Cocainejesus just released the best new album on Dream Catalogue since 2814’s epoch-defining 新しい日の誕生 (Birth of a New Day) and I cannot get enough of it. We’re Worried About You introduces a new chapter for the prolific label.
What I’m Into This Week (4/17 – 4/23)
So this will be remembered as the week that Prince died. The sudden and unexpected departure of one of the last rock stars on earth was a blow that we no one wanted in 2016, not after losing so many larger than life, all time favorite artists already. I haven’t seen people come together so much in commiseration or celebration since David Bowie died. The music world lost a bright shining star, and I personally lost another icon I’d held close over the years.
At least I can say that this week also brought some incredible new music. Here’s what we’ve got.
Colin Stetson – Sorrow, a Reimagining of Górecki’s 3rd Symphony
Colin Stetson, known for his virtuoso saxophone work and haunting trilogy of avant-jazz solo albums, has put together a miniature orchestra to record one of the greatest pieces of music of the 20th century. While I had my doubts, the resulting album is an incredible feat of musicianship and passion. It’s a riveting new take on a classic that leaves the emotional core intact while adding new wrinkles to the experience.
The Jesus and Mary Chain – Just Like Honey
The Jesus and Mary Chain’s first hit, Just Like Honey, is one of the greatest rock songs of all time. This is as close to objective fact as you can get in the music world.
If you’re not familiar, you’ll know what I mean:
Wim Mertens – Maximizing The Audience
Wim Mertens’ incredible album has been lodged in my brain for a few weeks now, settling into those neuronal corners usually reserved for longtime favorites. It would feel like cheating if Maximizing The Audience weren’t such a perfectly realized slice of modern classical music.
When I hit play here, I’m pulled back to my oldest memories of hearing Philip Glass as a child, realizing that this genre felt like a core component of my musical identity. Listening to this feels like brave new territory overlaid on some nostalgic memory of home.
What I’m Into This Week (4/10 – 4/16)
This week felt heavy, swallowed by darkness, but I worked through it and kept pushing. I climbed up until I felt the final warmth of the sun on my skin. I got on my bike and kept going, further every day. I had some hard talks with those closest to me, and I now feel a peaceful sense of clarity about this moment in life.
I also listened to some amazing new music that both eased and enhanced my journey.
Aziz Ansari and Eric Wareheim made a video for Kanye West’s Famous
Eric Wareheim and Aziz Ansari went to Italy and fucked around to the beat of Kanye’s infamous tune Famous. Thankfully they recorded it all, because this is some infectious fun.
The results speak for themselves:
Optimistic Underground 