Album of the Week: A LA SALA

The albums from Record Club alumni are stacking up at a perilous rate. Not that I've made any efforts to keep up with most of them this year, but even if I had, I still don't think I'd be able to do it. The nail in the coffin for me was the announcement of a new SOPHIE album. Which is great, because we had a good time reviewing her album a few weeks ago. But it's also a little surprising, since she's been dead for over three years now. If deceased artists are on the table, then we have our work cut out for us.

But we can forget about all that for now, and just listen to the new Record Club album below. Enjoy!!

Record Club:

archives | supplemental

spotify playlist | youtube playlist

choose | writing

WEEK 283 — June 30-July 6, 2024

A LA SALA

by Khruangbin

LISTEN:

Spotify | YouTube | Bandcamp | Apple

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PICKED BY SUNNY

SUNNY'S COMMENTS: "Why? No smoking gun. I noticed Brianna mentioned the artist a couple times in YSC, like 'August 10' off the excellent Con Todo el Mundo. I saw them play at the Met a few weeks ago (great show). I'm trying to think of good artists to fill a ~60 minute workout class (I'm scraping this blog for suggestions), of which I think Khruangbin would be good for at least 20. And I'm just now learning they have a new '24 album, so let's hear it."

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ALBUM DETAILS

GENRE: Neo-psychedelia, funk rock

RELEASED: April 5, 2024

LENGTH: 39:36

TRACKLIST:

1. Fifteen Fifty-Three
   
2. May Ninth
3. Ada Jean
4. Farolim de Felgueiras 
5. Pon pón
6. Todavía viva
7. Juegos y nubes
8. Hold Me Up (Thank You)
9. Caja de la sala
10. Three from Two
11. A Love International
12. Les petits gris
    

LYRICS: Genius.com

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ARTIST DETAILS

PRONUNCIATION: "KRUNG-bin"

PRONOUNS: Ochoa uses she/her/hers, while Speer and Johnson use he/him/his

ABOUT: Khruangbin are from Houston, TX. The band consists of Laura Lee Ochoa (bass guitar and vocals), Mark Speer (guitar and vocals), and DJ Johnson (drums, keyboards, and vocals). There wasn't a true formation date. Speer and Johnson met in 2004 in a gospel band, and continued to play together. Speer met Ochoa in 2007, and she started to train herself on the bass shortly after (originally trained on guitar and piano). Around 2010ish, maybe 2011, they started playing in a barn in Burton, TX. This is still where they make all their music to this day. "Khruangbin" is Thai for "airplane" (Ochoa was learning how to speak Thai at the time).

DISCOGRAPHY: This is the band's fifth album. The first was The Universe Smiles upon You, released in 2015. There are also five EPs (including two with Leon Bridges), a compilation, a couple remix albums, and a bunch of live album-length recordings.

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ADDITIONAL INFO

READING SOME SHIT: Elle feature with Ochoa

WATCHING SOME SHIT: Live at Pitchfork six years ago

PREVIOUSLY ON RECORD CLUB: I think by Week 300 I'm going to have to admit that I can't remember every RC artist off the top of my head. It's just too many artists for my brain to hold at one time. Like, I was looking through a list of artist currently signed to Dead Oceans, and there were artists that I thought were in Record Club that it took me a minute to realize actually weren't (like Wednesday and Japanese Breakfast), and then there were other artists that I almost forgot we actually did cover, including Mitski and Slowdive. And then it gets more complicated when you break it down, like how Phoebe Bridgers is on here but not her RC alumni band boygenius, or how Sloppy Jane, not a RC alumna, was featured on the underscores album (and how I couldn't remember the name "underscores" and had to look it up).

The list on the landing page is also long enough that it's becoming unwieldy to scroll through it looking for connections. Like for today, my thought was "let's look for other RC albums whose titles were in all capital letters," but it takes so long to scroll through, and my eyes start to hurt. We just did OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES a few weeks ago. The last one before that was... REINASSANCE? Which means we went the entirety of 2023 without an all-caps album. Unless I missed something, which is possible. Plus, I'm 99% certain I've written about all-caps albums in this space before, but Blogger's search engine isn't specific enough for me to pull that up quickly.

I think the overall point I'm trying to make here is that, at a certain point, I'm going to have to accept that I don't have the time or energy to make the Previously On section comprehensive any longer.

That being said, Khruangbin opened for Cat Power at the Montreux Jazz Lab in Montreux, Vaud, Switzerland, on July 2, 2019.

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RC CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK

Every week from now on, we're giving a quick re-listen to the RC album we covered five years ago exactly. Check out the quick reevaluation every Friday morning, before the regular reviews. Reevaluation, reflection, something like that.

WEEK 22: June 20-July 6, 2019

How Sad, How Lovely by Connie Converse

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Happy listening, RC family!
Have a great week!

RC Exit Survey: Sara on The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

See the rest of the exit surveys HERE.
 

1. Were you happy with the reviews that were published? How do you feel about your week as Record Club captain?

I was very pleased with the reviews for Miss Chappell Roan. I like being captain, love to be in charge. 

2. How was the variety of opinions? A wide range, kinda samey, or somewhere in the middle?

I feel like the opinions were all the same. This is enjoyable music. This is enjoyable music that is not for us old farts who blog together to feel something. I'm pretty sure (unless Nolan, who I don't know, is younger than me) that I was the youngest review writer at 35. We're just not the target audience, and that's ok.

3. Were there any differing opinions that made you view the album in a different light?

Not really. But I do love that Nolan considers this a parody pop album. That's so perfect. 

4. Was there anything about this album or this artist that you wished that people would've written about more?

I know we are not supposed to compare meteoric rises, but someone could have dove into the Gaga v. Roan school of thought. We were being pretty polite, but I think we could have razzed some of those downtempo songs a bit more. Hi "Kaleidoscope" and "California"!

5. How do you feel about your album choice now that the week is over? A success? Any regrets?

I say it's a success. I love pop, I love a zeitgeist artist who just ends up on every corner of the internet in the blink of an eye.

6. Any other takeaways from the reviews? Or from this experience in general?

Just loving my ~blog era~ as the kids say.

7. What is an improvement that Record Club can make that would enhance everyone's experience, either as a captain or as a listener/writer?

Nothing!

Shelter from the Storm: "How I Spent My Summer Vacation"

Joe is rewriting all the old Xanga posts that he wrote in high school and beyond, and it ain't pretty, but it's honest blogging work.

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August 5, 2005, 10:03 PM

The last we spoke (kind of a one-sided conversation on this Xanga, though), I stated that I was going right from a high-adventure Boy Scout hike to a rather more languid Wildwood beach vacation, and that neither of those locales had any access to Xanga (though try as I might to persuade the local governing bodies to make changes in this regard), and so I'd probably dipping out for a couple weeks. But here I am, in the comforts of my own home, having hiked and canoed sufficiently, and having an extra evening to pack my suitcase for the sunny Jersey shore. I was able to catch a ride home late at night instead of early in the morning. The Xanga gods demand to hear an update. DEMAND, I say!

Damn, bro, backpacking through the woods can be a great time with the right mindset. I'm young and I seek adventure and I am stronger and more energetic than I'll ever be for the rest of the my life; I have the right mindset. We spent Monday through Wednesday hiking approximately twelve miles per day. This doesn't sound insane on paper, but it can be a challenge with a 60-pound back on your back. I felt like I did something, man.

Mosquitoes weren't ideal. Neither were the thick bushes and shrubbery that often blocked our path. After a while, I just kinda let the branches start whacking me as we passed through. I think there's a life lesson embedded somewhere in there, but I wouldn't know, I'm too busy applying ointment after the fact. And then Thursday and Friday (earlier today) were filled with longer canoe trips, which were easier on the face, but tougher on the thighs. Don't forget to apply sunscreen to all exposed areas of the body, friends!

I don't want my sordid descriptions to sound like the trip was a drag. Beyond the sense of accomplishment after a week of physical rigor, there was also the intense and comforting camaraderie that comes along with a group trip like this. Maybe the exhaustion makes you laugh harder, but either way, I laughed so goddamn much this week. Plenty of inside jokes that I'll no doubt forget in time, except for the immortal "You won't! You're scared! You don't even know how!", which will live forever.

Too many good stories to tell, but let's save 'em for a rainy day. Knowing this fucking Troop, the next rainy day will be our very next camping trip.

And now, summer's consummate refrain: Wildwood. We'll be leaving at the break of dawn tomorrow. I'll be traveling with and living with my immediate family, but this isn't just our tradition. The tradition stretches across the neighborhoods I grew up in. I'm going to know plenty of friends down there too. You can add to those numbers, if you manage a way to make the trip into town. Maybe Girlfriend will be there, who knows! We'll see! Give me a ring. Meet me on the boardwalk. Let's cause some mayhem.

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Comments

MadeFromRecycledPaper: ps JOE K*** IS FRIGGEN HOT.
love [Girlfriend].

Wonkas_Oompa_Loompa: Listen to it, alot of it is true!this chain letter is realso followthe instructionsand somethinggood will happen!!LISTEN TO THIS LETTER AND GOOD LUCK!!!!!Sorry,but this chain letter is for real.When Anne Wichert got it for the first time,she ignored it and a week later the love of herlife dumped her for no good reason soBEWARE,and just send the stupid letter!!!!!!The Lovers of the HeartIn order to forma more perfect kiss,enable the mighty hug to promoteto whom we pleasebut one kiss.Article 1:Statement of Love:The Kiss1. Kiss on the hand I adore you2. Kiss on the cheek I just want to be friends3. Kiss on the neck I want you4. Kiss on the lips I love you5. Kiss on the ears I am just playing6. Kiss anywhere else lets not get carried away7. Look in your eyes kiss me8.Playing with your hair I can’t live without you9. Hand on your waist I love you to much to let you goArticle 2:The Three Steps1. Girls: If any guys gets fresh with you, slap him.2. Guys: If any girl slaps you, kiss her3. Guys & Girls: Close your eyes when kissing, it is rude to stare.Article 3:The Commandments1. Thou shall not squeeze too hard.2. Thou shall not ask for a kiss, but take one.3. Thou shall kiss at every opportunity.* Remember *A peach is a peachA plum is a plum,A kiss isn’t a kissWithout some tongue.So open up your mouthclose your eyes,and give your tonguesome exercise!!!Here are a few reasonswhy guys like girls:1. They will always smell good even if its just shampoo2. The way their heads always find the right spot on our shoulder3. How cute they look when they sleep4. The ease in which they fit into our arms5. The way they kiss you and all of a sudden everything is right in theworld6. How cute they are when they eat7. The way they take hours to get dressed but in the end it makes itallworth while8. Because they are always warm even when its minus 30 outside9. The way they look good no matter what they wear10. The way they fish for compliments even though you both know thatyouthink she’s the most beautiful thing on this earth11. How cute they are when they argue12. The way her hand always finds yours13. The way they smile14. The way you feel when you see their name on the caller ID after youjusthad a big fight15. The way she says “lets not fight anymore” even though you know thatanhour later….16. The way they kiss when you do something nice for them17. The way they kiss you when you say “I love you”18. Actually … just the way they kiss you…19. The way they fall into your arms when they cry20. Then the way they apologize for crying over something that silly21. The way they hit you and expect it to hurt22. Then the way they apologize when it does hurt. (even though wedon’tadmit it)!23. The way they say “I miss you”24. The way you miss them25.The way their tears make you want to change the world so that itdoesn’thurt her anymore….. Yet regardless if you love them, hate them, wishtheywould die or know that you would die without them … it matters not.Because once in your life, whatever they were to the world they becomeeverything to you. When you look them in the eyes, traveling to thedepthsof their souls and you say a million things without trace of a sound,youknow that your own life is inevitable consumed within the rhythmicbeatingsof her very heart.We love them for a million reasons, No paper would doitjustice. It is a thing not of the mind but of the heart. A feeling.Onlyfelt.This chain started in 1997.It is a love chain letter.In an hour you aresupposed to send it to25 people.It is easy, just look intochat rooms and find them.Anyway,send it to 25 people in 1 hour.Now herecomes the fun part.You then saythe name of the personyou like or loveand then the person will say”I love you,”or”Will you go out with me?”NO JOKE!!!!!NOWTHE CONSEQUENCESThe consequences are:If you break the chain letter,you will have bad luckin future relationships.If you don’tbreak the chain,then you will be ahappy camper!!!CoNgRatULaTioNs!!You have been chosento participatein theLONGESTand theLUCKIESTchain letter on the Internet!Once you read,this letter you mustIMMEDIATELY(meaning within the hour)be sent to25peopleAfter you send it,make a wishand it will comeTRUEYOU MAY NOT WAITFOR A CERTAIN TIMETO SEND IT…….. REMEMBER,IT MUST BE SENTTO25PEOPLE WITHIN 1 HOUR,ORYOUR WISH WILL NOT COMETRUE!If THISCHAIN LETTERIS CONTINUED UNTILTHE YEAR 2006, IT WILL BE PLACED INTHE GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS!PLEASE CONTINUE IT NOW!!!*WARNING*IF YOU DO NOT PASS THIS ON,SOMETHING BAD OR WORSEWILL HAPPEN TO YOU:*NOTE*THE MORE PEOPLEYOU SEND THIS TOTHE MORE LUCK YOU WILLHAVE IN YOUR LOVE LIFE.IF YOU BREAKTHE CHAIN LETTER(IT HAS BEEN GOING SINCE 1997)YOU WILL HAVEBAD LUCKWITH YOUR LOVE LIFEFOR SEVEN YEARS.THIS ISNOJOKE.

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August 13, 2005, 3:07 PM

Alright, folks, I'm calling it: summer is officially over. I have survived my sojourn in the pits of hell (Wildwood, NJ), and have escaped unscathed. I am here to tell you the tales, or at least touch on them in that patented casual Xanga manner, and then that's that. We'll be on a train barrelling toward school, gradually accelerating until summer's sun is snuffed completely. Let's hit it!

Wildwood highlights:

— I was able to spend some time with three old friends, a couple of whom I literally hadn't seen in a decade: Ryan, Justin, Knuckles (still don't know his actual name). Not that we were bonding in a Stand by Me-esque way or anything, but it's just always nice to chill with friends you used to chill with all the time in your younger days, ya know? A simple pleasure, and an appreciated one.

— On Sunday night, Harry brought out his bag of illicit fireworks. Not sure why, probably just to instill a mild chaos into the summer vacation night, which I approve of, obviously. We're walking around town, lighting them off every once in a while, and you can tell that the cops are getting antsy, like they know something is up. You can watch them literally follow the scent. We get down to the bottom of the bag and say "alright, let's light this fucker off, just one more," and as soon as the spark hits, a cop pulls up, and takes our names. We're all like "it wasn't us" and thankfully there were no more fireworks on our persons to prove otherwise. Another close call by me and Harry. The only reason I know his address is because I've heard him tell it to the police so many times.

— On Monday, me and Harry and Ryan decide that it is time to sneak into Montego Bay, which is the indoor water park that taunts us with its large neon yellow façade hanging over the boardwalk. We cases the perimeter and eventually found an unlocked door. Like cat burglars, we snuck up to pool, and immediately performed a triple cannonball. I emerge from the pool and am immediately greeted by a dork in a clipboard. The follow conversation ensues:

DORK: Name and room number, please?
ME: Um... it's room 321, and I believe it's under... Smith?
DORK: On my list here, it has Room 321 as "McKinney."
ME: Oh well, yeah, that's the other side of my family. We're all staying here.
DORK: Okay, fine, you can stay.
ME: That's awesome, thank y—
DORK: But wait, why did those other two kids just run out the exit door as quickly as they could...?

— On Tuesday, we were planning on interrupting our early morning slumber in service of attending the water park, which opens at dawn (a ritual that we, a legendarily frugal family, often engage in). But it was raining, so I slept a few more hours, and had what I recall was a pretty normal day otherwise. Harry made out with a girl that night, though.

— On Wednesday, Andrew and I decided on a plan that had long been discussed and never, to my knowledge, been attempted. Our goal was to pool-hop through every single pool in North Wildwood. There are by my estimation 150 pools total, most of them attached to the famously kitschy motels that run up and down every street of this town. Undeterred by Monday's inside-pool debacle, we made a valiant effort, and touched water at six different pools. Pool #3 involved an old lady chasing us with a baseball bat. Pool #6 was a pool we were actually allowed in (my Uncle Jim owns a condo there), but we still managed to get kicked out. That seemed like a good sign that 150 pools was untenable, if we were banned from the one pool we weren't ever supposed to be banned from.

— On Thursday night, we made a quick jaunt to Ocean City (NJ, duh) to meet female pal Colleen G. and her pal Megan. For reasons that probably shouldn't need to be explained (showing off for the opposite sex, etc. etc.), it was decided that we should all go skinny dipping in the ocean. Harry and I go first. Harry kept his underwear on, and I was butt-naked. It was pitch black dark; none of this was safe, I acknowledge now, but so it goes. I didn't see the rocks out there. I trip, land belly first on a jagged one, and am stuck out there, rolling around, naked, hollering that I can't get up. I finally make it to shore, and my legs are all cut up. Whoops. No wonder anyone of the opposite sex finds me attractive!!!!

— Andrew's car gets a flat on the way back to Wildwood. We stumble around with flashlights and jacks, and somehow manage to get a new tire on there, who knows how securely, but we made it home. Safely, but late. Like past midnight. I hop right in the shower to clean my wounds, and Harry leaves his sopping wet clothes on the damn floor like a fool, and so our parents are asking questions now. I straight-up tell them that I was skinny-dipping in the ocean, because I'm a fool too and I very often underestimate my parents' reactions to this kind of shit. I got in a lot of "trouble," which, ya know, is a weak effort on their part, being as this is vacation and whatever. I had fun, it was worth it, I am young and invincible, etc.

And these are just the highlights. Pretty great week overall, even the slow moments, when we were just chilling in the shade of a beach umbrella or shooting the shit on a boardwalk bench. It saddens me a little bit that it's over. There's always next year, but still, next year is a full school year away. Time for procrastinated book reports and back-to-school shopping and the palpable dread of a new September. FUCK!!!!

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Comments

x_loveBUZZ: Hey, random props. Great taste in music.Peace and Love, Ashley

harry 3236: hahahahahaha
Great week indeed...
o yea u forgot ur famous pickup line
ill catch ya later...

Anonymous: Joe... I MISSED U!! Im SOO glad ur home!!

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August 17, 2005, 1:11 AM

I am not a perfect individual. I have flaws. Plenty of flaws, just ask anyone. One of my flaws is of a physical nature—I often come down with strange dermatological inflictions. Remember the infected acne lesion of last year that we all thought was some fucked-up STI? Remember the inhaled poisonous smoke at the campfire that resulted in my face looking like a clown's red balloon for over a week? Well, here's something new for you: I have a huge bubble on the bottom of my foot.

I thought it was another case of poison sumac or whatever, but the bump kept growing and growing. It's at the point that I'm walking with my ankle at a constant 90 degrees. Picture me, limping from wait station to wait station, gathering coffees for senior citizens as they pound their fists on their tables and demand that the young skin-tagged cripple provide faster service, PRONTO.

I wonder if this is connected in some way to the aforementioned skinny dipping. Do the oceans in Ocean City contain any sea life that might stink a naked heel and cause an infection of some sort? Can any marine biologists reading this please let me know?

I am afflicted physically but I know that this poison is a metaphor too. It's a sign of the upcoming academic apocalypse. I have three books to read and twelve essays to write in the next three weeks. I haven't started a single motherfucking thing yet. I'm on the clock at work pretty much every day from now till the school bell rings. And my parents expect me to keep working on Boy Scout merit badges. Doesn't seem like there would be enough time in the entire summer for all that, let alone the final three weeks of it. But that's all my fault. Always is. I hate the end of summer.

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Comments

MadeFromRecycledPaper: Dude. I’ve called you like eight times tonight.???

inmyimage2: if u need a shoulder to cry on.......

RECORD CLUB PRESENTS: Kailyn's Dozen, Week #6 of 12: American Tragedy by Hollywood Undead

There it is. There's the hilariously bad album I was waiting for.

It's okay! They can't all be winners! I'm honestly surprised that we made it this far without an album sounding like this. Sure, Red River Blue was mediocre at best, and didn't have much in terms of stone-cold hits, and was a little icky if you considered the politics it implied. Sure, Avenged Sevenfold succeeded only by deftly clearing the earth's-core-level expectations. But Kailyn hasn't picked a wildly terribly album until now. I'm talking so bad that I couldn't stop laughing, that kind of bad.

And let's be fair, laughter is good. It's healthy. Doesn't matter if you're laughing at or with, as long as you're laughing. It adds years to your life. Thank you, Hollywood Undead. Thank you, Kailyn.

Here's the deal with these guys—it's a mix of *NSYNC and Linkin Park, but under the guise of horrorcore. It's boy-band-ish, technically speaking, because there are five members, and none of them play instruments. Instead, their roles are "lead vocals," "rap vocals," and "hype vocals." They are nü-metal because of the harsh sounds that are twisted into a sort of dark pop sort of thing... I'm not good at describing that, but you'll know what I'm talking about when you hear it. And then the horrorcore thing is mostly pertaining to the lyrics, which are crude and violent, with "raps" about drinking and fighting and killing and homophobia. Weird fucking combo, man. So weird when they switch from rap to "harmonizing" as a group.

But, like, "nü-metal Backstreet Boys" sounds like an absolutely absurd description, to the point that I had to do some light research before writing this just to make sure this wasn't supposed to be some sort of oblique parody of either or both genres. When I say that this sounds like some bullshit the Lonely Island would cook up, I mean that as an insult to both Lonely Island and Hollywood Undead. But it's true! It's all true! This shit is very silly! Take for instance, this back half of a verse from HU member Charlie Scene on the second song of the album, "Apologize":

"Don't invite Scene over, he pees at sleepovers

He asks your sister out just so he can cheat on her

What a creep loner, shit, I couldn't sink lower

You just got a mean boner from a Charlie Scene poster

If I'm popping a wheelie, it's 'cause I'm jacking your bike

Got my middle finger raised as I'm running red lights

I'm known to punch 'em in the dick at the end of a fight

And I'll never say I'm sorry at the end of the night."

I don't know what to make of this. I can't take it seriously but it's so fucking goofy and so densely packed with insane bullshit that I also can't help but respect it. That line about cheating on your sister? Probably the dumbest brilliant line I've ever heard. And the dude is talking about himself! There is another part in the next song, "Comin' In Hot," in which Scene attempts to rhyme "Home Alone" and "Macaulay Culkin," but has to twist the surname into sounding like "Col-CONE" to make it fit. Later in that verse, he says "We drink so much Goose, we're turning into geese." I just... I don't know what to make of any of this. I really don't. I always speculate about something being so bad that it becomes good again, but Charlie Scene's rapping is the clearest, best example that I've ever come across.

And this is all ignoring the framework under which we've come to this batshit album! That this is one of a 20-something female from Pittsburgh's favorite albums! And I'm supposed to be making assumptions about this poor girl based on the fact that she listens to American Tragedy by the early-'10s rap-rock band Hollywood Undead! How?! Why?!

This makes me wish that I had had the foresight to choose American Tragedy for Record Club instead of Masterpiece Theatre. That would have been fun. It's always more fun when you're taking swipes at an album in a vacuum. I could've written a mean 1-puke review for this fucker, and had a great time. Nate would have either been extremely upset or nobly contrarian. Sunny would have done the work to prove that this was indeed actually a parody. Not sure who else would've written that week. Looks like Sam was writing regularly around that time. I feel like American Tragedy would've been an excellent vehicle for Sammy's patented grumpiness. And we all could've pretended like this thing fell out of the sky instead of having been handed to us by an unassuming artist-turned-tax-attorney who didn't ask for any of this.

Here's the thing, though. Here's the rub. Exploring music is way more fun when you feel something in the extreme. Doesn't matter if the emotion is hilarity and disbelief, as it is here. I don't remember feeling anything about Marianas Trench, and that was to it's detriment. Sure, ask me which is a better album, and I'm taking Masterpiece Theatre every fucking time. But if you're asking me which album I'd prefer to listen to and write words about it at gunpoint? Well, I think American Tragedy is the winner.

And I know what that says about me and I know what that says about music, but I don't really know what that says about Kailyn. We've already talked about the range of her list, how impossible it might seem that Blake Shelton and BOYS LIKE GIRLS and Hollywood Undead are all chilling right next to each other... impossible until you remember that most people don't really think about shit like "favorite album" all that much or at least not as intensely as your typical PoYB denizen might, and so a list like this doesn't make sense because it doesn't have to. It's random. We've already talked about that, and how boring that is, and antithetical to the point of this twelve-week exercise, and so let's instead run through the typical reasons again. Why might Kailyn love Hollywood Undead's American Tragedy?

1) She heard it during a pivotal life moment. This is a big one for people who don't think about music below the surface. Maybe she was on a trip with a friend and that friend played for her their favorite rap-rock band.

2) She knows someone in the band, or someone she knows knows a member, or some other direct or indirect personal connection to the personnel that would give her an excuse to check them out.

3) It started like a joke but eventually stopped being funny. Maybe her friends were passing it around, but the ironic love turned into true love after some time passed.

4) This is still a joke. Kailyn added it to the list to fuck with me.

5) This is the wrong album. Originally, she wrote "Hollywood Undead by Hollywood Undead," but that doesn't exist. They don't have a self-titled. So I took my best guess here, and maybe my guess was wrong.

5) Kailyn legitimately loves all kinds of music and makes a point to get into various genres to strengthen her character and spirit.

And why not? Why not that last one? That's how I see myself, so why wouldn't I trust others to feel the same and listen to music in that way too? Forget about percentages and probabilities, and how it's statistically more likely that Kailyn is an "average listener" who doesn't really give a shit about music beyond what was spoon-fed to her by life's circumstance and the algorithm. Forget about that. I need to think the other way. I need to believe that Kailyn is one of the special ones. I need to believe that she gets it. I need to believe this or else my soul is gonna take a bullet. I need to believe or else I'm gonna be like Charlie Scene and threaten to cut my wrists... metaphorically speaking, of course.

But if I'm thinking that way, then the problem reverts back to: why is this album on her list so fucking bad? Say Kailyn "gets it," okay, but then this choice is just too preposterous to factor into the theory that she gets it. Can you say with full honesty that you are "into music intensely" and also say with full honesty that you love Hollywood Undead?

Probably not... but that's forgetting that Kailyn never made that fucking claim in the first place. Go way back to the first email about this. Let me quote her here: "Sadly I love too much and don't really have favorites, but I can list some of my favorites if that works? Well at least albums in which I love more than a couple songs (I'm notorious for listening to just a few songs from a ton if different people/groups) lol." So there you go, man. We're halfway through this project and we're finally getting some answers here. She actually doesn't care about albums. It's exactly like the probabilities suggested. Kailyn is an "average listener," in that she doesn't listen to albums. Oof. This realization hurts.

I'll get over it, though. Even if we can know with almost certainty that Kailyn doesn't "get" music like we strive to here at the blog, at least the world makes a little more sense. There's comfort to be found in the clarity of knowing that it's not some unknowable mystery here, but that it is instead just some person randomly throwing shit onto a list based on some songs that she knows and puts on the dreaded Playlist That I Put On When I Want to Listen to Music©.

Because this album is very bad. Seriously, have you guys listened to it yet, maybe while I've been prattling on about some stranger half a state away? It's insane how bad it is. Have you heard the back half yet? Songs like "Bullet" and "Pour Me" drop the nü-metal shit altogether and turn into straight-up pop ballads. It's fucking hilarious. This is an album that thinks it's a great idea to transition right from the autotuned sad-boy song "Pour Me" directly into "Tendencies," the finale, in which Johnny 3 Tears rap-yells about having sex with dogs. Truly incredible stuff here.

The best part about all of this is that it's all made up. Hollywood Undead are too ridiculous to be real, and my vision of Kailyn was fake too. And so maybe we can just have fun with it. If I ever meet Kailyn in real life, I will probably not tell her how much I thought this album was hilariously awful. Why, though? Why am I writing it here but planning not to speak my truth in real life? That's the thing, though. There is no real life. We're all phony, and we're all just trying to feel something to pretend like we're real. And if I get to listen to an album in which a white guy in a hockey mask sing-raps about pissing on himself and shooting people with guns, then yeah, man, I guess I'm feeling something, and so I guess I'm real. If anything, we can thank Kailyn for that.

GRADE: 1 puke out of 5

A PICTURE FROM KAILYN'S OLD INSTAGRAM THAT BEST ENCAPSULATES THE EXPERIENCE OF LISTENING TO THIS ALBUM:

THE FULL LIST, IN ORDER OF COVERAGE:

• Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park
• Masterpiece Theatre by Mariana Trench
• Don't You Fake It by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
• Meteora by Linkin Park
• Red River Blue by Blake Shelton
• Boys Like Girls by BOYS LIKE GIRLS
  
• Steal This Album! by System of a Down
• Avenged Sevenfold by Avenged Sevenfold
• American Tragedy by Hollywood Undead
• Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Relapse by Eminem
• Strummin' On Garth by Brooks Jefferson
• You Get What You Give by Zac Brown Band
• Stand Up and Scream by Asking Alexandria
• Me and My Gang by Rascal Flatts

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Sunny

In February of this year, one of my housemates threw a party for his gf which was "Pink Pony Club" themed. At the time, neither I nor my other housemate (both pop-culture-clueless) knew what was going on, but it was a fun rager so who cares. I hope we have another Pink Pony Party soon.

In the intervening few months, I've been inundated with Roan from nearly every facet of my life, including the aforementioned unknowing housemate. I think I'm not alone in noting this astronomical spike in popularity, and somehow I imagine one or many of these tracks will find their way onto Radio, TV, Obama playlists, etc.

Which is cool, because the album is pretty good and addictive. The mixing of two generations ago's synth, last generation's indie, and a pastiche of this generation's female pop artists hits the nostalgia and dopamine buttons in interesting ways. The layers of camp and production make it feel more modern, or at least more danceable. The faster tracks are the ones that stick in the head well after playtime (i.e. "Pink Pony," "Red Wine"), but in-between, there's a lot of great songwriting and emotional weight of discovery, heartbreak, et al. Ultimately though, what matters is she's got songs with fucking beats.

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Sara

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is an incredible synth pop album for the unseen queer kid from a small town. It's actually great for any lovers of pop, but there is something very special about it. An ode to the Midwest. A safe place for kids figuring out their sexuality. The songs follow themes of finding yourself, sexuality, situationships, and love. 

Chappell Roan thrives in the uptempo pop hits. Using fun callouts to hype up the audience, "play the fucking beat!!" in "Femininomenon" especially. Sometimes it does feel like she's speaking too much on these tracks, giving a real theater kid feeling. But that's the audience. "Pink Pony Club" itches the theatrical scratch in one's brain, allowing you to let loose and sing along in the car. There are themes and jokes that fly over my millennial brain. Some that made my jaw drop. See "Casual" for that. But that's the name of the game with new talent. The album isn't a love letter to a 35-year-old mom, it's to Chappell Roan's younger self, and all of the younger generations. 

4 out of 5 Big Brens

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Nate

"Midwest Princess" really rolls off the tongue. Nice phrase, feels good in the mouth to say it out loud, fun to consider the parseltongue of each word's ending.

If we're trying to slot this album within the correct placement of the pop music Dewey Decimal system, it's somewhere between the disco-revival of Dua Lipa (current album not included due to lack of context) and the cringe-camp of Megan Trainor, with a dash of Musgraves for cross-over options. That floor is more damning than that ceiling, but as bouncy and kitschy as something like "After Midnight" is, those whiffs of not being in control of the message are present. The character on this album is a compelling mess and a real-feeling pile of contradictions. It represents a believable arch, and it feels lived in. She is sex-positive, but not overly sexy. She is fucking up constantly, but full in control of the mistakes. It's not up to me to determine whether or not this album and this artist will be here for a good time or a long time, but "Coffee" and "Casual" are ones worth hanging on to.

Readers can decide if this is a burn, praise, or just an observation, but: once Taylor Swift fans start having adult relationships, Roan makes for an appropriate and gentle level-up.

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Zach

How many of our sentences begin with some version of "I need to"/"I want to"/"I should"? Like: "I should exercise more?" "I should write more?" We're always striving for something else. We're not happy with the status quo. 

Hereby is my declaration to live in the moment! To connect to my breath, to the clouds, the trees! Spend time with my family, get eight hours of sleep, cut down on the carbohydrates!

Wait... what's this? WHAT'S THIS I SEE LANDING FROM THE MILKY SKIES?

A FEMININOMENON?!

***

Paying attention to the rise and fall of my chest will have to wait another day.

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Nolan

How did it come to be that I'm circling back to Record Club for this Chappel Roan album? Well, just so happens that it's the Philadelphia Phillies. Specifically, this tweet. Which led me to this article.

And so I decided to listen to some Chappel Roan about a month ago. And now, here I am, reviewing the album. 

I've listened to it a few times, and while there are definitely some really fun tracks, I just got bored in the middle, which I wasn't expecting. BUT, I'm sure there are people out there way cooler than me listening to this in way cooler places than driving through New Jersey in a mid-'10s Toyota, which would make it maybe less boring. What I will say is that I cannot shake the idea that this is almost a parody album of all things pop. I keep hearing Olivia Rodrigo, a sneaky reference (perhaps a jab even?) at TSwift Karma, and even a little Rihanna on the end of the first track? Maybe it's just everything people love about pop, let's not overthink it. Overall, fun artist, fine record, I'm happy to see people happy about it.

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Joe

[I have something to say before we start the review in earnest. It's weird and you don't have to read it. I mean, you don't have to read anything I write, and this doesn't have to be an exception. But I feel like I have to say it. This—this whole thing, the idea of "Chappell Roan" and all that it entails—is not going to end well. I don't have specifics. That's not how my sixth sense works. And I don't wish ill on anyone. I can just feel it in my bones, man. Doesn't feel good. But this thing is gonna get bigger and bigger and then it's gonna flame out in spectacular fashion, and a whole bunch of people are gonna get their feelings hurt, including me, because when it happens I'll think of the weird-ass intro to the review I wrote back in June 2024, and I'll feel the heavy weight of having the inevitable future poke you in the back and then run away before you can turn around. I haven't felt this way since I first heard a Lizzo song, and you see how that turned out. I didn't know what I was feeling at that time; I know what I'm feeling now, because I'm feeling it again. I will be taking no questions about the words in this paragraph at this time, and will not reference any of this in the ensuing review, but we can meet in the comment section when the thumb of fate finally presses the detonator button, if you want.]

OKAY, here begins the actual review. I don't like the idea of people assuming that I'm going to hate something. I don't like that that's the default. It should be in certain arenas of my existence but not with music. I take great pains to give all music a fair shot (unless there are contextual reasons why I feel like it wouldn't be morally acceptable to engage with it, but that decision NEVER has anything to do with the quality or perceived quality of the music itself). If you think that I'm going to do something like listen to 30 seconds of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and say "this sucks," then you don't know me at all. Yes, sure, I heard "HOT TO GO!" in April, and claimed it was one of the worst songs I heard that month, but that exercise is completely different. I listened to it once. The snap judgment is baked into a joke. Record Club is the bread and butter of this whole music-listening endeavor/lifestyle, though, as it asks you to really, truly engage with art, meet it on its own terms, process it through your own emotions and experiences over multiple intentional listens. It's more honest work.

And instead of burying the lede any further, I'll say now that I really enjoyed this Chappell Roan outing. The majority of songs are catchy but not gratingly so. The grating catchiness became less grating over time. The requisite ballads annoyed me but no more or less than any other pop star operating on Roan's frequency who feels similarly obligated to include the ballads (most prominent e.g. is Olivia Rodrigo), and I understand that this is just how pop music functions, since somehow those ballads keep sneaking into the #1 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 instead of the bangers (e.g. did you know that the Sisqó ballad "Incomplete" is his sole #1 and that "Thong Song" peaked at #3?), and so the audience must be there, even though I am personally not that audience. But, the bangers are there, and yeah, they are fun, musically speaking. I can appreciate it.

I think my only misgivings are the same misgivings I've expressed for a lot of Chappell's peers, some of those misgivings in these very reviews (biggest e.g. here is Noah Kahan). It's not you, it's me. I have insecurities about a younger artist not necessarily being able to meet me where I'm at right now in my life. It's not a matter of "I am too old for this!" even though I may have framed it like that in the past. It's more nuanced than that. It's more like: I'm too removed from this emotionally to get wrapped up in it (the themes), and so I can take that outsider's view and see the facade, whereas the youngins (and people my age who are somehow still able to access this emotional space) are right there, viewing the tree and not the forest, and they feel it, they feel that this is them, Roan is singing to them and about them, and I've fucking been there, man, I've heard music in my youth that felt like it was made for me because it was designed to feel that way by people who want you to feel that way when you hear it, but it only works for those with limited perspective, the limitations imposed by the young age, and I'm over here a little older and maybe a little bit wiser by default, and the facade makes this thing seem a little... fake, but not in a bad way, and not in any way that's different than any other popular music since time in memoriam, but definitely in a way that makes music like this slightly impenetrable to me—again, thematically speaking.

I forget if it was in the comments or in an email, but at one point, album captain Sara insinuated that the the common "she's an industry plant!" accusations have been lobbed toward Chappell Roan, and I don't doubt it. There are plenty of industry plants out there but none are popular enough that they would earn the ire of the internet bros accusing them of being industry plants. And if it's not true for most female artists of Roan's ilk then it's especially not true for Roan herself, who seems to have no pre-baked industry connections at all.

Why am I writing about that? I don't know. Probably some knee-jerk reaction to defend myself against claims of sexism when I say that The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is good but not great. But I do think that age and gender play into my opinion of it. What we really need is a new genre name for this sort of female singer-songwriter folk-and-rock-adjacent pop music featuring self-described "messy girls." We need a shorthand so I can speak about the idea without having to overexplain it. This music is ripe with themes of feminism in the form of freedom of self-expression and the self-awareness that some of that expression is going to be ill-advised but finding power in being able to be loud and honest about that self-expression anyway.

I think it's great that young women have this music to touch and feel at the age when they can relate. I understand that it can be powerful. But I think there's something off about it, and I'm not even talking about the fact that, due to my own age (older) and gender (male), I feel a distance from this stuff. I guess I'm talking about... hmm, this'll sound weird at first, but let's roll with it... I'm talking about "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Like the Christmas song. The one that everyone misunderstands as a "rape" song. Whereas really it's just documenting the male privilege of its time. The female in the song wants to stay but feels like it would be inappropriate to stay because "people would talk" and it's generally frowned upon that a female would be alone overnight with a man to whom she is not married. In a rather unstated way, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is making a case that the woman should be empowered to act how she wants to act.

Chappell Roan's music, and by extension the entire as-of-yet-unnamed genre in which she operates, is the opposite side of the coin. The same coin. There is a very intense underlining that, yes, women are allowed to be as open and honest and free with their sexuality, almost to a parodic degree. Yes! Of course this is how it should be! And of course this is way more preferable than the oppression that is documented in a very lame Christmas song! But I think we might also want to consider the fact that this is not the final answer either. Maybe we should consider whether Chappell Roan's music is still operating in response to the patriarchy as opposed to breaking free from it. Maybe we should consider whether the fact that there is so much of these themes in pop music these days (e.g. the omnipresence of boygenius and micro-omnipresence of the Beaches) means that the themes are true but also being sold to the highest bidder, and maybe we should consider whether feminism as filtered through capitalism as filtered through pop music is really what we should be striving for here.

And on the other hand, maybe I should consider whether I'm too far removed from any of this to have a say in it. I don't know, though. I think about my own daughters sometimes when I'm listening to music like this. Not "whether they will like this" or even "whether this would be appropriate for them" (the former is pedestrian and the latter is patriarchal again), but "what will my reaction be when they eventually listen to genuinely popular music and I once again experience that knee-jerk reaction to dismiss." If I'm blaming my age, then it's only gonna get worse from here, and so I need to really start here and now and make an honest attempt at bettering myself before it's too late, before I become that parent—or that human, really—who hears something that already feels alien due to my age and automatically dismisses. Because that's fucked up. I hope whatever 2034 version of Chappell Roan music that my kids show me is something that I will have the emotional capacity to meet halfway. Because they are only gonna be comfortable to show me their interests in the first place if I'm open and receptive with them about it. Emotional intelligence is a learned trait.

Okay, hypothetically, so if I'm a dad, and I'm driving one of my daughters to soccer practice, and she says that there's this new-ish artist that she's getting into, and she turns on Chappell Roan's The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, and I'm engaging with this music for the first time, and I'm tasked with being receptive toward it, to show that I too care about what the people I care about care about, then what might I say about this album? Here are some loose ideas that I might share in that situation. I could say that the chorus of "HOT TO GO!" is an intense grower but that the idea that it needs to be a "TikTok dance" is belittling and unnecessary. I could say that "After Midnight" is the true deep cut here, that the song's bass walk is fantastic (I would also genuinely ask if "starting drama" is something that the kids these days are explicitly striving for, or if this is just Roan being snarky). I could say that the ideas in "Coffee" are worthy of a much faster song. I could wonder aloud whether the album's title is a reference to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and whether there are any themes from that album baked into this one (maybe the pseudo-apocalyptic overtones of the Bowie album are now undertones in Gen Z's very existence?). I could say that the Papa John's reference in the opening salvo was extremely off-putting at first but eventually wore me down. I could say "Pink Pony Club" nails the balance between feeling big but not feeling slow. I could say that "Casual" at the very least sounds like something that Olivia Rodrigo could never do, which is a good thing, even though I'll choose Rodrigo over Roan most days; I could also say that "comparing two women" is reductive, but that also these two brought it on themselves by working with the same dude in the studio. I could say that I heard that Chappell Roan has a rule with her fans that they cannot ask her about her personal life, which is really great for everyone involved, since it acknowledges and attempts to address the biggest issue with pop music engagement these days, that fans think that they are these artist's friends, which is dangerous, especially when Swifties send death threats and Taylor lets it happen, like I'm talking about "stans" and how "Stan" by Eminem was supposed to be a cautionary tale and not a fucking playbook, and regardless of how I feel about the music, I would still respect Chappell Roan for doing her best to avoid all that. I could say that the open and casual queerness on this album is, if not revelatory or even necessarily refreshing, I guess at this point comforting, that it can exist in such a casual space. I could say that "Red Wine Supernova" is probably the best song on here, and the line about the magician is the one time on this album that Roan goes next-level, lyrically speaking. I could even just say that this is nice, pal, this is really really nice, and I'm glad you played it for me, and I'm glad you're out there searching for good music to listen to, and I'm glad we have the type of relationship in which you feel comfortable sharing art with me.

I could say all this, and I would. I would because I like music, and I like when I hear good music, and I hate that someone would assume otherwise of me. Yes, I have my insecurities and hang-ups, and yes, those often bubble to the surface when I'm listening to pop music, especially pop music made by the young folk who are not like me and are being exposed to wide audiences on platforms I don't engage with. But though these are barriers, they are not impenetrable ones. I liked this album decently enough, and I think that's just fine for the here and now.

GRADE: 3 pukes out of 5

RC@5: Lumos by Harry and the Potters

Record Club covered this album exactly five years ago. I gave it another listen this week. Here are some thoughts. Nate's thoughts included this week as well!

Lumos

Harry and the Potters

Week 21: June 23-29, 2019

Nate

The most charitable thing that can be mustered up about Lumos—now five years removed from being five years removed from catching a cultural wave—is that the band stands as an example of the whims of the muse. Here are some cats who really threw their shoulders behind an idea well past its sell-by date, and did so with aplomb, pathos, and craft. It's not to be recommended, but it demands to be admired.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joe

Okay. Let me say this first. This column is not designed to be in-depth. I already went deep into the album the first time around, exactly five years ago today. I don't need to do it again. If there really is THAT much to talk about, then that means I didn't do my job the first time around. Which wouldn't be completely unheard of, but I don't want to make a habit of typing 2000 words for RC@5. I have a finite number of hours in the week to blog. This is supposed to be a bit tossed-off. This is supposed to just act as a "hey, remember this?" exercise. That's all. I like that I get to revisit music that meant a lot to me a half-decade ago.

The complication here is that Harry Potter's legacy has been upended a bit since June 2019, and if this really is a follow-up, then I'm forced to talk about it. Even though Lumos the album is at least one step removed from that controversy, and even though we are here to talk about Harry and the Potters and not Harry Potter. The nature of this album's existence ties the two together irrevocably, and so you can see why I have to do this.

Here is where we are at in 2024: the beloved children's book series' author is intensely bigoted toward trans and nonbinary people. Explicitly. She is extremely vocal about her hateful beliefs. She hedges nothing when speaking on the subject, and she speaks on it very often, without apology. Rowling is, as far as I can surmise, the most famous transphobe on the planet.

My thoughts regarding music in this particular context are well-documented on this blog. As succinctly as possible: if the musical artist is abusive or outspokenly bigoted, then I believe it is my responsibility to not engage with that artist's art, past or present. That doesn't apply here, since the members of the band Harry and the Potters are not, as far as I know, infamously transphobic. They made an album based on the work of an author who is a reprehensible person, but they are fans just like you or me, and this album was made before any of that came to light.

I will also say here that I don't believe that my theory about personal moral responsibility with music also applies to other media. Movies and TV shows and books are more complicated. I don't think it's a matter of it being easier to make excuses for other forms of art. I do think it's a matter of how seriously I take music, though, and how much I ascribe the power of each album to the artist who made it. I participate in the exercise of listening to music by emotionally bonding myself to it, and that means the author is a necessary factor in that, and thus, the author being an abusive piece of shit is going to affect my bond to that art. Whereas I see film as something to engage with a bit more distance, emotionally speaking. I think... I'm still parsing through my thoughts here. But I know I feel differently about film, and I know that this is the fault of my love of music, and not the fault of loving movies less.

With books...  I mean, I can't say that anyone besides Rowling is responsible for creating the Harry Potter world that I know and love. But I do think that the phrase "kill the author" was made for books for a reason, and I do think that it's possible to read a book, knowing full well that the author is a monster, and still be responsible for your morals and personal beliefs. It would be so different, and so much easier, if the idea of hate won the day in the Harry Potter narrative, but it doesn't. Love is the whole point, love for your fellow human, which is why it's so fucking perplexing that Rowling is dying on the hill she chose to die on. It seems to contradict the point of the story that she created.

I don't blame anyone for bailing on their love of Harry Potter due to this, especially our friends in the LGBTQ community who grew up loving this book series and only after the fact discovered that its author wants them dead. Just like with music, I don't think it's appropriate to judge someone for choosing to engage with Harry Potter regardless; that doesn't change just because I'm reluctantly on the other side of the issue with this one. I think this issue is a personal choice for everyone. Can you kill the author? Do you have it within you to do it?

I don't know. I really don't know. I don't know how I'll feel if I ever read this series again (especially with my kids), and I don't know if the endeavor will be worth it. I don't know if its message, the one that resonated so strongly with me as a teenager, will ring hollow now, or if it will still soar in spite of its author. I don't know.

What I do know is that Lumos is still worth engaging with, despite ALL this bullshit. If anything, it might be the only safe way to engage with this narrative now. There are no concerns about supporting a bigoted monster by listening to a band churn out some goofy-ass songs about a fictional character. I gotta assume that Rowling hates these fucking guys, and fucking hates the federal parody law that protects them. So let's all listen to Lumos.

That is, if you can stand it, which, ya know, based on the reviews at the time and in the years since, not many people besides me can. Was a 4.5-puke grade an overrate on my part? Absolutely! But not by much!! I'd stick with 4 pukes if given the option to re-grade. I think that this is a touching and very catchy tribute to an already affecting story. The songs manage to examine some nuance that not even Rowling felt like doing, and it hits on some real emotional moments that are really only possible through music. Yes, some of the musical parodies are goofy (what's worse, the Townsend swipe or the Weezer swipe?), but you cannot deny these hooks. You cannot deny the emotional pathos of, like, the chick from Moldy Peaches crying out for Ron, or the narrator wondering out loud about non-Death Eater Runcorn's role in Voldemort's rise, or fans lining up to thank Harry Potter for his sacrifice (and Harry Potter for its presence).

There was always a price of admission for this album, but in the years since, that price has only risen. Damn transphobic billionaires causing inflation! I think I am still willing to pay the price, though. As long as that money doesn't go directly to Rowling. Listening to Lumos and rehashing this album as an act of nostalgic music criticism means that my Galleons and Sickles are safe from terrible people.

The PoYB Monthly (Family Vacation) Playlist: June 2024

I've been trying to make the "monthly playlist" an actual monthly thing on this blog, and we've gotten there in February and March and May. But I forgot that I also tried to start a yearly family playlist last June, and I want to do that again in this space. So we're just combining the two ideas today. This is the K*** family's annual collaborative road trip playlist, and it also counts as the blog's monthly playlist. July's playlist will be compiled solely by yours truly, and will consist of good songs that I heard throughout June and July.

Here's how this playlist today works. Four of the five people in my family each chose seven songs (Sophie is still about two years away from being cognizant of music to the point that she can understand what's going on here). Those 28 songs were placed on an Apple playlist. And once we hit the highway on our trip to Knoebel's this past Sunday, Pam hit shuffle. I have arranged the playlist below in the order that Apple "randomly" chose (I have my suspicions that it's not actually random, but that's a discussion for a different time).

Each song is linked to a YouTube video, but you can check out the whole thing HERE.

Family Road Trip Playlist, Summer 2024

"The Creepy Crawl" by Danny Go! — Willow's pick — We can't shake this fucking dude. There were a couple Danny Go! songs on last year's playlist, and here are a few more. On the one hand, I get it. The songs are generally catchy enough, and they often ask the audience to do an activity ("act like a monkey!" or whatever). On the other hand, fuck this loser.

"Lagunita" by Lizzie No — Daddy's pick — This is the second time out of three that I'll try to get you to listen to this song (the first being the non-song-selection mention on Day 45, and the third being when this fucker ends up on PoYB's annual EoY Top Ten Songs). It was a stretch trying to get the kids to like it when I tried to tell Martha that we heard this song on XPN basically every day I picked her up from school. She was like "yeah but Uncle Zach said that XPN is passé."

"How Far I'll Go" by Moana (voiced by Auli'i Cravalho) — Martha's pick — The act of writing this blurb reminded me to finally look up the deets on Moana 2, and figure out whether awkward creepo Lin-Manuel Miranda was going to be writing the songs for the sequel. Good news, everybody!!!!

"Sympathy is a knife" by Charli XCX — Daddy's pick — I don't think there's gonna be room for a Charli XCX mention in tomorrow's Chappell Roan review, but let the record show here: brat is a real fuckin' good one, and completely absent of all the hang-ups that I usually have when it comes to pop music.

"Cardinal" by Kacey Musgraves — Mommy's pick — This album is gonna be Pam's annual "didn't write a Record Club review even though I listen to it once a day for an entire year" album. It's a good song. Should've been Pinegrove though.

"Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac — Mommy's pick — I mentioned above, and a few other times prior to this, that I try to make references to the kids as to why they "should know this song." Usually they look at me with a blank face. Eventually, they will roll their eyes, when they learn what that means. But here's what I said for "Tusk," and it was a legitimate one! "Hey guys, this is the song that provides the instrumental for that scene in The Croods when they are stealing the egg!!" It's a shame the reference was wasted on these animals, especially because they made me watch that shitty movie like 50 times a few years ago.

"Let It Go" by Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) — Willow's pick — No drama this year in terms of one kid's picks being prioritized by the shuffle over another kid's picks. Evenly spaced, and plus, they were asleep for some of it. Anyways... you know this song. I'm so far past hating it that I've come back around to liking it again. How many of its 3.3 billion YouTube views are ours?

"I'm a Gummy Bear (The Gummy Bear Song)" by Gummibär — Martha's pick — No.

"Groove Is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite — Mommy's pick — I really hate to say it. This is just the fucking worst. It's the dirtiest, most disgusting thing I'm going to say during this entire write-up of a family's musical playlist. But: I dislike this song because it's in Trolls World Tour. I know that stuff like this shouldn't affect my opinions on music, but I can't help it. Fuck Trolls, fuck Deee-Lite, fuck music.

"The Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley — Willow's pick — I'm back. This is funny. I don't know why my six-year-old likes this song. I don't know why she knows this song. But she does. I also don't know why she chose like five Halloween songs for our summer playlist, but, ya know, those are the rules, she can pick whatever she wants. Besides Billy Joel.

 

"Dance the Night" by Dua Lipa — Martha's pick — Listening to this song for the 10,000th time made me think about how my kids' picks for this playlist are a little crusty. Repeats from last year, songs they've heard too many times to count, songs that they know so well. Where's the curiosity? Where's the search for the new? What am I doing to these little people by allowing them to lapse into banality, musically-speaking, already?

"Vincent" by Car Seat Headrest — Daddy's pick — Time for some good drum solos to shake them from their slumber!!! Jk lol no one cared. I did, though. I'm still drumming on the dashboard.

"Padam Padam" by Kylie Minogue — Mommy's pick — This song entered our lives due to it being featured as the song for the final Lip Sync for the most recent season of Drag Race. It's a good enough song that I don't even think about Drag Race when I hear it. That isn't sarcasm—if the song was just okay, it would still be nice because I'd picture what's-her-name and the Philly chick doing their little dances, and that's fun. But naw, that's all in the rear-view. I'm just bopping along to a fucking Kylie Minogue song on the car ride to Knoebels.

"We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed" by Los Campesinos! — Daddy's pick — I asked Pam "do you recognize this one from the concert?" and she was like "I recognized it from before that, because I think you added it to a mix CD when we first started dating." Which tracks, but I don't remember the details on those things. I wish I had kept track. Oh well. More important things on my mind at the time. Like trying to date a cute girl.

"Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends Theme" by Patrick Stump — Martha's pick — A terrible, terrible repeat from last year, but at least it's short. And I am pretty sick of the Fall Out Boy dudes at this point. The Sixers Sisters Emo Book was overkill for me. I'm cool never hearing this band again. Even though it'll happen whether I like it or not.

"Critterland" by Willi Carlilse — Mommy's pick — Sorry, sorry, that was a little harsh. There are plenty of bands worse than Fall Out Boy. It's just a shame because there are countless bands way better than Fall Out Boy, and yet this band tends to take up a lot of the oxygen in the room. Let's make space for queer indie folk country artists, like Willi Carlilse. Note that this is Pam's pick, which means that the first song on the first playlist stuck. Good work, everybody.

"Summer Is for Chilling" by Danny Go! ft. Brecky Breck — Martha's pick — Who is Brecky Breck? Martha chose this song last year so I have very little to say about it now that I have another year's worth of listens under my belt. Except, who is Brecky? I don't know, she's some YouTuber. Definitely Not Danny Go!'s wife. No, Mrs. Go! is the chick who is dancing in the background of a lot of Danny's music videos (along with another creepy looking dude and also a guy with a bear head... not what you're thinking). She doesn't contribute beyond backup dancing. Is this cute or no? It's either "oh, wow, you get to hang out while your husband is doing his job," or "oh, wow, you have to hang out there while you're husband is doing his job?" See the difference in tone?

 

"Heels over Head" by BOYS LIKE GIRLS — Daddy's pick — A lot of my song picks, both here and in life, generally speaking, are due to specific moments in those songs that touch me in a way that burns them indelibly into my soul, for mostly unexplainable reasons. That's a fancy way of saying that they are catchy, sure, but I'm talking about catchiness is a micro sort of say. On this song from an otherwise forgettable band, during the line "and you left me for dead!", I don't know, that three-second section is in my head right now, and probably will be forever. I don't know why. Maybe because for one single moment, BOYS LIKE GIRLS sounds like Coheed and Cambria. Or maybe not. Who knows.

"Eat It and Beat It" by Sheer Mag — Daddy's pick — Oh yeah, I promised I would let you know how Martha's first concert went! This was thirteen days ago. We went down to World Café to watch Sheer Mag perform at Free at Noon. A tight 40-minute set was the perfect intro rock concert for an earplug-wearing four-year-old (my six-year-old has a thing about loud noises, so she had declined). It was very cute; she brought a kitty stuffed animal and held it, but was able to applaud as well when necessary. Tina Halladay stalked around on stage, looking so badass because she kept a fan blowing for both practical purposes and to make things more glamorous. The played the best two cuts off their new album ("Eat It and Beat It" and "Moonstruck") and the best song from their discography ("Expect the Bayonet"), so I was satisfied. Martha was asking whether we could come back next week, so that's encouraging. Shoutout to PoYB Contributors Rachel C. and Beth and Brian for being there too, and especially Brian for hitting me up and giving me the idea to bring Martha. She's a pain in my fucking ass but mostly in a "we're too similar" way.

 

"Levitating" by Dua Lipa — Willow's pick — I will never see Dua Lipa in concert. I have more to say about this song but I'm tossing around including it in a Song Challenge write-up soon and I might need to save those words for that. A good pick for Willow here, though, since, ya know, it's not a Halloween song.

"Ice Cold" by Waxahatchee — Daddy's pick — Damn, more to say about this song later too (sorry). But I will say this: it's very funny to me that one of the best songs of the year segues into a fucking Danny Go! song. That's the beauty of this Frankenstein of a family music playlist. I despise Danny Go! but you cannot deny it adds variety to the proceedings.

"The Animal Dance Game" by Danny Go! — Martha's pick — All things considered, this is his best song. Low bar, but he clears it. I guess my general question about this guy is—and this seems to apply to many YouTube musical artists—why are the vocals so shitty, and how did he get so popular despite that? Does Danny actually talk like this? I'm almost afraid to search for an interview with him to find out.

"Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. — Willow's pick — We have a regular Friday Family Movie Night, which has been working out really well in terms of getting the kids to watch new movies instead of the same shit day after day after day. I would think we would eventually circle back to Ghostbusters. It's family friendly, right? Especially if Willow is out here choosing the theme song for the playlist. I don't know, though... the cartoon movies seem to hit a little more than the live-action ones. We'll see.

"Fortnight" by Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone — Mommy's pick — If I never heard another Taylor Swift song for the rest of my life, old or new, then I will look back and say that I lived a great life. Unfortunately, that's not how this works. Instead, we have the suffocating omnipresence of a pop try-hard who is only getting more mediocre with age. And fuck Post Malone too.

"Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter — Mommy's pick — The thing about Yearlong Song Challenge pretty much replacing the Song of the Day/Week column on Puke on Your Birthday is that the prompts and the no-repeat rule block me from writing about some songs that I would probably want to write about otherwise. I have some shit to say about "Espresso," both good and bad. But it was already written about by someone else, and even if it wasn't, it doesn't have anything to do with asses or holes or facial hair or any of that nonsense. Sure, I could write about it elsewhere on the blog, but then again, there's limited time these days to write, and I have deadlines to meet. Anyways, here I am now, writing about it (shoutout to Pam for choosing it for the playlist and giving me this opportunity). But, ah, shit, I'm almost out of room on this blurb. Real quick: that quick synth riff that hits in the middle of the pre-chorus is BY FAR the best part about this song. It's the part that sticks with me.

"Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett — Willow's pick — One of my favorite dumb theories in music is that "Monster Mash" is not actually the real song "Monster Mash," but is instead a song about a song called "Monster Mash." Think about it. Pickett is singing shit like, "they did the Monster Mash!" He's referring to the song in the third person, as if he's not actually singing the song itself, but rather listening to the song and reporting his findings. So then what does the actual "Monster Mash" sound like? I guess we'll never know—Bobby Pickett has been dead for seventeen years. His tomb is a graveyard smash.

"Show Yourself" by Elsa ft. Iduna (voiced by Idina Menzel and Evan Rachel Wood, respectively) — Willow's pick — My one-year-old is into Frozen now, so we're back on that shit for the third go-around. I've seen these two movies more than literally any other movie in history, and it's not even close. I can't even tell you what would be in third place. Another kids movie, probably, but I'm saying that I've literally seen Frozen 500 times at least. At least!! I probably should've done some stupid blog thing like write about it every time I watched it. Ah well. Plenty of regrets littered like dead roadside carcasses on this blog. Maybe Willow can write about the phenomenon when she gets older, if she wants to participate in the hobby of writing.

 

"Bloody Mary" (Sped-up Version) by Lady Gaga — Martha's pick — Terrible song to end this thing on. Shame on my entire family for participating in the gruesome, morally despicable, TikTok-bred practice of "speeding up" songs. The wanton destruction of art will not stand under my roof!! Epimemeology, save me from this shitty Wednesday meme!!!!