Because Josiah did all the work last week I (Sam) am writing the intro this week. That’s right, today there is only one set of footprints in the sand - mine, and they’re modest. Pleased to report that I have caught up on the music I missed from 2023 (did you know Iron Chic covered the best Depeche Mode song because I didn’t!) and am now listening to new tunes once again, even if those new tunes are just from bands I’ve listened to for over 20 years. Spoiler alert!
Here’s what we’re listening to this week.
The Forecast “Good Journey”
Sam: Pretty sure we’ve talked about this band on the pod before, but I am positive I never made Josiah listen to them. My personal favourite era of Victory Records was the desperate chasing of that Taking Back Sunday success — Spitalfield! Count the Stars! Snowdogs! All of these bands are bad but the Forecast was — IS — very good, despite teetering on the edge so, so precariously. Like all of us refusing to let go of our past in one way or another, they’re back with their first new album since 2012 and me and Sc*tt H**s*l are beyond stoked, which doesn’t make me feel good. This song, though? This song makes me feel great!
Jos: I think I only ever heard Taking Back Sunday once via the pod, that’s how little context I have for whatever this dogshit era of forum-post quotes-in-your-signature ass music is that Sam is referring to. Clicking through, I like the art work and the guitars sound nice under this morning standup I’m currently in at work. It’s making the phrase “feedback tracker” sound so much more grandiose. Okay the guy has started singing and I now realize how much I hate the text and that little doodle in the corner. People need to let their cover art just be a chill painting, don’t add branding! I should throw this puppy in Figma. But the song is actually not that bad. I guess when you’re 50 and still making Makeoutclub music, you finally learn how to tone it down a little.
Infant Island “Kindling”
Sam: This song is “feat. Greet Death” which is the only seal of approval you need. Two minutes of ethereal spookiness followed by a minute of grandiose caterwauling and a delicate decrescendo back into the earth from which our feeble, failable bodies crawled from and to which we shall return? I hope this band plays Toronto’s nice lil screamo fest that I get to attend and feel old and uncool at every summer.
Jos: Those Greet Death guys were so funny. I will likely never listen to or talk to them again, not for any real reason just because that’s how it goes, but I will always see the name and think about how much I fuck with them. This song sounds really cool too. It definitely goes all Jane Doe hoodie toward the end, in a great way. Sam you should wear a Jane Doe hoodie to that skramz fest you chaperone.
Discovery Zone “Mall of Luv”
Jos: I’m so glad Sam didn’t make my picks for me this week. In fact, I’m even tempted to remove the hyperlink from whatever that Iron Chic thing was that he mentioned earlier. I also want to only listen to 2024 stuff, but poking around there’s some fun goodies I missed last month. Among them is this cute lil Discovery Zone song “Mall of Luv.” I like how, now that 40-yr-old music journalists have stopped talking about hyperpop, most experimental pop just has some of the aural palette without being so gimmicky. This is just a really nice synth pop song, with a very cool, almost era-less video that was directed by my bud James Berry — who actually made this dumb Blink Mirror thing for our Twitter, back when I was just constantly obsessing over Blink-155.
Sam: Ooooooooooh so nice. Great name, great title, great video. Immaculate confluence of vibes. I wish I had picked this for you Josiah but I would have picked something like this instead. Do you like it? It’s uh ethereal?
Jos: Wait this is actually really good. You should listen to stuff like this instead of the Jonah Ray music you’re always playing.
Lil B “Paraplegic” + “Honey Bun Train”
Jos: Lil B may have experienced death of the artist with things like the cooking dance and the word “based,” but his whole thing is ego death anyway, so it works. I thought I had stayed on top of his hundreds of songs released in 2023, but I actually missed his greatest mixtape. Winged Wheelchair Squad has some of the best-produced and most thoughtful songs from his recent batch, and it also falls in that beautiful Lil B sweet spot where he’s being so well-intentioned and thoughtful while clumsy enough to tread a possibly offensive line. On the song “Trangender” (sic), he raps “I’m more of a feminist than most can believe.” There’s also a song that shouts out anyone that’s dealing with multiple sclerosis, but it’s called “Ms” so it seems like “miss.” But I’m serious that it’s a beautiful and fascinating album. My favourite songs are “Honey Bun Train” and “Paraplegic,” the latter of which includes the classic-feeling Based God refrain: “Don’t wanna die and don’t wanna live, I understand, I love you, please forgive. Stay positive.”
Sam: I think it’s really cool that you’re the only former music journalist who still endeavours to keep up with Lil B like the blog era never ended. You were the only real fan! I think he always knew this and it is why he loves you. But if I had picked a second song for you it would have been something like this. Intimate! Whimsical! Annoying!
Jos: WTF are you constantly finding cute stuff and just glossing over it to listen to bands that sound like “Pelican” and “ISIS” instead?