I don't really have a long intro for this stuff today. I just wanted to talk about weird music today. Even though it's weird, that doesn't mean it can't still be powerful or intriguing.

This was actually the song that inspired me to make a weird edition this week. I discovered them while watching The Chris Gethard Show on youtube, which I think everyone should do immediately, it's absolutely fantastic and utterly weird. Back to the music: there is something very very off about Evil Sword's music. The seeming atonality of it all; the harsh swings of the vocals; the unsettling lighting. It all seems to tap into something primal. It's so very weird, but there's still something really cool about it all. Probably won't ever be played on the radio other than the occasional college station play, but they're certainly worth a listen if for no other reason than to say, "Yo, check this shit out, this is weird as fuck."

"Golden Toad" - Evil Sword

Brand New is weird. They always had a bit of weird in them whether it be "The No Seatbelt Song" on Your Favorite Weapon, "Jaws Theme Swimming" on Deja Entendu, this next song or pretty much the entirety of Daisy They've always stood apart from their Emo peers with some of their decidedly off-kilter tunes. That said those weird songs were always some of my favorites, especially this next song. It's terrifying and strange and I just love it.

"Welcome to Bangkok" - Brand New

Kevin Barnes has been at this for a long time. Forming his band in 1996, of Montreal has been around with him front and center for more than 20 years now. I really don't listen to a lot of their music. Scratch that, I listen to none of it, but their live shows are something to behold. One time I drove 6 hours with some of my friends to see them live in a neighboring state. It was absolutely wonderful and absurd, despite the fact that I hadn't listened to a single one of their songs prior to the trip. If you haven't seen them live and like a really strange show with lots of stage stuff going on, I don't think I could recommend this enough.

"Gronlandic Edit" - of Montreal

Kaoru Ishibashi was the violin player in of Montreal for six years. Eventually Kaoru parted ways with Barnes to form his own band, Kishi Bashi. His music is really wonderful, but definitely a bit strange. I've been told his live shows are amazing.

"Say Yeah" - Kishi Bashi"

This song was my first exposure to the rapper, Milo. Based in the heart of the rust belt he is a manifestation of that same DIY ethic that embodies the Emo Revival in the Midwest and turning it into powerful tunes, both a contemplation of the self and the external world. I feel like an ass writing about him, because I don't know how to adequately describe him, but there's a lot of good writing out there on him if you're interested.

"The confrontation at Khazad-dûm " - Milo

Mac Demarco is gross as an individual and honestly I really hate most of his fans, but he does produce some interesting and weird music. Check it out if you want.bonus acoustic version depicting him as the living meme he is

"Cooking up Something Good" - Mac Demarco"

This song probably doesn't look too weird on the surface, but consider that it was released in 1998. I think Neutral Milk Hotel is to weird new indie music as American Football is to the Emo Revival. They only made two albums and weren't particularly successful in their first run, but have comeback with a vengeance in the early 2010s. Also, they use fucking saw blades to make the weird wobbly whistling noises. I shit you not. I've witnessed it in person.

"In the Aeroplane over the Sea" - Neutral Milk Hotel

Idgy Dean was another TCGS discovery of mine, but she is far less unsettling. Mostly just cool looping psych-punk. One of the weirdest things about her is that she is just a single person doing everything both in the studio and live! If you want to see how she works, just check out a live performance of hers

"The Indian Squirrel Dance" - Idgy Dean

Now if you're reading this you're probably thinking, this next song... that's not weird... it was in Step Brothers. And to that I would say you're kinda sorta right. But also not. Compare anything Vampire Weekend has done to music that precedes it, both pop and indie. It definitely stands out; there's always something a bit off about it. I think the reason we see it as so normal now is because Vampire Weekend kinda normalized weirdness in music. Now to get truly weird we have to go all Evil Sword on people.

"A-Punk" - Vampire Weekend