January
A roundup
In the interest of connection and sharing recommendations I don’t have any other outlet for, here’s my best shot at starting a monthly note, among other possible unplanned and unpromised bits and bobs.
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Secretly Society podcast: East River Pipe – Mel
I was introduced to East River Pipe 15 years ago, with this wondrous, chiming song. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk about FM Cornog in the interim. But Secretly Distribution’s Secretly Society Record Club are reissuing the excellent Mel for its 30th anniversary, and marked the occasion with this lovely, moving podcast in which Cornog’s partner, Barbara Powers, recounts the difficult history and devout faith that got this record made. It’s a beautiful story about making art against the odds, and she tells it so well.
Audrey Hobert – Who’s the Clown?
I have become painfully addicted to this record and won’t rest until I am word-perfect in all the lyrics.
Harry Gorski-Brown – Durt Dronemaker After Dreamboats
Distorted pipes from 2024, but new to me when I was looking at the GLARC catalogue. Genuinely the most astonishing thing I’ve heard in forever.
Some video or song I was listening to ran on to this I-pop track. Strong Max Tundra energy, which again is one of the strongest compliments I can pay anything.
Chuquimamani-Condori and Joshua Crampton – Precious Memories mix
Hold to hear the Calling’s Wherever You Will Go in a totally new light.
Samples pieces by composers who were exiled from Franco's Spain after the civil war: the racing, distorted strings also have an addictive quality.
Nomad War Machine and Susan Alcorn – Contra Madre
This unexpected collaboration between the Philly improv metal duo Nomad War Machine and the late pedal steel innovator Susan Alcorn reminds me of what I loved about Bill Orcutt and Chris Corsano’s Made Out of Sound: namely that it sounds like a band falling down a flight of stairs. (See also, this great recording of Cecil Taylor’s final concert, accompanied by Okkyung Lee, Tony Oxley, Harri Sjostrom and Jackson Krall.)
A discovery from Tone Glow’s best of 2025. I feel like I need to listen to this 100 times more to clock all the details and delights. Also in their year end list, I was inspired by editor Joshua Minsoo Kim saying:
I programmed over 100 films around the US and in Portugal, China, and Korea. This was another year where “simply asking” and “going for it” led to a ridiculous number of opportunities. It’s honestly crazy how going to events IRL and meeting people just leads to collaborations with the most passionate people you know
Seems worth remembering. Also the final question in any of his interviews: “Do you mind sharing something you love about yourself?” <3
Wendy Eisenberg – Meaning Business
I love Wendy’s music (here’s my Viewfinder review for Pitchfork) but think their new record is quite possibly the best thing they’ve ever done. It feels almost reductive to say that when it’s so straightforwardly beautiful compared to their spikier and more dissonant work, but it’s no mean feat to make something so gorgeous and spooked. (See also, the new Jana Horn record, which on first listen I thought was a bit slight, but her elemental slowcore has crept up on me like a gas leak.)
Representative image
Acting out every boyfriend’s favourite question to hear from his paramour: “Should I get a fringe?” [to be asked while holding hair from the back of one’s head over one’s forehead in an exactly accurate representation of how said haircut might look] After much haircut anguish (I am not good enough at grooming to have hair this long) I … got a trim. And no fringe.
Misc
Sticking fast to at least three of my 917 new year’s resolutions, namely moisturising, making soup and avoiding self-loathing // Ran a half-marathon in late Jan, except I had to half-walk it as I was beset by freak double hip pain. Painful, but overall a good lesson in acceptance (I didn’t even check the official finish times) and also the limited outcomes of training through inevitable bad weather and illness in January // Saw Dry Cleaning live: they exist in a completely different context to the Yoo-Kay post-punk “scene” they’ve been seen as part of since breaking out; they’re more like a weird American band that would come over to play a rare show at ATP and draw a crowd of 300 faithfuls. (Maybe a bit like the Fiery Furnaces??? Theory needs work.) Either way, a marvel to watch, each of them looking like they’re starring in a completely different cartoon – spooked mannequin singer, hardcore hooligan guitarist, metal nutter bassist, floaty hippy drummer – but sounding uniquely in sync // In the throes of a Robby Hoffman obsession: her making the How Long Gone guys giggle like little girls every time she called them “the fellas”, a more sincere outing on Talk Easy; I will forever be haunted by the bit in her Netflix special about her mum preferring to sit on the bare toilet bowl to avoid pee on the seat.
Work of note
Not much: reviewed the lovely Stella Donnelly album for P4k. And I got Aaron Dessner to write for us about his friendship with Bob Weir, a perfect piece.
Quilts made
In progress for a brand nü baby: I completely freestyled this from scraps, other than basing the very centre on the classic log cabin pattern. The purple check doesn’t line up exactly, but I also had all those strips pre-cut, and just made them into squares, and somehow they fit (almost) perfectly around the middle bit?! Kismet.
The vibe is: centre – fish swimming in the sea; lilacs – sun-dappled shallows; orange border – sand and sunset (there will be more layers of this, imperfectly lined up like brickwork). I love the fish fabric, it reminds me of 90s surf clothes.
