It's Halloween. That means it's time for you to get your dose of the KXVO Pumpkin Dance. Yea, you've seen it a thousand times and you think you're over it.. but you're not. Even this unnecessary extended cut is delightful for the entire 4 and a half minutes!

If you think that's too much, you can always find the original on Dailymotion. Or maybe allow yourself to enjoy the Shaboi Mash-Up version! Or maybe you wanna read how it exists in the first place. Do it all. Treat yourself.

For me, this music video for Ejmi Rhiel supercedes just being a plain ole music video. The entire vibe of it feels like a nod to horror movies, latent spaces, back rooms and the days of VHS - all swirled into one. If you told me this was plucked from a thrift store and these kids were never heard from again, I'd believe it. The artist name, the song title, everything about it is just the right amount of bizarre. It really takes off in the 4minute range. I'm posting this on Halloween and it couldn't be more appropriate.

The immersion is even more effective when you dig into the rest of the AmyReal channel, which has a completely opposite, maximal, aesthetic.

I've been a fan of Autolux since the very beginning. The trio of Carla Azar, Greg Edwards and Eugene Goreshter that formed from the ashes of Edwards leaving Failure (and, presumably, getting clean) has been a staple in my musical diet for over 20 years. Way back in the early aughts, friends of mine living in LA were kind enough to procure early demos. You can hear both online. I recommend it.

The band announced today that those collection of early demos - plus two unreleased tracks - are being pressed to vinyl as AUTOLUX / DEMOS (2001-2002). The cover art even mimics the original spray painted jewel case. Suffice to say, I'm excited for the release and to revisit the songs.

I must admit, I've tried out Arc and wasn't able to make the switch from Chrome as my primary browser. I am sure the sidebar-as-tabs is a superior alternative but it just never stuck. Same with Arc Search, the AI-powered Google alternative for fetching search results.. it never stuck.Despite all that, I continue to be intrigued by The Browser Company.

Their latest announcement raised quite a few eyebrows - understandably so. The company says it is not going to continue with developing Arc as a browser - no redesign, no reinvention. They're just going to keep it stable and move on to an entirely new product.

On the one hand, I find it odd that they show so much adoption and growth with Arc but deem it not enough. This seems indicative of a bigger problem with startups and their desire for ultra growth. On the other hand, I respect moving on to another idea if you feel what you've been working on isn't ever going to meet the mark you want to meet.

At the very least, it will be interesting to see how it all develops.

Many illuminating moments in this Inc. piece on Steve Albini's legacy and the struggling business he left behind. Obviously when Albini died it was shocking and one of the earliest questions for many was - what is the future of his studio Electrical Audio? The piece does a great job at answering that question specifically. The TLDR is that there isn't a clear answer, as there probably never was even when Albini was alive.

Being a Nashville resident, you often hear about "legendary" spaces like RCA Studio A, where Chet Atkins, Loretta Lynn, George Strait and countless others recorded. I have affinity for all those artists but they don't really have a place in my personal history in the same way as say, In Utero or Surfer Rosa do. But it's striking how much they are the same thing. A hallowed space run by a memorable personality that created some undeniably incredible works (see also, Richard Swift and National Freedom).

I hope Electrical Audio has a long term future. It would be a damn shame for it not to flourish into something beyond Albini himself. I don't consider myself a superfan of the guy but his pragmatism certainly hints that he'd likely agree. Maybe we should all buy some merch to help elongate that wave of support just a little bit longer.

Really great long read from Drowned in Sound on Lily Allen's Feet. More specifically, a comment that she made expressing that she makes more from selling photos of her feet on OnlyFans than she does from streaming. The Allen post is clearly not meant to be a nuanced examination of the music industry or tech's role in it. She's making a point that artists with millions of listeners are not financially benefiting from it, just like everyone else. This is a problem. However, if you do want a nuanced examination of the music industry, advances, contracts, copyright owners, marketing expenses and so much more - you will enjoy the Drowned in Sound deep dive, as I did.

I recently became aware of the "Halloween Extravaganza and Procession of the Ghouls" at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC. The event is a large scale puppetry exhibition that has been going on for decades! The Mettawee River Theater Company is responsible for all the creatures and they are incredible.

Founder Ralph Lee was also responsible for starting the East Village Halloween parade in 1974; which is an incredible spectacle to this day. Oh, and remember the SNL skit for Land Shark? Yea, Lee made made that shark. Sadly, he passed away in 2023 at the age of 87.

Learning more about his legacy is really rewarding. Spend some time with this short biopic, read these memorials and then scour Google Images for "Mettawee River Theater Company" and then you must watch this.

Very effective trailer here for The World According To Allee Willis. Who is Allee Willis? I've no idea! But from some cursory readings I can tell you that she wrote songs for Motown, she wrote for 80's pop artists like Cyndi Lauper, she wrote the The Rembrandts "I'll Be There For You," she was friends with and influenced Pee-Wee Herman, she was nominated for a Grammy and a Tony for The Color Purple, she won a Grammy for the soundtrack album score for Beverly Hills Cop, she gave a keynote address to the first Digital World conference in 1992 about "interactive journalism and self-expression in cyberspace."

I've never heard of them but I can't wait to learn more. Already fascinated.

This ARS Technica piece on rampant location tracking technology is a nice reminder that you do have a little bit of power to not be tracked - you just gotta dive into your settings to make it happen.

Personally, I am quite guilty of not disabling these settings but I think after reading this I will finally do it.

I recently learned about the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project - an undertaking that aims 10,000 mirrors at a tower filled with salt, generating a "molten salt flow" that is used to produce steam and, thus, electricity. Reading over the Wikipedia, it has been fraught with technical problems, bad contracts and hiccups - which is unfortunate because look at that thing! It's a rather incredible concept and an impressive implementation, even if it was a bit troubled.

I'm not here to inform you about the environmental advantages of such an undertaking as the Wikipedia truly makes my head spin when trying to explain the amount of energy this creates. It doesn't really matter tho, I'm just here to tell ya "Look at this thing!"

Photo via

Today, yk Records released the third LP from LA based Talking with Hands (aka Matthew Smith). I'm biased of course but I think it's a particularly strong offering from Smith and am really pleased to have been involved in some part with bringing it into the world. As the story goes, Smith was working on a follow-up to his previous album and decided to make two EPs - each tackling a different topic. The first would be about Generative AI's entaglemenents with human creativity. The second would be about the devaluing of music from big tech. Heady topics but good starting points for inspiration as they were near and dear to his personal experiences.

Over time, those two EP's congealed and transformed into one cohesive album - Organic Machine. It's a ready that covers a lot of big topics but doesn't do it in a way that feels cumbersome or dense. The songs may be about how terrible streaming (and Daniel Ek in particular) is for artists but it's a lot of big, memorable, hooks and buzzy guitars. It's a fun time!

We released three preview singles ahead of the album. Each containing two remixes and each accompanied with a music video - you should watch them all.

I made the cover art with Matthew Smith and am quite proud of how it turned out. I don't think it needs any heavy-handed explanation but I am quite happy with the subtle Black Mirror-esque vibes and the old school loading animation - both appropriate for the album themes, imo.

It's streaming everywhere - Apple Music, Spotify, etc. It's also on Bandcamp and Ampwall if you want to support it there.

There's more promotion left to do for this record but I'd really appreciate it if you'd give it a whirl. I think you'll enjoy it.

I can't believe it but here's 11,000 words about The parallel evolution of React and Web Components from Baldur Bjarnason - an icelandic web developer with plenty to say. Did I have any idea I'd be interested in 11,000 words about this topic? No. Was I incredibly satisfied with the read? You betcha!

Been a big fan of Jordan Lehning since the days of Eureka Gold and the Make-Out with Violence OST - going back to 2013 or 2009, respectively. He's an incredible songwriter, performer and studio magician. This new video for "Cherry Stem" - the first single from his forthcoming album Up at the Witching Hour - is an impressive collection of animations and styles all set to the sublime and melancholy track. Can't wait to hear more.

Much to my own surprise, it seems I have been making Halloween mixes since 2005. I missed one in 2016 but published two in 2017, so I'm revising history and saying I've never missed. This year is no different! I just published Gruesome Ghouls and Ghosts, a two and a half hour mix of spooky and scary tunes that just so happen to be from Nashville. Please do me a favor and hit play on that just for the first 60 seconds. You may not have 2.5 hours available for a slow burn from kooky songs into scary soundscapes into totally devolved sounds but you've hopefully got 1 minute for a goofy introduction from my favorite alter ego, Michael Bleeds! We have fun.

For proper posterity, I'm going to list all the prior mixes below. Next year will mark twenty years of doing this. I can't even comprehend it. Hope you enjoy!

• 
  Gruesome Ghouls and Ghosts
  2024
• 
  Dark Delights
  2023
• 
  Creature Feature
  2022
• 
  Spooky, Scary & Ghoulish Delights
  2021
• 
  The 2020 Halloween Spooktacular
  2020
• 
  Halloween Spooptacular 2019
  2019
• 
  Volume 119
  2018
• 
  Volume 96
  2017
• 
  Spell Caster
  2017
• 
  Ruination Rumination
  2015
• 
  Revival Denied
  2014
• 
  Potions and Brews for Countless Horrors
  2013
• 
  Paralyzed with Fear
  2012
• 
  Endless Hell
  2011
• 
  My Descent into Madness
  2010
• 
  Dark Despair (Undead Trespass)
  2009
• 
  Crepuscular
  2008
• 
  Et Tu, Morte?
  2007
• 
  Songs for Spooks
  2006
• 
  Pure Terror
  2005

It's been awhile since I just encountered a proper photography portfolio site - the kind you used to run across with great frequency ten to fifteen years ago but feels so rare and fleeting now. The photographic work of Hudson McNeese is a quality slice of life - often strange, intriguing or beautiful. Sometimes just tasty. All of the collections and selected works are worth spending some time with.

I also highly recommend the comics and commissioned works - loads of goodness to consume.

I'm not sure where I stand on the state of music journalism. Sites like Pitchfork and Stereogum still cover a great deal of the "mainstream indie" press and mainstays like Brooklyn Vegan, Aquarium Drunkard or Bandcamp Daily are still providing great insight on a bit more of the fringes. Not to mention Nashville Scene coverage that always hits the spot for me (tho I could stand to have 10x more of it). I never really looked to sites like Rolling Stone or SPIN for my music coverage because they tend to cover music that isn't for me.

That said, there is a general feeling that music journalism is in a shake-y spot. Confidence in Pitchfork or Bandcamp sticking around for the long term is very low because of their parent companies. I understand that thinking but, for now, both seem to be chugging along just fine. Regardless, diversity is king when it comes to covering the arts! More is better! I read somewhere that 10,000 songs were uploaded to streaming per day. There's no shortage of music that can be covered if you wanna hear it.

Enter Hearing Things, a new independent music journalism destination. They've got a nice about page explaining where they come from and the ethos they are hoping to embrace but the gist it - a bunch of experienced music journalists started a new thing with the hopes of covering more things. The vibe is a bit like early Pitchfork days in terms of how casual it feels but all of the unnecessary snark seems to be replaced with wide-eyed optimism. Feels good!

I wish them luck and they're in my bookmarks for regular reading. Maybe you'll give them a spin too?

I've been working with Talking with Hands to help promote the upcoming album Organic Machine. We've released two prior singles - each with music videos and remixes of the album track. It's a lot of work to put together beforehand but the results are worth it. Today, we release the third (and final) single before the album is out but this time we've got a full-on short film!

Directed by TJ Masters, "Organic Machine" was shot in Austin, TX on Kodak film. The effects were created in pre-production and most everything in the piece is a first take, since film is expensive and time was fleeting! I think the results speak for themselves but if you need any further enticement to hit that play button, there's always this.

Maybe this is lazy but I get a Shane Carruth vibe from the short - ala Primer. If you stick around for the whole thing, there's a bit of a Michel Gondry vibe and a pixel animation by yours truly. Along with the short film we also released another maxi-single with two remixes. It's on Bandcamp, AmpWall and everywhere else. Please enjoy.

Don't let anyone tell you the Internet doesn't have its fair share of goodness left to give. Here's a website - called The Pudding, hosted on pudding.cool - showcasing an interactive article on "Crokinole" - a word and game I've never heard of until this moment but can instantly understand why it is incredibly fun. The above GIF shows two masters of the game having a perfect round, which is honestly the most boring way to enjoy the game. It should be more like this: Who wants to play? via Charlie.

TLDR: I made a video that I'd love for you to watch. That's it! Below is my journey of how I put it all together.

---

In September, yk Records released Mantra / Miracle from Eve Maret - a double sided single from an electronic artist that I've enjoyed for years. I knew that we needed videos for both tracks and I took it upon myself to cook something up for "Miracle." For reasons I can't explain, I was inspired by those Magic Eye prints from the early 90's. Being able to relax your focus enough to partake in the hidden scene often felt a bit miraculous to me, so I let that be my guide.

The research and proof of concept'ing process involved writing some PHP scripts to merge a still image with a pattern to create my own autostereogram; the "proper" name for a Magic Eye. There's a decent amount of existing software out there that will do this for you but I just hit up ChatGPT to help me out and we came up with a pretty good solution.

Continuing to work backwards, now I could make a Magic Eye image but I needed a proper depth map to merge with my pattern. That depth map would need to be generated from a still image of video footage. My buddy Cody swooped in with the solution - ComfyUI. After much trial and error to get python working and install ComfyUI Manager properly, I was able to use this workflow to input a video file, process it and output each frame as a depth map.

Now that I understood the technical flow, all I needed was some proper video footage! Eve sent me multiple video performances which, quite frankly, worked great on their own. I use my Comfy workflow to generate the Depth Maps and then merge those into Magic Eye images with the PHP script. It was a bit of a time consuming process but not really hard, just time consuming. Taking those raw ingredients into Premiere, I just had to edit it all together.

I am very happy with the end result. If I had to do it again I might try to make the Depth Maps less hazy. Or tighten up the PHP script to tile better or not waiver between frames. There's always optimizations to make but anything I would change is minor. I hope you like it.

Really nice behind-the-scenes rundown about the 2024 XOXO festival and the themes that emerged. Those final comments from Charlie Jane Anders are words to live by. Reposting here just for posterity and enjoyment:

“Connecting with other people is really pleasurable, even though it’s also really hard. And it is the thing that gives me hope for the future. Human connection fundamentally is the thing that makes me believe that we can survive.

“So I’m here for gentle absurdity and tender weirdness. And I just don’t trust any version of the future where we don’t party and goof off and act ridiculous and rejoice, and just rejoice together.

“So my final thought: I don’t believe in utopias. I don’t believe in dystopias. What I do believe in is people taking care of each other. So please, take care of each other. Thank you.”

The title really says it all. Enjoy John Carpenter's Halloween Theme On Theremin. Tis the season.

If you run in similar circles to myself, you have likely seen folks talking about this Cabel Sasser talk from final XOXO Festival. If you have not indulged in watching this video yet, let me pile on with endorsement. His energy is nervous but his excitement and passion is palpable. It's inspiring but it's also incredibly entertaining. I can't tell you any details because doing so would ruin the ride. Just let yourself have those 20 minutes.

Afterwards, cruise all the other videos.

Back in 2022, Nosferatu released his version of Unchained Melody. Now, two years later, the performance can be confirmed to be an absolute classic. It's every bit as entrancing as it was the moment it was released. A yearly viewing for sure. Nosferatu still got it.

I recently watched the semi-horror movie In the Earth and enjoyed the world building and folk horror aspects to it. Not a perfect movie by any means but worth watching. I was especially struck by the end title sequence created by Julian House at Intro (also known for design for Stereolab, Doves, Broadcast, The Prodigy, etc). I was familiar with his work prior to the film but had never connected the name - it certainly calls for a deeper dive.

A lifetime ago I helped out with Silent Uproar Records, an indie label out of North Carolina working with a range of great artists like The Capulets, Feersum Ennjin, Bellparker (and these guys!). Owners and operators Scott and Robbie have always had my respect for their diverse taste.

One artist they introduced me to was Grant Henry's Metroid Metal - which is exactly what it sounds like; a collection of metal inspired covers of songs from the Metroid universe. If you've not heard any of the recordings, I suggest you start with Varia Suite. All that preamble is to get to the point that the Metroid Metal project is now 20 years old. Henry has gone on to be involved with a ton of other projects but still has a sharp memory of the origins of the Metroid Metal project. This 20 minute retrospective walks through the history of the project, some of the early demos and how he got involved with early Internet communities. Even if you have zero familiarity with the videogame, the music or Henry - it's a compelling bit of storytelling.

HT SU Records.

I've really been enjoying the offerings of Scotto Moore's This Newsletter Cannot Save You. As the description states, it's a bi-weekly offering of various distractions typically of the video variety. You can peruse the archives before subscribing but it's free and it's got my endorsement!

He's a shape-shifting monstrous alien Dad teaching his son to control his kinetic abilities while feasting on the flesh of humanity. At least, that's what I think is happening in this Xtro trailer.

I haven't seen the full film (yet) but every sneak peek of special effects in this trailer calls to me.

The YouTube recommendation algorithm is a strange beast. I get inundated with lots of videos that I have zero interest in seeing but then, occasionally, it drops a 17-year old gem like this CONDOR44 music video; a Japanese post-rock band I'd absolutely never heard of before and, judging from the comments, most other folks had not either. The "Posted 17 years ago" label on YouTube is actually a bit misleading as well because that's just when the song went on YouTube - this one is actually from 2002, twenty-two years ago.

The db album is available on CD but does not appear to be streaming anywhere. There are more videos on YouTube worth listening to but we'll just have to keep hunting for full length releases.

I don't hear a ton of hip-hop. I'm not averse to it, I'm just not really exposed to it nearly as often as, say, indie rock. It's one of the real detriments of The Algorithm™ is that you can get stuck in a box.

One recent discovery has been Revival Season; a collab project between "BEZ" (B Easy) and Jonah Swilley. They've got a bunch of releases on Bandcamp, with this "Dim Sum" single being the latest. Very into their whole thing.

This Bop Spotter project is absolutely brilliant:

I installed a box high up on a pole somewhere in the Mission of San Francisco. Inside is a crappy Android phone, set to Shazam constantly, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's solar powered, and the mic is pointed down at the street below.

Heard of Shot Spotter? Microphones are installed across cities across the United States by police to detect gunshots, purported to not be very accurate. This is that, but for music.

This is culture surveillance. No one notices, no one consents. But it's not about catching criminals. It's about catching vibes. A constant feed of what’s popping off in real-time.

If I had the technical ability to do this myself, I absolutely would. The recordings on the site are fascinating little slices of time.