pedigreed dad jams // salsa ignoramus

caribou, tony vaz, the smile & more!

Welcome to the Unskippables where we forever dream of gin and shrimp.

Let’s get right to the Good Links of the week, shall we?

• Deep Rap Cuts – Noz dropped his September rap mix, and there are so many crazy tracks here that weren’t on my radar, or any critical radar – this is a must-listen for counter-programming your POV on what’s happening in hip hop right now.

• Dollar Bin FYP – Everyone’s favorite downtown DJ Charlie Baker drops his hits and misses of deep cut blog house he found while packing his RekordBox.

• Crack Open That Sparks – Meaghan Garvey on “what was indie sleaze” for GQ correctly breaks open the types of hipster that this “revival” gloms together.

• Mass Surveillance (Good) – a dude set up a constant Shazam bot using a cell phone and solar panels in SF. Right to privacy blah blah blah right I want these all over Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights ASAP.

• A…Prog…Viral…Trend? Wait til these kids hear King Crimson then they’ll go OFF.

• Brick Lives Matter

As always, you can follow along on our playlists on Spotify and Apple Music, which update every Tuesday along with the newsletter. Enjoy!

Caribou – Honey

What's to say about Dan Snaith other than he's a treasure? I've loved his music since his 2007 record Andorra but he's obviously found his stride as a future bass pop progenitor. His new record Honey feels like an aesthetic best of from so the cool work he's been doing over the last decade, from the sprightly DJ tools of Daphne to his larger house workouts from Our Love. On Honey he also uses AI to create a new female vocal alias for himself, but the tentative heartache of the melodies are clearly him, no matter how they’re processed.

The Hard Quartet – Renegade

The Hard Quartet have a strong “dads crushing beers in the garage makin’ tunes” vibes, despite the band’s incredible indie rock pedigree. The real treat across the album is hearing Matt Sweeney and Steven Malkmus rip with more reckless ferocity then I've heard in years, but the low stakes camaraderie of the record is what gives it stayingpower across its quieter moments or the more rolling numbers like “Renegade.”

The Smile – Zero Sum

Although I liked the last Smile LP plenty, there were no jaw-dropping Jonny Greenwood riffs – something I’m very happy to say their new LP CUTOUTS fixes. “Zero Sum” is a bananas elastic Greenwood riff, leaning into his delay into something that sounds barely human. The groove is somewhat standard punk-funk, but another all-timer Jonny Greenwood riff is truly something to celebrate.

Tony Vaz feat. Jangula – 24 HOUR GANG

Was thrilled to see my studio mate and pal Tony Vaz get a Pitchfork nod last week rightly calling out his stellar new record for its intimate, beautiful songcraft and recording. I particularly love the chaotic closing track it finds balance between a factory records b side spoken word piece and a pulsing anthem.

34 Trolley – Relaxation

I have an endless appetite for 99 Records-style beat records, but rarely does one exceed expectations like 34 Trolley’s new EP. Screaming Females drummer Jarrett Dougherty mazing stripped down bass-heavy post-punk with the help of some friends, including SF’s shredder Marissa Paternoster on the EP’s title track.

throwback

Eva Ayllón – Soledad Sola

My friend has been sharing key dope tracks in iMessage from this New Yorker article about the Meridian Brothers, after we both admitted that we had huge blind spots with cumbia and salsa. This Eva Ayllón recording of “Soledad Sola” is gorgeous, but something about the crackles and warble of this particular version make her beautiful vocal feel like a gift through time. You should read the article though! And…so should I. One day.