Music Discovery Diary #1 - Lola Young, LiAngelo Ball & More
Listening to an artist I've never heard before, every day.
Hey. Sorry to spam you, but welcome to Week 1 of my Music Discovery Diary. This is a new section of my publication, which means you can subscribe to it specifically. Or unsubscribe if you want. I’m sending this first one to my entire email list, but if you just want to get my other non-Music Discovery Diary emails, you can leave, it’s okay. I apologize again. In the future, I’ll only send this to people who subscribed to it specifically.
Keeping a Music Discovery Diary isn’t a New Year’s Resolution, per se. But I’m trying it out, starting in the New Year, as a daily routine. In the hopes that it will become a habit.
I saw some article about how new music discovery ends at age 33, which is my age now, and it pissed me off even though I know it’s right. I’m getting old. But I want to challenge myself to keep listening to stuff I’ve never heard before, so that my nonexistent iPod will be STOCKED by the time I enter the retirement home.
I tried this last year. I’m doing it again. I’ll probably flame out early. But the intention is to send these once a week, on Fridays, with playlists and YouTube embeds, so that you can listen along. Maybe you’ll discover something.
In terms of the music I’ll be diarying about, there are no genre requirements. No eras are off-limits (except the Taylor Swift Eras, because I’ve listened to Taylor Swift before already). I want to listen to old artists I overlooked and new stuff that I’m not aware of. In fact I would like to expand my musical palette as much as possible. At points this diary might be skewed toward ‘Midwest Emo’ bands, because I’m writing a book about that. Also prob a lotta rap. On my laziest days I’ll listen to the most popular song by a given artist on Spotify. On some days maybe I’ll do a deeper dive. Idk.
I love music and writing about it. I hope you like reading. Here is the playlist followed by the diary.
BTW, please comment or otherwise send me recommendations of other artists to listen to for this. I already have some in the queue but need more.
1.1.25
Mineral - Parking Lot
Mineral is one of the bands that comes up when you research the term ‘Midwest Emo.’ I’m doing that a lot lately because I’m writing a book about it. My Substack is essentially an excuse for me to procrastinate on that writing, under the guise of giving my enormous readership an inside look at the process.
Classifying Mineral as ‘Midwest Emo’ is kinda nonsensical, because they’re not from the Midwest. They’re from Austin, Texas. But a lot of the music that came to be retroactively described as ‘Midwest Emo’ was a sort of branch of DIY indie punk that was bubbling up in college towns. Mineral definitely sounds like it would fit in with the larger scene I’m writing about. Which, a more accurate term might be ‘Second Wave Emo.’
But Mineral isn’t from the Midwest. So I don’t have to write about them. I’m glad about that. Because I’m already writing about way too many other bands. Mineral is definitely emotional, though. And emo I guess.
I listened to their song “Parking Lot,” off their debut 1997 album The Power of Failing. Because it’s their number one song on Spotify. And I’m lazy. I liked it enough to listen to more of them someday.
1.2.25
Pigeon Pit - “Bronco”
I get a lot of PR emails from publicists with music that I never listen to. This one caught my attention because the band’s name is Pigeon Pit, which is goofy and reminded me of Passion Pit.
I listened to the song they were promoting, called “Bronco,” and it was a little too happy for me, but I can see why people would like it. It’s both chaotic and poppy, which appeals to a certain type of audience. Would be fun live, for sure.
The singer also takes an interesting approach to reciting lyrics. Reminds me of someone but can’t put my finger on it. Maybe Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse? For some reason “Ocean Breathes Salty” was stuck in my head after playing this tune, but that could have been because I listened to it near the ocean in Mexico. I also listened to it from my phone speaker while on the toilet with a loud fan blasting, so I didn’t necessarily pay close attention to it.
1.3.25
Big Money Blitz - “Pressure 2” ft. Bossman Dlow & Big Boogie
My brother sent me this song that came up on his Spotify new music radar playlist or whatever it’s called. Thanks algorithm.
My brother and the algorithm both know I like Bossman Dlow, who features on this remix of the viral hit track, along with another artist I’ve never heard of called Big Boogie.
The whistle on the beat sounds super familiar but I can’t place it. If anyone knows what is please let me know. It’s definitely a throwback to the kind of early 2000s crunk/trap style that seems to be coming back in vogue. Not bad.
Another Big Money Blitz song I listened to, “PTPPOM,” uses the same bed squeaks as the undisputed classic Trillville song “Some Cut,” so I wouldn’t be surprised if the whistle I can’t identify is from another beat. Oh well. I don’t think I’ll be closely checking for more Big Money Blitz songs, but I’m not mad that I know about him. Apparently he’s from Shreveport, Louisiana and lives in Atlanta now. As much as I love Lil Baby, Future and Young Thug, I’m also old enough to appreciate this style of rap music and I welcome its return.
1.4.25
Lil Sinn - “Tillywacker whaaa”
I saw Lil Sinn mentioned on one account who I follow on Twitter (shoutout to @junkiesrpeople) because they post a lot of Milwaukee rap stuff. Wild shit. Love it. I’m never going to become one of those monks who dives deep into the Milwaukee rap scene, but I greatly appreciate everything the fans and the artists are doing to build that scene up. At least they’ve created something unique to their region that’s resonated with others on the internet. Gotta respect it.
1.5.25
G3 GELO - “Tweaker”
I woke up as I do too often, scrolling through a feed designed to engage me with rage. It seemed like everyone on my algorithm, equally tuned in on sports and hip-hop, was sharing memes about Liangelo Ball’s new rap song. I couldn’t tell if people were enraged at this particular song or not, though.
The Ball family cracks me up. I once met LaVar Ball when I worked for a sports media company, and he gave me a Big Baller Brand long-sleeve t-shirt that’s a staple in my cool weather rotation, even though I never would have bought it myself and I’m pretty embarrassed to wear it in public.
I had to wade through memes before finding the full leaked version of LiAngelo’s track, but it was worth the effort. Many people are making fun of it, but I thought it was pretty good for the esteemed genre of NBA-players-trying-to-rap. It made me revisit Carlos Boozer’s undisputed classic team up with Twista, “Winning Streak.” I genuinely loved that song when it came out and this one is great, too.
Alan Chazaro wrote a great piece on the song in POW - I highly recommend reading it to get a sense of why this song is connecting with so many people. And not just because my Substack was mentioned in it. I was pleasantly surprised to come across that while I was reading through the article. Whoaaaaaa.
1.6.25
Brigid Dawson - “Ballet of Apes”
I decided to check out Brigid Dawson because I saw another legendary POW writer, Douglas Martin, post online somewhere that he was entering 2025 playing one of her songs. She was in Thee Oh Sees, a band I never liked as much as I thought I should. I always found them kind of grating. I put on this Brigid Dawson album and listened to about half of it on a drive to a doctor’s appointment, but didn’t really like it either to be honest.
1.7.25
Tsunami - “Water’s Edge”
Tsunami formed when Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson were living at a punk house in Arlington, VA called Positive Force and running their DIY label Simple Machines, which in 1992 put out a cassette by Late! AKA Dave Grohl called Pocketwatch.
Around Thanksgiving, 1990, Toomey, Thomson and some other friends decided to book themselves at a New Year’s Eve Party. Then they realized they had to start writing songs.
The band recorded their first 7” at Inner Ear studios, which Don Zientara started in his basement. Don recorded Bad Brains, Teen Idles, Rites of Spring, Minor Threat, Fugazi and a bunch of other DC punk bands at Inner Ear.
I interviewed him for my next book Midwest Emo. We talked about the relationship between music and place, and how the architecture, history, geography and culture of specific locations impact the music there.
Arlington, VA isn’t in the Midwest but the ‘80s DC Hardcore scene that expanded out into Arlington basements and living rooms at places like Inner Ear, Positive Force and The Dischord House set the template. Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson put out a DIY book called ‘The Mechanic’s Guide’ which helped people start their own labels throughout the ‘90s.
Tsunami is different than the other bands who lived or recorded in Arlington that I’m more familiar with. They have a unique sound. They’re a little surf rocky, but I might just think that because they’re called Tsunami. And their first album, Deep End, shows someone about to jump into a pool.
I listened to them on the treadmill.
1.8.25
Lola Young - Messy
Someone mentioned this song in reference to an artist who was blowing up online. When I looked it up and it had almost 10M views on YouTube and came out 7 months ago, I immediately applied for that retirement home.
I wish I heard it sooner, but I’m glad I heard it now, because I like it. Lola Young has a great, unique voice. I like the straightforward lyrics. I like funky bass groove.
I’m trying hard not to compare her to Amy Winehouse or Lilly Allen or Adele or any other British pop singer I can think of. I definitely hear some Lilly Allen tho. One comparison people might not be thinking about is The Streets, the British guy who crossed over between rap and pop and indie rock with straightforward kinda gruff lyrics delivered in a poppy style. I liked The Streets as a kid, and I think it’s corny now, but I still kinda like it in a nostalgic way.
Lola Young is only 24 years old and again, I’m at The Age You Stop Discovering Music, but I think she has a lot of potential and room to grow even though this song may not age well as her best work.
But from skimming the youtube comments I like how people seem to be resonating with her lyrics about being a complicated person and navigating her relationship with someone who seems to be a narcissist. It kind of reminded me of that song “Foundations” by Kate Nash but again maybe that’s too obvious.
Ya know what, I’ll just say Lola Young is so unique she can’t be compared to anyone. She’s the GOAT like Messi.
1.9.25
Ren - “Seven Sins”
Someone who heard I listened to Lola Young told me I should check out Ren next. I listened to this extremely softly in a car through a burning Los Angeles. I don’t think I was in the right headspace to fully digest it yet. But I can confidently say this music isn’t quite for me.