Hi pals, 

Digital Producer Marion Hodges with you once again while Anne battles (ugh) a wi-fi situation. And it feels like kismet somehow. As Anne’s copy editor and the person who arranges the rest of what appears in this newsletter, I’m in constant communication with her throughout the week. Is that a humble brag, or just a straight up brag? Unclear, but it’s the truth either way. This week we’ve been talking a lot about Anne’s favorite songs of the year so far, a list which she now has even more time to whittle into a tight top ten to share next week.

Which gives me the space to go a little deep on my favorite album of the year so far: The Scholars by Car Seat Headrest (pictured above). You haven’t heard much of it on the airwaves yet and the fact that it plays so well as a full album might have something to do with that. I’m admittedly not a CSHR completist, but The Scholars is probably the most rock-operatic work yet from a project that excels in rock-opera-mode.

This record, the band’s first since 2020’s Making a Door Less Open, takes place in a fictional institution called Parnassus University. Its songs center fictional characters, the titular scholars. These characters have names like Beolco and Devereaux; over soaring guitar lines, krautrock keys, and chest-rattling drumbeats they grapple with faith, existence, illness, proving themselves, and everything else that could be categorized under “the human condition.” And this often occurs over song cycles that stretch well past the 10 minute mark... 19 minutes in the case of the penultimate track "Planet Desperation" (!). I listened to The Scholars every day for two weeks in June, attempting to tame its grandiosity into something with which I could feel intimately familiar. Once I achieved this goal, I had to put it away for a while. I do this frequently with art that is on its way to becoming an IMPORTANT touchstone in my life. I need to know it backwards and forwards while still leaving room for new facets to reveal themselves when ready.

When I was listening to The Scholars at peak obsessiveness, a comparison began to form in my mind—Okkervil River. It’s a comparison neither immediately obvious, nor entirely out of left-field. Both have toggled between solo project and full band, both frequently deliver bombastic ROCK songs, and both are led by wordy dudes named Will. But when I queued up OR’s 2013 LP The Silver Gymnasium, the album that I was most readily comparing to The Scholars in my mind, I was struck all over again by just how tenderly it plays. Like The Scholars, the songs are sweeping and grand, and though frontman Will Sheff's lyrics are intensely autobiographical, there are still characters, overlapping themes, and complex narratives… It's just that these characters have names like “Jason” and "Frankie..." And the very human concerns that command Sheff's focus on tend to go like this: “Tell me I'm always going to be your best friend. Now you said it one time, why don't you say it again... all the way down the line to where the telephone ends? C'mon, shout it on down the wire.” The Silver Gymnasium is plenty anthemic, but in a twangy, golden-age-of-AM-radio kind of way.

It’s entirely possible that the real reason The Scholars reminds me so much of The Silver Gymnasium is because of the way I've subconsciously trained myself to listen to these records. How each elevated me to a new level of fandom for artists that I long admired, but hadn’t yet claimed as favorites. Even in this line of work, where publicly listing favorite (and best) records of the year is part of the job description, finding a clear no. 1 is a rarity. And finding those records that are destined to stay in heavy rotation for years and years to come is always cause for celebration.

Thanks for joining me on this expedition into a couple of my faves. Feel free to hit reply on this email to tell me and Anne about an album (or a few) that fit this description for you. 

SiR: KCRW Guest DJ set

Inglewood-native SiR is just days away from checking a major milestone off of every LA artist's dream list: headlining the Hollywood Bowl. Ahead of his KCRW Festival performance on July 20th, the purveyor of distinctly Cali-swag-laden R&B sounds is in the mix for KCRW. Click in to hear him share a bounty of sonically sweet guest selects, insights gleaned from growing up in an extraordinarily musical family, and even a few hints about what's in store for us this Sunday night at the Bowl.

Myd: KCRW Guest Mix

Paris-based DJ/producer Myd became a station favorite with the woozy-disco delights of his Ed Banger-released debut album, Born A Loser in 2021. Ahead of his highly anticipated sophomore record Mydnight (due August 29th), Myd hits the FREAKS ONLY decks with a live mix of never-before-heard Mydnight cuts and other KCRW-approved party favors (i.e.: Disclosure, Sofia Kourtesis & Daphni, etc.).

Click in now; be among the first to hear deep cuts from the album that Myd describes as “a significant evolution from his debut, with a more club-focused approach informed by three years of non-stop touring.”

Caltex Records reps the sounds of Iran from LA

Mehrdad Pakravan, a then 25-year-old Iranian immigrant, founded Caltex Records right here in LA after the 1979 revolution. Now his son, Farbod Pakravan, helps manage the label. Pakravan joins KCRW to tell us about running his record label as a family business, why hip-hop is becoming so impactful, and how SoCal has influenced Iranian music.

Your Summer Escape Starts with Reggae and Sunshine

Rank and skank with the best of 'em during Reggae on the Mountain at the Topanga Community Club (Saturday, July 26th). This sun-soaked, family-friendly, roots‑reggae celebration includes heavy hitters Julian Marley, dancehall icon Sister Nancy, and Marlon Asher. Plus, rising stars like Kat Hall and LA‑grounded veterans like Quinto Sol and Irie Nature. Oh, and of course you can expect gourmet food trucks, craft beer and wine gardens, artisan vendors, a Kids Zone, and a cannabis exhibition (natch). 

Whether you're coming for the good vibes or the community spirit, Reggae on the Mountain is your essential summer escape—snag tickets now. AND we saved the best news for last, KCRW members enjoy 15% off all ticket tiers. 

Not a member? Explore the benefits of KCRW membership to never miss out on opportunities like this!