Welcome to The Weekender, where I gather up the records, movies, shows, books, and assorted internet detours I think are worth carrying into the next couple of days. Consider your weekend sorted.
Included in this issue:
my favorite new album release of the week
three fresh vinyl pressings of some old favorites, from cosmic jazz to Afrobeat to indie rock
The Best Songs of 2026 playlist hits a big milestone
Geese’s hometown concert, filmed by King Gizzard’s livestream crew, vanished from YouTube, but I’ve got the goods
one of my favorite moviegoing experiences of the year
our first Spooky Season screening was a 1950s Southern Gothic nightmare: does it belong in The Wax Museum Film Canon?
and a fascinating debut novel from a legendary filmmaker that you can knock out in two hours
The Weekender drops every Friday exclusively for paid subscribers. Your $5 a month or $50 a year gets you one of these every week, plus the full archive and $10 off in the Gift Shop. More importantly, it gives me an excuse to spend an unreasonable amount of time digging for things worth recommending to you.
Thank you for supporting human curation. Now let’s get into it.
The Listening Room
Records, songs, and other sounds for your weekend.
Cameron Winter - Live at Carnegie Hall (2026)
Stream: Bandcamp
Get Vinyl: Red | Black
The release I’m most excited for this week, and one that ought to silence whatever Cameron Winter doubters are still out there.
Last December, a year after releasing his solo debut Heavy Metal, the Geese frontman became one of the youngest artists to headline Carnegie Hall at just 23 years old. Seated alone at a piano with his back to the audience, Winter tore through songs from Heavy Metal alongside three unreleased tracks.
Back in my original 2024 review, I called Winter’s voice one of rock’s most unforgettable, and hearing it this exposed only strengthens my case. Heavy Metal was already an intimate, unhinged masterpiece. Hearing these songs stripped down to just Winter and a piano makes them feel even more alive.
Paul Thomas Anderson and Benny Safdie were there to capture the performance on 35mm film. Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall begins a limited theatrical run November 20, but you can hear the concert now and preorder the vinyl, complete with the instantly iconic gatefold of Winter smooching Andrew Carnegie.
Still ahead: three vinyl finds, the missing Geese concert footage, the best songs of the year, a fever dream of a novel, and plenty more to keep your weekend occupied. All waiting below for paid subscribers.