In honor of the holidays (and us being pretty fried because of the holidays, and the entire year that preceded them) this week’s episode is even more laid back and conversational than normal, and we hit record without any specific topic in mind. After some muttering and grumbling about getting older, and also how we were friends with Dash Rendar without realizing it, the conversation turned to what we’ve been listening to this year, music-wise. So, something along the lines of Max and Brian’s Spotify Wrapped: The Radio Drama, but with some of our usual detours and tangents.

For anyone who prefers a more cohesive, less shoegaze-y audio product, don’t worry, This Thing Rules will return to its regularly scheduled programming in 2025. Thanks for bearing with us during these trying and festive holiday times.
Here are the albums, artists and music-adjacent media we mentioned (or alluded to) in chronological order:

Alli Goertz - Peeled back

LL Cool  - The FORCE

Rome Streetz - Hat & garden hold up

Griselda Records (Conway The Machine, Benny The Butcher, Westside Gunn, Daringer)

HEALTH - RAT WARS ULTRA EDITION

Pixel grip - ARENA / Stamina

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - Challengers [MIXED] by Boys Noize

NIN - Add Violence

NIN - The Fragile

The Sparks Brothers (2021 documentary)

Sparks - No. 1 in Heaven

Sparks - Exotic Creatures of the Deep

Abba - Gold (greatest hits record, but also 33 ⅓ book about said record)

Beastie Boys Book by Ad-Rock and Mike D (book and audiobook)

Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty

Madonna: Like an Icon by Lucy O’Brien (book)

The Prodigy - Fat of the Land (and its album art by JAKe Detonator)

Rage Against The Machine - Evil Empire

Rage Against The Machine - Renegades

Beck - Sea Change

Nirvana - Nevermind

Nirvana - In Utero

Nirvana - Unplugged