SWEEP FREQUENCY #409: Then and Now
New tunes from Disgusting Sisters, The Orchestra (For Now), Shabaka, bdrmm, Ela Minus, and more...
OPENING RIFF: "But who was more tragic, or who was more damned—the man who knew it, or the man who did not?" -- Oliver Sacks, The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales
SMALL TALK: I've come to realize that a big part of adulthood is renegotiating what it means to be "cool" or "good,” what we aspire to when as continue the endless process of growing up. The "older" people we admire at a younger age can look different in hindsight when we reach that age ourselves, where there's a razor-thin line between being fun or interesting and being sad and misanthropic. This is the closest thing I can come up with as a through line for the two movies I watched over the weekend, A Real Pain and My Old Ass. The former is the directorial debut of Jesse Eisenberg, who co-stars in name only, as Kieran Culkin gives a total show-stopping performance. Culkin plays a character who lives his life in extremes in every sense, the sort whose bipolar nature reveals itself at a certain age. As much as we want to be the people who light up a room, it can be easy to forget that it usually comes at a cost, and for those of us who are more constrained and awkward against our will, there's comfort in finding your own way to normalcy as you creep towards middle age. In My Old Ass, meanwhile, there's a fun take on that age-old question: what would your younger self think of you now? The answer for me would be profound disappointment that I didn't do anything noteworthy with my life, but this movie takes a different approach in ways that I found really moving. As adults, it's understandable to wish we could Eternal Sunshine away all of the pain, heartbreak, and regret that litter the path between our past and present, but it can be far too easy to forget about all of the good things that shaped us in those defining moments, too. The film also serves as a good reminder that, yes, we'd probably find our teenage selves super annoying, as Aubrey Plaza’s character is oh so good at pointing out. Let's get to this week's new music.
Nearly Every Song From Every 2024 Newsletter Will Be Available in Playlist Form: SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC
1. DISGUSTING SISTERS - "KILLING IT": It's rare to hear a debut single where a band sounds fully formed and realized, but that's exactly how you'll feel listening to this righteous tune from Disgusting Sisters. Driven by a punk-funk bass line, "Killing It" takes on a very specifically sinister form of toxic masculinity, all with a massive chorus adorned with cow bells and fun background shouts.
2. THE ORCHESTRA (FOR NOW): "WAKE ROBIN": Speaking of massive debut singles, you're going to want to check out this very different one from London's The Orchestra (For Now). Clocking in at over eight minutes, "Wake Robin" is full of nervous, unsettling energy and ornate instrumentation to match it in a way that seems to occupy a very specific indie pop niche.
3. SHABAKA FEAT. BILLY WOODS - "TIMEPIECES": Shabaka Hutchings and billy woods are two of the best and most prolific dudes in their genres, so it shouldn't surprise you that this makes for a great linkup of two jazz and hip-hop titans. With a woozy, spooky beat and jazz instrumentation from Shabaka, "Timepieces" is a perfect backdrop for the detail-rich raps we've come to love from billy woods.
4. BDRMM - "JOHN ON THE CEILING": Bands like bdrmm always seems to be one step ahead of the zeitgeist they’ve helped define, and the same can be said for their latest single. Rather than the moody, shoegaze-leaning tunes that first brought them attention, "John on the Ceiling" is an intense, propulsive tune that finds the band delving even further into electronic music, blurring boundaries in a way that feels like a reinvention of the dance-punk and synth-pop that’s creeping back into music rather than a rehash.
5. ELA MINUS - "UPWARDS": Between her solo work and killer project with DJ Python, Ela Minus has been really instrumental in defining club music's experimental, intimatee side these past few years. The latest single from her sophomore record, "UPWARDS" is a total fucking banner, one whose drum machines never let up and whose synths are satisfyingly fuzzy on top of the awesome refrain "I'd love to save you / but I've got to save myself first."
PARTING SHOTS: One of the more irritating but telling things about life after the election is seeing how quickly seemingly neutral influencers are outing themselves as Trump supporters after hiding it for years. I appreciate that people are dumping the site formerly known as Twitter, but the exodus to Bluesky definitely makes me wonder if we really need this style of social media going forward. This is an interesting look at the concept of boredom that also ponders whether its utility is highlighted precisely because it's the enemy of the optimization age. Studio was a massively important band to me when I was younger, so I'm thrilled that their debut album is finally getting both a vinyl and streaming reissue.
ENCORE: "THE WEIGHT"