This Months Spotify Playlist
Just Hit Play!
Okay, for a LONG time I was doing these every week. I just don’t have the time anymore. So, this is my first monthly playlist of many (hopefully).
On the good side, this playlist is pretty close to fully capturing all of the different musical styles I enjoy. I also put a lot more thought and time into the song placement and transitions.
The Songs
- Cast Off, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Sparkle Hard (2018)
Grew up on Pavement, have always been a fan of Stephen Malkmus, glad he is still making music. Seemed like a good place to start (kind of a contemplative song).
2. Do You Wanna Hold Me, Bow Wow Wow, Love Peace, & Harmony — The Best of Bow Wow Wow (2008)
This song was recorded in the 80’s but I can’t remember what album it was released on. I read a recent Pop Matters article talking about how Bow Wow Wow’s music held up pretty well after all this time. I went back and listened, damn if Hans Rollman wasn’t right. Check out the new box set if you get a chance (Cherry Red Records).
3. My Heart Is Immortal, Cold Cave, You & Me and Infinity EP (2018)
Nobody does 80’s alternative more effortlessly than Cold Cave. This whole EP is greatness (Glory is a particular favorite). I would find it hard to believe they didn’t listen to Chris & Cosey, the Cure, and New Order on loop in their spare time.
4. Captives (2017 Version), The KVB, Always Then (Revisited)
I could almost repeat what I said above here, except that the KVB have an even more chilly aesthetic…maybe with a bit more SPK or Netwerk Records vibe. They put out a LOT of music, most of it really good.
5. Lust, Boy Harsher, Lesser Man EP (2014)
I hadn’t thought of this EP for a long time, not sure what happened to spark my memory, but this song really fit in this little synth-wave/electronic section of the playlist. Again, a pretty overt Chris and Cosey, Siousxie Sioux vibe with a great synth bass-line.
6. Are We Friends, Odonis Odonis, Single (2013)
Odonis Odonis have been around for a long time. You can really hear how far their sound has evolved if you listen to this and then listen to No Pop. There is something silly/fun/immature but promising about the earlier Odonis Odonis stuff. I wanted to begin the transition into a harder section including this here.
7. Really Doe, Danny Brown, Atrocity Exhibition (2016)
One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite albums of 2016 (also love the call-back to Joy Division from a hip-hop artist). Always good to find a place for Detroit’s own Danny Brown on my playlists. Isn’t about time for a new album Mr. Brown?
8. Odd Scene, Blanck Mass, Maxi-Single (2018)
I didn’t love the last Blanck Mass album (which was surprising given my love of all the rest of the music coming out of this Fuck Buttons side-project). I do like this new Maxi-Single though…I hope it means a return to the form of the (great) 2015 album Dumb Flesh.
9. Fear, Big Ups, Two Parts Together (2018)
One of the more underappreciated noise rock acts around. Glad they are back, love the new album. Good track, good band, good album.
10. But Does It Work, Drug Church, Swell EP (2015)
Yes, there is a new Drug Church album but no, I didn’t love it on first listen. I will give it a few more shots before drawing any final conclusions…but, until then, why not add this great older Drug Church track now.
11. Raw Materials, METZ, Strange Peace (2017)
This is one of my all-time favorite METZ songs…and, strangely, one of their most commercial. By any account, the guitar work in the second-half is really outstanding. Great stuff from one of my top 20 albums of 2017.
12. Wheel of Fortune, Protomartyr (with Kim Deal), Consolation EP (2018)
Anyone who says that there is no good rock music being made today doesn’t listen to Protomartyr. Also they are from Detroit. Also, they are great live (how many bands even play live anymore). All hail Protomartyr (glad there is a forthcoming EP following up last year’s amazing Relatives in Descent).
13. Sissy, Aye Nako, Silver Haze (2017)
If you are unfamiliar with Aye Nako, get familiar. They are an extremely political band (in the best way) and also as close to the spiritual descendants of Sonic Youth as your are going to find today. Silver Haze was a great album.
14. Talk, Show Me The Body, Single (2017)
This band is pretty much what happens when all of my core influences have babies and those babies grow up to become a NYC hard-core band. So glad when I can find music that takes everything I love and make it into something new for a new generation.
15. Cellophane, Grace Vonderkuhn, Reveries (2018)
I will freely admit that I know nothing about Grace Vonderkuhn except that her songs come up in my feed and I like them all. This song is really great. I will learn more soon.
16. Cup Of Destiny, Amyl and the Sniffers, Single (2018)
I can say with zero reservation that Amyl and the Sniffers are the best band named after doing poppers that I have ever heard (Hot Take for sure). In all seriousness, this is just a GREAT classic-feeling but new and fresh punk rock track.
17. So Busted, Culture Abuse, Single (2017)
On any other, less curated, playlist…This might be my favorite song. It is a pretty damn good song, super-catchy. I find myself humming it hours after I listen to it. Oh hell, maybe it is my favorite…who knows…so busted.
18. Pressure, Flasher, Single (2018)
Another great song by a great band that doesn’t get nearly the respect they deserve. One can only hope the world turns back to a place where people care about music more than about music marketing. Oh well, anyway, great song.
19. Soul №5, Caroline Rose, Loner (2018)
Not sure I have heard a consistently funnier album this year. This song is catchy as hell and well worth a listen, but the entire album is a riot. I listened to some earlier stuff by Caroline Rose and this seems to represent a career reinvention of a kind. In my opinion, this was a good direction for her.
20. This Is America, Childish Gambino, Single (2018)
My take, the video is a representation of all the forms of blackness in popular culture…from slave to choirboy, from gangster to schoolkid. The song is about Donald Glover trying to find himself in a world that projects imagery onto him and expects him to represent and be representative of all of it. In an odd way, this video and song are like a bridge and a divider between Glover and Kanye.
Also, nobody has had a better year than Donald Glover (Atlanta, This is America, SNL, and SOLO).
21. Tell Me, Tearjerker (with Quelle Chris), Single (2018)
I am pretty sure this came to me because I am a big Quelle Chris fan. I almost interviewed him once but it fell through for some reason or another. Regardless, I dig Quelle Chris.
22. Power, Roc Marciano, RR2: The Bitter Dose (2018)
In an odd way, this song reminds me of those old songs where Prince would be talking about religious guilt and then go into a deep dive about sex (see 1999). This song has it all, quasi-offensive statements, deep contemplation, sex, love, and church.
Holy Hell that was a lot of music. Enjoy, Explore, and Share Music!
Josh is the co-host of the Decarceration Nation podcast, a blogger, and a freelance writer. Please consider following him on Twitter, throwing a tip into his hat on Patreon, showing your appreciation using Paypal.me, or adding OnPirateSatellite to your feeds.
