Elliot stares at his computer screen, watching the cursor blink at the top of a blank Google doc. It’s been 30 minutes since he decided to stop putting off the 4TF episode he promised Tanner, like, 6 months ago. "And didn't Tanner just tell you that episode 100 will be Four Track's last?" He sighs. His fingers twitch hesitantly on the keys as they slowly type out a half-baked opener about starting up email correspondence again now that he’s been vaccinated.
“Nice,” he mutters as he grins and gives a few victorious head bobs, clearly oblivious to the fact that vaccine jokes had gotten old back in February.
Motivated by the little spurt of progress, he leans back in his chair and cracks his fingers like in the movies before switching windows to scroll through his tediously curated library of Spotify music - overflowing with such undiscovered masterpieces as NASA’s Fake and Eating Ass 2020. This was the easy part.
Cotton Candy Lemonade | Blu DeTiger
Elliot immediately queues up "Cotton Candy Lemonade," cranking the volume on the $20 gaming headset he bought in 2014. His Discover Weekly had been popping this week, and he knew this one was a winner seconds after hearing the first bass lick. The desk shakes gently as he bumps it in a passionate bout of strange seated dancing. He briefly considers learning to play bass.
Honey, I | Wes Reeve
The music leaking through the cheap headphones stops and starts abruptly as Elliot peruses his most listened tracks of the past few weeks. His erratic clicking pauses for a second when the lilting voice of Wes Reeve reaches his ear drums. He closes his eyes.
When he opens them again he’s no longer in his apartment, but in a cozy venue somewhere near Portland. There’s a bar with 12 different IPA’s on draft and many vegan menu options. A man with a mustache offers him an organic honey stick. Elliot smiles.
Loverboy | Sir Sly
"Oooh… "
The cursor hovers tentatively as Elliot evaluates whether Sir Sly is underground enough to be included.
"Surely they're too well known for this audience, right? I mean, they opened at that Killers concert I went to." He wonders if mentioning that he went to a Killers concert would improve his street cred.
"Loverboy" thumps in the background as he checks the play count on Spotify. Much to his surprise, it was well below the loamy topsoil of million-hit songs. He high-fives himself for being such a sick pioneer in the music appreciation space and lets himself get lost in the synth-y rock vibes.
GEEKIN | MIA GLADSTONE (feat. Ciscero)
Elliot glances at the clock and does a double take. His bird watching group was meeting in a mere 15 minutes - he had to find a final track to round out the episode, and do it quickly. He scrolls and scrolls, desperately searching for a banger to end on. The TV murmurs in the other room; the show he had been watching was long finished and the programming had switched over to a video sermon. Elliot’s eyes brush past "GEEKIN" as he hears a deacon speaking about three kings freakin that the beacon they were seeking was tinkling over a meek weakling in a creaking, leaking, reeking sheep-thing.
It was a sign.
He blasts the blessed music while singing its praises via furious keyboard tapping. He knew he didn’t have to say much, as the song was far too punchy and likable to miss.
Of course, don’t forget to reply with what you liked, didn’t like, and what you’ve been listening
to.
And, as always, this week’s tracks are added to the collectors for all weeks' tracks on
Spotify
and
Apple
Music.
Bless up,
The Narrator