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.

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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.

Last Friday, Talking with Hands unleashed an avalanche of news, music and a video to be enjoyed. It may have actually been too much at once because the Internet is really driven by bite size nuggets these days. So, here's a nugget sized breakdown.

• "#1 Record" Video - a glitched out, datamoshed, green screen romp of a good time. The song itself is inspired by the iresome words of tech leaders like Daniel Ek that try to tell artists how to be successful on his platform that is built in such a way that independent artists really can't be successful on the platform. It's also just a memorable bop, so hit play and enjoy.
• "#1 Record" maxi-single - along with the video comes a single with 2 remixes. The first remix is from The Gros Michel aka Mac Burrus aka the bassist from Self aka one primary songwriter from Telefone aka a phenomenally talented person and friend. The second is from Asher Rogers aka Captain Baby aka creator of The Project aka man of many projects worth pursuing. The single is streaming everywhere, of course.
• All of that is in support of a new album called Organic Machine that is set for release near the end of October. It's an album about GenAI and human creativity and self-doubt.. some heady topics that are all wrapped in memorable, enjoyable to consume, hooks. More on this later but just be aware it exists, pls!

Each of the singles before Organic Machine will have a video and remixes. It's a ton of media and we've been working on it forever. I hope you enjoy.

Do you ever encounter a compelling image online and decide you're going to learn more about it? I found myself enjoying this delightful pixel reaper and wanted to find out more. Spoiler alert, I failed!

The exact image appears in two places and is referenced in a few others.

• Screenshots of the system and programs of the first Macintosh - a German site showcasing some vintage computing imagery. They do not cite their sources but given the 2024 publication date, I imagine these were lifted from the link below.
• Stories of Early Mac from Ken Wessen. I am confident this is a mirror of a university site from "kwessen" that cites the Reaper as:

  ...a mysterious Grim Reaper icon in the Finder, but I have not been able to find any reference to this icon in the code.

  This is the best evidence I have run across regarding the image source.
• "Death" icon in 128k guided tour's Finder - a message board thread referencing the same "9998" icon from the same 128k Guided Tour Disk of the original Mac System 0.85.
• Downloadable Mac System 0.85 - you can certainly download the original Tour disk and likely emulate it yourself but even if I did that, I would have no way to inspecting the possible source files for the Reaper. Not saying it isn't possible, just saying it's beyond me.

In the end, I come to the same conclusion as Ken Wessen; I believe the Reaper to be part of an official MacOS release (likely from 1984). The screenshot showing ICN # ID = 9998 from Finder insinuates that the image is not just a drawing from MacPaint, it's actually in the system.

If you get a wild hair and want to confirm any of the above. Please do so and let me know!

As the phrase goes - there was no need for the NES Pictionary soundtrack to go this hard but it sure goes hard. Composer Tim Follin is, apparently, notorious for pushing the limits of the chiptune format and created some of the most memorable soundtracks of the era. See Also: Solistice, Bubble Bobble, Ghouls 'N Ghosts (Amiga) or Gauntlet III (Commodore 64). All of them, fantastic.

I'm off in San Francisco this week for some conferences. It's been at least a decade since I've been out here and I'm enjoying soaking it all in. Posts will be light in the meantime. Here's a smattering of things I've been looking at to tide you over:

• Superculture - a network of podcasts and magazines "dedicated to the underobserved." Love the tagline, the mission and the website is mesmerizing. Do click through. Lovely.
• Wordpress going after WP Engine - this deserves its own post as there are a slew of articles to round up but the TLDR is: Wordpress is going after WP Engine for, basically, building a business that looks like it's part of the Automattic family. It's a fascinating situation because Wordpress is open source, so WP Engine has the right to do what it is doing but they are absolutely being deceitful in their execution. At the moment, I'm siding with Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg.
• Vector Halftone Maker - nice web tool for making some compelling images. Keeping this around for future projects.
• Talking with Hands - I've been working with this artist for over a decade but they've really hit their creative stride in the last few. There's a new single coming out on Friday and a new album in October which I think speak to many of the topics that readers of this site will appreciate. The promo we are rolling out has been super fun.
• Musee Mecanique - since I'm San Francisco, peering into a coin operated entertainment zone with relics "ranging from orchestrions, coin operated pianos, antique slot machines, and animations, down to small bird boxes" seems appropriate. "Orchestrions" is a fantastic word.

Talk soon. Take care.

Artist Myles Mallie lives in my neighborhood. Outside his home are a stack of styrofoam blocks that he paints and repaints in vivid patterns every six weeks or so. He holds open neighborhood gatherings to come inside and see his latest works, have a drink and just hang out. Every surface inside the house is painted white. All of it.

His work is colorful and loose. Serene but also fun. He's known to use aprons and dresses for his canvas. In the 1980s, he painted vivid shirts and sweatshirts. He rides his bike through the neighborhood like a local David Bryne.

Despite all this, I don't really know a ton about him. So, I was very pleased to see this Banner & Company podcast interview pop up in my feed. Go give @mylesmaillie a follow on Instagram. Peruse his official portfolio and keep an eye out for the neighborhood party. It's a blast.

I hope you are a fan of Stephen Powers, aka ESPO. His mailing list is a wonderful glimpse into a graffiti artist turned fine artist that still manages to do large scale public works (enormous scale to be honest). Over on his webstore e recently added a selection of his sketch book drawings. They are pricey (understandably) but, fortunately, the Internet is free to browse. I suggest clicking through not only to see how his process comes to life but simply to remind yourself that doodling every day is an excellent practice if you can manage it.

My Ex-VHX co-workers Casey Pugh and Charlie Tran have started a new endeavor - Definitely Games. It's incredibly early days but I am confident they're going to make something wonderful. Go sign that mailing list.

I wrote a proper review on this on We Own This Town but I'd be remiss for not adding a note about it here as well. Fountainhead, the latest album from Volunteer Department, is not to be missed. It's a heavily layered record - lots of fascinating arrangements and vocal interplay. It also feels like a subdued record at first; possibly more withdrawn than what you may expect to hear from this site but I stand by the recommendation. Listen to "Darkness Wheel" or watch the video for "Old Friend" - they serve as great introductions to the album.

It's a heavy record but not one to be overlooked.

Back when Bandcamp was sold to Epic Games, folks were skeptical of its future. A year later, Epic sold them off to Songtradr and laid off a sizable chunk of staff. Skepticism was at an all time high. Since that time, Bandcamp hasn't changed much. The site continues to function as it always has - they still do Bandcamp Friday, they publish Bandcamp Daily regularly and seem to simply be keeping things stable. On the one hand, this is good news for folks concerned that Songtradr was going to upend the service into music licensing opportunities but, on the other hand, they continue to lack any sort of notable innovations. The site feels a bit stagnant quite frankly.

All that preamble is to set the scene for a number of alternatives that sprouted up over the last few years to provide something different from Bandcamp. Last night, Ampwall went live. The new platform has been in beta for some time, working out kinks and polishing their tech. I signed up right away and started uploading. I'll share a handful of my first impressions below but the TLDR is: I like what they're doing and am excited to continue building out my presence there!

• The Mission is Critical - to really understand what Ampwall is doing, you must read their Mission statement. It's lengthy but it's the guiding principle of the whole site. They are determined not to be driven by the pitfalls of other major tech companies, namely the "grow-at-all-costs" mentality. I applaud the manifesto and highly appreciate the openness that the founders are musicians that understand the hardship of finding a community online.
• The Pricing Model Is Different - this will be the biggest hill for them to climb. Bandcamp is their closest competitor and it is free to start using (tho they definitely have a paid plan as well). AmpWall is asking for a $10 per year fee to add up to 5 hours of music. This is a much lower fee than Bandcamp but is required up front to get started. I don't think pitching in $10 (or more) per year to a platform that is actively working to support artists is a tough call but I can certainly see how artists will be hesitant to dive in without a free tier.
• No Label Pages... yet - the platform doesn't offer much for labels yet. As such, my label profile is a little lacking. BUT I'm happy there are future features they can easily build that will improve things. Not a complaint, just an observation.
• Artist Profiles Need Tightening - this is an aesthetic complaint. A subjective opinion. I hesitate to even cite it because of that subjectivity but I'm not loving the artist profiles or album pages. They feel unbalanced and lacking focus. The content within them is fantastic (headers, profile images, logos, et al) but I have hard time mentally parsing through them.
• Uploading was Easy - no link for this but the process of getting hours and hours of music uploaded was not laborious in the slightest. They really have done a great job on the backend of holding your hand and explaining each field to make sure you know how the content is going to be used.

That's it for my first impressions. I'm excited to add all new releases and possibly do a full backfill on the entire yk Records catalog. Mostly I am just excited by a platform that is openly talking about adding features and listening to the community using it. I have a deep love for Bandcamp but can't deny that they don't seem the least bit communicative outwardly. Ampwall is taking a different tact and I'm here for it!

Go sign up! Fan accounts are free. Artist accounts are cheap.

I dunno about you but my YouTube is often filled with recommendations like "The 10 wildest tragedies you never heard of" or "Top 5 Strangest Mysteries on YouTube." It's clickbait but I can't deny that I often indulge. Once such compilation led me to read more about the Intelstat 708 incident in 1996. Basically, it was a satellite built by an American company (Space Systems/Loral) for a "intergovermental consortium" called Intelstat but launched from a center in China. It exploded almost immediately after liftoff, killing six people and destroying the area. This video shows the failed liftoff and the devastation afterwards.

The video does not depict the victims and I do not share this to overshadow that tragedy, it's awful that people died because of a mistake like a failed rocket launch. I share it because 18 minutes into the video, it cuts away from the aftermath and shows what looks to be a training video. Presumably these are Space Systems employees just having a laugh but given that it appears 18 minutes after a pretty heavy topic, it's quite bizarre to say the least. So bizarre it may even be worthy of a "Top 5 Strangest Mysteries on YouTube."

The single serving website Is My Blue Your Blue? simply asks you to categorize the color you see as blue or green. The results will tel you if you feel turquoise is more blue, more green or maybe you're just a true neutral. Frankly I've no idea what you do with the resulting data but it's a fun test to take. Maybe sit with a friend and debate if it's truly green or blue that you're seeing.

Davis tipped me off to Julie and their album my anti-aircraft friend. I know nothing of this band but every review I've read makes sure to mention shoegaze, grunge and maybe even Zoomergaze. I don't know that I disagree with any of the labeling but what I hear is Autolux. That's not a slight, it's the highest compliment. Yes, there's a good deal of genre blending going on but the vibe everyone seems to be going for feels exactly like the vibe I get from Autolux.

I'll even go as far as to say that Autolux formed in 2001 and released their first official album in 2004. It's entirely possible that the members of julie were influenced by it. I sure hope so because there's nothing wrong with a world filled with Autolux influenced bands.

TLDR: great new record from julie. Go listen ASAP.