The occupation of Minnesota continues, although the people have scored some victories. Pocket-sized Nazi Greg Bovino has been shipped back to California, and there has been a talk of a drawdown of federal forces in the state. We continue to resist, and there is much you can do to help, even if you live outside of the state. Minnesota-based sci-fi author Naomi Kritzer, who also writes insightful political guides every election season, has put together a great post about what you can do to help fight the occupation. Read it here. 

There is much work still to do. As always, we will not be able to meet the challenges if we don't continue to make space for joy. Music remains my joy, and it gives me comfort to share that joy with you.

Minnesota remains in the midst of a crisis orchestrated and perpetrated by a hostile and malevolent federal government. We continue to resist, and we continue to find release and joy in music and art. Below are some new releases giving me strength. 

Minneapolis is a city under siege. But Minneapolis is also a city of art, and we haven't turned our back on that just because the federal government has declared war on us. In fact, our love of art is foundational and part of our resistance to tyranny. For evidence of that, simply look to the annual Art Sled Rally that was also held this weekend. For Minneapolis, art is catharsis. I need that as much as anyone here, so on Sunday night I popped down to my favorite coffee shop/skate shop/music venue/resistance hub Pilllar Forum to catch the first Minneapolis show for Chicago-based band ​Griefeater. 

As I write this, a hostile force is brutalizing my city. They've shot at least two people so far, one of them fatally. Hundreds more have been beaten, gassed, and detained. Thousands have been harassed and intimidated. And, of course, our president has threatened to make things even worse from here on out. 

In response, the people of Minneapolis have banded together rather than breaking apart. Citizens are forming ICE watch squads and patrolling immigrant-heavy neighborhoods. Donations are pouring in to people and groups affected by the occupation. Hotels where ICE agents are staying are treated to high-decibel demonstrations all night long, and the federal building where all detainees are taken has become the site of a constant protest. 

This brief summary is nowhere near adequate to describe what is going on in Minneapolis right now. A friend of mine wrote about it with much more depth and eloquence, which I invite you to read here (free signup). 

We are all suffering, and trying to find ways to cope with the intensity of it all. I still find solace in music. Below, share with me the small respites. 

Happy(?) 2026, y'all. It seems impossible that this new year is only nine days old - I could swear that it has been 2026 for at least 47 days. At the end of last year, I was hopeful that better days lay ahead. Now I've committed to letting myself devolve into a feral bog monster and running off to live in a swamp. Such is the vibe in America these days. At least we've got some new music, right? There haven't been a ton of notable releases in these long 47 days, but there are a few things helping me stay sane these days. 

Praise Dio, it's the most wonderful time of the year! That's right, it's time for end-of-the-year lists! I've been compiling my own personal best music lists annually for the last ten-ish years, previously publishing them for friends to see on Facebook. I've largely given the finger to Zuckerberg at this point, so I wasn't sure where my 2025 list was going to live. Fortunately, I made the decision to jump to another dead online medium this year! It was a pretty damn strong year for music, and here are my top 20.

I'm not going to lie, Christmas really snuck up on me this year. To be honest, I'm not even sure if we have all the gifts we need for everyone, and Christmas Eve is tomorrow! This is all to say that if I was more on top of thing, I probably would have written this post earlier. Oh well! Anyway, here are some fitness-related gifts that I personally recommend, or am really interested in trying myself. 

Last Friday I didn't get around to a real recommendations post both because I was busy and because none of the new releases I checked out did much for me, save the new Health album. Tomorrow will be another busy day for me and I get the sense that new releases are winding down for the year, so I put together some recommendations of albums I'm revisiting as I start planning my best of the year list. Most of these were released before I started this little blog, so this will be my first time writing about them. But before we get to the old stuff, I've got one recommendation for new music that came out this week. 

Last night I went to what is almost certain to be my last concert of 2025, a bill of local metal bands at an instrument store/school/coffee shop called Klash Coffee. I had never heard of any of the bands playing, nor had I been to the venue before. But I had a free night and it was a $10 cover (with Toys for Tots donations also strongly encouraged), and a friend agreed to go with, so we braved the subzero temperatures to go check out the show. I'm incredibly glad I did. 

Yesterday, I missed my weekly recommendation post, which I'm happy to say has been quite rare. This was partially due to it being an unusual day for me - I was at home doing things around the house rather than playing music in the course of my day job. But more significant is the fact that I just didn't care for pretty much anything I checked out. I gave several new albums a listen, and most I shut off before finish.

The only album I made it through in its entirety was Conflict DLC by Health. Health is a weird band for me in that I've seen them live and have liked many of their individual songs, but none of their albums in full have sucked me in the way my favorite bands have. They're also such a sprawling band that it's hard to get a handle on their catalog - they're incredibly prolific and have albums, compilations, EPs, collaborations, and soundtracks. This new album is apparently all tracks that were supposed to be included on their last album, Rat Wars. In short, its hard to know where to start with Health. That said, this is a strong collection of songs. In particular, the song "Shred Envy" reminds me of White Zombie, which is always a good thing. Maybe a Rob Zombie collaboration is on the way! 

TL; DR: Listen to the new Health album.