Single of the Week: “Orange Klan” by Kuwaisiana

Doesn’t it feel good to have such an immense weight off of the world’s shoulders? I know Trump leaving the White House doesn’t fix EVERYTHING. (And, goddammit there’s plenty to fix) But we successfully thwarted an actual coup attempt! And that asshole is probably not going to be able to run for any office again, and hopefully, social media will keep him muted. To celebrate, here’s a lovely ska song from a band the country formally known as a “shithole” but now just Kuwait, by way of New Orleans, Kuwaisiana. It’s called “Orange Klan” and you are more than welcome to blast it at your Trump flag waving neighbors. 

“Orange Klan” is from Kuwaisiana’s latest EP, Chapter 2, which you can buy RIGHT NOW on Bandcamp

Single Of The Week: “Run on the Water” by Kinneret

I’m not going to lie, I’m suddenly obsessed with the music of Kinneret.

Imagine if you will a world where Peaches and Del the Funky Homosapien raised a child together that became about the absolute synthesis of the artistry of those two legends. And that singer/songwriter/producer is Los Angeles’ Kinneret. I stumbled across her entirely on accident, and this song is glitchy, lo-fi bliss with surreal lyrics.

“Run On The Water” can be found in all of the usual places. In fact, you should fall down a Kinneret wormhole like I have and just spend the rest of the day digging into her catalog. In fact, if you need to zone out and concentrate on something, someone made an hour-long loop of her first sing, “No Wind Resistance” and it’s great for getting things done.  I can’t wait to see what comes from her this year, and once live shows are a thing again, I can’t wait for her to come up to the Bay Area. 

Single Of The Week: “Suspended” by The Muckers

It’s been a shitty, scary week here in the US. Armed militia took over the Capitol in order to prevent the certification of a free and fair election. It didn’t work, but five people died and I’ve been in such a dark news-refresh cycle that I almost didn’t get you a single of the week. Then I clicked on the video to “Suspended” by NYC’s The Muckers. It was the fun, Big Star / Cheap Trick 70’s-inspired power pop that I needed to break the cycle of anxiety. It doesn’t hurt that Congress has ensured that Trump won’t be able to use the military to make his coup happen, and we’ve got less than two weeks left of this godforsaken administration. 

“Suspended” is from The Muckers’ upcoming full-length Endeavor, out February 26th! You can do all the usual preorder/presaving in all the usual places!

Single of the Week: “Auld Anxi” by Metric

I’ve had one frightening thought that has repeated in my head throughout most of the last four years, but has been amplified greatly over the course of the last 8 months: “Many Americans are so against the notion of caring about each other that when faced with the prospect of doing ANYTHING that will help improve the lives of one another, the request itself won’t just be shrugged off, but will be treated with such utter scepticism that the request itself would be viewed as purely evil and certainly will destroy our way of life.” The reality of life isn’t quite as dire as that, but the anxiety lives on. Emily Haines has always had a great gift for writing about anxiety in a clear, empathic manner. “Auld Anxi” is a rewrite of the classic “Auld Lang Syne” that might be one of the more optimistic songs ever written about anxiety. It’s like getting the warm hug from a dear friend that understands you and listens without judgement that we so badly need right now, but aren’t likely to get for another several months.  

Today is the first day of 2021. This means we made it through that hellscape of 2020. I hate how few of us made it through, and it sucks that things are going to keep getting worse for a bit. BUT- the light is at the end of the tunnel. We have less than three weeks of the Trump administration left. The first two vaccines have been approved in the US, and there’s likely to be one more in the next week or two. For now, stay safe- mask up if you MUST leave your home, if you still are working, give money to causes that will help people stay home that otherwise are forced to put themselves in dangerous situations for survival. I love you, dear reader, and I want you to be there when we can finally get back to shows next year. 

Single Of The Week: “Depressed Unicorn Christmas Song” by Kevin Drew

Remember how I said I hate Christmas music two weeks ago when I posted the Carly Rae Jepsen Christmas song? And now all of the December “Singles Of The Week” have been Christmas music? I still hate the holiday, but this surprise song by Uni The Unicorn (not to be confused with Uni The Unicorn of children’s literary fame), Stevie The Shark, Bobby The Bulldog, and, um, Broken Social Scenes’ Kevin Drew is cute and funny and a harsh reminder that YOU SHOULD ONLY SPEND THE HOLIDAY WITH PEOPLE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD. Seriously. Don’t be the fucker that accidentally kills your mother. STAY HOME. There will be other Christmases. This will only be the last one for your family if you don’t protect them from COVID. And, seriously, there is no way to be 100% certain you aren’t carrying the virus. 

Anyways, I love this video. I hope it gives you the joy it gave me. 

Single of the Week: “Cold Christmas” by The Aislers Set

With all of the hell that 2020 has been and remains to be, the last thing I expected to get out of it was a new single from SF twee pop heroes The Aislers Set. For the unfamiliar, The Aislers Set were a supergroup of sorts featuring members of SF indie rock bands Henry’s Dress, #Poundsign and Track Star. The quietly drifted away in the late 00’s, only to reappear for a short run of shows in 2014. This morning, I opened my inbox to find a “new” track from them. Sadly, it’s just a song that went unreleased in 2010 only to appear today, which means we might not be hearing new music, but maybe we will? Or at least a few more shows when we can enjoy shows again? Either way, this song is classic, trumpet and reverb drenched bliss with surprisingly poignant lyrics for Christmas 2020, which is going to be cold and lonely for a lot of people. However, the summery music lends some optimism! Remember, it’s only a lonely holiday because if we aren’t alone this year, we are going to be alone for a LOT more years to come. 

You can purchase the new track from The Aislers Set Bandcamp page. And all of you young people that missed the joy of seeing this band, may I reccomend spinning The Last Match, a record that DEFINITELY changed my life. 

Single Of The Week: “It’s Not Christmas Until Somebody Cries” by Carly Rae Jepsen

I generally hate Christmas music. And 2020 has been an extra terrible year for Christmas music… All of the new songs of the season that have been coming out have been EXTRA 2020! So much about missing your loved ones and not being able to celebrate and whatnot. With all of the darkness this year has given us, I’m just sort of over get reminded how miserable everything and everyone is. 

Which is why I say “Thank God for Carly Rae Jepsen!” I actually say that almost daily, but seriously, she is shaking up Christmas 2020 in all the right ways. “It’s Not Christmas Until Somebody Cries” is a legitimately funny and timeless song. It’s the spiritual sister to The Waitresses’ “Christmas Wrapping”- a song that pokes fun of the holiday and its traditions, while still giving warm regard to it. This song will make you feel good, and maybe help remind you that telling your mother that Christmas might have to be celebrated via Zoom this year might not be so hard. (Also, celebrating via Zoom this year is the only way to guarantee you can celebrate with hugs next year)

“It’s Not Christmas Until Somebody Cries” can be found in all the usual places. May it bring you all the joy that it’s brought me!

Single Of The Week: “i never wanna die” by Bea Miller

I don’t know why I’ve slept on Bea Miller… The name has been getting tossed around for a bit now, but it wasn’t until the NIVA Save Our Stages Fest Livestream that I really took notice. Her set, which is still up here, was amazing. “i never wanna die” is the latest single from her EP, elated!, which came out in late October, is a dark little rock number that gets stuck on your head for ages. I’m glad it’s a single, so I can finally give it the “Single Of The Week” honors!

elated! doesn’t have a physical release date as of yet, but you can enjoy it in all of the places you would normally listen to music in the virtual world.

Single Of The Week: “Water Baby” by Megan Diana

Funny. I opened up a press release while doing something else, and ended up clicking on the wrong link in the press release. So, Megan Diana released a new single this week called “Cabin Fever.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s a really great song, full of soulful vocals and gorgeous french horn. BUT! I found that out late because I clicked on the link to ANOTHER song by her called “Water Baby.” And HOLY SHITBALLS!! Diana is playing a mighty Wurlitzer organ alongside bass playing by the legendary Esperanza Spalding, and this song is just plain buttery magic. It’s always important to read the fine print, I guess? I’ve listened to this track 10 times today, and I’ll probably listen to it 10 more. 

“Water Baby” can be streamed on Spotify & purchased on Bandcamp. While you are at it, “Cabin Fever” can be, too. Expect a full-length record to drop sometime in 2021. 

Single Of The Week: “Shake” by Hot Laundry

It’s getting really cold outside. Life since the double shot of optimism last weekend with Biden getting declared President-Elect and news of a highly effective vaccine has since been shot down by a massive resurgence of the virus nationwide and the current President trying to do all he can to prevent his democratically elected successor from taking office. What is the best way to deal with both physical and psychological coldness? Well, I like to take a cue from my chihuahua and dive into  a pile of hot laundry, fresh out of the dryer. Of course, sometimes real hot laundry isn’t at your disposal. Then, of course, you should play “Shake” by Hot Laundry super loud and dance around to get your serotonin flowing. It’s a sexy soul punk anthem that will surely help you “shake” off the negativity in this world, at least for a little while. 

“Shake” can be streamed/purchased in all the usual places, and it’s the lead single off their upcoming full length, due out this Spring!  The band also just created a YouTube page for you to subscribe to, so you can see their lovely faces while you are dancing. And if you need to get your live music fix that we all desperately need, lead singer Janette Lopez has been hosting regular live streams from The Complex SF, and you can catch all of that on Twitch, including live sets from The Black Angels, Whateverglades, and many more!