can i S H U F F L E ? ? ! ! Here’s On Shuffle on the defining song by Swedish hardcore band Refused, “New Noise”

On Shuffle: “New Noise” by Refused

I reviewed the first record from A Great Big Pile of Leaves in 8 years—also talked about riding my bike and the glorious power of breezy indie rock. Check it out:

Album Review: A Great Big Pile of Leaves — ‘Pono’

For this week’s On Shuffle, I go back to 2013 to talk formative music fandom, mid-aughts Fueled By Ramen bands, (500) Days of Summer as a music genre, and of course, the subject of this week’s column, “Your Face” by Blue of Colors:

On Shuffle: Blue of Colors’s “Your Face”

For the VERY FIRST On Shuffle, my music library has randomly delivered a song that he has never heard before. This week, I go in depth on Discovery’s 2009 “hipster R&B” track “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” (ft. Angel Deradoorian). Check it out:

On Shuffle: Discovery’s “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” (ft. Angel Deradoorian)

I started a new weekly column over at The Alternative. It’s called “On Shuffle,” which explains exactly what I’ll be doing—every week, I’ll turn my library on shuffle and go long on whatever song comes up first. Read my introduction here and keep an eye on on Tuesdays for the column:

Introducing: On Shuffle

I wrote about the lovely 2nd Grade and what it means to reissue a recent release these days for The Alternative:

Album Review: 2nd Grade — ‘Wish You Were Here Tour Revisited’

I interviewed Matt Scottoline of the Philadelphia power pop band Hurry about their new record Fake Ideas.

Interview: Hurry on “Fake Ideas” and Subtle Evolution

I reviewed the surprisingly good new Modest Mouse record for Slant:

Review: Modest Mouse’s The Golden Casket Is a Polished, Buoyant Pop-Rock Trip

On their debut release, Parting (ex Empire! Empire!, Dowsing, Annabel, and Hawk & Son) construct a testament to transforming together while maintaining the truth of everything they always stood for. Here’s my review, for The Alternative:

Album Review: Parting — “Unmake Me”

I contributed blurbs on The Armed, Spirit of the Beehive, and Snow Ellet for The Alternative‘s Best of 2021 So Far list.

The 60 Best Records of 2021 So Far