NEW MUSIC FOR OLDS #60
If this isn't nice, what is?
Happy Post-Independence. I hope you made it through with all ten fingers. Performative patriotism has always given me the oogies, but celebrating July 4th this year felt particularly grotesque, like attending a birthday party for someone in hospice.
Uh oh, TRENCHANT SOCIAL COMMENTARY ALERT!
I hope you ate some tasty potato salad and/or your grilled meat of choice. Kambri and I spent a few lovely days up in Sullivan County, NY, hiking the Tusten Mountain Trail and watching movies on the the back patio.
In the words of my friend Kurt, if this isn’t nice, what is?
Outdoor Movie Night reviews:
Godzilla Minus One: Two thumbs way up, though I’d have preferred a bit more wanton destruction
Talk to Me: Enjoyably creepy, thankfully light on cheap jump-scares
Mandy: My Outdoor Movie Night privileges have been officially revoked.
Alright, enough of my rustic pud-pulling. Let’s get to…
Prog for musical theater kids!
Our first inductee to the NMFO Three Timers Club (which I just made up)!
An audio Meatspin (don’t google that)!
The only Final Four worth caring about!
And…even more music!
GOOD STUFF
Presenting, a Glossary of Terms.
Storefront Church, “The High Room”
Listen on Apple Music // Listen on Amazon Music
Album: Ink & Oil (out now)
Nutshell: Sweeping orchestral pop
Voltage: 5
Thoughts: How best to sum up LA’s Lukas Frank, aka Storefront Church? Gen Z Rufus Wainwright? If Seventies Elton John had joined Radiohead? Prog for musical theater kids? However you describe it, this album is a big f’ing swing, with extravagant orchestral arrangements and vintage Hollywood drama from start to finish. I haven’t spent enough time with Ink & Oil to determine if there’s some overarching “concept”, but it feels grandly cohesive in a way you don’t see much in our singles-based streaming era. It won’t surprise me at all if Frank composes for live theater at some point in his life. I’ll be “here for it”, as the kids used to say.
Pairing Suggestion: Flinging the ballroom doors open and identifying the killer, as high society stands aghast
Magdalena Bay, “Death & Romance”
Listen on Apple Music // Listen on Amazon Music
Album: Death & Romance (single)
Nutshell: Laptop Disco
Voltage: 6
Thoughts: I’ve featured repeat artists in the past, but Miami-based synthpop duo Magdelena Bay are, I believe, NMFO’s very first three-timers. I guess that means I’m a fan? And what’s not to love: hummable melodies, trippy production and solid grooves. In fact, I’ll go ahead and call “Death and Romance” an early lock for the steering-wheel-drumming Hall of Fame. Beyond the particulars of this song, I enjoy the band’s idiosyncratic aesthetic—not retro or futuristic, so much as…unencumbered? Magdalena Bay combine that elusive “vision thing” with a cheerful what-does-this-button-do approach to the studio. They’re clearly a product of the Extremely Online Era, without being a painfully literal response to it, a la Hyperpop. They also make entertaining DIY music videos…
Pairing Suggestion: Wowing the judges and sexy-dancing your way into Julliard
Note: …and TikToks.
Cassandra Jenkins, “Only One”
Listen on Apple Music // Listen on Amazon Music
Album: My Light, My Destroyer (out 7/12)
Nutshell: Throwback sophisti-pop
Voltage: 3
Thoughts: If you ever want me to listen something, here’s a foolproof strategy: tell me it sounds like The Blue Nile. Truly, anything—your band’s demo, Joe Rogan clips, a compilation of your wettest farts. If you somehow namedrop the 1989 album Hats, I will scramble for my headphones. Oh man, I’m setting myself up to be pranked here, aren’t I? Please don’t turn this into an audio “meatspin” (again, don’t google that). All of this is to say, the very wonderful Brooklyn based singer-songwriter Cassandra Jenkins has a new album coming out next week, and the first single reminds me of The Blue Nile.
Pairing Suggestion: Rainy streets, just before daybreak
Render judgment!
Thoughts? Critiques? Outdoor Movie Night recommendations?
SOME BULLSHIT
NMFO FICTIONAL BAND MADNESS: The Final Four
It’s come to these.
The Vegas Buzz: Gotta say, I was surprised that TSOR managed to edge out the erstwhile Oneders—I had “That Thing You Do” playing for the ultimate prize1. Does this open the door for Hedwig, or is Dewey Finn/Ned Schneebly more firmly ensconced in the Elder Millennial psyche than I had realized?
The Vegas Buzz: In 1999, my beloved New York Knicks became the first 8-seed to make it the NBA finals. There they faced the juggernaut San Antonio Spurs, who were expected to wallop the smaller and undermanned Knicks. And guess what? That’s precisely what happened. But NYers were elated nonetheless, because the team so far exceeded anyone’s expectations. Girls5Eva, you are the 1999 New York Knicks. Take a bow.
PLAYLISTING
A few newsletters ago, NMFO reader Scaggsaway asked…
I was just wondering if maybe you had a B-side playlist with all the just misses.
You bet I do, “Scaggsaway” (if that is your real name)!
I keep a running playlist of all the new music I’m consuming and, as you might imagine, a lot of it never makes the cut. Because I have a massively inflated view of my own importance, scrolling through these songs always inspires within me a tinge of Catholic guilt. It’s like walking through your school cafeteria and making eye contact with the every kid you didn’t invite to the sleepover party2.
Given that we’re at our year’s midpoint, I decided to revisit all of my not-quites and almost-weres, and guess what: some of this stuff is pretty great! Like, better than a few of the songs I have included, maybe? Regrets, I’ve had a few…
On the unthinkable chance that your world was not rocked by this week’s GOOD STUFF selections, I offer up twelve more groovy tunes from the first half of 2024. If you still can’t find anything that sparks joy, that’s on you, buddy.
PLAYLIST: NMFO Near Misses 2024, Pt. 1
This playlist on Apple Music // This playlist on Amazon Music
And you? What’s been filling your ears lately? Always looking for suggestions.
And with that, NMFO #60 comes to a close. Enjoy the rest of your extended weekend! As always, I thank you for your support.
The winner of NMFO Fictional Band Madness will receive a $50 Quizno’s gift card, along with draft compensation
Sorry, Ernie Jenkins!
NMFO is worth it just for the funny AF shit you sling. Major bonus is when I land upon a green check worthy gem like High Room that brings along a batch of siblings to the party. Really like this guy and I'd add that my schnoz occasionally detects a subtle aroma of Roxy Music in his sublime blend.
Of course you have that playlist and I was dumb for asking, but now I have Vicky Fafrewell in my life, so I don't feel quite as dumb.
Since your link opens the web version of Spotify and that doesn't connect to the app I had to search for NMFO to actually play anything and in doing so found that there is a hip hop duo (?) named NMFO out there and they are pretty generic but this song "Don't Say" (their newest single) has a recurring sound that's like someone biting into celery which is funny and/or disgusting every time it happens.