I occasionally get records in the mail. Various labels will send me vinyl from artists in their roster that they think I’ll like. They never say that I need to talk about them. They don’t give me money to talk about them. But there is… an implication. I genuinely appreciate the records from labels like ATO, and I really do like almost everything they send me. But would they continue sending me records if I never talked about them?
I haven’t accepted money to promote any bands or artist on my page. But I do accept gifts (mainly just records) sometimes. I don’t accept gifts on the condition that I promote the artists. But I do get paid for certain brand deals and partnerships (with festivals, movies, etc).
We live in an interesting time when many music labels and managers are covertly using influencers and online personalities to promote music, sometimes without disclosure (which is technically illegal). It’s the equivalent of payola on the radio, but nobody is taking it seriously. The whole influencer industry is a legal gray area.
I want to keep running joeyontheair, and sharing music with the people who follow me. I need money to keep doing that long term! But I also think I owe it to my followers to be transparent about what I’m getting paid for. Ideally, I would be making enough money from just subscriptions that I never had to do any ads or partnerships. Maybe someday…
Anyway, here are five records (in order of how much I liked them) that I’ve recently received in the mail. Three from ATO, one from Pure Noise, and one from Mt. Joy/Bloomfield Records.
This is the band of Les Claypool (of Primus fame) and Sean Ono Lennon. Their new album’s name is quite the mouthful, but as a King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard fan I really have no room to talk. It’s a beautiful album book, with beautiful shiny gold inlay on the cover, 2 discs, and a truly charming 24-page comic in the middle drawn by Rich Ragsdale.
The record is a psychedelic concept album full of funky bass and and groovy guitar. There are some genuinely great songs on here, like “WAP (What A Predicament,” “Meat Machines,” and “Heart of Chrome.” The only thing I didn’t like about this album is that the concept is a pretty heavy-handed morality tale about anxieties over an AI-filled future and the importance of empathy. If you think about the lyrics too hard, it feels a little like a TED Talk. That said, the music is great, and it’s really grown on me as sort of a “Sergeant Pepper” mixed with “Murder of the Universe.”
I put this record on my record player, moved the needle over, listened for the familiar crackling… and was greeting with strange, shoegazey heavy drones. Interesting, I thought. Not what I expected. Then the singer’s voiced kicked in. Pitched down. Is this like a Ween thing? What’s going on here?
I knew that Koyo was a melodic hardcore band from Long Island, and was really surprised by the creative choices on this record so far. Then I realized, maybe I’m an idiot. I took a look at the disc, and sure enough, there was a little note on the center label that said “45rpm.” Ah, I thought. Of course.
The rest of the 28 minute album sounded correct after I switched my player to 45, but I have since learned that some records are pressed as 45s on a 12” LP so the audio quality is even higher. I guess the thinking is that the needle moves faster over the grooves, and so it stays more stable… something like that. It better preserves the low end, and harsher high end on loud guitars, maybe? Sometimes punk/hardcore bands, who famously have very short albums, use this technique for better sound quality. I really enjoyed this record!
Groovy, fast paced, modern soul record, and a strong debut from Brother Wallace, a K-12 music teacher from small town Georgia. Delightfully listenable, great music for dancing around your kitchen, doing chores, driving around town and feeling like a high-rolling stock broker or a “The Color of Money” style pool hustler.
The album art is eye catching, the audio quality has a warm vintage feel, and there are a couple of slower songs too for the sentimental ones out there. Listen if you like: The Heavy, Shakey Graves, Black Pumas, Alabama Shakes, Leon Bridges, Jungle.
Absolutely monster live album from Mt. Joy. Three discs, six sides, and a collection of live recordings from shows the band has played at TD Garden, The Mann, Red Rocks Amphitheater, and more. I love the album art and the look of the bright green vinyl. This album captures Mt. Joy’s slow pivot over recent years to a jam-adjacent band (real jam-heads don’t hate me for saying this) with some really excellent band-locked-in moments preserved on the wax.
If you’re a fan of the band, this is probably a must-have (at least a must-listen). I really love the band’s heart and passion that comes through on these recordings. A lot of these songs I like better than the studio versions, especially the absolutely explosive version of “Let Loose” on Side B.
“Something Worth Waiting For” has been one of my favorite records of 2026, and I was so happy to get it on vinyl. I’ve loved Friko since their EPs, and the new record is such a good next step for the band after their 2024 record “Where we’ve been…”. It’s more of the same, but a little different. More of what you love about the band, but taking things just a step further. It’s got lead singer Niko Kapetan’s heart-filled warble, great guitar solos, atmospheric crashing and clanging… but the band doesn’t forget to just let it rock. If you haven’t listened yet, enjoy!
Thanks for reading this week! I hope you found some new music, and I’ll see you Friday for the deep dive.
-Joey
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