This week, Jos is away and Sam is likely on set for one of 300 documentaries he currently has in production, which means we defer the newsletter to It’s a Beautiful Day in the Gulch. Much like how cities have sister cities (Abbotsford, BC and Fukagawa, Japan, or, more unofficially, Wodonga and Sacramento), one could argue that Gulch is the sister project to 155. But who is Sam and who is Jos? Much to ponder….
Here’s what Miles and Alex are thinking about this week.
Aesop Rock “Mindful Solutionism”
Miles: There’s this episode of the ’90s cartoon Recess burned into my memory where the gang has kindergarten-era memories of someone’s super cool older brother hanging around and protecting them in the sandbox. They encounter the brother a few years later, only to realize he’s an insufferable nerd who was too lame to hang out with guys his own age. It’s rare to find a cartoon so accurately reflect reality, because I feel the exact same way thinking about the posters on the music forums I frequented in middle school, who enthusiastically recommended impossibly dorky rap music like Atmosphere, The Ocarina of Rhyme, and — of course — Aesop Rock. This video ended up on my YouTube front page and I was sheepishly surprised to find that I really liked it. The School House Rock video concept is well executed, the beat is nice, and the complex rhyme schemes scratch the same itch as, like, a Harlem Globe Trotters game — it’s not cool by any means but it’s technical and fun to witness, a nice diversion.
Alex: I’m somehow not surprised you picked this lol. I gotta admit I’m lowkey one of those nerdy underground rap guys too. I’ve never been a fan of Aesop Rock but this song is good. Kinda reminds of Deltron 3030 or an El-P song from 10 years ago. The video is really well done too which makes a big difference with this kind of hip-hop. A good cartoon can make a dorky rap song seem more like MF DOOM, who is the only good Rhymesayers artist in my opinion.
Lil B “Not Jealous You”
Alex: Lil B regularly puts out mixtapes with so many songs you can’t get through them all, even if you’re a long time fan like me. It’s easy to just listen to the tried and true old songs rather than sift through 100 new completely improvised tracks of varying quality. That being said, in each of these mixtapes there are always multiple gems if you are willing to give it a chance. This song stands out to me from his most recent mixtape B-Unit because it is earnest, conscious, funny, and unapologetically positive. This song displays the true meaning of being “based” and the reason I became a Lil B fan in the first place. It also has a fat baggy old school ’90s jazz beat that makes me want to drive a car around. In my opinion this is Basedgod at his best, and a must listen for anyone who knows him as an internet troll only. He has put out such a high volume of music and content that it feels like it is almost impossible for him to be in his flop era. He’s a force of nature. The wind isn't going to stop blowing. The river isn't going to stop flowing. He’s always going to be the most interesting rapper to me.
Miles: Yeah, this song is nice. It’s good to have a Lil B song hand-selected, I don’t really have the patience to sit through his like toejazz albums. I like RXK Nephew, he’s kind of like evil Lil B.
Green Day “When I Come Around” (4-Track Demo)
Miles: Do people read this newsletter to be turned on to new music? Sorry, if so, because my second pick is this Green Day demo. I’m totally obsessed with these demos — the guitar tone sounds like a sixth grader Red Hot Chili Peppers impersonator and the overall, lofi effect sounds like your most genius, least motivated friend’s forgotten bedroom demos. The version of “Basket Case” from this collection is also worth a listen — with completely different lyrics, it’s a love song about two suburban losers that thematically seems to precipitate American Idiot’s subject matter a decade later. I like Green Day, ok? So what?
Alex: This is interesting to listen to. Thank you for sharing. I like Green Day too. I agree with everything you said yet this sounds nothing like my demos.
Graham Hunt “Emergency Contact”
Alex: This song came out a couple months ago and I’ve listened to it literally every day since. My coworkers got annoyed with me for playing it so much. The infectious melody followed them home and they would say stuff like that song was in my head all weekend. I was like “you’re welcome.” Hahahah. Graham is a goated songwriter and this song for me has been the banger of the summer. Maybe the lyrics of the chorus hypnotized me into listening to it on repeat. “When the song ends, run it back.” Don’t mind if I do. Also good video by the homie Nate Khan with cameos from members of Narrow Head.
Miles: Yeah I don’t really have much to add to this, this is a just good song that I like. I appreciate this Wisconsin universe of bands where everyone has a bowl cut and big glasses. When I was explaining the concept of this Newsletter to Alex, I said that he should try to pick songs I haven’t heard before so it would be more like Sam and Josiah. But we aren’t Sam and Josiah, and plus, who wants to play by the rules anyway?
It’s a Beautiful Day in the Gulch is a great podcast that you should definitely check out. There is a rich back catalogue, including a recent episode where Josiah visits Bloomington, Indiana. Check it all out here.