Distraction is at an all-time high; I’m probably shifting between half a dozen home projects, none of which have progressed beyond half-hearted stabs at prep. Work is busting me hard, my wife spent two weeks of overnights we’re both still acclimating to. There are moments when I can brush the power of music with my fingertips, but it’s rare, more often than night feeling obligatory.
So we push forward. I’ve been spending a lot of time bouncing around Willie Nelson and Michael Penn, but Wednesday I got to witness a little bit of history, having gotten tickets a few weeks ago to see Deep Purple and Kansas. Watching Ritchie reunite with the guys, seeing age soften old wounds, allowing us to move through…it struck something in me.
I’m still processing it.
- Sweeping Promises – “Rapture, Or…”
- Open Eagle Mike & Kenny Segal – “Out to Lunch”
- Paul Cauthen – “Midnight (Live)”
- The Flower Kings – “In a World of Fools”
- Gates of Kiev- “Cosmic Chronograph”
- Todd Rundgren – “Broke Down and Busted”
- Grobschnitt – “Mühlheim Special (Live)”
- Gentle Giant – “In a Glass House (2026 remix)”
- Vortex – “Haroun’thasckouack”
All new music kicks things off for a change. Sweeping Promises were a discovery back in 2021 thanks to Henry Rollins and his radio show. The move to Sub Pop if anything gave the duo licenses to get even more spare and punk in their sound, and I’m loving the new album, so expect a review soon-ish…I don’t often do a lot of hip-hop here, but Open Eagle Mike is one of the few contemporary artists I follow, and his surprise release of Doomed so soon after his killer Neighborhood Gods Unlimited rocked up everyone’s list is a welcome reprieve from all the rock.
Paul Cauthen and The Flower Kings are old hats here, so I’ll say Cauthen’s live acoustic album is lovely. I’m hoping this isn’t too much , too soon from Roine Stolt and the rest of the FK crew, but we’ll see.
From there a quartet of what you’ve probably come to expect from me. Gates of Kiev is a new band plying a very old sound, and this appetizer before their debut full-length later this year has me excited. Todd Rundgren‘s great video interview with Rick Beato had me scrambling for his early work – Runt is fantastic. Finally what kind of host would I be if I didn’t throw some curve balls in there, so enjoy the double whammy of Grobschnitt and Gentle Giant‘s AI-remixed assisted classic. The Vortex? Your guess is as good as mine…
Be safe, be good to each other. See you next week.
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