Welcome back to Pop Loser! This week, we say fuck you to Spotify, congrats to Jenny Lewis (and her dog), and farewell to two talented musicians. Ya Tseen’s Nicholas Galanin shows us his sea of analog synths. And move over, Sabrina Carpenter, Robyn has a new ovulation anthem, and it’s way hornier than “Juno.”

This Week in Music

The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir has died at age 78. His family shared in a statement on Sunday that the jam band’s cofounder “transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones,” after a battle with cancer and underlying lung issues. Weir played with the Grateful Dead for the entirety of the band’s 30-year run, along with Kingfish, Bob Weir Band, Dead & Company, and more.

This mortal coil also lost Black Midi founding member Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin. The 26-year-old guitarist played on the band’s debut album, Schlagenheim, before leaving in 2021 due to mental health reasons. In their statement, the Kwasniewski-Kelvin family added, “A talented musician and a kind, loving man finally succumbed; despite all efforts…. He will always be loved. Please take a moment to check in with your loved ones so we can stop this happening to our young men.”

Spotify is no longer running ICE recruitment ads. But make no mistake, it’s just a meaningless case of convenient timing: The ad campaign simply ended on Wednesday, just before an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good. Despite the platform using this headline to get in our good graces, the end of this specific campaign does not mean an end to these types of ads. The Guardian reports that ICE has planned a $100 million yearlong media barrage for what it calls “wartime recruitment,” targeting conservative radio show listeners, gun rights aficionados, military affairs followers, and “men’s interests enthusiasts.”

Finally, something nice and wholesome! Jenny Lewis celebrated her 50th birthday on Thursday by “marrying” her beloved dog, Bobby Rhubarb (made famous by her 2021 song “Puppy and a Truck”). To mark the occasion, Postal Service bandmate Ben Gibbard joined Lewis in a performance of "Such Great Heights.”

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Immaculate Collection with Ya Tseen

Tlingit artist Yéil Ya Tseen (aka Nicholas Galanin) is known for his work across artistic mediums, from wood carving and sculpture to video work and his ever-evolving musical project, Ya Tseen. On his newest album, Stand on My Shoulders, Ya Tseen brings on collaborators Portugal. The Man, Pink Siifu, and Meshell Ndegeocello, among many others, for an album inspired by the gifts given by ancestors and the collective responsibilities to future generations. Genre-wise, the album is difficult to peg, blending electronic music with hip-hop, funk, and goth, but it has sonic similarities to labelmates Washed Out and Shabazz Palaces. I caught up with Galanin ahead of his album release show on Friday at the Clock-Out Lounge to chat about the collections of tools that are behind his shapeshifting work: woodcarving tools and analog synths.

What do you collect?

In my art studio, I have a collection of hand tools I use for woodworking, wood carving, etc. I was trained as a wood carver in my community. I also have a growing collection of analog synthesizers, which are also tools for the music studio.

What was the first item you acquired in this collection?

I made my own adze blades and handles; these were the first tools in my woodworking collection. I think the first serious synths added to my studio were the Moog One and Grandmother.

What is the most prized item in your collection?

I have some old Japanese chouna adzes I recently acquired and use. They are incredible and useful! As for synths in the space station, I love the Jupiter 8.

Tell me about an item you'd like to add to your collection.

I think about the Yamaha CS-80; I have a CS-60 but would love to upgrade to the 80. Also the Yamaha DX1.

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Music Events Worth Your Hard-Earned Money This Week:

Grrrizzly, Sick Crush, Digital Darlings Jan 14, Chop Suey, 8 pm, 21+

Joey Largent and Maumae: Moonlight Dream Dervishes Jan 15, Chapel Performance Space, 6:30 pm, all ages

THUMP (All Vinyl) Jan 15, Timbre Room, 10 pm, 21+

Ya Tseen (Record Release) with Ashley Young Jan 16, Clock-Out Lounge, 9 pm, 21+

Seattle Opera: Daphne in Concert Jan 16 & 18, McCaw Hall, various times, all ages

Constant Smiles Jan 17, Vera Project, 7 pm, all ages

KEXP Presents: 26th Annual Expansions MLK Unity Party & Live Broadcast Jan 18, Clock-Out Lounge, 6 pm, 21+

Painting the Town Red: The Music of Billie Holiday Jan 19, Royal Room, 7:30 pm, all ages

Crushed with Swinging Jan 20, Baba Yaga, 8 pm, 21+

The Songs That Keep Me Up at Night:

"Sexistential” by Robyn

“Shocking,” “utterly bonkers,” and “oh my…” are just a few of the comments from viewers who saw Robyn absolutely GAG America last week on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In this day and age, it is nearly impossible to create any type of art that reflects our times while actually being enjoyable (Exhibit A: when everyone released a COVID album). But, oh my god, the queen of Swedish electropop has done it. “Sexistential” includes lyrics about dating apps, hormonal rants on IG, and having a boner for Adam Driver. What really makes this work is that she leans into the absurd and has fun with it. I love you, Robyn!

“Jackson Browne” by Cathy Hamer

With just under 30 views at the time I am writing this, Cathy Hamer’s “Jackson Browne” might take the cake for the most obscure song I’ve shared on Pop Loser. But that won’t be for long, because thankfully, Numero Group has some reissues in the works! Hamer is the mother of singer-songwriter Kate Bollinger, who unearthed her mother’s ’70s folk recordings while digging through her record collection. Bollinger writes: “She wrote many of these songs in her late teen years while living in St. Thomas, selling suntan lotion by the pool, and playing a weekly gig at a local restaurant.” “Jackson Browne” is just one of those sunny songs of youth, which has a DIY production evocative of ‘80s post-punk bands that came later, like Marine Girls and Young Marble Giants.

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