(deep breath)
I had all intentions of a full-on newsletter this weekend. But after this tumultuous roller-coaster week and yesterday's long-awaited euphoria, I need a day to think, process, and rest. We all need that. Right?
I'll be back next week and, if all goes well, it will be the resumption of the weekly schedule of this newsletter. Maybe some other changes, too. Things are brewing.
In the meantime, here's a video that I'll turn to any time I'm feeling down and defeated. It's my new happy pill:
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Not so fast. Since I can't leave you empty-handed, here are a few quickies.
• The best band I ever saw live (and I didn't even get to see them in their early '80s prime) has a wonderful box set out. It's Pylon, and it's called Box. Sasha Frere-Jones wrote some great words about it on 4Columns, including this thinly disguised call-to-arms: "These recordings demonstrate how powerful the idea of punk was as liberation, not in the sense of political emancipation but as a license to start from scratch." Anyway, you could do worse than put on Pylon today or any day. "These kids listen to dub for breakfast." You can listen to (and buy) Box on Bandcamp or those streaming spots. [LINK]
• Something I wrote amid this week's shifting emotions and tension levels: "Creating sends a signal that we believe in the future. And our creations point to the world we want to live in." That's from this blog post. And here's another blog post you might like. [LINK] + [LINK]
• Will Sumsuch let loose a bunch of lovely words about Ringo Dreams of Lawn Care in the new issue of 5 Mag. He calls this newsletter "a neatly packaged antidote to our horrendously homogeneous musical landscape" and "like an artistic self-help guide." Can you see me blushing through the email? I hope to live up to those accolades as I exit this break and rev back up to my weekly broadsides. Thanks, Will! The latest issue of 5 Mag is only available to subscribers right now, but you can download it for $2.99. You should! It's rad, and, as usual for the publication, it features a lot of informative underground dance music content to grok. [LINK]
• True story:
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Thank you. I'll see you next week. And I hope you have an opportunity to take a break, too. You deserve it. Stay safe, masked, and cautiously hopeful. 🚀
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btw — I'm Michael Donaldson and you can read more about who I am and what I do here.
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