Baker's Dozen: Pip Blom, Cakes Da Killa, and Some Really Corny Stuff

Baker's Dozen is a weekly thing for paid subscribers where I share a playlist as well as thoughts on some music I've enjoyed lately.

Jaz Elise, "Radio"

The Golden Hour is one of a few pop albums this year that were overlooked, which is a shame. Good song (and record), highly recommended if you've been enjoying Koffee's releases over the past few years (even though Koffee's approach is more straight-up reggae).

Regional Justice Center, "Violent Crime"

Short and sweet, just how I like it. Good album, popped up on BrooklynVegan's best punk albums list which has a lot of good stuff on it in general.

Tigers Jaw, "Lemon Mouth"

Tigers Jaw came back from a long hiatus this year with a really strong rock record that a few people online mentioned to me as overlooked or underrated. Something very '90s about the sound on it for sure, skewing even closer to alt-rock than emo, but it works very well. Have listened to this song on repeat a lot.

Eluvium, "Genius and the Thieves"

This has been in a movie, right? I'm positive it's been in a movie. Well, it certainly sounds like it should be in a movie, which is something that Eluvium is very good at. Maybe I've just listened to the record this is on before and I forgot that I listened to it until recently? Very possible as well!

Pink Siifu and Fly Anakin, "Kin'tro"

Still need to listen to Gumbo'! but like any discerning person with taste I'm all about what Pink Siifu has been doing, he's on quite a run right now. I described his production as Madlib-by to a friend who hadn't heard of him, that might be accurate but, also, like, who knows.

TV Freaks, "Souvenir"

When will the post-punk bubble burst? It depends on who you ask, seems there's plenty of people at different points of "over it" now, also seems more dominant than ever vis a vis indie rock that people actually listen to (with "ambient jazz-y indie" as the version that mostly just critics are checking out). Anyway, every time I put on a post-punk record now I'm like "Not this again," but then I end up finding a few tracks that I like regardless, and the most recent TV Freaks album is one of those instances. This one sounds like the Futureheads, which more should aspire to sound like imho.

GHÖSH, "Toxic"

From Philadelphia, real Atari Teenage Riot hours. I love this and it hits every sweet spot for me, nothing like throwing in an "It Takes Two" break in the middle of something like this too. Wasn't into the EP this is off of as a whole but very intriguing regardless!

Fruit Bats, "On the Avalon Stairs"

Fruit Bats are a band I've never really rated in the past, but I loved the Bonny Light Horseman album from last year (which Eric Johnson was a part of) and The Pet Parade is similarly impressive, the songwriting seems very on-point. Something very classic and effortless about how this song sounds, if we're looking to make a zoomer-boomer connection we might say that it sounds like the War on Drugs with the motion blurring turned off.

Bruce Springsteen, "There Goes My Miracle"

As a New Jerseyan I am regardless far from a completionist when it comes to Springsteen, despite being to many concerts of his and generally having a deep appreciation for what he does. The records from the last 15 years have been more on the "miss" side of the "hit or miss" spectrum and is filled with stuff that comes off better live (the Devils and Dust tour was great!), I tend to gravitate towards when he does something as melodically corny as possible at this point. "Girls in Their Summer Clothes," from the otherwise disregarded Magic, is an example of this, and this song is another.

Cakes da Killa and Proper Villains, "In Da House"

"Don Dada" was the y-e concensus regarding the first Muvaland volume last year, but I much prefer this track, hits a few different sweet spots for me. Still need to listen to the latest EP! I'm sure it's quite good.

Pip Blom, "Sorry"

Classic British indie-pop to me, just walks that post-punk-y line but is a little too sweet to cross it...another band whose latest I still need to check out. It's a long queue, folks. A long queue.

John Tejada, "Duty Cycle"

John Tejada is one of those guys who doesn't do anything flashy or forward-thinking, but is extremely dependable in his lane regardless. Just vibrant, melodic, body-moving techno, sturdy and reliable. Nothing wrong with that, especially when it sounds this solid.

Porches, "I Miss That"

Like many others, I love the new Porches album; unlike many others, I was always pretty generally into what Aaron Maine was doing, so, there's that. "I Miss That" might be the most beautiful song he's written to date, it sounds like a Porches version of Alex G to me. Very talented songwriter!