I was going to wait to do this until Nov. 19, 2024, the 10th anniversary of this site’s launch. However, now’s the right time. Vehlinggo.com, this music website updated with various degrees of regularity since 2014, is going on an indefinite hiatus. That big deep dive with The Midnight about their upcoming Dark Horse Comics graphic novel was essentially the last interview for this site. Vehlinggo the entity will still be around, though. My creative aspirations haven’t dried up. (More on that below.) One thing you should not worry about is me pulling a move like some toxic digital-media ex ..read more

In the nearly 10 years they’ve been releasing music, The Midnight have become the biggest synthwave band in the world, especially since principals Tim McEwan and Tyler Lyle have incorporated their live members into their studio albums and have expanded their sold-out concert venues by at least a couple continents. They’ve taken what almost 20 years ago started as a relatively niche MySpace/mp3 blog genre and translated it to epic rock shows and world-building albums that engage a listener’s entire sensory experience.  So even if it’s probably unexpected that a graphic novel called The Mid ..read more

Composer Walter Mair’s music is everywhere and you might not even realize it. Perhaps you’re aware of the titles with his name on the marquee: the Apple TV+ show Liaison, starring Eva Green and Vincent Cassel; the memorable, Megan Fox-starring horror flick Til Death; and, recently, the 2023 reboot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. He’s also contributed score cues to everything from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to Ryan Gosling’s surrealist 2014 directorial debut, Lost River, and the Netflix hit Squid Game, among many more.   Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, from publisher Activision a ..read more

No, you’re not dreaming. And no, this isn’t a Vehlinggo thing. Although it reads like something I’d have dreamed up: The Midnight and Chromeo are touring this fall and, on select dates with RUTH RADELET on support. Not a drill. Not. A. Drill. (The super cool Girl Ultra is opening on some other dates.) I just posted an interview with Radelet not very long ago, so this feels like some magical serendipity of some sort. Presale begins Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 10 a.m. local time. General onsale begins Thursday, Feb. 15, at 10 a.m. local time. VIP Upgrades also available. Tickets are at themidnightoff ..read more

For 15 years Ruth Radelet fronted the endlessly cool and globally influential band Chromatics, finding herself singing and playing the occasional guitar at some of the biggest venues and festivals around the world, including one eminently popular fictional one, the Bang Bang Bar (AKA The Roadhouse) for multiple stints on Twin Peaks: The Return.  However, for the past two years, in the wake of an August 2021 disbandment announcement from her and two other band members, Adam Miller and Nat Walker, the famously kind Radelet has embarked on what could be her most interesting challenge yet: a ..read more

This year has the potential to be an enormous shit show. I don’t need to tell you why. Despite this or because of this, it’s important to surround yourself with good music. For those with turntables and a knack for the wax, I’ve thought up six new or recent releases you should consider buying to help ease the journey through the tumult.   Michael Giacchino — Society Of The Snow: Soundtrack From The Netflix Film Mutant is the new poster/toy/vinyl company from exiles of MONDO/Death Waltz in the wake of Funko’s purchase and mismanagement of those storied properties. Giacchino’s intriguing ..read more

This edition of the Listening List — formerly called various things, but for years One-Liners — is a nice blend of styles to give you something to listen to when you’re digging an electronic film score, synth-pop, the vapor-strewn, stripped-down versions of hardcore songs, and even something from an act that Aphex Twin spun in a DJ set. Hyperlink Dream Sync — “Unseen” The latest single from the delightful now-trio of Mecha Maiko, Neil Scrivin (Phonoghosts), and Eric Sferro have unfurled a show-stopping splash of breathtaking synth bliss, with Maiko’s airy vox and evocative lyrics elevating the ..read more

Vehlinggo and friends are back for another set of compelling end-of-year lists that go all over the place to recommend great music to you — our favorites of 2023 in fact. Joining me this year are familiar folks who have been involved in some or all of these articles since we started doing this in 2019 — Mecha Maiko, J.P. Bernier of Le Matos, Graham Reznick, and Rachel Reeves — with electronic producers Antoni Maiovvi and Johan Agebjörn joining us for the first time. As is true every year, this year’s faves list keeps the rules fairly loose. Contributors sometimes share five selections and othe ..read more

You might not know of Manchester, England-based The Flints yet, but you should get on board. They could be your next favorite band, after all. On that note, today the duo dropped a collaboration with Vehlinggo’s favorite duo, Electric Youth. “End of Me,” produced with Koz, who among other things produced Dua Lipa’s exquisite “Levitating,” deftly showcases the bands’ mutual appreciation for each other’s work and how an Electric Youth feature can elevate even a pristinely serene song to stratospheric heights. This is a fantastic song. Known for their transcendentally crafted rock/pop songs like ..read more

Fresh off an international tour, synth-pop act Parallels and producer SLACKMACHINE bring you something glorious to inject some kinesis into your Thanksgiving weekend. If you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, no worries. This SLACKMACHINE remix of Parallels’ “Hand With Care” will still propel your body to move with its deft reinterpretation of one of the best songs off Parallels’ most-recent album, SUPERSYMMETRY. It releases Friday, but Vehlinggo is giving you a head start. Dive in and be free. Long Beach, California-based synthwave/Italo Disco/techno/Hi-NRG artist SLACKMACHINE (AKA Brad A. Kinnan ..read more