johnjolley - Network

I’ve been all up in #bsky instead of here lately and it’s been a fuckin nightmare! Been blocking followback accounts every day - the...

I’ve been all up in #bsky instead of here lately and it’s been a fuckin nightmare! Been blocking followback accounts every day - the place is just infested with bots and foreign influence accounts.

Still, it seems easier to get my irl friends to move that way - I don’t understand why it’s so hard to get people onto Mastodon!

Been making a last ditch effort to pull folks off #meta before I nuke my IG. It’s SO comforting to know @trumpet is continuing to protect this instance from the zuck 🥰

BlueSkyyn

BlueSky

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Off to the pizza mines 🍕 Managing a Pizza Hut is not what I had planned for myself exactly, but I didn’t really have a plan either so...

Off to the pizza mines 🍕

Managing a Pizza Hut is not what I had planned for myself exactly, but I didn’t really have a plan either so here I am

🧵 6/6No vinyl for this one; only CD and cassette. 100 CDs and 50 tapes, so I’d jump on these if you’re into this music - only 9 tapes...

🧵 6/6

No vinyl for this one; only CD and cassette. 100 CDs and 50 tapes, so I’d jump on these if you’re into this music - only 9 tapes left as of this writing. I expect these guys to make slow but steady gains as they start touring out more - I’ve watched their fanbase grow rapidly in the few months since Vultures dropped in June. TLDR; JG Thirwell of Foetus follows them on IG, so they must be cool! https://bangladeafy.bandcamp.com/album/vulture #aoty

🧵 5/6The Halloween vibes intensify in the last third of the LP through tracks like “First to the Carcass” and “Belly Up” and...

🧵 5/6

The Halloween vibes intensify in the last third of the LP through tracks like “First to the Carcass” and “Belly Up” and concluding with “Hounds”; rather than delivering a rousing emotional conclusion, Vulture wraps up by getting even darker, angrier, and more withdrawn. Not a subdued conclusion, a la The Downward Spiral, but certainly an unsettling one. I’ve been coming back to this record again and again as it satisfies both my short attention span as well as deep, repeated listening.

🧵 4/6Aside from being generally a very good album, there’s also a lot here for synth enthusiasts; the variety of sounds and unique...

🧵 4/6

Aside from being generally a very good album, there’s also a lot here for synth enthusiasts; the variety of sounds and unique patches on offer is genuinely impressive. As opposed to buying into the analog/modular sound that’s in vogue at the moment, Ehlers seems to be leaning heavily into digital signal processing and analog modeling, which gives Vulture a refreshing bite and sense of clarity, not to mention providing a contrast to Atif Haq’s organic and highly responsive live drumming.

🧵 3/6“Pastures”, while having a pretty heavy prog breakdown, feels like certain “industrial” bands of the last 30 years - perhaps...

🧵 3/6

“Pastures”, while having a pretty heavy prog breakdown, feels like certain “industrial” bands of the last 30 years - perhaps not surprising given frontman Jon Ehlers’ unabashed NIN fandom. That Trent Reznor sensibility, while not immediately obvious, bears out on repeated listens with the catchy melodies and powerful emotions on display allowing for a confrontational approach that remains, to my ears, widely accessible.

🧵 2/6There’s a catchy melodic sensibility underpinning everything here that feels unique to this group though; rather than a the total...

🧵 2/6

There’s a catchy melodic sensibility underpinning everything here that feels unique to this group though; rather than a the total sonic assault of The Locust, we have a thoughtfully considered eclectic soundscape. Certain songs like “Prism” have an indie vibe - think early Battles or Animal Collective - whereas on others, like “Whisper Rat” or “Beautification”, vocalist Jon Ehlers screams and rants through effects while the music swirls around him like a hurricane.

🧵 1/6Next up is this keyboards and drums two piece from NYC, @Bangladeafy. The album is called Vulture. It’s tuneful, but with a...

🧵 1/6

Next up is this keyboards and drums two piece from NYC, @Bangladeafy. The album is called Vulture. It’s tuneful, but with a demented twist; short songs, complex arrangements, kosmiche vamps, moshable moments, synth interludes, and head nodding grooves. Well arranged songs, expertly sequenced. There’s certainly some bits and pieces that remind me of The Locust, or perhaps Gabe Serbian’s short lived duo Skinwalker - these guys would certainly sound at home on Three One G.

🧵 7/7I’m going to link to Bandcamp here whenever possible, rather than Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube. You probably already...

🧵 7/7

I’m going to link to Bandcamp here whenever possible, rather than Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube. You probably already understand why - because those services don’t pay smaller or medium sized artists anything remotely close to what’s needed to create and sustain their art. Basically, if you like a piece of music, you should find out who made it and buy it from them, so they can make more stuff you like. https://libraryoftheoccult.bandcamp.com/album/a-rose-in-the-garden-of-winter #aoty

🧵 6/7I’d even recommend individual tracks to DJs looking for an atmospheric indie/disco moment for their sets; “Black Gloves” is a...

🧵 6/7

I’d even recommend individual tracks to DJs looking for an atmospheric indie/disco moment for their sets; “Black Gloves” is a banger, as is “Technicolor Terror”, which features a repeating melodic theme featured elsewhere on the LP. There is a lot of filler here, but I guess that’s sort of the point - the music really only leaps out into the foreground on occasion, and like the rest of LotO’s output seems much more about vibes than songs. The vibes are thick though, and I’m here for it.

🧵 5/7It’s more like a spooky score for you to apply to your own life; there’s a steady funk rhythm, frequent bongos, soaring synth...

🧵 5/7

It’s more like a spooky score for you to apply to your own life; there’s a steady funk rhythm, frequent bongos, soaring synth and guitar lines - definitely great music to bump in your headphones on a walk to the store, a drive to the dispensary. “Rose” is ideal for doing dishes, watering plants, folding laundry, etc. The overall lack of lyrics leaves plenty of space for the mind to wander, but the propulsive and organic nature of the music will keep you on task, your wheels turning.

🧵 4/7The album is called “A Rose in the Garden of Winter”. It’s hard for me to compare it to other Dream Division albums I’ve...

🧵 4/7

The album is called “A Rose in the Garden of Winter”. It’s hard for me to compare it to other Dream Division albums I’ve listened to, as they all kind of blur together for me? I do get the impression this one has the highest production values yet, which lends itself well to this kind of music, which I’d say feels like a soundtrack, or a score - though I wouldn’t compare it to the classic Italian giallo movie scores of the 1970s like the press release stuff does.

🧵 3/7The pressings sound great, the artwork is fantastic, and I make a point of listening to everything Library of the Occult puts out at...

🧵 3/7

The pressings sound great, the artwork is fantastic, and I make a point of listening to everything Library of the Occult puts out at least once, just to see if it piques my interest. Highly recommend this label to Dungeonmasters/GMs looking to soundtrack campaigns, spooky party hosts looking for unobtrusive but funky background music that people can talk over, or to anybody looking for groovy/moody instrumental music to get them into a state of creative workflow.

🧵 2/7Since it’s almost Halloween, I’ll kick off with some spooky shit. The band is Dream Division. One might say they’re the...

🧵 2/7

Since it’s almost Halloween, I’ll kick off with some spooky shit. The band is Dream Division. One might say they’re the flagship group of British label “Library of the Occult” - sort of like how Belbury Poly & Focus Group are to Ghost Box (which is to say it’s the label boss’s band). But before we get to the album, this guy, Tom McDowell. He does a great job with this label (LotO). While I don’t love everything they put out, it’s all thoughtfully curated, and has a very distinct sound.

🧵 1/7I'm gonna post about my favorite music albums of the year here. Not in any definitive order, since I'm sure there are still...

🧵 1/7

I'm gonna post about my favorite music albums of the year here. Not in any definitive order, since I'm sure there are still some great albums coming out this year, but I expect I'll save the ones I've listened to and enjoyed the most for December, and that the very best of those will be written about closer in proximity to NYE. Might bleed into 2025 depending on how badly I need to distract myself from current events.

Where are my #soulseek peeps at? Let’s trade usernames? DM me! #slsk

Where are my #soulseek peeps at? Let’s trade usernames? DM me! #slsk

Are there betting odds being offered anywhere on when the #nasa #clipper mission to #europa fails due to inadequate radiation hardening on...

Are there betting odds being offered anywhere on when the #nasa #clipper mission to #europa fails due to inadequate radiation hardening on the transistors? Been waiting my whole life for a europa mission, pretty disappointed that it seems like the mission objectives have been drastically reduced due to poor project management… https://blogs.nasa.gov/europaclipper/2024/05/31/nasa-examines-electrical-switches-on-europa-clipper-spacecraft/

Still packing up crates. This is what happens when you ask me to be your all-vinyl wedding DJ #kid606 #mashups #2000s

Still packing up crates. This is what happens when you ask me to be your all-vinyl wedding DJ #kid606 #mashups #2000s

I’m a vinyl dj and I have a wedding gig tomorrow I’m doing for some friends of mine who are getting married and I’ve been ADHD...

I’m a vinyl dj and I have a wedding gig tomorrow I’m doing for some friends of mine who are getting married and I’ve been ADHD procrastinating so I’m just starting to fill up crates now and I actually think it’s gonna go really well! Just gotta trim my beard and get my suit in order

Also fuck AI https://www.semafor.com/article/10/04/2024/berlin-club-scene-divided-over-new-ai-dj-tech