swear to god there was a discussion on ett at least when it came out, was a beautiful record, knows how to arrange sounds so so well.


raglani - husk


above ground pool - bolger cupcake dynasty


ryuichi sakamoto - esperanto


babyfather - platinum tears

This is really great. How'd you feel about the BBF record with DJ Escrow that came out earlier this year?

^banger. that section where fell's drums just collapse in at the tail end of the first piece, or when ambarchi properly rips it at the peak of the last one.....so many special moments on this.

ummm well I'd seen them at like their first or second show just prior to the full-length coming out so this tape was the only thing to go by, and seeing them live really hoped contextualise it all a bit better: much beefier sound, an odd little amalgam of disparate uk soundsystem cultures. and I think bbf helped realise that idea a lot more strongly than platinum tears, I'm massively into it. don't really think anything blunt's doing can top hype williams, and it's interesting to see that copeland was actually the one pushing them into more outré/knotty territories, but it doesn't change the fact that the record fucking bangs. much better than those dry sketches he chucked out under the hw name a couple months back...

I'm listening to my new tracks that I put together when I was sick a couple of weeks ago.
Finally some new tracks. They're good.

I am still quite perplexed by the Part 2, but it works.





David Grubbs - Prismrose

On repeat over and over again..

Oh, of course! I've listened to this several times over the past week too, after reading about Dylan's Nobel win (which I'm honestly NOT sure he deserved ... the man has done so much for music and for the world that there isn't an award in existence that could hope to do justice to his legacy, but I'm not convinced that his legacy is a literary one) but for me, this is pretty much THE Dylan album, and when Dylan is in the air, this is the record I turn to.

Oh and this is what I'm listening to at the moment:

Highway 61 Revisited is in many ways the Illmatic of rock. Illmatic is the Highway 61 Revisited of hip hop, to be more exact. Has this comparsion been made before?

I actually agree with your sentiments about Dylan's Nobel win.

How's the Leonard Cohen album?

I finally listened to Skeleton Tree. Man, it's been a glorious year for old rock legends. Also, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds is quite possibly the best band in the world right now.

You Want it Darker is very good. Go stream it or something! I remember you saying it sounded like it might like be Cohen's version of Blackstar, and in a way I think you may have nailed it. Stylistically there's virtually no similarity to speak of, of course, but thematically it's definitely got a kind of knowing, will and testament feel to it (then again, death is not a new topic for Cohen AT ALL.)
The tone is quite a bit less optimistic than Blackstar — which I know doesn't sound poppy, but it still gives one the feeling that Bowie was going rather jubilantly fearlessly into that good night — but darkness is also nothing new for Cohen.

It's a beautiful record, meticulously produced but also ragged and organic. My favorite kind of "old guy" record, like Tom Waits' Real Gone and Alice/Blood Money. Some really ghastly moans and groans and chamber sounds. Good Halloween listening.

"They're lining up the prisoners and the guards are takin' aim
I've struggled with some demons they were middle class and tame
I didn't know I had permission to murder and to mame
You want it darker"

And yeah, I really like Skeleton Tree as well. Think I prefer it to Push the Sky Away. Nick Cave is pretty much always on point. I really like the lyrical dynamic of Skeletrom Tree... the classic Cave character narratives are gone for the moment, replaced by something both more personal and more elemental. It's a damn powerful album.

I'm very grateful for Nick Cave musically too. He's one of the few punk personalities who has successfully evolved into just an out-and-out great rock/folk artist with the help of Mick Harvey and Warren Ellis. He has aged in style and grown to represent something much bigger and broader than "just" punk, without losing his edge so to speak. You look at the musicians who managed to do something similar to that, and you have a very short list: SY (and Thurston, Kim, Lee solo), Lou Reed, John Lydon, Joy Division > New Order (and others of course, but not a ton of them). Aging gracefully over the years to create a legacy that breaks genre restrictions. Maybe Iggy Pop too, though he's certainly had his missteps.

You'd think "modern" aging punk types would look at these musicians and strive for the same kind of reinvention. But... nah. Green Day just wants to be "the Green Day of yesteryear" forever. Blink 182 just wants to find new ways to get away with wearing baggy shorts and Hurley shirts into their '40s. Pretty much a staunch refusal to grow or evolve in any way.

'Course these butt shits didn't grow up listening to Sonic Youth or the Birthday Party/Bad Seeds. I'd wager they don't even consider Joy Division "punk" or punk adjacent, if they have any feelings on JD whatsoever. And I've heard nothing in their music to suggest that they've ever payed much attention to anything Lydon did post-Pistols, or anything Iggy did post-Stooges.

Nick Cave has successfully grown into a kind of classic baladeer and troubadour. More than just about any of his peers. And The Bad Seeds are just a great band, so it's not just the Nick Cave show. I really appreciated the minimalism of Push the Sky Away, and the synths and atmospherics, and I'm stoked to hear that sound explored more on Skeleton Tree. Thinking about "Anthrocene," "Jesus Alone" ... it's a great direction, and makes for some really captivating moments.

right now i'm listening to oval's fourth parabolic mix. if you like overcommers, this is a similar sounding lesser known gem. i can't recommend it highly enough.

Desolation Row is crazy! I love Highway 61. I got the mono vinyl box.

I now see yr secret weapon is spouting yr nerdiness all over everyone. good job man! thumbs up to yr thumbs.

His "nerdiness"? What do you mean? I always enjoy reading Sev's posts.

He's not wrong. I am a fucking nerd and a half in a number of different ways.

It's not a secret though, and it's certainly not a weapon.

Luckily I stopped caring about whether I'm seen as a "nerd" or checking whether other people are when I finished high school.. heh.