Destroyer HAVE WE MET (2020)

fantastic guitar record. if you had told me back in 2006 that I'd someday like Destroyer more than the New Pornographers, I'd've gotten you a Gatorade

Robert Haigh CREATURES OF THE DEEP (2017)

would you wish for a god untroubled, or rather no god at all?

Robert Haigh BLACK SARABANDE (2020)

incredibly quiet piano record, with textural elements like wind in redwoods

Favorite Films of 2019

1. Parasite dir. Bong Joon Ho
2. Uncut Gems dir. Josh and Benny Safdie
3. Under the Silver Lake dir. David Robert Mitchell
4. Ad Astra dir. James Gray
5. Deadwood dir. Daniel Minahan

6. Knives Out dir. Rian Johnson
7. Little Women dir. Greta Gerwig
8. The Irishman dir. Martin Scorcese
9. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood dir. Quentin Tarantino
10. Booksmart dir. Olivia Wilde

11. Ready or Not dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
12. Hustlers dir. Lorene Scafaria 
13. The Farewell dir. Lulu Wang
14. The Fall of the American Empire dir. Denys Arcand
16. Sword of Trust dir. Lynn Shelton

16. Non-Fiction dir. Olivier Assayas
17. Her Smell dir. Alex Ross Perry
***The Lighthouse dir. Robert Eggers***
*** The Souvenir dir. Joanna Hogg***
18. Avengers: Endgame dir. Anthony and Joe Russo
19. Long Shot dir. Jonathan Levine
20. Marriage Story dir. Noah Baumbach
***High Life dir. Claire Denis***

Failure: Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker
Fiasco: Motherless Brooklyn dir. Edward Norton

Secret Success: The Dead Don't Die dir. Jim Jarmusch




please pardon the rolling edits and shout-out to Nathan Rabin!

Burial TUNES 2011-2019 (2019)

one of the most important musicians of the decade.  Oneohtrix Point Never's own Rival Dealer

Wolf Parade THIN MIND (2020)

I'm a Dan man, but Spencer adds a rare counterweight: Wolf Parade is unique in their balance of Drama v. Melodrama.  Dan has the urgent, heartland strike-check ferocity, while Spencer has the flamboyant, whimsical, dying of tuberculosis and charging extravagant vacations on the company-card kind of energy, like fuck off, if SUCCESSION taught you nothing else, let it be how the difference between Fuck Off and Fuck You is a chasm, the difference between a well-attended wake and a potter's field.

Jeff Parker SUITE FOR MAX BROWN (2020)

there are some people so lucid and calm that they teach you you're wearing a padlocked straightjacket and maybe they could let you loose but you should probably proceed yourself, oops you're free, like the child said YES The tiger is out

Michelle Willis SEE US THROUGH (2016)

on a Joni wavelength, illustrating that if you have grace, you don't need much else

Scott's Top Films of 2019

This is the Scottest Year Ever. I thought I was keeping up moderately well; turns out I'd only seen Parasite and an honorable mention. Get on his level!  And listen to the podcast ep. for the charming man himself.

Cam'ron PURPLE HAZE 2 (2019)

the original is one of my favorite rap records of all time. here Side A has tons of the same charm, Cam can still rap, but there's just a real draggy Side B with some awful sex raps. Straight Harlem is a stunner to close.  Between him, Pusha, T.I., and Young Jeezy you can triangulate what I look for in rap, and why I'm not enthused with much currently, but this throws back to a day when chicken sandwiches were a dollar fifty.

Julianna Barwick CIRCUMSTANCE SYNTHESIS (2019)

this one slipped by me for a few weeks.  JB makes bless-this-actual timeline music. she still has a few made-in-Portland cassettes for sale, if you want to vibe the fuck out in your Corolla.

HAUTE 100 (2019)

usually try to do my True Top Forty for pop but it was a weak year, so made a cross-genre riff on a Hot 100.  Mostly pop, with peppy punk and rock, international and a few change-of-pace atmospheric jazz interludes.  Play on shuffle and I think you'll agree it was a great year in music writ large.

Bruce Springsteen BORN IN THE U.S.A. (1984)

I'm 33 1/3 today so it seems apropos to shout out my favorite album of all time. Insanely great.

Martha LOVE KEEPS KICKING (2019)

The pop punk revival is going swimmingly.  God bless these U.K. urchins and their adorable accents. Into This, Wreslemania VIII, and especially the title track are terrific.

Teebs ANICCA (2019)

a perfect day in L.A. and your only ambition is to try three new taco trucks and meet some nice dogs.