me and @dbanthony.bsky.social took a long hard look at the dark cultural moment we're in and decided what the world needs right now is for us to bring back our podcast. first episode in almost two years: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

The widely accepted narrative that Trump "chickened out" on Chicago is completely incorrect. ICE's incursions are getting worse here every day.

PUNK THIS WEEK, the weekly punk criticism podcast from myself and @ninacorcoran.bsky.social, is 50. Headlined this time by the returns of Algernon Cadwallader and HARAM. Thanks to everyone who listens, even if you skip the first 10 minutes. Tell yr friends about this silly thing we do!

Neko Case greeting you at the gates to middle age

Interviewed the one and only Neko Case about memorializing your friends through music, the cruel idolatry of muses, and her gorgeous new album for @pitchfork.com

RIP Tomas Lindberg. A voice that, if I had to guess, served as the entry point to death metal for a ton of people. But his other achievements, like Skitsystem and Disfear, or drawing the Darkthrone logo, show how deeply embedded he was in the history of extreme music. An absolute bummer.

This narrative that ICE has "backed off" Chicago persists despite a flood of bystander video and reports showing an unprecedented and growing wave of masked terrorists violently kidnapping Illinoisians off the streets in Chicago. I can only assume our media ecosystem is to blame for this.

Took a decade of writing for this site but feels special my first BNM could go to Algernon :')

Let me tell you what I think about frog spit

I'd been struggling to find the time to just sit down and write about musicI've been digging, so here's a hastily composed newsletter for the real heads.

Talked to 23 people who suddenly have to pay huge tariffs or otherwise cannot get chainmail from Pakistan, yarn from France, retro computers from Japan, metal music from the Netherlands, DVDs from Germany, cosplay supplies, sunscreen, etc. www.404media.co/its-just-a-m...

what an absolute honor to run this convo between Tim Abbondelo and one of the best hardcore bands in the world rn, Cicada. this was conducted irl in Richmond right before their EU tour.

I'd been struggling to find the time to just sit down and write about musicI've been digging, so here's a hastily composed newsletter for the real heads.

had a nice chat with whitmer thomas, who you may know as the guy who stabbed himself in the face with a fork in Weapons. or for his stand-up jokes about blink-182. Or for his song about being a big baby. danozzi.substack.com/p/whitmer-th...

Mexico should nationalize The Smiths

Fuck this shit. Take care of neighbors.

Talking about punk records w/ Evan every week has brought so much laughter into my life for apparently an entire year?! If you've listened to an episode or checked an album because we discussed it, thank you! What Evan's doing with see/saw is inspiring and I'm honored to contribute in a small way 💛

Here are some great writers whose work you should read! @taylorruckle.bsky.social @jenpkelly.bsky.social @erdanton.bsky.social @ninacorcoran.bsky.social @dbanthony.bsky.social @see-saw.fun @amcnal.bsky.social @graceroso.bsky.social @grantsharpies.bsky.social @swimintosound.bsky.social

see hyphen saw dot fun

conde nast publication: "for some reason music criticism isn't what it used to be"

Been trying to keep track of a list of countries with postal services (at least temporarily) halting deliveries to the US because of de minimis going away and I’m up to: South Korea, Singapore, Norway, Finland, Czechia, Austria, Belgium

So happy, ginger is one of my all time fav musicians

Well damn, this fucking sucks. Those early Mastodon records were essential for a lot of people getting into heavier music at that time, and the fallout between him and the band is even more heartbreaking now.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

New Algernon...new Good Luck...the Obama years are back baby

This is the stuff right here!!

(nodding) night corn

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The kind of pitches that would be greenlit in three seconds during an alt-weekly edit meeting in 2009.

Perfect band returns.

I spoke to Good Luck about their improbable comeback album, Big Dreams, Mister. We also talk about the band's history, what punk felt like in the late aughts, whatever the emo revival was, and so much more.

Happy Pile Day, y’all. Another instant classic from one of the best bands on the planet right now. tidal.com/browse/album...

For @pitchfork.com, I reviewed album 29 (!) by Osees in which they start their return flight to jammy garage rock

the ballard collective in seattle was damaged pretty badly in a fire the other night. they’re working artists, and now they’re working artists in significant need. your art is important and their art is important and it’s important. to keep going. please chip in if you’re able tinyurl.com/4bkh9aay

For @pitchfork.com, I reviewed Far Caspian's new album, which stays wrapped up in that gossamer Sparklehorse/Grandaddy production he makes look easy

Few experiences worse than watching a band get brutalized by an inept sound person and it slowly sucking the life out of everyone in the room, one by one.

Thank you Ozzy. For the perfect album (PARANOID), for every great metal band you inspired in some way (all of them), and for Ozzfest, an exhausting annual gauntlet of music that meant a lot to teenage me.

Fucking a, man.

Aaron Turner – #Sumac frontman and guest star on the new album from the mighty #PharaohOverlord – tells tQ what his parallel career in tattooing has taught him about humility and human connection Aaron Turner on the Philosophy of Tattooing buff.ly/DsG3Y78

What a way to go out

Increasingly more giggly with each episode we record, the latest of which boasts: 💖 melodic hardcore about recognizing your boundaries 🫟 a rock band channeling the Vines and the Hives 🐱 a wild-voiced witchy punk singer 🐬 synthpunk for tattooed people to dance to

In case you hadn't heard, Bob and Carrie Weston have moved to Portugal—which means that Chicago Mastering Service, one of the most sophisticated such studios in the city, has a new owner! I interviewed Greg Obis (@guypidgeotto.bsky.social) about his new role. chicagoreader.com/music/chicag...

here's a massive playlist of my favorite punk songs of 2025 so far + a lil blog. give it a listen. thanks for reading. subscribe to see-saw.fun.

Deerhoof leaving Spotify after Daniel Ek AI battletech investment: "We don't want our music killing people" www.brooklynvegan.com/deerhoof-lea...

All venues should always provide all attendees free water always, and especially in the summer. Really screwed up that this isn't standard procedure universally

Computers used to scream every time they connected to the Internet. They knew. They tried to warn us. We did not listen.

Wrote about this not very good Benson Boone album pitchfork.com/reviews/albu...

i'm rarely telling y'all to stop doing x or y bc of corporate entanglements but you cannot be using spotify in 2025 considering every stream is going toward a future full of AI-powered drone strikes

one of my favorite punk records of the year so far is the new Kaleidoscope album. Sydney Salk met them at their record release show in NYC earlier this year. they talked about how they've always been political, and unsurprisingly, they've become even more radical as old head punks in 2025.