Friday the 7th was a strong day for new albums. The new Hatchie album bowled me over. Like a long lost Sundays album that could have been released between Blind and Static & Silence. Lovely new ones from Midlake, Stella Donnelly and Westerman. I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the new White Lies album, anthemic without being bombastic.

I've considered doing a Morning Show about this but I only have 3 hours. It would take me 3 months. So mine was 16 years old, Jane's Addiction with Mary's Danish opening at Eastern Washington University. I remember walking in to "Coming Down the Mountain" and seeing bodies flying in the air, everyone wearing black, just absolute MAYHEM and all I wanted to do was more of this! I stayed out the pit that day and just stood there in awe to be seeing and hearing the music from a band I loved. I was HOOKED. I think they played 30 minutes because Perry was a mess but I didn't know any better and in fact was shocked when I saw a band play longer! Also first show in Seattle? Pixies. Moore Theater.

My favourite new release of the week is Kablooey by Meric Long, one half of The Dodos.

Cheekface announced two distant 5-year anniversary shows for their 2nd album, Emphatically No. this morning. It got me thinking about maybe a trip out to catch one of them, and I thought I'd toss out a question for you all: what's the farthest you've traveled to see a show? For me, back in late 2019, I flew from Seattle down to Long Beach, CA to catch The Last doing a 40th anniversary show for their L.A. Explosion album at Alex's Bar. The Alley Cats, The Zeros, and Danny & The Doorknobs (a version of Trotsky Icepick) opened. It was an afternoon show, so I flew back after and was back home for dinner. 2nd pic is the Danny & the Doorknobs LP in my lap on the plane home that Vitus Mataré gifted me at the show for flying down to see them.