Sam, you didn’t add a new pic. And you referenced the metalhead guy. So I made this.
Feeling bad about leaving Josiah hanging so much lately so I’m starting the newsletter one day after sending out the last one, which means I’m still looking at the “I’M A METALHEAD, BITCH!” guy’s face while I type, and now I’m not feeling so bad because truly, why is Josiah like this. Unfortunately I really need the newsletter because I already know my “Apple Replay” (dogshit) is going to be almost entirely Sparrow Sleeps’ various Blink tributes, which honestly are a lovely way to lay your tiniest dudes down to sleep. Sounds weird written out like that.
Here’s what we’re listening to this week.
Glare "Nü Burn"
Sam: Was all set to write about this until I realized including a Deathwishgaze band was such predictable mark behaviour. Now I’m wondering if I should just include the other big “nü” song in my life right now instead of trying to find something cooler, or with less than two million views. I need to be me. This song rocks and Deathwish is a good label. What’s wrong with that!!!!
Jos: I mean, yeah, there’s genuinely nothing wrong with this. It’s super relaxing. Maybe it’s the interlaced video but it feels like something that would play over the credits of a snowboarding video. It’s crazy that they made snowboarding videos, as if they are skate videos. Isn’t it way easier? You’re just falling in snow. Anyway, this song got my tiniest dude all worked up.
Bloodywood “Nu Delhi”
Sam: Okay it’s closer to three million views by now. And it deserves every single one. This album - hotly anticipated by the Sams of your life - comes out today (your today, my full work week away because I’m trying to be a good colleague) and I can only hope it has just one more song that touches the highs of this, its title track, and the best song in the world.
Jos: Sam really decided to “Send Nu’s” this week. Get it? Because both of his songs have Nu in them. Wow this really comes in, eh? I mean it obviously sounds great but I can’t help but think this is the kinda band Vice would have made an incredibly ill-informed and insensitive 15-minute doc about 15 years ago, then all of your coworkers would’ve been stoked as hell on this band because of the doc. And basically, well, Sam’s my coworker.
Whatever the Weather “20°C”
Jos: Really enjoying the new album Whatever the Weather II by the artist Whatever the Weather. It truly sounds good, whatever the weather may be. No but after listening to this one I went back and listened to the first and II is a better album. Producer Loraine James takes us on a journey that genuinely does feel like shifting temperatures, cutting between minimal synth compositions, glitch, breakbeats and field recordings. It’s some bullshit that I love.
Sam: Anytime Josiah shares something I genuinely enjoy with a description like “minimal synth compositions, glitch, breakbeats and field recordings” and I subsequently go find it in Apple Music, I have never once figured out how to return to any of it. I just don’t know where this music fits in my life? I wish I had the personality to integrate this into but I am wise enough to know that I’m not about to become that guy at 40.
Venetian Snares “Drums”
Jos: How cool is it that one of the most revered artists in his field is actually from Winnipeg? I’m talking about myself. But Venetian Snares is from there too. I genuinely think it’s sick that there’s this slightly mysterious, totally respected breakcore warrior just presumably chilling at Polo Park mall. He’s Canadian but we don’t have to read about him in the newspaper, in the context of Broken Social Scene, to do with the concept of a “Toronto hipster.” Being slightly mysterious is sick.
Sam: Maybe new me can start with Venetian Snares? Except I can see that this isn’t on Apple Music, and I’m not committed enough to start buying this music on Bandcamp. It’s a shame I was so close to a midlife reinvention. Josiah and I were truly going to be peers. He would respect me, and I would respect myself. But I’m pretty happy just listening to “Nu Delhi” so it’s cool.
mgk “your name forever”
Jos: I’ve posted about Machine Gun Kelly enough that I’m like, embedded in the community. Like a lot of the mgk accounts (the one that posts “which mgk are you today?” etc.) follow me back. And admittedly I started liking mgk because it made me laugh, but now I just straight up really like his music. So I’m trying to be extremely respectful about this heartfelt tribute to mgk’s friend who recently passed away. But I can’t stop thinking about how his name was “Dingo.” And this song being called “your name forever” is just further making me think about how this man’s name was “Dingo.” Hmm this song is insanely good though. Rest in peace Dingo.
Sam: Having recently named a human, there’s a lot of considerations to work through, like are you creating a bully-ready rhyme scheme, or, can this person age with the name? Mostly that involves pondering if you could just as easily imagine a baby or a pilot or a podcaster with that name, but I don’t think we ever considered “dead posse member.” But I appreciate that Dingo’s birth name wasn’t Dingo, and that he should be remembered as he lived. I also appreciate that this is both a fond memorial and Monster commercial. Much to appreciate, basically.
And another rest in peace to Liberal Jelly Roll 🙏