Music Grab Bag, Sept 17, 2025
posted 6 hours ago #
Mostly instrumental album from one of hip hop's finest. I love Count's lyrical albums but there's a special production quality to his instrumental records that can not be denied. He did include a cover of "Maneater" on this one - an outlier among the others that I am sure will be enough to draw folks in. Outside of that, be sure to hear "Hunker Down", "Hear We Grow" and "Affirmative."
Patrick Cowley died in 1982 due to AIDS-related illness. Prior to that, he wrote and recorded a lot of music. Tons of synth pop and disco tracks. Since 2009, Dark Entries has been working with his family to unearth and revive that treasure trove of music. The latest in that series is Hard Ware - set for release in mid October. Only one track is available at this time but it's a damn good enticement to pick up the release.
Some years ago I came across the shoegaze band Tape Deck Mountain, the pseudonym of Travis Trevisan. I think he was in NY or San Diego at the time but moved to Nashville at some point. I've followed his work regularly and he's become involved in many other projects; including this new four piece. It's steeped in shoegaze, psych and atmosphere. It's not bombastic or aggressive, it's a wall of sound that envelopes you. I recommend putting on headphones and turning it up. Then turning it up some more.
I don't recall when I became a fan of Shiner but they've been in regular rotation for as long as I can remember. Generally when a band breaks up and reforms 9 years later, my pessimism says they won't be able to capture their original magic but the second wave of Shiner has been every bit as enjoyable as the first. BELIEVEYOUME is their sixth album and, judging from the two available songs, it will be every bit as good as their previous five. "Asleep in the Trunk" is sinister, spacey and completely captivating.