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:
the most stacked new music release day in months, led by a band making a serious case for the best five-album run in modern rock
a must-hear new remix album, a wild compilation, and a stacked mixtape
go inside a barreling wave with Pink Floyd, plus an hour of The War on Drugs
two new documentaries out today that seem tailor-made to me
a deeply unsettling ‘60s cult classic with a bonkers Brian Wilson connection
and our first October Book Club check-in, featuring a 1930s cosmic horror mystery and one hell of an ending
Thank you for supporting human curation. Now let’s dig in.
The Listening Room
Six must-hear records for your weekend.
Fontaines D.C. - Dopamine Chamber
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music
Get Vinyl: Pink | Blue | 45 RPM 2 LP | Black | Alt Cover
I had what I thought was a clever lede for this review: quote Grian Chatten’s first line from Fontaines D.C.’s 2019 debut Dogrel, “My childhood was small / But I’m gonna be big,” then point out that the Irish lads are now booking stadiums and making a serious run at the biggest-band-in-rock crown. Turns out every - single - critic had the same idea. Great minds think alike, or I’ve never had an original thought in my life. Anyway, let’s talk album number five, Dopamine Chamber, where the winning streak continues.
Back in August, after hearing “Marianne,” I wondered whether the band’s promised “most radical shift yet” meant we were getting a full-on synth-pop record. Not quite, but Dopamine Chamber finds Fontaines D.C. continuing to tweak their sound, leaning further into synthesizers and taking a darker, more atmospheric turn than Romance. Producer James Ford gives the record a gorgeous, ethereal quality, with shades of New Order and Cocteau Twins mixing with the band’s familiar post-punk sound.
After a few spins, my favorite non-singles are the Depeche Mode-coded “Mimesis,” the penultimate “Japan,” which sounds like it could have wandered over from Romance, and the show-stopping closer “Intimate.” I’ll need more time to figure out where Dopamine Chamber ranks in their catalog, but one thing is clear: Fontaines D.C. have officially gone five for five. Put their first five albums up against just about any active rock band, and I like their chances.
If you can’t read further, you’ve reached the Walled Garden of The Wax Museum. A subscription costs just $5 a month or $50 a year and unlocks every exhibit, plus $10 off in the Gift Shop. Speaking of which, may I suggest this drool-worthy mousepad? Kid-tested, collector approved! Just $5 for paid subscribers.
One album down, five to go! Still ahead: so much new music, two documentaries worth watching, Spooky Season rolls on, an October Book Club check-in, and plenty more for the ultimate weekend. All waiting below for paid subscribers.