Milo

MC Paul Barman, “UNDOING ALONENESS”

Back when MC Paul Barman was just getting going, I remember a lot of thinkpieces coming out about him. Lots of descriptors for him describing him as smart or whatever in a way that in retrospect just strikes me as gross. To his credit, he never seemed to try and court that reputation or try and turn himself into a savior or anything. He just made his debut record, popped up on guest spots every now and again, and mostly kept a low profile. His output wasn’t fast, with his first record in 2002 and this, his third, in 2018. But, overall, it’s fun stuff - off-kilter but entertaining, and worth looking into if you read the hype back in the day but never actually tried it.

Fifteen, “The End of the Summer”

Fifteen is one of the descendent bands of the legendary Crimpshrine, one of those bands that helped spawn an entire scene. Fifteen is where Jeff Ott ended up, and they kept going in the same vein, playing the melodic pop-punk that the Bay Area would soon become internationally famous for. If you love the style, you should check them out as one of the early bands in the scene.

milo, “pure scientific intelligence (quantum)”

This track sounds like at least three different songs being played simultaneously, which is delightful.

Bananagun, “Out of Reach”

One of the things that the Internet promised us is that we’d be connected to people all over the world, opening up new cultural horizons. That’s mostly worked out by allowing all the worst people in the world to find each other, which isn’t exactly a positive development. However, it did connect me to multiple folks in places like Australia and New Zealand, who sometimes recommend music to me like Bananagun. So, I guess it’s all a wash.

The Queers, “From Your Boy”

We’ve been over this, but it’s been a while: yes, this is shameless Ramones worship. Yes, it’s incredibly sophomoric. Yes, you can do much better.

The Decemberists, “Rox in the Box”

After The Hazards of Love, the Decemberists stepped back from the increasingly elaborate prog-folk thing they had going on and made a much more straightforward folk-rock album with The King is Dead. As a fan over that super ornamented stuff, I found the record a bit of a disappointment. It’s pleasant enough, and I’m not sorry to listen to it, but it’s not one I seek out often.