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The Playlist – October 2013

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Music is a little like food and clothes. These are areas where it’s probably worthwhile for one to explore & expand their tastes. The Playlist is assembled each month by Dappered’s very own music correspondent, Tim Johnstone. Tim is a former Virgin Records Label Rep & current award winning Program Director at KRVB, which was awarded the FMQB AAA station of the year markets 50+. You can also catch his work on Fridays when he assembles the Weekend Dossier. 

John Legend – “Made To Love”

Beyond a doubt one of the most talented vocalists in music today. The man is just ridiculously gifted. You’ve heard this, right?

 

Chvrches – “The Mother We Share”

The debut album by these Scotts, more than any other recent release, has received the most play on my various devices of late. There isn’t one bad song among the batch. This is already one of my favorites of the year.

 

Haim – “The Wire”

A trio of sisters out of  Los Angeles who have managed to release the most 80’s sounding CD of the year. And by that, I mean that this album literally sounds like it was recorded in the 80’s. It’s not so much a genre thing, but in production and arrangement and actual instrumentation, it sounds like the 80’s. But here’s the rub: it’s totally contemporary and a whole bunch of fun.

 

Moby with Wayne Coyne – “This Perfect Life”

Moby, with an assist from Wayne of  The Flaming Lips and some Gospel singers, delivers one of the most empyreal songs of his catalog.

 

Patty Griffin – “Silver Bell”

An elusive rarity gets an official release thirteen years after the fact. That is is one of the best releases of this year speaks to the underrated singer’s ability to deliver the emotional wallop over and over and over again. Her songs have been huge hits for many artists, but nothing comes close to Patty’s ethos. The collection of songs her, like “Top Of The World” and “Truth #2” are among her best.

 

The Weeknd – “Kiss Land”

I can’t help it. There are many reasons why I shouldn’t like this, but I am helpless. This album defies all reason. It is a genre-buster. There is nothing subtle here. It is completely over the top. It is Prince if he sounded exactly like Michael Jackson. It is a spectacle. And it all works thanks to Abel Tesfaye’s ridiculously terrific vocals which provides everything else with a warm organic core.

 

David Bowie – “Love is Lost” (Hello Steve Reich Remix by James Murphy for the DFA)

This is something. James Murphy (late of LCD Soundsystem) takes a turn deconstructing and then reconfiguring a track from Bowie’s wondrous recent album. Taking bits and pieces from Bowie’s catalog (including “Ashes To Ashes”) Murphy takes the track from a beginning marked with glitchy, shotgun style percussion to something made to get people moving. It’s a spectacular journey. Look for it on the upcoming three disc special edition of  The Next Day, available November 5th or pre-order the extended EP with extra tracks here.

 

The Head & The Heart – “Shake”

 

Seattle’s winsome folk-rockers liven up their sound and flesh out their arrangements with their sophomore release Let’s Be Still. “Shake” is a pretty good example of that.

 

St. Lucia – “Elevate”

Unabashedly joyful.

 

William Shatner – “Ponder The Mystery” 

No need to say a thing. Just, ponder.

 

BONUS: This is going to be all kinds of awesome.

For previous editions of The Playlist, see the growing archive here. Top Photo Credit.

Comments

  1. Good cuts here. HAIM has been in heavy rotation on the playlist, they are seriously catchy and talented. CHVRCHES (you put a U in there, but no U in their name) has been keeping my attention as well this year.

    Simply cannot wait for the new Arcade Fire. Murphy and AF. YES.

  2. Great inclusion of Patty Griffin. I’ve been mesmerized by her since I first heard the stripped down EP “Living With Ghosts” while browsing through a bookstore in 1996. She is, indeed, a completely underrated singer-songwriter-Grammy Award-winning musician. Seeing her live is a sublime experience. I’ve seen her open for inferior acts for years, and loved when she joined up and toured with Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris, and Shawn Colvin. Her songs are all over the place, including multiple movie soundtracks, yet hardly anyone knows her. Do yourself a favor and check her out if she happens to be touring through your city – you won’t regret it.

  6. On the Hip-Hop side of things we had two of the best albums of the year drop in October: Pusha T’s “My Name Is My Name” and Danny Brown’s “Old”.

    Also, Sleigh Bells and Cults have been getting heavy rotation.

  7. Why does HAIM get a pass on ‘authenticity’ when they re-invented themselves just as often and thoroughly as Lana Del Rey?

    Oh, wait, is it becuase HAIM is talented?

  9. Get out of my brain SD. I’m with you. I’ll go one step further and say that everything else he has ever done is far, far below House of Balloons.

  11. Yes to both of these albums. I’ve literally been waiting more than a decade for My Name Is My Name.

  12. Just from the top of my head – new Pearl Jam, Cake, Sleigh Bells, Phantogram, Poliça and RJD2.

  13. I was on the fence after seeing the video for the first single off the Arcade Fire album, but after seeing the four songs they debuted on/after SNL a few weeks ago, I don’t even know if I’m going to buy the album or not. It just seemed like a forced and unnatural direction for them to take their sound. On the 29th, I’ll be most excited to pick up the new albums by Moonface and Skeletonwitch.

  15. Respect for giving Abel props, he has been surprisingly consistent with every release. The production and his voice are just haunting sometimes, they linger on long after you stop listening.

  19. See I think people are too harsh on the album, yes many of the songs on their own lose alot of their strength, but the big picture of Kissland, I think is a dark, depressing, uncomfortable (with the exception of the banality of “live for”) one that for me is unique and works on a lot of levels. Look at Kissland really, who is doing anything anywhere near what the weeknd did on that album? I would venture to say no one, that, I think has merit. Yes, I think the argument can be made that compared to the Trilogy, it is the weaker of the two, but disappointing, I think that’s seriously underselling what Tesfaye has done with his first studio album.