15 months of negotiation dropped. Pretty surprising turn of events! 2023 isn't done with us yet!

It’s the history of Yahoo Pipes! How could you NOT want to read it?

The folks at Runway are pitching a new idea called General World Models which essentially boils down to training an AI on text, video, audio and other multimodal inputs. Pretty sure this was already happening anyway with GPT4 and others but they have packaged it up rather nicely. The video is really well made and makes a great case for them. Worth a watch to say the least.

if you ever wondered what the future would look like, here it is. there is a twinge of uncanny valley but it is mostly believable all around. text to news anchor. wild.

TIL the whole 50 albums thing was just a PR stunt

if you have not seen it, you need to see it. The Verge created a wonderful archive of Good Tweets as a eulogy to the service.

Back in June, Tower Defense released their single for "Running Out" (backed by a killer B-52s cover). They even shot a video around the same time! Well, the wait is finally over and I gotta tell ya, the wait was worth it!

Everyone in the band sings but it's rare that Jereme (drummer) sings lead. So, the band really pulled out all the stops for this one in celebration. The production is homegrown but entertaining as hell. It's clear the band is having a great time and I love to see it.

The video really kicks up around 45s and gets nuts at 90s. Treat yourself with this little gem. The single is available on Bandcamp and streaming everywhere, too.

YouTube has started recommending that I watch guitar pedal reviews. I don't know how to play guitar or even own a guitar but I can't disagree with the recommendation. Recently it steered me to this pair of reviews for the Generation Loss and Lossy pedals; both created by Chase Bliss.

I do not make music but I must admit that hearing the output of these two devices does make me want to start tinkering. The Generation Loss MKII emulates the sound quality loss from analog devices like VCR overdubs or cassette decks. The Lossy is the flip side of the same coin; emulating digital degradation like compressing an mp3 into oblivion.

If you're like me and not a musician, you can still appreciate the effect here. If you are a musician, consider picking one of these up and then send me what you make. I am sure it'll be lovely.

General Trust dropped two new songs over the weekend; "If I Could Change Your Mind" / "If I Could Read Your Mind." Both continue to evolve the dark, electronic sound that General Trust has been cultivating all year but both have new vibes previously unexplored. The former has a pop hook to it that is undeniably catchy and the latter has a sinister quality to it that I was not expecting! If you wanna pick them up on Bandcamp, you can! If you wanna stream them, you can do that too. I recommend doing both.

sometimes you get Instagram ads for things that look genuinely cool. Not sure I can spend eighty bucks on this but I do love the aesthetic.

phenomenal shop.

Delightful

A bit of instrumental and ambient Bowie from 1980; originally appearing in a Japanese TV spot.

recently subscribed to this. It is largely focused on AI trends but that is right up my alley these days, so I highly recommend.

nice rundown of a bunch of AI powered tools and their application in the real world. I have not heard of most of these but will correct that soon enough.

Google announces their new multimodal AI, aka their version of ChatGPT. Available Dec 13 for developers. I recommend watching the sample videos.

forgot about Shingy

Nice breakdown of why Spotify works the way it does and why royalty rates are so low. It does omit how every streamer is actively trying to pay less but it’s a great read overall.

Hey, it just so happens to be Bandcamp Friday and I just so happen to have a dose of Nashville based music that would be worth your dollars and, more importantly, your time. Books on Tape is the latest full-length from Sam Hoffman and it hits me in all the right places. I have played "Glencrest Lane" more times than I can count. It's got that yearning melancholy vibe that I am a total sucker for. And the artwork from Sarah Goldstein is top notch.

The cover / title combo on this one should tell you everything you need to know - Here Come the Warm Jets. It's rare to be able to make a Brian Eno Hot Tub pun but Rainsticks did it! The record itself is not funny but it's got a light hearted and airy vibe to it.

Just a single song here from BIFFF but "BABY TAPES = GONE" packs a lot in for its sub-3-minute run time. Love those occasionally frantic drums, the DIY-ish production and the sparkling guitars. Get it into your ears.

Have I talked about my annoying levels of enjoyment for Total Wife previously? I really like them. At it's core it's shoegaze; lots of fuzzy guitars, low-mixed hushed vocals and enormous walls of sound. That alone is completely satisfactory for me. With each new release from TW, they explore new layers, sounds and techniques. It's the natural progression you want to see from a band - growing and changing without going too far afield from what you initially liked about them. If you're not a huge fan of walls of noise, start with "Rest" and ease your way in. If you're up for something a bit more challenging, dive into "UHF optate wav.er" and prepare yourself for some unexpected late 90's blast beat drums. The entire record is a delight and I recommend a start to finish listen ASAP.

Car Colors - Old Death is...

The first new music in 20 years from Charles Bissell, the singer-writer-producer of the Wrens, his first release since the landmark album The Meadowlands.

If you know The Wrens album Meadowlands, this will be exciting news! If you do not know that album, maybe start there as it is a phenomenal piece of work.

Having listened to that prior record so much, this new 3-song EP is immediately familiar. Bissell's voice is distinct and his use of acoustic guitars driving a load of other layers is just wonderful. I am also intrigued by how similar the artwork is between these two releases, 22 years apart. I can't tell if this is an intentional nod to the previous work or just an affinity for a type of image.

Anyway, this isn't meant to be an in-depth review - just something I find worth recommending.

Oh, and I'd also say you should check out Aeon Station, the new project of Kevin Whelan - also of The Wrens. Gotta hear it all.