Happy Friday. Lot of cool, fun things to look at on the world wide web today - shaad d’Souza’s Charli XCX tour diary for Pitchfork, Amanda Dobbins’ exquisite taste on The Strategist, and the trailer for one of my most anticipated films of the year, A24’a Primetime starring Robert Pattinson, which looks fucking incredible. At home I’ve been watching the new Elizabeth Meriwether show Furious starring Emmy Rossum and friend of the Substack Lola Petticrew (who is absolutely on fire in it) as well as a new BritBox discovery, a mystery show from 2024 called Ludwig starring my Peep Show king David Mitchell. I genuinely cannot think of something I love more than watching British people solve crimes (except maybe 2CB but they don’t really have that anymore and also I’m 44). There are not one but two shows on BritBox where a local priest helps solves crimes so I’m pretty much booked up tv-wise through 2027 (this is all incredibly twee of me I know but you have to be real about who you are, own every part, etc).
Was really sad to hear about the passing of William Orbit, the man behind one of the greatest Madonna albums of all time, Ray of Light (as well as the god tier song “Beautiful Stranger”), plus a whole lot more incredible music (including a personal favorite of mine, the Blur song “Tender” that reduces me to tears every time I hear it). The Guardian did a nice write up of his musical legacy and some of this best tracks.
Last night I attended a rock n’ roll show at one of my favorite venues in Los Angeles, the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever (which is almost certainly haunted), to see one of my favorite bands, Iceage. Their electric new album For Love of Grace & the Hereafter came out at the end of May and I’ve been listening to it pretty much nonstop since. I think they’re one of the greatest bands of my lifetime?
The way they’ve continued to morph and expand their music since they were a volatile electrifying teenage band has been thrilling to watch, and following their trajectory over the past decade or so has been so gratifying. I have loved every album but they really got with me with 2021’s incredible Madchester-summoning and gospel-choir-laden Seek Shelter, produced by Sonic Boom of Spacemen 3. And then they hit me with this new one. I feel about For Grace the way everyone seemed to feel about Geese’s Getting Killed last year. I discover new things every time I listen. I’m so invigorated by it - it gives me at various points the same feelings I associate with listening to Pavement or The Replacements or even Neutral Milk Hotel. It’s romantic and violent and wild-eyed and, as the name implies, spiritual (it’s actually a nod to Hamlet1 - we stan a literate king).
Elias Rønnenfelt is an incredible lyricist who only gets better as he goes - each line is more unexpected and beautiful than the last (like…With every new asphyxiation/Comes a greater gasp for air is crazy good). And to my eternal delight, he’s incapable of not using holy imagery throughout these songs, which while short, catchy, and fun are never saccharine or rote due in large part not only to the lyrics but Rønnenfelt’s delivery of them, which is ragged and immediate and somewhat menacing. It’s a magic trick to make songs that read as simple but contain within them universes. What a fucking album man.
A beautiful video I shot (PT Anderson over here) at the show last night
What else to listen to this weekend:
I got to hear this album a few months ago and I was blown away by how much range it contains. It’s like Ceremony is doing their own eras tour within one record, and since every era has been pretty fucking amazing, you can guess how good this album is. I’ve been posting ad nauseam about the catchy as hell “Dark Summer” and I’m really loving the groovy starkness of “10 Planets” but the standout for me might be album ender “Paradise” which is giving Ceremony-plays-the-Hacienda-in-1989.
I think this is sort of a supergroup made up of Douglas Dulgarian (They Are Gutting A Body Of Water), Scott Turner (Hooky), and Sam Silbert (Hooky, Circle of Fire)? I fucking love TAGABOW as you probably already know and I was super into that EP Hooky put out with Winter last year called Water Season. Julia’s War is one of those labels that has like a 99% hit rate with me. This record has a lot going on (acoustic guitar, vocals that sound like they were recorded underwater, tons of texture, sad clown pop vibes, gazing at shoes) and all of it is awesome.
School Fair Unexpected Violence
This album actually came out in May but it’s new to me so here it is. It’s so cool and weird and great - plucky yet vibey, kinda heady, great bass lines, cool vocals. I believe they’re from a place called Dunedin in New Zealand and are very spiritually in line with the 80s Flying Nun of it all that preceded them in that gorgeous country. Also this thought process gave me a great excuse to return to The Bats which is always a delight.
Here’s a playlist of 20 or so newish (okay there’s one from 2025 SORRY) songs to cruise through Sunday with:
SING WITH THEM IN THE TREES THAT’S THE PLACE I WANT TO BE
Hamlet to his mother Queen Gertrude - “Mother, for love of grace, / Lay not that flattering unction to your soul / That not your trespass but my madness speaks.”
thank you for your service