Sega Bodega - “I Created The Universe So That Life Could Create a Language So Complex, Just To Say How Much I Love You”
Can’t really remember what convinced me to finally check out this Sega Bodega record from November, but the cinematic ambience that awaits is pretty excellent stuff once you get over their band name as well as the goofily romantic name of the record/title track. The sort of sweeping, just on the edge of saccarine atmospherics that made us all fall in love with Sigur Ros 25 years ago or whatever.
Krypton Tunes - “Limited Vision”
I was clicking around through some more recent releases from the crate digging gurus at Soul Jazz Records and came across Secret Superstar Sounds, which compiles fifteen tracks released in the late 1970s from a bunch of forgotten British bands that operated at the intersection of power pop and first wave punk. One of my favorite discoveries was this nervy polemic from Krypton Tunes reminds me of everyone from Wipers to Vampire Weekend to Talking Heads. It's so cool how there is literally infinite awesome music out there.
Rilo Kiley - “85”
Over a year after their first reunion show, we finally got to see Rilo Kiley live here in Chicago last month. They were one of my favorite bands in high school, and when revisiting some of their deeper cuts in the weeks leading up to the show, “85” really knocked my lights out. I was talking to my wife about what makes a truly great Rilo Kiley song and sort of half jokingly described it as “a lady complaining verbosely for three minutes and then a weird guitar solo and then the song’s over” and that’s sort of exactly what’s happening here.
Tracey Nelson - “86”
I sincerely did not do this on purpose but how fun is it to feature a song called “86” right after “85”? I’ve really liked everything I’ve heard from MJ Lenderman-adjacent songwriter Tracey Nelson, but this latest single from his new record Hercules is really doing it for me in particular.
Big Truck - “Central Reservation Blues”
Every few years I fall for another guitar band playing sparkling indie pop/sort of just doing The Feelies. If things continue in the direction of “Central Reservation Blues” Big Truck may join the canon alongside peers like Real Estate, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Ducks Ltd., Kiwi Jr., and many others.
Jawdropped - “Monday”
Banger alert! This latest single from Jawdropped is squarely in my Q-Zone, featuring duel vocalists over some razor sharp Lemuria style power pop. We love it!
I was clicking around through some more recent releases from the crate digging gurus at Soul Jazz Records and came across Secret Superstar Sounds, which compiles fifteen tracks released in the late 1970s from a bunch of forgotten British bands that operated at the intersection of power pop and first wave punk. One of my favorite discoveries was this nervy polemic from Krypton Tunes reminds me of everyone from Wipers to Vampire Weekend to Talking Heads. It's so cool how there is literally infinite awesome music out there.
Over a year after their first reunion show, we finally got to see Rilo Kiley live here in Chicago last month. They were one of my favorite bands in high school, and when revisiting some of their deeper cuts in the weeks leading up to the show, “85” really knocked my lights out. I was talking to my wife about what makes a truly great Rilo Kiley song and sort of half jokingly described it as “a lady complaining verbosely for three minutes and then a weird guitar solo and then the song’s over” and that’s sort of exactly what’s happening here.
Tracey Nelson - “86”
I sincerely did not do this on purpose but how fun is it to feature a song called “86” right after “85”? I’ve really liked everything I’ve heard from MJ Lenderman-adjacent songwriter Tracey Nelson, but this latest single from his new record Hercules is really doing it for me in particular.
Big Truck - “Central Reservation Blues”
Every few years I fall for another guitar band playing sparkling indie pop/sort of just doing The Feelies. If things continue in the direction of “Central Reservation Blues” Big Truck may join the canon alongside peers like Real Estate, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Ducks Ltd., Kiwi Jr., and many others.
Jawdropped - “Monday”
Banger alert! This latest single from Jawdropped is squarely in my Q-Zone, featuring duel vocalists over some razor sharp Lemuria style power pop. We love it!
Lara Somogyi - “sojourn”
Another thing I’m always going to be into is ambient harp music. You’re just going to have to accept that as a reader of this blog. Contemporary classical composer/experimental harpist Lara Somogyi is new to me but the excellent single “sojourn,” our first look at her new album a [time] patterned out later this Summer, has me convinced I’m in it for the long haul.
This new Emily A. Sprague song sounds like if Loscil got their hands on some Florist stems or something, damn! Super super cool stuff.
Embedded below is the full May 2026 playlist, the remainder of which will be written up on this very web site in the very near future.