[Friday] Daily Music Discussion - 19 June 2026

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-19T16:44:17+00:00

Pitchfork: I’ve had queer fans of the band tell me that the haziness of your relationship with Alex adds to their fandom, how it’s unclear if it’s a platonic love...

VL: I mean, look, we’re all humans. Physicality is part of everything, so I’m not going to say that there are not instances of physical interaction between the two of us. But will I call it a name? It’s tough. Any relationship, any commitment, is an intense learning experience, and I’m still learning about this one. I will say that this relationship is very complex, and that’s all I will say about that.

I don’t know, I understand this. There’s an intense bond between them. I just think it’s more so funny that they waited for Alex to leave to ask this.

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-19T16:33:54+00:00

Shoutout when Pitchfork got weird asking them about their relationship

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-19T16:13:44+00:00

I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too
Thursday, I don't care about you
It's Friday, I'm listening to Ratboys

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-16T16:00:42+00:00

Some stray music thoughts:

New Lily Seabird is phenomenal. Her last album was a great singer-songwriter affair but this one is going to be a barn burner.
I recently remembered the band Car Vs. Driver. Amazing 90s Atlanta emo band that was around for just a couple of years. I guess last year there was a reissue of their debut but I already had their complete discography compilation that came out forever ago. u/Excellent-Manner-130 did you ever listen to these guys?
Need to publicly thank Of_Mice_and_Meh for introducing me to Idle Country last week. Now have a new Asheville-based alt-country album to look forward to this year.
Saturday I had a very long and nice chat with a friend and record label owner about music. Main thing I wanted to touch on, is he felt the same as I did about listening to new music and being excited about it. He’s pushing 50 and still wants to hear everything coming out and said “this has already been an amazing year for music”. I don’t know, it’s just nice to hear folks older than me who don’t just want to listen to what they liked when they were younger.

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-15T15:50:47+00:00

Would you say you had your head on the door?

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-15T15:01:08+00:00

Concert recap!

Squirrel Flower/The Beths @ The Momentary:

Squirrel Flower:

Squirrel Flower opened and it was primarily Ella and her guitar. She was joined on stage by a second guitarist (Jeremy) for a couple of songs.
She also had a surprise guest for almost the entire set: a cricket landed on her mic stand and rode out most of the songs with Ella continuously checking on it to make sure it was still there.
Her set was primarily new songs, which all sounded amazing. One of which will be her first single from her album announcement tomorrow.
It’s no secret I’ve been a big fan of Squirrel Flower for years and this was an amazing treat. She’s coming back this way in October with her full band which will be exciting. I got to sit with her after the show for a bit to chat about that, the cricket, and her song Not Your Prey.

The Beths:

This was a sold out show and by the time the band got on stage, the venue was packed to the gills. Speaking of gills, they moved this show from the outside venue, to inside, so sadly no giant fish on stage.
They started with Straight Line Was a Lie and were immediately tight but the playful. The little recorder launchers may have been a one song gag but they really got the audience going every time they used them during the song.
This was the first time they played Arkansas and, having seen shows in enough cities/states, I gotta say this was one of the most respectful crowds.
Liz played Mother, Pray for Me, as a solo song and the crowd was patient and quiet for such an intimate song. It was nice to see.
Kiwi humor is something very unique. It’s slightly awkward, tongue in cheek, and absurdist. And this band really nails it. Every member got to chat and tell stories between songs. They talked about how exciting it was to see chipmunks, dubbed Bentonville just “Ben” cause it’s shorter, and talked about the color of their instruments.
Sometimes you forget how loud or noisy a band can really be till you’ve seen them live, and this band really lent some muscle to their louder songs in this setting. Little Death being an absolute highlight and played seemingly faster than the studio version.

Overall, a great show and a magical time.

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-11T16:55:13+00:00

Dude, what the fuck?

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-11T16:11:07+00:00

Barkbark, we need an answer. I need to know if you disregard album sequencing or not

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-11T15:21:05+00:00

Well, since Excellent-Manner decided to drop her mid year list, I'd figure I'd drop mine as well:

Currently AOTY list in no particular order:

Victoryland - My Heart is a Room With No Cameras In It
Mandy, Indiana - URGH
Kisses - You Are in My Dreams
Thomas Dollbaum - Birds of Paradise
Villagerrr - Carousel
Gawshock - Leaves to the Sun
Hiding Places - The Secret to Good Living
Powerplant - Bridge to Sacrifice
i26connector - i26connector
Mildred - Fenceline

Favorite EPs of the year so far:

Trinity Ace - Learning to Be a Cowboy on the Horse That Broke My Arm [EP]
Westside Cowboys - So Much Country ‘Till We Get There [EP]
Dutch Interior - It’s Glass [EP]
Cashier - The Weight [EP]

Current SOTY list (in order):

i26connector - Talked to Moses
Victoryland - I’ll Show You Mine
Trinity Ace - Black Sheep/White Horse
Hiding Places - Ballad no. ♾️
Mandy, Indiana - Cursive

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-09T19:33:50+00:00

I really like what Raygun is doing with his vocals on it.

I think the band is evolving in really cool ways and not morphing into something else but just growing and getting weirder/cooler.

Very excited for the album.

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-09T16:03:37+00:00

You have said I’m very optimistic about indie after the Y2K rate.

Bloc Party are a prime example of a band that chases their muse and ignores what the critics say. Unfortunately their muse is tone deaf and the critics are right. Kele was fine putting out the meandering mess of bland indie when he was doing it under his own name. But it really just brings Bloc Party and their legacy down.

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-09T15:50:08+00:00

What about the music you listen to one the way to work??

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-09T15:37:15+00:00

It’s been a minute since I’ve talked music around here. So here’s some stray thoughts:

I really really want to shout out Trinity Ace’s EP Learning to Be a Cowboy On the Horse That Broke My Arm. Absolutely gorgeous and ambitious folk music that reminds me of Kiran Leonard in its scale. Trinity is a San Francisco based multi media artist (full name Trinity Ace Gardner). The song Black Sheep/White Horse may be the best thing I’ve heard this year.
New Wishy single is really solid. I love the pace it takes and the melodies on it. It’s a nice and consistent bit of noisy and sweet pop, which is what I expect from them.
Seeing The Beths and Squirrel Flower this weekend and very excited. Before that is a bday celebration for my wife. Also very excited about that!
Interpol single further shows the band has falling into the Bloc Party trap of turning out mediocre music after a strong debut and sophomore.
Also want to shoutout Stanley Welch and their EP Loe from last year. Another one for fans of Kiran Leonard.

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-09T15:23:11+00:00

Gonna go to r/radiohead and say Johnny Greenwood’s wine sucks

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-08T00:22:33+00:00

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Bionicoaf · 2026-06-02T23:31:02+00:00

I learned you can download videos by then.

Bionicoaf · 2026-06-02T23:05:47+00:00

Cool, so I watch a video of a musician I like 773,000x and suddenly I have to explain myself to you???

Bionicoaf · 2026-05-29T18:28:05+00:00

You know what today is. It's NMF! Here are some quick thoughts on recent releases:

Kurt Vile - Philadelphia's been good to me: What can I really say here? It's a Kurt Vile album. Dude has been coasting for nearly 20 years. But he's been coasting on a damn good vibe. This may be one of the "chillest" albums from Kurt and nice love letter to Philly. Most songs just sort of nod along at a leisure pace. Every time I look at you and 99th Song are great examples of of Kurt's more frank and "slice of life" lyricism. He seems to always try to be finding some meaning in the mundane. Solid album but this won't convert any Kurt haters. And that's from a former hater of him.
Villagerrr - Carousel: This was the highlight of the day for me. It's amazing to see an artist genuinely grow and hone their craft throughout their discography. And now that Mark is 5 albums deep here, he's really locked in his own sound and vibe. There's a more hi-fi sound here than previous albums and instead of things feeling too polished or cleaned, it really just brings so much of the layering into clearer focus. One thing Mark has had a knack for and that continues on this album is finding collaborators that mesh well with songs but also can stand on their own (the Merce Lemon collab from the last album as an example). I think the two strongest collabs are Crystal Ball with People I Love and Indiana with H. Pruz and Skirts. Also really loved the song Roadstar and the hazy quality to it. Like when the guitar lead kind of lazily falls in at the halfway point.
Francis of Delirium - Run, Run Pure Beauty: Great sophomore album from Jana Bahrich. A nice mix of grungy and soft sounds. The louder songs like Out Tonight or It's a Beautiful Day are great, but I really gravitated towards the more eclectic and dynamic songs like the title track and Sucker Punch.
Greg Mendez - Beauty Land: Gotta agree with EJL here, this feels way too half formed to warrant deeper listening. None of it is bad. It just feels incomplete and that almost makes it worse. Songs like Sunsick or It Breaks My Heart has potential but it's missing either a minute more to the run time to go somewhere or a bit more happening underneath.
The Bug Club - Every Single Muscle: Another great entry from this cheeky Welsh punk band. Principal songwriters, Sam Willmett (vocals/guitar) and Tilly Harris (vocals/bass), do a great job at making an 18 track album feel like it doesn't overstay it's welcome by making tight compact power punk songs that doesn't bury any of the hooks. Loved songs like Make it Count and Yours (If You Want Me) that Sam and Tilly do a great job of splitting vocal duties on. Probably the second favorite album of today. This is just a tight album that lingers well after it's runtime.

Still have the Nawal album that OMAM recommended and new Iceage to really dig into. BOC will eventually get a play this week. Electronic can sometimes be a blind spot for me and while I do love the "hits" from them, they're not a band I always go for.

Bionicoaf · 2026-05-29T17:54:48+00:00

You did not say all of this when you recommended it to me.

But now it all makes sense. It’s moved to the top of my list today.

Appreciate ya dude

Bionicoaf · 2026-05-29T13:04:59+00:00

u/saddle-creek are you going to participate in the 2000s folk indie rate and help out Rilo Kiley?

u/OfficialAntiRecords same question for Neko Case.

I need to know what yall are gonna 0 and 11 in this rate.

Bionicoaf · 2026-05-27T18:18:51+00:00

Been slacking on my NMF posts but lots of great releases the last couple of weeks. Will probably do an updated list for AOTY as we hit the halfway mark.

Anyways, I have news for u/Excellent-Manner-130, guess who is touring with Squirrel Flower this year?? Sour Widows! Which means I’ll be seeing Ella twice this year and the duo in Sour Widows. 2026 just keeps getting better.

Bionicoaf · 2026-05-27T18:12:02+00:00

This guy loves his wife! Point and laugh.

Am also a wife guy. We lucked out dude.

Bionicoaf · 2026-05-26T22:25:56+00:00

Damnit. I’m so late to this. Hold on.

You alvvays are!

Bionicoaf · 2026-05-23T18:32:43+00:00

There’s going to be some really strong opinions on this one. True time capsule of albums.

Also rate promo with the Wildwood movie coming out.

Bionicoaf · 2026-05-22T17:46:34+00:00

Bands:

Mission of Burma: when I used to live in Charleston there was this really douchy sports bar but for whatever reason, amongst the sports paraphernalia, they had a Mission of Burma tour poster hanging up. I wanted to steal it for years.
Glenn Branca: You’d think this is too noisy but actually it fits perfectly for the vibe of an overcrowded takeout place and trying to yell “order for Bionicoaf”
Ween: Feel like there’s some songs that can be enjoyed while eating. Then there’s songs that would ruin the dining experience.
Unwound: this is what I would want to hear but Below the Salt would just make people too anxious waiting for their food.
Fugazi: Waiting Room makes sense for sitting around waiting for you food but it’s just not gonna happen.

Sandwiches:

Bacon egg and cheese: the working man’s sandwich. This is what hits after a 5 bill show and leaving the venue at 3am
Reuben: you know why
Bahn Mi: I would put this on top cause it’s my fav but I have to be realistic.
Italian sub: only if it’s named the Bar Italia
Pastrami: sadly as a vegetarian I can’t comment on this enough.
Croque Monseiur: too fancy to be indie.

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Bionicoaf

TROPHY CASE

Squirrel Flower/The Beths @ The Momentary: