Hello, friend.

🎶 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.

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts" by Wolf Parade →

What's your favorite song about second chances?

I gotta get a new bell to ring A new song to sing A steady hand to ring A readiness of things A new plan to bring to the people

This album is elite. I saw today that Isaac Brock produced it, so that makes so much sense...

The analysis has calculated heavy agentic AI usage by an individual to a little more than the energy usage of an electric clothes dryer for a year. Not inconsequential for sure... and that doesn't consider water, other pollution, noise, etc.

The eye-opening chart, though, was the annual numbers for an average US home in terms of electricity usage AND 11,500 miles of a gas car. Just huge. The lack of federal attention to convert the grid to renewables and reduction of incentives to buy EVs during this shit administration is going to have a massive long-term impact.

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Blockbuster Night Pt. 2 (feat. Despot & Wiki)" by Run The Jewels →

What song makes you want to stay up all night?

RTJ, Despot, AND Wiki?

I think any RTJ qualifies for this prompt, honestly.

One band I wish I saw and probably will never get a chance to is Title Fight. They played Buffalo when the kids were little, so I wasn't in the space to go at that point. Now have to hope for a reunion and one that's close enough to go to...

🎶 Crucial Track for today: "Decayin' with the Boys" by Every Time I Die →

What's a song you associate with your hometown?

Lots of options from the bigger names; Goo Goo Dolls, Snapcase, Copper. But Every Time I Die is probably my favorite of the bunch.

Kill the lights I’ve seen too much

“ Subconsciously, I've used IAN SWEET as a vessel for things I'm not ready to process as Jilian, and I use the songwriting and performance to organize my thoughts into the chaotic things, the messy things, and the things I'm not quite ready to touch or look at closer. When I play live, it all becomes very real.”

Sounds like quite the process to get to the new album. Glad she's back to creating!

NaviBeat is becoming an elite music app. Highly recommended if you are on iOS and use Navidrome.