Two quick noteworthy items from the Ampwall team. First, this compilation entitled Cranked To 11: An Ampwall Community Mixtape is an enjoyable introduction to a diverse and growing group of musicians. There may be some misconceptions that the platform is primarily metal and metal-esque music but this comp showcases plenty outside of those genres.
Secondly, they launched a persistent music player. Traversing between pages without music playback being interrupted is a huge feature add. That's just one of several new features launched in the last month. I'm really loving the transparency and the speed of the ampwall platform.
This Marcin Wichary essay on the pervasive-yet-hidden font throughout NYC - nay, throughout history - is quite a fascinating read. It's lengthy but the writing style is perfectly compelling start to finish.
I won't spoil the contents specifically but the title, The Hardest Working Font in Manhattan, is sure to give you some clues. This level of fandom, commitment to research and massive pooling of delightful examples is right up my alley!
An article of this length and this level of enjoyment is a rare treat these days. Never forget that the open web is still a wonderful treasure trove.
This paragraph is hidden from view but it allows me to add some additional keywords for possible search results; like Gorton, Gordon, Leroy, DSKY and felt leaderboard.
I was gonna use this Veep GIF for the cover but it was just too real. You're here for relief, not reminders. So, let's get to the enjoyable distractions!
Lifeforce trailer - have we talked about this 1985 Tobe Hooper movie about Space Vampires? It recently got the whole restoration treatment and I think it's time I finally saw it.
C64 Demo: Phonics Is Dead - YouTube has realized that I need to be aware of all things Commodore 64. This demo is fantastic but considering it was made on a computer from 1982 is unbelievable.
David Lynch on Living & Dying - the only upside to Lynch's passing is that clips like this bubble up. This is not your typical Friday Videos fodder but, damn, it's 3 minutes of delight.
TV Wheel: The X Box - did you know Joel Hodgson (or MST3K) had a 1995 pilot called TV Wheel, funded by HBO? It's sketch comedy show with a single camera mounted inside of a giant rotating mechanism. It's 37 minutes! I can't really decide if it's funny, which isn't a great sign, but there are lots of familiar faces in there (I spy David Cross).
Backflips - I continue to highly enjoy Montessori Boy and continue to wish they posted more on YouTube, as I can't quite seem to get TikTok into my regular rotation.
Fofão - have I mentioned Fofao here yet? The Brazilian children's show mascot that is pure terror? I don't think I have. I'm sorry to bring this to your attention if you weren't already aware but if I have to know it exists, so do you.
This library is used only to generate and analyze the RAW waveforms that are played and captured from your audio devices (speakers, microphones, etc.). You are free to use any audio backend (e.g. PulseAudio, ALSA, etc.) as long as you provide callbacks for queuing and dequeuing audio samples.
That doesn't sound like much but it's doing all the heavy lifting to encode the audio with the data and decode it on the other side. There's plenty of demo videos and demo apps you really should play with.
There are certainly some practical considerations to keep in mind with an audio based communication tool - namely, this isn't going to work in a crowded space - but it sounds fantastic. I love a scenario where sci-fi informs reality and all of this feels lifted directly from a Star Trek script. I'm not saying we're ever going to hear it out in the wild but I sure do love seeing it as a fully working demo.
DeskPad - a virtual monitor for screen sharing. DeskPad creates a virtual display that is mirrored within its application window so that you can create a dedicated, easily shareable workspace.
I screen share quite frequently at work and have yet to find a Google Meet, Zoom, et al experience that is pleasant.. especially from a larger monitor to a group. Maybe this is the key to all my problems!
Cursor: AI Code Editor - the moment I post this, it will be outdated. In fact, as I write this, I know that Cline (a VS Code AI agent) can combine with Claude Code - which may even be superior!
The point here is, these code assistant agents are getting very good. Maybe not Build Your Own Bandcamp good but if you need to build a marketing website, they can do a great deal of the work for you now. Pretty wild.
pISSStream - ... a menu bar app that shows how full the International Space Station's urine tank is in real time.. Need I say more?
Kim Deal releasing her first solo record is a noteworthy event in itself but this video for "Big Ben Beat" contained an additional little treat: it's directed by Richard Ayoade! It also features appearances by Lydia Fox, Ida Ayoade, Esmé Ayoade and Fay Milton. It's an Ayoade short film, in multiple ways! I don't think he's credited as director on anything since The Double in 2013, so it's nice to see that seal be broken.*
I'm not sure I'll ever have the opportunity to use this set of Neobrutalism components but I enjoy the aesthetic. It's a little nostalgic, a little whimsical and seems pretty robust!
I've no idea how I ran across Daughter of Swords (Durham, NC) but I was immediately smitten with "Talk to You." High energy pop tendencies with yearning melancholy self-doubt lyrics - sign me up!
The album from which that single emerges - Alex - is set for release on April 11th. If I wasn't already hooked, this had me insta-preorder:
Daughter of Swords’ music has grown thornier, an unpredictable and knotty tangle of technicolor synths, heady guitar, bubbling rhythms, a sheen enveloping songs about raw human intensity writ large – crushes, desire, anger, alienation, the horrors of late-stage capitalism, the cascading paradigm shifts it seems we're all hurtling toward.
The video is brand new to me but I love the analog glitched out effects and playful nature of it; undermining those lyrics. Get this in your ears.
These two tech stories really have nothing to do with one another but I do find the dichotomy between to be entertaining, so I'm posting them both here...
Microsoft announces Majorana 1 chip - I do not claim to have the least bit of legitimate understanding of Quantum Computing but I do find the emerging technology to be absolutely fascinating. So, don't ask me to explain all the qubits or topological superconductors at play here but it's worth noting this level of emerging technology. It seems poised to be far more impactful than any of the drama you see playing out with OpenAi and others.
Humane AI shutting down - after launching less than a year ago, the Humane AI pin has been acquired by HP and announced they will be shutting down the devices (don't worry, "offline features like battery level" will still work!).
The pin was widely mocked and never gained much traction. I suspect we'll see the same for the Rabbit R1 and maybe the Friend. I know it's easy to dunk on these devices but I like that there is some innovative thinking outside of "make an iPhone app." The Humane pin had a fascinating, albeit impractical, interface. I know they overpromised and underdelivered. I know they were more hype than anything practical. I get it but I can't help but feel excited by the attempt. And at the end of the day, we did get a wonderful meme from it.
This Janus Rose piece for 404 Media- You Can’t Post Your Way Out Of Fascism - is a must read. If nothing more, the first paragraph alone needs to hit your eyeballs:
If there’s one thing I’d hoped people had learned going into the next four years of Donald Trump as president, it’s that spending lots of time online posting about what people in power are saying and doing is not going to accomplish anything. If anything, it’s exactly what they want.
I'm as lost as everyone else (as is Rose) in the flood of bad news coming at us every single day. I also feel a deep sense of defeat and despair. Overwhelmed and prone to inaction - because what's the point? But.. that is the point. And I know it!
I don't have any set of answers but I found this piece served as a good reminder to focus on your local community. Support those around you when you can - donate to a food kitchen or a public fridge, attend a rally. Meet with others. Do something even if it's tiny. Then do it again.
Big shoutout to Alex Steed for the nudge towards the piece. Much needed.
Hompulon - a collaborative project from Matt Glassmeyer and Tom Spiker. "Hompulon is an alien hot potato of angst, confusion, bliss, brooding, and calm, passed back and forth to avoid radiation." I can't classify what genre this encroaches on but it's instrumental compositions filled with reeded instruments, pedal steel, drum machine, synth and a landscape of emotions.
William Tyler - Time Indefinite - To appreciate this fully I think you need to read through the "about" text that accompanies it; primarily the part where Tyler finds an ancient tape machine and begins making tape loops that make their way into this record. There's only 3 songs available at the moment but they are immersive soundscapes, sometimes chaotic and abrasive and sometimes gently coddling. Sometimes all of the above. Can't wait to hear the whole thing.
Tennessee Rhythm Company - another project that Matt Glassmeyer has some involvement in but with a much different vibe. These four tracks are steeped in R&B; complete with Wultizer, Moog and plenty of perfect horns. Dare I say a bit of funky vibes work there way in there too. Current favorite work mix on repeat.
The host of this video vacillates between amusingly self-deprecating and annoyingly self-aware but, despite that, this short video on the 3DS-EXP 645 Film Camera is worth a watch. It's a six lens camera designed for making lenticular prints, aka those prints that "move" depending on what angle you view them from. Almost every mention of this camera online is actually a link back to this video - a redundantly circular trip which just seems to confirm how rare this camera actually is. Occasionally you can find full product images, so it's worth digging around to find out even more after viewing the above.
As noted in previous posts, I don't know much about the Commodore 64. It was released in 1982 and is considered the "highest-selling single computer model of all time," with estimates between 12.5 and 17 million units out in the world. Mostly I know it is beloved and continues to be a platform that artists are making incredibly impressive works with.
This Mojo Demo is an excellent example of that level of mind melting impressive work. Released in 2023 by Bonsai & Pretzel Logic, it is a 17 minute animation that contains a plethora of nods to old games and movies while also embracing a good ole dystopian storyline here and there. I'm smitten.
I love it when I encounter a very nerdy thing that is clearly very impressive for very nerdy reasons but the specifics of which are entirely beyond me. For instance, this Linus Akesson Commodore 64 demo entitled NINE is "seemingly impossible." By and large because the Commodore 64 can only support "8 sprites on a given raster line" but this video proports to use more!
Look, I don't know anything about C64 rendering limitations and the related rabbit holes are just as confusing but that doesn't make it any less interesting! Great animation, fantastic music and a little mystery if you care to unlock it.
Many thanks to Raquel Laneri for sharing her experience in both meeting David Lynch and having him publish his Top 5 Sandwiches, a list that he took very seriously and contains many excellent sandwiches. Maybe pair this with the perfect milkshake?
The Nashville Underground occasionally bubbles up a piece of music history that piques my interest - such as this 1986 alt weekly called The Metro. Lots of great scans and art to see there but if you pull the thread just a little further you'll end up at Rev. Keith Gordon's History of Music Zines in Nashville; a four part series that starts in 1976 and touches on a multitude of releases through the 90s (before transitioning in web publications in the 00s).
Make sure you read Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four in full... loads of gems there and so much additional threads to pull, should you be so inclined. Or, just go for the graphic design, of which there is plenty to enjoy.
Longform Editions is a curatorial music practice created to foster and celebrate immersive listening experiences for the musically adventurous. Launched in 2018, Longform Editions was founded by Andrew Khedoori and Mark Gowing, based on the collective experience of their long running Preservation label. The organisation was originally born out of a desire to enable a deeper attention to listening utilising contemporary digital music delivery systems. Longform Editions was not conceived as a record label, rather it is more like an ever-evolving group show at an art gallery, but online, with music.
My suggestion is to load up their editions page; marvel at the consistent (and evolving) artwork that they have embraced over the last seven years and then click at random to discover something immersive. Maybe you'll land on Gavilán Rayna Russom, LCD Soundsystem member. Maybe you'll land on Rich Ruth, Nashville ambient composer. Maybe Susan Alcorn, the recently departed and incredibly influential creator in pedal steel. That said, I imagine it's the names you don't know that will be even more rewarding than the ones you do.
It's a shame that Longform is shutting down but I have the utmost respect for anyone that recognizes the limitations of an endeavor and chooses to start anew. It's a helluva body of work to say the least.
Generally speaking, I don't care to ramble on about myself. That said, I knew that with my new podcast YK World, I would want to provide some context for how the show came to be.. which would require a bit of a deep dive on me.
How We Got Here is forty minutes of looking back at my experiences with art, music and technology leading up to how I met Ross Wariner and launched yk Records. None of the episode talks about how the label actually functions but it basically does some broad strokes from the beginning to 2009, when the label begins.
I promise not every episode will be so self-indulgent but I do hope that the background provides some context for future episodes. And, yes, those are two perfectly awkward photos of me in college. Enjoy!
The Superbowl is this weekend, please consider following this kids lead and decorate yourself with ice cream. I mean, just try it out. Here's some videos I've been hoarding that I'm now ready to share:
Chazmo Finally Goes Home - this Tim Robinson / Sam Richardson commercial series has been around for a bit but this is the Superbowl version. A bit gruesome but a fitting end to the series. If you have not seen the others, please watch them.
February is the worst month - apparently this weatherman's screed against February is from 2016 but I'd never seen it before this year. His deadpan delivery is spot on. I don't agree with him but I love his vibe.
Fountain by Zilvinas Kempinas - there's not much to this video but this cassette installation piece is mesmerizing. I'd love to see it in real life.
Corgi Skateboard - America's Funniest Home Videos walked so this Internet video could run.
Mike Patton, Adult Themes for Voice transcription - I was already familiar with the vocal insanity of Mike Patton but was not aware that he released an album in 1996 called Adult Themes for Voice - a noise album recorded in hotel rooms while touring with Faith No More. It's difficult to listen to but this transcription from John Curry makes it a bit more engaging.
David Lynch on the Quest for the Perfect Milkshake - as you may know, David Lynch went to Bob's Big Boy every day for seven years. One of the reasons for this was the quest for the perfect milkshake.. which he actually obtained a few times!
David Lynch With His Boys - from the Eraserhead bonus materials, David Lynch hanging out with this five Woody Woodpecker dolls. He saved their lives. If this makes no sense to you, that's okay. It's Lynch!
Subpixel Snake - Friday Videos shouldn't be 5 minutes long nor should they be educational but this is both. It's also wild that this person built a game of Snake using only subpixels. You can't play it because you can't see it! But it exists.
The LaserDisc Turtle - apparently if you had a LaserDisc player and put the disc in upside down, you'd get this delighted little turtle. I love him. He seems so content to be wrong side up.
I recently became aware of ElasticStage, a UK based company that claims to make "vinyl on demand." They sorta explain how it works but are intentionally vague about it, presumably to protect their unique process. Based on what I can cobble together, my best guess is that it's a lathe cutting process on 140g black PETG (not quite the same as traditional vinyl) that is machine controlled in some way. Regardless of what they're doing, I had to give it a try. I am happy to report, after multiple orders - I am confident in the quality!
To that end, today we are announcing 20 copies of Talking With Hands excellent album Organic Machine. I am confident the quality is better than what you traditionally associate with a lathe cut, the packaging is great and it's an excellent way to hear the record.
Bonus! Today, Feb 7, Bandcamp is donating 100% of their proceeds to MusiCares, to benefit those affected in Southern California. So, go pick up some stuff on Bandcamp!
