Friday Playlist

Apologies for there not being a playlist last week. I intended to post one but didn’t get around to it before I had to take C and her friend to the airport. That leaves me with a lot to share this week. We’ll see if I am able to edit or that means you get a super-stuffed edition this week.

“Jungle Love” – The Time
The great Jellybean Johnson died a week ago. He was the longtime drummer for The Time and worked as a producer for many other artists after The Time split.

“Barbed Wire” – Cardinals
Another terrific track from these Irish fellas. Every song they’ve released so far has an insistent stomp to it. Here it is dialed back a hair from their other singles, but it is still there pushing things forward.

“IDLE HANDS” – VIAL
THIS IS A SERIOUS BAND. THE CAPS TELL ME SO. Do they sound more like Sleater-Kinney or L7?

“Daffy Duck” – Massage
Surprisingly not a difficult song to search for. I was worried combining “Daffy Duck” and “Massage” would return some things I did not want to see.

“Eyes Closed” – Melody’s Echo Chamber
I dig the quasi-trip hop elements Melody Prochet has added to her sound here. I also hear some Revolver-era Beatles.

“Talk To God” – Now, Now
Now, Now had some terrific songs in the 2010s but had faded into obscurity. They reemerged last month with an EP that contains their first new music in seven years. They haven’t missed a beat.

“November Was White, December Was Grey” – Say Hi
“Snowflakes” – Dropkick
To this point in the season, this has been the fourth snowiest winter in Indianapolis history. That sounds worse than it actually has been, as we’ve only received about seven total inches of snow here in the city. Another storm is expected to slide through over the weekend, so it seems like this will be one of those years were we get another 2–4” every 4–5 days and everything stays covered and frozen until March.

“Good Time Christmas” – Lou Rawls
Man, I only have three weeks to include Christmas music this year. I’ll share at least one full Christmas playlist between now and the big day. I figured for my weekly selections I would go a little outside the box. Lou Rawls’ Christmas album is an underrated gem I only discovered within the last 4–5 years. This track should give you an idea of how the whole thing sounds.

“Many Rivers To Cross” – Jimmy Cliff
The final member of the generation of giants that made reggae an international success died a week ago. Jimmy Cliff was the finest singer of the group that included Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Desmond Decker. This January 31, 1976 Saturday Night Live performance is stunning.

Also, this song always makes me think of this scene from High Fidelity.