I’m down with stoner rock’s sludgy riffs and Sleep’s Dopesmoker is a classic example of the style. I stupidly passed on a chance to see them a couple of years ago when they had some East Coast dates. I hope I can get there this tour as they support their new, surprise release The Sciences.
Happy Friday! I’ve put together a playlist of new-to-me songs from the first three months of 2018.
Not to get all Stefon, but this playlist has everything: oldies, some RVA local, a couple of psych rock jawns, power pop, groups you remember from the 90’s, a Matt Berry remix, Laraaji, and more!
The feelgood start to this season would have been horribly tainted if they had been swept by The Hated Nationals. Some big bats and a couple of breaks in the 8th inning last night put pause to the bad vibes.
I’m inclined to agree with the New York Times: “The Mets believe. The season is just underway, so all the usual disclaimers apply. But they are commanding attention, and backing up their strut.”
My enjoyment of ambient music has been a recurring topic over on the podcast, and I’m always looking for enjoyable but unobtrusive things to listen to at work. Max Richter’s Sleep (remixes) has been my go-to for the last couple of weeks.
Max Richter is a composer who has done a lot of film and television soundtracks and scores. I guess his most recent popular one would be from Arrival (which was a cool movie, btw). Sleep is an 8-hour concept album he created to be listened to while sleeping. Really.
The remix album features three of the songs from the larger work, each mixed 4-5 times. It’s a really good listen for the workday.
I don’t get down with conspiracy theories in real-life but I do enjoy them when applied to famous fiction. This retweeted John Rogers thread has some good ones:
Willy Wonka:
Seeing his beloved Grandpa Joe die in bed takes the last of Charlie's strength. In the factory dream, he and Grandpa see all the kids who bullied him punished for their cruelty. Then Charlie ascends to heaven in a great glass elevator. Again, I'm sorry for this.
— Sean Thomason (@TheThomason) April 12, 2018
True Detective:
I wrote this article about it once, but the short version: Rust is aware that he's a character in a work of fiction. https://t.co/QCISkPEif0
— Ed Grabianowski (@robotviking) April 12, 2018
Rambo and Die Hard:
John Rambo died in sheriff's custody after being beaten into a hallucinatory coma 20 minutes into First Blood.
— Mike Duncan (@mikeduncan) April 12, 2018
Oh also John McClane is pretty clearly drunk on an airplane, passing out to an elaborate fantasy about how he can win back his estranged wife.
— Mike Duncan (@mikeduncan) April 12, 2018
This Juliana Hatfield tribute to Olivia Newton-John showed up for me in a new music email and I figured it might something Michelle might like in a nostalgic or kitschy kind of way. Instead, I’ve been listening to it non-stop.
I was unaware of my familiarity with the ON-J catalog. I don’t even mind it. These are solid pop songs and Juliana Hatfield plays them in her own style without the slightest hint of cynicism.
You can hear what I mean in this video for “A Little More Love”:
He hasn’t been a Met for a while, but the 2015 season was special and I’ve been keeping up with his play. Last night he put on an impressive display with 7 perfect innings.
#VivaBigSexy
We’ll get back to guests soon, we promise. In the meantime, listen to how different we sound when we use Google Hangouts for recording instead of Skype.
(spoiler: It’s not different at all)
I’ve been dabbling in cardio lately and thought it would be a good idea to run the Monument Av. 10k. My younger daughter and I took a….casual…approach to the training schedule and managed to get through the race without any trouble. It was a lot slower than I used to be able to do it but I was really there for the company.
My mom and sister made these signs to cheer us on and my wife and older daughter also came out to cheer. It’s always great to have support in the crowd.
After the race we enjoyed the traditional sandwich and pint at Melito’s (and then after lunch I enjoyed the traditional shower and 3-hour nap!).