bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Cut my last campaign check of the year to Adam Hamilton, who I think could make use of more money and has a real live shot. (I'd say RIP my inbox but that's been a lost cause for several cycles now) 000
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Nothing in wrestling mixes entertainment and poignancy better than AEW tribute shows, and I hope there isn't another one for a long time 050
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026At its peak, Fibber McGee & Molly consistently drew an estimated 30+ percent of the potential US radio audience, though I'm sure 1940s Bluesky went through a round of "how come I've never heard Fibber McGee & Molly" every time the ratings came out 230
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026I know quite a lot about chart mechanics and I still learned a bunch from this! It's almost as if listening to people with expertise can help you contextualize things, even when the subject is popular music! 140
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 28/09/2026I still aspire to comprehensive coverage of Actually Popular Music, even if I'm not gonna write up every platinum Asian boyband, because the process throws up culturally expressive objects like this: K-pop's top-selling young group going HARD CLAVE. Is it good, strictly speaking no, but fascinating!youtube.comENHYPEN (엔하이픈) 'Bloody Paradise' Official MVYouTube video by HYBE LABELS 020
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Additional point of info: "Choosin' Texas" was not an unusally big radio hit! It peaked at no. 6 on Pop Airplay! Anything with flagrant country signifiers has a pop radio ceiling for the same reason people can uncritically post "lol pop country sux"* on Bluesky! *a lot of it does, believe me I know 010
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 27/09/2026After some diagramming, I think the semi-insipid nature of the tune as written is in the way it always returns to the I chord, with its excursions from the I very controlled (excl. the last chorus's "no-oh-oh"). The melodic interest's in the ways Langley departs from the tune as written ("phrasing") 210
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Me: okay, I'm now quite familiar with the last 100+ years of recorded music and decently familiar with the last 500+ years of written music. Is that it? Am I done? Gary Tomlinson: ha ha ha you baby, you absolute baby 2191
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Maphorisa drove a BMW on to the stage; Kabza played a burning piano thebeatsofafrica.com/beats-news/b...thebeatsofafrica.comScorpion Kings Live at FNB Stadium: Inside the 74,000-Strong ShowScorpion Kings Live drew 74,000+ fans to FNB Stadium. Inside the 11-hour show: 50 artists, a Gusheshe entrance, a burning piano and Ladies of Amapiano. 010
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Meanwhile over there we're still trying to sort out 1996, this time with a guest post from @koganbot.bsky.social covering Korean disco, Korean [unclassifiable], New Zealand ersatz Pavement, and Courtney Love being first on the Fleetwood Mac re-evaluation: bradluen.substack.com/p/1996-e-pak...bradluen.substack.com1996: E-Pak-Sa, Roo’ra, Garageland, HoleSome poll suggestions from Frank Kogan 141
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Still trying to reconcile why (to simplify) the melody of "Texas" in itself reads as ~great to country critics and ~serviceable to pop critics. (Current conjecture is "tune as something the singer can do something with" vs. "tune as an object of interest in and of itself", but I'm not tied to this) 240
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Besides the usual South African dance and countrypop bar songs, in this month's singles there's an emopop bar song, there's onomatopoeia, there's a 15 million monthly listener act without a Wiki page, there's a whole bunch of signifiers to make of what you will: bradluen.substack.com/p/video-and-...bradluen.substack.comVideo & Audio: Count the barsBig beeping questions in the year of onomatopoeia 020
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Still nothing better than two guys in lucha masks who hate each other (to the extent that Bandido can't resist getting a few knees in to Soberano's head before stealing his finisher) ripping each other's masks. Aniversario 100 main event plz #CMLL 160
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Going through this thread saying yeah I knew that, knew that, didn't know that actually, knew that unfortunately, didn't want to know that, eh that's a bit of a stretch, WAIT THEY'RE DOING WHAT IN THE HOTEL NEAR MY OLD APARTMENT IN SOUTH BERKELEY, knew that unfortunately 050
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 14/09/2026James Brandon Lewis knows his gospel better than country stars do, Syran Mbenza & Jocelyn Balu revitalize different streams of rumba-soukous tradition, Nia Archives & (checks notes) Baauer make catchphrases boogieable, and none of them are as horny as Kacey Musgraves in this month's Semipop Life:bradluen.substack.comSemipop Life: More godly, more hornyJames Brandon Lewis, Syran Mbenza, Nia Archives, plus special section: Countrypop Life 4! 020
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Every few years I lose track of what "culture" means* and need Raymond Williams to remind me. As is typical, just as you think he's getting to the point after several centuries, he has to clarify something and go back to the Sumerians. (This is why he's great.) *yes, it's the LLMs' fault this time 120
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Hate to love how cute Anthropic's graphic is while they're saying "we're the only ones taking AI safety seriously, so we're disclosing that we accidentally left a tiny hole for our experimental codebot to wreak havoc on the open Internet; oh, by the way, we did this four times" 000
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Discussion/navel-gazing regarding my 1970s albums countdown. Main pushback has been "what about [BRITISH PERSON]?" With 8 out of 77 entries (not even counting Fleetwood Mac or Louis Moholo-Moholo), I thought the UK did quite well! bradluen.substack.com/p/that-seven...bradluen.substack.comThat Seventies list: A debriefWith graphs! 131
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Alright, I finally finished my half-year long project, time for a well-deserved break <takes a long shower> okay break's over <starts playing Other Dave 2026 Mix 35> bradluen.substack.com/p/77-favorit...bradluen.substack.com77 favorite albums of the Seventies, pt. 3The bummer finale! 040
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 07/09/202610 places on the planet you know very, very well my house my dad's house my in-laws' house Indiana University the Kroger on College Mall the Monroe County Public Library Indianapolis Airport the strip mall near my in-laws with the good Asian food the Union City BART station the Horseshoe in Vegas 020
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Numbers 50 through 26 are up, with some big Jamaican and African names along with some only cassette heads are likely to have heard, Brazilians I like against my rock critic prejudices, and the biggest cheat of the list at number 41 to make an ideological point (against rock critic prejudices):bradluen.substack.com77 favorite albums of the Seventies, pt. 2Steely Dan fans should be starting to get nervous 031
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Well, here's part 1 of 3 of what I've been working on for six months. The obvious didactic point is that there's a ton of music from Africa + Brazil + Jamaica (+ Germany I guess) that's as great as anything from the US/UK. You don't have to listen to it in album form, but some of us like albums!bradluen.substack.com77 favorite albums of the Seventies, pt. 1Ever fallen in love with a decade you shouldna fallen in love with 082
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Summer '26 Shonen Jump rankings 1. Kagurabachi (all-timer level art) 2. Akane (with Zensho even his tragic backstory is funny) 3. Under Doctor (drama within formula? must be a medical show) 4. Witch Watch (as far as One Big Fight endings go, well-plotted) 5. Ichi (things starting to happen again) 000
Reposted by bradluenChris Monsen @chrismonsen.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Wilson's early work with the M-base crew is what I know best, but of course there's also the great track she made with the brilliant Air, or New Air as they were named at the time, for the Air Show No. 1 album. "Don't Drink That Corner My Life Is In the Bush": www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWJw...youtube.comDon't Drink That Corner My Life Is In The BushYouTube video by New Air - Topic 032
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Gee does A Corner in Wheat (1909) have a view on the causes of grocery price inflation that's very similar to today's* (the greed of oligarchs and fintech bros, enforced by police repression) www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EEc... *today's views are not necessarily correct or at least completely correctyoutube.comA Corner in WheatYouTube video by Library of Congress 110
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 26/08/2026I think of Dolly's "Purple Rain" as a way of showing secular audiences what faith can mean—the willingness to accept there are forces stronger than yourself, and if you do right, maybe they'll do right by you. It's something always there in the original, but Prince is Prince; Dolly can be everyone.youtube.comDolly Parton - Purple Rain (Official Audio)YouTube video by DollyPartonVEVO 040
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 24/08/2026I am officially on the angkot, plus a very nice Ysa C vocal, Chilean indie pop, the Fred Again/Young Thug thing I somehow didn't hear until now, "What's my favorite sport? A Maserati", noted resistlib Amy Grant, & my contractually obligated annual three sentences on Zach Bryan in August's singles:bradluen.substack.comVideo & Audio: Honk if you like honkingTheoretical Maseratis vs. false Dubai 180
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Lots of new-to-me leads in this thread, but let me highlight a known-to-me: Coolidge era Polly and Her Pals might be the acknowledged pre-war comic classic most deserving of more eyeballs than it currently gets. The design! The visual punchlines! Paw's body language! 164
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 17/08/2026Favorite international albums of the 1970s, a thread: Cartola (1974) The ease with which the 65-year-old samba street poet sings on his belated debut disguises how sophisticated his melodies and rhythms are. "Alvorada" is full of joie de vivre. "O Sol Nascerá" knows suffering but smiles anyway.youtube.comCartola [1974][Full Álbum]YouTube video by Gildo lima 1110
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 17/08/2026After a first pass through the #PPP96 finalists, I got my shortlist down to fifteen, and danged if I know how I'm gonna cut it any further 1131
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 17/08/2026Nandipha808 & Dj Fantome plot Afrofutures that may or may not involve local hoodlums; TajMo & Ari Lennox are canine and/or lupine; Jill Scott & the Paranoid Style have words to swing and sling; and L. Benjamin & (probably) F. Dore are better at other things than rapping in this month's Semipop Life:bradluen.substack.comSemipop Life: Brainstreaming from church to clubNandipha808, TajMo, Jill Scott, the Paranoid Style, and more! 131
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 17/08/2026Reading Kevin Munger's The YouTube Apparatus: www.cambridge.org/core/element... Pic below shows why it's hard to do social media causal inference (unless you're the platform & can do interventions at scale.) Moreover if you wanna do *any* causal thinking you have to think about feedback incentives 140
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 16/08/2026Can't believe my rooting interest to end Ella Langley's reign of Good Song But C'mon atop Billboard is… Tame Impala? (Either one, though first Halloween number 1 since "Monster Mash" would be funnier.) Don't like the new Steve Lacy, not going to listen to more Katseye until professionally obligated 100
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 15/08/2026After getting Napster, the very first thing I did was download a bunch of songs from Dave Marsh's 1001 I hadn't heard before. RIP Dave and apologies again to the estates of numerous minor rock-and-soulers (I did end up funding a lot of you eventually) 141
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 10/08/2026After decades I finally saw Stanley Kwan's Center Stage (1991). Maggie Cheung is the great actress if her generation, you may know, but what struck me equally was how well-shot it was (like so many HK movies of the late celluloid era) 040
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 10/08/2026What I've been reading lately (picture book edition): bradluen.substack.com/p/10-comics-...bradluen.substack.com10 comics I like from the 1960s and 1970sBatman, Neal Adams, Binky Brown, Osamu Tezuka, Phoenix, Barefoot Gen, Lat, Kampung Boy, Asterix, Spirou & Fantasio, Blueberry, Mœbius, Tardi, Corto Maltese 010
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 10/08/2026First 75 minute My Chemical Romance set is over, everyone gets a breather before set two 130
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 07/08/2026At MoMA PS1's Greater New York show, I liked the Red Canary Song group's room evoking sex work as an aspect of immigrant culture without the cachet of, say, dim sum, leaving the workers vulnerable (not that any immigrant worker is invulnerable.) Also liked Akira Ikezoe's paintings like everyone else 000
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 06/08/2026If you're in NYC this year, the Asia Society is showing John D. Rockefeller III's collection, including my favorite Ming ceramic (because fish), probably the highest quality collection of Buddhist-Hindu scultpure in the US, and a bonus a really nice Guler mini donated by one of JDR3's kids 161
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 02/08/2026Your favorite albums I'm too lazy to write up rigorously, including Bruno Mars, JayJayy, Kehlani, Tierra Whack out of alphabetical order somehow, Six Sex, Wendy Eisenberg, and jaaaazz: bradluen.substack.com/p/the-bullpe...bradluen.substack.comThe Bullpen 013Love all across the transcendent universe, except the Ivy League 031
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Prestige TV drama episode: here are six minutes of plot, filled out with 40 minutes of TALKING and CINEMATOGRAPHY to keep you interested Network TV drama episode: 000
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 30/07/2026This is a great time to jump in and learn or remind yourself just how much great music there was in 1996, including big beat and riot grrrl and deep house and ultraminimal and (coming later) a ton of R&B and even Britpop sometimes. Join now and you won't even have to learn what a "Kula Shaker" is! 172
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 30/07/2026This is pretty clear if you're pretty sure you did learn some algebraic geometry once but don't even remember what 000
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 29/07/2026Copy of my 45 additional #TheN0ughtie5 HMs for handicapping purposes. Tried to choose songs with some hope in hell, which ended up making things pretty American… 1100
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 28/07/2026I was posting cheese takes to no engagement before it was cool 130
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Finally heard the Katseye/Illit/Sserafim thing. Honestly great call from the early haters 100
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 26/07/2026Celebrating Sidny's golazo, solving the Great Gen Z Melody Shortage by rationing or by being a billionaire's kid, plus a steamy Arabic duet, an R&B corrido, DBZ rap but British, Bobby Brown synth hits, and not describing maskandi well except that it's definitely not amapiano in this month's singles:bradluen.substack.comVideo & Audio: Blue Shark bandwagonesqueplus: the economics of the Great Gen Z Melody Shortage 030
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 25/07/20261986 pro wrestling thread Ric Flair vs. Barry Windham 2/14/86 A Flair masterclass, but young Windham's v good at using his size and sells well enough. The natural transitions help the time fly by until the underwhelming finish; everyone in Florida wants to run it back. Better worker: Flair (4¼*)youtube.com5* Ric Flair vs Barry Windham 1986 02 14 NWA TitleYouTube video by CWAMemphis 100
bradluen @bradluen.bsky.social · 25/07/2026#TheN0ughtie5 Day 50 Britney Spears: "Lucky" USA 2000 She tried to tell us! She gave us all the clues! www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vvB... (thx Arron, HMs coming Tuesdayish)youtube.comBritney Spears - Lucky (Official HD Video)YouTube video by BritneySpearsVEVO 0180
