My mentions today (I’m here for it though)

A lovely defense of Green

i'm not sure how much of this is just nostalgia or what have you, but i truly feel that kids today are missing out by not getting to have this kind of experience (the same way that i am missing out on some ineffably wonderful things they experience, i am sure)

I think about this all the time. All the weird albums I bonded with deeply because it was the one that was on sale or cheap in a used bin or the only one Best Buy had.

For those wondering why Combat Rock was Cobain's favorite Clash album (which I was), Azerrad is spitting gold over on the other site.

Azerrad weighed in on this!

In his journals, Kurt Cobain listed his 50 favorite albums. His taste? Immaculate. But there's one glaringly odd pick. The lone Nirvana album is... Green? R.E.M.'s very uneven 1988 LP, objectively the most disappointing record they'd put out to date. Why? I have three theories

Graceless pivot to survival: I’m launching THE FUTURE IS OURS TO MAKE A music newsletter of reccos, rants, illumination, shade, endangered forms (concert/album reviews, human interviews), formless dangers (trash talk, love lore, bespoke illos) — an expansion of my work as your critic + co-listener

I’ve been laid off by The Washington Post Serving as this newspaper’s pop music critic for the past 16-plus years has been my privilege, my joy Endless solidarity to my righteous colleagues, endless gratitude to our faithful readers

this is the reason i left too. maybe a few hundred people would pay for a newsletter about niche music, but that’s an enormous amount of work for not enough money to pay my bills. kudos to those who do it regardless but personally i could not

A little late in the album cycle for a video but still an absolutely massive track youtu.be/heXjjQLnKuc?...

let's gooooo www.thefader.com/2026/02/03/x...

Xaviersobased - Big Ben (ft Zaytoven)

Come for my Grammy snark, stay for the love I bestow upon the Valencia-via-Montreal bedroom pop artist Rat Penat, sister folk duo Sibyl and Polish composer Szymon Wójcik. I'm on All Songs Considered today with my pal @robinpr.bsky.social @npr.org www.npr.org/2026/02/03/n...

I am usually a very behind the scenes person but I stepped outside of my comfort zone because I hope reading this will inspire other people just to step up and do the thing. You never know what your impact can be.

Extry, Extry! variety.com/2026/tv/news...

Do people still not know this?

“Walkin' on the Sun” was originally a Fugazi song but Ian MacKaye didn’t think it fit the more experimental purview of Red Medicine so he gave it to Smash Mouth

100%. Especially by the standards of network TV, it’s one of the better broadcasts to watch. And the winners themselves have at least some loose relation to what is popular, relevant or good

excited for post malone’s one man tribute to PET SOUNDS

ICE agents tried to quietly get Mexican food in Minneapolis, local neighbors and protesters found out and shamed then out of the neighborhood!

A whole article anout how Trump appears in the Epstein files, but it never mentions Epstein consulting with a lawyer about statuatory rape claims against Trump. I get not reporting the FBI tips but this came directly from Epstein himself www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/u...

Somebody explain all the equal signs to me

I’m extremely confused by The NY Times coverage of the Epstein releases. It dedicates a full article to Epstein insinuating Bill Gates had an affair, but as far as I can see not a single mention of Epstein consulting with a lawyer about statutory rape allegations (with a witness) against Trump.

Ate hotdogs, got tiki drinks, and holed up in a snowstorm with Ratboys, who've never sounded more like their truest selves than on this album

Less than two months until opening day

Don’t tread on them

JD Vance Places Candle Outside Hooters Where ICE Agents Were Heckled

Personal milestone: Last week marked five years reporting on this place we call home for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Thank you to the sources that helped bring a story to publish. From tragedies to triumphs, I feel like we’ve covered a lot.

My husband didn't know, so I'll repeat it here: Border Czar isn't a real job. Tom Homan has a fake job with a fake title. It also means that he wasn't confirmed by anyone in Congress. (Trump tried to confirm Homan in 1.0 but he failed bc Homan was too corrupt even pre-cava bag.)

Administration placing Bovino beyond the reach of MN law enforcement

If Noem is out or ICE changes course, we can’t ever let anyone forget what they did this past month. This is how they’ve always wanted to treat immigrants and their allies, and they spent the better part of a month violently occupying an American city, killing two.

R.I.P. Sly Dunbar, who played drums on about 73% of your record collection

Oh man. Writing the Marley piece I listened to a LOT of Sly Dunbar, the man who moved reggae past the one-drop and (with Robbie Shakespeare) formed one of the most incredible rhythm sections/production duos ever. RIP

AI loves this construct ("it's not XX; it's YY") and you see it everywhere now, and it always stands out like a sore thumb because 1. it's so insanely overused 2. it's always used in the service of saying absolutely nothing

I'm going to miss Prue Leith so much. The absolute best.

The people of Minnesota have executed one of the most impressive civil resistance campaigns I can remember: - Organized a city wide general strike - Maintained nonviolent discipline amidst violence - Mobilized 10,000s in subzero temps to protest and watch ICE - Flipped public opinion against ICE

Two weeks ago this guy announced he was providing legal help to the agent who shot Renee Good. That's how quickly the winds are shifting.

The National Basketball Players Association has released a statement on the killings in Minneapolis: “Following the news of yet another fatal shooting in Minneapolis, a city that has been on the forefront of fight against injustices, NBA players can no longer remain silent”

Since July, I've tracked at least 2,300 cases in which federal judges have ruled ICE has illegally detained people without bond or due process. This is one that stands out: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Alex Pretti was a Riverwest 24 rider

Melissa Joan Hart is a legit card carrying conservative republican we are through the looking glass.

This is courage. Looking a masked, government fascist dead in the eye, face to face, knowing full well that your life is on the line. If elected officials had 1/10th of Alex Pretti's resolve, we would have far fewer troubles.

Nonviolence is, in fact, working. This administration is weaker than it was a year ago. More and more of the public is becoming galvanized against it; its agents are being impeded.

Worse than Kent State, really than any episode I can think of probably dating back to Reconstruc & earlier b/c 1. continuing, not 1 off. 2. organized, not individual ofcrs losing it 3. literally at hand of federal government, which is 4. immediately lying & circling the wagons to prevent inves.

I was there and saw this happen, he was doing nothing illegal - he was on the side walk, with a crowd of peaceful protesters. his only "crime" seems to be that he was one of a group playing loud music, taunting ICE. and then ICE descended like angry animals, coming in for a kill.

New video shows the man who was killed moments before the shooting. He was peacefully standing in the street observing before ICE agents started pushing him for no reason.

This is absolutely what the video shows. A person is wrestled to the ground by 6 ICE agents and then executed at point blank range.

hey i found somebody obstructing or interfering with a federal government investigation, i heard that's illegal according to that one law all the ICE guys have memorized