This week in music - Vol. 1

Sean

If I had a nickel for every blog I’ve started and then never used it, I’d have around 30 cents. That’s not a lot, but it’s embarrassing it’s happened 6 times. This is my attempt to revive this blog, but I’ll likely just end up with 35 cents.

Since each week of my life is pretty much the same these days, I thought it could be interesting to “blog” about my life by talking about the music I’ve been consuming throughout the week. I always joke that the one sense that hasn’t been compromised by my health struggles is my hearing, so music is one of the only ways that I can introduce some novelty into my life. Also, I have pretty damn good taste in music, so that should be a good enough reason for you to read my ramblings.

Healthwise, I’m still recovering from big flair-up over the holidays that has really taken me out. That has subconsciously turned me towards upbeat, angry music over the last few months—think metal and hardcore punk 1 . I’ve had some glimpses of respite over the last week, so I’ve been turning to some softer, more tender music this past week. There’s still lots of rougher stuff though, because why listen to sweet music when an angry man can yell into your ears?

Diary - Sunny Day Real Estate (Emo, Post-hardcore - Sub Pop - 1994)

On paper, Sunny Day Real Estate should totally be my thing, but for some reason, I’ve never really gotten too into them. I love emo, I love post-hardcore, and I love sad dudes from the 90s, but I’ve struggled to see why I should choose Sunny Day Real Estate over the myriad of other bands that operate in their same sphere. I thought I’d take a stab at Diary again this week, and I unfortunately had the same results I always do: I absolutely love Circles, Seven, and Song About an Angel , but everything else passed that feels like a watered down version of the greatness in those songs. In the 90s emo realm, if I want something harder, I turn to Mineral. If I want something poppier, I turn to the Promise Ring. If I want something more catchy, I turn to Jimmy Eat World. I guess I can respect that Sunny Day Real Estate was a pioneer at the time, but to me, their work doesn’t hold up as well as other similar bands of the time. That’s probably a horrible take. Whatever. 2.5/5 - best song: circles

Love is Not Enough - Converge (Metalcore - Deathwish - 2026)

I’ve never really had an interest in metal as a whole until the past few months, and as such, metalcore felt way too out there for me. However, now that I’ve gotten accustomed to metal, metalcore felt somewhat approachable. And with probably the most critically-acclaimed metalcore band ever releasing a new album last Friday, it felt like a good time to listen. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed it! The whole aesthetic of the genre feels pretty messy to me, and I definitely haven’t developed an ear of the nuances, but I liked the aggressive, roaring guitars paired with the angry vocals. I’ve come to really like sludge metal (a la Melvins and Acid Bath), and this felt like an up-tempo version of that. 3.5/5 - best song: we were never the same

Is This Real - Wipers (Punk - Park Avenue - 1980)

You can add the Wipers to the long list of bands I’ve discovered thanks to our lord and savior Michael Jordan Lenderman. Some years ago, he and Wednesday released a cover of Sacrifice (For Love) by a mysterious Greg Sage. I’ve really dug it, but never bothered to check out who Greg was. It wasn’t until I was listening to an interview awhile ago that I heard MJ pin him as the Wipers front man. Before I left the hellhole that is Spotify, I would be fed Return of the Rat on autoplay so much that I thought the Wipers were a joke, but now that I had MJ’s blessing that the they were legit, I had to check them out. Turns out, I really like their sound. I’ve never really heard much other punk from this decade, but if the Wipers are any indication, I’m in for a treat. This album is full of chaotic and raucous earworms that rock out just enough to distract you from the fact that these songs are depressing as fuck. I was unsurprised to learn that the Wipers are from the PNW and that Kurt Cobain was a massive fan. They really know how to think of new ways to make you sad up there. 4/5 - best song: window shop for love

Carnival - Trauma Ray (Shoegaze, Alternative Metal - Dais - 2026)

I bought tickets to see these guys in a few months, so I’ve been trying to keep up with their latest stuff. This came out on Friday and unfortunately didn’t do much for me. It’s just generic “grungegaze” (or whatever you want to call the new wave of heavy shoegaze) that lacks any punch. They’re mining from a set of sounds that I adore, so they score some points there, but this fails to rise above the level of vibe music. It seems like the talent is there to make something novel, but they bury the vocals so far into the mix and recycle so many of the same riffs, that the whole thing feels like one long song. The day that somebody pulls off Around the Fur or Electra 2000 worship properly will be a happy day. 2/5 - best song: hannibal

Losin’ - Colin Miller (Alt-Country, Singer-Songwriter - Mtn Laurel - 2025)

I realized in the intro that I said there was some softer music this week, but then I just wrote about 4 angry and heavy albums. To balance that out, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite records of 2025 that I dipped back into this week. Colin Miller is the drummer for MJ’s backing band The Wind and also produced some of Wednesday’s early records. Losin’ is his second record, but feels like his first “proper” release that has gotten some publicity. Sonically, it’s hard to say what sets this apart from the dozens of other country-tinged indie releases over the last several years, but this is just damn good slacker/country/indie rock. Colin comes across as earnest, charming, and sincere. He never tries to do too much, but always manages to do just enough to keep the listener on his side. This one is still downbeat and sad, but in a slower and more introspective way than the other albums I highlighted this week. It delights me to know there is still great slacker country to be made. Highly recommended. 4.5/5 - best song: cadillac

Yippee! I made it through five albums. I listened to a lot more, but I chose to highlight these because I had some extra emotional attachments to them. Maybe this weekly series continues, or maybe I make another 5 cents. Time will tell.

Isn’t it so stupid how the em-dash has been co-opted by ChatGPT? I promise I didn’t use it to write this. Us em-dash lovers have been out there for years. The way I used the em-dash might be grammatically incorrect, though. Oops.