Damn you Mixtape. This site was dead. June 1st I was going to hang it up, take it down and move on with my life. Then IGN decided to give “shitape” a 10/10. I had to play it now. So I did. For exactly 5 minutes, before my brain was bleeding out of my ears with how bad it is. I couldn’t take it anymore. Thankfully, I didn’t have to pay for it, directly. It came with Xbox Gamepass Ultimate. I will now regale you with how absolutely terrible Mixtape is. Mixtape’s First Five Minutes. No! Mixtape…
Hedwig And The Angry Inch (2001)
here are some highlights from things i've read on my kindle recently! Guilherme Alves on Shadow Labyrinth in SUPERJUMP: The object's essence is elusive, which leaves the player in an impossible position: the engagement with the original Pac-Man, whatever Pac-Man it was, was already intervention. It already creates the instability that Shadow Labyrinth brings to the forefront. The fantasy of untouched play is false. Everyone already recontextualized Pac-Man whenever they played it. phire -…
Off we go! Glenmulliach Forest Today we had a couple of things on the itinerary. A walk in the Glenmulliach Forest near Tomintoul was first up. We chose this as it wasn’t too hard or boggy and would give us some elevation and a variation of scenery. I don’t think we saw another person the entire time we were walking, which is pretty crazy to think about. Up the hill As we reached the viewpoint, we started to dig into the snacks we’d brought with us. Tunnock’s of course! This viewpoint had a…
In the Constellation of Pisces by Adolf Hoffmeister. • “Comb through many of the numerous ‘greatest post-punk albums of all time’ lists that you’ll find dotted around the internet and one fairly continual omission is Thirst, which is something of a travesty. It’s difficult to think of many albums that embody the more pioneering and progressive elements of the post-punk spirit than Thirst.” Daniel Dylan Wray on the early, anarchic performances of Clock DVA. • Warner Brothers have decided at long…
Blondie Parallel Lines (Expanded Edition)Get It At DiscogsBlondie turned to Britain-based pop producer Mike Chapman for their third album, on which they abandoned any pretensions to new wave legitimacy (just in time, given the decline of the style) and emerged as a mainstream, contemporary pop/rock band. But it wasn't just Chapman's influence that made Parallel Lines Blondie's best album; it was also the band's own songwriting, including Deborah Harry, Chris Stein, and Jimmy Destri's "Picture…
In 2025, people bought over 45 million vinyl records, spending over $1 billion in the process. What’s more surprising: a stat from 2022 suggests that 50% of vinyl buyers in the US don’t own a record player. To a vinyl collector, this is absurd, and perhaps even heresy. What would a person do with a vinyl record if they don’t plan on playing it? Participating in music isn’t just about listening to the songs. It’s about connection. When an artist releases music or performs, they make a statement,…
Hey people! For today I chose to feature an instrumental piece, from a Breton harpist who’s already had her airtime in “Bibiel Hears Things”, and several times. In fact, the last time I featured Cécile Corbel was just a few months ago, with her arrangement of the traditional Irish song “Blackbird”. Aside from that, earlier in this blog’s history, I’ve featured her interesting arrangement of “The Great Selkie” (alongside Aine Minogue’s rendition of the same song). This is the first piece of hers…
🎵 Listening to the Bird Songs playlist by Anthony Ciccarello. I’m all set for my birdathon fundraiser tomorrow. I’ve even got my bird playlist lined up!
"Corn Puddin'" by Cecily Strong & The Cast of Schmigadoon! Listen on Apple Music Your browser does not support the audio element. Post one of your favorite musical performances from a movie. The Schmigadoon Broadway show is doing really great and there's talk about bringing the show back for a third season. This beat Shrek the musical because of recency bias. View Mandaris's Crucial Tracks profile Listen to my Apple Music playlist
(1978) Directed by Eric Idle and Gary Weis; Written by Eric Idle; Starring: Eric Idle, Neil Innes, John Halsey, Ricky Fataar, Michael Palin, George Harrison, and Mick Jagger; Available on DVD Rating: ****½ Side Note: The “cinematic” in Cinematic Catharsis implies that the films I discuss are predominately theatrical releases. With that in mind, I hope you’ll indulge me with this made-for-TV movie (Hey folks, rules are meant to be broken). “Paul's never been one who enjoys criticism – which is…
Nuage & BAILE – “Tracing” (Extended) Nuage & BAILE – “Placid” Maelstrom & Fasme – “Res 06” Logic 1000 – “under the sun, beneath the rainfall” The post New Hots Hots 20 first appeared on Palms Out Sounds.
Judith BerksonThee They Thy Judith Berkson voice, pianoTrevor Dunn double bassGerald Cleaver drumsRecorded July 2021Oktaven Audio StudioMount Vernon, NYEngineer: Ryan StreberCover: Fidel SclavoMastering: Christoph StickelAlbum produced by Manfred EicherRelease date: April 24, 2026 Mezzo-soprano, pianist, composer, and improviser Judith Berkson returns to ECM with a compelling new trio project. Conceptual art, liturgical inquiry, chamber abstraction, and jazz formalism: each arrives carrying its…
RIP Mr Kershaw... I didn't much care for his taste (and the underlying ideology) - as least as evidenced by his influential radio show - but here he reveals a solid talent for record reviewing.
May 7, 2026 Jacobin published a piece titled “Liberal Poptimists Tried to Kill Rock. They Failed” and one of the 2020’s “pop girlies” Charli XCX announced a new album and single titled “Rock Music.” Charli’s song takes the mocumentary tone...
Fabulous Friday Folks!
Hey people! I feel like I haven’t shared anything by Cornelis Vreeswijk in a while. And, as you may know by now if you’ve been around here for some time, Cornelis Vreeswijk is one of my faza peeps, and I generally like to feature my major faza peeps at least semi-regularly. One problem I often face when featuring Cornelis on my blog is that not very many of his songs are really suitable for someone like myself to share publicly as a TradCath, as our respective values, political views and…
It’s as good as it is rare. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Best find of the year for sure. A very rare 1st pressing Japan only promo release by trumpet virtuoso Terumasa Hino and bass master Reggie Workman. Recorded in 1970 for Hino’s own private label Love Records and released in 1971 through the major label Canyon Records. Hard to find but…
I was listening to the Ezra Klein podcast the other day and I think he read out one of the credits as "Executive Producer of Opinion Shows". That's a thing, I thought, maybe I'll do an opinion show.Probably the most satisfying bits of writing I've done in my life have the columns. I wrote a weekly column for an advertising trade magazine called Campaign for about 5 years. And there was a period where for about three or four years, where I wrote a monthly column for Wired Magazine in the UK. And…
music is important to me. i listen to it and i play it. i believe the best sorts of music are heard in living rooms, at kitchen tables, on the street, or at a big celebration. music played by the people and for the people. music that secretly lives inside me %%green%%punk%% - my first %%red%%love%% %%green%%lăutari%% - somewhere in my hands %%green%%trubači%% - in my lips %%green%%flamenco%% - in my legs %%green%%rembetika%% - in my shoulders %%green%%fado%% - in my %%red%%heart%%…
Neil Young - Tanderup Farm, Neligh, Nebraska, September 27, 2014Neil Young’s performance at the Harvest The Hope anti-pipeline benefit in September 2014 has come up on two consecutive All One Song episodes. Micah Nelson mentioned it because it was the first time he played onstage with Neil. Simon Joyner mentioned it because he was in the audience, getting his face fried by not only Old Black but by the harsh Nebraska sun. So hey, let’s listen to the extant audience tape! Neil starts the show…
Here’s the first release from Inferno, the upcoming BoC album. On first listen, I really like it. The beat is a lot more central to this track than any previous work they’ve done; I was always a huge fan of the Big Beat electronica genre, and I would love to see them lead the charge into a new era of solid groove. I tried to preorder the album last week but it timed out on me, so I’ll try again today.
When things start going all Highfalutin,the nerds reappear from their lair, and try and fix the stuff the Alpha-Males did while they were away. Sick of getting ambient sand from the chill out room kicked in their collective spotty visage-s, they normally attach the word 'Intelligent' as a pronoun, enabling them to look down their lengthy olfactory organs at the Rave kids who had reduced electronic music to merely a medium for dancing like the Twats they were.Privileged teen-persons from…
Ahead of their North American tour, Muse have just released the official video for Cryogen. Many fans are agreeing that the song, as well as the official video, show a return to form for the British band (and the space croissant is back too!). The video leans heavily into the band’s well-know sci-fi aesthetic. There’s icy space imagery, themes of isolation and something darker, mor emotional than some of their recent singles. Plus the scale is truly cinematic – this would look (even more)…
I've been really eager to listen to this album from the moment I saw this fantastic front cover: a step further than just encouraging your fans to play MTG during your live show is to adopt the aesthetics of the legendary game. The art of third full-length album No Place of Warmth by Fort Worth, Texas mammoths Frozen Soul features a fantasy-drifting art by James Bousema, who has a stunning RPG-inspired portfolio and has also designed actual MTG cards. As per proper promotion strategy, a few…
[1962]Before the British Invasion there was an even more modern invasion from the British Isles.I feel like Joe Meek must have gone "I really like the futuristic synth-y organ bit in Del Shannon's Runaway. So why don't we do an entire tune in this deliriously upbeat fairground anthem style but even more so." And Meek and The Tornadoes did and it was historic and we're still talking about it today.A gift to carnivals, sideshows, fairgrounds and theme parks across the world to this day baby!
Antony Szmierek Chalk Opening with a deadpan vocal and a low swagger of bass line, Chalk is the latest release from Antony Szmierek. Depicting a game of 8-ball, there is a startling, poetic vividness to Szmierek’s description. Small references to a stack of 20ps (that’s twenty pence pieces, to non-Brits) and the line, ‘The chalk’s just there for comfort’ encapsulate perfectly the feeling of dingy pool and snooker halls. The story telling is combined with a kind of electronic post-punk. Square…
I Think That I Might Love You is my sister Carla's fifth solo album. When you add in the TeenCanteen and Poster Paints albums, she has built up quite a discography since the summer and fall of 2016 when she released debut album Homemade Lemonade (originally under the guise of Ette) and Say It All With A Kiss (TeenCanteen) in quick succession.This, at least for me, is Carla's best album. It's warm, melodic, there is lots of space, it's beautifully produced, sounds lovingly organic, great people…
Alexander Hawkins played two nights at Cafe Oto this week with his new 11-piece band before spending two days recording the pieces they played, to which he gives the title Willow Music. If the set I heard on Tuesday is any guide, the resulting album will be worth considerable study. The opening bars of the first piece the group played made me smile. For a minute I thought that I’d stepped back in time to the Royal Roost in 1948, and here was the Miles Davis Nonet — which became known as the…
