Follow me if you want your Spotify wrapped to look a little more unique, and to expand your horizons musically, humorously, and intellectually. If you like indie rock that makes you want to ride your bike around the city as the sun sets, old filters / new light is the newsletter for you.
we're markin 'em down and movin 'em out
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Good morning Reader and happy Tuesday. Here's what I've been jamming to:
Ben Kweller - "Dollar Store" (ft. Waxahatchee) Echoes of Death Cab's "Cath" on this single from Kweller (with choral support from Katie Crutchfield), but at the pace and intensity of Smashing Pumpkins' "Rhinoceros," crescendoing in a pop-indie explosion that's head-banging and catchy like the cold. The lyrics float from generic and low-priced to existential: We're living in a simulation, They've also been found to use bait-and-switch pricing tactics, where something might be marked for a dollar in the aisle and end up being a buck-fifty at the register. Chump change, one may think, but every penny counts for the typical dollar store customer, and it seems their owners treat them like bones-for-the-picking rather than valued regulars. Dollar stores really are the lowest common denominator of consumerism. If those perfume ads want their customers feeling like they're sailing through the sky with eagles and hyper-beautiful demigods, dollar stores want the people walking through the door to know they're worth about as much as generic brand blue drink on the shelves. Calling it quits, good as gets. Yellow House - "Better Views" Alright the dollar store rant was a bit depressing. Let's all take a step back and relax with a light-groove bass line and some summery guitar arpeggios courtesy of Yellow House. I dug this one out of my Chill Tunes for Baboons playlist, created in August 2019. Am I going to defend the name of this playlist? No. Will I stand by its eclectic assortment of music you can throw on as you don your noise-canceling headphones and the plane takes off on the red-eye back home? Yes. I did just that last night. Another thing I did was foolishly accept a water from the flight attendant and not immediately drink it. I left it on the tray in front of me then fell into one of those upright plane stupors. When I, of course, jolted out of half-sleep I knocked the water up and onto my knee and upon the floor of the aisle. I turned to the girl two seats to my left with a half-grin and a "I never do this sort of thing" look, but she saw the lie in that and went back on her phone. She's lookin' at the expiration 01099 - "Augenblick" (ft. Gustav, Paul) Thanks to reliable OFNL-feeder Tim L. (from Allentown!) for sending some German bounce my way. Or should I say danke? Junior Varsity - "Cross the Street" A playful indie ripper, ripped off OFNL fan Phil G's Work in Progress playlist. Whatever he's got progressing, it's working. (Is it weird I really want to hopscotch and jump rump on hot asphalt while listening to this one? Oh, ok. I'm the only one. Sure. God forbid I ever open up again.) This town makes your mind meltdown A bit of a cheat here--I included the studio version of this tune in the October '24 newsletter--but didn't really write much about it. The live version is great and greatly timed (and album Moveys aptly named) as I just watched The Order staring Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult. Jude, a grizzled FBI agent missing his estranged family, sets up shop in northern Idaho during the early 1980s as he tries to prevent a local white supremacist cell from becoming a full-blown militia. Leading the titular Order is Hoult, whose cold, smirking portrayal of the cell's youthful leader perfectly matches Jude's desk drawer whiskey bottle performance. The throughline of the movie to the present day is the propaganda novel, The Turner Diaries, which inspired white supremacist terrorism from Oklahoma City to the Capitol steps. ...and the rest of 'em... Great Lake Swimmers tune in with some Drive-by Trucker-esque chords... The Airborne Toxic Event gives the Killers a run for their money... a wet one from Wet... another Tim L. rec? (do the old stuff!)... and Land of Talk just wants you to listen for once...
My home city of Cambridge passed the nation's most comprehensive zoning reform last night. It may not seem like a lot, but legalizing four-story buildings across the city is a big first step to undoing the damge of decades of exclusionary zoning. Well done Cambridge and hopefully this serves as a beacon for the rest of the country to follow!
The best attorneys work on contingecy and flat fee. Change my mind.
Sorry Sorkinheads. Thanks for listening and see you in a week! https://oldfiltersnewlight.com/ |
old filters / new light
Follow me if you want your Spotify wrapped to look a little more unique, and to expand your horizons musically, humorously, and intellectually. If you like indie rock that makes you want to ride your bike around the city as the sun sets, old filters / new light is the newsletter for you.
Hello, if you're new to old filters / new light, welcome. My name is Ned and I write about indie music and urbanism, politics, climate, and day-to-day stuff. Here's what I've been jammin' to lately: old filters / new light / Ja... If You Only Could • Donna Th... PREVIEW Donna the Buffalo - "If Only You Could" (Live in Monroe, UT) Every illness has its false summit. The moment when you finally feel better, but you're not actually out of the woods. You're just no longer at rock bottom, so any...
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Good morning Reader and happy Tuesday. Here's what I've been jamming to: OFNL October 2024 • Ned Me and Willie • Rose City Ba... PREVIEW Rose City Band - Me and Willie Slowing down in this modern world can take a lot of work. What with the constant stream of digital distractions, notifications, and inboxes to check, news to doomscroll, polls to watch, scores to keep, and texts to wait on (she must be busy). Sometimes, you need a slow song to slow you down. But sometimes fluttery guitars and...