NEW MUSIC FOR OLDS #77
Lucifer, you silly devil!
Hello, dear readers. Gather ‘round, I have exciting news!
You might want to do some light stretching, because today’s NMFO is rippling with musical delight. Like, you know that one security guard at your job who looks normal until one today you see him without his blazer and you’re like, “Holy shit, Ramón is jacked!” That’s this newsletter. Topics include:
Your fretless bass dreams, fulfilled
Absinthe and lighter fluid
Uberintimacy
Up with Beezelbub!
Dense meanderings, far as the eye can see
Plus, life changes and sordid self-promotion
Let’s get cracking.
GOOD STUFF
I guess you could say that 2025 is in full swing, because I bring you five songs this week—a 66.6% increase. Heck, I already have songs lined up for the next newsletter. It’s a downright backlog. Blame tariffs!
(In the standup biz, we call this “topical humor”.)
Yeah yeah fine, here’s your Glossary of Terms.
Youth Lagoon, “Neighborhood Scene”
Listen on Apple Music // Listen on Amazon Music
Album: Rarely Do I Dream
Nutshell: Sophisticated indie pop
Voltage: 5
Thoughts: Has it really been two years since I wrote about Trevor Powers, a.k.a. Youth Lagoon? Apparently, time also flies when you’re treading water! Back in NMFO #34, I described Powers’ singing voice as “an 8yo imitating his great-grandmother”. Second Wave Emo fans might also hear a bit of Jeremy Enigk. But this album has more to offer than quirky vocals. Rarely Do I Dream is ambitious and expansive, with a dense sonic palette. The ace professionalism of Power’s studio band reminds me of Peter Gabriel, 90’s Bowie and those Roland-only Tears for Fears albums. I half-expected to find Manu Katché or Gail Ann Dorsey in the liner notes. Let this tune serve as a reminder that we need more fretless bass in our lives.
Pairing Suggestion: Investigating the cold case murder of a Pacific Northwestern teen
Bonnie Trash, “Haunt Me (What Have You Become)”
Listen on Apple Music // Listen on Amazon Music
Album: Mourning You
Nutshell: Goth Rock
Voltage: 8
Thoughts: If you were Canadian twin sisters with names as cool as Emmalia and Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor, making impassioned Goth Rock that sounds like Siouxie Sioux fronting Black Sabbath, you’d settle on a better band name than “Bonnie Trash”, right? Like, even by accident? Nevertheless, I’m digging a good number of these doom-y little ditties, each of which sounds like it was dipped in absinthe and lighter fluid. Bonnie Trash (again, why??) manages to feel 100% sincere without being corny—a difficult needle to thread! The perfect soundtrack for your next self-cutting session.
Pairing Suggestion: Rockin’ the cemetery
daphne ellen, “Getting Ready Song”
Listen on Apple Music // Listen on Amazon Music
Album: Good Gold
Nutshell: Singer-songwriter
Voltage: 3
Thoughts: My pal Hewitt brought this artist to my attention and, in so doing, confirmed that I am an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone. daphne ellen (sic) is the daughter of a woman Hewitt and I went to high school with. I didn’t know her (the mom) super well, but it was enough for me to click play. I was expecting your standard “whispery folk-pop with light Americana touches” thing—Moleskine Folk, if you will. And that’s exactly what this is! But here’s my dirty little secret: when that stuff lands with me, it lands hard. There’s an intense intimacy here, reminiscent of Lori Carson and those early Iron & Wine albums. Super listenable, no glaring skips.
Pairing Suggestion: Nuzzling a newborn puppy, kitten or human
Potentially Fun Fact: This is the second song this week using audio from home movies1.
Motorpsycho, “Lucifer, Bringer of Light”
Listen on Apple Music // Listen on Amazon Music
Album: Motorpsycho
Nutshell: Cheerful pysch-prog
Voltage: 7
Thoughts: Named after a Russ Meyers film, Motorpsycho is a Norwegian psych rock outfit that’s been active since the late Eighties. But this self-titled album is somehow my first impression—the cover art sucked me in, I think. From its title, you might assume this is some brutal Black Metal type deal, but “Lucifer, Bringer of Light” is a bouncy and joyful tribute to the Dark Lord. It has almost an “Up With People” quality. Is there any justification for it to be ten minutes long? Not really. But its front and back thirds are really strong and I’ve found myself coming back to it repeatedly over the past couple weeks, especially in the mornings. I blame you Lucifer, you silly devil!
Pairing Suggestion: Participating in your Satanic grotto’s annual potluck dinner and ring toss
Note: I’m aware of Russ Meyers’ whole “thing”, but I’ve ever actually watched one of his films. It’s age-restricted so I can’t embed it here, but the trailer for Motor Psycho is making me want to rectify that.
Ichiko Aoba, “SONAR”
Album: Luminescent Creatures
Nutshell: Ambient Japanese folk
Voltage: 2
Thoughts: An early contender for my lying-in-the-dark album of 2025. You know, I rag on music criticism quite a bit—the narratives, the herding, the sense that music is often incidental to a blogger’s greater pursuit of Cool Points. I’ve yelled at these clouds plenty! But every once in a while I encounter an artist whose work cries out for purple prose. It’s beautiful and singular enough to justify a sentence like “Luminescent Creatures delves into minutiae of her densely lush meanderings, where the littlest of hum can carry the heaviest of weight”. And *checks notes* Flaunt Magazine ain’t lyin’! Play literally any track on this album and tell me you don’t hear densely lush meanderings. JUST TRY IT, I DARE YOU.
Pairing Suggestion: Memorial service for a ladybug made out of flower petals. Also you’re in space, maybe? (See, I’m no good at this!)
Five choices? Talk about pressure.
I now solicit comments, flattery and/or scorn. Need a prompt? Ok, how’s this: Are there any sexy ska songs? Like, is such a thing even possible? Based on zero research, I say no.
SOME BULLSHIT
A few bits of personal news:
PERSONAL NEWS ITEM #1: LONG LIVE QED
As you may recall, my wife recently sold QED Astoria, the beloved (yes, beloved!) comedy arts space she founded in 2014. Kambri has spent the last couple months bringing the new owner up to speed and the official transition took place on March 1st. This is a radical life change for both of us, given that I’ve spent a not-insignificant portion of the past decade unclogging toilets, hauling kegs of beer and making emergency trips to Guitar Center because some dipshit ruined another XLR cable. If you’ve watched my standup special/doc SHOW YOUR WORK, you know what I’m talking about.
(Speaking of which, have you watched SHOW YOUR WORK? Would you kindly? It’s streaming for free on Prime Video and available to rent via Apple TV. It was shot in QED’s meager little backyard at the height of COVID-mania and I think it’s chewier than your average standup special.)
Anyway, I had planned to write about the highs and lows of QED, and what it’s been like having one foot on the production side of things after spending my entire adult life as “talent”. And I plan to! But it’s still too fresh and, as I said, there was a shit-ton of good music this week. But if you’re curious how my wife is processing this transition, click through:
I have a lot to say on this topic. Consider your breath officially bated! In the meantime…
PERSONAL NEWS ITEM #2: LAS VEGAS, March 27-30
Some of you know that I make regular appearances on “Stand Up with Pete Dominick” to discuss politics, culture wars and the general poopification of waking life. There is a vibrant and engaged community surrounding SUPD and this March 27-30 we’ll all be meeting in Las Vegas2 for the 2nd Annual PodJam.
There will be live podcast recordings, standup/musical performances, plus group outings and hang-outs. If you live in or around Vegas, you really need to be there.
As for me, I’ll be using PodJam2 to workshop a new live show concept I’ve by fantasizing about for years. I won’t give away too much, but in essence: Over the course of one hour, we will create a new religious movement (sometimes referred to as a “cult”) from scratch, based audience responses to a set of questions both ethical and esoteric in nature. Think of it like a spiritual Mad Lib!
In spite of my emotional guardrails, I find myself feeling giddy and I can’t wait to find out if this concept has legs. So please, come to Vegas and by my guinea pig!
PERSONAL NEWS ITEM #3: WILMINGTON DE, APRIL 5th
Mere days after my triumphant(?) return to Vegas, I’ll be headlining the glorious Arden Gild Hall in Wilmington, DE on Saturday, April 5th. I had the pleasure of performing at Arden Gild a couple of years back and it instantly became one of my favorite venues. Just a really special place. I have lots (and lots) of new material, so if you live anywhere around Philly/Southern NJ, this is a trip worth making!
HERE IS THE TICKET LINK YOU’RE LOOKING FOR.
And with that, New Music for Olds will now recede into the middle distance of your inbox, biding its time until once again called upon to bring you half-informed warm takes on bands you were too lazy to discover for yourself. Lucky you!
Last chance to talk shit.
See you in a fortnight.
I did say “potentially”.
Henderson NV, if you want to be a stickler.
"Moleskin Folk," holy shit. I have historically referred to this genre as "Canadian Bedroom," so there's that. Might be time for an update.
Damn you for that Motorpsycho song, it was indeed catchy. The only thing that cost it my vote was the fuzzy base tone, never my favorite. And the fact that I've been into Youth Lagoon since your earlier rec, and have already been spending a lot of time with Rarely Do I Dream since it dropped.