Good morning. It's Friday! Know your history, kids. And while you're at it, know everyone else's history, too. Be loud. Keep trying. Know your history.

Good morning. It's Friday! Circles and lines. Finding patterns in the world and in work. I'm working on music this week and trying to get more sleep. What are you trying to accomplish and/or discover? Keep trying. Be loud. Pay attention, at least when it helps you to.

Good morning. It's Friday! Last week I was on vacation. This week I'm at work. Keep trying. Be loud. Read paperbacks. @strandbooks.com

My first two demos from 1998/1999 available on Bandcamp and almost everywhere online. thatpromisingseadog.bandcamp.com

With hints of Syd Barrett and Iggy Pop, Eddy Dyer's debut album is a masterpiece of psychedelic folk. Now remastered and available on orange vinyl. Go give it a listen! thatpromisingseadog.bandcamp.com Art by @summerpierre.bsky.social Photo by Kevin Mertens

If you haven't heard Summer Pierre's 2004 debut album, go give it a listen. Personal and thoughtful songwriting. Rich Americana folk-rock music. A lot of great people worked on this album. It is really good. thatpromisingseadog.bandcamp.com and everywhere online. Art by @summerpierre.bsky.social

The first track from my new album — a cover of a song by the fantastic band Headlights — is now available for free, exclusively on @bandcamp.com (the complete album will be released everywhere online at the end of this year). thatpromisingseadog.bandcamp.com (link in bio!) Thank you!

Good morning. It's Friday! What else is there to say?

Good morning. It's Friday! I read at least a couple of these when I was in high school. I think they may have been part of a stack of books my dad gave me in an attempt to expand my reading repertoire beyond sci-fi. Keep trying. Be loud. Always keep an open mind. Always beware the bullshit.

Good morning. It's Friday! I have not read these three books, but if you want to learn more about the Black Panthers, I highly recommend Revolution in Our Time, by @keklamagoon.bsky.social, one of the books I'm most proud of designing. Be loud. Keep trying. Read books.

Fantastic 2004 acoustic/rock debut album by artist/cartoonist Summer Pierre. Give it a listen for free, download it, or order it on CD, illustrated by Summer herself. thatpromisingseadog.bandcamp.com

Lowell, Mass. native Eddy Dyer's brilliant acoustic debut from 1999, remastered and available on limited edition vinyl. Give it a listen for free, download it, or pick up one of these gorgeous 12" records with photos by Kevin Mertens and art by Summer Pierre. thatpromisingseadog.bandcamp.com

Good morning. It's Friday! Vol. 1 and 2 of my demos from 1998/9. The first recorded live, and the second recorded in studio. Give them a listen for free or download them to keep for cheap. Soon I will start to release the first new music I've recorded in 25 years. thatpromisingseadog.bandcamp.com

Good morning. It's Friday! I've been working on some new music. What have you been doing to keep yourselves semi-sane? Keep trying. Be loud. Stay as safe as you can. @berkleypub.bsky.social

Wonderful December read. A collection of fiction, personal stories, and recipes. My favorite was the story about the talking dog that accidentally got bundled up into a Christmas cracker. What did you read last year? What are you reading now? @groveatlantic.bsky.social

Good morning. It's Friday! Another ice-cold day, I'm afraid. Looking backward is important, but going backward will only lead to misery. Those insisting on driving in reverse are also trying to stop everyone from looking in their rearview mirror. Have a good morning. Keep trying. Be loud.

A fascinating history of the careers of Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Kraftwerk, and the rise of electronic instruments in dance music. What did you read last year? What are you reading now?

I have a fascination w/ stories set in hotels and motels. Like a lot of fiction in the "genre", The Plaza tells a lot of stories — about NY, money and power, writers, artists, architecture, famous classless bigots, and those at the top & bottom of social hierarchy. What have you been reading?

A fun thriller set in multiple decades, told from the perspective of multiple characters. @lizmoorebooks.bsky.social @riverheadbooks.bsky.social

A wild YA read about a time when the "Couple of the Year" award at the high school is the most important event of the year, and the fact that a 14-year-old is dating a grown man is met with mild disapproval from her guardian, but mostly just because he is a hippie. What did you read last year?

Wonderful and weird metaphysical sci-fi noir graphic novel. I read their self-published @kickstarter.com HC. It's now also available from @imagecomics.com. What did you read last year? What are you reading now? @jefflemire171.bsky.social @mattkindt.bsky.social @davidrubin.bsky.social

Good morning. It's cold. And this week we're seeing a lot of cold cold hearts. Stick by the warm ones. Keep trying. Be loud. Keep your heart warm. @duttonbooks.bsky.social @penguinbooksusa.bsky.social @harpercollins.bsky.social

Part memoir, part design history, part social commentary. A must-read for all designers!

A fascinating and compelling novel weaving together multiple points of view in what is ultimately an examination of True Crime, urban lore, and the incomplete, misleading, or false narratives which come to define real people and real events. @themountaingoats.bsky.social @fsgbooks.bsky.social

What did you read last year? First on my list (in no particular order) is the 1st volume of the Library Edition of the delightful comic Giant Days by John Allison, created with Max Sarin, Lissa Treiman, and Whitney Cogar. @badmachinery.com @boom-studios.com

Good morning! It's Friday. Wrap yourself in a warm blanket and put on your favorite records. It's really shitty outside. And now, more than ever — Be loud. Keep trying. Stick together.

I think I first bought this (on cassette) in 1989 or 1990 from Target. I listened to it a lot and then I kind of forgot about it as I discovered the Cure and the Smiths and punk rock. I've been rediscovering it this year. Strong recommend! Tell me what you've been listening to this year!

Fantastic record by Canadian soul artist Tanika Charles on @recordkicks.bsky.social . Strong recommend!

Wonderful lush and sparkly fun pop record. Strong recommend! @strfkr-music.bsky.social @polyvinyl.bsky.social

My wife is a long-time @stereolabgroop.bsky.social fan, but I never gave them a close listen myself until their latest album came out this year. I confess it was this beautiful album cover that caught my attention and I'm glad it did. Strong recommend!

Absolutely incredible instrumental collaboration by 3 great musicians. Brendan Canty's drums are what make this album, though. Strong recommend. @hahn-rowe.bsky.social

A splendid EP. Only 4 songs but really lovely. Strong recommend.

A magnificent album by @slowdiveofficial.bsky.social . Strong recommend!

Good morning. It's Friday! May all your wishes be merry and bright! Or something like that. Keep trying. Be loud. Do something for someone else today.

This one is a bit of a cheat. This album has been a favorite of mine for a couple of decades now. However it was only just finally released in 2025, so I am including it here. A brilliant, fun, complex, silly and melancholy pop masterpiece. Strong recommend!

I wish I had been aware of this band when they were still around. They were from the Midwest (always a plus in my book), played lots of instruments, and appeared to be having lots of fun doing so. Strong recommend.

Next on my list is the latest from NY synth-pop trio @nationoflanguage.bsky.social, just out on @subpop.bsky.social. Strong recommend!

This is not a ranked list, but if it were, Cruel Joke (@rounderrecords.bsky.social) would be #1. More than any other record on this list, these are the songs that have been stuck in my head, that made me stop what I was doing and put the album on so I could hear it again. Very strong recommend!

Amazing jazz record by Leeds saxophonist and composer Jasmine Myra, released in 2024 on @gondwanarecords.com. Strong recommend.

Good day. It's Friday! It's cold outside and I barely made it out of the house this morning. It's a shame. Keep trying. Be loud. Keep warm.

How is this record so good? Amazing melodies and songs that just make you feel good, even when they make you feel a little sad. Strong recommend! I just got their latest record, which is also fantastic.

My 7th recommendation for the year is Hélène Vogelsinger's beautiful synth album Contemplation, from 2020. Strong recommend!

An incredible record from 1975.

Promises is the remarkable collaboration between Floating Points, the late Pharoah Sanders, and londonsymphony.bsky.social on Luaka Bop from 2021. Incredible music and very nice album cover. Strong recommend.

This is not a new band for me. I had Violator in high school, and have listened to more of their music over the years, but I didn't ever get around to diving deeper into their catalog and listening more closely until this year. Many of their albums are great. Strong recommend for this one.

A lot has been written about Cindy Lee's 2+ hour, 32-track, album. I stumbled upon it, knowing nothing about the album or the artist. I didn't know what to make of it. I still don't know what to think of it. It is haunting and strange and kind of a mess, but utterly listenable. Strong recommend.

Good morning! It's Friday. And it's cold. But check out this hot title typography. Damn! It's not sophisticated but it sure is fun.

December 5th is Bandcamp Friday, and this is your reminder that we have some great music to download, stream, or buy on vinyl* or compact disc*. Give them a listen! They make pretty good gifts. *(not all albums available in all formats)

I almost included this in last year's list. Caroline is a delightful weirdo and her songwriting is brilliant, but I had trouble connecting with this album at first. Then I revisited it when I was also listening to a lot of Joni Mitchell and that made this album click for me.

It's time to look back on everything I listened to this past year, and pick the records that made the biggest impression on me. My first pick this year (in no particular order) is @keelinmusic.bsky.social's beautiful debut on @gondwanarecords.com from 2018.