Music Molly

music for being proud of yourself (megamix 20)

Long time no megamix. I was getting hype for summer last time. Now summer...is over? Does anyone have a pencil sharpener I could borrow? I was reminiscing with my friend Dana about how one aspect of my elementary school personality was "feeling nervous about needing to get up and go to the back of the classroom to sharpen my pencil in front of everyone." Glad I grew out of that one.

ok let's get into the mix...

my impotent rage at the video music awards continues apace

I watched the VMAs and boy, what a mess. A VMAs devotee since middle school, I am sad to see what the broadcast has become. The "show up and you'll win something" model is what it is, but the real problem is that the Video Music Awards do not make sense without a spiritual home for music videos. If MTV is not the place where you go to watch the videos, why would anyone bother caring for one night about what videos they favor? Maybe YouTube should do the VMAs next year. Likewise, in a just world, there would be a shiny Moon Person (I did not realize they de-gendered the Moonman trophy, cool) for Slayyyter, who made a music video for every damn song on her album with minimal budget, not because she had to, just because she wanted to. And that Yung Lean / GENER8ION video, and the live performance of it, was so incredible.

Speaking of, I DO HAVE AN INDIE MUSIC VIDEO CHANNEL. It is called I Enjoy Music Videos and it is chock full of interesting music videos made by good artists.

You could argue it has never been easier to make good-looking visuals for your tunes, and yet I fear for the relevancy of the art form daily. Videos are where you can get weird, create a fantasy, carve out your ideal aesthetic. I love them. So go visit i enjoy music videos dot net.

it was a great blog summer

Man I'm proud of the blogging I did this past season. Let me toot my own horn a sec. Some really fun interviews that made me re-believe in the Power Of Art (as well as the possibility of making art and making money): Maggie and Nancy-Bleu, CalArts grads figuring out post-grad life while collaborating with their friends; Hank, who dropped out of college to work at his friend's media company and also fell in love with LCD Soundsystem in a delightful 0-to-100 way, documenting it all the while; the freakin founder of Illegal Art?? Listened to song recs from a Canadian legend and some NYC upstarts. Premiered two wonderful music videos. Went to a King Gizzard record store pop-up and Olivia Rodrigo's feminist festival. Picked a song of the summer. Let some cool artists share what makes their musical processes work. Every day is a great day to have your own website.

narrowly avoided dental appointment crashout through the power of music

I got my teeth professionally whitened for the first time ever and it was more painful than I expected? Why did I think it was going to be a chill time? I was imagining a tanning bed of sorts, for my mouth. Beauty is pain, I thought for one second as the bleach started searing my gums, and then immediately was like, no that's stupid, that's your 2000s women's magazine America's Next Top Model brain talking, stop. Punished 4 vanity. I was relating hard to that part in Dune where Chalamet has his hand in the box and imagines a smoking, burnt pile of bones where his phalanges used to be.

At least I got to listen to music. I listened to a Nigerian Dad Music playlist I saw on TikTok, and the song "Jamaican Nights" by Russ Freeman, which has the smooth adult contemporary sound I associate with dentist lobbies, and a new song from a producer named DR. GABBA that I found on TikTok with the caption "when the dj finally tranisitons [sic] to 160bpm but it's the goofiest shi you've ever heard but also kinda goes." A little all over the place but the randomness got me through. My teeth look good, but I do not think I'm ever gonna do that shit again. Elective dental procedures, what on earth was I thinking?

not just blogging...also logging

Been logging the shows I've seen recently on HearHear, Adam Offitzer's project that is essentially "Letterboxd for concerts." The UX is smooth and easy, which is exactly what I need for such a thing. Here's something I posted on it:

Saw someone posted a sketch of the phoneless Phoebe Bridgers arena show setup, nice. The site's in invite-only beta but you should get on the waitlist if you're intrigued.

I listened to music because people said it was good

I listened to the PawPaw Rod debut album Picture Day: A PawPaw Rod Album after Nick Sylvester shared he worked on it ("Lights Down Low" rips). I listened to the Muffs because my friend Cat said I should check them out to complete my Rock Icons Named Kim docket...so I think I'm a Pixies sun, Muffs moon, Sonic Youth rising. I listened to RIP Magic "5words" because I saw the DFA Records Instagram post about it...ah, produced by James Murphy, nice. That led me to another DFA release, "Get A Grip" by Fundido, a song that then returned to me weeks as house music before the Soulwax show last week. I listened to Hekt's Forever because Yasi Salek newsletter'd about him (Danish electronic artist...it's been a bleepy summer). I listened to "Love Life" by Doja Cat because sigh swoon described it as a "legit prayer" and I find myself susceptible to her exuberant digital/spiritual missives. I love it when my clothes smell fresh / I love it when my fans speak French.

I listened to melliejellie's cool hyperpop/UK garage album all about u because I saw a flier on a telephone pole in my neighborhood advertising her hand-dubbed cassettes. I listened to some Ludacris after someone on TikTok smushed the "ludacris being nosy" parts of "Rollout" together ("who's your housekeeper, what you keep in yo house? what in the world is in that room, what you got in that room?") I listened to "All Nite (Don't Stop)" by Janet Jackson because TikTok reminded me it's a perfect pop song, almost assuredly on the moodboard for people like Adéla and underscores? I listened to "Short King" by Alex Cameron on the rec of DJ and NYC bon vivant Charlie Baker and it cracked me up, kind of has a John Mellencamp vibe only instead of "suckin' on a chili dog" it's "that boy is under 5'9"." And I listened to "Run Run Rumination" by Molly O'Malley because she said it sounds like Jack's Mannequin...when I hear Jack's Mannequin I say "yes pls."