INFORMATION LEAFBLOWER

Thom Yorke - Live at the Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (March 1995)

Broken Social Scene | “Cause = Time” | House Of Strombo

Best Coast - "California Nights" (Live at WFUV)

I was so excited when Snoop and Dre seemingly dropped this out the ether just before the holidays. I was heading to Cali for the Xmas break and had been listening to some old Dre to get myself back in that headspace and then, boom, here's a new Dre-produced album from Snoop. Sadly, these tracks have no sauce. "Last Dance With Mary Jane" is truly one of the worst songs I've ever heard. They just lifted the chorus straight from TP's song. There's zero creativity in it. And as much as I love Snoop, he's 53 years old so hearing him rap about the same old things - bitches, getting laid, getting high, etc. - just kind of rings hollow (Well, except the getting high part). I thought it was a great dichotomy with the interviews Andre 3000 has done recently, where he said that at 49 years-old it wouldn't feel authentic form him to rap about the same things he did in his 20's. And far be it from me to tell Snoop how to feel or what to do, but 3 Stacks seemed to come off better here.

Khruangbin - People Everywhere (Still Alive) [Live at Stubbs]

This Is When The Sky Gets Big

Khruangbin & Leon Bridges - B-Side (Official Video)

Destroyer - Live at Tulips, Fort Worth 5/16/2022

Ride - Dreams Burn Down (Live on KEXP)

Here is a bunch of mostly old stuff I listened to this year.

1) Instrumental hip hop, mostly by Pete Rock, an absolute master of the form. I highly recommend his album Return of the SP-1200. Also check out Jimmy Eden Moon’s channel on YouTube, particularly this mix.

2) Sadevillan EPs 1 & 2. I just discovered these a few months ago and I cannot stop listening to them. The best hip-hop I’ve heard in YEARS. 

3) Ghostface Killah - The Lost Tapes - This short album from 2018 is all bangers. Snoop and Tricky make appearances. I never doubted you, Ghostface.

4) My Morning Jacket - “Wasted” The jam that starts at about the 2:20 mark is extremely my shit.

5) Spoon - “The Hardest Cut” -  We all need new Spoon in our life.

6) Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbeams - Arlo Parks is the truth.

7) Pavement - 4-21-1997 @ Missoula Copper Commons - Another old thing I just discovered. Is this the best Pavement bootleg ever? “Passat Dream,” The Hexx,” and “Blue Hawaiian” are all incredible. And they play “Westie Cannot Drum” and “Gangsters and Pranksters.” 

6) Broken Social Scene - 1-18-2011 @ Terminal Five - Another amazing bootleg with all my fave BSS songs.

7) Gruff Rhys - Seeking New Gods - Gruff’s second best solo album, tons of hooks and full of his trademark wit.

8) Lee Perry - Dubz of the Root - I won’t lie and claim I’ve been into Lee Perry for years, I’ve dabbled here and there but I started listening to this a lot after his death and it really hit different.

9) Johnny Marr - Call the Comet - I didn’t like this album when it came out in 2018 but I gave it a few more listens earlier this year and it really clicked for me. I absolutely love listening to Johnny Marr play guitar. It’s so soothing (again, a big theme for me this year).

10) Martina Topley Bird - Forever I Wait - Been a fan forever, so happy to get great new music from her. It also caused me to dip back into Tricky’s catalog.

11) Super Furry Animals - “It’s Not The End of the World” -  The most underrated song on their re-released masterpiece album from 2001. I’m soooo happy to finally have this album on vinyl.

Best shows:

I got to go to shows this year!

1) MMJ @ MPP - Not the first show I saw post-pandemic, but the biggest. So good.

2) IDLES @ 9:30 Club - So much energy, so much fun.

3) The Flaming Lips @ The Anthem - Hearing songs from the Ego Trippin’ at the Gates of Hell EP was fun and it was worth hanging around to hear “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate.” I still have confetti in my camera bag.

4) St. Vincent @ All Things Go - She’s a bonafide amphitheater act now. Absolutely crushed it.

5) Arlo Parks @ Union Stage - See above.

6) Avett Brothers @ Camden Yards - Not my usual fare but they were great and I shot this show for the Orioles!

Luna at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.

Mew at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.