Knicks

those 2026 Internet vibes

#ThankYouSteveAlbini — an eternal reminder that music and the music business can be done in an idiosyncratic yet successful way. My memories of, and tribute to, Steve Albini, along with a playlist summarizing his work, are here: 🖇️ alechanleybemis.substack.com/p/steve-albini

those 2026 Internet vibes

🖇️ alechanleybemis.substack.com/p/krautrock-chat 🌐 I collaborated with zensounds creator Stephan Kunze on a long conversation about Krautrock—which he helpfully reframes as German avant-garde rock (1968–1977). (He’s actually German.)

why yes there is a Bob Dylan installment of my mixtape delivery service 🖇️ alechanleybemis.substack.com/p/bob-dylan-concisely

🖇️ alechanleybemis.substack.com/p/krautrock-chat 🌐 I collaborated with zensounds creator Stephan Kunze on a long conversation about Krautrock—which he helpfully reframes as German avant-garde rock (1968–1977). (He’s actually German.)

Can I assume all my fellow nerds are already familiar with this insanely beautiful solo piano record?

timeline cleanse. cuts off at the 3:00 minute mark due to the limitations of this platform. find the whole thing on YouTube & other places.

They prefer calling it a "lull."

Yeah, still rips. Arone Dyer has one of the greatest smiles ever. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wQv...

Mark Lanegan died four years ago today in the same stretch of time as the death of The Sadie’s’ Dallas Gooid & the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine. It presaged a dark era to come… 🖤 alechanleybemis.substack.com/p/lanegan-and-the-sadies

On David Lynch’s death day (January 16th) I shared a 140-min playlist exploring the sound world he created for his films. 🖇️ alechanleybemis.substack.com/p/david-lynch What does night-blooming jasmine on a Hollywood summer night sound like?

🍅 MUSIC for ST VALENTINE ❤️‍🔥 open.substack.com/pub/alechanl...

I am not as good at spotting music AI slop as I am at spotting AI writing (which affects me like a cheese-grater on the soul). However, someone said to me a few weeks ago: doesn’t the But shuffle music on Spotify sound *cheaper* now than the music on Apple Music? And now I can’t un-hear it.

Apple Music isn’t serving AI stuff in its pre-made mixes - they are still curated by a human editor - and Spotify is, and curates algorithmically. That’s the sound of AI music, it sounds cheap.

periodic reminder that your creative and artistic work has ripple effects beyond your field of view, and that it's good for your soul and happiness, and yes that's important. please keep going, keep making and sharing, especially when it's grim. don't ever stop, we need you

Hiya, I’m on @letterboxd.social if you’re on there: letterboxd.com/alechanleybemis Truly embracing any excuse to spend less time… here.

I like poems

🪵 by H. C. Westermann

The “prosecute the former regime at every level” candidate has my vote in 2028.

👋 Happy New Year 🎊
 For my mixtape delivery service, I picked four albums that might help you ease gently into 2026. 🌐 alechanleybemis.substack.com/p/gentle-entrance 🌐

I’ve been accused of being a buzzkill at times. This Christmas I’ve decided to embrace it. 🌲🎅🏼🎈💨📌

Sometimes yr trying to log off social media for the holidays…and then this happens: a track from one of my fave Brassland releases, isomonstrosity, shows up in the trailer for a big, fancy movie😲 Hoping it creates a breadcrumb trail back to the excellent original LP🖇️ brassland.ffm.to/isomonstrosity

“free” social media tropisms towards enshittification the way plants seek light

wishing a very happy let’s-circle-back day to all who celebrate

I interviewed Industry Standard for @thecreativeindependent.com In late October, the musician & artist (real name: Daemyan Tang) got a fleeting moment of algorithmic renown for his wild 10-second noise performance on a local upstate NY morning show I was curious what lay beyond this viral moment.

Now spinning on my mixtape delivery service: anti-algorithmic music to fight the AI monster until Terminator finally Skynets our asses.  Human translation: 6+ hours of music that made an impression on me in 2025. 🌐 alechanleybemis.substack.com Thanks for listening.

Year-end critics’ lists exist for people to fight over, so I’m happy when people complain about them. But the complaint I will never get is, “I’ve never heard of most of these movies/albums/shows.” Yes, and? Why be mad about learning about stuff you didn’t know before from the news?

saw Moor Mother perform a music concert. it was excellent. not pictured: the dancing

The death of browsing is part of the reason art is the way it is now. Our opinions are largely fed to us by algorithms. Spending a spare 15 minutes wandering around a bookstore or comic shop or video rental place was how you found stuff you wouldn't ordinarily pick up and thereby expanded your taste

🖇️ alechanleybemis.substack.com/p/thanksgiving 🍂 For Thanksgiving: a mix inspired by Peak Sharing Energy and those moments when you’re with your loved ones and your gratitude expands to everyone around you. Hope it helps you give thanks, wherever you are and however you're listening.

🗽New Yorkers: This Saturday, November 22nd at 11am I’m co-hosting the launch of Bootsy Holler’s ‘Making It‘ — a book of photos depicting music life in the Pacific NW in the late 90s & early 00s. Joining us is @nabilayers.bsky.social 📍🗺️ at Leica Gallery, 406 W. 13th St, Manhattan, NYC

London 2025: royalty but make it fashion.

🟢 a playlist containing some selections I've been enjoying a lot in 2025

New York millionaires: threatening to flee the city since 2009

My semi-regular reminder of a really important reality about cities, density, services and taxes. Original graphic cleaned up by @kathrynmathias.bsky.social. #CityMakingMath

I just re-shared a thing I wrote about Lou Reed's smile. Here's a Tweet-length summary: "Lou Reed cared about art long after he could have stopped caring." 🖇️ alechanleybemis.substack.com/p/lou-reed-1942-2013

✍🏼❤️‍🔥💸

P4K should let readers add their own “palpable sense of” sentence to reviews.

New to my mixtape delivery service: Let’s All Abandon Reality Together — 60 mins of Music for Yoga made with artist Jonathan Bruce Williams. alechanleybemis.substack.com/p/music-for-yoga Inspired by his show of LED lightboxes at Kai Matsumiya gallery, 264 Canal St, NYC through October 25. 🎈 🧘🏻 🛰️

In case motion graphics induce vertigo, here's the address for our Wednesday event in a simple flyer.

IS NOT MUSIC. Issue 02 Zine Release Party 🕰 Wednesday, Oct 22, 6–8PM 📍 Abraço, 81 E 7th St, Manhattan, NYC Come hang & celebrate the release of Is Not Music. 02 — feat. writing on or by Van Dyke Parks, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Q Lazzarus, Jesse Rifkin, Taja Cheek (L’Rain), eli berry & Owen Pallett.

Note to self: listen to D’Angelo’s 'Voodoo'—and remind others to do the same. No doubt one of the best albums released in my lifetime, and possibly my favorite LP released since the year 2000.

🌈 💻 by artist Jonathan Bruce Williams

This AI slop was generated from photo I used as cover art on the latest edition of my mixtape delivery service. Because I’ll do whatever it takes to introduce you to some music you’ve probably never heard before. alechanleybemis.substack.com