Because we’re still having problems due to OpenWeb changing its API on us, I do not know your highest rated comments this week. I’m told I’ll get some comment data next week, but I’m not holding my breath. Shut Up, Dude was going to be coming to an end soon anyway; as you might have seen me mention in Gumcord, we are moving to a new, much better platform for the entire site in Q3 (maybe Q4). Its in-house commenting software will be more affordable too, but it will also make publishing a Best Comments list impossible. I didn’t want this column to end so unceremoniously, though, so I will give OpenWeb a couple of weeks and see if we can schedule a proper farewell tour. Anyway, #NoKings except Brian Wilson, so scroll through all of these best comments instead:

Panel hail from Minneapolis, where they kick out ultra-catchy rock music that veers between subgenres from song to song. Their music revolves around singer Annie Sparrows, whose mastery of shout-along melodies cannot be denied. The seven tracks on their debut A Great Time To Be An Empath, out today, range from power-pop to post-punk to grunge, and there’s even a swooning piano ballad called “Two Little Dogs” in the middle. Stream the album below — and if you only check out one, make it “Victoria,” a snappy little pop song that builds up a hell of a lot of momentum in under two minutes as Sparrows lets her voice fly high. (Thanks to see/saw for giving this one some shine.)

A couple days ago, we lost pop music visionary Brian Wilson. Since the news of his passing, there’s been a massive outpour of admiration for the late Beach Boy. Yesterday, Grammy nominated producer and musician John Wilson (of no relation to Brian), who has worked with musicians like Father John Misty, Angel Olsen, Margo Price, and DAWES, shared videos of the last music Brian Wilson recorded before he died.

Michael Tait, a founding member of DC Talk who more recently fronted another Christian rock band, Newsboys, faced allegations of grooming and sexual assault from three men, as well as substance abuse, in an investigation published by the Roys Report last week. Tait responded this week with a statement confirming, “For some two decades I used and abused cocaine, consumed far too much alcohol, and, at times, touched men in an unwanted sensual way.” He said he’d been living a “double life,” described his behavior as sinful, and said he was seeking repentance. The implication was that he is repenting not just of predatory behavior but of homosexual sex.

Pearly Drops have two hypnotic albums under their belt, and now they’re adding another. The Finnish electronic duo is announcing The Voices Are Coming Back today and the new single “Ratgirl” serves as a groovy, scintillating preview.

Austin Lunn went all in with the 2023 Panopticon album The Rime Of Memory. The one-man band is going even bigger today by announcing a folk album called Laruentian Blue and a black metal album titled Songs Of Hiraeth.

Glasgow indie rockers Dancer hearken back to the ’80s post-punk/new wave moment in a similar way to Cincinnati’s Artificial Go. Last year’s debut album 10 Songs I Hate About You drew a lot of comparisons to Life Without Buildings. On “Just Say Yes,” the lead single from Dancer’s newly announced sophomore album More Or Less, the guitars slice and morph a la Sonic Youth, but the rhythm section bounces along more like the B-52’s, a comparison encouraged by Gemma Fleet’s upbeat and anxiously buzzing vocals. New drummer Luke Moran puts a skip in the song’s step, and Fleet might have you yelling along with her by the time it’s over. Listen below.

Chicago’s Matt Jencik — a member of Implodes, Don Caballero, and Slint’s live band and a longtime employee of Reckless Records — has teamed up on a full album with Midwife, the gauzy slowcore project of Denver’s Madeline Johnston. It’s called Never Die, and I loved the shapelessly floating atmospherics of lead single “Delete Key.” Their new song out today, “Rickety Ride,” is similarly hypnotic. Jencik says it’s about “a random unplanned evening I had with someone many years ago.” He elaborates:

Charli XCX’s Brat, arguably the most impactful album artwork in recent memory, took home the Grammy earlier this year for Best Recording Package. That category recognizes the album cover design, and the “overall visual presentation” of the album, but it excludes boxed sets and limited editions, which got a category of their own in 1995. Now, the Grammys have added a new category for their 68th awards show, set to take place on Feb. 1, 2026: Best Album Cover.

Ananda Lewis has died. The former MTV VJ who went on to be a talk show host passed away at her Los Angeles home this morning of stage 4 breast cancer. She was 52.