Put A Record On: An Anti-Patriotic Playlist

And a brief homage to a great music writer gone too soon.

Today is the 3rd of July which means tomorrow must be the Fourth — and there’s not really much worth saying about that besides I hope you have the day off, that the drinks are cool and refreshing and the food delicious and decadent. There’s a decent chance you’ll encounter people playing some of the more embarrassingly chauvinistic country tunes for the holiday, which is why we’re offering some counter-programming with an updated version of our “Your Fourth Of July Fireworks Won’t Get You Into Heaven” playlist. No God blessing or ass kicking (except of fascists). We’re gonna make this one free for all readers, because everybody needs a little sung real-talk from a slew of excellent artists. Equal parts anguish and hope!

I also wanted to note the untimely passing of Austin music writer Michael Corcoran (

michaelcorcoran

) earlier this week — a fearless, thoughtful, funny fount of Texas music knowledge who I came to know via the internet way too late. I am heartbroken that I’ll never get to meet him and learn from him in person, although the massive quantity of work he left in his wake is a small comfort. His passion and prolific output are inspirational (just look at how frequently he sent out his newsletter!), as is his relentless curiosity; this essay about the joys and challenges of writing about music history makes me want to get right back in the archives.

I didn’t know Corcoran, sadly, but I know that I want to work that hard and well, if that makes sense. It’s a huge loss for the Texas music community that left me more sad than all the other awful news of the week (so far) — I heartily recommend diving into his vast archive (on and off Substack) if you want to learn some things.

Anyway! Stay cool (literally and figuratively); here are some tunes for your holiday weekend (all our playlists are available to paying subscribers right here!), on Spotify and Apple Music!

- Natalie