always pleasant. always delightful. even when it's ghost songs.

maybe the writing was on the wall when they were acquired but this is certainly unfortunate news. Loads of talented folks will be looking for new gigs; snatch them up.

It's October so let this be your annual reminder that Curse Walk, the one-and-only album from Shaboi, is the greatest treat you can give yourself during the Halloween season. Originally released in 2009 as the fourth release for yk Records, it's hard to imagine an album aging better than Curse Walk has. It's runtime is just under 30 minutes and it manages to cover a ridiculous variety of styles in that time. There's some contemplative ballads, some Gershon Kingsley-esque keyboard fun, some absurdist hip-hop, some country-western and even a bit of soaring R&B ballad. You'd think that would result in a lack of cohesion but, somehow, magically, it does not.

It's a real treat and I highly suggest you get it into your life: Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music or wherever you prefer your tunes.

If you're a non-RSS reader of ole yewknee.com, you'll notice that I've applied a new coat of paint to things around here. "Redesigning your blog" isn't something you hear about too often in 2022 but for some of us it's still an entertaining endeavor.

For the past year or so, I've slowly been carving away at a redesign. A few minutes on a Sunday here or there to try out some layouts, tweak a few things here or there and then let it marinate for awhile. This twelfth version of yewknee.com wasn't so much designed as it was carved out. Decisions like subpages have a different nav weren't so much arrived at because they serve some purpose, I just liked it.

This site has been around in some form or another for 21 years. Over the last few years, I've found myself with a lot less free time to post long form posts here. What started as a sidebar of waxy.org-esque "links of interest" are now the primary content. I'm not sad about it. I'm happy the site continues to evolve in some way or another.

From the very beginning, this site was meant to be a stop along the way. A bookmark you checked out every so often for some distractions or something fulfilling outside of your regular circle. It's not the only stop along the way but I hope it's a stop along the way. A pleasant one at that. Hope you enjoy!

early Instagram developer misses early Instagram, builds new app that clones the simpler times. not sure how much wildfire this will catch but it's nice to see.

I have never sampled music nor had any real desire to make EDM but this video had me captivated.

Time will tell if this actually nets out but, regardless, it’s a great profile on Merrick Garland and the position he is in.

Note to Self: download this mp4 and keep it forever because it will probably be a DMCA victim soon enough

newish YouTube channel with a ton of clips

The headline is what you want and the article delivers the payload you hope for. Start chugging that coffee, y’all!

Big big fan of Twen’s latest record and this performance is a solid one

Bypass any paywall by faking yourself as a Google Bot. Clever. Likely to get shut down but still clever. Via @jamiew

Recently became aware of the work of South Korean based illustrator Jisu Choi and I'm smitten! There's so much detail to immerse yourself in on every single piece. I'm bewildered how anyone makes work like this but I'm incredibly appreciative to be able to spend time with it.

The official site is likely the best spot for larger res images but giving a gander to Twitter and Instagram is certainly worth your time as well.

“Immensely powerful thrift shop find”google drive: https://bit.ly/3Vvx5om

Great insight on the enjoyable improviser and her new special, Kate (which I did not know existed until right now!).

Never forget that this little NYC island has its own pneumatic trash system!

“It's often cheaper to build and run solar than to buy gas for an existing plant.” That sub headline is, hopefully, the turning point we need.

Been thinking about getting into hats. This seems like an excellent place to start.

Apollo Up does not play often anymore. but when they do, it packs a punch. Glad this performance was captured in full.

When my friends at the Devalued podcast wanted to start a show discussing the difficult relationship between art and money, I was all for it. Artists of all flavors rarely get to talk about these topics out in the open and it's better for everyone if the hardships of being a creative person are laid out there. For their sixth episode, they managed to land a chat with legendary recording engineer Steve Albini. Albini has always made himself very accessible. His Chicago studio Electrical Audio is not overpriced in a way that only giant artists can work with him - even though he's worked with the likes of Nirvana, Pixies, The Breeders, PJ Harvey. His insights into the benefits of recording in a studio, the strength of community he witnessed back in the early punk days and the troubled relationship between art and commerce are wonderfully insightful.

For just six episodes, the show has managed to nab a lot of great guests. Highly recommend you subscribe and listen to the backlog.