My holiday EP Christmas Alone is now available to stream and buy ANYWHERE online! Stream on @Spotify or better yet, buy it on @iTunes!!! https://t.co/kxFnsSMXxa

Put Sequoyah on the $20 you cowards

Every year at Halloween, I remind you to listen to Shaboi as it is at its most enjoyable during that month. Along those same lines, every year I must remind you to listen to David Argyle Thacker's Mouth Trumpet Christmas Album. There is a lot of great Christmas music out there. I've been working on a playlist myself and have a hard time putting together a reasonable edit of the songs included... But The Mouth Trumpet Christmas Album should top any list. This version of "Jingle Bells" is truly the best rendition ever recorded.

Rudy didn’t separate g-20 from .in so ya boy bought the domain. ? https://t.co/mlEw39ue20

literally unbelievable

nice coverage of the @sleepgood side project from The Verge

The composer reimagining Secret of Mana, Zelda, and other SNES soundtracks with analog synths https://t.co/pOsYVTAv5Y https://t.co/Ngfxsk1Eme

Waaay back in 2015, I mentioned the work of Patrick Cowley, a musician that "besides Giorgio Moroder, is often credited as a pioneer of electronic dance music." That's high praise to say the least.

Looking at his discography, there are three albums that were released while he was alive and five posthumously. That is, until a very interesting sixth was found. This Bandcamp Daily piece on How the Lost Recordings of Patrick Cowley Were Finally Released is fascinating and more than a bit sad. Here's the intro paragraph just to wet your whistle:

In certain circles, the name Patrick Cowley carries the same weight as the name Giorgio Moroder. That admiration mostly centers around Cowley’s production work with disco singer and icon Sylvester, but in the past five years, a lost element of Cowley’s discography has been discovered: three gay porn soundtracks he secretly contributed to in the 1970s. The final soundtrack is called Afternooners, a 12-track collection of sticky, raunchy, hi-fi synth suites, the only one of the three releases recorded specifically as synth erotica. Some of this music he recorded in college; not even Cowley’s closest friends knew these soundtracks existed.

It's a damn good album and the history behind it makes it even more enjoyable. Unfortunate that Cowley was taken so early but at least his body of work continues to give.

Summarizing the design company Friends is not easy. It's a studio with clients but it's also a Co-Op collective and workspace. Oh, and it's open about ethical commitment, a guiding principle that you won't find from most shops.

But let's back up a second. Friends is, at the heart of it all, a design studio. With that in mind, just explore some of their work. These projects from Body Labs, Impossible Foods and EQ Office are good examples of what they're up to.

TLDR: cool design shop with admirable practices.

I recently found myself revisiting Don't Hug Me I'm Scared (and all of the analysis that goes along with it) and discovered that the production company associated with it - Blink Industries - has a plethora of other projects in development.

To be clear, this isn't DHMIS creators Rebecca Sloan and Joe Pelling branching out into multiple corporate undertakings but, rather, a nod to the company now associated with the show and the absurd amount of work they're up to. Please take a moment to cruise the In Development portion of their site for a peek at what may come...

• Dorothy Gale and the Wonderful Wizard of Oz - "a contemporary re-telling of the original classic of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"
• I Is Pig - "The best-selling stories of Emer Stamp brought to life with a star-studded cast and visually adventurous animation."
• Jarressey - "Surreal, imaginative and inventive character comedy show with unique mixed media elements, starring Jamie Demetriou."
• Yoga Bear & Applesauce - "An animated sitcom about a moody Bear who’s begrudgingly sent to a Healing Adventure Retreat, enthusiastically run by a girl named Applesauce."

That's just four of many projects. I'm confident that none of them will cross into the territory that Don't Hug Me I'm Scared explores but they're clearly a company that gets it, so maybe a few of these will be worth keeping an eye out for.

As previously announced, DM Stith has joined the roster of artists over on my yk Records. We're currently releasing a series of lost singles and revived compositions. We're calling it "neither album cut, nor b-side." The latest release is a cover of Jason Molina's "Get Out Get Out Get Out" from his 2006 album Let Me Go, Let Me Go, Let Me Go. Molina was probably best known for performing under the name Songs: Ohia or Magnolia Electric Company but released several albums under his own name before passing in 2013.

Here's some insight on the recording and recontextualization of the song from DM Stith himself:

It was a compulsive afternoon recording. My grandfather had just died and I was sifting through some of the academic recordings he'd made as a trumpet player and I guess thinking about our similarities. The Jason Molina song came to mind – it's a dark love song, hopeless I guess, but in a way I was singing it to my blood relative. He had run a little record label for publishing contemporary trumpet compositions, some of which were very experimental. At some point I'd made a little recording from one of his records, slowing the record down on the turntable with my thumb, letting it growl and yawn back to life.

Streaming everywhere.

New episode of my WOTT Music podcast is up and available for listening. Instead of diving right into the "Best of 2018" summary that is expected of any music podcast in December, I'm going with a more regular format showcasing more local music and sprinkling in a good dose of local Christmas music. I truly enjoy everything in the show so it'd be silly to follow up and tell you specific things to seek out. Literally every single track in the show is a treat for your ears.

November's Best Ambient: Recorded in the early ‘80s but never officially released until this year, "Driving East" is a must-listen for anyone interested in Japanese-style ambient. https://t.co/j2MrPe2EjO https://t.co/rLLrM2DYL5

brilliant

My favorite fact about Kid Rock is that he's a rich-kid grifter in white trash cosplay, the only "tell" is literally everything about him https://t.co/VR2Kp4EFJf

generally I don't enjoy a Live release but this is great

It's not a YK release but the 2019 @KOMPAKTREC Pop Ambient compilation features a beautiful new track from @CouplerMusic, so how could we NOT post about it? https://t.co/DWxHxCGSWd https://t.co/7NoR5ENpi7

December is right around the corner and I'm ready for it. The allure of some time off to catch up on various projects is gnawing at me. 2018 has been a good, productive, year and I can't wait to build on that with a little downtime here at the end.

But we're not there yet! So, onwards and upwards! Here's some video distractions for you:

• Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy with Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly - a rather faithful remake of the David Bowie / Bing Crosby special with just a tiny amount of Funny or Die spin to it.
• Doggo does a heckin' drift - I'm calling it, this is delightful.
• New Bevel Super Mario Remix - I'll be honest, this one is weird. I'm not even sure what I think of it but I couldn't look away, so that's something.
• The Script Supervisor - I'm sure anyone in the "biz" will find this rudimentary but I enjoyed the walk through keeping a scene consistent.
• I Wanted Donuts - sums it up nicely.
• Karen O & Dangermouse - Lux Prima - not a very compelling video but the song is superb.

What the fuhhh https://t.co/5MzvZdF70P

i dont know much about Ricky Jay but this is a pleasant eulogy