Friday Playlist

For the second-straight week I am putting this together and scheduling it on Thursday evening, as I will be out of the house early Friday. Two throw back songs from the mid–90s mixed in with the new stuff, a tribute to a lost troubadour, and a summer classic to round it all out. Happy weekend to all!

“Dark Summer” – Ceremony
Tom Breihan says that Ceremony are a “California underground institution.” He’s the expert, so I’ll take his word for it. I like the post-punk space this track inhabits. Based on it, you might assume the band was from London, or even Melbourne.

“Spinning” – Soft Science
High quality Dream Pop from Sacramento, of all places.

“It’s A Mod Mod World” – Sharp Pins (Apple Music only)
This band is from Chicago, and this is a new song. Forgive yourself for thinking they were from 1967 London.

“Cha Cha Slide” – Getdown Services
I have a feeling most of you will either think this song is awesome, or crap. No in-betweens.

“Glimpse Of You” – 16 Underground
As I read up on this band, several writers asserted they were part of a burgeoning trip hop revival. That would be interesting!

“6 Underground” – Sneaker Pimps
Did 16 Underground get their name from this song? Maybe. Good enough excuse to play it, a terrific track that is 30 years old this year. Yowsa.

“24 Hr Open” – Picture Parlour
Several songs from Jack White’s new album have been in my highest rotation the past couple weeks. Overall, it is a fine album, if not quite as fine as 2024’s No Name. This track, to me, owes a lot to Jack’s classic sound. Or, perhaps better, is a mid-point between Jack’s music and Grace Potter’s, maybe? Regardless, this is nearly a year old and I feel dumb for just getting to it.

“I Feel Hope Coming” – Alabama Shakes
And another new track that sounds similar to something else I’ve been listening to. In this case, Alabama Shakes taking their sound closer to Leon Bridges’ than it has ever been before. Interesting to hear two very different vocalists perform over quite similar backing music.

“When The Night Comes” – Nicole Atkins
I was sure I had shared some Nicole Atkins music at some point, but a quick search of the archives shows no evidence I ever have. Shame. This is a lovely song. Of course, I’m a sucker for a song with lyrics about Kansas.

“Photograph” – The Verve Pipe
While we were in Europe, Stereogum’s Alternative Numbers Ones entry (subscription required) covered The Verve Pipe’s “The Freshman,” which was #1 for three weeks in May of 1996. I never liked that song. I did like, however, this track, which was a much more modest hit from earlier that year. I was glad that Tom gave it a 7, which feels about right.

“The Feast Of St. John” – Glen Hansard
Glen Hansard died this week, killed in a motorcycle accident just outside his native Dublin. I’m not going to pretend I was a huge fan of his work. That was because I didn’t know it well. I certainly knew of him; he was wildly prolific over his career and many other more famous stars championed his work. I saw he and his band open for Pearl Jam two years ago and was blown away. I was expecting a thoughtful, folky artist and instead they had every song cranked to 11. It was an awesome set. I explored his music a bit after seeing him, and several songs sounded familiar, certainly “Falling Slowly,” his duet with Markéta Irglová, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008. So I had crossed paths with his work more than I knew. While he was 56, his only child will turn four in two months, which makes his passing even worse.

This was the song that stuck out most from his show in Indy. That night he said it was about “the fuckers who try to drag you down.” RIP.

“Summer Nights” – Van Halen
A few local schools started classes this week, which is ridiculous. Many more start sometime next week. CHS is a straggler this year, and L has until the 11th to enjoy a few more summer nights.