A Song For Friday: Mike D
A friend/legend drops a jam-packed banger of a debut single. Also: Loraine James, Black Milk, General Chaos, The Sleeves, Abby Fisher, and Maiani da Silva.
I’ve written before about how I was friends with Michael Diamond way before he became “Clarence,” or even Mike D. And while we’re more like extended family than nuclear these days, one thing I haven’t talked much about is our bond of grief. I’m not going to go into details—some of it is public, anyway—but suffice it to say that we’ve been there for each other through too many losses, many of them people far, far before their time.
So, when I saw Mike post a clip of himself playing around in the studio with the caption, “In my happy place,” and teasing new music, my heart lifted. Then he played a concert with his sons, whose excellent band, Very Nice Person, released their fun debut earlier this year. As he continued to tease new music, I didn’t even care if the results were any good. Just the idea that he was finding joy in music again after everything was enough for me.
But I am ecstatic to report that Switch Up (Capitol), Mike D’s first salvo as a solo artist, is out today and IT. IS. FAB! In under four minutes, it’s jam-packed with so many ideas that putting it on repeat is almost like listening to a whole album.
Starting with some scrapes, squiggles, and watery guitar, it soon launches into a stuttering drum’n’bass rhythm with Mike barking out something about a “Switch up” through one of those toy mics the Beastie Boys used to use. A heavy bass threads in, adding weight, before heading into a verse-like section, with squealing guitar and Mike’s vocals. Then the second chorus leads into an increasingly noisy bridge, with Mike bringing a vocal energy that I’ve never heard from him before. It’s so cool! Things break apart and come together a few more times, with Mike showing off a few more varieties of flow, before the beat gets spacey, slowing things down, and a string section brings us home.
It’s also so nice to see that not only are Davis and Skyler Diamond on the track, but Mike has connected with L.A. luminaries like Eddie Ruscha, AKA E Ruscha V, who contributes guitars along with Jared Solomon. Other people in the mix are Carter Lang (bass, drums), Aaron Paris (string arrangement), Benjamin Pacheco (drums, synth), and Christopher Stracey (drums). Finding community through music can be healing.
As for the lyrics, amidst the repetition (And then we and then we and then we”), Mike gets off some zingers:
On the phone get your get your full connection
It’s not always there need some introspection
And then you check the connection
They rigged the election
Oh hell yes, we are so back. Mike will be playing a few shows, which sold out fast. But keep an eye on his brand-new (and tres cool) website for details of any future appearances or releases. I don’t know about you, but this debut single from my old friend/music legend just switched up my whole attitude!
Listen to most of the songs for Friday here or below.
Other Recent Releases
Loraine James - Detached From The Rest Of You (Hyperdub) James, a London-based producer, composer, and performer, approaches electronic music from two main angles. On 2023’s Gentle Confrontation, she created a series of songs that combined glitch, R&B, and rock with “captivating” results. As Whatever The Weather, James leans into her ambient side, as on last year’s II, which provided varying degrees of reset for “your emotional temperature.” On Detached, the sense of mastery of both intent and execution is even more palpable than on her earlier releases. On track after track, she takes chances with change-ups in mood, tone, and texture, sticking the landing every single time. Even her choice of collaborators is bold, as on Peak Again, which features Alan Sparhawk, who is having a very interesting career in the wake of the tragic death of Mimi Parker, his partner in life and music.
Dropping the silky grit of his voice into a sleek, spacious R&B environment creates a lonely dissonance that adds resonance to the lyrics: “Instead of waging war/We should be making love.” About halfway through the song, she throws in one of those changes, a dazzling series of shards of white noise and glitter. When the basic groove returns, it hits all that much harder. Other vocalists on the album include the sweet sounds of Sydney Spann, Anysia Kim, Miho Hatori, and Tirzah, plus hard-rhyming bars from Le3 bLACK. But James is also using her voice more, singing as if to herself on songs like The Book Of Self Doubt while surrounded by a baffling array of sonic details. Based on this thrilling album, that book should now be firmly shut.
Black Milk - Ceremonial (Computer Ugly) Combining conversational, relatable rhymes with next-level tracks, many featuring a smoking live rhythm section (RoDerrick Gaston (bass), Jarelle James (drums), and Chris Sholar (guitar) - who are these guys?), Ceremonial is Curtis Cross’s best album since 2018’s Fever. Part of what makes it so great is the variety, with instrumentals like the title track offering an opportunity to vibe out as Cross jams on synths as if he broke into TONTO after Stevie Wonder left for the day sometime back in 1973. He’s got a few guests to break things up, too, including a sweet-voiced Brandon Myster and Chicago luminaries like Saba and BJ The Chicago Kid. “I’m never finished with this never-ending work of art/Sistine Chapel so yeah the stakes high,” Black Milk raps on In The Sky, and we’re the winners because he aims so high.
General Chaos - Can’t Please’Em All (Stomp) When it comes to punk being made in the 21st century, I am notoriously hard to please. So imagine my surprise when these 16-year-olds from Montreal hit my sweet spot! Song after song features rough and ready riffs, rabble-rousing vocals, and rhythms that just won’t quit. When Remi Jacques (drums), Constantin Blondy (guitar & vocals), and Aude Deniger (bass & vocals) are a little older, they can come down to NYC and tear it up at a Show Brain festival in Tompkins Square Park. I’ll be there!
The Sleeves - s/t (12XU) It’s no knock on this album’s distinctive brand of mellow dissonance to say that it sounded even better when the clouds descended, and my windows got streaked with delicate raindrops. But Jack Cooper and Tara Cunningham (both of Modern Nature), who combine their telegraphic guitars and hushed vocals on songs that have almost as much space as sound, probably already knew that. But don’t wait for the rains to come to allow this album’s unique approach to song into your life.
Abby Fisher - Continuous Interior (Neuma): “Is this a soundtrack?” my wife asked as we listened to the title piece, composed by Robert Honstein for vibraphone, electronics, and string quartet. The answer was “No,” but with Honstein’s evocative style, which combines the whimsical and the bittersweet, it certainly could have been. It could also be subtitled “Music for Shopping Malls and Other Limitless Interiors,” as Honstein was inspired by the experience of massive indoor spaces we probably take too much for granted. The glassy electronics and silky strings (played by the Bergamot Quartet) might not have you focusing on Fisher’s playing. Still, she’s in there, asking only that you rethink your ideas of “percussion.” Her commanding technique is more present in Andrea Mazzareillo’s Figure To Ground for vibraphone, glockenspiel, and kick drum, a 24-minute piece that creates a reflective mood.
Maiani da Silva - Brouhaha: Shaped By Fire (Sono Luminus) To create this beautifully conceived and recorded collection for solo violin, voice, and electronics, Maiani da Silva (Eighth Blackbird) collaborated with five composers on an anthropological theme. In Jascha Narveson’s A Little Time (2023), one highlight among many, da Silva creates a sepulchral atmosphere with her breathing, and then decorates the sound with bright pizzicato notes. As they ring out, it sounds like the existence of light is being revealed as you listen. For Bloom (2025), Fjóla Evans drew on theories about the human relationship with flowers, pairing a searching solo part with a rich electronic backdrop to wistful effect. Da Silva’s formidable technique and total engagement with the music are on full display on these and four other world-premiere recordings of works by Ian Gottlieb, Zachary Good, Viet Cuong, and Kelly Polar. I don’t know about causing a brouhaha, but it’s an exciting listen!
Note: the graphic above is based on a photo by Jack Coleman.
From The Archives
Appearances: Beastie Boys Square And Beyond