Normally my Spotify playlist where I stash songs for the Friday Playists has anywhere from three to eight songs in it. This week is different, though.<\/p>\n
First off, this has been a very good year for music already and it feels like a ton of solid tunes get released every week. So I have plenty of new tracks to share.<\/p>\n
Second, I dug into the playlists of my old music podcast this week and re-discovered a bunch of tracks I hadn’t heard in years. I slapped several of them into the potential list.<\/p>\n
And then we had a couple anniversaries, a death, and an interesting read that also prompted me to add some songs.<\/p>\n
As I sit down to start making this week’s list, there are 25 tracks up for consideration. Which means you, the readers\/listeners, are the beneficiaries! And for a few weeks we’ll have bigger playlists than normal. And maybe a couple vids each week until I get the pool whittled down again.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/playlist\/61CKEHCkWT0MeqRGtYciHy?si=c2f4bd1e24fb400a<\/p>\n
“Silence Is Golden” – The Beths
\nReally good, straight ahead indie rock from New Zealand.<\/p>\n
“Punk Tactics” – Joey Valence, Brae
\nSounds like The Beastie Boys crossed with Run the Jewels.<\/p>\n
“Want Want” – Maggie Rogers
\nMs. Rogers has such a gift for making near-perfect indie pop songs.<\/p>\n
“My Body My Choice” – Margaret Glaspy
\nIt’s a fucking shame we have to have songs like this.<\/p>\n
“Even Flow” – Pearl Jam “Would?” – Alice in Chains “James Bond Theme” – John Barry Orchestra “James Bond Theme – Moby’s Re-version” – Moby
\nI heard this a couple times last week and realized I had just passed the 30th anniversary of the weekend that I fell in love with this song, and with it one of my very favorite bands ever. I swear I heard it 1000 times over the weekend of July 4, 1992. Then I went out and bought Ten<\/a><\/em> the following week, and, well, I would assume I’ve listened to no artist more since then. This alternative take, which was used for the song’s video, is the best version.<\/p>\n
\nAiC is kind of the forgotten band of the grunge era since their recording career was so short. They were monsters at the time, though, right behind Nirvana and Pearl Jam and ahead of Soundgarden in the commercial pecking order. Last week’s Sunday Pitchfork classic album review was AiC’s breakthrough album Dirt<\/em><\/a>. Pretty much guarantee I hadn’t listened to it, in full, since well before the ’90s ended. I spun it after reading that review on Sunday. I agree with the author: it is a pretty bleak listen. But all the big songs still absolutely cook, and I’ve added a bunch of them into my Spotify library. <\/p>\n
\nMonty Norman died last week. That name may not register with you, but he is the man who wrote the original James Bond theme for Dr. No<\/em>. The movie’s producers had composer John Barry make some tweaks to Norman’s tune and then record it for the movie. For nearly 30 years afterward, Barry was publicly given full credit for writing it. Eventually Norman won a court battle and earned the writing credit he had been denied for far too long. RIP.<\/p>\n
\nWhy not?<\/p>\n