“Divine Accidents” – 5 Billion in Diamonds
This band features Butch Vig, the drummer for Garbage and producer for dozens of big 1990s alt acts, and Ebbot Lundberg of Soundtrack of Our Lives. It sounds like a mashsup of SOOL and ELO, which is not unpleasant at all.

“Destroyer” – Lala Lala
Phoebe Bridgers recently recommended Lala Lala’s new album. I have only listened to this song so far, but I really like its vibe.

“Staying Power” – Emma Ruth Rundle
Another brooding track by a female vocalist, something Rundle does about as well as anyone.

“Your Boy” – Mo Troper
It doesn’t sound exactly like The La’s legendary “There She Goes,” but it’s close enough to get in your head. Which is just fine.

“You’re Gonna Get Yours” – Public Enemy
I know I share this song every year or so. There’s a good reason for that: although it rarely makes the cut for best songs of its era – or even of PE’s career – it is a roaring, undeniable track and one of the greatest side one, track ones of a debut album ever. It wasn’t the first PE song I heard, that was the legendary “Bring the Noise” from the Less Than Zero soundtrack. But when I heard this song for the first time, I knew “Bring the Noise” wasn’t a fluke and I was going to be listening to a lot of PE music.

“I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (1979 version)” – Prince
Another mind-blowing track from the Prince vaults. I don’t think I had ever heard that this classic, one of my top five Prince tracks, had been written and recorded in 1979 in the sessions for his second album. The sound is right in the pocket of his songs of that era, but obviously very different from the version he recorded in 1986 and put on ’87’s Sign “O” the Times. I’m always fascinated by artists who can write a song has a certain sound, then completely change it into something else that becomes a hit. I can edit, but rarely do I change something I’m writing to have a completely different tone and arc. My brain just doesn’t work that way. Of course, I’m not a genius like Prince was, so I shouldn’t compare myself to him.

“I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” – Prince
And here’s the ultimate version of the song, a live performance from the movie Sign “O” the Times, which is just fucking fantastic. A visual reminder that not only was Prince as good a guitar player as anyone ever, but that he also danced his ass off at the same time. Jimmy, Jimi, Eric, and Eddie couldn’t dance like Prince. MJ couldn’t play like Prince. Just saying…