🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Here's The Thing" by Fontaines D.C. →

So here's the thing, I need commotion

Today was college drop-off #3 for the kids. The "baby" well, the second born of the twins so technically the youngest. She's in the right program and the right school for her, close enough to home with friends from high school -- but far enough that it's going to be a great experience for her...

And with that, we're empty nesters. Eighteen plus years of chaos, with three kids a total of 13 months apart... so busy, but the closeness in age helped keep our family close. So this is going to be a big change...

On top of that, in the short term, I will be taking care of my dad for the next 30 or so days... he received a stem cell transplant to treat MDS about 30 days ago and has been under hospital care as his body adjusts and grows his own cells. SO yeah, it's been a stressful summer... but we keep moving and taking one thing at a time.

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Like Water" by Wild Pink →

From here out, I just wanna make it count Cause I've been so stressed out, I'm dumber now

Feel this...

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Taking Chances" by Sharon Van Etten →

What song makes you want to forgive someone?

You've touched on me deep That's why I'm still here

Been a while since I've listened to SVE, so gotta add a song for this year's playlist.

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "The Golden Ass" by Jacob King →

New CT interview with Jake King dropped!

If you like quirky folk like The Microphones, Saintseneca, Nico, etc... you will really like Jake's music.

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Force of Love" by Cleo Sol →

Share a song that perfectly captures longing.

Tackled more new releases on the drive home today and this one fit the prompt. Her new album is so good. More coming from me!

Busy day! Bronx Zoo, Arthur Ave for pizza, and The Lost Boys. 17,400 steps later. NYC is a marvel.

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Paperchains" by Westside Cowboy →

On the road so more new music.

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Kick Stones (The Boys)" by Westside Cowboy →

New music Friday! Enjoying this album. More soon 😄

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Cleveland" by Squirrel Flower →

Caught the Squirrel Flower interview on the Kreative Kontrol podcast during the current road trip. Super good and has me excited for her upcoming album. Out tomorrow!

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Moonshine Freeze" by This Is the Kit →

What's a song you'd want to hear while watching the sunrise?

As the change sets in We are separate As the game begins We are separate

Some strings slackening Others giving in Change sets in

This is the natural order of things

One of my absolute favorite alt folk artists. Her and Adrianne Lenker are the masters of words and quirky folk.

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "A Scream In Silence" by Small Brown Bike →

What's a song you associate with your favorite photograph?

My absolute favorite picture is one we took on vacation in South Carolina when all three kids were under 5. We tried to get a nice picture of my wife and the kids sitting on the big exposed root of the Angel Oak Tree in Charleston... the wife held the twins in her arms and the oldest was sitting on the root right in front of her.

Just as I was about to snap the picture, the twins started wiggling and screaming... and my oldest just had an absolute look of disgust and rolling their eyes at the twins. My wife smiling and trying to rein it all in... all caught on film. Just a perfect example of the chaos of having 3 kids a total of 13 months apart... and what a hero she is!

Now they are all going off to college this year and with that, the quiet. Going to be so weird.

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "You’re Gonna Go Far" by Noah Kahan →

Obligatory “start of college drop off season” song. 😭

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Goddamn, Lizard Man!" by Man/Woman/Chainsaw →

Errand soundtrack today.

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Out to Lunch" by Open Mike Eagle & Kenny Segal →

What's your favorite song about letting go?

How about a song that’s the exact opposite?! Open Mike Eagle’s new album, at least from the first few tracks I’ve heard, is a breakup album and this song is definitely not at the letting go stage yet. Might have to add a prompt for not letting go. 😄

So please fly me to the moon, 'cause she lives right down the street It's fucked up songs on repeat Imparted my sadness on main, I felt safe, might delete My heart's at odds with my mind, and both is frozen in time I'm stuck in a choice I don't want My body's a house that I haunt, ain't no telling what you might find

Half way through the whole album and it’s elite.

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Stutter" by Elastica →

Been mainly listening to my music files through Navidrome lately and a shuffle brought up Elastica's self-titled album from 1995. So good...

And of course the algorithm caught on (or maybe coincidence, since they just announced a re-release of the album) and I caught the video "She had a #1 album by 24. Then she stole the riff" (YouTube), which isn't quite true: the riffs were "stolen" when she recorded the #1 album... anyway.

I do love me some Wire and it's one of their influences, even without the riffs. With all that said, Elastica did a lot to make them their own too....

And can we talk about 90s rock music? I wish rock was as big as it was then... but I also know from listening to so much new music, that rock is very much alive, even if it isn't dominating the radio and streaming charts.

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Sweet Year Old" by Shudder to Think →

What's a song you'd want to hear on your birthday?

Any time is a good time to hear Shudder to Think, but I mainly picked this song out of the options I came up with because there are zero songs from them on Crucial Tracks.

The fools are slow to leave So the angels aren't scared anymore And while they don't quite rush in Well, well, well They move at a comfortable Clip and they may never leave

Even if you've never heard of Shudder to Think before, I'm sure you've heard some of Craig Wedren's work at some point, maybe the soundtrack of Yellowjackets or scores for movies like Wanderlust, Role Models, School of Rock, Wet Hot American Summer, and many others. Shudder is well worth digging into though!

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Time Escaping" by Big Thief →

What song makes you feel like you're breaking free?

I love when a song comes on that fits the prompt I was struggling with...

What do the weeds say? They say "Everything, everything, everything falls through Each dimension breaks in two Like the two hands clapping Like the two wings flapping

I'd guess there are a good number of tracks from Big Thief that could fit this theme.