Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

October 2025 Playlist:

With new albums from The Format @theformat.com and Hem @hemmusic.bsky.social coming soon, it seems like the dream of the early 2000s indie music blogosphere is alive & well in 2025.

YouTube Music: music.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Spotify:
open.spotify.com/playlist/3zP...

October 2025 Playlist cover image drawn by my wife - three hissing snakes with horns that look a little bit wicked - a reference to the Vampire Weekend song "Harmony Hall," which includes the lyric: "wicked snakes inside the place you thought was dignified"

October 2025 Playlist tracklisting in numerical order:
01. Ezra Furman & the Harpoons- “Mysterious Power”
02. Black Country, New Road- “Besties”
03. Wet Leg- “Wet Dream”
04. Beck- “Think I’m in Love”
05. The Format- “Holy Roller”
06. The Buoys- “Check Mate”
07. Taylor Swift- “long story short”
08. Tennis- “Mean Streets”
09. Vampire Weekend- “Harmony Hall”
10. Dua Lipa- “IDGAF”
11. Social House- “Magic in the Hamptons” (feat. Lil Yachty)
12. Bon Iver- “Day One” (feat. Dijon & Flock of Dimes)
13. Chet Faker- “Get High”
14. Silk Sonic- “Leave the Door Open”
15. Yola- “I Don’t Wanna Lie”
16. Post Malone- “Who Needs You”
17. Fountains of Wayne- “Hung Up on You”
18. Valerie June- “The Hour”
19. Fenne Lily- “Berlin”
20. Big Thief- “Paul”
21. Stephen Sanchez- “Be More”
22. The War and Treaty- “Have You a Heart”
23. Ben Folds- “Fred Jones, Pt. 2” (feat. John McCrea of CAKE)
24. Lana Del Rey- “Old Money”

Note to Future Self:
(Since it's Thanksgiving weekend and I actually have some spare time to jot down some archival notes for myself)

I can't believe there's a new song from The Format! Also, this new Bon Iver album is really good. I forgot how much I loved that Ezra Furman song, and it is a hot take to think that "IDGAF" is Dua Lipa's best song? I think it might be. Why aren't The War and Treaty more famous? They're incredibly talented. I think the Post Malone / Fountains of Wayne combo is my favorite style of country song. Very Gram Parsons. Also, I'm clearly still on my Lana Del Rey bullshit, but that's just a fact of life these days. Whatever the hell that album is gonna be called, and whenever the hell we get it... my poor wife is going to be so sick of hearing LDR playing every time she walks into the room. I'm sorry in advance. (Also, I think I'm going to start using the alt-text to secretly leave notes for my future self 20 years from now when my fading memory relies entirely on Letterboxd and this.)

November 29, 2025 at 12:38 AM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

October 2005 Playlist (20th Anniversary Reissue):
A time capsule of the music I was listening to during my first month of living in the midwest.

YouTube Music:
music.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Spotify:
open.spotify.com/playlist/5zp...

a single panel of a handrawn comic strip drawn by my wife. a boy saying "what do i have to do to get you to talk to me?" as he stands next to a girl who looks annoyed. they are both wearing winter clothes. the image is framed by words "20th anniversary reissue" and "october 2005)

October 2005 Playlist (20th Anniversary Reissue)
01. Death Cab for Cutie- “Bad Reputation
02. Athlete- “Modern Mafia”
03. Elbow- “Leaders of the Free World”
04. Jimmy Eat World- Over
05. Biirdie- “Estelle”
06. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals- “My Heart is Broken”
07. Sarah Bettens- “Stay”
08. Fiona Apple- “Extraordinary Machine”
09. Calexico & Iron & Wine- “He Lays in the Reins”
10. Maria Taylor- “Xanax”
11. Orenda Fink- “Dirty South”
12. The Flaming Lips- “Do You Realize??”
13. Denison Witmer- “California Brown and Blue”

November 29, 2025 at 12:03 AM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

September 2025 Playlist:
These songs were the soundtrack to most of my evenings this month.

YouTube Music:
music.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Spotify:
open.spotify.com/playlist/2Km...

An image of three brownies that say "Don't you cry" against a light orange background with the words September 2025 written in script. The image is a reference to lyrics in the Weezer song titled "Susanne," which is part of the tracklist.

September 2025 Playlist:

01. Voxtrot- “My Peace”
02. Wallows- “Sidelines”
03. Jack White- “Archbishop Harold Holmes”
04. Weezer- “Susanne”
05. MJ Lenderman- “Joker Lips”
06. Courtney Barnett- “Avant Gardener”
07. Counting Crows- “Under the Aurora”
08. Camera Obscura- “Break It to Me Gently”
09. Japanese Breakfast- “Be Sweet”
10. Summer Salt- “Poolside”
11. Carly Rae Jepsen- “Western Wind”
12. King Princess- “1950"
13. Rex Orange County- “Always”
14. Rihanna- “Higher”
15. Norah Jones- “Running”
16. Andrew Bird & Madison Cunningham- “Don’t Let Me Down Again”
17. Kishi Bashi- “This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)”
18. Florence + The Machine- “King”
19. Lykke Li- “Never Gonna Love Again (Re Edit)”
20. Angel Olsen- “All the Good Times”
21. Orville Peck- “Roses are Falling”
22. Faye Webster- “A Dream with a Baseball Player”
23. Loren Kramar- “My Life”
24. Lianne La Havas- “Weird Fishes”

October 1, 2025 at 4:12 AM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

September 2005 Playlist (20th Anniversary Reissue):

It goes without saying that some of these are very 2005 and didn't age well. Some are still certified bangers though.

YouTube Music:
music.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Spotify:
open.spotify.com/playlist/5bg...

A comic drawn by my wife in 2003 of a young woman with an exhausted look saying, "Oh, God help us." This is framed by the words "September 2005 - 20th Anniversary Reissue"

October 1, 2025 at 4:01 AM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

August 2025 Playlist:
These were the songs on repeat in my household this month.

YouTube Music:
music.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Spotify: open.spotify.com/playlist/1NQ...

August 2025 playlist image drawn by my wife depicting a Friendly's ice cream resembling a clown - a reference to lyrics in the Tierra Whack song "Only Child" on the track list in the next image. (Alt Text available there as well)

August 2025 Playlist:
01. Remi Wolf- "Soup"
02. Father John Misty- "Real Love Baby"
03. God Help the Girl- "Funny Little Frog"
04. Jimmy Hughes- "Why Not Tonight"
05. Maggie Rogers- "Don't Forget Me"
06. Weyes Blood- "Everyday"
07. Janelle Monáe- "Make Me Feel"
08. Tierra Whack- "Only Child"
09. FKA Twigs- "killer"
10. Suki Waterhouse- "My Fun"
11. Joy Oladokun- "if you got a problem"
12. Lizzy McAlpine- "All Falls Down"
13. Clairo- "Add Up My Love"
14. Laufey- "Silver Lining"
15. The Last Dinner Party- "The Feminine Urge"
16. HAIM- "Relationships"
17. Sabrina Carpenter- "Feather"
18. Beyoncé & Post Malone- "LEVII'S JEANS"
19. Lucy Dacus- "It's Too Late"
20. The National (feat. Bon Iver) - "Weird Goodbyes"
21. Iron & Wine and Fiona Apple- "All in Good time"
22. Julia Jacklin- "Don't Know How to Keep Loving You"
23. Lana Del Rey- "Thunder"
24. Ryan Beatty- "Bruises Off the Peach"
25. Richard Edwards- "Good Luck, Babe"
26. Chappell Roan- "The Subway"

September 1, 2025 at 1:10 AM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

From 2005-2011, I sent a monthly mp3 playlist to my friends. It's been 20 years since that first month, and I've been feeling nostalgic. I think it's time to revisit (and archive) that exercise in the streaming era.

August 2005 Playlist (20th Anniversary Reissue)

music.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

2005 (08 August)

August 2005 Playlist (20th Anniversary Reissue)

music.youtube.com

August 30, 2025 at 10:21 PM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

This past week I scheduled a Pee-wee Herman marathon for my wife so we could celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985).
boxd.it/aIh1uB

Screen shot of Letterboxd image of four Pee-wee Herman movies.

August 17, 2025 at 6:17 PM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

Quite a week… two were random picks expiring from streaming services, and two were scheduled on our summer viewing calendar.

Also, I really messed up my viewing experience of Anatomy of a Fall with a series of misadventures.
boxd.it/apRJnl

(Spoilers in the Letterboxd link)

Letterboxed screenshot of The Long Goodbye, Jurassic Park, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Anatomy of a Fall

July 26, 2025 at 4:04 AM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

Just bought my ticket for a 70mm film screening of Cleopatra (1963) in August. This is a rare opportunity that I never expected to experience, and I feel like a kid at Christmas.

Honestly, shout out to the @musicboxtheatre.bsky.social 70mm Festival and the absolute privilege of living in Chicago.

July 12, 2025 at 3:11 PM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

Goodbye June. Hello July.

All four of these were long overdue watches, but it’s absurd that it took me 25 years to finally check out Audition.

Letterboxd recently watched: Sinners; Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret; Audition; and College Chums

July 4, 2025 at 8:27 PM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

Mid-June / Summer Break

Nickel Boys was incredible, the 4K disc of Sneakers was fun, Barbarella was wacky, and Keaton’s debut stole the show from Arbuckle.
boxd.it/a1Tzuf

Letterboxd recently watched: Sneakers, Barbarella, Nickel Boys, and The Butcher Boy

June 21, 2025 at 2:17 AM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

Memorial Day Weekend

Screenshot of One of Them Days, Ghost Protocol, The Net, and The Big Lebowski.

May 26, 2025 at 3:15 PM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

I was today years old when I learned that “Pink Cadillac” was originally a Bruce Springsteen song. I’m gobsmacked by this information (and by the fact that I did not already know that).

youtu.be/FO5vq9ur1fo?...

Natalie Cole - Pink Cadillac (Official Audio)

YouTube video by NatalieColeMusic

youtu.be

May 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

Goodbye Spring Semester.
Hello Summer Break.

(It’s time for cinematic spectacle.)

Screenshot of Letterboxd recently watched: Mission: Impossible 1 and 2, The Band Wagon, and Conclave

May 19, 2025 at 3:01 PM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

As a Counting Crows fan for the past 30 years, it’s indescribably weird to be witnessing this album roll out.

1st Decade: Amazing albums (Made me a fan for life)

2nd Decade: Spotty at best (With an album I actively dislike)

3rd Decade: Shaping up to be an exciting new era (Much to my surprise!)

May 17, 2025 at 12:23 AM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

Counting Crows covered Taylor Swift (It’s not even my birthday yet)
youtu.be/Lc-Z9yMQkr8?...

Counting Crows “The 1” and “A Long December” Live on the Stern Show

YouTube video by The Howard Stern Show

youtu.be

May 17, 2025 at 12:08 AM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

Just watched Michael Mann's "Thief" for the first time. Holy cow that was great! Sparse where it needs to be and verbose where it wants to be. letterboxd.com/shaynepepper...

May 11, 2025 at 12:41 AM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

If you have ever wanted a Lana Del Rey tribute album with songs by a combination of Cat Stevens, Jeff Buckley, ANOHNI and the Johnsons, and Father John Misty you should check out this Loren Kramar EP of Lana covers. Also, his album is fantastic too. Best of 2025 so far.
www.vogue.com/article/lore...

Loren Kramar Is Ready for the Limelight

Off the back of his powerful debut album, “Glovemaker”—and as he gears up to release an album of Lana Del Rey covers—Loren Kramar talks style, sincerity, and the benefits of being a late bloomer.

www.vogue.com

May 3, 2025 at 5:29 PM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

Goodbye April. Hello May.

Summer can’t come quickly enough. I’m ready to indulge in blockbuster spectacle soon. boxd.it/9yt09N
#letterboxd

Screenshot of last four movies watched on Letterboxd: Roma, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Across the Spiderverse, and The Maid

May 2, 2025 at 2:59 AM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

Goodbye March. Hello April.

Letterboxd is one of the few things keeping me sane these days. Also, Past Lives is one of the best new movies I've watched in quite a while. boxd.it/9f21M7 #filmsky

Screenshot of recent activity on Letterboxd: In a Lonely Place, Desire, The Monster Squad, Past Lives

April 3, 2025 at 4:17 PM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but the Counting Crows episode of VH1 Storytellers is on Paramount+. In case you want to feel like a teenager again…

Screen capture of title card for “Counting Crows VH1 Storytellers”

Full band in “Counting Crows VH1 Storytellers

March 9, 2025 at 5:52 PM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

Goodbye February. Hello March.

(It was a weird week, but I really enjoyed watching "The Navigator" for the first time.) boxd.it/8XXVEv

Screen capture of Letterboxd recent activity: The Princess Comes Across, The Searchers, Predator 2, and The Navigator

March 5, 2025 at 6:32 PM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

Sundays have become my favorite day of the week this semester due to this Christmas present from my wife: letterboxd.com/shaynepepper...

Screenshot of Letterboxd recent activity: Thelma & Louise, You Hurt My Feelings, Harry Potter, and Bernice Bobs Her Hair

February 11, 2025 at 3:32 AM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

Goodbye January. Hello February.

(I'm so glad that I finally watched "Laura." Holy hell, what a movie!)

Recent Letterboxd activity: Point Break, Saturday Night, Laura, Psycho

February 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM

Shayne Pepper

@shaynepepper.bsky.social

I listened to The Doors for the first time in a very long time and then imagined what a live tribute album would be like.

Coachella Main Stage (2026) and give the encore to surprise guest Lana Del Rey

The Doors (A Live Tribute Album)

Light My Fire (Jon Batiste)
The Crystal Ship (First Aid Kit)
Five to One (White Stripes Reunion)
Alabama Whiskey Song (Paul Williams & Bugsy Malone Cast)
Love Her Madly (The Cure)
Moonlight Drive (Fiona Apple w/ Jon Brion)
Soul Kitchen (Rufus Wainwright w/ Jon Brion)
The Unknown Soldier (Bright Eyes)
L.A. Woman (Orville Peck and Beck)
People are Strange (Rilo Kiley Reunion)
When The Music’s Over (Alabama Shakes Reunion)

Encore:
Touch Me (Lana Del Rey w/ Jack Antonoff)
The End (Lana Del Rey w/ Father John Misty)

February 1, 2025 at 8:57 PM

Add to Home Screen

Light up
your news

Add to Home Screen

Light upyour news

Sign in to Lightnews

Sign up to start reading

Connect Bluesky

Connect with Bluesky

Light up
your news