“The Sound of Suffering” – Salim Nourallah
I’ve long used these playlists to celebrate Spotify’s Discover Weekly feature, and share new discoveries I’ve made through it. I have to admit that something about their algorithm has changed and it has been sucking lately. It has been offering music that doesn’t match either what I listen to historically or recently. Like not even close. But this song was in my new playlist on Monday, so maybe they have made corrections to the model and the suggestions are improving. This song sounds like a young Tom Petty playing Ryan Adams’ poppiest music.

“Hawkmoon” – Hurray For The Riff Raff
Alynda Segarra’s new album is the best album of the young year. One critic praised it as the next, great American road trip album. It does get a little one-notey in the second half, but the good songs are so freaking good. This is the first contender for song of the year. “I’m becoming the kind of girl that they warned me about.”

“Hall & Oates” – IDLES
“IT FEELS LIKE HALL & OATES IS PLAYING IN MY EAR!” I don’t listen to enough songs that make me want to run through walls anymore.

“Hard Times – Max Von Sydow Remix” – Whyte Horse, John Grant, Max Von Sydow
This is some good shit.

“My Father’s Eyes” – Willow Parlo
And this is some beautiful shit. Can’t find much on the web about this or the previous song, thus the glib comments.

“Dig” – Louise Burns
Let’s go all the way back to 2017 for this tremendous track.

“Dancing with Myself” – Maren Morris covering Billy Idol
I (in)famously “slam-danced” to this song at many high school dances, once being pulled aside by our principal and told that “We do not have slam dancing at Raytown.” Most rebellious act of my life. Morris takes Billy’s classic in a lovely new direction. Where Billy was energized and defiant, Morris sounds beaten down by life, the act of being alone is a relief from her everyday stresses.

“Radio Ga Ga” – Queen
Entering the chart at #38 this week in 1984 was the final American Top 40 song of Queen’s career while Freddy Mercury was still alive. A good song to begin with made legendary by their Live Aid performance of it a year later.