In-Flux this week: Genesis, Mac Miller, This Is Important, and Hologram.
Album of the week:
The album of the week is Genesis’ 1986 release Invisible Touch. Formed in 1967, Genesis is known, most famously, as the trio of drummer and vocalist Phil Collins, guitarist and bassist Mike Rutherford, and keyboardist and vocalist Tony Banks. What may be lesser-known to some, is that Peter Gabriel was the original lead singer of the band until his departure in 1975. For me, Genesis is one of the greatest icons of 80’s pop music (now considered progressive rock), and I feel that Invisible Touch represents the pinnacle of this era for Genesis.
“Well now you never did see such a terrible thing, as you’ve seen last night on the TV. Maybe if we’re lucky, they will show it again. Such a terrible thing to see. But there’s nothing you can do when you’re next in line. You’ve got to go, domino. Now I’m one with the living, and I’m feeling just fine. I know just what I gotta do. Play the game of happiness, and never let on that it only lives on in a song. Well there’s nothing you can do when you’re next in line. You’ve got to go, domino.” —Domino (Part 2), Genesis
Visit the band’s website, stream the album on YouTube, or get a physical copy on Discogs.
Live performance of the week:
Six years on, Mac Miller’s 2018 Tiny Desk performance is still the best Tiny Desk set I’ve ever heard. While extremely bittersweet, as this set was released just one month before his death on September 7th, I feel like this performance truly captures Mac’s lighthearted, yet deeply emotional songwriting and stage presence. He left us too soon, but he was here just long enough to give us a hip-hop master class… Rather than elaborating to fill space, I’ll simply leave it at that.
RIP.
Mac Miller: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
Photo credit: npr.org
Podcast of the week:
From the creative minds (and faces) behind the hit TV sitcom Workaholics, This Is Important is a comedy podcast covering everything from pop culture to college house parties and vegetarian options. Hosted by Adam Devine, Anders Holm, Blake Anderson, and sometimes Kyle Newacheck (if you know, you know), This Is Important brings much of the same comedic sensibilities that we’ve come to know and love from Workaholics. As I believe I’ve now listened to the full catalog of episodes (some more than once), I feel qualified to say that this podcast truly shows just how close the guys’ Workaholics characters are to their own personalities.
This Is Important - iHeartRadio
Gear of the week:
The gear of the week is Hologram’s Microcosm, described by Hologram as a “granular effects suite and looper.” This pedal is one that cannot be easily categorized by a single effect. I would personally describe this pedal as “ambient in a box.” Even after spending countless hours researching this pedal, I still don’t know that I understand everything that it does, or how it does it. There are certainly aspects and functions that lead me to think of it as a form of eurorack synthesizer, but its output seems largely dependent on the instrumental notes that are played into it—very much unlike a traditional synthesizer. I would even go so far as to say that this pedal could be an instrument on its own.
Photo credit: guitar.com
That’s all for this installment of In-Flux. Hopefully, you’ve found something inspiring or thought-provoking to take with you throughout the coming week. If you’d like to stay up-to-date with Stoops Worldwide, and have my posts delivered directly to your inbox, click the subscribe button below. If you’re already subscribed, thank you! Please feel free to share this with a friend, if you feel so inclined.
Create without compromise.
-Kurtis