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Save Your Beers

 This past November was quite alright. After lengthy gaps both The Cure and The Dopamines blessed us with new albums. I don't think either album has fully set in for me yet, but I wanted to inform you that if you haven't checked out either albums yet...you will not be disappointed. The Dopamines 80/20 smokes. The same band that brought us 2017's Tales of Interest comes again with lyrics that are often quite angry and/or dark with a fair amount of introspection, poppy punk music, hypnotic basslines. To me the music for Save Your Beers has one foot in late 90's/early 2000's alt rock with that verse riff, if you just played me the riff with no lyrics and told me it was from the Green Album I wouldn't argue with you, then the punk kicks in with some classic bass bridge in the mix. Weiner wrote and has lead vocals for two songs on this album (I haven't pulled out the previous albums but I don't believe he's had lead vocals and I'm assuming with only backing/Cincinnati harmony vocals he didn't write any lyrics), I believe that's also Weiner's voice that shows up on Groundhog's Day Parade (which is such an unhinged banger, the "ha ha ha ha" is slightly unsettling in such a great way). Anyway, the Weiner songs make it bitter sweet that he has vacated his position in the band (with Mr. Erg filling in [at least in the interim?] this time on bass instead of second guitar) because they were fantastic. Jon Lewis writes amazing lyrics, he always has and, assuming the trend continues, always will. When I read them from the lyric sheet they seem to eschew formula, I can't even fathom how he can remember them live. The album art is great, it captures the tone of the album perfectly (even though I keep seeing the alternative non-RGF covers and the collector in me wants them all). The test pressing silkscreen cover is absolutely on point. Long live The Dopamines.

Doritos is doing their limited time thing these days. The bag that sits in front of me right now is a "Chef Collab" bag of Spicy Tropical Fusion. I don't typically say anything to do with the artwork(?) of chip bags, but the faint gold/silver/bronze floral/tropical plant print on top of a black bag with gold highlights is quite eye catching, whoever laid this bag out should have a credit on the back. So these Spicy Tropical Fusion are a colab of 3 chefs (and their flavours), Minh Phat (Cantonese-Vietnamese), Siobhan Detkavich (Hawaiian) and Andre Bhagwandat (Jamaican). Doritos are decent crunch corn chips (but not overly corny) if you've never had them in North America. There's a lot going on with this flavour. The flavour for me that is up front and centre is cilantro. There's a pleasant sweetness, if I hadn't seen the pineapple on the bag I may have been able to pick it out as being pineapple. I don't know what exactly jerk seasoning is but I enjoy it when I have it and there's a nice jerk bite to the chips. It's not overly aggressive just a flavourful hot pepper heat with a bit of smokeyness...or like, a slight meat flavour, it's not typical chicken chip flavour but it's, well, it's slightly charred chicken maybe. These chips are unique and pretty tasty. 

Stay hydrated,

Marc

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