No preface needed, get to clickin…
Vincent, The Owl & Nick Catchdubs feat. Meyhem Lauren, “Wild Turkey” — I know these guys! As previously discussed, the latest from VTO and yrs truly is out now everywhere. It’s been nice to get love from Hot97, SiriusXM, the Beat Junkies and *BANE VOICE* you, the people! Made an animated video for the Meyhem Lauren collab (shout out “Daytona 500”) and dropped a live performance from the release party at Dark Igloo. Run ‘em up.
MTV Oddville — my beloved YT algo brought me to 1997’s weirdest variety show, and that’s saying something. Beyond Vaudeville collects the program’s NYC public access origins and (slightly) more polished national version. Pre-BEP Fergie singing acapella with “human clothesline” Jeremy Graham?!? If you just want live performances (which are sadly muted for copyright on some of the BV uploads), here’s Jessica Biel dancing to That Dog and a Camp Lo twofer.
Vivien Goldman, Bad Mind Music — former Bob Marley publicist, post-punk dub dabbler, director of “I Ain’t No Joke” (!!!) and noted wordsmith returns to Jamaica in her seventies, searching for Trinibad stars in the midst of various legal issues (both hers and theirs). Imagine my mom calling to say she’s gotten really into Skrilla and wants to visit Kenzo… a fascinating read.
Jubilee Freestyle Mix for Gabriela — summer jams galore. Before I knew the genre had a name I just called it “hairdresser music.” This makes me want to huf Aqua Net like those silver spraypaint dudes in Mad Max.
RIP Bob Heil — wild they dropped this on the same day as Frampton’s Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame announcement. Talk box 4L!
The Return Of Majesty Crush — I say “return” like I even heard of these Detroit almost-beens before their new Numero Group reissue. Wish I did! Their music is a nice surprise, fuzzy jams from one of my favorite eras.
Like My Book Title? Thanks, I Borrowed It — A.O. Scott goes deep on literary allusions. No ideas original, etc etc. The essay is packed with references on references, plus some heavy duty context linking after my own heart.
“If you must write prose and poems, the words you use should be your own. I didn’t say that: Morrissey did, in a deepish Smiths cut (“Cemetry Gates,” from 1986), which misquotes Shakespeare and name-checks John Keats, William Butler Yeats and Oscar Wilde — possibly the most reliably recycled writers (along with John Milton and the authors of the King James Bible) in the English language.”
unpeople S/T EP - if melodic nu-metal is ur thing in 2024… this rips.
Vel Nine “Gangsta Bitch” — infinitely charming LA graf rap. With puppies! Rest In Peace Apache.
Playmates and Playdates: Lorraine Nicholson’s Childhood at the Playboy Mansion — great read on a singular Hollywood upbringing. Bonus factoid: Lorraine once directed stop-motion Tommy Trash videos for Fool’s Gold.
McDonald’s Smilemakers “Heritage Collection” — next level nerdery via McD’s for-us-by-us merch collection, if you ever wondered where assistant managers copped rare Grimaces. I’ve been waiting to pull the trigger on a Fry Kids necktie for the last few months.
Murderous Klik “Itchy Trigga Finga” — speaking of! Memphis-flavored random rap out of Las Vegas, sampling Nirvana’s cover of Meat Puppets’ “Plateau” —nothing on the top but a bucket and a mop and an illustrated book about birds — from Unplugged In New York. You can’t even buy the 1996 CD on Discogs, which is some kinda badge of honor.
Dave Markey’s The Year Punk Broke Tour Diary — for more Kurt and Co, Dave Markey chronicles his adventures while filming one of my favorite music docs of all time. Legendary tidbits and photos throughout. Check the rest of his site for rare punk zine scans and the making of Desperate Teenage Lovedolls.
The Oral History Of Go — 1999 really was that girl. “Tantra, baby!”
The Rock Show Van — a Texas couple bought Blink-182’s Warped Tour chariot and have been sharing the restoration process. Take off your pants and jacket follow.
che “Miley Cyrus” - immediately texted A-Trak, “kinda love how fried this is.”
Jerskin Fendrix, Poor Things OST — still one of the coolest soundtracks (for one of the better films) in recent memory. Bleeps, bloops, bittersweetly wonky diversions. Also: what a name! Need Jerskin Fendrix to collab with Future Hendrix ASAP.
While we’re scoring, I loved David Fleming’s understated work on the Mr. & Mrs. Smith Amazon Prime series. Channeling John Barry, via Sneaker Pimps sampling Goldfinger.
Impostor Pizza Hut — “By the end of the night, it felt as if I’d gone to an eccentric billionaire’s party for which he’d painstakingly recreated his last birthday from the summer before his parents’ divorce. The thoroughness. The precision. The sublimation of heartbreak and longing.”
The Heart Racers — I’m a sucker for an MJ shuffle (the technical term). And a teenybopper autotune falsetto?!? To the roller rink!