After college, but before any of us had real jobs, my friend David tried to eat oatmeal for breakfast every day, in that way people in their 20s think of normalcy as a funny costume to try on to make their friends laugh.
Something about committing to a mundane habit like that was silly, but it also positioned breakfast as some sort of endurance feat, the caloric equivalent of watching Spider Man 292 times in a row. He only made it three months.
But now? There’s something thrilling about mundane process to me — the slow-burn commitment to making space in a way that feels off, or silly. This all came to me when reading this quote from Cargo, via Michael Cina’s Substack:
“creative discovery” is antithetical to “recurring presentation.” It seems less that joyful breakthroughs and repetition are separate states but more like you are lacking a certain modesty of spirit (this is not an insult). ALL aspects of your creative practice and self should be fueled by a unified commitment to personally understood joy. A shift towards more meaningful (magical) regular work will have to be introduced slowly — with a force of constant, personal commitment. At first the change may feel petty and even sad, but if you are serious and give it time you will be a powerhouse, nay a wizard of discovery and joy.
It’s not the same as oatmeal every day, but this quote nails how much finding time for fulfilling work is really boring, really petty, but ultimately essential.
Aaaaand the Good Links:
A Portrait of the Juiceboxxx as An Old(er) Man - Lots of gems in this piece from John Chiaverina fka Juiceboxxx on committing to the bit, what we sacrifice to honor older versions of ourselves, and how to grow out of being a lifer
50 Years of Talking Book - The Times did an excellent oral history/overview of Talking Book, the first of Stevie’s 70’s run of perfect records.
For Your Friend Who Loves Renaissance - This piece from Shamira Ibrahim is a powerhouse primer for the current house-pop boom. It ranges from Frankie Knuckles to TikTok, from Baltimore to South Africa, from Trax to Shake Dhat. Essentially I guarantee you you’ll feel smarter for reading it.
And now, on to this week’s tracks - as always, you can follow along on our playlists on Spotify and Apple Music, which update every Tuesday along with the newsletter.
UNSKIPPABLES #58
Mr. Twin Sister - Resort
Keep holding that Mr. Twin Sister stock because after dropping last year’s killer Al Mundo Azul, they dropped the absolute banger “Resort” last week. Featuring not one but two prescription-strength basslines (ask your doctor if Mr. Twin Sister is right for you!), “Resort” is a pure party jam, unafraid to make the silly moves that inspire the best house party dance-offs - see Andrea Estrella’s pitched-down “HIT ME WITH THE BASS” that calls in the subs. Piano and sax give the outro add a perfect amount of effervescence, but it’s the “Resort’s” giddy un-seriousness that gives it staying power.
Withe - Morning
Opening Withe’s debut LP There Is Less Sun, “Morning” is a slow-burn ballad that opens on an oil tank drum machines, building into a My Morning Jacket-esque ballad anchored by singer Rubén Alvarado’s intimate vocal. It builds up to an acid-seared guitar solo. Like the album’s best tracks, when “Morning” leans into the band’s less-is-more palette, it implies a wide-open world that Alvarado is facing alone, in the middle of the song.
Ice Spice - Bikini Bottom
Applying an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to her followup single to “Munch,” Ice Spice returns with “Bikini Bottom,” which recaptures nearly all the charm of her debut. The hi hats use nearly the exact same triplet pocket (and I *think* the same hat sample) but the reverse guitar and playful kicks give this a drill-via-Timbaland bounce that keeps the song charming and fresh.
SAULT - Valley of the Ocean
The mysterious collective SAULT dropped five albums for free download this morning, and I’ve only scanned half of them, but each record is filled with gems. 11 treads in Khruangbin-esque chill dub-funk, Today & Tomorrow treads almost exclusively in garage-y fuzz, AIIR is orchestral, and Earth is closest to contemporary soul. More importantly, Earth features the stunning “Valley of the Ocean,” which leans into a widescreen strut and powerful vocal fit for a Creed training montage with surging strings, chugging hand drums and an XL chorus. There’s no stream to embed here, but go to their site and download the albums now.
The Beatles - For No One (2022 Mix)
After doing new mixes for the 50th anniversary of Abbey Road, Sgt Peppers and the White Album, we’ve got a Giles Martin mix of (imo) the all-time Beatles record. Aided with some AI gobbledygook to pull stems out of the original four-track tapes, this mix is less revelatory than the others, especially thanks to some unnecessary stereo automation on toms and a vocal-forward mix that robs the album’s rockers of their midrange urgency. That said, the new mixes still unearth some new wonderful details, especially Ringo’s playing on this underrated McCartney ballad - Ringo’s playing and kick pocket slowly evolve and push against the track with a James Gadson-like patience.
THROWBACK CORNER
B-Team - What Is This?
A digital archive of Maximum Rocknroll dropped this week, and I found this excellent Bay Area post-punk 7” in the record reviews of the first issue.
Yes, they do have a lot of GANG OF FOUR influence, which often becomes boring. Such is the case with the two B sides. But the A side is blessed with a much more raw and aggressive sound- the redeeming side of 'post-punk'.
The whole archive - from the early issues documenting the nascent national hardcore scene to the pre-internet touring document of Book Your Own Fucking Life - is a delight to scan and savor, especially if you grew up in the Bay, or have an endless appetite for perfect post-punk bass lines like the one on “What Is This?”
And that’s all for this week, folks! Please subscribe if you’d like these opinions straight in your inbox. See you next week!