Saturday Night Video on Canned Dragons

We Might As Well Be Strangers

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 18:00:00 -0400

The last few days have brought with them some serious nineties nostalgia. So it’s fitting that Weezer released a video for their new single, “We Might As Well Be Strangers.” The song represents a return to the form for the prolific but not always consistent band.

Perhaps the best part of the song and the video is the inclusion of guest Karly Hartzman of Wednesday. Hartzman brings her punk rock sneer and pout to the breakup song. As Grace Robins-Somerville notes for Paste Magazine, Hartzman perhaps outshines Weezer’s frontman.

If a countrygaze queen like Hartzman has proven herself the rightful heir to the feedback-stacked angst-jangle that skyrocketed Weezer to stardom in the mid-Nineties, then Cuomo sounds as though he’s outgrown it.

I’m not sure I completely agree with the sentiment that a collaboration is some sort of contest. It’s more about chemistry and here Cuomo and Hartzman work well together.

Weezer - We Might As Well Be Strangers (YouTube)

See a post about Wednesday’s single Elderberry Wine here.

Jim Carol New Year

Sat, 06 Jun 2026 18:00:00 -0400

With Life in Small Spaces, the upcoming album from Black Marble, the project’s creator, Chris Stewart, taps into one of my semi-obsessions. The album’s description on its Bandcamp page has further details on the clue we are given with the album title.

It is an invitation to accept and consciously agree to a more minimal lifestyle for the sake of creative expression and freedom, and to never need to compromise your values for the tempting illusion of success.

I periodically look at tiny houses on the internet, compelled by the idea that life can become more expansive by scaling back. My youngest son’s favorite show for a while was Tiny House Nation, and we used to speculate on what life would be like with some bespoke small dwelling.

“Jim Carol New Year” is the first track available from the album, and it’s not a giant departure from Stewart’s previous work as Black Marble. ¹ The album is described as having more guitar replacing the ever present synths, but evidence of that is scant on this song.

Black Marble - Jim Carol New Year (YouTube)

What, if anything, this song has to do with Jim Carol of Basketball Diaries fame, I’m not sure. ↩︎

Heart Still Beats

Sat, 16 May 2026 18:44:00 -0400

I’ve been on a post-punk x new wave kind of kick the last several days, after I learned Black Marble (who I blogged about last year) are going to be playing nearby in September. The algorithm overlords recommended Castlebeat to me after the end of a listening sesh of “Bigger Than Life.” I hadn’t listened to Castlebeat in a few years, but remembered them from this fan video using footage from the best movie ever to take place in a Target big box store — Career Opportunities.

The video for “Heart Still Beats” is filled with the 80s-era skateboardings of Jaya Bonderov, shredding up the streets and occasionally being accosted by the more responsible adults from the area. The film reminds me of how fun skateboarding was in that decade. The casual tick-tacking, the tweaked-out grabs, wall rides, the freedom to take your feet off the board, the low-stakes curb grinds, and graphics with fancy monsters.

Castlebeat - Heart Still Beats (YouTube)

Falling On My Sword

Sat, 23 Aug 2025 18:30:00 -0400

In honor of Tops’ new album Bury The Key being released yesterday, I’m featuring one of the tracks, “Falling On My Sword,” as the Saturday Night Video this week.

“Falling On My Sword” is my favorite among the early singles from this LP and probably the one that most closely matches the 70’s prog rock-inspired cover art. It’s a bit of a left turn for Tops. Based on their previous work, you would think anything born of a seventies influence would be more in line with late-decade disco (and the remainder of the album features some of that).

The tempo on this song will mess with your sense of equilibrium. It speeds up and down mindless of whether or not you are packing your Dramamine. The fuzzed out guitars bring a level of sludge previously unheard in the indie pop band’s music and the bassline sounds like being chased by a demon.

Tops - Falling On My Sword (YouTube)

I don’t harbor many regrets in my life, but there are a few shows that I wish I had attended. When Tops played locally with Men I Trust a couple of years ago, I missed it due to my frustration with Ticketmaster and their service charge shenanigans. I refused to purchase tickets simply on principle. I’m so glad I get another chance to see the band.¹

I still have to get out to see Men I Trust at some point. What a split bill. ↩︎

High Beams

Sat, 24 May 2025 19:03:51 -0400

Brothers Evan and Quinn Seurkamp, who primarily make up the Ohio band The Laughing Chimes, call upon the hauntings of the Appalachian foothills of their native state as inspiration for their gothic jangly post-punk. There is a wistfulness appropriate to the rust belt and its faded glory that pervades their album Whispers in the Speech Machine.

“High Beams” is one of the catchier, more upbeat tracks on the album. The vocals call to mind Peter Murphy and the keyboards add some sparkle. One can imagine this is what Bauhaus might have sounded like after indulging in some Special-K.

The Laughing Chimes - High Beams (YouTube)

WARNING: This video may potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.