Folks,
Happy Friday afternoon! I hope everybody is good, or as moderately decent to good as you can be these days. At the very least, I hope everyone can set aside a sliver of time to enjoy what is a truly electric day in new music releases. From the heavily-anticipated, new Avalanches record, to the third installment in Kid Cudiâs Man on the Moon series, to YET ANOTHER TSwift surprise album drop, itâs one for the books.
A massive thanks to those of you who reached out after the return of the Digesta last week. Even if the vast majority of the outreach centered around letting me know how trash my quarantine-crutch Circus Animal cookies are, it was great to hear from so many people. Itâs good to be back.
On the topic of being back, Iâll be honest with you all - I found it hard to make another newsletter happen this week. A hard part about writing for public consumption is how to deal with the self-doubt that can trickle in, as it inevitably does. As I try to get back in the groove here, some of those feelings have been creeping in: Does what I think about certain things matter? Who cares what I have to say? Is this topic that Iâm intrigued by one that others care about, or will it fall totally flat? As those thoughts started to percolate, I scrapped one potential topic after another.
BUT, itâs all part of the game! And Iâm determined to stay as consistent as I can with these efforts and work through the adversity. Nothing easy, baby.
This will be a short one, and more of a curation collage than a cohesive piece of writing. But itâs also Friday afternoon and could be just what the doctor ordered heading into the weekend. Letâs get to it.
Dua Lipa Tiny Desk Concert
NPRâs iconic Tiny Desk series has stayed killing it during 2020, as theyâve deftly adapted to the realities of the pandemic by providing consistently high-quality at-home performances. Dua Lipaâs performance is no different - it packs high production value with her catchy pop tunes, and the color scheme of this staging is just downright delightful.
Relax with Seth Rogenâs Ceramic Skills
Just some heartwarming, positive, relaxing content courtesy of Sethy Seth Rogen. Iâve been reflecting on how I can more intentionally âlog offâ and resist the addictive technological influences on which Iâm hooked. Maybe Mr. Rogen here can be my muse.
A Dramatic Reading of âTwas the Night Before Christmas feat. Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore, Margaret Thatcher, Nicole Kidman, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, TimothĂ©e Chalamet, and Meryl Streep**
**as performed by Chloe Fineman
Some Reflection on the Most Indelible Holiday Commercial in Recent Memory
Itâs the one year anniversary of perhaps the most outrageous, hilarious, cringe-worthy holiday commercial of the 2010âs, and you know what? I think itâs about time that we reflect on how far weâve come since then. How many rides weâve completed. How many hills weâve crushed. How Peloton wife may have been the one that got us into this mess in the first place.
Thatâs all from me this time around. Letâs close it out with some tunes.
Joeâs Music Corner
Iâm gonna make every effort to update these three little playlists each and every week, dropping in some pop/indie/hip-hop trinkets to keep the water flowinâ.
if u like pop: Dua Lipa, Dominic Fike, Billie Eilish
highlight track: Bleachers feat. Bruce Springsteen - âchinatownâ
By releasing a new documentary, âLetter to Youâ on AppleTV+ and teaming up with trendy producer du jour Jack Antonoff on this track, The Bruce shows that heâs still got some gas left in the tank.
if u like indie: Jim-E Stack, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Adrianne Lenker
highlight track: NilĂŒfer Yanya - âCrashâ
NilĂŒfer Yanyaâs debut album Miss Universe last year proved that she had firmly arrived on the indie scene. Her newest single may be showing that sheâs here to stay.
if u like rap: BFB da Packman, Machinedrum, Lil Baby & 42 Dugg
highlight track: Rico Nasty - âIPHONEâ
SMOKING SO MUCH GAS I FORGOT TO PUT MY MASK ON. Propelled by production from 100 gecsâ Dylan Brady, the lead single from Rico Nastyâs just-released album hits you right in the jugular.
Wishing you all a safe weekend,
Joey
https://twitter.com/joeymezz