Good morning, Midweek. Spring is officially here. I've opened the windows.  First thing I checked out today was the title track of the upcoming new collaboration between Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA , Scaring The Hoes .  The distinct and character-rich voices of each artist aside, the snare beat sounds like it was mic'd in a crawlspace, scratchy tenor sax scribbles across the track like a kindergartner enthusiastically dragging a marker across paper with a tight fist. Add a simple bass groove and claps.  I love it.  When thinking about minimalism in terms of production, the tinniness and sonic anemia of trap/drill beats and the ubiquity that this sound has had over the last decade or more across a multitude of artists hasn't had consistent appeal for me. That said, I get it: soundtracking a club, the bass drops are effective and the vibe is the draw.  But, "Scaring The Hoes" is minimalism done well. Looking forward to this album. __________ The Laurie Anderson all...

To whom it may interest, Still getting acclimated to 2023 and up on January releases. How are you feeling about this year? Anything that you're looking forward to? I believe I've mentioned this before, but I'm in the process of trying to figure out how to develop a following in the TikTok space. You can find that here .  For last week's rounds of browser tabs, I've heard the following: ____________________________ Alex Ward Item 4:  "OURS" (from  Furthered,  releasing 3/3/23 by  577 Records )       577 Records · OURS by Alex Ward/Item 4 from album 'Furthered' (577 Records) Courtesy of 577 Records. Meg Baird:  "Ashes, Ashes" (from  Furling,  releasing 1/27/23 by  Drag City ) Courtesy of Drag City.  Ad Omega: "Triumph of Void" (from  Aphelic Ascent,  releasing 2/10/23 by  Drakkar Productions ) Courtesy of Falce Press & Management.  Constant Smiles:  "Triumph of Void" (from  Kenneth Anger,...

To whom it may interest, In the wake of late night neighborhood demonstrations of amateur fireworks displays and cork-ejaculated ribbons of bubbly champagne, the first full calendar week of 2023 has been officially Xd out. Time to take the Christmas trees down and bundle up for the next couple months. For last week's rounds of browser tabs, I've heard the following: ____________________________ Endorphins Lost:  "Regulation Area Bombing" (from Night People  releasing 2/1/23 by  To Live A Lie  / Rotten to the Core ) This one will beat you up pretty good: A little over a minute and thirty of throat scraping crust punk/power violence replete with excessive head-knock and a writhing breakdown for its second act.   Night People by Endorphins Lost Courtesy of Earsplit PR. Atsuko Chiba:  "Link" (from  Water, It Feels Like It's Growing  releases 1/20/23 by  Mothland ) The synth ride overtop some elaborate prog-level guitar noodling is worth explorati...

So, that's another November billed and submitted for review. It's early 12/1 and I'm an hour into the workday, taking healthy swigs from a lukewarm large cup of 7-11's finest blend and struggling to stay focused on any task that needs to be handled and completed today. Focus has been a problem, something I mean to fix this coming year. Due to the frequent interruptions and fire drills I'll experience over the course of a day, the need for me to pivot at a moment's notice often leaves me unable to keep track of my prior tasks. I'll repeat steps and miss others. It's yet another boundary that I need to be able to set and communicate to workplace peers: "Yes, I'll take care of that in a minute, but please let me finish what I'm working on."  I'm turning 46 in 20 days. You'd think I'd have my shit together at this point. In line with getting ones shit together, "Best Of"s and "Favorites Of"s lists are being c...

It's well-past midnight. Officially Tuesday morning. Experiencing a rare bout of insomnia on a work night, which isn't ideal. Figured I'd post some tracks. Enjoy. ____________________________ Meg Baird:  "Star Hill Song" (from Furling releasing 1/27/23 by Drag City ) Courtesy of Drag City. Knife The Symphony:  "Wildling I / Islands" (from All The Wrong Turns Taken To Get Here releasing 1/2/23 by Phratry Records ) All The Wrong Turns Taken To Get Here by Knife The Symphony No Base Trio: "ST [7]" (from NBT II releasing 10/15/22)   Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

I had a good time today. It's not often that over the course of a workday I'm able to direct some attention to my periphery, just enough that I keep to the necessary tasks while engaging with something more worthwhile. In this case, I spent some time today checking out some long overdue songs and artists that I'd meaning to investigate for the past few weeks. It's been a bit since I sorted through browser tabs.  That said, there's a lot to review. I hope you enjoy. Feel free to comment.  ____________________________ Deniz Cuylan: "Hidden Language Of Four" (from Rings Of Juniper releasing 10/14/22 by Hush Hush Records ) Deniz Cuylan · Hidden Language Of Four Courtesy of C L A N D E S T I N E  L A B E L  S E R V I C E S. Deru : "The Dirt" (from  We Will Live On  releasing 10/28/22 by Friends Of Friends ) Courtesy of Terrorbird Media.  Bill Nace : "E:E" (from  Through A Room  releasing 11/11/22 by  Drag City )   Courtesy of Drag Ci...

It's a Wednesday evening of sorting through browser tabs. Some tracks for your perusal:  Russian Circles: "Gnosis" (from Gnosis  releasing 8/19/22 by Sargent House ) Courtesy of Rarely Unable.  Buñuel : "It's All Mine" (from Killers Like Us released by Profound Lore ) Courtesy of Rarely Unable.  Child Bite : "Erect for Dystopia" (from Multicult / Child Bite split 12" by Hex Records ) MULTICULT/ CHILD BITE split 12" by Multicult/ Child Bite Kali Malone : "Living Torch II" (from Living Torch by  GRM Portraits ) Living Torch by Kali Malone Die Welttraumforscher:  "Glücklich. Traurig. Seltsam" (from Liederbuch releasing 8/19/22 by Bureau B ) Liederbuch by Die Welttraumforscher Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

The "I'll get back to that" portion of my brain results in sometimes 50 browser tabs being open, many of which are YouTube or Bandcamp links for bands and performers that I want to keep track of.  So, I'm sorting through browser tabs. And, so are you.  Horsegirl: "Anti-Glory" (from Versions of Modern Performance released by Matador Records ) Versions of Modern Performance by Horsegirl Sam Gendel:  "Uroko (鱗, fish scales)" (from  blueprint  releasing 10/14/22 by  Leaving Records ) Uroko (鱗, fish scales) by Sam Gendel Courtesy of Julian T. Schoen - Artist, Event & Project Management The Koreatown Oddity :  "Aggro Can" (from  ISTHISFORREAL?  releasing 7/22/22 by  Stones Throw ) Kamikaze Palm Tree:  "Flamingo" (from  Mint Chip  releasing 7/15/22 by  Drag City ) Mint Chip by Kamikaze Palm Tree Pye Corner Audio:  "Warmth Of The Sun" (from  Let's Emerge!  released by  Sonic Cathedral ) ...