Heathen Disco Music Reviews #0085 (April 15, 2025)

I don’t think I mentioned it here, but bears repeating: infinite thanks to Marc Masters and author Mark Doyle for the nods on the Music Book Podcast, and in the new 33 1/3 volume on John Cale’s Paris 1919, respectively. Turns out all those Other Music capsule reviews I wrote for the store’s newsletter for about a decade bore fruit! Physical media continues to be a point of permanence, even if the signposts are less visible these days. OM’s buying strategies had them championing new releases as well as reissues and warehouse finds/lesser-seen imports, meaning that something might become available from a distributor and wind up in their curation strategy, through the words of a store employee or associate, and as a result, right into the hands of the public.

Podcasts tend to fill this role now somewhat (see anyone talking about Blu-ray editions and the like, such as the highly-recommended outlet Pure Cinema) and the better ones do a great job of covering the discoveries made by the presenters, and not just whatever is new.

Do you want that sort of content from me?

Whatever works.

I bought a new computer (got scared of tariffs, also needed one) and find myself with a weird dilemma — the old laptop had a 2TB hard drive, and the new one only 1TB. So I’m doing a lot of back-and-forthing between machines for the music I have stored/archived on the old one, and whatever I can fit on the new machine. I’m sure I’ll get over it but whatever, it’s a pain in the ass right now.

That means it makes sense to break the cycle of what I can access where and when, and get in touch with your new music. You can send it to me at PO Box 25717 Chicago IL 60625 USA or [email protected] and I’ll take it from there.

Complaints about the contents of these newsletters are lambasted by a panel of insiders. Do you wanna endure that?

Confidential to Chicago: turns out I can go see neither Mogwai nor CDY/Facs this week, so go seem them for me. Avenge me!

New music coverage below!