A long time ago. A galaxy far, far away

We are heading into Halloween in a matter of hours so it's (probably) safe to say the Russian Nesting Doll that is 2020 is starting to wind down, at least in quantitative terms. It's equally safe to say there will be enough WTF moments between now and December 31 to fill up a normal calendar year. I don't have a crystal ball or, as the last, nearly 10 months have revealed, the imagination necessary to conjure up a litany of once-unplausible headlines and news stories that will orbit our consciousness the next couple of months and change. My brain explodes a little just thinking about it. Instead, let's venture backward to a distant time when everything felt decidedly different.  

It's pretty much a given that 2019 was the last 'normal' year of our collective existence for a good long while. The #1 song on my top 100 of 2019 (playlist below) was by a band I barely had heard before and would finally see live this past February. Fitting that it turned out to be my last live show for the foreseeable future. I wasn't blogging about the music of 2019 as it was happening. I wanted to. Many times. I had plenty to say, but, no. I was spending some part of every workday poring over my company's blog posts in order to craft concise, meaningful posts for my company's social media channels. The last thing I wanted to do when my workday ended was to continue sitting in the same chair in my home office, working on my personal blog and social media posts. I just couldn't. I had to detach. This was the case for the past four years to varying degrees, but true burnout occurred this year. That said, as of October 1, blogs and social media are no longer the focus of my professional career. Finding my next job is. 2020's stench finally caught up to me and I was one of the dozens laid off by my company at the start of this month. And that's okay. I have no doubt that this will prove itself to be a blessing in disguise, but I digress.

2019 was the year I obsessed over new albums from Vampire Weekend and Lana Del Rey, two acts who I instantly loved upon hearing their first singles and albums in 2008 and 2010 respectively, but drifted apart from in the years that followed. It was the year that I discovered great rap albums from Earl Sweatshirt, Chance the Rapper, Denzel Curry, and Sheck Wes. Great new and new-to-me artists like Chloe Lilac, Clairo, Beast Coast, and EARTHGANG. Perhaps, most importantly of all, it was the year I surrendered and became a full-on Swiftie.

I had dabbled in a song here, a video there. I knew she had songs about her exes, lots of albums, tons of fans, and a wealth of talent. I respected how she took care of her fans. In 2019, she released Lover and I was sucked into her world. "Cruel Summer," "Lover," and "Death by a Thousand Cuts" were standouts with the first two landing in the top 30 of my top 100 of 2019 and the latter a shoo-in for 2020's top 15. Not to mention the songs that grabbed me off of this year's front-to-back excellence known as "folklore," an album that has truly been one of the very few personal beacons of comfort and enjoyment I've known during the dumpster fire known as 2020.  

Check out my top 100 of 2019 and maybe find yourself a new favorite from the past.

Got live?

Look, keeping up with the news is a full-time job if you're doing it right. Reading stories from multiple sources, fact-checking, attempting to remain unbiased in your thinking, raising important questions...it's a lot. This blog is NOT about keeping pace with the multiple daily news cycles or my opinions on if a pandemic being "fake news" or legit cause for alarm, is or isn't our president systematically deconstructing the foundation of the democracy this country was built on, or whether or not Black Lives Matter. It's about music. That universal language that hopefully helps us forget about our individual and collective realities for a few minutes at a time.

Sharing new finds, spewing my thoughts on the infinite sea of past and current recordings, and commenting on music-related news stories is my respite, passion, and happy place. Keeping up with new music was often difficult when each week consistently saw several high-profile and under-the-radar releases being thrust into the consumer space. 2020 changed that. It's significantly easier to track new music this year, more so than any other year I've been following my life's obsession. 

The pandemic has impacted supply chains, shut down myriad small businesses (big ones too), and caused job loss, death, and immeasurable (perhaps irreparable) damage to the psyche of our country. If that wasn't enough, it also killed live music - a fundamental part of many acts' business models. Create the product. Bring the product to the masses. Bring the live version of said product to said masses in an effort to grow, and further solidify, the fan base. Sell merch. Lather, rinse, repeat.

My last concert was on February 17th this year. Tacocat. Small venue. Great time. Seeing bands I like do their thing live is essentially what passes for going to church in my world. And just like going to actual church, the ability to catch one's favorite band in concert, in person, came to an abrupt end about a month after I saw Tacocat. You'll read about them in future entries when I wax nostalgic for the now-distant innocence of 2019 and its music. 

Livestreams are no replacement for the "I was there" moments that only happen in person. You just can't virtually replicate unintentional physical contact with complete strangers as you jostle for a good eye-line to the stage. In the grand scheme of things, it's a minor inconvenience. There are far bigger COVID-related issues to focus on. Fortunately, we co-exist with technology that doesn't take us back to the clubs, but has provided some interesting musical moments that I'll write about in a future post. So yeah, not being able to see live music is my personal cherry on top of the suckfest sundae that is 2020.

And yes, BLACK LIVES MATTER!!!!

RIP EVH

I feel a bit guilty. I've been around long enough to witness the passing of many musicians that informed, influenced, and infected my musical tastes. Some were purely nostalgic losses (like Johnny Nash who died yesterday), others were mourned for their contributions though they weren't among the artists who I strongly connected with (John Prine's passing earlier this year is an example). And then there are the ones that really hurt. 

They're the ones that silence a voice or an instrument that was formative in my life. Sure, nostalgia plays a part as does self-reflection on one's mortality, but some just hit me in the gut as if I lost a family member. Neil Peart's passing this year was rough. I'm not a drummer, but it's my favorite instrument. I spent a chunk of my teen years kneeling next to my bed, beating along to songs on it with a used pair of Zildjian drumsticks gifted to me by a friend of the family, futilely trying to deduce the rhythmic patterns of masters like John Bonham, Lars Ulrich, and the aforementioned drum lord, Mr. Peart. But I digress. 

Hearing yesterday that Eddie Van Halen passed away after a long battle with cancer sucked, but it didn't temporarily stop me in my tracks and crush my soul like when Chris Cornell, Prince, and George Michael died in recent years. Maybe I expected that the news of EVH's passing would come sooner than later given Eddie had been fighting health battles for at least the past 20 years. I don't know. It's a monumental loss. It sucks. I loved Van Halen growing up and into my 20s. Eruption / You Really Got Me, Jamie's Crying, and Dance the Night Away were the first VH songs I can remember hearing as a grade-schooler. I didn't have a wealth of knowledge on the history of the guitar, its masters, or the pivotal songs that highlighted the six-string machine at my disposal back then, but I knew Eddie's guitar sounds were different than anything I'd heard before. And they continued to be with each album that Van Halen released through the 80s, either with David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar at the mic.

Knowing and respecting what Eddie Van Halen brought to rock music and how he elevated the guitar like few others did; setting millions of kids' dreams of being a rock star in motion, it seems I should feel much more emotionally impacted than I do. So yeah, I feel a bit guilty. Eddie will be mentioned in the same breath as the guitar gods and game-changers for the rest of time. Clapton, Page, Hendrix, Lifeson, BB, Buddy, Stevie Ray Vaughan...the Van Halen name belongs in this elite company without question. 

I do a little thing on Spotify called Ten For The Win (aka 10FTW) where I create a playlist of my 10 favorite tracks by a specific singer or band. When the mood hits, I can fire up the appropriate 10FTW playlist (I've got over 300 of these...I know 😂) and have a concentrated blast of the songs I love the most by its respective artist. Some are easier than others to narrow down to just 10 tunes. Van Halen, when I did theirs years ago, was so difficult that I broke them out into separate playlists for the Diamond Dave and Van Hagar eras. As I've listened to both playlists the last 24 hours, I'm certain that Ed's axe-handling was the common denominator that made me keep coming back for more. Siden note, it's also my favorite part of Michael Jackson's Beat It. 

RIP Eddie Van Halen. Thank you for permanently and significantly changing the game and taking the guitar to a level that many others will try to reach in vain. 

Is this thing on?

I've seen my career take unanticipated twists and turns these past four years, akin to riding a theme park rollercoaster for the first time. Wait, let me back up for a minute. I love music. The joy of discovering my next favorite song is one of the few constants I've known throughout my life. Reading about it, writing about it, sharing new finds and classic tracks with others...music makes my world go 'round. 

Despite the joy it brings me, I haven't blogged nearly as much as I would have liked in recent years. Instead, I've focused my energy on my career which has consisted of managing software-focused blogs and social media channels on both the customer support and marketing sides of the corporate coin. Doing so left me with little motivation or inspiration to blog on the topics I'm passionate about and be active on social media myself. It just felt like a continuation of already long workdays spent staring at multiple monitors. I've kept my eye on new music the entire time...again, that is a constant regardless of what else is going on in my world...I just haven't had the juice to blabber on about it. 

A week ago, my company laid me off and effectively reset my priorities. So here I am, looking for my next career move and trying to make sense of all the jumbled thoughts in my head. A head full of thoughts that feels like a plexiglass hopper full of lottery balls, each one waiting to be sucked to the top and announced to the world. Now that I have too much time on my hands, I think it's best that I start clearing out some room in the ol' cranium again. That is if this little fluff muffin I call Bowie can stop using my laptop as a pillow. Stay tuned.

Top 100 of 2018

Soooo...did I miss anything while I was gone? I've been putting this blog on the backburner the past few months as I acclimated to a new role and responsibilities in my day job. I'm trying to be better and keep this sucker up so in that spirit, let's wrap up 2018 the way I best know how. Here they are. The songs that provided me with inspiration and a soundtrack for another ride around the sun. 

My Spotify playlists:

Top 100 of 2018
Top 20 albums of 2018
Songs I listened to the most in 2018

1. All This Useless Energy – Jeff Rosenstock
   Punk and indie-rock polymath Jeff Rosenstock wasn't even on my radar when 2017 became 2018. That changed a few days later when I discovered Post-, Rosenstock's surprise New Year's Day release. This song, along with numbers 2-4, were all released in January and permanently lodged in my head through the summer. None more so than this cathartic rock blast that contains one of my favorite lyrics of the year, "I haven’t found the rhythm yet. To anchor down my life. I didn’t know I needed one. To hold me through the night." This song, and the rest of Post-, proved to be my anchor right out of the gate in 2018. I can only hope 2019 has an anchor this good waiting for me.
2. Baby I'm Bleeding – JPEGMAFIA "Peggy where you been at...?" Indeed. He's in my world now and if he keeps releasing glitch-rap bangers like this accessibly agro attack from his third album, "Veteran," he'll always have a spot on my Mixtape.
3. How to Socialise & Make Friends – Camp Cope
   There are lots of ways a song can hook you. Lyrics, voice, melody, chorus, the list goes on. According to my Last.FM scrobbles for 2018, this one did it all, getting 179 plays this year - over 20 more than its closest competitor, this list's number one, "All This Useless Energy."
4. Negative Space – Hookworms
   This was easily my dance jam for the year. Different than anything else I heard in 2018, it got over 100 plays (eighth most for me this year) which is pretty amazing for a dance track that is nearly seven minutes long. I spent a bunch of time with their album, Microshift, and was excited about future releases, but those aren't to be. Hookworms broke up this fall after their leader had some pretty gnarly allegations of abuse made against him. 
5. Heat Wave – Snail Mail
   Once in a while, a new voice emerges that completely captivates and dominates my headspace in an irreversible manner. Life-changing might be a bit strong, but Lindsay Jordan - aka Snail Mail - is such a voice and this song, obvious title and all, pulled down Summer Song of 2018 honors. It's been nice to see Snail Mail get some love on various critics' Best of 2018 lists. Lots of it was for "Pristine," but every now and then this song popped up on a list, which makes me smile to think that others who actually write about music for a living were as moved by "Heat Wave" as I was. And still am.
6. Scorpio Rising – Soccer Mommy
   Once in a while, two new voices emerge that completely...you get the point. In a music year dominated by women, Soccer Mommy captured my heart first with "Your Dog," then a month or two later with "Cool." Once I got around to discovering this gem of a 'love song,' I was already head over heels with Snail Mail's "Heat Wave" and couldn't imagine having two such similar, sun-kissed, sullen songs on repeat...these things usually cancel each other out and they both lose ear-time to something totally different or one of the two songs gives way to the other. This wasn't the case with "Scorpio Rising," a song that easily could have soundtracked a very emotional episode of Dawson's Creek 20 years ago. Scorpio demanded to be heard. With lyrics like, "With your love you want warmth and I'm somethin' colder. I'm putting your hands to her heart," it won't be forgotten anytime soon.
7. USA – Jeff Rosenstock
   Once in a great while, a new artist discovery ends up yielding two songs in my year-end top ten. Okay...that barely ever happens (except this year...see the Soccer Mommy songs above and below this entry), but somehow, the seven-and-a-half minutes of this song demanded to be played. And played...and played. It addresses the current political climate and the impact it has on how we look at friendships and pretty much everything. It's first three minutes or so, "USA" masquerades as a rock song, perhaps a minor 'rage' against the machine that is this country, before fading into repeated verses of "Now we're tired and bored, tired and bored, tired and bored..." That voice is temporarily silenced for the next few minutes, buried in dissonant noise until it returns, building momentum and erupting into a full-on protest mantra of "We're tired, we're bored, Et-tu USA..." A more perfectly parallel trajectory to the song's inspiration and source material couldn't have been conceived.
8. Your Dog – Soccer Mommy
   "I don't want to be your fucking dog." Those are the first eight words I heard from Soccer Mommy and they were more than enough to get my attention. As evidenced by the fact Soccer Mommy has three songs in my top 20 of the year, Sophie Allison is someone I look forward to hearing a lot more from in the years to come.
9. Little Dark Age – MGMT
   While MGMT says this is more in the vein of 80s synth-driven pop and the more accessible parts of their catalog, this still sounds pretty damn weird even for 2018. In the best possible way, of course. Another song inspired by these Trumpian times, "Little Dark Age" serves as social commentary without pummeling the listener over the head about the situation that influenced it. 
10. Ghost Town – Kanye West
    I've been a Ye fan since "Through The Wire." Sure he's evolved into the arrogant, shit-talking, narcissistic asshat we all know and loathe these days, but that doesn't diminish the fact he's still capable of greatness. The summer started with five weeks of releases featuring Kanye rapping, producing, or collaborating or all of the above. In that mess of publicity stunts, listening parties in the middle of nowhere, etc... came a few songs that rose above the hype and delivered the goods. None more so than this incredibly personal song featuring a mantra that's so 2018 it's painful...yes, literally. 
11. Full Control – Snail Mail
    Another standout from Snail Mail's excellent full-length debut, Lush. Have I mentioned I love Snail Mail?
12. Stir Fry – Migos
    Pharrell produced this jam-and-a-half from the threesome that's pretty much redefined popular rap in their own image the past couple of years. The result: your aunt half-twerking to a song about making crack cocaine. 
13. Seventeen – Tomberlin
14. When You Die – MGMT
15. How Simple – Hop Along
16. Alcohol – FIDLAR
17. Me & My Dog –  boygenius
    It's that thing where Wilson Phillips is reborn for 2018 as a female singer-songwriter Voltron. Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers all shine on the six songs they've given us thus far as boygenius, this particular track being the initial standout on a stellar EP. 
18. Everybody Wants To Be Famous – Superorganism
    How this song didn't find its way to a bigger audience - the one it deserves - is beyond me. If an internet meme could become a song, I'm pretty sure it would sound like this. 
19. Dive – Beach House
20. Cool – Soccer Mommy
21. This Is America – Childish Gambino
    From watercooler chat to viral videos, and everything in between, popular culture dictates the moments that (if only for a fleeting moment) define us as a people. The song and video became part of the discussion the instant they were released and both still hold up as some of the most interesting and important pieces of media this year.
22. 4th Dimension – KIDS SEE GHOSTS
    Kanye + Kid Cudi + Louis Prima sample = perfection.
23. Nice For What – Drake
    Keeping with my time-honored tradition of liking every ninth or so song that Drake releases, I really liked this one for a quick minute. Maybe it's the New Orleans bounce in the track or the omnipresent Lauryn Hill sample that drives this track. Both did their trick in keeping "Nice For What" in heavy rotation this past spring.
24. Turn Out the Lights – Julien Baker
25. Picture of Health – Muncie Girls
26. High Horse – Kacey Musgraves
    Country-disco from my personal favorite Dancing Queen of the Rodeo. Kacey, being said queen, landed three songs in my year-end top 40 and her damn-near perfect Golden Hour album was my pick for #3 album of the year. 
27. Lemon – N.E.R.D, Rihanna
28. 65th & Ingleside – Chance the Rapper
29. Bleeding – THICK
30. Kids See Ghosts – KIDS SEE GHOSTS
31. Point Of Demarkation – At The Drive In
32. APESHIT – The Carters
    Remember that time Queen Bey out-rapped Jigga Man? Check this song's three-minute mark for a refresher. Beyonce was the star of her and hubby Jay-Z's THE CARTERS and when she says "Get off my dick," you best listen. 
33. Too Real – FIDLAR
34. Fuck Yo Club (Bonus) – 'Lgado, Valee
    Bonus tracks are typically throwaway songs that really have no point on an album. That's the norm and I'm not saying this track isn't throwaway, but it resonated way more than any other song on 'Lgado's Nino Season did. It's not rocket science by any stretch, but it seemed like it would be a good filler jam while I waited for Kanye's weekly June releases. Life is funny. Turns out that "Fuck Yo Club" got more listens from yours truly than any song from a Kanye release this year; ten more plays than Kanye's most played track, "Ghost Town." 
35. Every 1's a Winner – Ty Segall
    The only cover song to make the list, prolific Ty Segall electrifies this seminal disco hit, infusing his garage-punk spirit into its every nook and cranny, especially the monster hook of the central riff. 
36. Slow Burn – Kacey Musgraves
37. Far Away Truths – Albert Hammond, Jr.
    It's highly likely that the Strokes will never make an album that grabs us by the leather jacket like Is This It did when it arrived (gasp) 17 years ago. It's a testament to the talent in the band that its members are still churning out solo projects that capture some of that turn-of-the-century magic displayed on the Strokes' first couple albums. Guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr last logged substantial ear time with me in 2006 with his single, "101" and returned this year for his first album since 2015.
38. Reverse (Ft. G-Eazy) – Vic Mensa, G-Eazy
39. Leave It In My Dreams – The Voidz
    The companion piece of sorts to Albert Hammond Jr.'s "Far Away Truths," The Voidz is Strokes singer Julian Casablancas' latest project, featuring a whole lot of WTF. Seriously, listen to 2018's Virtue with a very open mind. It also has the best Strokes song not recorded by the Strokes in "Leave It In My Dreams," 
40. Space Cowboy – Kacey Musgraves
    If you listen closely, you'll hear the sounds of hearts breaking as Kacey sings, "We had our day in the sun. When a horse wants to run, ain't no sense in closing the gate. So you can have your space, cowboy."
41. Charity – Courtney Barnett
42. Any Other Way – Tomberlin
43. Loading Zones – Kurt Vile
44. Only Acting – Kero Kero Bonito
    What pop music sounds like in  2018. The pop music that I listen to, at least. 
45. Wild Child – Shopping
46. Mo Bamba – Sheck Wes
47. Esther – The Hold Steady
    I love a good story. This song is one such example.
48. Hand It Over – MGMT
49. Chapel of Pines – Waxahatchee
50. December 24 – Earl Sweatshirt
    Four Decembers ago, D'Angelo returned out of nowhere with his surprise year-end release, Black Messiah. It was a Christmas gift from the music gods at the time and nothing released in the twelfth month of the year since has been on that level. Fast forward to now. Earl Sweatshirt has been in my orbit since Odd Future burst on to the scene nine years ago, but he's neverSome Rap Songs album, as 2018's expiration date drew near. Something tells me I'll be getting plenty of mileage out of both in the first weeks and months of 2019. 
51. Sleeve – Late Bloomer
52. Drunk In LA – Beach House
53. Death in Midsummer – Deerhunter
54. Feels Like Summer – Vince Staples
55. Can’t You See – FIDLAR
56. High (feat. Elton John) – Young Thug, Elton John
    Come for the iconic Elton John sample, stay for Young Thug's irresistible flow. 
57. I'll Make You Sorry – Screaming Females
58. No Going Back – Yuno
    Perfect. Pop. Song. Any questions?
59. Disappointing Diamonds Are the Rarest of Them All – Father John Misty
60. LOVEHAPPY – The Carters
61. Almost Had to Start a Fight/In and Out of Patience – Parquet Courts
62. Kong – Neneh Cherry
    Miss Buffalo Stance is still doing her thing. On this track, Neneh skews jazzy with mesmerizing results.
63. Shiggy – Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
64. Whatever Comes to Mind – MorMor
65. Boy of Summer – Bat Fangs
66. Blood in Gutters – The Distillers
    Brody Dalle and company returned this year with a couple of singles - their first output in 15 years. This sounds as gritty and urgent as anything on Coral Fang or Sing Sing Death House. Dear Distillers: Please bring us more punk anthems like this in 2019. 
67. (You're Better) Than Ever – Illuminati hotties
68. Yikes – Kanye West
69. Grow into a Ghost – Swearin'
70. In My View – Young Fathers
71. Nameless, Faceless – Courtney Barnett
72. Soft Stud – Black Belt Eagle Scout
73. Hot Pink – Let's Eat Grandma
74. Peach – Slothrust
75. Loveline – Magic Wands
76. I Might Need Security – Chance the Rapper
    Where our hero, Chance, returns to proclaim he's bought local paper, The Chicagoist and to calls for the resignation of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Welcome back, Chance. We missed you.
77. Middle America – Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
78. Four Out Of Five – Arctic Monkeys
    Yes, AM is one of my favorite bands of the last 15 years. Yes, AM made a high-concept album about a lounge on the moon. And yes, despite my love of the band and the respect I have for them going outside (way outside) of their lane, I could only digest "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino" in small bites. This particular morsel happened to taste the best.
79. Cut Yr Teeth – Kississippi
80. Fists of Fury – Kamasi Washington
    Nearly ten minutes of sax-driven jazz, courtesy of one of the new guard's best and brightest. 
81. Runnin' Outta Luck – Alex Cameron
82. Meateater – ALASKALASKA
83. I Dreamt We Spoke Again – Death Cab for Cutie
84. Bike Lane – Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
85. Love Me Right – Amber Mark
    Unapologetic 90's R&B throwback track that simultaneously sounds retro and relevant. 
86. In My Dreams – Kali Uchis
87. Oreo – Rico Nasty
88. Bassackwards – Kurt Vile
89. We Appreciate Power – Grimes, HANA
    I only have two words for what I want out of 2019: More Grimes. 
90. Hot Summer – Gurr
91. T-Shirt – The Beaches
92. Natural – Tanukichan
93. Turn Around – Dungen, Woods
94. Elegance – Kilo Kish
95. Lucky 88 – Speedy Ortiz
96. My Contribution to This Scam – Jean Grae, Quelle Chris
97. SUPERDUPERKYLE (feat. MadeinTYO) – KYLE, MadeinTYO
98. Shirim – Melody's Echo Chamber
99. The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs – Wye Oak
100. Duck Duck Goose – cupcakKe

The Mixtape - 8/28/18: The Summer Song of 2018 is...

 

Miss Lindsey Jordan, aka Snail Mail, has been around since I relaunched my whole 'Mixtape' thing at the end of May. "Heat Wave" was #4 then and, after a brief wait for Kanye to rotate through the top spot in June with his own "Ghost Town" and KIDS SEE GHOSTS' "4th Dimension," it found its way to the top where it's spent the past 10 weeks. If ever a song owned (my) summer, it's this one.

As far as summer songs 2018 go, the rest of the world can have Cardi B's "I Like It" or Drake's "In My Feeling." My summer song wasn't meant to be a jam this go around. I mean, Reverse (Ft. G-Eazy) – Vic Mensa, G-Eazy, APESHIT – The Carters, and Fuck Yo Club (Bonus) – 'Lgado, Valee all outlasted any Kanye West production cut this summer, but none of them ear-wormed their way in to my heart the way "Heat Wave" did.

So the summer is nearly over and I spent it mostly listening to somber tales of love lost or, perhaps, love not even worth attempting. Sure, I rocked out a bit (thanks, THICK, Swearin', and Late Bloomer), but while I'd like to think the forecast will call for sunnier tunes, I'm presently knee-deep in Tomberlin's powerfully hushed debut, At Weddings. It's been a mainstay in my headphones these past few weeks (aka Mixtape cycles) that I've been away. Oh yeah, sorry 'bout that, by the way...life, ya know?

Tomberlin's ascension toward the top aside, it's been mostly business as usual, musically speaking. Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy have remained 1-2 the past month with the aforementioned summer song of 2018 and "Scorpio Rising" respectively. During my blogging downtime, I found great new music from Black Belt Eagle Scout (13), Kurt Vile (34), YBN Cordae (38), and Ultra Beauty (39). And as much as my 1999 self LOVED Slim Shady, his surprise Kamikaze release last week didn't get catch me buying what Mr. Mathers is selling in 2018.

The past month, Muncie Girls and Death Cab For Cutie releases aside, didn't offer me much reason to anticipate New Music Friday. That drought ends this week with a handful of new albums I'm eager to spend some time with. I'm gonna party like it's 1979 with new releases from all the Pauls - McCartney, Simon, and Carrack - and dig in to some albums I'll might still be listening to in 2019 from Waxahatchee and Mothers. I might even wax nostalgic for the 90s and check out the latest offerings from Everlast, Macy Gray, and Lenny Kravitz. Stranger things have happened; have you heard the new Eminem album?

The Mixtape 8/14/18: Lucky 7 weeks on top for "Heat Wave" by Snail Mail

Can't. Stop. Listening. Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy are 1 and 2 again this week. A combined 10 minutes or so of two distinct tales of love lost, each cutting through the noise of the real world with their own tension and release. I'm cutting this short so I can go listen to them both. Again. See you soon.

New this week:

31) Locked Up – Muncie Girls
32) Bruce Banner – Mick Jenkins
35) I Can Treat You Better – Part Time, Ariel Pink
36) Levitate – Twenty One Pilots
38) Sober Motel – DILLY DALLY
39) Soft Stud – Black Belt Eagle Scout
40) Any Other Way – Tomberlin