Listening Diary 25

Theory driven jams and Apple Ads

Good morning! I hope you had a pleasant weekend. Here are ten tunes that I recently enjoyed listening to. The first five, one a day for the working week, are free for all to hear and consider. The next five however are exclusively for my paying subscribers. For the full suite of tunes and other fun bonuses, subscribe now at $5 a month!

“Break The Arc” by Stuck (Freak Frequency, 2023)

I’ve never liked the old cliche about the arc of history bending toward justice. As its typically employed the phrase suggests that the arc bends passively with no involvement from the actual inhabitants of history. Not so! You’ve got to bend it yourself, or, as my buddy Greg Obis puts in this terrific song, break it and set it right. Besides its value as a political slogan, “Break The Arc” is a gnarly little post-punk jam, full of coiled energy and fast-twitch reflexes. If you get the chance to see Stuck on the road, take it!

“Jesus Bones” by Incendiary (Change The Way You Think About Pain, 2023)

I’ve mentioned the ascendence of the Texas style of metallic hardcore in a couple of recent Listening Diaries. Incendiary on the other hand keep it true to the old school New York ways. No thrash metal in sight, just chunky build ups and two different but equally great breakdowns. Is there a phrase that sounds better in harsh vocals than “broken glass”? Perfect group of syllables to scream.

“Violent Jubilee” by Fust (Genevieve, 2023)

As I mentioned in yesterday’s Behind The Kit, my buddy Frank played piano on this Fust record, and I’ve met a bunch of the other musicians in the band through him. Good people, and a good band. It seems like this Fust album has cracked them into a new tier of popularity. Well deserved! I love Aaron’s lyrics, and I think the band did a great job of framing them. I’ve heard that these sessions came together really quickly, which makes the deftness of the playing here all the more impressive. I put this one on in the car with my parents after listening to The Band and I’m proud to say that it fit right into that environment. Well done, boys!

“Harmony” by Destiny Bond (Be My Vengeance, 2023)

Typically my taste in hardcore leans more in the metallic direction (see the Incendiary track above), but I really like this tune from Destiny Bond. Big fan of the way it starts off at full on punk speed and then descends into guitar solo chaos while the rest of the band loops like a stuck groove (not to be confused with a Stuck groove, of course). I’m really interested in the way non-psychedelic genres can approach the edge of psychedelia through sheer repetition. I bet if you like Fucked Up you’ll dig the way they bring in acoustic guitars at the end.

“Thung Beat” by Mong Tong (Tao Fire, 2023)

I’m learning that I’m a sucker for electronic music that sounds like a ping pong game in an airplane hanger. I’ll admit that based on the album cover and title I expected a furiously heavy metal record, but this hyper-detailed dance record was a more than pleasant surprise.