Writing about music in lieu of human interaction
A composition for five shakuhachi that was inspired by a profound literary experience. When composer and performer Devon Osamu Tipp read Yoshimoto Banana's novel "Argentine Hag," they experienced a sort of two-way deja-vu; Tipp felt an inkling that events that occurred within the book's plot might happen to them in the future, or had perhaps … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Devon Osamu Tipp – Smell of the Sun 太陽の匂い
A few words about a few local tracks that hit the spot this week ### Luwidakid - Different Cloth (ft. iiiMooeen) Darkly bombastic melodic hip-hop filled to the brim with off-kilter instrumental flourishes and disorienting vocal cadences. More from Luwidakid Follow on Instagram https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gipEj8xwYQ8 ### Dizzier - cruelty Hushed acoustic guitar music that feels like … Continue reading Weekly Wrap-Up 03.24.23
The self-described "dumbest band in hardcore" returns with a second LP called No Experts. The thrashing "Weather Capital," full of grinding guitars and queasy bass, serves a mini-anthem for the band itself. Vocalist Lawson Bloom, in a voice that simultaneously brays, honks, and snarls, announces the group's reemergence from the depths of a not-so-cold winter, … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Illiterates – Weather Capital
A few words about a few local tracks that hit the spot this week ### Woodland Creatures - Keep On Running A moody, ominous Americana track that smolders like the charred remains of an industrial sprawl that's just finished immolating. More from Woodland Creatures Follow on Instagram and Facebook Artwork by Bill Lyon ### Fort … Continue reading Weekly Wrap-Up 03.11.23
A few words about a few local tracks that hit the spot this week ### Partly Sunny - Sick or Sad This track, which takes center stage in a space opera about a family escaping a doomed earth, deploys driving rhythms, whispy vocals, and jarring instrumental stabs in service of a deceptively poignant unrequited love … Continue reading Weekly Wrap-Up 02.17.23
Hardcore quartet Cold Mass return with a self-titled third album. Cold Mass sure know how to make sulfuric guitars, sledgehammer drums, and throat-pulverizing yowls sound fun; a menacing groove animates the band's music, rendering it neck-snappingly, arm-flailingly danceable. Cold Mass III opener "Bring the Chairs Closer to the Casket" twists itself around a series of … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Cold Mass – Bring the Chairs Closer to the Casket
A few words about a few local tracks that hit the spot this week ### Ex Pilots - Red Tape A tin-can piano ballad that starts off tender and gathers steam until guitars roar to life--jet engines ready for takeoff--and blast things into the hazy upper atmosphere. More from Ex Pilots Follow on Instagram Artwork: … Continue reading Weekly Wrap-Up 02.10.23
Zany pop act Junie & TheHutFriends returns with a new single. With a title inspired by an exceedingly bizarre internet rabbithole that I just got sucked into, "Hey Peabrain! U Levitate?" plays out like an invitation from a magical bunch of tricksters to join them in their benevolent mischief. If you accept, they'll show you … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Junie & TheHutFriends – Hey Peabrain! U Levitate?
Photo by me On Saturday, January 28th, southern gothic act Bonnie and the Mere Mortals set up shop at Club Cafe on the South Side to record a stripped-down live album. At the start of the night, a doodle of a little guy in a cowboy hat greeted me--"Hey feller"--from its perch upon the urinal … Continue reading Bonnie and the Mere Mortals Live and Unplugged Album Recording Show
A few words about a few local tracks that hit the spot this week ### Speed Plans - Can't Get Through Out on Seattle's IRON LUNG Records, this scuzzy burst of punk sounds like a basement being destroyed by flying instruments in real time. More from Speed Plans More from IRON LUNG Records Follow IRON … Continue reading Weekly Wrap-Up 02.03.23
Bored In Pittsburgh 