No Expectations 098: Dub Vultures
Here’s why you should get a library card. Plus, four new albums that might make your week.
No Expectations hits inboxes on Thursdays at 9am cst. Reader mailbag email: Noexpectationsnewsletter@gmail.com. The newsletter I produce at my day job with WTTW News (PBS Chicago) can be found here.
Headline song: The Convenience, “Dub Vultures”
Thanks for being here. This past week has been a little nutty. On Thursday, I caught New York songwriter Margaux at Schubas, who played an incredible solo set. The next day, I traveled to Milwaukee with friends for a quick weekend trip. We stopped at Cactus Club and Palomino Bar for drinks, ate incredible meals at Goodkind, the Vanguard, and Honeypie Cafe, and went to our first show at the Miller High Life Theatre. I closed it out Sunday by returning to Chicago and hosting the Super Bowl. Philadelphia won and it was a great party (despite having to watch an onslaught of AI slop commercials). Three days of work and now it’s newsletter time. I’m feeling a little fried but my heart is full and I still have a few Spotted Cow beers left. It’s important to hold onto the little things when life feels overwhelming.
As always, you can sign up for a paid subscription or tell a friend about a band you read about here. Every bit helps, keeps this project going, and keeps it paywall-free. Also: I’ll be in my hometown of Grand Rapids this weekend. So, if you signed up because I wrote about Goose a few times and will be at their residency at GLC Live at 20 Monroe, say hi.
Why The Library Rules
When I started No Expectations, I wanted it to be a place championing the independent artists I love and helping folks discover their local music communities. My jokey slogan has long been that this project is “anti-algorithm music writing.” Music isn’t content and passive listening, getting fed artists without context or human curation, makes your tastes worse. It’s always more meaningful to actively search for new things, nurture your curiosity, and learn more about the art that moves you. It’s truly a rewarding journey to crate dig, to listen voraciously, and to think a little deeper about what you’re consuming. We’re at risk of losing that in service of digital convenience.
I’ve written about this a lot here. Whether it’s about the importance of getting away from the scroll or how the internet isn’t fun anymore, it’s clear to me that one of the bigger crises beyond the myriad ones plaguing the planet and the country, is about attention. Where we direct it and what we expose ourselves to matters probably more than we think. Maybe you have a relative who got radicalized by online conspiracy theories, their social media feeds, or a TV news channel they watch incessantly. Maybe your bud started parroting the beliefs and jokes of a podcast host they listen to. Maybe you’ve lost hours scrolling TikTok or Instagram Reels and didn’t leave your couch. I’ve been there on all three. After 13+ years of writing about culture on the internet, the hardest struggle is not getting sucked into passivity. You’ll feel better reaching for something human over the empty calories of AI, culture war nonsense, and algorithmic recommendations. This isn’t meant to be a productivity hack. It’s more that life is better spent not bedrotting and doomscrolling.
One thing that’s really been a balm for this problem is making better use of my Chicago Library Card. There are two branches a five-minute bus ride from my place. I love it there. It’s quiet and strolling the aisles I always find things I need to add to my list. There’s vinyl, CDs, and a solid collection of DVDs and Blu-rays. Now, before you say, “OK, Reading Rainbow-ass dude with a day job at PBS, tell me something I don’t know,” I will note that a lot of folks my age don’t make enough use of their local branch. More don’t realize that having a library card gives you access to so many great off-site services, namely the TV, movie, audiobook, and music streaming service Hoopla and the e-reader app Libby.
Though I can’t speak for your town’s library, Libby is offered in tens of thousands of U.S. locations. Though you can’t beat the feeling of holding a book in your hand, I own an e-reader and use it more because of this service. Like a brick-and-mortar library, you can place holds and Libby allows you to build a reading list that tells you what’s available now and how long you’ll wait for a title in use. Once ready, it transfers immediately to your e-reader or Kindle where you’ll have a couple of weeks to get through it. Though a 14-day window to read an entire book might seem too short to someone who doesn’t read often, once you get into a regular rhythm it’s really no big deal. Since the fall, I’ve checked out around 25 titles. While much of that was due to having more free time with the newsletter on a holiday hiatus, I’m still on track to hit over 100 books this year. (TBD if I do it!)
Along with Criterion Channel, MUBI, and NBA League Pass, Hoopla is my favorite streaming app. Though its UI kind of sucks, there are so many independent, arthouse, and auteur films in its catalog. (The homepage will make you think it’s just Lifetime-caliber films but that’s fine because searching for the good stuff is easy.) The first thing I watched was Chandler Levack’s incredible I Like Movies (you might recognize her name from co-directing several of PUP’s music videos). If you use Letterboxd Pro, sync your watchlist or your films watched and you’ll find so much good stuff. I’ll recommend a few on there now: Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy from Drive My Car director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Brazilian action film Bacurau, Polish priest thriller Corpus Christi, and classics like The Long Goodbye, The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3, and Thief.
At my day job at WTTW News (PBS Chicago), I write a daily “On This Date” blurb about Chicago history in the newsletter I run there called Daily Chicagoan. I could not research, write, and publish five of those weekly without access to historical archives and old newspapers courtesy of the Chicago Public Library. Plus, like at my branch, chances are you’ll get other perks like museum passes, free newspaper subscriptions, magazines (both physical and digital), in-person community events, and much more. It might feel silly to say this given the current administration, but just getting a library card does help ensure that the library survives and gets funding. This is a small thing that’s done immeasurable good for my quality of life, bank account, and attention.
Four New LPs For Your Weekend
cutouts, Snakeskin
Alex MacKay is the bassist for the Brooklyn synth-pop trio Nation of Language but he just released a debut solo album as cutouts called Snakeskin. It’s a kinetic and propulsive full-length, boasting a sharper edge and heavier bounce than his main project. From the New Order-esque bassline that propels “Paw of the Monkey,” and the pummeling low end of “Firstborn,” there are so many menacing club-ready grooves here. Over the past month, I’ve gravitated more to electronic music than I usually do but this splits the difference between that and indie rock so seamlessly. If you’re looking for something more like Harry Nilsson and David Bowie, start with the highlight “Bloodsucker.” Want psych-rock? Go for “Zeke.” The whole thing’s great though.
Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears, Head in the Sand
Sean Thompson is my favorite guitarist right now. I first met the Nashville-based songwriter when he was on tour playing Chicago in Friend of the Newsletter Erin Rae’s band. Naturally, we bonded over the Grateful Dead and kept in touch following that 2023 show. His new LP Head in the Sand is a masterful showcase of how he excels at left-field solos, collaborative bandleading, and breezy lyricism. Some of its best songs tackle heavy topics like the 2020 tornado that wreaked havoc on his east side neighborhood on “Storm’s Comin’ Tonight” and the death of his dog with “Roll on Buddy.” While his earlier material leaned into “cosmic country,” this LP highlights his love for Frank Zappa and Herbie Hancock. It’s for the heads and everyone. See him live if you can.
Sharon Van Etten, Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
A little over a decade ago no two LPs got more repeat plays from me than Sharon Van Etten’s 2012 effort Tramp and her 2014 follow-up Are We There. Both albums are classics of the 2010s. Everything since then has been good but her latest Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory grabs me the same way those early releases did. It’s the first album she has ever written and recorded with her touring band and it shows. Its collaborative spirit gives it a vivacity and a groove that keeps her emotionally lacerating lyrics while never feeling dour or insular. There’s a New Wave thump on several tunes and it’s always lively, even fun. Her powerful voice has always been her strongest asset and it still is here, but spreading the focus to the arrangements and other people who have backed her up makes this a triumph.
Squid, Cowards
Squid’s music has always dealt with confronting darkness. The first song I loved from them—”Narrator,” the lead single off their debut—features several minutes of exorcising shrieks from Martha Skye Murphy. They’ve billed their latest as their “album about evil” and it’s their most immersive and thrilling yet. The winding opener “Crispy Skin” tackles cannibalism, “Blood On The Boulders” deals with media-induced desensitization to violence, and “Showtime!” is about a lust for fame. If that sounds depressing, it’s supposed to be, but Cowards is one of the most expansive, hypnotizing, and deliriously exciting rock records I’ve heard in months. They’ve largely scrapped the nervy post-punk clangs of their early output for wide-ranging experimental flavors that sound like righteously angrier versions of Radiohead, Aphex Twin, and Talking Heads. The LP’s sequencing is especially inspired. There’s an ebb and flow, and a palpable arc to the tracklist, especially as it gets to “Fieldworks I” and “Fieldworks II.” I still think about the mind-blowing show they headlined at Metro in 2022, undoubtedly a top 10 gig I’ve seen this decade.
What I listened to:
The No Expectations 098 Playlist: Apple Music // Spotify // TIDAL
1. Squid, "Crispy Skin"
2. The Convenience, "Dub Vultures"
3. Most Things, "Shops!"
4. Sharp Pins, "Storma Lee"
5. Moontype, "Long Country"
6. Horsegirl, "Frontrunner"
7. Tobacco City, "Bougainvillea"
8. Kassi Valazza, "Weight of the Wheel"
9. Sean Thompson's Weird Ears, "New Memories"
10. Sharon Van Etten, "I Can’t Imagine (Why You Feel This Way)"
11. Preoccupations, "Focus"
12. cutouts, "Firstborn"
13. Jonny Kosmo, "Laugh Now"
14. Helena Deland, "Bigger Pieces"
15. Whitney Johnson, "73|74 (Excerpt)"
Gig report: Margaux at Schubas (2/6)
Margaux is the touring bassist for newsletter favorites Katy Kirby and Closebye but I’ve loved her solo music for longer than any of those acts have been around. In 2019, she released an excellent EP while she was still in college and last year put out Inside The Marble one of 2024’s best. While I’ve been a fan, Thursday was the first time I’ve ever seen her perform. She played a totally solo set full of new tunes and favorites from the last LP. Man, I was floored by it all, especially the unreleased material which sounded like jazzier Jessica Pratt.
Gig report: Goose at Miller High Life Theatre in Milwaukee, WI (2/8)
One of the great things about writing on the internet is that no matter what there will be times you eat shit and have to admit you were wrong about something. (Unless you’re some sort of psycho). Back in June, I wrote, “I listened to several hours of Goose, the popular jam band a reader told me I’d like. It still hasn’t clicked at all but I’ll keep trying.” Well, it clicked. By September I wrote thousands of words about having the best time at their Salt Shed residency and the other week, I chatted with their keyboardist who was such a kind and thoughtful interview. Now, I’m a fan with no qualifications and no hesitation. Their show in Milwaukee on Saturday was the best I’ve ever seen them. If they’re in your town and you’re skeptical, take a chance on this band. I bet you’ll charmed. The lighting rig is spectacular and the crowd could not be friendlier. Their second set was just about my dream setlist. By now, I’m just happy to see them play whatever they want (Ok, maybe a “Tumble” or a “726” this weekend would be sick). Stoked to do it again in Grand Rapids.
What I watched:
There’s no “What I watched” this week. Like most of you, I sat in front of a screen for the latest episode of Severance and the Super Bowl. Who cares!
What I read:
Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics (by Elle Reeve)
Though I wrote for VICE from 2017 to 2021, I never actually met Elle Reeve. She worked at VICE News, which was a separate newsroom, and my working remotely from Chicago meant that there was no reason for us to ever really cross paths. Still, her work was consistently some of my favorite things my employer ever did and it’s been cool to see her continue that excellence over at CNN. Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics chronicles her reporting on the internet-brained alt-right who practically took over the Republican party. Her book moves from imageboard chatrooms, Gamergate, Charlottesville, and the attempted Jan. 6 insurrection. It might not be the most fun topic, but Reeve’s writing is electric. She draws connections that I never considered and it’s an illuminating read considering what’s happening in the government right now.
The Weekly Chicago Show Calendar:
The gig calendar lives on the WTTW News website now. You can also subscribe to the newsletter I produce there called Daily Chicagoan to get it in your inbox every Wednesday.
walking to my local library and getting my holds has got to be one of the best parts of my week, every week
Agreed on the library services! One other item is inter-library transfers of items within city or maybe even county branches. If your branch doesn’t have it on the shelf, another branch or system might. I’d imagine that would be pretty powerful in Chicago, it’s pretty useful here in Milwaukee (and glad to hear you had a nice weekend up here!)