CJ Simonson

I get that there are too many bands mining the Hum/Deftones/Nothing'y space right now and it's beginning to feel pretty derivative but I just thing the Glimmer album is sick anyway lol

Listen to Editor-in-Chief @cjsimonson.bsky.social gab about the music of the early '50s over on the @indieheadspod.bsky.social!

On the premiere episode of the 1950's Number Ones, we're joined by @mgrmagazine.bsky.social’s @cjsimonson.bsky.social as we relay every #1 hit from Truman’s State of the Union to the End of the Battle of the Ch’ongch’on River.

Support us now on Patreon to hear the full episode over 48 hours early!

YouTube video by lameorecords Golden Apples - "Noonday Demon" (Official Music Video)

Best Golden Apples album to date by quite a bit, in my estimation

Wrote about some plane movies:

BRNDA Remain Ravenous for Fresh Ideas and Challenges - Merry-Go-Round Magazine Washington, D.C.’s BRNDA explore a playful collage of human suffering on TOTAL PAIN the same way they always have, by offering brilliantly dry art-rock that eschews boundaries and boxes.

You think I just go on and on and on about comics? No, dude, my blow-hard-ed-ness also applies to music, like that of the awesome BRNDA. My latest for @mgrmagazine.bsky.social:

Love Jens Lekman, but that was TOO MUCH Jens Lekman.

I Was There: SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS Is A Necessary Indie Rock Compendium - MGRM Chris DeVille's new book, SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS, is thorough exploration of blog era indie rock. For those who lived it, it's a refreshing read if not a devastating reminder of the passage of time.

@chrisdeville.bsky.social's new book, SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS, is a thorough and often necessary feeling exploration of blog era indie rock writ large, from Pavement to Mitski to Sufjan and beyond. For those of us who lived it, it's a refreshing read but a devastating reminder of the passage of time.

Merry-Go-Round Magazine at 10 - MGRM Celebrating 10 years of Merry-Go-Round Magazine, formerly known as Crossfader, Owner Thomas Seraydarian looks back on a decade of independent publishing.

Merry-Go-Round Magazine is officially 10 years old! Owner and former Editor-in-Chief Thomas Seraydarian reflects on what a decade has meant—the ups, the downs, last weekend's MGRM10 shows, and the zen art of just continuing to do it the same as it ever was (because someone has to).

Wrote about a few things I’m nostalgic for (Streetlight Manifesto, Nanami Ozone):

Kinda stopped keeping up with him in the early ‘90s…

The thing about TONY HAWK PRO SKATER 3 + 4 is that 4 is remarkably harder than 3.

ILLINOIS at 20: Envisioning an America Worth Celebrating - Merry-Go-Round Magazine On the 20th anniversary of its release, Sufjan Stevens' ILLINOIS reads as a remarkable piece of fiction, a hopeful vision for an America and a Chicago that don't currently exist.

Twenty years after its release, and on July 4th no less, Sufjan Stevens' ILLINOIS feels like a hopeful piece of fiction. The America in these songs isn’t the one we live in today, but through community and solidarity, we can make it into something better.

The thing about Wavves is, they're a genuinely amazing singles band, and if I was *insert name of big pop punk / rock band* I'd hire Nathan to help write songs for me yesterday

The Bargain Bin: Bob Mould's BODY OF SONG - Merry-Go-Round Magazine Learning to wear earplugs. Contemplating your sexuality. The awkwardness of meeting your idols. Bob Mould's BODY OF SONG. It's a tale from the Bargain Bin!

@jackprobst.com is dusting off some LPs and exploring how music becomes etched into our own stories. This month: Learning to wear earplugs. Contemplating your sexuality. Awkwardly meeting your idols. Bob Mould's BODY OF SONG. It's a tale from the Bargain Bin!

At one point a sound drop of Don in the final episode of MAD MEN lamenting he’s never made anything of himself transitions us into A$AP Rocky’s “Everyday,” you should come and dance with us!

Processed my hatred of MATERIALISTS:

Had the honor of premiering the new @fleshtape.bsky.social EP today ahead of its release tomorrow. Their debut from last year was incredible and this EP picks right up where that left off!

Tonight’s episode of Game Changer is just remarkable stuff. On a tremendous hot streak here this season.

Bandcamp Pick: Exileth - Merry-Go-Round Magazine It's our Bandcamp Pick of the Week, featuring (possibly?) the first proper Armenian death metal album, Exileth's DEATH OF THE ALMIGHTY!

It's our Bandcamp Pick of the Week, featuring (possibly?) the first ever proper Armenian death metal album, Exileth's DEATH OF THE ALMIGHTY, out now via Satanath Records! Read all about it and then grab a copy over on @bandcamp.com!

THUNDERBOLTS* and The 2020s Super-Fascists - Merry-Go-Round Magazine On THUNDERBOLTS*'s John Walker, the undercurrent of fascism running through modern superhero storytelling, and the Homelander Effect.

"Context doesn’t matter anymore. Does the supervillain who rattles off cruel comments and fascist ideology make you feel seen? Then sure, he’s the protagonist."

On THUNDERBOLTS*'s John Walker, modern superhero tropes, and the Homelander Effect.

Bandcamp Picks: 100%WET & After - Merry-Go-Round Magazine It's our Bandcamp Picks, featuring a pair of debut self-titled releases, a blissfully nostalgic EP from Los Angeles dream pop purveyors After, the other a whirring, dancy rock album from Danish duo 10...

It's our Bandcamp Picks of the Week, featuring a pair of debut self-titled releases, including a blissfully nostalgic EP from Los Angeles dream pop purveyors After, as well as a whirring, dancy rock album from Danish duo 100%WET, out now via @crunchyfrogrecords.bsky.social! Read about both today!

The modern C3 Presents style of music festival poster, specifically for recent Austin City Limits and Lollapalpozas, sucks shit. Just a big block of text that’s impossible to navigate, nowhere to draw your eye. Horrible.

Hello! I have spent essentially seven months working largely by myself on this and it’s finally here… tickets on sale Wednesday. For like 53ish bucks total you could have two incredible days of music and fun. And I’ll probably buy ya a drink. Hoping for a big sell out! Cheers!

Watched both CHILLY SCENES OF WINTER and CASABLANCA tonight and it’s funny that both are about a dude conveniently being in a relationship with a married woman and their reactions when the relationships end couldn’t be more different.

Uber on the way home only asked my name, his car reeks of cigs, and he was blasting the Offspring >>>>>

Bandcamp Pick: Nicole Grace - Merry-Go-Round Magazine It's our Bandcamp Pick of the Week, featuring Nicole Grace's whimsically folksy solo outing MINERAL FORK, out now!

It’s our Bandcamp Pick of the Week, featuring Nicole Grace’s whimsically folksy solo outing MINERAL FORK, out now and available to purchase over on @bandcamp.com!

Uber driver asked who I was seeing tonight and I told him Franz Ferdinand, and as I was in loose terms explaining who that was, I watched that man queue up “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People, and ya know what? Fair play to him. Got my ass.

They were so good! This song was clearly our crowd bullying them into one more where a theoretical encore they hadn’t planned would be and them being shocked the venue was like “what the hell sure, go for it”

Ahhhh, to die happy seeing Ovlov do “Baby Alligator” live