Weekly Playlist 10/18
Every Friday, I share the highlights of what I’ve been listening to over the course of the week, from old favorites to new discoveries.
This week is good.
We start slow with “Tokyo” by Julien Baker, a rare instance of a song that doesn’t strike me enough to add to my collection yet cannot be ignored — it’s a slow, easy track; well-composed with vocals that vary from soft and breathy to louder and more intense. They’re somewhat similar to The Greeting Committee frontwoman Addie Sartino, a band I highlighted after they caught my attention opening for Jukebox the Ghost last spring, and “Cry Baby,” the slow, haunting opener from their latest EP.
Speaking of Jukebox the Ghost, their lead-up to their annual HalloQueen shows continues with their cover of “Somebody to Love,” one of Queen’s best, most bittersweet tracks. While many would argue — fairly — that Queen’s discography should not be touched, the track is more than capable hands here, as Jukebox the Ghost handles it wonderfully.
As both Queen and Jukebox the Ghost have proven, piano can work great in a rock song, something early 2000s band Something Corporate knew well. Of all of the music to come out of those years, Something Corporate is one I can keep coming back to — it helps that frontman Andrew McMahon still throws some of the band’s songs into his solo sets — and “I Want to Save You” is one of the reasons why, from the way that piano opens it the melody. It was a solid album opener, as are The Maine’s “Slip the Noose” with its driving guitar riff; Paramore’s “Fast in My Car” with its guitar riff, although the lyrics are a little too simple; and The Black Keys’ “Shine a Little Light” with its melody.
We move from more recent rock to classics, even if it feels weird to refer to music from the early ’90s as “classics,” but look, some of these songs are close to 30 years old and by big, well-regarded bands— “Debaser” by The Pixies (another opening track!), “How Do You?” by Radiohead, “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” by R.E.M. (yet another opener!), “Isolation” by The Smashing Pumpkins, and “Peaceful Easy Feeling” by The Eagles, where things start to slow down.
Then we start heading acoustic with “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” by Neutral Milk Hotel, the simple but lovely “Via Chicago” by Jeff Tweedy, and a beautiful cover of Don McLean’s lovely sad tribute to artist Vincent van Gogh in “Vincent (Starry Starry Night)” by duo Branden & James.
We end with the dark intensity of Florence + The Machine’s “Cosmic Love” and the ’80s vibes of Bat for Lashes’ “So Good” — and it’s also fitting that both are about less-than-stellar relationships.
Here’s something else for your weekend — Chris Isaak joining Lana Del Rey onstage last week for “Wicked Game,” which she called “the sexiest song of all time,” a valid argument. Her voice is perfect for the track, particularly in the way it meshes with his.
