Welp, we’re done. After 6 years and 1,000 bevvies and 10,000 eggs, the 155 and Blink-155 podcast has come to an end. But we didn’t leave you empty handed. Instead, we dropped our longest episode yet about a song we thought we hated but ended up loving.
Listen to the final ‘sode of 155 here.
The work isn’t over, however. We’re going to keep being passive aggressive to one another in this free weekly newsletter, with no end in sight.
Fucked Up & The Halluci Nation “Electroshock”
Sam: Not going to pretend that I appreciate the results every time, but I think it’s very cool that Fucked Up has seemingly decided to avoid the breakup that seemed so inevitable earlier in their career and instead just uses “Fucked Up” as a canvas to do whatever shit each member is into at any given time. At its best (for me), that means pleasing nostalgia losers (me) by actually being a hardcore band again and playing only pre-Hidden World material at a DIY venue over Halloween weekend (classic mems). Then there’s some Mike stuff that makes me happy for him that I don’t really need to concern myself with. And here comes another incredibly sick new mutation, a collaboration with the Halluci Nation as part of the leadup to a co-headlining tour that also involves wrestling (not for me). Let’s be honest: this sounds a lot like Transplants, it’s fucking sick.
Jos: This does sound like Transplants (compliment), but I bet it’s probably supposed to sound like a deep-cut Madchester band. I also think this tour and collab seems really cool. I haven’t listened to Fucked Up since David Comes to Life, which I loved, but that’s probably because I just wish every rock band was always making shiny pop music. But this song seems to plug into the zeitgeisty Brit-pop revival that I’m trying to ignore while also being really fun and playful, so I can tell they’re doing something right.
I'm letting unseen forces take the wheel “Jake Is A Mostly Dog Name”
Sam: Tremendous value for just over three minutes of music! Big dumb brutal blown-out metalcore with digital artifacting into screamo with… drum and bass vibes? Then we’ve got a breakdown, a tribute to Horse the Band, and a funny lil sample. I love the internet and young people but in a cool way that isn’t weird or desperate.
Jos: Already seeing how tough this is going to be now that I love and respect Sam. The only thing worse than the song title is the band name, which is really annoying to me for some reason. The music is kinda cool in the quiet Linkin Park part, but I can’t get down with the loud and heavy bits, they’re too self-awarely internetty. It’s not YouTube metal, it’s Windows Media Player metal.
Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru “Jerusalem”
Jos: Ending your six-year bodily fluid-themed pop-punk podcast in your late 30s is something we all have to go through at one point or another in our lives, but that doesn’t make it any easier. In terms of listening habits, I wasn’t sure how I’d process this weird rollercoaster week. Turns out instead of blasting Punk-O-Rama 3 I’m firmly back in my wanker era, putting on things that are “good” and “interesting” and “of high quality.” That meant, of course, a trip back to the Mississippi Records Discogs page, where I found out about this new reissue of some lost piano pieces from Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru, an Ethiopian nun whose haunting pieces have been raising money for orphanages since the 1960s. It’s the literal opposite of middle-class white boy music, and it is healing me.
Sam: Yesterday when I finally wrapped up my work day and had a minute to read through some posts and start processing this genuinely life-changing decision we had made and its ripple effects across our tiny corner of the internet, I immediately cracked a “cold one” and put on Enema of the State. I now understand just how much Josiah and I go together like lemon and lime. This is wonderful and I will listen to it this Sunday while relaxing for the first time in what feels like weeks and I can’t wait (bonus is that I’m saving orphans or whatever I think?).
Sea Lemon “Cellar”
Jos: Since we’re going to keep doing the newsletter, I guess that means I’m going to actually start clicking through on blog posts and emails that look interesting. I found this Sea Lemon vid on the ol’ faithful Gorilla vs. Bear, and it sounds sooo good. I know it’s dream pop that is probably referencing some true dream pop head music, but to me it has whiffs of the third (and secretly best) Pains of Being Pure at Heart album Days of Abandon. I keep relistening to this song, it’s scratching one of my non-dandruff related itches.
Sam: Damn Gorilla vs. Bear still exists eh? Is that how people have felt about 155 for the last two years? I know for a fact it’s how people feel about Junior Battles. Love the bass tone here. Wish it was louder. Crank that bass!! This makes me want to smoke w**d and walk along the Railpath at night. And I just might because walking around at night is something I have time for again!
155 Patreon
In case you still don’t believe us, we’re not going to be uploading anymore podcast episodes to Libsyn or Patreon. But we said too much spicy shit on Patreon to just let those eps roam free without a paywall. So the Patreon will continue to exist as an archive of old episodes. There are hundreds of things in there, from The Loudness Wars and “The Truth About Nursing” to Garnier Fructis, multiple appearances from Kravis4ever and, of course, the world-famous “Edging” words cycle. No pressure, but it’s a better time than ever to check out the years of content you may have missed.