Some breaks aren’t earned. They just happen out of need. I’d messed up my back pretty badly on vacation and it was referring the pain to my knee. A massage helped get me back in alignment, after which I was faced with the percolating twin saunas of Chicago weather and the almost comical volume of work laden on me (a good problem to have, and also something you can’t do much about). All the while, the pile of music grows larger. Nothing to do but go through it.

Ever wish other people would go quiet, though? Not me; other people. Let’s keep me talking of course.

One thing I did do — which few seemed to notice — was publish a big, long, FREE post over on Heathen Disco’s ruminant twin, Purple Vu, about all the older movies I watched in the first half of 2026 that moved me in some way or another. I appreciate when I find paths through the wilds of an artform someplace or another, and it brings me no small joy to offer them to you. These aren’t Letterboxd thoughts either, this is original writing for me, and it’s free. Go over there and subscribe while I work up my next missive of reviews and records found whilst flipping through the bins under the bins.

I also posted a new mix that I made to do something with this pile of records once again growing at my feet, but that’s only for paid Heathen D subscribers. You want it, it’s here. Go on.

Here’s music stuff, though.

Keep sending it in: PO Box 25717 Chicago IL 60625 USA // [email protected]

I appreciate ya.

THE GREBES s/t LP (self-released)

Shot-from-a-cannon takes on ‘60s downer pop-psych from PDX, care of folks from bands you and I both like (Woolen Men, Lithics, L.O.X) – chiming guitars, slightly phased vocals coming from some haunted under-stairs storage room, and a pounding rhythm section put these songs right on edge. This isn’t all that far from some of the Woolen Men material (that’s Raf) but it’s also closer to Mudhoney than expected too, like Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge era where they were leaning a little more into garage pop, or like “7 & 7 Is” by Love, when this style of music was still brand new and only had whatever rules were in place by the people who made it. What it’s decidedly not like is maximalist mod revival, because we got that all over the place these days. “Fight Fire” could be an original or it could be meeting the Mugwumps song of that same name right in the middle. Only two ballad-esque numbers, and it wouldn’t have been a big deal had there been more, but there’s a certain tooth that any band willing to go back to this era really needs, to rough it up a bit and make it their own. 250 copies. Imagine having a party and putting this on and watching the room tide turn. Move out!

More below…