Whacha listenin' to

Since writing about serious things is hard and often seems like more trouble than it’s worth, here’s a dashed-off post about some music I’ve been listening to.

Chat Pile - Who Loves the Sun

Chat Pile is the voice of a generation. They are the sound of now. They’re doughy midwestern white guys who are in their 40s and have only been around for a few years. And they’re really mad. Who Loves the Sun came out a few weeks ago and it’s pretty good. I think Cool World is still their best, but I’ll keep picking up whatever they’re putting down.

Mastodon - Marrow Deep

Mastodon has been one of my favorite bands for a long time. I finally saw them live on the Leviathan 20th anniversary tour. Little did I know that it would be their last tour with founding member Brent Hinds, who quit the band shortly thereafter, and then even more tragically died in a motorcycle accident. Either way, this was going to be Mastodon’s first album without him, but the circumstances sure shifted there. His loss hangs inescapably over the music. Not sure if I love it yet though.

Iress - Sleep Now, In Reverse

On account of my reckless spending over the years on the Svalbard Bandcamp page, they sent me an email with suggestions for a bunch of other bands on Church Road Records. Iress has been the big winner of those suggestions for me. Someone in the email called the singer “the Adele of doom,” an irresistible characterization if ever there were one. And it’s basically right. Her vocals are plaintive and tragic, calling to mind a spectral figure in wedding dress standing atop a wind-swept bluff by the sea and crying out for her lost love. So that’s pretty cool.

As I Lay Dying - Awakened

Look, am I happy that my Spotify Wrapped is going to be chock-a-block with this meathead metalcore shit? Not really. But do I like loud music with a bunch of dudes shouting in unison? Unfortunately, yes.