A Praise Chorus
Go forth and strum!
God gets shout-outs at The Grammys every year, but I was not expecting to tune in and find his biggest fan slinging a purple lefty Yamaha RGX…
Obscure Superstrat aside, JC enthusiast JB’s (literally) stripped-down performance of “Yukon” was a highlight of Sunday night’s ceremony.
Was thinking he’d go with the overdriven “Daisies,” which would have slotted perfectly into a show stuffed with Marshall stack’d arrangements of radio hits, Bruno Mars and Leon Thomas finger-tap solos (this is a pro-shred space) and omnipresent classic rock whisperer / sleep paralysis demon Andrew Watt.
Loop-pedal intimacy was a choice.
Between Biebs 3.0 and the rise and rise of his Swag co-writers / collaborators Dijon and Mk.gee, their pals Andrew Aged and his brother Daniel (who you may remember as Inc.), TikTok phenom Flawed Mangoes, etc… there’s some kind of trend happening. Yearning ASMR vocals and new age-y chords, slathered with janky reverb and presented via purposefully unadorned live performances.
A lack of polish that feels intended to make you feel something deeply.
It’s not just getting melodically loose with a six string and an MPC — though not not, if you’re going by Sekko’s (delightful) weekly drops.
Hopecore?!?
I can see the appeal of making imprecise noises in unison with others as a response to our era of social alienation and increasingly “perfect” uncanny valley AI slop. But there are hints of a different kind of congregation gathering here, Hillsong minus the Kelvin Gemstone deep V energy…
Andrew Aged is explicit about “his experience finding God being his primary passion,” and I have definitely gone down various MK.GEE SECRET CHRISTIAN?!? rabbit holes.
Even Dijon’s SNL semi-circle is giving church basement youth group vibes.
There’s lots of trad-coded cultural developments — steak back on the menu, Sydney Sweeney — whose motion reads as a return to more conservative values.
Religion isn’t inherently that, an idea I think Jelly Roll may have been reaching for at the podium. And as a thoroughly secular dude (and former altar boy lol) I don’t really care how you express your devotion as long as you’re not infringing on anyone by doing so.
I just find it all #interesting.
Don’t have a nice lil bow to put on this theory but remain captivated by the praise song energy of all involved, especially when intertwined with their commitment to specific and arguably “uncool” musical textures.
This Saburnia track features a singing drummer with felt mallets and a long-ass sax breakdown! They also look like the Burger King Kids Club.
Not really up on the band’s backstory / career, but having your own Reddit opps already bodes well for future success...
Know who else they hated on?
Rustie, “ATHANASIA” — after a mental health break and a comeback teased in fits and starts, Glasgow’s brain-bendiest beat man popped back up in my YouTube feed. Glass Swords was a lifetime ago — bought the CD at Other Music if you need proof of antiquity — yet still sounds like a dispatch from some future world; this one screams “now” in both aesthetic (Lazer Dim / 2hollis blown-speaker unintelligibility) and general sense of dread.
Tito Fuentes, “Mal Jugo” (love the cover art)
Crooked Man, “Don’t Leave Me This Way” (Thelma Houston 4 goth club)
The Femcels, I Have To Get Hotter (more here)
Tom Misch, “Sisters With Me” (i’m not crying ur crying)
Snail Mail, “Dead End” (loved her I Saw The TV Glow cameo as fake WB teen bc she really does make some Dawson’s Creek-core, high praise)
Toilet Movie (dir. Jillian Morays) — don’t let the title / age restriction deter you from checking this 16mm charmer on NoBudge. Nothing scatalogical or weird (if you do want to get fr33ky, check NB’s Liquid Television-worthy Life Movie by Nick Lane), simply a character snapshot of two besties in their happy place. I watch a lot of shorts — ahem!— and it’s rare to find standouts as cleverly edited and concise as this one.
Official BLP Kosher Tech Deck (waterrrrrr)
Paul Heyman babygirl sticker (Australia fren plz buy 4 me)
“Make Your Own Vape Synth” workshop in Wburg 2/7
Playlists updated!