Happy Friday! I hope your week is ending on a excellent note. I'm been plugging away on upcoming videos, but I also wanted to try out a new format.
When I put out surveys about the Patreon, a number of you wanted to see music recommendations from what I'd been into lately. This is that!
I have blurbs for a few of the songs below, along with a playlist. Enjoy these songs, and let me know what you've been into lately!
PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS - BORN IN THE A.D.s
This one isn't so much a new song for me, since I put PPC's latest album on my Top 10 Albums list. However, this particular song has stuck its craw into me for one specific reason: the section from 3:32 to 3:44. The way the guys yell in the part, and then that harmony on "Still running, running" is frankly addicting to me right now. The whole album is great too!
VOCES8 - MEDIA VITA
So I'm in a choir, and we recently got our rep for the upcoming season. All the pieces are great, but this one is CRUNCHY. I mean it's lovely too (the tenor line at 1:06 is a fav part), but there are some parts where the voices are all harmonically right up against each other. The chord at 2:20!!! What the actual hell!!! Love stuff like that.
OVER THE RHINE - ALL I EVER GET FOR CHRISTMAS IS BLUE
A friend recommended me this album called Snow Angels from an Ohio band called Over The Rhine. I think we had been talking about Christmas music and how the best ones have some melancholy in them. This album has a bunch of songs like that, specifically the opener "All I Get For Christmas is Blue." The holidays can be sad! It's worth recognizing that and validating that feeling.
NEW ORDER - TRUE FAITH
I've recently started watching the first season of Industry on HBO, and it's a good time! I also quickly watched a few min of the first episode of season 4, and they happened to use this song by New Order. Good needle drop! They also do an excellent transition from that song to another song, but I won't spoil that in case anyone wants to go in fully blind.
BERNARD SUMNER, HOT CHIP, AND HOT CITY - DIDN'T KNOW WHAT LOVE WAS
Speaking of New Order, late last year I came across this collab for Converse's 3 Artists 1 Song project. The same project that gave us DoYaThing! And while this song doesn't eclipse DoYaThing (tho really what can??), it's probably my second-favorite release from this series. The keys that play going into each chorus (1:41 and 2:59), plus the way the synths build up and release, make me weirdly emotional. Music is wild sometimes!! A video about that Converse series could be cool too...
(This song sadly isn't on streaming services, so here's the link on YT.)
UNDERSCORES - DO IT
I know he's not especially liked right now, but hear me out: what if Justin Timberlake made a return to the sound of FutureSex/LoveSounds, but since Timbaland is off doing AI stuff, he gets folks like Underscores and Jane Remover to produce? I don't think it'll ever happen, but hey I would've said the same about Taylor Swift linking up with the National. Stranger things have happened!
This Underscores song was what gave me that idea. I know I shouted out Music in one of the year-end videos, but tbh if I could do it again, I might swap that with Do It. Whatever vocal chain she's rocking when she sings "I just can't do it" in the chorus could probably cure some major disease.
BRUNO MARS - I JUST MIGHT
Bruno's first new (solo) music in over a decade!!!! And I think it's fine. Definitely in the Silk Sonic wheelhouse, which surprised me. Since 24k Magic, I thought he was messing around with the side projects (SS, APT, Die With A Smile, that Sexxy Red song), and whatever new stuff he did would be radically different. I was wrong!
But this new song is still solid. He is very good at this soulful pop, and I'm interested to hear what he does with it on the new album. Also, my mom really liked it. That's the ultimate win!
A LOT OF YOUTUBER DISS TRACKS
If you saw my update post from a few days ago, you might know that I'm working on a video about all the YouTuber diss tracks from the late 2010s. In tandem, I've been listening to them all! Hey I never said what i'm listening to would be good!!!!
It's surreal to A) go back to those songs, B) realize how terrible they are, and C) wonder why anyone actually cared about them. If anything, they're more interesting as YouTuber lore-building than they are as pieces of music. Also god some of these YouTubers plugged merch in their songs so freaking much. Anyone pick up a Logang shirt lately?
AN ALBUM THAT IS NOT OUT YET
For the first time, I was sent an album by a band I love! I can't tell you who made it or anything about the album, but in case the feds kick down my door, let it be known I'm enjoying it.
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/39hAd1Oyzjra8XTai3pEJP?si=b74b7c52aaa2499e
YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJuvc6JqeFl69G3cEfXmhTf7VhzexQH7b&si=oFbwDMjkw24QgwsQ