There are so many great tracks out there right now, and I did my best to order this playlist by putting the slower/electronic tracks up front, and they’ll slowly progress into heavier tracks. If you want to hang around for the 71 minute ride, start from the beginning; otherwise, start from the bottom and go up.
First up is Baths, an artist that a lot of people I know don’t care for, but I have a soft spot for him as I memorized his Obsidian album while studying for the bar exam. This new track, “Ocean Death” continues that running theme of investigating death and mortality in music, and I just can’t get enough of it right now. Movement is next with “Ivory,” and the mesmerizing backing synths continue with soft vocals that work well in so many ways. There’s a really strange guitar riff that comes in over the same slow beat at the end, and they’re just messing with us at that point. Weather takes us a away from the synthesizer for a little bit and gives us a more traditional floating feeling.
Olivver comes next with “Attica ’71” and is the most vocal-heavy song so far, with a sort of drawn-out rhythm & blues feeling that is a great mix between a dance track and a mellow tune. Naumenberg is another vocal-heavy song with drawn-out beats that sound like something made in outer space. Crooked Colours’ track “In Your Bones” has a great catchy riff that was just too good to leave off the playlist.
Three Man Cannon marks the beginning of the songs that will pick up the pace a little bit. “Patiently” is a great indie track that has something for pretty much everyone to enjoy–especially that twangy guitar sound…brawrrr. Alex G is next with “Cards” and this track sounds like a great deal of fun to record. There are so many levels and sounds piled on top of each other. “Blood” by Escapists is a great summery track that makes me want to hit the nearest lake. M & O is next with the most impressive vocal work of the entire playlist, in “Jimi Savannah,” a gorgeous track that has so much to love.
Prinze George is next with “This Time,” a pop track that was hard to figure out where to put in this playlist, but I went ahead and put it here. BEGINNERS is the last upbeat song of the playlist that is really electronic-heavy, and it’s a great way to close out this portion of the set.
Time to pick it up for real now, and Circa Waves does just that with “100 strangers” as they break out the strong guitar riffs and solos to mark the last turn of the playlist to less dreamy/floaty songs. Tearjerker is the lightest heavy song of the bunch, and I put it here because the sound is so powerful, if not the volume. The Derevolutions feels like whistling…why not? There’s a really awesome/haunting sound on the chorus of this song, and it knocked me out.
Las Robertas, where have you been all my life? “Marlene” is an awesome heavy track with soft vocals that hits on all cylinders. Little Big League has a really nostalgic sound for me, and I love this rebellious Bikini Kill rock sound. Young Widows gets serious with “The Money,” and their thump thump thump thump REEE. I love this song so much, and I love everything about it. Oh, Sunny Day Real Estate, how I’ve missed you over the years. I haven’t heard a song by these guys in years, and “Lipton Witch” was a great welcome back for me. Big Eyes closes out the playlist with “Asking You to Stay,” and their garage riffs are just fantastically arranged–I can see them getting together for the summer and sweating it out in a driveway and getting the cops called.
