No Expectations 078: How We Ball
Try to ignore the scroll. Plus, a playlist and a new LP from Grand Rapids trio Major Murphy.
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Headline song: Robber Robber, “How We Ball”
Thanks for being here. If you’re looking for a 2024 Pitchfork Music Festival recap, I have bad news: I skipped my favorite three-day fest to rest that weekend. Though it’s my first no-show in 14 years (besides 2020—don’t ask), I’m grateful I took it easy and entered the week with ample energy. I’ll be back for the next one.
Quick note: This week’s main essay is about breaking out of the internet’s worst qualities: mindless scrolling, casual cruelty, and lowered attention spans. While this one isn’t full of music recommendations (you can read about a cool record and listen to the playlist in the What I Listened To section), it’s about how we read, talk, and engage with art. Back to normal next week.
There’s a newsletter sale happening
Yearly paid subscriptions are $35 until I remember to change it back. I’ve recently noticed that whenever there’s a tiny bit of subscriber churn with the newsletter, 99% of the time it’s because longtime paid-tier members haven’t updated their credit card info on Substack. It’s no big deal but I figured this would be a chill way to make up the difference. Thanks for all the continued support for No Expectations. Every bit means the world.
It’s Good To Recalibrate How You Use the Internet
Here’s a look at my Monday morning this week.
After I made coffee right before I logged on for work, I checked Twitter. I immediately saw a right-wing conspiracy theory, gruesome violence, and unhinged, alienating takes. When I tried Facebook for the first time in a month, I was greeted by a friend request from someone impersonating a relative who died in 2019. Needing a palate cleanser, Instagram was mostly friends’ grid updates from three days ago mixed with video reels from folks I don’t follow, sponsored posts, and a search function that’s now AI-powered for some reason. Later, I searched Google for an upcoming work assignment and got another unhelpful AI prompt, followed by three promoted links that had little to do with what I was looking to find. Though I’m speaking personally here, I’d bet you’ve recently experienced something like this too.
The internet used to be fun, or at least useful, but now it’s mostly a bummer. It’s probably ridiculous hearing this from a guy who runs an email newsletter and made a career out of writing for websites, but the longer I’ve been a music journalist, the more I’ve tried to log off. It hasn’t always worked. At parties these past two weekends, I caught myself glued to my phone for updates about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump and later, Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race. Instead of being present with my friends, I was mindlessly scrolling.
For the many good things that being on the internet has given me—a career, multiple friendships, strangers laughing at my jokes, figuring out where the good restaurants are—it’s also often torched my ability to focus, made me care about things that don’t matter, and likely had deleterious effects on my mental health. It’s kind of a wash at this point. There’s a delicate tightrope of being online to read and engage with others’ work, have fun, and share your writing, while not becoming so logged on that you lose a sense of yourself. I haven’t quite nailed it but I’m striking a healthier screentime balance, being more intentional about the things I click on, and reclaiming my attention span.
There are loads of compelling articles about how being online feels worse lately. The New York Times called 2023 “The Year Millennials Aged Out of the Internet,” the New Yorker lamented, “Why the Internet Isn’t Fun Anymore,” and Friend of the Substack Magdalene J. Taylor convincingly wrote that, yes, “It’s Obviously the Phones” that are to blame for our lonely and depressed culture. As platforms crumble, once-beloved websites become sponcon, AI-slop, and clickbait, it’s easy to worry that things can’t go on like this. In 2020, I realized there was something seriously unhealthy and antisocial about spending the majority of your day behind a screen. Recognizing this saved so much time and emotional energy. It’s freeing.
Obviously, it’s not all bad. There are welcoming pockets on the internet where things work, and clicking on something doesn’t make you feel like shit. I wrote about several writers engaging earnestly and thoughtfully with music independent of traditional media platforms. Chicago has a vibrant local media ecosystem and every day, I check the Sun-Times, Block Club Chicago, The Triibe, Chicago Reader, and of course, WTTW News. I seek out these publications and, when I can, I avoid exposure to algorithmic timelines and empty digital calories. Getting bombarded by so much unsolicited content is exhausting, mind-numbing, and depressing. This isn’t some productivity hack to optimize my free time, it’s an attempt to be more mindful and normal.
As someone who has spent the last 12 years writing about music, I do my best to keep outside distractions to a minimum when engaging with an artist’s work. It’s funny to imagine a band getting a bad review and thinking, “This guy gave us a 4.9 after he had our record on in the background watching NASCAR on TV and tweeting dumb bits about indie rock?” (I joke but avoiding that possibility is why I haven’t written a scored album review in almost a decade). It takes effort, time, and discipline to do the sort of listening and criticism that makes for worthwhile writing. It’s tough to devote enough time every week but it’s also the least someone in my field can do.
I bring all this up because I’m worried how the internet is making it easier to be worse listeners. It’s making it easier to stop caring. In 2004, researchers at UC-Irvine watched knowledge workers go about a typical day at their desks. They found that participants kept their attention on a single screen for an average of two and a half minutes before focusing elsewhere. In 2012, that number was 75 seconds. Now, it's only 47. Writing this piece throughout the week, I can confirm that while that average reads shockingly low, it scans true. With this collective shortening of attention, art is becoming ephemeral, background noise for scrolling. It’s alarmingly common to ignore albums for playlists or to watch movies at 2x speed. Art isn’t a checklist and it’s not something that you should use as a tool for optimization.
Beyond logging out for good and going off the grid, there’s value in stepping back and interrogating your relationship with the internet. What’s making you worse, what’s affecting your mood, and what’s wasting your time? By embracing stillness and cutting through the noise, you can be more mindful and intentional about engaging with devolving digital chaos. It’s never a bad idea to take a walk outside, listen to an album without checking your phone, or see a show in person with friends, away from all screens and distractions. Life is too short to be stuck in a doomscroll.
What I listened to:
The No Expectations 078 Playlist: Spotify // Apple Music
1. Robber Robber, "How We Ball"
2. Fake Fruit, "Más O Menos"
3. hemlock, "Full"
4. fantasy of a broken heart, "Loss"
5. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, "Hog Calling Contest"
6. Katy Kirby, "Naperville"
7. lots of hands, "rosie"
8. SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE, "I'VE BEEN EVIL"
9. Dummy, "Nine Clean Nails"
10. Fran, "Television"
11. Beachwood Sparks, "Falling Forever"
12. Gold Star Gold Star, "Anything You Want Me To Be"
13. Way Dynamic, "Material“
14. Man/Woman/Chainsaw, "Ode To Clio"
15. Major Murphy, "First Thought (Best Thought)"
Major Murphy, Fallout
Two weeks from now, I’ll celebrate 15 years of living in Chicago. Though this city feels like home, I can’t claim to be a Chicagoan. I’m a Michigander. Grand Rapids is a place I still love dearly but while I can rave about its restaurants, breweries, and many green spaces, the music scene has always been a little lacking (no shots to Mustard Plug or the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis). But GR trio Major Murphy is the first band from my hometown I’ve ever truly loved. From the first time I heard “Mary” in 2017, I was hooked: frontman Jacob Bullard is a supremely tasteful songwriter with one of the most welcoming voices in indie rock. The trio’s songs can be gentle and driving but each is imbued with a timeless grace. It sounds like home.
Fallout is their third full-length and it’s their most beguiling and compelling yet. Now a trio, with Bullard, founding member Jacki Warren-Bullard, and drummer Chad Houseman, the LP strips the band’s formula to its barest essentials while also taking them into weirder, more fleshed-out places than ever before. Lead single “Time Out” is a charged rocker that tackles the daily grind with striking optimism. Elsewhere, “The Water” imbues samples and strings while the closer title track is the most experimental the band’s ever gotten. While the band has no touring plans, opting to spend the summer with their families, I hope they make it back to Chicago soon.
What I watched:
Live shows on Nugs.net
I recently subscribed to the live music streaming service Nugs.net to work on a future newsletter entry called “The Indie Rock Fan’s Guide to Jam Bands.” It rules and it’s not just jam bands. This month, I watched shows by Metallica, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Wilco, Dead & Company, Bruce Springsteen, and more. I’m floored by the variety of artists, the sound quality, the app’s intuitiveness, and how easy it is to Airplay videos to my TV. While there’s a better selection of live audio recordings, it rules to have an on-demand library of full concert videos.
What I read:
United Center Owners Unveil $7B Proposal to Redevelop Surrounding Area Into Mixed-Use Space (Eunice Alpasan, WTTW News)
The privately funded plan would redevelop more than 55 acres of land surrounding the United Center to include a music hall, housing, hotels, retail space and public space.
If approved by the city, the first phase of construction could begin as soon as spring 2025.
The initial phase of the project would focus on redeveloping surface parking lots adjacent to the arena. The first phase would start construction of a 6,000-seat-capacity theater-style music hall, green space, and hotel and retail options.
The development plan, named the 1901 Project, is a reference to the United Center's address at 1901 W. Madison St. on the city’s Near West Side.
The Weekly Chicago Show Calendar:
Thursday, July 25: Sonny Falls, Chris Coleslaw, Chaepter at Schubas. Tickets.
Thursday, July 25: Sports Boyfriend, Facing, Caroline Campbell at Cole’s. Tickets.
Friday, July 26: La Luz, Girl K, Greg Freeman, and more at Wicker Park Fest. Free.
Friday, July 26: Vampire Weekend, Princess, Ra Ra Riot at Northerly Island. Tickets.
Friday, July 26: Sen Morimoto, Cusp at Kilbourn Park. Free.
Friday, July 26: Courtney Barnett, Bob Mould, Squirrel Flower at Out of Space Skokie. Tickets.
Friday, July 26: Lucky Daye, Fana Hues at Aragon Ballroom. Tickets.
Friday, July 26: Teklife Crew at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
Saturday, July 27: Greg Freeman, Golomb at Subterranean Downstairs. Sold out.
Saturday, July 27: Vampire Weekend, Princess, Ra Ra Riot at Northerly Island. Tickets.
Saturday, July 27: The Felice Brothers, Dead Gowns at Beat Kitchen. Tickets.
Saturday, July 27: Guerilla Toss, Spread Joy, Glad Rags at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
Saturday, July 27: Sluice, Fust, Sleeper’s Bell at Hideout. Tickets.
Saturday, July 27: Jamila Woods, Rich Jones, Duendita, and more at Wicker Park Fest. Free.
Sunday, July 28: Frontier Ruckus, Dogs at Large at Schubas. Tickets.
Monday, July 29: SUSS, Hali Palombo at Hideout. Tickets.
Monday, July 29: GZA, Phunky Nomads, Yaya Bey at Millennium Park. Free.
Tuesday, July 30: SNÕÕPER, Consensus Madness, Fuerza Bruta at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
Tuesday, July 30: Mia Joy, 22° Halo, Fran (Solo) at Sleeping Village. Tickets.
Tuesday, July 30: DIIV, Horse Jumper of Love, Full Body 2 at Thalia Hall. Sold out.
Wednesday, July 31: Sinai Vessel, Little Kid, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone at Hideout. Tickets.
Wednesday, July 31: Smut, Cut Your Losses at Color Club. Tickets.
Thanks for the note about the $35 annual subscription, it prompted me to upgrade from monthly to annual.
And thanks for your observations on the state of the internet and the apps we use to interact with it. I stepped away from Facebook completely for a couple years as I found myself doomscrolling and spending way too much time there, exposed to content that turned it to be not so great for my mental health.
The first thing I did when I got back on FB after a 2-year absence was to unlike and unfollow all the news and political pages and groups and just about everything that wasn’t related to friends I wanted to stay connected to. I don’t do twitter and I only use IG now for things that being me joy. Those changes have made a huge difference.
Another huge difference has been discovering Substack last year and plugging into the great community of music writers here, and eventually kicking off my own writing. This is a joyful place to be, one which feeds me so much great musical content and has been a boon to my music discovery journey.
This is exactly what I needed to read today.