This week on 155, our xDryxJanuaryx journey through straight-edge culture comes to an end with an episode about Ten Yard Fight’s “Hardcore Pride,” where we’re joined by the coreman of the pod, Mark Teo.
Listen to the new episode of 155 here.
Next month is a very special one, and we’re bringing the covers section back. To find out what songs we’re doing, you need to sign up for the Patreon and hop into the Discord.
Here’s some other stuff we’re into right now:
Wisdom & War “GLOOM”
Sam: Did I only listen to this because the album art is sick? Obviously, yes. But that cover telegraphs everything I was hoping to get from a band with two words + an ampersand for a name with a vaporcore aesthetic - incredibly RIGHT NOW-ass nu metal that might get called hardcore by people with less spiritual strength. It’s like if Code Orange was having fun? Feels like I’ve worked out after listening to this.
Jos: I love that the cultural rube goldberg machine of aggressive music — as influenced by people who have never been to shows but know what “the PRP” is (???) — has led to this current moment, because everyone thinks they’re listening to something decidedly “now” but all they’re really listening to is Songs from the Penalty Box and This Is Solid State-core.
Zulu “Fakin' Tha Funk (You Get Did)”
Sam: It should be illegal to have only one vocalist in a band. Also every song should have to contain those super distorted guitar slide sounds, like the “PEEEEE-EWW” one. Does that have a name? Build the whole song out of that sound. Glad to have Zulu out here holding themselves to a high standard of vocalists and cool guitar sounds.
Jos: For a supposed cop-hater, Sam loves to make things “illegal.” But maybe that’s the troop-lover in him. Also Sam seems to be extremely aggressive lately. Maybe it’s guilty conscience for not truly participating in xDryxJanuaryx. Either way this song is kinda cool. I like that it has “Feeling This” drums at the start.
Copenhagen Cowboy
Jos: I guess if the newsletter is back I should probably start listening to music sometimes. But the silence has been so sweet. And I’m still watching hella stuff, sometimes just to spite the Sam voice in my head. (Yes, I have a Sam voice in my head too.) Nicolas Winding Refn continues to thrive as a sort of “what if Wim Wenders was a gamer” director, and Copenhagen Cowboy was honestly some of his best work yet. Yes, the narrative is razorthin, and yes most of it is an excuse to create neon-drenched tableaus with cool tracksuits and pulsing synths. But if you don’t like it, it’s because you’re weak. And I’m talking directly to you, Sam.
Sam: Josiah kept trying to convince me Too Old To Die Young was great but I cannot handle thirty feature-length TV episodes based on Miles Teller being a cool bad cop? I’ll put this on my “watchlist” and never think about it again.
Paul T. Goldman
Jos: For how much I pretend to hate everything, I really am a serial recommender. And the latest thing that’s making me feel panic over how much everyone needs to watch it (but not too many of the wrong people, lest it birth some I Think You Should Leave style memes) is Paul T. Goldman. I will forever love Jason Woliner for directing the “Dumb Starbucks” episode, but this new docuseries is his masterpiece. Paul talks like Jon Lovitz and acts like a too-campy Martin Short character, but he’s decidedly real as he builds a media empire out of his own personal trauma. The less you know the better, but this series delivers on all the important fronts: meta-humor, towing the line of exploitation while asking bigger questions about the meaning of art, Wiseau-esque delusions about movie stardom. Paul is the man.
Sam: I’ve already been accused of loving the law too much, but Josiah is always suggesting things like this that involve t*rrenting and I’m too nice. Once we have this in Canada I’ll obviously watch but until then I will keep enjoying my plain eggs in silence.
blink-155s02e15
In case you didn’t realize, Blink-155 is back with weekly episodes, and it’s worse than ever. Did you know that we’ve already released 15 episodes of this garbage, and blink-182 has only dropped one song? That said, the entire experiment was probably worth it for Sam’s Contest. Want to know what it is? Sign up at patreon.com/155pod.