The Weekender #11: Your Must Hear, Watch, & Read Guide
The Weekender #11: Your Must Hear, Watch, & Read Guide
Your weekend to-do list is here: listen to underrated Steve Albini albums, watch John Mulaney's talk show, and read about Apple's depressing new ad.
The Weekender is a curated listening, watching, and reading experience to give your weekend a sensory upgrade. Subscribe to get The Weekender in your inbox free every Friday.
You can now buy the above Weekender bag at our Gift Shop, along with a vinyl carrying tote bag and a coffee mug! Paid subscribers to The Wax Museum get $10 off at checkout, and are entered into a monthly signed vinyl giveaway. Congrats to Grant for winning this month's prize!
What to Listen to This Weekend
The Music of Steve Albini
We lost a rock icon this Wednesday in Steve Albini, one of the most prolific and influential recording engineers in history.
“Every day, I get up and make a record, go to bed, get up the next day and make a record."
Albini's own words encapsulate his relentless work ethic. With over 1000 albums to his credit, he's the unsung hero behind seismic shifts in rock music like The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa and Nirvana’s In Utero.
In honor of his legendary career, I've rounded up five criminally underrated Albini-helmed albums that deserve some of your time this weekend.
Poster Children - Daisychain Reaction (1992)
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs
Daisychain Reaction by Midwestern post-punk band Poster Children features Albini's knack for capturing raw, live-sounding energy in his recordings. From the first notes of the epic metal surge in "Dee," the album hits you with a forceful sound that's powerful yet pristine. It knows when to pull back and when to let loose with full bombastic force, making it an underrated classic of the era.
Don Caballero - For Respect (1993)
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs
For Respect is the debut album by Pittsburgh math rock band Don Caballero. While listening to this one, you might think these guys are jamming out spontaneously like a jazz band, but don't be fooled; every note is meticulously planned, structured to sound this chaotic. The standout feature here is Damon Che’s drumming and this is Exhibit A in how Albini can transform drum sounds into something exceptional.
Dirty Three - Ocean Songs (1998)
Get Vinyl: Green | Discogs
Australian trio Dirty Three bring their all-instrumental prowess to the fore with Ocean Songs, a masterclass of slow-burning melancholia. Warren Ellis' violin swoons and weaves beautifully through the soundscape, while Mick Turner's guitar plays a minimal, sparse counterpart, creating a haunting atmosphere. Jim White's kick drums offer a deep, punchy contrast, adding depth and emotion. Together, they craft a late-night vibe that’s perfect for winding down and diving deep into your thoughts.
Songs: Ohia - The Magnolia Electric Co. (2003)
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs
This one may be familiar to many of you, but if you haven’t heard this one through, stop reading immediately and get into it.
Marking a high point in Jason Molina's career (may he also rest in noise), this is where you can really hear Albini’s engineering genius. He infuses a soft indie folk sound with the kind of depth and texture often missing from this genre.
Opener “Farewell Transmission” is an all-timer, and legend has it, was recorded live with 12 people in one take!
Electrelane - The Power Out (2004)
Get Vinyl: Discogs
Rounding out the list is my personal underrated Albini fav: Electrelane's second album The Power Out. This thrilling, all-analog recording truly shines at high volume. An impressive hodgepodge of post-rock, free jazz, synth-pop, and much more. Unfortunately, this one is tough to find on vinyl unless you shell out big money; give us a reissue please!
What to Watch This Weekend
John Mulaney Presents Everybody’s In L.A.
Stream: Netflix
The ten day long Netflix is a Joke Festival happening in Los Angeles right now has provided some memorable moments. Last Sunday was the live Roast of Tom Brady, which had both fans and haters of the GOAT quarterback rolling in the aisles. It was a stellar roast, and aside from Ben Affleck and Kim Kardashian, everyone nailed their bits.
Another live event currently on Netflix is John Mulaney’s six night talk show (with sidekick Richard Kind!) that is equal parts charming and chaotic. It's a blend of variety, sketch, and talk featuring a lineup that mixes celebs with civilians that often goes off-the-rails.
Last night’s episode featured David Letterman, Bill Hader, and Pete Davidson cracking jokes next to a seismologist. The premiere set the tone with Jerry Seinfeld, Will Ferrell, and Stavros Halkias, accompanied by a coyote expert. Seinfeld quipped, “It does seem like a guy coming out of rehab would do a show like this,” nailing the show’s wonderfully bizarre vibe.
The finale is tonight at 10 PM EST—it's been a weirdly entertaining ride worth catching up on.
What to Read This Weekend
Apple doesn’t understand why you use technology by Elizabeth Lopatto for The Verge
Maybe it’s because I’m a physical media lover, but I felt depressed watching Tim Apple’s ad this week for the new iPad, where an industrial press flattens a bunch of technology that came before it.
Watching a piano, which if maintained can last for something like 50 years, squished to advertise a gadget, designed to be obsolete in less than 10, is infuriating. […]
The message many of us received was this: Apple, a trillion-dollar behemoth, will crush everything beautiful and human, everything that’s a pleasure to look at and touch, and all that will be left is a skinny glass and metal slab.
Astoundingly, this is meant to sell a product. “Buy the thing that’s destroying everything you love,” says Apple. This is quite a change from the famous “1984” ad, where Apple styled itself as smashing boring conformity.
Apple broke the mold and now they are the mold, and they are doing it with an accelerationist flair. You will own nothing and you will pay Apple $1500 for the privilege.
My plea: buy vinyl, buy books, buy musical instruments! Permanently renting virtual content makes us dependent on corporations, and you never know when something you love will get pulled from circulation. We may soon find out that digital property is not property at all..
Hey friend thanks for visiting! If you like what you read, forward this newsletter to someone who needs their weekend upgraded! 🙌
As I just mentioned to JB, regarding digital content, you read my mind. This is (one reason) why we have such an extensive record collection!
“The Magnolia Electric” is such an amazing album, I will have to check the others out as well, thanks!