
UPDATED: August 21, 2025
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I live in a car and make music playlists and write about world events.
I would write more if I had a home.
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Alex G on Colbert
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Cool New Singles (with links to YouTube videos)
The Beths. "No Joy". & "Mother, Pray For Me"
Bob Dylan & Barbra Streisand. "The Very Thought Of You"
Bright Eyes. "1st World Blues". BEST NEW SINGLE (TIE). Conor Oberst + Alex Orange Drink
David Byrne. "Everybody Laughs". & "She Explains Things To Me" & "The Avant Garde"
Elias Rønnenfelt, Fousheé, Jonatan Leandoer96. "Little Gods". BEST NEW SINGLE (TIE). I liked Iceage singing Dylan's "I'll Keep It With Mine". I also enjoyed Elias' solo debut Heavy Glory, especially "Worm Grew A Spine" and his collaborations with Dean Blunt (the album Lucre, as well as their new single, "Tears On His Rings And Chains"). This new song is an encouraging step in his evolution as an artist.
Idles. "Rabbit Run". from the Caught Stealing soundtrack.
Jay Som. "Float". & "Cards On The Table".
Jeff Tweedy. "One Time Flower". & "Out In The Dark"
Johnny Marr. "Rebel Rebel" (live)(feat Neil Tennant)(David Bowie cover)
Joyce Manor. "All My Friends Are So Depressed"
Juan Wauters. "Manejando por Pando"
Kim Gordon. "Bye Bye 25". Updated political version.
Kneecap. "The Recap".
Kurt Vile. "Classic Love" (feat Luke Roberts)
The Lemonheads. "The Key Of Victory".
Manu Chao & Santa Fe Klan. "Solamente".
Neko Case. "Wreck". & "Winchester Mansion of Sound"
The Molotovs. "Today's Gonna Be Our Day". & "Suffragette City".
Robert Plant. "Everybody's Song" (Low cover) & "Gospel Plough"
Shame. "Quiet Life". & "Sparktak"
Suede. "Dancing With The Europeans" & "Trance State"
Stella Donnelly. "Baths".
Tom Morello. "Pretend To Remember Me".
Toro Y Moi. "CD-R (unerthed)"
Wednesday. "Wound Up Here (By Holding On)" & "Pick Up That Knife" & "Bitter Everyday".
Wet Leg. "Davina McCall"
Wolf Alice. "White Horses"
Woody Guthrie. "Deportees (Plane Wreck At Los Gatos)".
Zach Bryan. "Bowery" (feat Kings Of Leon).
Cool New Albums
Alex G. Headlights.
The Armed. THE FUTURE IS HERE AND EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED.
Buddy Guy. Ain't Done with the Blues. This guy is 89 years old and is amazing.
Cass McCombs. Interior Live Oak. Lots of variety in the types of songs, several of them catchy and compelling.
Chaka Chawasarira. Useza. Zimbabwean master of the matepe. Interesting.
Dean Wareham. That’s The Price Of Loving Me. Good.
Dropkick Murphys. For The People. BEST NEW ALBUM. Digital out July 4, 2025. CD/LP out October 10, 2025.
Ethel Cain. Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You. Dreamy dream pop.
Eric Andersen. Dance of Love and Death. 82-year-old folkie's new material is quite striking.
Haims. I Quit. I had the lowest of expectations but it's pretty good, actually.
James McMurtry. The Black Dog And The Wandering Boy. Great stories, great songs.
Jason Isabel. Something More Than Free.
Jonathan Richman. Only Frozen Sky Anyway. Quirky smart funny songs? Yep. In spades.
Juan Wauters. Mvd Luv. Nice, gentle songs in Spanish and English.
Ken Boothe & Jah Wobble. Old Fashioned Ways. A fresh look at\ some reggae classics.
Kurt Vile. Classic Love EP.
Laura Jane Grace. Adventure Club.
Lord Huron. The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1. Dreamy little epics.
Ma'de' Kuti. Chapter 1: Where Does Happiness Come From? New Nigerian offering from Femi Kuti's son (Fela Kuti's grandson). The Beat Goes On.
Mike Polizze. After the Deluge. Cool songs.
Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts. Talkin to the Trees. Surprisingly strong album from this vet.
No Joy. Bugland.
North Mississippi Allstars. Still Shakin'. Worth listening to. Fresh takes on classic blues.
Open Mike Eagle. Neighborhood Gods Unlimited. Smooth hip hop.
Queens Of The Stone Age. Alive In The Catacombs. Intriguing.
Patti Griffin. Crown Of Roses.
Paul Weller. Find El Dorado. Super Famous in England, Little Known in America.
Peter Rohan. Tales of the Free Mexican Airforce. Tribute to the sound of The Texas Tornados, featuring Flaco Jimenez on a couple of songs.
Pile. Sunshine and Balance Beams.
Robert Randolph. Preacher Kids.
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band. New Threats From The Soul.
Slick Rick. Victory. The Return Of The Master Storyteller.
Steve Gunn. Music For Writers.
The Swell Season. Forward. Solid offering from folk duo Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová
Tyler Childers. Snipe Hunter. Rick Rubin-produced country gone wild, genre-bending, etc.
Tyler, The Creator. Don't Tap The Glass. He's a creative little bastard, innit he?
Wavves. Spun. They're back and gooder than ever.
Wet Leg. Moisturizer. Sophomore slump? Not here....
Willie Nile. The Great Yellow Light. Good rockin'
Pulp Doing "Common People" at Glastonbury 2025
Best Archival: Reissues and Randoms
The Beatles. Essen Live 1966. Good sound quality. Interesting document. Rocks.
Billie Holiday. Songs For Distingue Lovers. Love her.
Black Sabbath. The Legendary California Jam, 1974 (Live). RIP Ozzie.
Bruce Springsteen. Lost And Found (Selections From The Lost Albums). Some of this is really good but doesn't sound at all like the Springsteen we're used to.
Heatmiser. Mic City Sons (30th Anniversary). The punk band that gave us Elliott Smith.
Husker Du. Jan. 30, First Ave Pt.1. & Nov. 3, Salt Lake City. The first two in a batch of "new" archival releases. Past releases have suffered from poor audio quality, but that's not a problem here. Nice to hear a band at its peak (1985) who would still totally slay today easily.
The Kinks. The Journey, Pt. 3. Great Kinks collection of their later period, songs from the late 70s and 80s and some classic hits from a live show in 1993. I already had The Journey, Pt 1 & Pt 2 (both highly recommended). Actually any excuse at all to listen to old friends like The Kinks, The Who, The Yardbirds, Small Faces, Faces, Jeff Beck Group, et al is welcome.
Nick Drake. The Making Of "Five Leaves Left". His debut album. A good excuse to also give another listen to his classic third album Pink Moon, which brought him posthumous fame. Contemporary fans, like Fontaines D.C., (they covered his "Cello Song"), continue to sing his praises and carry his memory.
Oasis. Unplugged. Like most Americans, I was never a huge fan. I like their hits and liked some of their solo stuff and listening to this is my way of participating in Oasis Mania 2025.
Sly And The Family Stone. The First Family: Live at the Winchester Cathedral 1967. Early appearance by the ensemble. Great stuff.
Woody Guthrie. Woody At Home, Vol. 1 + 2. Twenty-two previously unreleased recordings by an American master. Some of the songs we've heard before, but others are completely "new". Guthrie made these recordings at home for a publisher and the intimacy is powerful. A new classic. BEST "NEW" ARCHIVAL RELEASE.
Highly Anticipated Cool New Releases
There aren't a whole lot of huge releases coming this summer or fall, so far, but there is plenty that came out between January 2025 and June 2025, which you can see here and here, including a few of which I feel I haven't even given a proper listen to yet, and some of which are still on heavy rotation, including: Ty Segall Possession, The Lumineers Automatic, Pulp More, Peter Doherty Felt Better Alive, Pavement Pavements (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Aesop Rock Black Hole Superette, The Minus 5 Oar On, Penelope!, and Fontaines D.C. "It's Amazing To Be Young".
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