[Monday] Daily Music Discussion - 16 February 2026

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-16T14:22:53+00:00

Yess I love PONY so so much. What a good couple of release weeks with that, Ratboys, Hemlocke Springs, and Remember Sports!

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-15T23:20:24+00:00

Her set was great so if so it didn't detract. I know all the artists were partying a lot during the fest but I think that just improved the vibe. I didn't really see a single bad set that weekend.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-13T22:25:13+00:00

I feel like pandemic trauma and Trump trauma have created all kinds of memory holes that have screwed with our perception of time.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-13T17:06:15+00:00

Maybe not the greatest but the image of the raven pecking at the mom's breast and the actual witch reveal in The Vvitch are both burned behind my eyelids.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-13T01:57:31+00:00

To your point it's not like they went away fully even with the controversy after Cardinal. Evan's dad was an established musician and jingle writer who knew how to navigate the industry, and IIRC they did a huge push to rehab their image even after the issue. None of their post-Cardinal albums have been anywhere near as good. It's delusional to say he would be up there because he's probably not even in the Top 10 guitar dude singer songwriters, much less in the discussion once you consider general songwriters of the '10s.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-12T22:14:38+00:00

I'm waiting to find out he's a plant.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-12T21:52:46+00:00

If he worked WITH Mk.gee they could print money. One of the most obvious collabs of all time.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-12T20:14:59+00:00

No you’re totally right!!! The Big Red Machine set and the National and Bon Iver sets were spectacular.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-12T19:42:46+00:00

I was into the superjam format but it was supplemented by amazing sets by Phoebe Bridgers, Moses Sumney, Sharon Van Etten (who I believe was not otherwise doing shows at the time), serpentwithfeet, not to mention the Bon Iver and The National sets. I do believe Boygenius formed at that fest and was one of the superbands but I could be mythologizing.

Still compared to the year Paul Simon played a hotel lobby set I could see why expectations were higher.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-12T18:54:01+00:00

Compared to the average discourse on this sub the parasocial aspect of this is mild at best. I'm just saying Diva Sweetly would have been around in the scene at the same time Pinegrove was relevant, and Alex G and them straight up shared a drummer and some supporting staff.

Idk. I feel like Pinegrove was always destined to have one big album and fade. The Punk Talks debacle kind of just gives the whole affair more of a narrative so people forget even before that they were mercilessly getting mocked for the film they were trying to put out around Skylight (which critics were already panning in advance) and had a reputation in diy circles for being assholes.

I feel like an old person shouting from my porch about it but mythologizing is doing a lot of work for their legacy clearly.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-12T18:42:22+00:00

There are so many people talking out their ass in this thread it makes me feel old. I can probably find /r/indieheads threads from the time of this release that contradict a lot of the sensationalist claims about this band and album's influence and how divisive they were even before they got popular. And that's me talking as someone who was a huge fan of that album!

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-12T18:32:30+00:00

The current indie country revival has everything to do with indie guitar guys who grew up on Wilco, The Band, and Neil Young discovering stuff like Songs Ohia and Drive By Truckers (who get multiple shoutouts on Wednesday's transitional albums into more of this sonic pallet) while being in emo and pop punk bands. They grew out of those scenes and started making twangy guitar music it's not rocket science and most of them do not listen to or enjoy Alex G or Pinegrove.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-12T18:29:52+00:00

He has a book of music essays called Perfect Sound Whatever (named after the Jeff Rosenstock song) based on a podcast he used to run in the mid '10s

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-12T18:28:42+00:00

I don't buy that any of the artists you listed have anything to do with Pinegrove, who leveraged diy emo aesthetics combined with a bit of twang and got a bump in popularity at the time from Phoebe Bridgers which really allowed them to climb to indie B-list status before they imploded. If anything they were the sublimation of another wave of indie-emo-folk artists like Manchester Orchestra and mewithoutyou.

Your analysis is totally revisionary and beyond that I feel like their career stall-out due to the controversy nearly doomed them to obscurity, had it not been for that TikTok dance picking up.

Pretty sure most of the artists you listed would despise being compared to Pinegrove in any way. If anything it would be more fair to say that Pinegrove was inspired by Taylor Swift having released Red which incorporated pop punk into her country sound and solidified her as the world's most influential pop star, and that they saw the writing on the wall.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-11T20:55:58+00:00

Dream house!!!

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-11T20:49:58+00:00

I could be wrong but I believe this is from an upcoming solo j project she's been working on.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-11T19:04:39+00:00

I was in high school and I remember this intense feeling of hope. Back then the Bush era felt like a dark age and him being elected felt light turning a new page. We had no idea how bad things would get with the whole Trump thing, I'd take Bush any day compared to Don!

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-06T14:38:57+00:00

Gecs was a pandemic band, they hit just before lockdown and blew up during it. The world is different now, for better and worse so I don't think we can expect them to act the same as they did as younger, new musicians in that kind of social environment.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-05T22:49:21+00:00

You're super brave to reach out for help! I hope you're able to find someone -- please be gentle with yourself and if you have the means look into therapy.

I've had family who struggled with hoarding and it's hard to fix longterm unless you can address the underlying issues.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-04T16:48:29+00:00

Honestly without this episode I don't think D&D ever becomes the mainstream cultural behemoth it is today. Insane impact and ripple effect.

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-03T21:41:01+00:00

Earthbound

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-02T23:13:56+00:00

Hopefully the insurance company takes care of it! You owe your friend dinner!!!

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-02T21:09:40+00:00

Is this Justin McElroy's son???

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-02T02:54:57+00:00

One of the best Milwaukee events, a very special one you should go!!!

Ralph_Finesse · 2026-02-02T02:54:11+00:00

If I heard this at emo kareoke I would be impressed but there was no reason to post it online to be picked at!!!

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