weekly mlog ♪ #16

don't forget to click the notable links featured throughout. leave me a fucking comment I am very lonely

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grizzly bear - veckatimest (2009)
genre: chamber pop, indie folk
FFO: the dodos, the fruit bats, andrew bird
rating: 8/10

I don't know why rateyourmusic refers to this album as "psychedelic". I mean there are elements of psychedelia but that is not how I would characterize this album. it feels like the lushest most haunting indie-tinged orchestra playing in an abandoned church, and I feel like a teenager again when I listen to it. to commence their new 2025 tour I decided to review this old favorite of mine from back in the days when everyone cool was "indie". I can't really call myself a crate digger at the time (2009) though, because I found them through Pandora college indie radio station like I'm sure many millennials probably did. the melodies really pull at your heartstrings with unexpected movements and inventive melodies. I will say that anything vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Rossen touches has the same sort of flavor, (Department of Eagles, and his solo project titled after his name) although I would refer to veckatimest as a little more upbeat, hence why it is a favorite of mine. tracks I would recommend: two weeks, all we ask, fine for now, about face

mclusky - the world is still here and so are we (2025)
genre: sass/noise rock
FFO: guerilla toss, brainiac, the dismemberment plan
rating: 7.5/10

let me preface this by saying I am a really big mclusky fan and their music is more about the content than doing anything innovative musically since their dawn, but this album just kind of bored me. idk maybe it will be a grower but the things that excite me most about this band are their melodies, crass themes, exasperated vocals. the vocalist really offers some energetic shrieking that reminds me of bands like Brainiac and at times their instrumentation can be all over the joint in a good way. songs like that from this new album were my favorites. they are also appetizingly noisy for sometimes being considered indie rock, and that quality shines on a few tracks. However, I think this album is lacking innovation and energy since their previous records. the only thing you can really grab onto is mostly the melodies, and I felt those were lacking here as well. I really enjoy the political sentiments being relayed, despite that. songs I would recommend: cops and coppers, the competent horse thief, juan party system

the audition - controversy loves company (2005)
genre: pop punk, neon pop punk
FFO: metro station, cute is what we aim for
rating: 7.5/10

band for band when they hit a homer with this album they hit it past the outfield. this band stands out among the hordes of refuse in neon pop punk from the mid to late 2000s, at a time when the genre was dying in popularity because their main demographics such as skaters were migrating toward a more indie/alternative experience. I remember "don't be so hard" being my favorite song for a while on my timeline of hyperfixations, back a couple years ago when I was looking into pop punk a whole bunch. this album is a standout and remains the test of time since that little jaunt. I would compare this band vocally and musically to Taking Back Sunday, though maybe their later sound. they are emotional but not hardcore, and if they added a meandering synth would contain everything I seek in this widely unrecognized genre. songs I would recommend: don't be so hard, you've made us conscious, the ultimate cover up

R. Stevie Moore - on earth (2021 comp) (recorded 1976-present)
genre: lo-fi rock, singer songwriter
FFO: trixie's big red motorbike, the particles, the chefs
rating: 8/10

r. stevie moore really knew how to make exciting combinations of rhythm and melodies and this compilation features some of his best work on that. I was not previously a fan (so why not start off with some form of greatest hits?) but I will definitely be exploring more from this legendary lo-fi artist that spans many decades. songs I would recommend: why should I love you, play, teen routines

thanks for reading leave me a fucking comment, once again, I am very lonely. <333 yayyyyyy