https://youtu.be/vOEyFpFidEU
3. Jarrow – "Birthmark". Melbourne's Dan Oke, a.k.a. Jarrow's new release is the kind of garage pop they seem to excel at down under. Is it the jangly guitars? The melodic basslines? Vocal harmonies? Whatever it is, I can't get enough of it. #music

https://youtu.be/o1eQvJOp5ww
2. Chase & Status with Stormzy – "Backbone". On this hard-hitting grime track with jungle breaks thrown in, London's Chase & Status lay down a runway and rapper Stormzy takes off from it. #music

My Top 5 Songs of the Week (2024 Week 32):
https://youtu.be/fe_-zjw203Y
1. Flammer Dance Band – "Trenger Ikke Dra". Norwegian septet channeling the spirit of psychedelic Afrofunk (for almost 9 minutes in this case). I'd have guessed this was recorded in Nigeria in the '70s if I hadn't looked it up. #music

Theory: Donald Trump heard a TV pundit say "Kamala Harris has completely changed the race" and got confused about what "race" meant in that context.

My best of 2024 (so far) playlist is updated regularly and can be found here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJeO4dNUaIn2mN9hFpBK1szGAA07d8pq&si=ZVqklnxTIwkgAQKq
#music

https://youtu.be/B6vKq6wYXD8
5. X – "Ruby Church". X are saying this will be their last album, and if so, they're going out with their iconic sound intact if a bit mellowed by time: DJ Bonebrake's distinctive snare hits, Billy Zoom's punkabilly whammy and John and Exene's why-do-those-work-so-well harmony vocals all feature here. #music

https://youtu.be/-EGHUsvE5h8
4. Black Pumas – "Gemini Sun". A Southwest-flavored psychedelic rock-'n-soul jam from just-hitting-their-stride Austin, Texas band Black Pumas. #music

https://youtu.be/vK0-K3KAtBA
3. Fu Manchu – "Hands of the Zodiac". On the one hand, it's hard to take stoner rock bands like Orange County veterans Fu Manchu too seriously once you've heard Cheech & Chong's "Earache My Eye", but on the other, their fuzzed-out post-Sabbath riffage is so fucking cool, who cares? #music

https://youtu.be/-l0IOK7JaMA
2. Haley Heynderickx – "Seed of a Seed". I remain a sucker for the trifecta: folky acoustic guitar, spare but lovely string arrangement, and an angelic singing voice. #music

My Top 5 Songs of the Week (2024 Week 31):
https://youtu.be/EujdsU7scOA
1. CRX – "Mean to be Cold". I get a strong hit of '80s power pop from this song by LA's CRX, maybe from the melodic postpunky bass and propulsive rhythm. #music

Dracula orchid, Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, July 2024

My best of 2024 (so far) playlist is updated regularly and can be found here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJeO4dNUaIn2mN9hFpBK1szGAA07d8pq&si=ZVqklnxTIwkgAQKq
#music

https://youtu.be/BHZ77CTBSUI
5. Nightshift – "Crush". Glasgow lo-fi indie pop group hit here with a slight country feel and lyrics like "come and sit beside me / metabolize me". #music

https://youtu.be/fbiLM3kVo3A
4. October and the Eyes – "Rubber Gloves". A scraping, yelping, reverb-drenched postpunk freakout from East London-based New Zealander October. #music

https://youtu.be/mNKdOhUGQW0
3. Yannis and the Yaw with Tony Allen – "Rain Can't Reach Us". Third winning single from Yannis (of Foals fame) and the late legendary Afro-funk drummer Allen (you can hear him kick the groove up a notch around 1:30). Guitars, strings, and flutes transport the track to still further realms. #music

https://youtu.be/g0nG5-NHoqU
2. Radio Free Alice – "Johnny". If I had a time machine I'd take the video for this jangly synthpop song back to 1983, play it for MTV programmers and make this Melbourne, Australia group retroactively famous. Then come back and wonder why my nostalgia for them was so tinged with déjà vu. #music

My Top 5 Songs of the Week (2024 Week 30):
https://youtu.be/XWAXnQlcXnU
1. Starflyer 59 – "909". Huge, cavernous gothic shoegaze from Riverside band that just celebrated its 30th year. I'm especially loving the guitar notes held for a couple seconds while being slowly bent. #music

St. John’s Wort #2, Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park, July 2024

St. John’s Wort, Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park, July 2024

Japanese tea garden, Golden Gate Park, July 2024