Quick Note: There will be no Tuesday blog next week. During this downtime, we recommend diving into the blog’s deep interview archive. Programming as usual will return the following week. Thank you for rocking with John’s Music Blog. -Management
AyooLii and FearDorian “Tony Snell”
FearDorian really did go and flip an Anamanaguchi song from the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World videogame soundtrack and turn it into a wild Milwaukeecore shmacker. Anamanaguchi are legends of the damn chiptune game. I remember playing a gig with them in the spring of 2008 at Death By Audio in Brooklyn. There was a 30-minute wait for the bathroom, and I had to play in 10, so I hit the construction site across the street. Big mistake: I got hit with a ticket. I’ve wasted my life.
Knocked Loose (Feat. Poppy) “Suffocate”
I gave the new Knocked Loose record a spin over the weekend. It sounds like every era of Hot Topic rolled into one. It’s an audio document of a flattened zoomer guitar landscape. This single, which came out a few weeks ago, is one highlight. I like it when the band drops into a slow-motion, almost reggaeton-ish pocket.
Belong’s 2006 debut, October Language, has long held a special place in my heart. The fact that the band is from New Orleans injects a bit of deep southern lore into their post-Fennesz digital smear. I can picture the sweat dripping off the ceiling of whatever living room they are droning in. I can picture them playing for hours and then wandering into the humid night for a cold one. “Image of Love” is taken from their first record in 13 years, and it’s more on that shoegaze tip, but it’s still working for me, right here right now, as I sit on a couch in Bay Ridge.
My favorite Texas mumbler stays mellow over a Dallas dance rap classic. Do I have any contacts over at Meta? As I mentioned in an earlier report, my old band’s Facebook page got hacked, and all sorts of uncanny AI darkness is going down over there. I’m trying to let go, but it’s hard…
A lot of rock and roll this week. Climax Landers: East Coast DIY ultra-combo playing a kind of rootsy, damaged jangle. The band features Ani from Palberta, one of the best funky punk bands of the past 15 years. “Play It Cool” namedrops both Staind and Santana, featuring Rob Thomas. Casual pop for basement heads.
MIX OF THE WEEK: 91X “EAST COAST NERVOUS MIX”
Ah, yes, the timeless art of cutting up doubles of "The 900 Number" by the Mark The 45 King (RIP). Here is a mix that provides the perfect accompaniment to the party breaks guide I wrote some time ago. I like that the Deathbysheep kids are treating Funk Flex like he’s Wolfman Jack—it’s the new New York City canon. Just don’t try to actually listen to him on Hot 97. I did that earlier in the week, and I almost instantly regretted it, though I will be surely doing it again soon. Turn on 91X instead.
(Bonus incredible Eurovision 2024 submission from my guy Tony D.)