Proper Ohio jangle damage from some middle-aged men. I remember the point in my 20s when I finally “got” Guided By Voices. Probably been all downhill from there.
From one end of the pop rock spectrum to the other, here is a Zoomer anthem from an artist about as far away from being a Midwest indie rock lifer as possible. I mean, for Christ’s sake, he got Timothée Chalamet to do spoken word on the intro and outro. But the kid can write a song sometimes. One lyric made me consult Genius for a bit more context.
When it comes to Vans Warped Tour rap or Silicon Valley end credits rap or Spotify “internet music” playlist rap, is there anyone better than Rico Nasty? I remain a fan.
Speaking of internet music, this track has to be one of the more successful fusions of jungle and ultra-online sonics. Some of these genres, these SoundCloud microgenres—they might even be too niche for John’s Music Blog, which is saying a lot. I’m pretty sure I hear a cutty flip of a breakcore classic in here, but I once got blocked by someone on Twitter for “sample snitching” so I’m going to keep my damn mouth shut.
The Figgs “1000 People Grinning”
Throughout my long and often bleak life, one thing has been there for me, in different forms and configurations, on and off but always when I need it: pop rock.
MIX OF THE WEEK: Finn & UNiiqU3 “NTS: 21st April 2023”
How many Finn mixes can one person post on a music blog? I’m going to find out. Here the Manchester madman goes B2B with the queen of Jersey club. A lot of classics in the mix. A little light on new school club energies, but hey… It was recorded in England. (If you want some piping hot club, check out this collaboration between So Drove, DJ Jayhood, Donn3ydon and PGS Spence.)