🎶 Brandon Flowers – Plans
Nice little country vibe here. It grows on you.

The Strokes Live on Stephen Colbert

New Strokes!

🎶 The Strokes — Falling Out of Love

Haven't been this excited for an album in a long time. I've written about The Strokes quite a bit in the past, but they are one of my all time favorite bands. From high school through college, The Strokes were always on. I think they are one of the very few important American bands of the last 25 years. The New Abnormal was a masterpiece. Excited to see how they follow that (nearly impossible right?) -- Falling Out of Love is promising!

 🎶 Kris Kristofferson — Sunday Mornin' Coming Down

Thom Yorke Live at Sydney Opera House

 

 Opens with an accoustic version of Let Down. So good.

 🎶 Bush on NPR Tiny Desk — “Glycerine” still an all timer!

🎶 On The Nature of Daylight – Max Richter 

🎶 Bob Dylan – Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands

🎶 Krishna Das – Mere Gurudev

Bob Dylan - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
(Live at the Newport Folk Festival, 1965)

🎶 Elderberry Wine

When I first wrote about Wednesday back in early 2024, it was mostly in awe: how this band from Asheville was able to combine this sense of 90s nostalgia with this sort of country, distorted emotional wailing that just works so perfectly. They sounded like something between Big Thief, Phoebe Bridgers, and Snail Mail... but with a more of a country twang that made them an instant hit with me. 

With their latest release, Elderberry Wine, my love of the band ONLY DEEPENS! It’s a quieter song, more restrained than Bath County. Quarry, or Chosen to Deserve (one of my all time faves!), but it still carries that same hazy weight that triggers this deep sense of nostalgia – like driving past somewhere you used to live.

Wednesday is making the best music in America right now, and it feels like they represent this broader shift in indie music that’s circling back to sincerity, guitar solos, and emotional texture—what GQ recently dubbed the “New Golden Age of Dad Rock.” I am a Dad... and I love this music, so yeah.

They made their TV debut a few weeks back on Late Night with Stephen Colbert – watch here!

The Beatles - Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight

New Bon Iver

Each Bon Iver album has seemed to arrive at very distinct moments in my life. The sound always found a way to meet me where I was.

That's probably the case with all art, but for me, Bon Iver has been a profoundly meaningful backdrop to so much of my life, through many changes. We've seen him 3 times in concert. Steph walked down the aisle to Beach Baby. Sonny was listening to Beth/Rest while he was still in the womb.

All that to say, we are long-time Bon Iver fans. So I've been very excited for the new album.

First listen through, and I think there are some reeeeeeeaaaalllly good songs – some that take you back to the early Bon Iver (reminding everyone how and why he became so insanely famous). Songs like SPEYSIDE – VERY GOOD. Sounds like For Emma Forever Ago era Bon Iver – super minimal, acoustic, with hauntingly sad lyrics (what a waste of wood). 

But there is one track that really stands out. AWARDS SEASON. This song, for me, is maybe the most touching song he's ever written. Feels like a letter from God or a prayer I said to myself in some past season of life.

‘I can handle. Way more than I can handle. So I keep reaching for the handle. To flood my heart.…

Oh how everything can change. In such a small timeframe. You can be remade. You can live again.

What was pain now is gain. A new path gets laid.

And you know what is great.

And nothing stays the same.’

🎶 Listen to AWARDS SEASON

Best of 2024

There was one song that was by far the best song of 2024 – it was so good that Steph and I had to go see it played live. Waxahatchee has given us an 🎶INSTANT American Classic with her song, Right Back To It. It's perfect.

I have not watched as many movies this year, but obviously, the best movie of the year was Dune Part 2.

Anora somehow lives up to the hype. We watched it last night, and it was VERY good. Civil War also surprised me (a bit heavy-handed and reaching, but entertaining for a plane movie). The Substance was TERRIBLE btw – totally overrated.

MGMT, 2003

🎶 Bon Iver – SPEYSIDE
Nice to hear Bon Iver sounding like some of his early work.

Waxahatchee ft. MJ Lenderman (LIVE on The Late Show)

🎶 Music: Waxahatchee & MGMT

This new Waxahatchee album is very good. But there is one song on the album that is legitimately an INSTANT CLASSIC! 

🎶 Waxahatchee featuring MJ Lenderman – Right Back to It

MJ Lenderman also plays in the band, Wednesday, which I previously wrote about here. 

Also worth listening to... the new MGMT. Good album, not as good as Dark Age, but still good. The song linked below is incredible. Feels like an arena song you would have heard Queen play.

🎶 MGMT featuring Christine and The Queens – Dancing in Babylon

🎶 Music: Wednesday

DIAGRAM 1: The Spawning of Wednesday

DIAGRAM 1: The holy trinity of sad queens have given birth to Wednesday, a wailing quintet from Asheville, whose sound is a haunting combination of wailing 90s skuzz/distortion and country twang that creates a rich tapestry of sadness. Their latest album entitled, “Rat Saw God,” beautifully captures the American South, weaving memories and deeply personal stories into this sort of humorous but tragic reflection of growing up in the suburbs of Greensboro.

🎶 Wednesday – Chosen to Deserve

🎶 Wednesday – Quarry 

🎶 Wednesday – Bath County

Goo Goo Dolls — Iris (Live 2004)