Guess I’m in the right place

Flew to Barcelona today, getting ready for Mozfest. This city really is one of my favorite places on earth, despite how little I understand of the language.

I landed at 9am local time, so I headed to a WeWork and had a wonderful conversation with some local technology people here already despite feeling a little crazy after the long flight. Not a bad view from the coworking space either.

Looking forward to the conference. I'll post some daily rollups here!

4 albums to listen to that came out today

Me and the Music - Claud

Not sure where I first heard Claud, but all their stuff (especially "Super Monster") are wonderful indie-pop anthems that are distinctly queer and clever. This album seems to have a sheen that maybe isn't quite as resonant for me, but the tradeoff are some really nice "water from your eyes" basslines that I'm enjoying.

Gentling the Horse at the Walt Whitman Mall - Caroline Rose

Caroline Rose is what I always hope for when I go to an LA show. Confident chaos, a vision that maybe I don't understand totally but I wanna bang a head to. This album continues that heroic behavior! Can't wait to see this stuff live!

What To Make Of These Mortal Hands - Dis Fig

I heard Dis Fig on a collab with The Bug, which I absolutely loved - and had the privilege of seeing her do some live stuff with The Body. All three of these bands make super dark music of a different kind - this album helps me understand which parts were hers. The atmosphere on this record is intense and abyssal without feeling too angry. There's elements of ARCA in here but it still has plenty of guitars. Not the kind of record you'd listen to with your mom but a really nice ambient/industrial thing going here.

Fudge - Michael Kiwanuka

I was just thinking about how I needed a new record from this guy! This album deserves a dedicated review that I won't be able to give it, but suffice to say it's a must listen for pretty much everyone I know. This is the kind of pop/soul that is generationally rare and everything he makes is a gift.

2 albums that to listen to that came out today

No Bad Memories - The Avalanches

I've been revisiting Since I Left You a lot lately, it was such an important album in general and left a big impression on me. It has such a special power of both being very complete as a single art piece and having a bunch of great singles. This one doesn't quite get there on the first listen, but is unmistakably avalanches, and despite the cover, isn't just a great listen because of nostalgia - it's contemporary and fun.

do you love the color of the sky? - Dummy

This LA group has been putting out some really great stuff since 2021 - I have both their earlier albums on vinyl so I pre-ordered this one, and was delighted to hear that it maintains their driving poppy psych-shoegaze style, but has some really fun D&B stuff going on. Gonna be spinning this one a lot!

Best email I’ve received today!

Feels great to have our business site on Archival. Already our reservation system has been dramatically more reliable, but it’s also just dope to open my phone and ask for changes to our system instead of fitting it in when I’m in front of a bigger screen.

Hope to see a lot more of these emails soon!

4 albums to listen to that came out today

Bäckerei 2000 - C.A.R.

Weirdly, there are 2 bands called C.A.R., both are still somewhat obscure, both are active, and both are pretty great bands. This particular C.A.R. is a truly unique jazz/jam/ambient instrumental project with a focus on sax and synth out of Cologne, Germany. This album is an expansive and heady journey, an experimental genre bending Jazz that is best listened to focused and alone.

Mud - Remi Wolf

Remi Wolf is one of my favorite pop artists going, and this album showcases her clever songwriting, catchy melodies, huge energy, and unmatched production value. I can't wait to listen to this enough times to get a few stuck in my head.

Half An Owl And A Full Moon Rising - Steffi

Steffi expertly walks the line between house and techno, and is one of the producers that I appreciate a lot for focusing on the album format and building track lists rather than set lists. This album is, like her other work, a slow build and driving kick that would be at home in any club in Berlin, but still chill enough to avoid your annoying friends pumping their fists if you put it on in the background at dinner.

Dja Dja - Marina Herlop

Merina Herlop is a composer, who works primarily on synth and keys but produces a sound much more akin to a live Bjork performance. This album plays all the way through like a symphony, and could be seen as an orchestral performance by one, built layer by layer. I became aware of her due to her perennial appearances at Primavera Sound. Her live shows inspire both tilted heads and fascinated reverence, and it's arguable that there isn't really anyone doing what she's doing. This album pushes the definition of music by using familiar tools to create a completely foreign construction.

Bello

We got a new doggie. A few pics from the first week!