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  • A Side Hustle As The Doors

    Field Music

    We all know by now that it’s getting tougher to make a living as a musician. While tools for producing music have gotten cheaper and more accessible, the ways to make decent money as a professional in the music industry have been drying up.

    Alex Marshall and Joanna Yee write for the NYT about the members of acclaimed British indie act Field Music trying to pay the bills. Despite working regular jobs and playing in a band recognized by Prince, they were having trouble making ends meet. They decided they could put a few extra bones in the bank by… gigging as The Doors.

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  • 100%

    The lead track and first single off Sonic Youth’s album Dirty felt like a big deal when it dropped. By 1992, the decade already felt like a dramatic break from the previous one, and videos like the one for “100%” played a big part in setting that perception. The sleek polish that had coated 80s cultural artifacts gave way to the grit and grunge of noise rock going mainstream and skateboarders tearing up the streets in grainy black and white.

    “100%” is about the tragic death of Black Flag roadie and popular scenester Joe Cole, who was killed in a robbery outside the home he shared with Henry Rollins. Cole was shot in the face with Rollins present. Rollins still keeps a jar of the dirt that soaked up Cole’s blood in his house.

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  • Elderberry Wine

    Though I have to admit that I haven’t listened yet, Asheville NC outfit Wednesday’s latest album Bleeds just dropped yesterday. In support of that, I wanted to offer the video for the first single from album, released several months ago to critical acclaim.

    “Elderberry Wine” leans into the more accessible elements of the Wednesday shoegaze alt-country formula. You could even see someone weaned on the thin gruel of contemporary country music developing an appreciation for the reverence of Americana in the song and video. With more hooks than a tacklebox, the song gets stuck in your head for days.

    Wednesday – Elderberry Wine (YouTube)

  • Falling On My Sword

    In honor of Tops’ new album Bury The Key being released yesterday, I’m featuring one of the tracks, “Falling On My Sword,” as the Saturday Night Video this week. 

    “Falling On My Sword” is my favorite among the early singles from this LP and probably the one that most closely matches the 70’s prog rock-inspired cover art. It’s a bit of a left turn for Tops. Based on their previous work, you would think anything born of a seventies influence would be more in line with late-decade disco (and the remainder of the album features some of that).

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  • I Don’t Know

    The occasion of Ozzy Osbourne’s death should not have been surprising. In fact, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the legendary metal singer had died twenty years ago. It was something of a miracle that he lasted this long, given the state of his health for the last few decades (who would have thought Prince Nelson Rogers would repose before the Prince of Darkness). Osbourne played his final show though—just weeks ago—which was by most accounts an impressive affair, and then exited this world gracefully as if he’d done what he came to do.

    Recent events have provided the perfect opportunity for a reminder about Black Sabbath doom metal disciples Castle Rat and their new songs. Castle Rat’s upcoming album The Bestiary already has two publicly available tracks, “Wolf I” and “Wizard.” The tracks represent growth in complexity from those on their debut album as well as a more polished sound. On “Wizard,” guitarist Franco “The Count” Vittore finally gets to stretch out with an epic solo that brings to mind 80s metal maximalism.

    Castle Rat – The Bestiary
    King Volume Records | Bandcamp

    The Bestiary is set to release on September 19, 2025.

  • Sky At Night

    Though Laura Groves “Sky At Night” was released as part of her album Radio Red in 2023, it may be my favorite “new to me” song this year. Groves delicate bedroom chamber pop is at once melancholy and curious. Her vocals bring to mind Natasha Khan’s Bat For Lashes project for which she was once a backup singer.

    This isn’t an “official” video, so it’s pretty simplistic, with pattern overlays, retro technology, color washes and Groves herself serving as the main visual interests. The song itself is the draw here. It’s one of those rare tracks that I can just rewind and listen to over and over.

    Laura Groves – Sky At Night (YouTube)

  • Nirvana

    Glazyhaze released Sonic in March of this year. The sophomore album from the band has received a lot of positive press for its refined take on shoegaze, with physical copies selling out very quickly and having to be restocked hastily.

    With shoegaze being such a global phenomenon at this point, you wouldn’t necessarily pick up on Glazhaze’s Venetian origins. Still, singer Irene Moretuzzo’s aquiline nose and Neapolitan beauty, and the gratuitous smoking in the video for “Nirvana” are some clues. The band cites DIIV as a major influence, and it comes across in their music, which is full of glide guitar and ethereal textures.

    Glazyhaze – Nirvana (YouTube)

    If you enjoy this track, check out “Forward” by Distant Correspondent.

  • Blessed Adjacency

    I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the importance of the gatekeepers. Even in an era where doing it yourself has never been easier, the patronage of entities like book publishers and record labels remains important.

    The case in point that revived my thoughts on the matter is the new EP I Call This One by Gileah Taylor. Taylor blends folk-country sounds with a desert-noir vibe on her latest release for Velvet Blue Records. The soft, forlorn ballads that comprise the four-song EP hit a sweet spot for me during this oppressive summer heat.

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  • Scout Gillett – Enough

    Years ago, a friend a colleague mentioned to me how she gets choked up at daddy/daughter songs. I thought to myself that I couldn’t even name a single song that would fit into that description. It’s interesting how our interest in different musical genres put us in touch with varied subject matters. With Scout Gillett’s “Enough,” I can finally say I have at least some idea of what my colleague was talking about.

    Gillett’s last album, No Roof, No Floor, brought her Midwest rural sounds to the city, reflecting the urban environment of Brooklyn where she had relocated. The videos that accompanied those songs made a subject out of life in New York. Gillett’s new singles, created after her move to Los Angeles, bring to the foreground some of the earthiness that always bubbled a bit beneath the surface of her songs. The sunny California setting works alongside her new sun kissed look.

    Scout Gillett – Enough (YouTube)

  • Private Show

    Chris Stewart from Black Marble sets his Joy Division-like post punk to footage from a rodeo, what appears to be a county fair and a horse race. He plays his icy synth on the outskirts of a concert crowd watching a band that seems a much more likely rural attraction. Stewart doesn’t stray far from the sounds of his Brooklyn origins, despite the subject matter of the video. It’s a strange juxtaposition, but it works in a slice-of-life kind of way.

    Black Marble – Private Show (YouTube)