Writing about things that do and don't exit
Image provided by artist BrothaMans, a local hip-hop artist and producer who’s spent the past few years peppering the internet with singles, freestyles, and EPs, is set to release his debut album, Chapter 1, this summer, and contacted me a few months ago to propose an advance listen and write-up. I readily agreed, and then … Continue reading BrothaMans – Chapter 1
Pittsburgh's newly established Floating Mill Records, a label that reissues underrated post-punk albums from decades past, recently re-released a 1981 EP by Tampa, FL's The Stick Figures (the group broke up soon after recording the original), adding a number of previously unheard tracks to the earlier iteration's four-song list. The Stick Figures' music combines off-kilter … Continue reading The Stick Figures – Archeology
Pittbsurgh/Vermont-based artist Lili Traviato's latest album as Princess Nostalgia, Thank Heavens 4 Opposable Thumbs, is out today, and represents her most fully realized work to date. ### Lili Traviato has always identified herself as a producer first and a singer second. She hammers the point home at every opportunity because of the countless times people … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Princess Nostalgia – Thank Heavens 4 Opposable Thumbs
A few weeks ago, the Tribe Eternal and NVSV released the video for "Local Celebrity," the first single from their collaborative album Mysterious Shit. The full project is out today, and it's a good one. I was having trouble picking just one track from Mysterious Shit to highlight, so I'm going to discuss the work … Continue reading Daily Yinz-Tribe Eternal x NVSV-Mysterious Shit
School of Seven Bells-Alpinisms (2008, Ghostly International) School Of Seven Bells was a band that I first listened to because I liked their name. The moniker, drawn from a mythical Colombian pickpocket school, sounded intriguingly dreamy and magical, and I hoped that the music would follow suit. My parents got the band's 2008 debut Alpinisms … Continue reading School of Seven Bells-Alpinisms
Winter Moon-Make Real, Make Believe (2019, Kozmik Artifactz) The return of Swamptina, for those who missed her the first time around A few weeks back, Bored In Pittsburgh featured the sonic sledgehammer “Who Are You” by Melbourne, Australia’s Winter Moon, and the character of Swamptina Aguilera was born. Swamptina is the pseudonym that I bestowed … Continue reading Winter Moon-Make Real, Make Believe
Kanye West-My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010, Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella) Before I even get into the music talk, I just want to say, for the record, that I was as disappointed as anyone when Kanye hitched his wagon to the deluded, wheezing horse that is Donald Trump. That being said, it is worth noting that Kanye … Continue reading Kanye West-My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Midori Takada-Through The Looking Glass (1983, RCA//2017 reissue, WRWTFWW and Palto Flats) I first found Through The Looking Glass, a cult favorite release by criminally underrated Japanese experimental composer Midori Takada, while (surprise, surprise) looking at a Pitchfork list. I feel like a consistent, slightly embarrassing theme has arisen when talking about how I find … Continue reading Midori Takada-Through The Looking Glass
Van Morrison-Astral Weeks (1968, Warner Bros) I first became familiar with Van Morrison when I heard him featured on an album my parents used to play when I was a kid—1988’s Irish Heartbeat, a collaboration with Irish folk group the Chieftains. And I hated him. In fact, I distinctly remember telling my mom that Morrison … Continue reading Van Morrison-Astral Weeks
Tacocat-NVM (2014, Hardly Art) I first found out about the Seattle, WA group Tacocat back in college while trolling an ever-present-in-my-past-and-probably-my-future-too yearly Best Of list on Pitchfork. I was scrounging around for songs I could add to my infamous freshman year study playlist; the song that ended up making the cut was the surf-rock styled … Continue reading Tacocat-NVM
Bored In Pittsburgh 