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Wrote the first Album Of The Week review of Stereogum's new redesign/paywall era, and I did it on the new Home Front, which whips serious ass.

Stereogum is an invaluable part of the music media ecosystem, and they've adapted brilliantly to an increasingly hostile landscape for decades now. Please consider giving them a little of your money if you don't already. (And if you do, make sure your payment details transferred over; mine didn't.)

happy circulatory system walking through the kitchen day

Number Ones on SoundCloud-era genre blur, TikTok hits becoming radio hits, and "Mood," a giant hit that already feels like a relic of a different time/

There needs to be trials and there needs to be people sent to die in a prison cell. Consequences must fall on the people who issued the orders and those who carried them out. We must make the punishment of these people a national spectacle that will be remembered for generations.

Alternative Number Ones on "1979," and it's long as shit because it's the only time that Smashing Pumpkins will be in the column.

Number Ones on "Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat)," a bad song with an exceedingly complicated backstory.

Wrote a quick consideration of the "no rap songs in the top 40" situation.

If only Stereogum had a "this is so stupid" tag like Defector.

Alternative Number Ones on "Wonderwall," a song you might've heard once or twice.

I profiled Turnstile, my favorite band, for The Guardian, my favorite newspaper.

Number Ones on Travis Scott, Young Thug, and M.I.A.'s "Franchise," which is definitely a real song that everyone remembers.

Wrote about Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, which I had a great time to watch even though it's probably a bad movie.

Wrote about the 10th anniversary of Julien Baker's Sprained Ankle, an album that killed me dead.

Alternative Number Ones on "Glycerine," the biggest and best Bush song.

Number Ones on BTS ascending to pop-sensation status in the US and on "Dynamite," a song that's both ridiculous and consequential.

Memorable line by @tombreihan.bsky.social: “My immediate emotional reaction is basically the same as the time I found a bug in my cereal.”

Chris got bars off on this one.

Alternative Number Ones on the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who are apparently immune to failure, and on "My Friends," the big and not-terrible ballad that they pulled out of their ass during a rough stretch.

One for D'Angelo.

Number Ones on a 10.

One for Diane Keaton.

Wrote about the 20th anniversary of We Got It 4 Cheap, Vol. 2, a mixtape that means something to me.

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

Alternative Number Ones on the Presidents Of The United States Of America's "Lump," a fun thing that happened.

Number Ones on Harry Styles' "Watermelon Sugar," which pulls off the rare feat of being both horny and boring.

I'm out on a limb with this one, and that's cool with me. Would probably say some more about cringey lyrics and tone down some of the praise if I wasn't in such a rush, but Taylor made a solid 7 out of 10 course-correction album with a bunch of great songs. That's how I feel.

Wrote about frayed expectations, false narratives, triumphant comebacks, and Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine, an album I really love, at 20.

Wrote about The Life Of A Showgirl, babe.

One for Dr. Jane Goodall.

Alternative Number Ones on "Hand In My Pocket," the silly but lovable song that presented a much more representative look at Alanis Morissette than "You Oughta Know."

Number Ones on Taylor Swift's pivot to Dessner-assisted NPR-folk and on "Cardigan," which isn't her best song but which worked just fine as a new-direction announcement.

I'm on the Pop Pantheon podcast this week, talking about Taylor Swift's Fearless and the importance of respecting motherfucking craft when you hear it.

Alternative Number Ones on the unlikely backstory of Metal Blade recording artists Goo Goo Dolls and on "Name," a tired song playing on a tired radio.

Number Ones on the loud, grim public life of Tekashi 6ix9ine and on "Trollz," the Nicki Minaj collab that he took to #1 when his continued visibility seemed extremely unwise.

This is true, I wrote an album review on accident.

Wrote a quick lil review of the new Cardi B, which seems to be doomed to be remembered as a definitional sophomore slump but which is mostly good and sometimes great.

Alternative Number Ones on the arrival of pretty-ass grunge goobers Bush and on "Comedown," a song I don't like very much.

One for Tomas Lindberg.

One for Robert Redford.

Please enjoy my annual deranged rant about this year's Coachella poster.

Number Ones on DaBaby's fast rise, his even faster falloff, and "Rockstar," gigantic hit that he made before everything ended.

Alternative Number Ones on the unlikely rise of Australian grunge babies Silverchair and on "Tomorrow," a song that pissed me off.

GHISLAINE MAXWELL: here we go, boss. a big book of letters from all of your horrible best friends JEFF EPSTEIN: oh neat! look at this one from Donald GHISLAINE: that one's fake actually

This, from Jaime Brooks, is the best music-related writing I've ready in a long time.

it’s fascinating. majorities of americans oppose the military occupation of cities. a substantial number of those are fucking furious about it, but rather than lean into this anger and attack trump’s perception of strength, these “strategists” want democrats to avoid the confrontation entirely.

Number Ones on "Rain On Me," a towering club song for a time when collective euphoria was impossible.

would love Derrick Henry to encounter Stephen Miller in the open field