Queue is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.FUNDAMENTAL 01. Some Say by Nirosta Steel (Some Say, recorded 1985)Record
Queue is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.A friend (whose lovely Substack can be found here) recently pointed out s
Gospel funk emerged in the 1970s, when church-going musicians began channeling their spirituality through the same instruments and rhythms that filled dance floors. For decades, most of these recordin
FUNDAMENTAL 01. 37°2 le matin by Gabriel Yared (37°2 le matin, released 1986)The title score to Jean-Jacques Beineix’s 1986 film (released in English as “Betty Blue”), and it’s one of Gabriel Yared’s
Introducing my favorite new releases of 2025, a survey of somewhat lesser-celebrated tracks and artists that spoke to both the current climate and my personal interests throughout the year. Rather tha
Holiday music tends to settle into the same old patterns of cheer and repetition: pleasant in its nostalgia, but speaking to only one level of the season’s emotional range. I’ve gathered a tasteful, 2
This year, for the first time since its establishment in 1988, the U.S. government did not formally observe World AIDS Day. This absence, as symbolic as it may seem, landed heavily. For many, it felt
The holidays are the dinner course of the calendar year, when life shifts into a more communal rhythm: invitations multiply, tables get longer, and even our outfits are preplanned. And yet the soundtr
Something very gay has been happening in the music industry this fall. Releases from pop divas like Rosalía, Robyn, Charli xcx, FKA twigs, Oklou, and even Lily Allen have been dropping in rapid succes
As the world hurtles into the era of AI across nearly every cultural plane, I’ve been revisiting early electronic music, drawn back to how it captured both the optimism and the unease of a future arri
FUNDAMENTAL 1. Lay My Love by John Cale & Brian Eno (Wrong Way Up, released 1990)It has recently come to my attention that John Cale is, in fact, a bit of a diva (a revelation that’s only deepened my
RECENT RELEASE1. The Sky for You And I by Misha Panfilov (Skyways, released this month)It’s Autumn In New York, and I’ve succumbed to the seasonal delusion that life should feel like a romantic comedy
Welcome to Queue, a weekly dispatch of five songs that I think are worth your attention. With each edition, I’ll update the weekly playlist (follow here), while the archive playlist (follow here) will