The Weekender #16: Space Olympics
The Weekender #16: Space Olympics
Here's what to read, watch, and listen to this weekend. Plus a signed vinyl giveaway!
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.
Don't forget to check out our Gift Shop for essentials like the above Weekender bag, a vinyl carrying tote, and a coffee mug! Paid subscribers to The Wax Museum receive $10 off their purchase and automatically get entered into our monthly signed vinyl giveaway.
Congratulations to
for winning July’s giveaway! They chose Militarie Gun’s excellent Life Under the Gun. As one vinyl leaves our shelves, another steps in—this month, it's Everything But The Girl's Fuse, their triumphant return after 25 years and one of our 100 Best Albums of 2023.This signed vinyl, autographed by Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, joins the ranks of other records from Wednesday, The Hotelier, Girl in Red, Bethany Cosentino, and Gouge Away.
A winner will be announced near the end of August. Good luck, thanks for the support, and let’s get into it!
What to Listen to This Weekend
Los Campesinos! - All Hell
Get Vinyl: Harvest Moon | Discogs
For fans of Los Campesinos!, the drought is finally over. After a seven-year hiatus since 2017's Sick Scenes, the Welsh emo outfit is back and better than ever with seventh album, All Hell — a passion project that’s self-released, self-produced, and self-funded on their own label.
All Hell spans 15 tracks, each bursting with the band's trademark blend of wistful, melancholic, and political wordplay. It's their most ambitious and longest album since 2010's Romance Is Boring, and dare I say, their finest work yet — a big claim, but one that stands up to repeated listens. LC! is here to remind us that they are still a cherished staple in the indie and emo scene.
If that’s not enough, as an added treat for vinyl collectors, the band's sophomore album, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, is this month’s Vinyl Me, Please's rock record, available on red and black marbled wax.
L’Impératrice - Pulsar
Pulsar on vinyl: Tangerine | Black | Discogs
Synth-pop collides with French nu-disco vibes in L’Impératrice’s third album Pulsar. This record finds its sonic sweet spot somewhere between the stadium-filling basslines of Daft Punk with the dreamy pop sensibilities of The Marias.
Pulsar is a ten-track journey, each song a distinct groove with no filler in sight. With mellow, funky rhythms that beckon you to dance, L'Impératrice has crafted a breezy yet sophisticated soundscape that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Molly Lewis - On The Lips
Get Vinyl: Candlelight Gold | Black | Discogs
I never thought I’d recommend an album that’s predominantly whistling, yet here we are. I first heard of Molly Lewis via
’s excellent newsletter and it’s captivated me ever since.Molly's debut album is like soaking in a warm bath, with a vibe that could underscore a smoky 1950’s detective noir film. Before you throw this one on the turntable, the liner notes feature explicit instructions:
Mood lighting is a must - the record will not play if you have bad lighting. Splayed on a chaise lounge with eyes closed works too. Light chit-chat between friends or lovers is encouraged. Clinking of crystal glasses makes great additional percussion. Silk or velvet should be worn, or alternatively, full nude always works!
Album of the Year Leaderboard (60 Songs)
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music
Let's take a fresh look at the ever-changing Album of the Year Leaderboard! Alongside the already mentioned Los Campesinos!, L'Impératrice, and Molly Lewis, let’s also welcome new entries from Childish Gambino, Ben Seretan, This Is Lorelai, The Lemon Twigs, and Friko.
Got thoughts on what's missing? Drop a comment on Substack or reply to this email—I'm all ears! Let's keep the music conversation going.
The Best Songs of 2024 Playlist (190 songs)
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music
Plenty of fresh vibes were added to the Best Songs of 2024 Playlist in the last few weeks, including new songs from Action Bronson, Armand Hammer, Conor Lynch, Gulfer, Heems, illuminati hotties, James Blake, London Grammar, Merce Lemon, Militarie Gun, Sinai Vessel, The Sorcerers, Wand, and much more!
What to Watch This Weekend
Olympic Games Paris 2024
Stream: Peacock and the NBC family of networks
Starting today through August 11th, the world's top athletes from 206 nations converge on Paris for the Olympic Games, featuring live crowds for the first time since 2016.
Peacock is your one-stop streaming shop for the Olympics, which will air all 329 medal events, with a staggering 5,000 hours of coverage.
I'm most excited for Gold Zone, which will feel familiar to football fans as it's modeled after the NFL’s Red Zone show. Hosted by Scott Hanson and Andrew Siciliano, this whip-around show will air the most thrilling Olympic moments as they happen, live on Peacock from 7 AM to 5 PM EST, July 27 to August 10.
For those looking for something pre-Olympics to get you hyped, let me recommend SPRINT: The World’s Fastest Humans, a six-episode Netflix doc, created by the F1: Drive to Survive team. This series sets the stage for the 2024 Games by introducing the key athletes to watch in the track and field medal races. It's the perfect prelude to the Olympic excitement!
The Lonely Island’s SNL Digital Shorts
Stream: YouTube
Over the past month, I’ve had a fun time binging the new podcast from Seth Meyers and The Lonely Island crew — Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone. Each episode, they go in chronological order discussing their iconic digital shorts, which first aired on SNL nearly two decades ago.
Their second ever short was Lazy Sunday, which is widely credited as the tipping point for YouTube’s success. YouTube had gone online five months earlier, and Lazy Sunday was the first TV clip to go viral on the site.
So far, they've released 15 episodes, including a couple focused on The Lonely Island's 2007 film Hot Rod, a comedy that's since achieved cult classic status.
You can follow along and watch most of the digital shorts on YouTube. While I was tempted to rank my favorite underrated shorts, I'll keep it brief and share a topical gem from 2008: Space Olympics!
This one seems to have bombed live, as evidenced by the awkward silence, save for the pity laugh at the end. However, the last few lines will probably stick with me the rest of my life: "As I stare death in the face, I know my sins will take me to hell." Hard. What a line. It’s immediately followed by the completely out-of-place interpolation of Justin Timberlake’s "My Love," which has absolutely no business being in the song, yet it never fails to make me laugh.
The Ballad of John and Yoko by Lindsay Ellis
Stream: YouTube
I recently came across a compelling video essay by Lindsay Ellis titled The Ballad of John and Yoko. Over the course of 100 minutes, Ellis debunks the long-standing myth that Yoko Ono was responsible for breaking up The Beatles. This theory, popular in the 80s and 90s, unfairly targeted Ono, exploiting her trauma for profit.
Ellis's video explores a wide range of topics, from Ono's own artistic contributions and her relationship with John Lennon, to the broader issues of celebrity culture and the blame often placed on women associated with famous men. The essay delves into the trend of holding these women responsible for the downfall or even death of their partners. Beyond its content, the video is worth a watch for the visuals alone, with stylish editing that enhances its narrative.
What to Read This Weekend
“You Gotta Hear This One Song”: The Oral History of the Garden State Soundtrack by Matthew Jacobs at The Ringer
Say what you will about the Zach Braff’s 2004 film Garden State, the soundtrack is an all-timer. The Grammy-winning compilation went platinum and turned bands like The Shins and Iron & Wine into overnight sensations.
Garden State turns 20 years old this week, and to celebrate, The Ringer did an oral history on how it all came together. A few fun nuggets in this one, including:
While shopping the movie around, Zach included a CD with the script, with music cues saying “play this song here,” which was basically the final soundtrack.
On a shoestring budget, they paid between $2500 and $5000 per song; usually a song for a studio movie went for $25,000 to $50,000.
Frou Frou’s “Let Go” was originally made for the Colin Farrell thriller Phone Booth, which is hilarious in hindsight.
The vinyl is currently available at retailers in the $30 range.
Hey friend, thanks for visiting The Wax Museum! We’ll be back next week with the Album a Day Club playlist and a list of upcoming August vinyl releases.
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