In the City There's a Thousand Things I Wanna Say to You

One of the few benefits of working a desk job in an office is that it allowed me ample time to check out music, whether it be new releases that friends are hyping up or old things that I haven't gotten around to yet. It was nice to let my interests wander and devote full days to checking out things I wouldn't have guessed that I would like, like as well as giving things a chance and knowing that it's not for me, like Todd Rundgren.

I don't have as much of a chance to do that anymore, now that I'm not on a computer for the entire day. As a result, it feels like my 2018 listening is starting to lighten (it's not, really), but there's been a bunch of newer releases that I've been into that I thought I would share.

Nothing, Dance on the Blacktop



I don't really have time for most gaze anymore, but since I loved Tired of Tomorrow so much, I figured I would be into this as well. I was right and am returning to this one regularly lately. I like that the band's interest in early British stuff isn't just limited to My Bloody Valentine; the volume, layers, and space is there, but so are Britpop hooks and a big Factory Records vibe too.

Doe, Grow into It




Punk and emo's obsession with grunge blindsided me when it happened. Doesn't everyone else realize that Pearl Jam and Soundgarden suck? That being said, I do appreciate that it made some bands centre their songs around big overdriven guitar riffs. Most make that boring, but this band Doe does it great. Nice, tight package of poppy rock songs.

Joyce Manor, Million Dollars to Kill Me




Yet again, Joyce Manor releases another gem and move further up my list of all-time favourite bands. As much poppier as Cody was than Never Hungover Again, this one is that much poppier than Cody. I purposely didn't listen to any of the songs they released ahead of the album, to save the surprise, but they announced on Instagram that they had been working with Rory Phillips (who played in two big-time Timbo favourites The Impossibles and The Stereo) as a songwriter and produced, I was bursting with anticipation. I really feel the Rory vibe on the album and love it so much. Just keep cranking 'em out boys, and I will keep loving them.

Living With Lions, Island




The older I get, the harder it is to listen to pop-punk. I find I can still return to old favourites like blink, Fireworks, or Set Your Goals, but find that most of the stuff I was an ardent supporter of in 2009-ish, I just can't get into at all anymore. Every now and then though, I get an itch that only big production, catchy pop-punk can scratch. When that comes, I like returning to a band who were once my favourite. LWL are back with, yet again, a new singer, but it still works.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, one of the best parts of having time to check out music is not just staying up to date on new things, but also getting around to old stuff that has been deemed significant in hindsight. The latest case: The Jam! Lifetime recently posted a live video of them playing "In the City" and since then, I've been on a kick, with In the City and All Mod Cons getting the spins.