We continue to honor the “house rule” that no artist should have more than one song on any year’s playlist. An individual artist can appear, however, as a single act and again as part of a band or as back-up singer. Lucy Dacus carries the honor this year. Her affecting song “Addictions” juxtaposes brilliantly with “Bite the Hand” where she appears alongside Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers, under the banner boygenius.
I mentioned last year that St. Vincent (Annie Clark) was the one act that almost got me to amend the “one song only” rule. Last year’s album “Masseduction” is formidable. If you missed it, go back and find it, then pair listening to it with its re-recording, on this year’s “MassEducation” – where St. Vincent is accompanied only by piano. “Slow Disco” makes an appearance on this year’s playlist in its piano only rendition. It’s masterfully delivered.
Geopolitics, diversity, racial and economic equality rightfully remain central themes driving impassioned new music. If I had to pick the song (and video) that moved me most this year, it was Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.”
Under the guise of fun, David Byrne’s “Everybody’s Coming to My House” takes top prize. I was lucky to see him at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn last September. It was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Shopping’s “The Hype” and Public Practice’s “Foundation” are each, in their own way, a celebration of Byrne and the Talking Heads, circa “Remain in Light.” Both songs appear on this year’s playlist. Burning down the house....
Ty Segall’s remake of the Hot Chocolate 1978 classic “Every 1’s a Winner” is high energy and filled with retro-vibe. Flo Rida’s “Sweet Sensation” is pure unadulterated ear-candy! Janelle Monae’s homage to Prince – “Make Me Feel” – is absolutely sublime. And for fun, play back-to-back Okkervil River’s “Don’t Move Back to LA” and Starcrawler’s “I Love LA.” Somewhere in between lies the truth. Just like St. Vincent’s “Los Ageless” and “New York.” Also, must hears.
A classic has durability and persistence. This year’s playlist includes Bettye LaVette’s rendition of “It Ain’t Me Babe” from her new album of Bob Dylan classics, “Things Have Changed.” It’s a powerful LP. So is “More Blood, More Tracks.” It’s the 14th installment from Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series. “More Blood...” is a compilation of tracks recorded in late 1974, just ahead of the release of Dylan’s classic 1975 album, “Blood on the Tracks.”
Marianne Faithfull had a new record in 2018, with “In My Own Particular Way” a standout track. Frank Ocean’s re-invention of “Moon River” was a masterful take on a classic. So was Cat Power’s (Chan Marshall) take on “What the World Needs Now.” Love, sweet love….
Hip-hop crept into this year’s playlist in several flavors, where the samples and layering of musical textures continue to electrify. Reaching back to look ahead. If there is a genre that seems capable of capturing current cultural times, hip-hop has center stage.
A$AP Rocky’s play on Tame Impala’s “Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind?” stands out. The fact that the song was co-produced by Danger Mouse only adds to its audio fidelity. Travis Scott’s “BUTTERFLY EFFECT” can’t be missed. The production and artistry that drive “ASTROWORLD” are remarkable.
Haruomi Hosono wrote the soundtrack to the fabulous 2018 Japanese indie-film “Shoplifters” by director Hirokazu Kore-eda. Please make time to see this movie. “Harry” Hosono began his career in the 1960’s, writing and recording Japanese psychedelic rock. From there he went on to repeat musical re-invention, bridging ambient, electronic and pop music. I found him through the Seattle based record label Light in The Attic Records. If you don’t know Light in The Attic Records, you should get to know them.
Tweedy rocks! Jeff Tweedy released a solo album this year, “WARM.” From his work with Uncle Tupelo and Wilco, to the 2014 release of “Sukierae” under the moniker Tweedy (with his son Spencer), Jeff Tweedy continues to write what defines alternative country rock music. For the true fan, he managed to publish a memoir in 2018: “Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back).” It is well worth the read.
I’ve tried yet again to keep a reasonably broad mix of new music on this year’s Tunes. There is hopefully a little something for everyone. Happy listening....
We we will again run a 2019 Tunes (so far) playlist on Spotify so you can see what cycles on and off as new music is released throughout 2019. Heckle back with any great new music we miss. You can reach us at: tunes4ourtimes@gmail.com.
There is always great new music being made... you just have to look for it, stop, and listen.
“We all do ‘do, re, mi’… you’ve got to find the other notes yourself.” Louis Armstrong