Wrote about four books I've read recently on my 'stack, including a Gibson novel, Egan's Goon Squad, the amazing music nonfiction Hit Men, and a Stephen King literary criticism book: open.substack.com/pub/billstak...

Ahead of their UK tour in October, Hannah Peel and Beibei Wang take a look behind the themes of their chart-topping album The Endless Dance with @neverdoneing.bsky.social

The Tubs - Cotton Crown An album that no matter how I feel, I can always return to and enjoy. Fresh jangly pop that gets stuck in that ol' noggin in the best possible way.

Wrote on @spectrumculture.bsky.social about Play Time's Magic Object, an excellent lil' contemporary jazz LP for all the heads out there. share.google/RC383e2kOG5H...

What a kickass opening track to start off a gloriously enjoyable LP. Cinematic, dramatic and complex, it's a great morning listen that's grown on me quite a bit.

“One of Perry’s biggest issues continues to be the same: Perry is exceptionally bad at rebranding for the next album cycle.” Today, I revisited Katy Perry’s 143. It seems apt because gears are beginning to turn for her next album release. Check it out: billstakes.substack.com/p/still-thin...

I found a weird pulp novel and wrote about it! It's a '70s novel about a sexy spygirl, the second entry in Paul Kenyon's Baroness series with a very James Bond-esque title: Diamonds are for Dying. Check it out: billstakes.substack.com/p/super-sexy...

I wrote about one of my favorite documentaries on @spectrumculture.bsky.social, The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters. With exciting characters and thrilling rivalries, viewers will be kept engaged throughout. Check it out: spectrumculture.com/2026/06/29/r...

Long before YouTube built its pipeline and Spotify buried its royalties, two films were already asking whether you were a victim of the machine or complicit in it. The Tonearm's Bill Cooper investigates. Guilty Viewing — 'Remote Control,' 'Funny Games,' and the Moral Architecture of the Algorithm:

"Working in headphones allows me to go into all these little nooks and crannies. I know there are bits in this record that I love that nobody will ever hear—but that is okay, because ultimately you are making music for yourself." Don't miss Bill Cooper's interview with Mark Barrott on The Tonearm:

Best album of the year so far, and this is a great interview

Recorded in an off-grid Spanish farmhouse during a brutal La Niña winter, 'The Exit Diaries' is the sound of a musician who scrapped an entire album's worth of dark orchestral music, listened obsessively to Alice Coltrane, and arrived somewhere unexpected. Mark Barrott On 'The Exit Diaries':

WE RECOMMEND: Horse Lords: Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive! Horse Lords’ latest album pushes boundaries, yet seems specifically crafted for accessibility, even for those discovering the group for the first time.

Rupert Pupkin-ism, Reality TV, AI & the death of art, culture & democracy…💔

With a mixture of humor and poignancy, The Boys of Dungeon Lane works as a series of sketches, of half-remembered incidents elaborated on with the help of either unlocked memories or imagination, whichever works better in the moment.

Hey, this offer is still open! Reach out in the replies or DM me!

We're looking for new writers to review books, music, and films on @spectrumculture.bsky.social. I've worked there for two years. It's helped me break into journalism, become a better writer, and meet really cool people. If you're interested, reach out for more info. Don't miss out!

Interviewed @hannahpeel.bsky.social and Beibei Wang for @thetonearm.com. We talked about their new album, The Endless Dance, their collaboration, what they learned making it, and what makes a good groove: share.google/NEjNcPWmq84s...

just give me a chance 😭

"Not everyone will connect with Fire-Toolz’s latest maximalist extravaganza, but everyone should give it a chance, as its warring sensibilities and wild sonic choices make it something special." Wrote about @fire-toolz.bsky.social Lavender Networks for @spectrumculture.bsky.social:

Apparently the nosebleed of I Get Wet is too scary for Bluesky. I can tell you my Revisit article I wrote on @spectrumculture.bsky.social is not Ch-ch-ch-check it out: share.google/bcK2MG7XvZVl... (I tried reposting the link so maybe you can see Mr. W.K.'s iconic nosebleed)

'The King of Comedy' imagined Rupert Pupkin as a cautionary figure, but, as The Tonearm's Bill Cooper argues, over four decades later, his blend of dogged persistence and indifferent craft has become the standard operating procedure of the content era. Rupert Pupkin, Content Creator:

"There's a crack in the mirror" I wrote about my other favorite Genesis album on @spectrumculture.bsky.social, Abacab, and the Collins/Genesis identity crisis that lies at the center of the record. Check it out: spectrumculture.com/2026/04/14/d...

I wrote about Terraform, the weird, enjoyable "difficult second album" from soft-rock one-hit wonder Randy VanWarmer for @spectrumculture.bsky.social. An album well worth your time if you find it in the dollar bins.

Named for the Finnish concept of resilience, 'sisu' documents Kodomo's Chris Child working with vocalists for the first time, chasing analog serendipity, and making a deliberate case for the album as a form still worth defending. The Tonearm's Bill Cooper marvels at the synths. Kodomo's Slow Craft:

"Though it isn’t necessary deep, thus mirroring the medium it satirizes, Stay Tuned is still humorous, entertaining and enjoyable, even 30-plus years later." I wrote on @spectrumculture.bsky.social about 1992's Stay Tuned: spectrumculture.com/2026/03/18/f...

I wrote about Chuck Klosterman's Football on @spectrumculture.bsky.social. Count the references to his other books (along with A Christmas Story!) within my review: share.google/T6aqr5b3WNzZ...

Wrote a film review about a guy who didn't get a colonoscopy when he was supposed to. It's a poignant, beautiful portrait of humanity. Yeah, you read that right. More at @spectrumculture.bsky.social: share.google/bZd3dk9H6PzI...

I hope Metheny won't give me side-eye for this review.

Hey, Emilio, I got a pitch for a sequel to The Public.

I just don’t get people who can’t live without algorithms to do their own discovery for them. The discovery process has always been part of loving music for me. We are outsourcing our taste-making process. We are outsourcing part of the identity-making process, and that scares the shit out of me.

Been thinking about this lately, and Scalzi points out some good stuff here. At the end of the day, every writing gig is a way to hone your craft.

Forgetting about updating your clocks can have dire consequences: (HIGH NOON comic from @pbfcomics.bsky.social)

Re yesterday convo, this just popped up and explained it 100x better then I did

This is such a weird take. You can make vast playlists, I’ve got hundreds & they are better than the algorithm ones. Equally, you can download all of the podcasts. It seems they were mostly upset by having to do a little work. People really seem to want to outsource their thinking to machines.

This is a key point about music listening that gets overlooked. As crazy as it sounds, I often take notes on the records after I listen to them (in a notebook) to press myself to listen more attentively.

This article shows how streaming services have duped people into not building collections and not knowing how to find new music. There are ways to fix this, and as silly as it sounds, maybe it requires education and outreach.

Unrelated, but this post reminded me: I remember a while ago there was a class action lawsuit against Red Bull where you could file if you thought Red Bull would actually give you wings. I filed and five years later got a 4-pack of Red Bull. And no, I didn't get wings then either.

I really enjoyed revisiting one of my favorite Genesis albums, Selling England by the Pound, on @spectrumculture.bsky.social. Check it out:

On @spectrumculture.bsky.social, I reviewed the new Hilary Duff record: spectrumculture.com/2026/03/02/h... I have...mixed feelings about it.

Dive in! ihrtn.net/blogroll/mus... bsky.app/profile/debi...

"I tackled one of our guitar players because he was swinging a mic stand around and about to throw it into the audience, and I knocked him off his feet. I get blamed for a lot of this stuff." Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe — ‘I feel like I have to work very hard to redeem myself’:

"Though [Abronia's] acidic doom-laden psych rock may be atmospherically dark, it rocks as hard as it is emotionally enveloping." Wrote about Abronia's Shapes Unravel on the Third Eye: thirdeyepsychrock.substack.com/p/shapes-unr...

If you're into vintage shoegaze with a strong dream-pop twist, I heartily recommend Instant Comfort, the new album by Lucid Express. My debut review for @spectrumculture.bsky.social: spectrumculture.com/2026/02/24/l...

"In an outstanding sophomore effort, The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis create an enticingly chaotic scramble of jazz with just enough to ground it." Wrote on @spectrumculture.bsky.social about The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis's latest LP. Read more: spectrumculture.com/2026/02/22/t...

Gogol Bordello means it, man!

An insightful analysis of the film featuring my favorite Nic Cage performance by @hopebillhelps.bsky.social for @spectrumculture.bsky.social.

"Although the film isn’t a masterpiece, it’s as strong a sci-fi B-movie as any of Carpenter’s others, from Christine to Escape from New York." I wrote about Memoirs of an Invisible Man for @spectrumculture.bsky.social's Criminally Underrated. Check it out: spectrumculture.com/2026/01/21/c...

Wrote about Craig Armstrong's Pacific, a conflicting album that some may find too dull and repetitive, whereas others will experience these aspects as cinematically brilliant. Read more on @spectrumculture.bsky.social here: spectrumculture.com/2026/01/06/c...

Have you thought about the Dandy Warhols lately at all? spectrumculture.com/2026/01/06/r...