"Like going 65 on the 5 at 5"
Sean
Apr 08, 2026
I know this is being released on Wednesday. Sue me. I wrote most of it on Sunday.
Happy easter Sunday! I’m not religious, but given that I now live back at home with my evangelical parents, today is a big affair. Family is coming over soon, and I’m dreading fielding all their questions about my ongoing health saga. Last year, my well-meaning uncle asked me to tell him “only the good news about my health lately.” I won’t go into detail, but if you’ve ever been around someone with vague, complex medical problems, for the love of everything holy (and I guess there is a lot), please do not ask them that. This year, I will probably be as vague as possible and deflect questions back to them. People love talking about themselves. So did I, before all this shit happened.
I’ve had an interesting week. I felt pretty good towards the beginning of the week, flared up as the week went on, and now am beginning to feel alright again. It all stems from the thick layer of fascia and dystonia that have built up as a result of my upper neck instability. In short, in order to hold my head on, the rest of my body strangles me into a 24/7 straightjacket that slams my body together. It has tons of horrible downsides (chronic pain, severe constipation, shortness of breath, constant fight/flight), but this passive exoskeleton succeeds in keeping my head attached. Most of my day-to-day symptom variance is correlated with how tight this straightjacket is attached, and most of my day-to-day work is aimed at loosening said straightjacket through PT and a complex routine I’ve developed with my mom to break up the thick knots throughout my body. It’s an exhausting cycle that, when it goes right, only allows me to tread water, not to make any forward progress. Hence why I am pursuing neurosurgery to put in metal rods to reattach my head and break out of this madness. Sigh.
In other news, I finished watching Northern Exposure this week. It’s a timeless 90s comedy-drama about a NYC-educated doctor, Joel Fleischmann, whose med school tuition was paid for by the state of Alaska in exchange for spending 4 years as the town doctor of Cicely, Alaska, population 608. In a classic fish-out-of-water scenario, the neurotic and self-important Joel struggles to adapt to small-town life and clashes with many of the town’s indigenous residents. I’m pretty sad to see it end. I found the show incredibly comforting and had really fallen in love with the characters. I guess that’s what happens when you watch a good TV show. Not that I would know anyways since this was literally the first show I’ve watched since Scooby-Doo as a kid. I really don’t know how that happened. I guess I watched too much sports and climbed too many mountains. If anyone has any recommendations for other shows, let me know. I’m looking for something easygoing but intriguing, preferably with a focus on small-town America. I’m thinking Twin Peaks, but it may be a bit too macabre. We’ll see.
(Atmospheric Sludge Metal, Post-Metal - Ipecac - 2004)
Despite their incredibly unfortunate name, Isis makes some great music. I became aware of their work when the lead Vocalist, Aaron Turner, joined Neurosis for their new album (covered on here last week). After loving that album, I’ve dipped into the Isis catalogue. Panopticon seemed to be their magnum opus, so I started there. Wow. I’ve heard the term “atmospheric sludge metal” used to describe music before, but this has got to be the most atmospheric sludge that sludge has ever atmosphered. It’s like the Loveless of metal. From the opening on So Did We, the album thunderously chugs along in utter ecstasy. This thing just feels massive; almost like sonic ego death.
There aren’t really any song structures, so if you that’s your thing, you won’t like this. But since talking or dancing of any kind flares my health conditions up, I’ve come to really appreciate these types of albums that require nothing more than getting bathed in an ocean of sound. It’s still metal after all, so there are some growled vocals, but they are deep enough in the mix such that they don’t disrupt the meditative flow of the album. Since the album is so abstract, it’s a bit hard to grasp the concept, but apparently it is about government surveillance in a post 9/11 world. I’m not sure if that part lands for me, but the title is a reference to a really dystopian yet sublime prison structure. Essential metal! 4/5 - best song: everything because I can’t tell where one song ends and the other starts
(Screamo, Hardcore Punk - Epitaph - 2016)
As I continue my journey into more dissonant music, I’ve unlocked some doors to new music that previously felt like inaccessible harsh noise. The wonderfully painful world of screamo is the best door that’s opened, and Stage Four is one of the best examples of it. The lead singer, Jeremy Bolm, was standing on stage when his mother passed away from stage four cancer. Still distraught with grief, Jeremy wrote all the songs for this album, resulting in some of the most raw and fucking devastating hardcore music ever. Compared to other ambitious albums that wrap their lyrics up in fancy metaphors, the lyrics to Stage Four are crushingly blunt and literal. Done slightly differently, this would come out as really cringe-inducing, but the passion just oozes through Jeremy’s vocal performance. For as aggressive as the album is, you can tell everything is tinged with heartfelt love and sadness. While I can’t directly relate to the subject matter, I resonate with just how bleak and pained this album is. It’s just so honest and to the point. It couples well with the forced acceptance I’ve had to reach during the course of my health struggles. Jeremy is also a really down-to-earth and compassionate soul who runs a great podcast about hardcore/hardcore-adjacent music, called the “First Ever Podcast.” Listen to this album and his podcast! 4.5/5 - best song: rapture
(Bakersfield Sound, Outlaw Country - Capitol - 1969)
One of the benefits of being raised by a wannabe redneck father (who was really the first generation of tech-bros) is that I was exposed to lots of country music growing up. However, like most young kids, I automatically hated whatever my parents liked. Rap was where it was at in high school. While I still don’t resonate at all with current pop-country, I credit Karly Hartzman and Wednesday for helping me reconnect with the classic outlaw country I would hear all the time growing up. As a result, I’m always on the hunt for nice-looking copies of old country records whenever I go to the record store.
I struck gold this week with this Merle Haggard record. Recorded live in Muskogee, this thing is such a good time capsule of the Bakersfield Sound by a man who really lived the outlaw life. It has specifically segments dedicated to blue collar workers, drunks, and “the great countrymen of middle America.” At one point, Merle even gets gifted the key to the city by the Muskogee, Oklahoma mayor. Musically, it’s classic, rocking country with a great live audience. I particularly like their rendition of Mama Tried.
However, it’s the title song, Okie From Muskogee that steals the show. It’s this strange redneck anthem for “classic” small-town American that chastises all manner of protestors, hippies, and progressive “agitators.” Through the eyes of a white, middle class conservative male, it may look like an accurate picture of Middle America during the height of the Vietnam war protests, but through the eyes of minorities or those from large coastal cities, it may seem like a ridiculous caricature of hypocritical patriotism. Growing up, I fell into the camp of thinking this song was satire, but I’ve come to realize that large parts of this song are genuine and, to a not-insignificant part of America, this song sounds like their own regional anthem. As such, I find this song fascinating. The same song that has been humorously covered by The Grateful Dead and the Melvins, both drug-using counterculture acts, is simultaneously championed by proud, straight-laced truckers from Oklahoma. It’s a good lesson even for today. As much as those of us from progressive areas want to view some parts of rural America as backwards and uneducated, we need to connect with them, understand them, and speak in their language, or we end up with leaders like Trump in office. Take note, Democratic Party.
OK, my Ted Talk is over. Good album and gives you a lot to chew on. The title track also bangs so hard. My hair is no longer long and shaggy like those hippies out in San Francisco, but I wonder what Merle thinks of my nose piercing. 3/5 - best song: okie from muskogee
I ended up writing a lot about these albums, so I’ll leave it at only 3 for this week. So long!