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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · 3d

I get that there are too many bands mining the Hum/Deftones/Nothing'y space right now and it's beginning to feel pretty derivative but I just thing the Glimmer album is sick anyway lol

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Reposted by CJ Simonson

Merry-Go-Round Magazine @mgrmagazine.bsky.social · 10d

Listen to Editor-in-Chief @cjsimonson.bsky.social gab about the music of the early '50s over on the @indieheadspod.bsky.social!

Indieheads Podcast @indieheadspod.bsky.social · 10d

Out now wherever you find podcasts, we’re joined by @mgrmagazine.bsky.social’s @cjsimonson.bsky.social on this season premiere of our new series, The 1950’s Number Ones.

Find your platform of choice here: linktr.ee/indieheadspodcast

SONGS DISCUSSED:
Gene Autry - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The Ames Brothers - Rag Mop
Red Foley - Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy
Teresa Brewer - Music! Music! Music!
Eileen Barton - If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd Have Baked a Cake
Perry Como - Hoop Dee-Doo
Anton Karas - The Harry Lime Theme - From "The Third Man"
Nat King Cole - Mona Lisa
The Weavers - Goodnight Irene
Phil Harris - The Thing

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Indieheads Podcast @indieheadspod.bsky.social · 12d

On the premiere episode of the 1950's Number Ones, we're joined by @mgrmagazine.bsky.social’s @cjsimonson.bsky.social as we relay every #1 hit from Truman’s State of the Union to the End of the Battle of the Ch’ongch’on River.

Support us now on Patreon to hear the full episode over 48 hours early!

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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · 15d

Best Golden Apples album to date by quite a bit, in my estimation

Golden Apples - "Noonday Demon" (Official Music Video)

YouTube video by lameorecords

www.youtube.com

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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · 21d

Wrote about some plane movies:

Merry-Go-Round Magazine @mgrmagazine.bsky.social · 25d

The last two gasps for summer box office relevance came and went, with THE ROSES and CAUGHT STEALING falling flat as fine films ideal for cable commercial interruption. TNT? USA? TBS? This kind of amicable, average, agreeable filmmaking is for you!

So-So Summer Concludes with Middling Cable Classics In THE ROSES and CAUGHT STEALING - MGRM

The last two major gasps for summer box office relevance came and went, with both THE ROSES and CAUGHT STEALING landing as average films ideal for cable commercial interruption.

merrygoroundmagazine.com

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Reposted by CJ Simonson

Chris Coplan @chriscoplan.bsky.social · 22d

You think I just go on and on and on about comics? No, dude, my blow-hard-ed-ness also applies to music, like that of the awesome BRNDA. My latest for @mgrmagazine.bsky.social:

BRNDA Remain Ravenous for Fresh Ideas and Challenges - Merry-Go-Round Magazine

Washington, D.C.’s BRNDA explore a playful collage of human suffering on TOTAL PAIN the same way they always have, by offering brilliantly dry art-rock that eschews boundaries and boxes.

merrygoroundmagazine.com

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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · 25d

Love Jens Lekman, but that was TOO MUCH Jens Lekman.

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Merry-Go-Round Magazine @mgrmagazine.bsky.social · Aug 29

@chrisdeville.bsky.social's new book, SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS, is a thorough and often necessary feeling exploration of blog era indie rock writ large, from Pavement to Mitski to Sufjan and beyond. For those of us who lived it, it's a refreshing read but a devastating reminder of the passage of time.

I Was There: SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS Is A Necessary Indie Rock Compendium - MGRM

Chris DeVille's new book, SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS, is thorough exploration of blog era indie rock. For those who lived it, it's a refreshing read if not a devastating reminder of the passage of time.

merrygoroundmagazine.com

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Merry-Go-Round Magazine @mgrmagazine.bsky.social · Aug 21

Merry-Go-Round Magazine is officially 10 years old! Owner and former Editor-in-Chief Thomas Seraydarian reflects on what a decade has meant—the ups, the downs, last weekend's MGRM10 shows, and the zen art of just continuing to do it the same as it ever was (because someone has to).

Merry-Go-Round Magazine at 10 - MGRM

Celebrating 10 years of Merry-Go-Round Magazine, formerly known as Crossfader, Owner Thomas Seraydarian looks back on a decade of independent publishing.

merrygoroundmagazine.com

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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · Aug 2

Wrote about a few things I’m nostalgic for (Streetlight Manifesto, Nanami Ozone):

Merry-Go-Round Magazine @mgrmagazine.bsky.social · Aug 1

Happy Bandcamp Friday! Check out our Picks of the Week, including a charity compilation of Streetlight Manifesto covers put together by @lonelyghostrecords.com, and Neu Blume's year best cosmic folk album LET IT WIN! Read about both and then support them on @bandcamp.com!

Bandcamp Picks: Neu Blume & 16 SONGS OF REVOLUTION - Merry-Go-Round Magazine

It's our Bandcamp Picks, including a charity compilation of Streetlight Manifesto covers thrown together by Lonely Ghost Records, and Neu Blume's year best cosmic folk album LET IT WIN!

merrygoroundmagazine.com

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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · Jul 26

Kinda stopped keeping up with him in the early ‘90s…

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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · Jul 26

The thing about TONY HAWK PRO SKATER 3 + 4 is that 4 is remarkably harder than 3.

Reposted by CJ Simonson

Merry-Go-Round Magazine @mgrmagazine.bsky.social · Jul 4

Twenty years after its release, and on July 4th no less, Sufjan Stevens' ILLINOIS feels like a hopeful piece of fiction. The America in these songs isn’t the one we live in today, but through community and solidarity, we can make it into something better.

ILLINOIS at 20: Envisioning an America Worth Celebrating - Merry-Go-Round Magazine

On the 20th anniversary of its release, Sufjan Stevens' ILLINOIS reads as a remarkable piece of fiction, a hopeful vision for an America and a Chicago that don't currently exist.

merrygoroundmagazine.com

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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · Jul 1

The thing about Wavves is, they're a genuinely amazing singles band, and if I was *insert name of big pop punk / rock band* I'd hire Nathan to help write songs for me yesterday

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Reposted by CJ Simonson

Merry-Go-Round Magazine @mgrmagazine.bsky.social · Jun 24

@jackprobst.com is dusting off some LPs and exploring how music becomes etched into our own stories. This month: Learning to wear earplugs. Contemplating your sexuality. Awkwardly meeting your idols. Bob Mould's BODY OF SONG. It's a tale from the Bargain Bin!

The Bargain Bin: Bob Mould's BODY OF SONG - Merry-Go-Round Magazine

Learning to wear earplugs. Contemplating your sexuality. The awkwardness of meeting your idols. Bob Mould's BODY OF SONG. It's a tale from the Bargain Bin!

merrygoroundmagazine.com

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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · Jun 26

At one point a sound drop of Don in the final episode of MAD MEN lamenting he’s never made anything of himself transitions us into A$AP Rocky’s “Everyday,” you should come and dance with us!

Merry-Go-Round Magazine @mgrmagazine.bsky.social · Jun 25

We’re thrilled to announce (at the decade mark of Carly Rae Jepsen’s own essential text no less) E•MO•TION: A 2015 Dance Party! In looking back on 10 years of MGRM, we thought it appropriate to kitchen sink the year of our founding into one big disco night.

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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · Jun 21

Processed my hatred of MATERIALISTS:

Merry-Go-Round Magazine @mgrmagazine.bsky.social · Jun 20

There is little in the way of conflict in MATERIALISTS, a film that has been sold as a love triangle romance but in reality features zero love triangles. Celine Song is becoming a bad version of Nora Ephron for a braindead cohort of young romantics.

MATERIALISTS Checks Zero Boxes - Merry-Go-Round Magazine

MATERIALISTS, Celine Song's much anticipated PAST LIVES follow up, sells itself as a love triangle. It's not only not that, it's just flat out bad.

merrygoroundmagazine.com

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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · Jun 16

Had the honor of premiering the new @fleshtape.bsky.social EP today ahead of its release tomorrow. Their debut from last year was incredible and this EP picks right up where that left off!

Merry-Go-Round Magazine @mgrmagazine.bsky.social · Jun 16

Tomorrow, @fleshtape.bsky.social release GRAVESITE, an EP that teeters on the edge of despair and hope while the noise consumes us, affirming that a better future is possible. We have that EP streaming a day early on the site right now! Give it a listen today!

Flesh Tape's New EP GRAVESITE Is Music For Our Current Moment - Merry-Go-Round Magazine

Flesh Tape are built for our current moment. Their latest EP, GRAVESITE, is a continuation of the noisy catharsis they were exploring on last years debut album!

merrygoroundmagazine.com

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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · Jun 3

Tonight’s episode of Game Changer is just remarkable stuff. On a tremendous hot streak here this season.

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Reposted by CJ Simonson

Merry-Go-Round Magazine @mgrmagazine.bsky.social · May 31

It's our Bandcamp Pick of the Week, featuring (possibly?) the first ever proper Armenian death metal album, Exileth's DEATH OF THE ALMIGHTY, out now via Satanath Records! Read all about it and then grab a copy over on @bandcamp.com!

Bandcamp Pick: Exileth - Merry-Go-Round Magazine

It's our Bandcamp Pick of the Week, featuring (possibly?) the first proper Armenian death metal album, Exileth's DEATH OF THE ALMIGHTY!

merrygoroundmagazine.com

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Reposted by CJ Simonson

Merry-Go-Round Magazine @mgrmagazine.bsky.social · May 13

"Context doesn’t matter anymore. Does the supervillain who rattles off cruel comments and fascist ideology make you feel seen? Then sure, he’s the protagonist."

On THUNDERBOLTS*'s John Walker, modern superhero tropes, and the Homelander Effect.

THUNDERBOLTS* and The 2020s Super-Fascists - Merry-Go-Round Magazine

On THUNDERBOLTS*'s John Walker, the undercurrent of fascism running through modern superhero storytelling, and the Homelander Effect.

merrygoroundmagazine.com

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Reposted by CJ Simonson

Merry-Go-Round Magazine @mgrmagazine.bsky.social · May 16

It's our Bandcamp Picks of the Week, featuring a pair of debut self-titled releases, including a blissfully nostalgic EP from Los Angeles dream pop purveyors After, as well as a whirring, dancy rock album from Danish duo 100%WET, out now via @crunchyfrogrecords.bsky.social! Read about both today!

Bandcamp Picks: 100%WET & After - Merry-Go-Round Magazine

It's our Bandcamp Picks, featuring a pair of debut self-titled releases, a blissfully nostalgic EP from Los Angeles dream pop purveyors After, the other a whirring, dancy rock album from Danish duo 10...

merrygoroundmagazine.com

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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · May 7

The modern C3 Presents style of music festival poster, specifically for recent Austin City Limits and Lollapalpozas, sucks shit. Just a big block of text that’s impossible to navigate, nowhere to draw your eye. Horrible.

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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · Apr 8

Hello! I have spent essentially seven months working largely by myself on this and it’s finally here… tickets on sale Wednesday. For like 53ish bucks total you could have two incredible days of music and fun. And I’ll probably buy ya a drink. Hoping for a big sell out! Cheers!

Merry-Go-Round Magazine @mgrmagazine.bsky.social · Apr 7

We blinked and somehow 10 years passed. We're thrilled to announce MGRM10, two nights of live music in Los Angeles to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Merry-Go-Round Magazine!

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CJ Simonson @cjsimonson.bsky.social · Apr 6

Watched both CHILLY SCENES OF WINTER and CASABLANCA tonight and it’s funny that both are about a dude conveniently being in a relationship with a married woman and their reactions when the relationships end couldn’t be more different.

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