My collection of new music dwindled over the past six weeks, as I both devoted most of my time to either holiday tunes or reviewing my favorite songs of 2016, and as the music industry dialed the spigot back a bit on new releases. I’m looking forward to the flow increasing again soon.

For our first playlist of the new year, a mix of old and new.

“Drive That Fast” – Kitchens of Distinction. I didn’t discover this song until 14 years after its release. In the first few months of my discovery, I did my best to make up for lost time. It rarely pops up anymore, crowded out by hundreds/thousands of other songs in my collection. But it still makes my head spin a little when I hear it, just like the first time I heard it back in the spring of 2005.
“Storms” – Louise Burns. Add Burns’ Young Mopes, which comes out Feb 3, to the list of albums I’m looking forward to.
“Stars” – Hum. I kind of miss the out-of-nowhere bands like this that were a lot more prevalent in the grunge era.
“Baby Are You In?” – Kristin Kontrol. Welp, it looks like Kristin Welchez was serious about the Dum Dum Girls being done. At least for now. Fortunately, this new single by her new incarnation is a step above the first Kristin Kontrol album. Which was fine enough, just not as good as any of the Dum Dum Girls’ albums.
“Fuck, I Hate The Cold” – Cowboy Junkies. It’s not going to be above 20 for the next three days. This is how I feel.