Anything On Your Mind?
Onward to 2017, a year when we entered the broad cultural moment in the US that we still inhabit. Really, in retrospect, we entered it in 2016, but that year (up until November of that year), it was possible to think that it was just something that would pass. Now, in 2026, as we are in year eleven of Trump’s dominance of the American landscape, it’s hard to not feel like we’ve been trapped a loop the whole time. And so it is with music. I know, of course, that stuff came out in different years. But it all just blurs together to me a bit. I expect to actually be surprised by what year some of these records came out, as it’s all just kind of the same smear of “some time during the Trump years”. That whole notion, of course, was accentuated by the pandemic happening right in the middle of it all, which further increased that “all days are the same” feeling. I’m not the first person to observe this, of course, but it struck me as I was trying to get a fix on 2017 here.
Well, let’s have a look at the RateYourMusic chart. We have a new low! I only have 3 of these in the collection (Kendrick Lamar, Vince Staples, MIKE). It is a bit of a strange list, though. I’ve never heard of Mach-Hommy until just this moment, and they have four albums on the chart. There’s a Rakhmaninov record on here at #5. Lots of stuff I don’t recognize on there, actually. Maybe something weird was going on with RYM in 2017? Maybe I’m just a bozo? I’m curious what 2018 will look like. Ah well!
What Are You Listening To, Josh?
A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.
Wake In Fright, Uniform
What does it mean for music to be scary? When I was thirteen, fourteen, I would regularly look at an album cover, or a band name, or even just an album title and think to myself “this is going to scare the shit out of me.” Just the surface details of a release could induce little shivers in me. It didn’t stop me from trying stuff, and in fact I kept kind of deliberately chasing that feeling. Nevertheless, some of this stuff seemed pretty scary to a kid exploring what music could be. “Millions of Dead Cops”? Holy shit, man!
That, of course, went to the wayside as I got older. Those initial aesthetics might interest me, of course, because they can be signifiers that help guide you towards what the music sounds like, or they might give you a clue as to the taste of the artist, or whatever. You can definitely judge a cultural product by its cover is what I’m saying. Never goes wrong! But do I find album covers or the surface aesthetics of music scary? No, of course not. So again: what does it mean for music to be scary? Because whatever it is, Uniform has it.
The timbres they use on everything are just menacing. The pacing of the songs builds you towards a spot where you are feeling anxious. The abrasive vocals sound threatening. Every part of this is constructed to put you off-balance. Uniform are experts at making music that sounds scary and that rules.
I also want to talk about industrial here. When I was in high school, I discovered Nine Inch Nails, which led to industrial dance, like Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb, industrial metal like Ministry, plain ol’ industrial like Einstürzende Neubauten, and to weirdos associated with industrial like Foetus and Skinny Puppy. It was a very fertile family of music to investigate, including learning about noise rock stuff through this avenue via the discovery of Big Black. There was a fair bit of that whole scene that was pretty corny, especially some of the self-serious ends of industrial dance as well as the “ain’t I a stinker” kind of industrial metal stuff. That corniness eventually brought the attention away from industrial, especially when Nirvana and grunge focused so many people on authenticity.
But there’s a lot of great stuff that came out of the scene, and even though music fans turned against it, I’ve always wanted it to come back. And it has been of late, with artists like Uniform taking the best parts and making something new. Just like with the third wave of ska, just because a scene was mocked for the excesses at the time doesn’t mean that there wasn’t some genuinely interesting stuff going on, and a re-appraisal will reveal lots of great things to build upon. Anyway, Uniform rules, this album rules, go listen. And if you like it, you’re in for a treat - they’ve been very consistently good and even have some excellent collaborations with people like The Body and Boris.
Packs, Your Old Droog
Kicking off with the psychedelic and psychotic “G.K.A.C.”, Packs really comes out of the gates swinging. If that were the only track that really stood out, it would still be at least a notable release. But that’s not all that is going on with this record. Working with a variety of producers but primarily RTNC and E. Dan (not to be confused with Edan, who also appears here as a rapper and producer), YOD is backed up by Madlib-adjacent, cracked beats that work really well for me. I was complaining about 2001-era producing the other day, and it’s because it all sounds so much more lifeless compared to something like this. Those 2001 beats were just an inert frame on which to hang rhymes, not full participants in the song. Anyway, this album is excellent front to back.
Greasy Listening, The Du-Rites
Jay Mumford (aka J-Zone) had a crisis with music in 2008. His album that year sold 47 copies in its first month, and it was the trigger for finally leaving a music career that had been trending downward for years. He ended up writing a book about it (which is where that 47 copy anecdote comes from), but an interesting thing happened from there. He actually ended up taking up the drums, and after working hard and learning his craft, he not only put out two (pretty fun!) rap records where he was on the kit, it led him into a second act as a funk musician. He hooked up with Pablo Martin (Tom Tom Club) to form the Du-Rites and set out to make that second career happen. The first Du-Rites record was fun, but it was on this 2017 release that I feel like they hit their stride. Greasy Listening is loose and fun, with songs that could fit alongside stuff like the early work from the Meters. Which is to say: I love it. With five studio albums, a live record, an EP and a ton of singles, there’s a lot to explore if you like this, but I think this record is an excellent starting point. Jay has also gone on to play with folks like Adrian Quesada (including a separate trio with him), Ben Pirani, and having some of his breakbeats being used by Danger Mouse.
Let’s Talk New Releases
Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!
Dream, Gentilesky
The music critic style book insists that I use adjectives like “nervy”, “wiry”, or “taut” to describe music like this, stuff derived from the branch of the post-punk family tree featuring Wire and Gang of Four. And, you know, it’s easy to see how we all arrived at that consensus. (Notice the sly inclusion of myself in the community of music critics, as if my inept scribbling here justifies me being anything other than mocked.) There’s not really any wasted space in this music, and the pace and treble-y noises certainly suggest something wiry. Or something that gets on your nerves? Anyway. If you like that branch of post-punk, you’ll like this, it’s fun stuff.
How to Make a Breakfast, Land Whales
Often times, I don’t know a ton about these new records I put in here. I might know the label (for instance, I found Gentlesky by looking at releases from Slovenly Recordings). I might see a recommendation from a mailing list or blog or whatever. That’s a lot of what I find, honestly. I might find it from looking at tags on Bandcamp. It’s a pretty random walk. But if I learn about an act from most of those places, I’ll at least learn a little bit about the band as part of it. Land Whales? Nope, I have nothing. They’re Cuban, I think. Anyway, this shit rules, mostly noise rock with some no-wave touches here and there, such as the first couple minutes. That’s what I have for you: please check this album out.
Fight Another Day, Dimension
The hardcore EPs will continue until morale improves.
Five Random Songs
Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.
“Time’s Not on My Side”, Dude York
Seattle trio Dude York play Big Rock. It’s not punk, it’s just pretty straight-ahead rock, played with big guitars and…well, look. It sounds like Weezer. It’s an inescapable comparison. It’s not just me. It’s fine. Anyway, this is the album closer for Sincerely.
“For Crumbs We Crawl”, Abandon
We’re in Sweden here for this one, an album from 2009 and…I can’t really do this. I can confirm that I bought this in 2022, and I’m sure it was from some retrospective roundup, but this is one that slipped through the cracks, I think. It happens every now and again, and I could fake knowing something about this album, but I don’t, not really. Don’t remember why I bought it, don’t remember listening to it, and this track doesn’t give us much of a clue because it’s clearly just the intro to the second disc of this record, which features a thirteen minute song and a seventeen minute song next. So, you know: never let it be said that I’m not willing to look like an idiot! I’ll listen to this when I’m done writing this entry.
“Resisting Resistance”, Maruja
Maruja play something that sits somewhere between free jazz, noise rock, and maybe some post-punk. If you’re saying that that sounds like something I’d be interested in, you’re right! I wish I loved it more than I do, though. There are improvised elements to things, and I think that the jazz frame kind of plays against the noise rock side of things. It’s an interesting hybrid, and I’ll keep checking them out, but I don’t totally feel like they’ve quite put all the pieces together for me.
“Pressure 24”, The Adjusters
The Adjusters played a very soul-inflected version of ska that was a fun change from what some of the other bands at the time played. They put out three records, and things really came together the most on the second record, After the Revolution. The biggest highlight of the record is Jessica Basta and Joan Axthelm’s vocals, but the entire record is a fun listen. It’s one of the more distinctive records of the third wave, and it’s definitely worth checking out if you like this tune.
“I’m A Coward”, They Might Be Giants
This is one of the best tunes on Glean, the 2015 record that contained songs from the Dial-A-Song project where they did a weekly song release for all of 2015. There were multiple records that came out of things, and they’re all a little bit scattered and a bit uneven, but there are for sure some nice tunes mixed in.
Some Better Places To Learn About Music
Check these folks out, you’ll learn more for sure. In no particular order: To The Teeth, Wolf’s Week/Plague Rages, The Devil’s Mouth, Burning Ambulance, Lamniformes Cuneiform, Hex Records, See/Saw.