when I will, but it looks sick af), but I do know about this wonderful [Bill Laswell megamix](https://aquariumdrunkard.com/2022/10/13/bill-laswell-research-institute-vol-i-ii/) Aquarium Drunkard put together that touches on SEVERAL excursions Laswell has had throughout the 80/90s/00s
Dude you’re a king/queen thank you for this.
Highly recommend checking out that MoD record, herbie plays on it as well. This track is mind blowing
[https://open.spotify.com/track/3jk4ODAvcMTTpTJ9ScWY7N?si=rU1KkXlzQSy1Iyelss6TvQ](https://open.spotify.com/track/3jk4ODAvcMTTpTJ9ScWY7N?si=rU1KkXlzQSy1Iyelss6TvQ)
He’s a John Zorn guy, that alone grabs my attention. Zorn orbit is always a good orbit to be in
checking out Tobin Sprout's Carnival Boy and sort of let down outside a few tracks (I Didn't Know, The Last Man Well Known Kingpin). really lacking in those powerful harmonies that elevate songs like Gleemer and Little Whirl up to top tier GBV material imo
Fort Minor’s A Rising Tied is obviously an *incredibly* 2000s album but I must say that a lot of it still really holds up for me. There used to be an Elliot Smith/Lupe Fiasco obsessed person on here that shared my affinity for Fort Minor (cannot remember their username), and I still listen to ‘Believe Me’ regularly, but haven’t listened to the whole album in ages until my commute this morning. I totally forgot about how big-name some of the feautures are— Black Thought’s voice for instance caught me totally off guard as I remember that song but probably hardly knew who he was as a kid.
Also, when I was a kid, since it wasn’t the catchiest tune, Kenji was a very cool novelty song but not one I’d listen to super regularly even though I was obsessed with Linkin Park and Fort Minor + recognized the importance of the song. But it’s actually just a *really good song*! And there’s relatively such little media about Japanese American internment camps— it means a lot more to me now that I’ve experienced enough to really notice that. My family was also in Manzanar, so hearing that mentioned in a rap song is pretty amazing. Mike Shinoda is a fucking legend!
u/Willow9506 ?
I still like some songs from this too though I've never heard the whole album. My brother introduced me. Kenji is a good song, Believe Me too
Haha yeah u/pallum, I don't listen to Elliott as much and Lupe I've always been kind of mid on, but Fort Minor was my "I'm not too into Linkin Park but the features list is insane here." Black Thought's always killed it.
Been getting into Linkin Park itself more too its pretty solid stuff.
liking the new Billiam, although I can't say it's much different than his other stuff. Check it out if you like stuff that goes me me me me wah wah wah wah
What should i listen to? An album I’m unlikely to know would be awesome
Four songs repping aspects of my current mood/taste: DEVO - Mongoloid ; múm - Faraway Swimming Pool ; Linkin Park - Nobody’s Listening ; Mazzy Star - Rose Blood
Does not need to sound at all like any of these, but does need to be something you love
Wow this is really interesting. Definitely going to need to more properly listen and listen a few times. Kind of like múm meets Pram. Very glad to know of this album's existence, thank you so much!
I'm still stanning Bluff City Vice - S2PID. it's less than 16 minutes long. put it on loop and have the time of your life. when I say it's my current aoty frontrunner, I really mean it
I really like this so far! Super moody with wild fucking guitar leads.
I can absolutely see why Yankee gets more praise, but at the moment I'd agree with you on preferences.
Today's listening
Started the day with
Runnner - Starsdust: I liked his last one but this one is a straight ambient record which is just not my thing. Sonically nice, but I need me some song structure.
The Paranoid Style- Interrogator: I listened to the first half and I honestly can't say what about this rubbed me the wrong way. Her voice is nice. Guitars are nice. There's nothing with it, I just was totally not feeling it...
Liquid Mike - Paul Bunyan's Slingshot: this is just fucking great. Go listen to it. Catchy power pop with plenty of guitars. Love it!
J Mascis - What Do We Do Now: so I expected to be uninspired by this, as I often am with the solo stiff but well, I thought it was great. It's like if J made an Uncle Tupelo record. Really good.
Kirin J Callinan - If I Could Sing : this seems like I would love it, dark and moody alt 80s vocals and synths but upbeat and silly instead of sad and lonely. Like the idea, but execution was spotty.
Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstacy : good but not great. Singles shine. Rest is fine.
Office Dog - Spiel : last week's release I hadn't gotten to. It's good. Indie rock basics with shoegaze adjacent guitars. I like it.
Britti - Hello, I'm Britti - I keep thinking I'm gonna like Dan Auerbach produced easy eye records because I love Yola so much. But no, I just love Yola.
That's what I got so far. Going to Lucius tonight, so that should be fun. 10 yr anniversary of Wilderwoman.
Happy Friday indieheads!
If you've listened to the Indieheads Podcast over the last year or two during the rare times we talk about new music these days, you know that we give some shit to 4AD for how not great they can be at marketing their newer acts that aren't named Big Thief, but it really is hilarious how hard (or not hard towards the end of their time on the label) they tried to make The Lemon Twigs a thing and as soon as they leave 4AD & put out a new album on a different, but smaller label, they see the biggest success of their career so far.
Are there any other labels like this out there that are still active? As in labels that were once titans of the indie-sphere, but have fallen from grace for one reason or another?
Wait can you explain? I thought Lemon Twigs in general have been pretty popular even when they were on 4AD and had a lot of well rated stuff for a good long while at this point, no?
4AD is in such a baffling spot im about gonna demote them to a Tier 2 indie.
Like the beggars banquet merger in 2009 (which got St. Vincent & the National) set themselves up HARD for the 2010s and they delivered. And meanwhile, the last 5-6 years of "shoegaze, it's back", "cocteau twins...you gotta have 'em in yr collection", & "country...it's for indie folks too!" vibe shifts somehow found their Ivo-era backcatalog RIPE for re-discovery. Both of these factors make 4AD a fascinating entity to analyze or consider because you have 2 distinct eras of the label, split roughly across 5-7 windows (early 80s, late 80s-early 90s, mid-late 90s, the pre-merger 00s, 09-the present).
So somehow how is it that while they still get the ceremonial BNM or two and somehow signed Jenny Hval & Bartees, two artists with 2020s sounds most folks would find "agreeable and easy to market to xmu radio or some shit" they fucked up there. How have they barely spun their backcatalog reissues campaigns into things that mattered (shout out to that Air Miami album, great shit! but fr, Ar Kane had a stronger reissue campaign)? Does anyone give a shit about cumgirl8?!
like when the new acts are sinking immediately (or in the case of dry cleaning, realizing you should reissue yr early EPs) & the reissues are going nowhere and creating no brand love/awareness for a new generation...this is next level indie flopping; very very rarely does something like this happen, especially on this scale which makes it hard to find immediate ancillaries. So I guess as a long winded answer, because of how rare this kind of real-time flopping is, I will ramble:
Daswef brings up SST which is a unique 80s example that doesn't quite track, but its own woes reflect a classic indie conundrum. At a certain point (1990/91) that label failed because Greg Ginn did not have his pulse on new sounds (he wanted to play with a drum machine and write awful shit for Hor instead) & let Daydream Nation/Bleach slip from under his hands & they didn't know how to promote an increasingly righteously bizarre catalog that included saint vitus, HR reggae cuts, Fred Firth free jazz, and the descendants. Feel It Records is having a similar issue rn thanks to the success of Sweeping Promises meaning they are pressing so much shit no one is buying
But feel it records is small and SST is sorta another weird tale unto itself. Touch & Go would be another example, except their 2009 bow out was handled suddenly, if not gracefully, as the result of a divorce and Cory at least keeps the catalog in print. But that shock-pull out did kill a tastemaking outlet that was having an unusually thoughtful, well-curated 2000s (and Enon/TVOTR/Pinback have stuck by the label).
In truth, the 2010s "label fuck up" story of the decade is Tiny Engines; Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen adored and rizz-ed up that label very hard 2017-2019 (in spite of Trouble in Mind having a stronger roster & no fuck ups on the financial end--steve and ian should've been revving em up!). No amount of PR-email in my folder has me interested to visit new titles, and that label's sudden shock un-rizzing in 2019 successfully kneecapped Pedant, Empty Country, and prolly contributed to Strange Ranger wondering whether a long term plan was viable.
they forgor to do accounting work and pay their bands. then adult mom called them out on twitter. then a number of tiny engines acts (including alum mannequin pussy) piled on and it worked so well the label dipped and went MIA right as Pendant was having a new release hit college radio and left in 2019 with no real future or roster
somehow last year they got their shit together, got an accountant, and repressed some stuff, but all that momentum is gone
4AD is weird because it's also has been the next big label for electronic acts to go to after success on established but still indie labels like Warp, Hyperdub, Planet Mu, etc. especially as an imprint of the [Beggars Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beggars_Group)
Im not sure if this fits, but how big was SST at the peak? Im thinking of those 80s indie labels, and I've had a hard time ever getting a good sense of the size and success fluctuation those had.
A good comparison to SST would be IRS Records, who had R.E.M. until the Warner deal. Instead of being an indie that got big and then fizzled out it had all of the college rock and alternative weird stuff that was more marketable than hardcore, post-punk, etc. It's also funny because R.E.M. is the one band that was just mainstream enough early to not be in *Our Band Could Be Your Life" and also not on SST at any point - but also held on their indie cred through the 1980s.
Chris Ott has noted too that so many indie bands heralded after the fact (i.e. late 90s / early 00s onward) were NEVER really big - like selling maybe 30k units tops at their hey day over years and really making their money on the road and getting their notability via word of mouth, college radio, zines, etc. They did well partly by the lower price model (which IRS did as well) but IIRC they never had the same distro as IRS did - i.e. they were more in record shops whereas you could find new and sealed REM albums at the mall. It's also not hyperbolic to say much of SST was listened to via mixtapes, radio play, etc. than via the original records, 7"s, and tapes themselves before mp3s, streaming, etc.
sst is entirely different beast that's closet modern ancillary would be like…feel it records (mostly because of how much shit that label is putting out rn)
The peak of SST is far more elliptical and bizarre. 1984 is a clear landmark year for albums but in 87 and 88 the sheer fucken volume of shit they were putting out is staggering. And yet a LOT of it is shockingly bandcamp diy free form shit
Anybody fw the Capitol Records Beatles albums from the 60’s? I used to be on the bandwagon of “Look how they massacred my boys”, but from the standpoint of compilations they’re pretty interesting. Even the American version of “Rubber Soul” has kind of grown on me (though the pun in the title no longer makes sense).
The three I like the most:
1. Meet the Beatles - Dare I say an improvement on “With the Beatles”? Not to mention the perfect introduction to them for Middle American teens at the time!
2. Yesterday and Today - Just a solid collection of mid 60’s cuts. I think the pun in the title is kind of cute and I think the inclusion of Day Tripper and We Can Work it Out works (ha) better here than people who try tagging it onto their own version of Rubber Soul. Mixing the rockers off Rubber Soul with those on Revolver is pretty based.
3. Magical Mystery Tour - There was a Planet of the Apes feeling when high school me realized the full length version was Capitol’s and not the “official” one by the band. Definitely think the B-side compilation works very well here though as all of their 67 stuff fits comfortably together since it’s sonically all mining from the same space musically.
I've barely touched them except the LP version of Magical Mystery Tour being the primary one for me before learning about the EP. It's impressive how much it sounds like it was intended to be this studio album. I appreciate how it achieves that without separating the A sides of the singles from their B sides and also slickly leading with the B sides a few times (even down to I Am the Walrus, the only B side included on the original EP, closing the first half, and Hello Goodbye opening the second half).
I listened to Yesterday and Today once and it didn't really speak to me, but it's fascinating as probably the most glaring Frankenstein album. Never really been interested in Meet the Beatles being "better" because idk, it feels trite or something when the singles from the time are obviously great and better than many of the songs from With the Beatles. Even though it's one of my least favorite albums of theirs, With the Beatles is solid as it is. I am kinda interested in Meet the Beatles (and U.S. Rubber Soul) as their own experiences though
Here's the thing...those early records were just collections of singles really. The album format hadn't really come into its own yet, so the concept of like minded songs that are intended to be one big piece of art wasn't what they were doing then. So the exact song selections weren't as important as they would later become.
Also, this is early Beatles we're talking about, so pretty much it's all just great no matter which one you listen to.
> Magical Mystery Tour
Yeah that's a weird one, you basically have an EP that's arguably one of their best coupled with another assortment of solid singles. I remember liking it better than Sgt. Pepper in HS and not understanding the context, timing, history, etc. of why the later was heralded so much more.
had an audible reaction to reading that Gillian Welch and David Rawlings are playing Newport Folk Fest. I’m not going to the fest, but damn would I love to see Gillian Welch.
Grian Chattens album from last year really is an amazing piece of work, I love it so much.
the music is incredible but I think my favourite part of the whole album is the opening couple of lines of salt throwers off a truck, particularly this:
Salt throwers were taming the sidewalk with haste
til the whole of the city was seasoned to taste
he has such an effortless delivery. it's just as good as any Fontaine's record, I'd actually put it above a hero's death
Yeah, it’s a great album that stands on its own feet I think (I.e. not just “this is pretty good for a solo album”). And you’re bang on about Salt Throwers, the opening lines are so charming! I also absolutely love the third verse in particular:
“Oh, where will ya take me for dinner and sex?
The romance of somewhere where trains go direct
I live pretty close to a view of the stars
But it's not in my nature to look through the bars”
Yesterday I revisited Nyokabi Kariũki - Feeling Body and I really love it. Great immersive ambient album. I also find the spoken parts very compelling. It touches on Nyokabi's time struggling with long COVID. It definitely resonates as a meditation on dealing with chronic pain. It's paced as a very patient album and I like to fall in and hear new details each listen.
Right now I threw on an album I love from start to finish, the 70s folk album by Korean singer-songwriter Kim Jung Mi. I'm glad someone introduced me to them in 2019. [Haenim](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R1jDGzUbpU&pp=ygUGaGFlbmlt) is stunning, and I generally like the rest of the album as a great comfort.
Do people think they're being cool and edgy when they're like 'I can't wait to not hear about boygenius anymore'? The one time we actually get a band that's actually making good and interesting rock and folk music blow up like that all some people want to do is moan and complain, instead of being excited that there is still an appetite out there for music like this.
edit: to clarify, I get that it's subjective and not everyone has to like it. I just thought people would be excited for the mere fact that the kind of music like that can still be this popular.
you have a St. Vincent flair, by that standard virtually *all* signature guitars are boring. It's cooler than a Silver Sky and you can buy 4 of them for that price
It is very affordable though and I commend them for keeping in mind that their audience is young and might not have the most purchasing power. Also, all Gretschs are boring, so I'm surprised you're even surprised lmao
Oh snap, I spoke too soon. I didn’t even see the price yet. Personally I love that price point for their guitars. My electromatic was that price back in the day.
>all Gretschs are boring
Thems fightin’ words
"I like Boygenius and would like to hear more about them" and "i dislike Boygenius and dont want to hear about them" feel like both equally fine stances to me
There's always that one band right? Feel like MGMT, Arcade Fire, pre-iTunes fiasco U2, Kanye West, etc. have all been in the same boat.
Boygenius seems to really stick out because it's such a quintessentially indie band, like I dunno I think they are one of the best bands around right now and the kind of stuff us indieheads usually seek more of.
> Feel like **MGMT**, Arcade Fire, pre-iTunes fiasco U2, Kanye West, etc. have all been in the same boat.
one of these is not like the others...
I generally sympathize with the idea that the "this artist is IMPORTANT!" narratives are pretty bullshit, so I get the distaste. That said, it's not really the artist's fault either (though it definitely goes to the heads of some).
You mean Kanye? I forget it's technically the same person not some anakin like ghola now. I was thinking of late 00s / early 10s Kanye where he was artistically incredible and his persona was off-putting on a more superficial level. people were sick of people talking about him.
anyway I'm old and the post was very work lunch break scatterbrain
Yeah I'm curious where /u/joshuatx is getting at. Sure early MGMT had the awkward baggage of when they blew up, they kinda hated part of their fanbase because they essentially got really popular for a crowd(frat type fest bros) they weren't really anticipating which into lead to their notorious careless shit live performance reputation for a good while, but they steered stuff in a different direction and got to be something more than 3 songs off the first album.
I was thinking of the buzz they were getting among college kids the way the Garden State OST was. Things used to be hyped longer and more organically and "cool people" would have a longer time to be gatekeeping whiners. I kind of miss it honestly, watching a band enjoy the buzz for so long, worts and all.
I feel like The Black Keys also started to get a lot of hate after Brothers/El Camino. Indie bands always get a lot of blowback after they gain mainstream traction.
I hear you man. It’s just a bit odd how some people have to share their loathing of something lol. I guess there’s an element in the way that hate oddly leads to a lot of bonding, but raining on the parade is a bit of a drag. I do think there’s room though for discussion if something isn’t your cup of tea, but that’s different to me than someone saying “mAkE iT sTaP!”
It really annoys me. Just keep scrolling and let people enjoy what they want to enjoy! I don't love them love them, but I see a lot of people connecting with their music and that's really beautiful.
I really feel like everyone should be forced to look at a blank screen that says *LIVE AND LET LIVE* for five seconds before they're allowed to access the information superhighway
I don’t think Boygenius are like singularly good and interesting and there’s is pretty much always someone making good and interesting rock and folk music, but there is a contingent of people that seems unaware that they can ignore Boygenius. I like Boygenius to some degree (album had some stinkers, had some hits and I generally prefer both Lucy & Phoebe solo to Boygenius) but I’m rather apathetic towards the non-musical wing of the Boygenius thing. But I can just not interact if I choose! I can simply scroll past the interview with Boygenius. Some people really fuckin care about this band and I’m happy for them. Let ‘em have fun I think
> but there is a contingent of people that seems unaware that they can ignore Boygenius
Exactly lol. Sure, I find some of the writing I see around Boygenius kinda annoying too, but for the most part I just roll my eyes and don't engage whenever that happens. It's mostly not the fault of the Boygenii themselves that some writers write lame shit.
They may be big for an indie supergroup, but they're not actual popstars and even the actual popstars are more ignorable than ever in this media landscape. It's very easy to filter out Boygenius if you want to.
New Burial def scratches my "emo rave" itch
SO glad he's back on *Rival Dealer* sounding music. Last decade of releases were interesting but not this visceral sonically.
Once again plugging the purelink - signs album if you like hypnotic laid back ambient dub with a brain.
Shades of early aphex but more ethereal. Good work music.
Steely Dead was a very fun show as expected, "Truckin">"Black Friday" absolutely ruled and a full Help>Slip>Frank's is always welcome
A woman also handed me her number unsolicited, which is a true first. *Pecknold voice* "Now what does that say about me" that it happened at a Steely Dead show?
Given the median age in the room and the general ethos of the local community I'd be shocked if a decent number of people there weren't swingin' in some way or another lmao
It's February, which means I have to get back on the hamster wheel. I have listened to the Last Dinner Party LP once and I met it with the sort of pleasant indifference that most big-tent indie inspires in me these days. I understand both the hype and the counterhype and I feel no need to comment on any of it. Anyway who styles these dudes? Do they direct their own photoshoots? Are they thrifting those bodices themselves? What's happening here?
Far more interesting to me is this new Sunglaciers single. Their turn towards icy synths on the last LP bounced right off me but they work on "Cursed," and also the closing hook is just *great,* and it's got me invested in the forthcoming album. The postcalgary scene has always had pretty good outros, now that I think about it. The full album could still go either way but I'm excited nonetheless because what's life without risk
> Anyway who styles these dudes? Do they direct their own photoshoots? Are they thrifting those bodices themselves? What's happening here?
these are the questions we NEED to be asking the Final DinDin Kickback gals. also should we consider this a debut or a mixtape? that's a question that I will be spending months pondering even when there is an obvious answer
I need your favorite indie guitar solos.
I really wish more artists would add solos into their work, seems like the guitar solo has become kind of an overlooked or lost art form recently.
Looking for guitar solo moments that really elevate a track to new emotional heights. *Posing for Cars* by Japanese Breakfast and *Jackson* by Cymbals Eat Guitars come to mind — what else?
Posing for Cars guitar solo hive rise up!!
The realest answer from me would probably be something from The Strokes, call me basic or whatever but they know how to write a banger 30 second guitar solo - Selfless, Between Love and Hate, and The Modern Age are probably my favorites.
Big Thief has some great ones - Not is the obvious pick, Real Love is also fantastic.
Pale Blue Eyes by The Velvet Underground has that gorgeously languid solo before the last two verses - part of what makes it the best song of all time
And honorable mention to The Door by Lewsberg. The main part of the song is pleasant but I think would otherwise be somewhat forgettable; the solo is basically just drawn out feedback. It’s exactly what the song needs in that moment. The two pieces of the song together are much greater than the sum of their parts
You might appreciate Michelle talking about the solo in Posing For Cars in an interview she did with Apple Music if you haven't already seen it:
>“I love a long, six-minute song to show off a little bit. It starts off as an understated acoustic guitar ballad that reminded me of Wilco’s ‘At Least That's What You Said,’ which also morphs from this intimate acoustic scene before exploding into a long guitar solo. To me, it always has felt like Jeff Tweedy is saying everything that can't be said in that moment through his instrument, and I loved that idea. I wanted to challenge myself to do the same—to write a long, sprawling, emotional solo where I expressed everything that couldn't be said with words.”
The solo in [Black Earth, WI from Ratboys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G16z77UxFyE) is a significant chunk behind that album landing in my top-10 releases from last year
Joy Division - Shadowplay
Nirvana - School, Pennyroyal Tea, Aero Zeppelin
The Smiths - Shoplifters of the World, Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before
I have a long list of these bc I love solos/guitar breakdowns
On the Wilco train, my two favorites would be Handshake Drugs and Many Worlds
One More Time Please by Jay Som absolutely rips…it’s just too short IMO
I still remember where I was when I heard Meg Duffy's solo in Weyes Blood's "Seven Words"—it's completely heartbreaking and gives so much more depth to Mering's (already strong) vocal performance
Other folks have mentioned some Joos songs here but I also love the wispy, skyward solo before the last chorus in "Room Games and Diamond Rain." It really emphasizes the wistful, slightly aspirational feeling that I get from that song
Wand - Rio Grande, particularly the second solo. Of course Wand has all sorts of great guitar work but that one has always stuck out to me, it's got a much more lyrical quality than a lot of Cory's other playing.
Not necessarily indie, but I’ve always loved Bad Religion’s “Stranger Than Fiction”. Like three different guitar solos in a song that’s only a little over 2 minutes.
[Holy Holy - You Cannot Call For Love Like A Dog](https://youtu.be/dkX-15ZkvJY?si=9rqQvvLQ1xGUOoa8)
I definitely feel like from 3:46 onwards hits on elevating the track.
Have not seen much discussion here on SENTRIES’ new “Snow As A Metaphor For Death”. It’s quite fun - I hear so many different influences in the music from Idles, even Radiohead, to Psychotic Monks
Bumping a comment from yesterday, anyone know if Battle of the Bands is happening this year? It's usually started by now and I haven't seen it mentioned yet. One of my fav sub traditions, hope it happens!
Hey! Yes I plan on hosting it but it'll be a little later in the year and it will probably end up being scaled down a bit from previous years (like a bracket of 16 rather than 32). Watch this space!
we got 3 ballots rn + myself, two that should be arriving within the week, and then I cast a series of silent prayers as I do my damndest to forcibly move half the DMD to get on my wavelength (plus, you haven't gotten the reply ballot, I sorta just figured out what the secret is gonna be as of last night so you better strap in!).
i don't intend to reveal this for another ~3 weeks at least (and thus i'll run some more queup rooms over the next few weeks to get some pals out)
u/David_Browie & u/ItsJoshy...I need you both to come out to the ambient head 5: ambient jazz pizza party
Listening to this new Liquid Mike record. It’s fantastic. Tailored directly to me, probably. But if you are looking for indie rock/power pop stuff this is what you should be looking for. Incredible hooks on this one so far. Cool guitars. It rules
i have finally finished the story. i saw the asheville, nc indie rock band WEDNESDAY live and in person last night after a full 6 months or so of being taunted by their lack of a memphis show. had to drive an hour and a half to do it. was it worth it?
first - lemme talk about hotline tnt. i thought the album was pretty good! and they sound pretty good live! but i now like them less after seeing them live. their whole thing was weirdly...bro-y? they kept telling people to "go harder" for their power pop/shoegaze and kept trying to get people to do a circle pit. it was very weird. the best parts of their set were when lenderman went up for a very deadpan cover of smashing pumpkins' quiet and when karly joined them for the song wednesday covered on that ep. they are perfectly fine live. but it was very funny to hear that guy show emotion during his pleas for the audience to mosh and then just go back to deadpan singing during the actual hotline tnt songs. i miss weed.
oh, and speaking of karly. a lot of the crowd were clearly, like, covid coming of age kids who were at their first show and had no etiquette lmao. girl beside me jumped up and down for *twenty consecutive minutes* during hotline tnt and then when karly brushed passed us to go up for her guest spot, she did an over the top anime squee reaction. wednesday also had to stop and tell men to stop pushing over the tiny 18 year old college girls in the "mosh pit" lmao. god. i'm very used to playing and being at shows with smaller attendance than the pitchfork bnm double bill and i gotta say - i hate big indie rock crowds. also stop trying to give musicians gifts while they’re playing
ANYWAY. WEDNESDAY. very good! they played a smattering of new stuff that sounded fucking great! a lot of it was sludgier and a little slower in a way i was hoping rat saw god would be, so i'm pretty excited about whatever they've got cooking next. all of the rat saw god material popped off big style and people were going nuts for chosen to deserve, quarry (great tune), and bull believer in particular. people in oxford, ms have never learned to shut the fuck up during songs so sadly i could not hear all of the quieter parts of chosen to deserve but the country elements shown brighter live and made me think about how wednesday probably would not have gotten the dead oceans push if lil nas x did not tee up all of america for the country revival shit. funny how that works. oh also i didn't really realize exactly how much stuff the pedal steel player was doing on all those songs. that guy is, like, *the entire* wednesday sound lmao
copped a $10 tape (i did not want to pay $25 for a vinyl), hit the road, in bed by 1:30 am. well worth it. wednesday good. it's nice to have a major indie rock band that's actually worth rooting for
I had the same reaction to Hotline TNT. It sounded fine and they clearly were having fun but something about it didn't grab me.
I also agree on Wednesday with the caveat that I thought Bath County was the clear standout live song. Although Quarry was my other fave.
i think the kids *kinda* wanted to? a lot of them were just jumping up and down lol. i think he was trying to direct the energy but yeah it came off weird
> i hate big indie rock crowds. also stop trying to give musicians gifts while they’re playing
massive war flashback to seeing Mitski in 2k18 at the wiltern and she stopped to talk to audience after a song & a fan in the front just had to give her a fucken bouquet of red roses.
folks...the artist is also a person who prolly appreciates the gift, but that doesn't mean you gotta do this during the show. just drop it by the merch table. send a written letter!
> girl beside me jumped up and down for twenty consecutive minutes during hotline tnt and then when karly brushed passed us to go up for her guest spot, she did an over the top anime squee reaction
another case where a written letter (with a drawing) could have helped here. an ANIME squeal?!?! good christ i saw vestiges of this at the 2k19 soccer mommy show I went to but this is next level no no no!
>a lot of it was sludgier and a little slower
this is incredible news.
Interesting point on Lil Nas X, I think you're 100% right. Funny enough I was in my senior year of college taking a country music course when that song came out. The professor was so excited she cancelled the planned lesson to spend the entire day discussing "Old Town Road" and what it meant for country music. Hilarious and inspiring to see a kinda dorky music prof in her mid-50s transition from honky tonk and countrypolitan to completely geeking out over Lil Nas X. True student of the game
need that domino meme because that's really the level of affect I can visualize and feels apt here tbh. wednesday benefitted from it, but at like a secondary or tertiary level. The orindal records stuff stuck out HARD in 2021 during a point where it felt like "idk what direction indie is gonna go in this decade yet" & the zoomergaze mafia was just starting to put out the hits. with them getting Superchunk support slots announced in late 2021, it seemed like Merge, a regional NC label, might have wanted to sign them.
I also found it interesting how much more prominent the pedal steel was live when I saw both Wednesday and a MJ show. Definitely is an important part of what makes their sound so special. Wednesday good indeed
Was going to say more or less the same thing—I like *Rat Saw God* and really like *Boat Songs* but the MJ Lenderman live album from a few months ago really puts the pedal steel at the forefront which makes it easily my favorite album that I've heard from the Wednesday expanded universe (I admittedly haven't gone back and listened to anything before *Mowing the Leaves* so I've got some blind spots)
I would very strongly recommend Twin Plagues and MJ's solo album if you haven't heard either of them! Not because of pedal steel in particular though, they're just both really good albums
The idea of a pit inspired by Hotline’s midpaced indiejams is funny enough on its own.
I keep hearing about pits at various indie things and I’m never sure if it’s tongue-in-cheek or if people are really going wild like they’re at a hardcore or metal show.
I've been (negatively) really struck by the seeming shift of moshing from the natural way of dancing to some kinds of music to just, like, a way of demonstrating engagement? Or energy?
Last time I saw Protomartyr, a bunch of kids tried to start a mosh to *Why Does it Shake,* and it felt very performative - and there were several songs off the most recent album that would've been more appropriate to mosh to and no one moved for those.
To be fair, folks were moshing to Mac DeMarco covers of Steely Dan back in 2014. I even remember a more amorphous/wavey mosh to Neon Indian in 2011. The whole crowd kind of swayed into each other for several songs.
my friend saw diiv shortly after their 2016 album and told me "it was cool, people were moshing" and i've been haunted by this info since then
i don't have a major horse in this race bc i run kinda hot and cold on heavier subgenres of music myself but i feel like a big portion of "the indie rock community" or whatever views heavy music and some of the culture stuff around it with an ironic detachment that's honestly kind of annoying. (similar happens w/ country music) it's silly to mosh at wednesday, boygenius does not "shred," everyone needs to calm down
Oh sees totally makes sense, they’ve been playing a ‘pit-centric’ set ever since Brigid left and Mutilator came out. Only time I’ve seen them play a ‘somewhat’ mellower set since 2015 was at Red Rocks in 2021.
they really started doing it during Wednesday. i think it’s mostly unsocialized kids who spent 2 years locked up letting loose like they see on social media or whatever tbh
someone with username carrieclownstein asked Sleater-Kinney a question in their AMA today and SK responded and had a normal AMA conversation and I'm still laughing about it
Love a good pun. Idk if Carrie or Corin answered my question in it but I’m gonna assume Carrie cause she’s a punny clown.
Was thinking today that there hasn’t been an album in almost a decade that makes me *feel* like Wildflower and In Colour made me feel. Does anyone have a suggestion for any albums with that same super bright, summery, electronic/indie/hiphop crossover sound? Feel like we went through a quick phase of that and then almost entirely abandoned it despite how damn good it sounds.
Ah dang. I forgot the daily today. Mainly listened to a bunch of Mountain Goats through the day. Listened to the run of *Get Lonely* to *All Eternal Deck* Also been thinking about (and missing) TV on the Radio lately. I spun Kyp’s solo record as Rain Machine. Damn is it good. Well worth checking out if you need more TVOTR in your life. Lastly, my wife doesn’t listen to a lot of the music I do but last night, while making dinner, I had some YLT playing and she was enjoying it. *Our Way to Fall* was the gateway. Which is perfect cause it’s such a warm love song. Nice little moment.
Ah fucking hell Wayne Kramer died. RIP. Aside from playing in one of the greatest garage rock groups, dude sounded like a really sweet guy per his interviews. Guess it’s time to blast “Kick Out the Jams” at full volume 😭
*ARE YOU READY TO TESTIFY?*
Not really the place to ask but anyone here familiar with Bill Laswell? Thought the Method of Defiance record Inamorata was an incredible blend of jazz and drums n bass.
yeah i fuck with bill laswell. not heavily, but every time I would find his name tied to a release I sorta realize "shit, he's like the architect of a lot of stuff". insane bass and dub dapper gent i realized, having been spinning some of his late 90s ROIR stuff on my radio show back in 2020. I was hoping to see him at big ears last year as part of painkiller, but that was cancelled. naturally then I find out he's the bass player on Herbie Hancock's Rockit. well hot dimma damn! then I realize his long running group, Material, had been remixed by madonna and had tapped into the ambient network of the Orb. A few folks here do know [this insane longform cut](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9TcFYiK22w) haven't hear the Method of Defiance album (no clue when I will, but it looks sick af), but I do know about this wonderful [Bill Laswell megamix](https://aquariumdrunkard.com/2022/10/13/bill-laswell-research-institute-vol-i-ii/) Aquarium Drunkard put together that touches on SEVERAL excursions Laswell has had throughout the 80/90s/00s
Dude you’re a king/queen thank you for this. Highly recommend checking out that MoD record, herbie plays on it as well. This track is mind blowing [https://open.spotify.com/track/3jk4ODAvcMTTpTJ9ScWY7N?si=rU1KkXlzQSy1Iyelss6TvQ](https://open.spotify.com/track/3jk4ODAvcMTTpTJ9ScWY7N?si=rU1KkXlzQSy1Iyelss6TvQ) He’s a John Zorn guy, that alone grabs my attention. Zorn orbit is always a good orbit to be in
hell yes! i will try <3 thank you and rock on!
checking out Tobin Sprout's Carnival Boy and sort of let down outside a few tracks (I Didn't Know, The Last Man Well Known Kingpin). really lacking in those powerful harmonies that elevate songs like Gleemer and Little Whirl up to top tier GBV material imo
Fort Minor’s A Rising Tied is obviously an *incredibly* 2000s album but I must say that a lot of it still really holds up for me. There used to be an Elliot Smith/Lupe Fiasco obsessed person on here that shared my affinity for Fort Minor (cannot remember their username), and I still listen to ‘Believe Me’ regularly, but haven’t listened to the whole album in ages until my commute this morning. I totally forgot about how big-name some of the feautures are— Black Thought’s voice for instance caught me totally off guard as I remember that song but probably hardly knew who he was as a kid. Also, when I was a kid, since it wasn’t the catchiest tune, Kenji was a very cool novelty song but not one I’d listen to super regularly even though I was obsessed with Linkin Park and Fort Minor + recognized the importance of the song. But it’s actually just a *really good song*! And there’s relatively such little media about Japanese American internment camps— it means a lot more to me now that I’ve experienced enough to really notice that. My family was also in Manzanar, so hearing that mentioned in a rap song is pretty amazing. Mike Shinoda is a fucking legend!
u/Willow9506 ? I still like some songs from this too though I've never heard the whole album. My brother introduced me. Kenji is a good song, Believe Me too
Haha yeah u/pallum, I don't listen to Elliott as much and Lupe I've always been kind of mid on, but Fort Minor was my "I'm not too into Linkin Park but the features list is insane here." Black Thought's always killed it. Been getting into Linkin Park itself more too its pretty solid stuff.
liking the new Billiam, although I can't say it's much different than his other stuff. Check it out if you like stuff that goes me me me me wah wah wah wah
What should i listen to? An album I’m unlikely to know would be awesome Four songs repping aspects of my current mood/taste: DEVO - Mongoloid ; múm - Faraway Swimming Pool ; Linkin Park - Nobody’s Listening ; Mazzy Star - Rose Blood Does not need to sound at all like any of these, but does need to be something you love
Menomena - I Am The Fun Blame Monster
for Múm: Tangtype - Flake Out
Wow this is really interesting. Definitely going to need to more properly listen and listen a few times. Kind of like múm meets Pram. Very glad to know of this album's existence, thank you so much!
one of those albums that really stopped me in my tracks and made me think about what I was hearing, love that I can share this with someone else
I'm still stanning Bluff City Vice - S2PID. it's less than 16 minutes long. put it on loop and have the time of your life. when I say it's my current aoty frontrunner, I really mean it
This bangs!! Thank you barkbark
I listen to it daily... it's just... fun! glad you like it
if you like devo you should consider getting into all that egg punk shit - snooper, billiam, erik nervous, etc
Thanks PAJ! I am most aware of Erik Nervous out of these so will spin Assorted Anxieties first
Listening to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot for the first time. "Radio Cure" my clear favorite so far.
Is it weird that I prefer *A Ghost is Born?* Most people consider *Yankee Hotel Foxtrot* to be their masterpiece but idk.
I really like this so far! Super moody with wild fucking guitar leads. I can absolutely see why Yankee gets more praise, but at the moment I'd agree with you on preferences.
Let me listen and I'll get back to it!
Let the dark wistfulness of “Pot Kettle Black” and menacing affection of “I’m the Man Who Loves You” carry you away
A rare album where the first time is nowhere close to the best. This one gets better the more you live with it. "Radio Cure" rocks
wait until Poor Places, Heavy Metal Drummer, and Jesus Etc. take hold. golly now I gotta put this back in the rotation. thanks for the reminder
Today's listening Started the day with Runnner - Starsdust: I liked his last one but this one is a straight ambient record which is just not my thing. Sonically nice, but I need me some song structure. The Paranoid Style- Interrogator: I listened to the first half and I honestly can't say what about this rubbed me the wrong way. Her voice is nice. Guitars are nice. There's nothing with it, I just was totally not feeling it... Liquid Mike - Paul Bunyan's Slingshot: this is just fucking great. Go listen to it. Catchy power pop with plenty of guitars. Love it! J Mascis - What Do We Do Now: so I expected to be uninspired by this, as I often am with the solo stiff but well, I thought it was great. It's like if J made an Uncle Tupelo record. Really good. Kirin J Callinan - If I Could Sing : this seems like I would love it, dark and moody alt 80s vocals and synths but upbeat and silly instead of sad and lonely. Like the idea, but execution was spotty. Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstacy : good but not great. Singles shine. Rest is fine. Office Dog - Spiel : last week's release I hadn't gotten to. It's good. Indie rock basics with shoegaze adjacent guitars. I like it. Britti - Hello, I'm Britti - I keep thinking I'm gonna like Dan Auerbach produced easy eye records because I love Yola so much. But no, I just love Yola. That's what I got so far. Going to Lucius tonight, so that should be fun. 10 yr anniversary of Wilderwoman. Happy Friday indieheads!
If you've listened to the Indieheads Podcast over the last year or two during the rare times we talk about new music these days, you know that we give some shit to 4AD for how not great they can be at marketing their newer acts that aren't named Big Thief, but it really is hilarious how hard (or not hard towards the end of their time on the label) they tried to make The Lemon Twigs a thing and as soon as they leave 4AD & put out a new album on a different, but smaller label, they see the biggest success of their career so far. Are there any other labels like this out there that are still active? As in labels that were once titans of the indie-sphere, but have fallen from grace for one reason or another?
Wait can you explain? I thought Lemon Twigs in general have been pretty popular even when they were on 4AD and had a lot of well rated stuff for a good long while at this point, no?
I think they were pretty well-rated, but it does feel like this most recent album took them to a different level that 4AD failed to do.
Ahh gotcha gotcha.
4AD is in such a baffling spot im about gonna demote them to a Tier 2 indie. Like the beggars banquet merger in 2009 (which got St. Vincent & the National) set themselves up HARD for the 2010s and they delivered. And meanwhile, the last 5-6 years of "shoegaze, it's back", "cocteau twins...you gotta have 'em in yr collection", & "country...it's for indie folks too!" vibe shifts somehow found their Ivo-era backcatalog RIPE for re-discovery. Both of these factors make 4AD a fascinating entity to analyze or consider because you have 2 distinct eras of the label, split roughly across 5-7 windows (early 80s, late 80s-early 90s, mid-late 90s, the pre-merger 00s, 09-the present). So somehow how is it that while they still get the ceremonial BNM or two and somehow signed Jenny Hval & Bartees, two artists with 2020s sounds most folks would find "agreeable and easy to market to xmu radio or some shit" they fucked up there. How have they barely spun their backcatalog reissues campaigns into things that mattered (shout out to that Air Miami album, great shit! but fr, Ar Kane had a stronger reissue campaign)? Does anyone give a shit about cumgirl8?! like when the new acts are sinking immediately (or in the case of dry cleaning, realizing you should reissue yr early EPs) & the reissues are going nowhere and creating no brand love/awareness for a new generation...this is next level indie flopping; very very rarely does something like this happen, especially on this scale which makes it hard to find immediate ancillaries. So I guess as a long winded answer, because of how rare this kind of real-time flopping is, I will ramble: Daswef brings up SST which is a unique 80s example that doesn't quite track, but its own woes reflect a classic indie conundrum. At a certain point (1990/91) that label failed because Greg Ginn did not have his pulse on new sounds (he wanted to play with a drum machine and write awful shit for Hor instead) & let Daydream Nation/Bleach slip from under his hands & they didn't know how to promote an increasingly righteously bizarre catalog that included saint vitus, HR reggae cuts, Fred Firth free jazz, and the descendants. Feel It Records is having a similar issue rn thanks to the success of Sweeping Promises meaning they are pressing so much shit no one is buying But feel it records is small and SST is sorta another weird tale unto itself. Touch & Go would be another example, except their 2009 bow out was handled suddenly, if not gracefully, as the result of a divorce and Cory at least keeps the catalog in print. But that shock-pull out did kill a tastemaking outlet that was having an unusually thoughtful, well-curated 2000s (and Enon/TVOTR/Pinback have stuck by the label). In truth, the 2010s "label fuck up" story of the decade is Tiny Engines; Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen adored and rizz-ed up that label very hard 2017-2019 (in spite of Trouble in Mind having a stronger roster & no fuck ups on the financial end--steve and ian should've been revving em up!). No amount of PR-email in my folder has me interested to visit new titles, and that label's sudden shock un-rizzing in 2019 successfully kneecapped Pedant, Empty Country, and prolly contributed to Strange Ranger wondering whether a long term plan was viable.
So what did Tiny Engines actually do wrong, or how did they get suddenly un-rizzed?
they forgor to do accounting work and pay their bands. then adult mom called them out on twitter. then a number of tiny engines acts (including alum mannequin pussy) piled on and it worked so well the label dipped and went MIA right as Pendant was having a new release hit college radio and left in 2019 with no real future or roster somehow last year they got their shit together, got an accountant, and repressed some stuff, but all that momentum is gone
4AD is weird because it's also has been the next big label for electronic acts to go to after success on established but still indie labels like Warp, Hyperdub, Planet Mu, etc. especially as an imprint of the [Beggars Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beggars_Group)
Im not sure if this fits, but how big was SST at the peak? Im thinking of those 80s indie labels, and I've had a hard time ever getting a good sense of the size and success fluctuation those had.
A good comparison to SST would be IRS Records, who had R.E.M. until the Warner deal. Instead of being an indie that got big and then fizzled out it had all of the college rock and alternative weird stuff that was more marketable than hardcore, post-punk, etc. It's also funny because R.E.M. is the one band that was just mainstream enough early to not be in *Our Band Could Be Your Life" and also not on SST at any point - but also held on their indie cred through the 1980s. Chris Ott has noted too that so many indie bands heralded after the fact (i.e. late 90s / early 00s onward) were NEVER really big - like selling maybe 30k units tops at their hey day over years and really making their money on the road and getting their notability via word of mouth, college radio, zines, etc. They did well partly by the lower price model (which IRS did as well) but IIRC they never had the same distro as IRS did - i.e. they were more in record shops whereas you could find new and sealed REM albums at the mall. It's also not hyperbolic to say much of SST was listened to via mixtapes, radio play, etc. than via the original records, 7"s, and tapes themselves before mp3s, streaming, etc.
sst is entirely different beast that's closet modern ancillary would be like…feel it records (mostly because of how much shit that label is putting out rn) The peak of SST is far more elliptical and bizarre. 1984 is a clear landmark year for albums but in 87 and 88 the sheer fucken volume of shit they were putting out is staggering. And yet a LOT of it is shockingly bandcamp diy free form shit
Anybody fw the Capitol Records Beatles albums from the 60’s? I used to be on the bandwagon of “Look how they massacred my boys”, but from the standpoint of compilations they’re pretty interesting. Even the American version of “Rubber Soul” has kind of grown on me (though the pun in the title no longer makes sense). The three I like the most: 1. Meet the Beatles - Dare I say an improvement on “With the Beatles”? Not to mention the perfect introduction to them for Middle American teens at the time! 2. Yesterday and Today - Just a solid collection of mid 60’s cuts. I think the pun in the title is kind of cute and I think the inclusion of Day Tripper and We Can Work it Out works (ha) better here than people who try tagging it onto their own version of Rubber Soul. Mixing the rockers off Rubber Soul with those on Revolver is pretty based. 3. Magical Mystery Tour - There was a Planet of the Apes feeling when high school me realized the full length version was Capitol’s and not the “official” one by the band. Definitely think the B-side compilation works very well here though as all of their 67 stuff fits comfortably together since it’s sonically all mining from the same space musically.
I've barely touched them except the LP version of Magical Mystery Tour being the primary one for me before learning about the EP. It's impressive how much it sounds like it was intended to be this studio album. I appreciate how it achieves that without separating the A sides of the singles from their B sides and also slickly leading with the B sides a few times (even down to I Am the Walrus, the only B side included on the original EP, closing the first half, and Hello Goodbye opening the second half). I listened to Yesterday and Today once and it didn't really speak to me, but it's fascinating as probably the most glaring Frankenstein album. Never really been interested in Meet the Beatles being "better" because idk, it feels trite or something when the singles from the time are obviously great and better than many of the songs from With the Beatles. Even though it's one of my least favorite albums of theirs, With the Beatles is solid as it is. I am kinda interested in Meet the Beatles (and U.S. Rubber Soul) as their own experiences though
Oh yeah
Here's the thing...those early records were just collections of singles really. The album format hadn't really come into its own yet, so the concept of like minded songs that are intended to be one big piece of art wasn't what they were doing then. So the exact song selections weren't as important as they would later become. Also, this is early Beatles we're talking about, so pretty much it's all just great no matter which one you listen to.
> Magical Mystery Tour Yeah that's a weird one, you basically have an EP that's arguably one of their best coupled with another assortment of solid singles. I remember liking it better than Sgt. Pepper in HS and not understanding the context, timing, history, etc. of why the later was heralded so much more.
Y'all how the hell did I sleep on Blue Lake's Sun Arcs!? This is the kind of space county cosmic cowboy shit I absolutely eat up.
It's so good. A great album for traveling.
had an audible reaction to reading that Gillian Welch and David Rawlings are playing Newport Folk Fest. I’m not going to the fest, but damn would I love to see Gillian Welch.
Holy shit this is good news, I caught em on what I think was their last tour *in 2018*. Hope this means a broader tour (and new music?) soon!
I’m praying for a tour 🙏🏻
I'm going...and could not be happier with that announcement!
Grian Chattens album from last year really is an amazing piece of work, I love it so much. the music is incredible but I think my favourite part of the whole album is the opening couple of lines of salt throwers off a truck, particularly this: Salt throwers were taming the sidewalk with haste til the whole of the city was seasoned to taste he has such an effortless delivery. it's just as good as any Fontaine's record, I'd actually put it above a hero's death
Yeah, it’s a great album that stands on its own feet I think (I.e. not just “this is pretty good for a solo album”). And you’re bang on about Salt Throwers, the opening lines are so charming! I also absolutely love the third verse in particular: “Oh, where will ya take me for dinner and sex? The romance of somewhere where trains go direct I live pretty close to a view of the stars But it's not in my nature to look through the bars”
Yesterday I revisited Nyokabi Kariũki - Feeling Body and I really love it. Great immersive ambient album. I also find the spoken parts very compelling. It touches on Nyokabi's time struggling with long COVID. It definitely resonates as a meditation on dealing with chronic pain. It's paced as a very patient album and I like to fall in and hear new details each listen. Right now I threw on an album I love from start to finish, the 70s folk album by Korean singer-songwriter Kim Jung Mi. I'm glad someone introduced me to them in 2019. [Haenim](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R1jDGzUbpU&pp=ygUGaGFlbmlt) is stunning, and I generally like the rest of the album as a great comfort.
Do people think they're being cool and edgy when they're like 'I can't wait to not hear about boygenius anymore'? The one time we actually get a band that's actually making good and interesting rock and folk music blow up like that all some people want to do is moan and complain, instead of being excited that there is still an appetite out there for music like this. edit: to clarify, I get that it's subjective and not everyone has to like it. I just thought people would be excited for the mere fact that the kind of music like that can still be this popular.
You see, the people who disagree with you here disagree because they don't think boygenius makes good music.
Right on griggs. My only beef with boygenius is that their newly announced signature Gretsch is *boring*.
you have a St. Vincent flair, by that standard virtually *all* signature guitars are boring. It's cooler than a Silver Sky and you can buy 4 of them for that price
It is very affordable though and I commend them for keeping in mind that their audience is young and might not have the most purchasing power. Also, all Gretschs are boring, so I'm surprised you're even surprised lmao
Oh snap, I spoke too soon. I didn’t even see the price yet. Personally I love that price point for their guitars. My electromatic was that price back in the day. >all Gretschs are boring Thems fightin’ words
I'm just ahead of the curve.
"I like Boygenius and would like to hear more about them" and "i dislike Boygenius and dont want to hear about them" feel like both equally fine stances to me
There's always that one band right? Feel like MGMT, Arcade Fire, pre-iTunes fiasco U2, Kanye West, etc. have all been in the same boat. Boygenius seems to really stick out because it's such a quintessentially indie band, like I dunno I think they are one of the best bands around right now and the kind of stuff us indieheads usually seek more of.
> Feel like **MGMT**, Arcade Fire, pre-iTunes fiasco U2, Kanye West, etc. have all been in the same boat. one of these is not like the others... I generally sympathize with the idea that the "this artist is IMPORTANT!" narratives are pretty bullshit, so I get the distaste. That said, it's not really the artist's fault either (though it definitely goes to the heads of some).
You mean Kanye? I forget it's technically the same person not some anakin like ghola now. I was thinking of late 00s / early 10s Kanye where he was artistically incredible and his persona was off-putting on a more superficial level. people were sick of people talking about him. anyway I'm old and the post was very work lunch break scatterbrain
Yeah I'm curious where /u/joshuatx is getting at. Sure early MGMT had the awkward baggage of when they blew up, they kinda hated part of their fanbase because they essentially got really popular for a crowd(frat type fest bros) they weren't really anticipating which into lead to their notorious careless shit live performance reputation for a good while, but they steered stuff in a different direction and got to be something more than 3 songs off the first album.
I was thinking of the buzz they were getting among college kids the way the Garden State OST was. Things used to be hyped longer and more organically and "cool people" would have a longer time to be gatekeeping whiners. I kind of miss it honestly, watching a band enjoy the buzz for so long, worts and all.
what if iTunes-fiasco-U2 is my favorite U2 era?
I feel like The Black Keys also started to get a lot of hate after Brothers/El Camino. Indie bands always get a lot of blowback after they gain mainstream traction.
Gold on the Ceiling got used for NBA Finals promos and everyone suddenly fucking *hated* them.
IH meetup at laser tag, everyone bring their favorite Black Keys album
I hear you man. It’s just a bit odd how some people have to share their loathing of something lol. I guess there’s an element in the way that hate oddly leads to a lot of bonding, but raining on the parade is a bit of a drag. I do think there’s room though for discussion if something isn’t your cup of tea, but that’s different to me than someone saying “mAkE iT sTaP!”
It really annoys me. Just keep scrolling and let people enjoy what they want to enjoy! I don't love them love them, but I see a lot of people connecting with their music and that's really beautiful.
I really feel like everyone should be forced to look at a blank screen that says *LIVE AND LET LIVE* for five seconds before they're allowed to access the information superhighway
> actually making good and interesting rock and folk music dunno if we're listening to the same boygenius here chief
I don’t think Boygenius are like singularly good and interesting and there’s is pretty much always someone making good and interesting rock and folk music, but there is a contingent of people that seems unaware that they can ignore Boygenius. I like Boygenius to some degree (album had some stinkers, had some hits and I generally prefer both Lucy & Phoebe solo to Boygenius) but I’m rather apathetic towards the non-musical wing of the Boygenius thing. But I can just not interact if I choose! I can simply scroll past the interview with Boygenius. Some people really fuckin care about this band and I’m happy for them. Let ‘em have fun I think
> but there is a contingent of people that seems unaware that they can ignore Boygenius Exactly lol. Sure, I find some of the writing I see around Boygenius kinda annoying too, but for the most part I just roll my eyes and don't engage whenever that happens. It's mostly not the fault of the Boygenii themselves that some writers write lame shit. They may be big for an indie supergroup, but they're not actual popstars and even the actual popstars are more ignorable than ever in this media landscape. It's very easy to filter out Boygenius if you want to.
Complaining about the most popular indie artist is a time-honored indie community tradition, it's what brings us all together
Yes, you're correct- no one has ever had a genuinely held disagreement with you on subjective tastes in art.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that the people who say that don’t find boygenius to be good and interesting.
Those people are lame
> [Chorus: Dacus] > Damn, that makes me sad > It doesn't have to be like that
got him!
New Burial good if you like lo-fi raving. New Sharda good if you like UKG. Good day for electronic releases imo
New Burial def scratches my "emo rave" itch SO glad he's back on *Rival Dealer* sounding music. Last decade of releases were interesting but not this visceral sonically.
Once again plugging the purelink - signs album if you like hypnotic laid back ambient dub with a brain. Shades of early aphex but more ethereal. Good work music.
many are saying this!
Steely Dead was a very fun show as expected, "Truckin">"Black Friday" absolutely ruled and a full Help>Slip>Frank's is always welcome A woman also handed me her number unsolicited, which is a true first. *Pecknold voice* "Now what does that say about me" that it happened at a Steely Dead show?
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Totally agree, always in favor of people shooting their shot in a lowkey way. Very flattering too even if I'm not going to act on it
Steely dan fans fuck
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this is why i pivoted to listening to chaste ace punk rock bad boy, bad bunny. his fans DONT fuck!
Given the median age in the room and the general ethos of the local community I'd be shocked if a decent number of people there weren't swingin' in some way or another lmao
reelin' in the friendly phone numbers
I was flabbergasted
It's February, which means I have to get back on the hamster wheel. I have listened to the Last Dinner Party LP once and I met it with the sort of pleasant indifference that most big-tent indie inspires in me these days. I understand both the hype and the counterhype and I feel no need to comment on any of it. Anyway who styles these dudes? Do they direct their own photoshoots? Are they thrifting those bodices themselves? What's happening here? Far more interesting to me is this new Sunglaciers single. Their turn towards icy synths on the last LP bounced right off me but they work on "Cursed," and also the closing hook is just *great,* and it's got me invested in the forthcoming album. The postcalgary scene has always had pretty good outros, now that I think about it. The full album could still go either way but I'm excited nonetheless because what's life without risk
O. Wake's playing a show with Sunglaciers in April, I'm super psyched :)
...is this how I learn Sunglaciers is touring the US this spring or is this like a one-off? Mazel tov either way.
we'll tell you all about it soon :) where are you in the US?
👀 Chicago, IL! Greatest city on Earth! Excited to hear more in good time.
Touring, I'm pretty sure, but they haven't announced so I should probably keep my fat mouth shut...!
> Anyway who styles these dudes? Do they direct their own photoshoots? Are they thrifting those bodices themselves? What's happening here? these are the questions we NEED to be asking the Final DinDin Kickback gals. also should we consider this a debut or a mixtape? that's a question that I will be spending months pondering even when there is an obvious answer
I need your favorite indie guitar solos. I really wish more artists would add solos into their work, seems like the guitar solo has become kind of an overlooked or lost art form recently. Looking for guitar solo moments that really elevate a track to new emotional heights. *Posing for Cars* by Japanese Breakfast and *Jackson* by Cymbals Eat Guitars come to mind — what else?
Posing for Cars guitar solo hive rise up!! The realest answer from me would probably be something from The Strokes, call me basic or whatever but they know how to write a banger 30 second guitar solo - Selfless, Between Love and Hate, and The Modern Age are probably my favorites. Big Thief has some great ones - Not is the obvious pick, Real Love is also fantastic. Pale Blue Eyes by The Velvet Underground has that gorgeously languid solo before the last two verses - part of what makes it the best song of all time And honorable mention to The Door by Lewsberg. The main part of the song is pleasant but I think would otherwise be somewhat forgettable; the solo is basically just drawn out feedback. It’s exactly what the song needs in that moment. The two pieces of the song together are much greater than the sum of their parts
Everything Flows by Teenage Fanclub The Argus by Ween
You might appreciate Michelle talking about the solo in Posing For Cars in an interview she did with Apple Music if you haven't already seen it: >“I love a long, six-minute song to show off a little bit. It starts off as an understated acoustic guitar ballad that reminded me of Wilco’s ‘At Least That's What You Said,’ which also morphs from this intimate acoustic scene before exploding into a long guitar solo. To me, it always has felt like Jeff Tweedy is saying everything that can't be said in that moment through his instrument, and I loved that idea. I wanted to challenge myself to do the same—to write a long, sprawling, emotional solo where I expressed everything that couldn't be said with words.” The solo in [Black Earth, WI from Ratboys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G16z77UxFyE) is a significant chunk behind that album landing in my top-10 releases from last year
Apollo Sunshine [*Ghost*](https://youtu.be/RrL6wFi3Up4?t=103) Pile [*Prom Song*](https://youtu.be/M68GkrZQbZw?t=184) Land of Talk [*Your Beautiful Self*](https://youtu.be/cUsGobcVP6U?t=138) Sour Widows [*Crossing Over*](https://youtu.be/jKt1B-FdenM?t=338) Feist [*Sea Lion Woman*](https://youtu.be/Chcc_Ci36Vw?t=102) Margaret Glaspy [*Memory Street*](https://youtu.be/oKOxr3MHBUc?t=135)
Dinosaur Jr. - Sludgefeast Superchunk - Martinis on the Roof
Angel Olsen - Sister Palehound has a bunch Lotus Plaza - Strangers (I guess it's more of an outro riff) 0PN - Lost But Never Alone
Angel’s “Lights Out” also fits the bill—an absolutely pinched and scorching solo for a song about grinning and bearing it
I love that whole outro in Strangers so much. I can't get enough of it!
Sister is an excellent choice. That song goes so hard.
Joy Division - Shadowplay Nirvana - School, Pennyroyal Tea, Aero Zeppelin The Smiths - Shoplifters of the World, Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before
Dude, I used to not care that much for Shadowplay, but for the last few months I've been super into it. Love the guitar breaks
I have a long list of these bc I love solos/guitar breakdowns On the Wilco train, my two favorites would be Handshake Drugs and Many Worlds One More Time Please by Jay Som absolutely rips…it’s just too short IMO
I still remember where I was when I heard Meg Duffy's solo in Weyes Blood's "Seven Words"—it's completely heartbreaking and gives so much more depth to Mering's (already strong) vocal performance Other folks have mentioned some Joos songs here but I also love the wispy, skyward solo before the last chorus in "Room Games and Diamond Rain." It really emphasizes the wistful, slightly aspirational feeling that I get from that song
Wand - Rio Grande, particularly the second solo. Of course Wand has all sorts of great guitar work but that one has always stuck out to me, it's got a much more lyrical quality than a lot of Cory's other playing.
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Speaking of The Malk, I love his solo on "Chartjunk" from **Wig Out at Jagbags**.
The Replacements - I Will Dare Dinosaur Jr - Kracked
Low - Over the Ocean
Not necessarily indie, but I’ve always loved Bad Religion’s “Stranger Than Fiction”. Like three different guitar solos in a song that’s only a little over 2 minutes.
i go nuts for the end of Sister Cities by Hop Along. the little pause and the Frances' oo oo OO and then it kicks off. pumps me up
Seconding “Impossible Germany” because it is that good. Also putting “Random Rules” up as my favourite
Man I love the Random Rules solo, just pulls on your heartstrings. Impossible Germany too
Impossible Germany
Similarly I love At Least That’s What You Said, and though it’s short and sweet, Either Way.
[Holy Holy - You Cannot Call For Love Like A Dog](https://youtu.be/dkX-15ZkvJY?si=9rqQvvLQ1xGUOoa8) I definitely feel like from 3:46 onwards hits on elevating the track.
I have two extra tickets for Jonathan Coulton tomorrow in SF. Anybody want them? $30 obo
Have not seen much discussion here on SENTRIES’ new “Snow As A Metaphor For Death”. It’s quite fun - I hear so many different influences in the music from Idles, even Radiohead, to Psychotic Monks
Pretty good album. Sounded more like Gilla Band’s last album in spots.
rare centre "pretty good" spotted in the wild; that's when I know I gotta take notes!
My ears are so after listening though
Bumping a comment from yesterday, anyone know if Battle of the Bands is happening this year? It's usually started by now and I haven't seen it mentioned yet. One of my fav sub traditions, hope it happens!
Hey! Yes I plan on hosting it but it'll be a little later in the year and it will probably end up being scaled down a bit from previous years (like a bracket of 16 rather than 32). Watch this space!
Thanks for the update, looking forward to it!
when ambientheads5 reveal
when i say so
mattie barbier just sent in a retainer to robert mueller
we got 3 ballots rn + myself, two that should be arriving within the week, and then I cast a series of silent prayers as I do my damndest to forcibly move half the DMD to get on my wavelength (plus, you haven't gotten the reply ballot, I sorta just figured out what the secret is gonna be as of last night so you better strap in!). i don't intend to reveal this for another ~3 weeks at least (and thus i'll run some more queup rooms over the next few weeks to get some pals out) u/David_Browie & u/ItsJoshy...I need you both to come out to the ambient head 5: ambient jazz pizza party
could you send me the ballot over please my friend? I'll do my best to get it in. I like the sound of jazz pizza
Fam u got it! Just sent!
cool. the good things in life take time to develop sometimes
not until I get my ballot in! I've been stuck in lawrence this whole time, I haven't even made it to wichita
modern communication technologies are available!
Listening to this new Liquid Mike record. It’s fantastic. Tailored directly to me, probably. But if you are looking for indie rock/power pop stuff this is what you should be looking for. Incredible hooks on this one so far. Cool guitars. It rules
I read the name Liquid Mike and just immediately assumed it was a drum & bass outfit, a lil disappointed
It’s even better than that though, it’s an indie rock guy who releases a bunch of short albums. The best kind of act
It's so good. Loved the last one, but think I'm gonna fall even harder for this one.
I didn’t even love the last one but this is screaming “top half of AOTY list” to me
I’m fucking pumped just bought tickets to see The Strokes in Chicago in March- they’re doing a show for a political candidate.
Ooh and Nnamdi is playing too--he's fantastic!
i have finally finished the story. i saw the asheville, nc indie rock band WEDNESDAY live and in person last night after a full 6 months or so of being taunted by their lack of a memphis show. had to drive an hour and a half to do it. was it worth it? first - lemme talk about hotline tnt. i thought the album was pretty good! and they sound pretty good live! but i now like them less after seeing them live. their whole thing was weirdly...bro-y? they kept telling people to "go harder" for their power pop/shoegaze and kept trying to get people to do a circle pit. it was very weird. the best parts of their set were when lenderman went up for a very deadpan cover of smashing pumpkins' quiet and when karly joined them for the song wednesday covered on that ep. they are perfectly fine live. but it was very funny to hear that guy show emotion during his pleas for the audience to mosh and then just go back to deadpan singing during the actual hotline tnt songs. i miss weed. oh, and speaking of karly. a lot of the crowd were clearly, like, covid coming of age kids who were at their first show and had no etiquette lmao. girl beside me jumped up and down for *twenty consecutive minutes* during hotline tnt and then when karly brushed passed us to go up for her guest spot, she did an over the top anime squee reaction. wednesday also had to stop and tell men to stop pushing over the tiny 18 year old college girls in the "mosh pit" lmao. god. i'm very used to playing and being at shows with smaller attendance than the pitchfork bnm double bill and i gotta say - i hate big indie rock crowds. also stop trying to give musicians gifts while they’re playing ANYWAY. WEDNESDAY. very good! they played a smattering of new stuff that sounded fucking great! a lot of it was sludgier and a little slower in a way i was hoping rat saw god would be, so i'm pretty excited about whatever they've got cooking next. all of the rat saw god material popped off big style and people were going nuts for chosen to deserve, quarry (great tune), and bull believer in particular. people in oxford, ms have never learned to shut the fuck up during songs so sadly i could not hear all of the quieter parts of chosen to deserve but the country elements shown brighter live and made me think about how wednesday probably would not have gotten the dead oceans push if lil nas x did not tee up all of america for the country revival shit. funny how that works. oh also i didn't really realize exactly how much stuff the pedal steel player was doing on all those songs. that guy is, like, *the entire* wednesday sound lmao copped a $10 tape (i did not want to pay $25 for a vinyl), hit the road, in bed by 1:30 am. well worth it. wednesday good. it's nice to have a major indie rock band that's actually worth rooting for
I had the same reaction to Hotline TNT. It sounded fine and they clearly were having fun but something about it didn't grab me. I also agree on Wednesday with the caveat that I thought Bath County was the clear standout live song. Although Quarry was my other fave.
oof, live acts trying to get the audience to do something when they clearly don't want to is cringe and awkward as hell :S
i think the kids *kinda* wanted to? a lot of them were just jumping up and down lol. i think he was trying to direct the energy but yeah it came off weird
> i hate big indie rock crowds. also stop trying to give musicians gifts while they’re playing massive war flashback to seeing Mitski in 2k18 at the wiltern and she stopped to talk to audience after a song & a fan in the front just had to give her a fucken bouquet of red roses. folks...the artist is also a person who prolly appreciates the gift, but that doesn't mean you gotta do this during the show. just drop it by the merch table. send a written letter! > girl beside me jumped up and down for twenty consecutive minutes during hotline tnt and then when karly brushed passed us to go up for her guest spot, she did an over the top anime squee reaction another case where a written letter (with a drawing) could have helped here. an ANIME squeal?!?! good christ i saw vestiges of this at the 2k19 soccer mommy show I went to but this is next level no no no!
>a lot of it was sludgier and a little slower this is incredible news. Interesting point on Lil Nas X, I think you're 100% right. Funny enough I was in my senior year of college taking a country music course when that song came out. The professor was so excited she cancelled the planned lesson to spend the entire day discussing "Old Town Road" and what it meant for country music. Hilarious and inspiring to see a kinda dorky music prof in her mid-50s transition from honky tonk and countrypolitan to completely geeking out over Lil Nas X. True student of the game
need that domino meme because that's really the level of affect I can visualize and feels apt here tbh. wednesday benefitted from it, but at like a secondary or tertiary level. The orindal records stuff stuck out HARD in 2021 during a point where it felt like "idk what direction indie is gonna go in this decade yet" & the zoomergaze mafia was just starting to put out the hits. with them getting Superchunk support slots announced in late 2021, it seemed like Merge, a regional NC label, might have wanted to sign them.
I also found it interesting how much more prominent the pedal steel was live when I saw both Wednesday and a MJ show. Definitely is an important part of what makes their sound so special. Wednesday good indeed
Was going to say more or less the same thing—I like *Rat Saw God* and really like *Boat Songs* but the MJ Lenderman live album from a few months ago really puts the pedal steel at the forefront which makes it easily my favorite album that I've heard from the Wednesday expanded universe (I admittedly haven't gone back and listened to anything before *Mowing the Leaves* so I've got some blind spots)
I would very strongly recommend Twin Plagues and MJ's solo album if you haven't heard either of them! Not because of pedal steel in particular though, they're just both really good albums
I need to get to em! It'll happen.
The idea of a pit inspired by Hotline’s midpaced indiejams is funny enough on its own. I keep hearing about pits at various indie things and I’m never sure if it’s tongue-in-cheek or if people are really going wild like they’re at a hardcore or metal show.
I've been (negatively) really struck by the seeming shift of moshing from the natural way of dancing to some kinds of music to just, like, a way of demonstrating engagement? Or energy? Last time I saw Protomartyr, a bunch of kids tried to start a mosh to *Why Does it Shake,* and it felt very performative - and there were several songs off the most recent album that would've been more appropriate to mosh to and no one moved for those.
protomartyr is music that you should have 4 beers to and vigorously nod your head at, not mosh to. the kids don’t get it
To be fair, folks were moshing to Mac DeMarco covers of Steely Dan back in 2014. I even remember a more amorphous/wavey mosh to Neon Indian in 2011. The whole crowd kind of swayed into each other for several songs.
oh yeah i actually moshed to the mac enter sandman cover at the same venue i was talking about lmao
my friend saw diiv shortly after their 2016 album and told me "it was cool, people were moshing" and i've been haunted by this info since then i don't have a major horse in this race bc i run kinda hot and cold on heavier subgenres of music myself but i feel like a big portion of "the indie rock community" or whatever views heavy music and some of the culture stuff around it with an ironic detachment that's honestly kind of annoying. (similar happens w/ country music) it's silly to mosh at wednesday, boygenius does not "shred," everyone needs to calm down
The biggest pit I've ever seen personally was at an Oh Sees show, but I think that makes a lot more sense than one at a Hotline TNT show lol
Oh sees totally makes sense, they’ve been playing a ‘pit-centric’ set ever since Brigid left and Mutilator came out. Only time I’ve seen them play a ‘somewhat’ mellower set since 2015 was at Red Rocks in 2021.
Yeah for sure, it was my first time seeing them but other people knew the drill and the pit started almost as soon as they started played their set
they really started doing it during Wednesday. i think it’s mostly unsocialized kids who spent 2 years locked up letting loose like they see on social media or whatever tbh
Are you telling me Lil Nas X is responsible for “Spud Infinity”
honestly yes