“Need You No More” – Chappaqua Wrestling
These kids cracked my Top 10 last year and just released their full-length album. It’s not bad; it’s getting mostly positive reviews around the webz. This is probably the second-best track.
“Scabs” – Speedy Ortiz
SO was one of the bigger buzz bands of the early 2010s, but disappeared for a bit as lead singer Sadie Dupuis concentrated on her solo work. This is the first new track in five years.
“Dream On – Country Girl” – Hatchie
She just released a deluxe edition of last year’s Giving The World Away album that includes five new songs. One, “Rooftops,” is brand new and really good. I decided to share this one instead, though, because of it’s early ’90s, pre-Trip Hop vibe that takes her sound in a slightly different direction. Not that I was a clubber, but this sounds straight out of a club in ’91 or ’92.
“can’t hate myself into a different shape” – Brimheim
I selected this song for two reasons. First, I’m not sure I’ve shared many Danish artists on these playlists, let alone one from the Faroe Islands. Second, critics call her music Goth Pop, which I guarantee is a new one on our map of music genres. Oh, and the song is pretty good, too.
“Kool Thing” – Sonic Youth
For our first modern rock classic of the week, this incendiary track from 1990, based on Kim Gordon’s infamously combative interview with LL Cool J for Spin magazine.
“Jump in the Line” – Harry Belafonte
RIP to a legend. You can have “Banana Boat.” This is my favorite of his biggest hits.
“The Rat” – The Walkmen
I think this qualifies as a HOLY SHIT performance. The band is back together for the first time in nearly a decade, and based on this performance at least, haven’t lost a thing. One of the very greatest songs of the 2000s, and one of the songs that was party of my transition into the indie rock era.