Brittany Howard, “What Now” (2024) – Cousin Brit set the bar for 2024 with her album full of deconstructed art-soul; bits bang, but she never luxuriates in any of the grooves for long, always moving.
High On Fire, “Cometh The Storm” (2024) – Matt & Co. are still dealing absolute heat even as the band is old enough for the good rental car rates.
Kim Deal, “Nobody Loves You More” (2024) – Simultaneously everything I could have wanted from a Kim record under any banner, and having enough distance from The Breeders to be distinct. Who knew that a low-key mariachi backing band would compliment Kim perfectly? (She did.)
Amber Mark, “Comin’ Around Again,” “Space & Time,” “Lovely Day,” “Loosies” (2024) – Amber casually drops torchy bangers like other artist post Reels (or whatever). Feels like she’s building toward something and I cannot wait to find out what.
Mr. Furious Records had our 20th birthday in September, and this week on Dat Fury Radio Cory and I began the belated celebration; listening to the entirety of the mr|signal compilation from the beginning.
It’s been quite a while in the works and I’m excited to get it off the ground. Four episodes are in the can and ready to schedule once I see some plays on the teaser. From there I’ll be working with Mr. Furious Records and Datura Records artists and friends on shows, and filling in the gaps with whatever strikes me.
There’s not a ton there, but the news updates track us through 2003-04, there’s a couple photos on the “Multimedia” (!!) page, and the color scheme sure takes me back.
It’s website redesign day! Everything should remain available but might look weird; have some patience as I work <3 -h
4:01 PM CST – I’m about done for the day. I will keep picking away in the coming days and weeks, but I’m satisfied enough with the functionality and look that I’m going to leave the new theme up. Enjoy, and get in touch if you have any issues or feedback! -h
Over the weekend I ran into VB, Paul B’s mom at the library event (Hi, Paul! She said you check the site but I wasn’t sure which one so I’m posting both on the main MFR site and the howie&scott sub-site. Very cool that you keep tabs on us, I had no idea!). For Paul and everyone else I wanted to post an update on recent-ish and upcoming music Scott and I have made / are making, since it’s not all under the h&s name.
“V for Voice”, our 2019 comeback record –
“An Evening at Home with Howie and Scott,” our deep pandemic stay-at-home EP –
Black Milk, “Everybody Good?” (2023) – “Everybody Good?” was the first I heard of Black Milk, and after it knocked my socks off I started going backward through his discography to see when he got so amazing. The answer? Allllll the way back at the start. RIYL/FFO Q-Tip, Lupe Fiasco
billy woods & Kenny Segal, “Maps” (2023) – Five minutes in (“Soundcheck”), I knew this was my AOTY, and I never really doubted it in the months after. And when you get to “Hangman” and “Baby Steps”?? Whoooo! RIYL/FFO Madlib, Boldy James, Armand Hammer, Open Mike Eagle
Sines of Exquisite Pleasure, “Modular Systems” (1982) – Aptly named, these long-overlooked synthesizer and piano jams helped center me many times this year. RIYL/FFO Abul Mogard, Alessandro Cortini
Aesop Rock, “Integrated Tech Solutions” (2023) – Endless, generous brilliant bangers from the dean of rap studies. RIYL/FFO MF DOOM, Del the Funky Homosapien
Recorded a rhythm guitar track last night for a song with the working title “Killer Illness” from the I Am The Brute Squad project.
Yesss
Signal path:
DOD 280 compressor
Mr. Furious Audio 5KR boost
The Sweeping Mids phaser
BYOC Triangle-spec Big Muff build
(Shepard’s End was bypassed)
Mr. Furious Audio JFET boost
HIWHAT (Cbread RAH build)
BSRI Cab cab sim
I’ve also been finishing off lyrics for Jam My Wave / Don’t Jam My Wave, and wrote the first piece for 23 Infinite Choices (the Night Mode synth hocketing project) over the past few weeks.
Another lightly edited and excerpted email exchange. I should have posted this one first; ahh, welp…
2023 April 12 – From: Howie – To: Cory
Subject: picked out FX for buckaroo bonanza
might perform them tonight. i’d forgotten i added this cool little extra sample that really makes it. i don’t remember if the last version you heard had the “yeah, yeah!” in it but it rules. anyway. 2 more songs of FX (buckaroo, ice/disappear), then doing some vocal sample performances into the computer, then mix/master! we’re pretty close to being able to hear the whole record and i’m really excited about that, because i don’t know what it’s going to sound or feel like to hear all these different tracks in one go. -h
2023 April 12 – From: Cory – To: Howie
I don’t think so on the “yeah, yeah!” but a little sprinkle of sample is always tasty! Love them extra touches, Uncle Grabby!
It’s crazy how quickly this record came together, at least from the outside! Obviously a lot of time and work goes into it, but this kind of music seems less gnarly than something with full drums and winding arrangements. And 27 sax-trax.
Spring is here and it’s beautiful outside and my head is full of fluid!
2023 April 12
it’s been fairly quick-ish? not as quick as a New Synth Record, but a lot quicker than a guitar record. i think the 404mkII arrived about a year ago (i ordered it when it came out in oct/nov ’21, but there were production delays). and it took a while to kind of learn and come up with a workflow. or it felt like it did… but i had the first 5 songs done by christmas, because over the break i set up and did a bunch of guitar parts for songs 6-10.
Here’s a lightly edited and excerpted email I had with Cory during the recording of Frog On The King’s Head.
2023 April 23 – From: Howie – To: Cory
going to be listening to a version of the full album for the ** first time ** tomorrow! 4 songs are missing vocals, that’s next, but i’m super psyched to hear it all as a piece. i think my first sequence is pretty good, too. “farewell my lovely” is the beat i keep coming back to. -h
2023 April 24 – From: Cory – To: Howie
So psyched for you my dude! I love that we have Chandler represented on this birch, let me know how you feel after
2023 April 24 – From: Howie – To: Cory
i feel awesome, i have no idea what this **is** (not that it matters) but i dig it.
i’m ready to read at least one more chandler this summer, not sure which, but i’ll just grab one and go for it. probably the earliest one i haven’t read, i guess.
