The Playlist – September 2014

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.  

 

Gerard Way – “No Shows”

My Chemical Romance front man goes solo and channels classic Brit Pop in the process. More here. I know a lot of people like to take shots at this guy, but there are some pretty entertaining songs in his catalogue.

 

Royal Blood – “Loose Change”

Before you start to gripe, yes, Royal Blood does come with the official (if there is one) Dappered Seal-of-Approval (along with these guys, these guys and this all-time greatest guy). Yes, they have made regular appearances on The Playlist and this one marks the release of their self-titled full-length. They’ve come up fast and loud and completely welcomed. They will be opening for The Pixies this fall on tour. Oh and heads up! There is another track coming up shortly. As in, scroll down.

 

Prince – “Clouds”

There are certain artists who always get the benefit of the doubt when something new rolls around. I don’t know what to think yet. He’s releasing two separate projects on September 30th. One (Art Official Age) is characterized as a classic Prince album while the other (Plectrumelectrum), a classic Prince band album. I admit I am looking forward to some of the re-issues coming via Prince’s recent agreement with Warner Bros. (Note: Image above should take you to the Vibe.com post where you can listen to the new song. It was on Soundcloud, and has since disappeared, but you can still hear it on a few different sites. You can also buy it on iTunes.)

 

Basement Jaxx with ETML – “Never Say Never”

About. Damn. Time. Also, twerk-bot.

 

Merchandise – “Green Lady”

Of course this is on 4AD. I say that as a compliment. This is exceptionally well executed post punk art-mope rock. Again, a compliment. It’s terribly tasteful and sounds a little like what The Smiths would have sounded like if Morrissey was fronting Roxy Music.

 

George Ezra – “Budapest”

It seems like every month along comes the next big thing from the UK. Usually, a boy and his guitar (hello Jake Bugg, looking at you). Here’s an example of the usually. I think there might be something about this 21 year old. The typically hyperventilating British press is going bonkers over him. But I’m not holding that against him. This is sweetly infectious and subtly addicting.

 

Air Traffic Controller – “The House”

A majority of you are going to loathe this. But that’s ok, because the people who love it are going to LOVE IT and play it on repeat and revel in it’s awe-spitality (yes, totally made up word.) But really, this is pretty fun. The guy is a former real air traffic controller for the Navy who made 4 track recordings as a hobby before taking his leave and expanding his musical horizons. He’s a synthpop storyteller.

 

Royal Blood – “Careless”

As a very wise man opined, “Them Crooked Vultures + Early Black Keys = That ^”

 

The Rentals – “Thought Of Sound”

Welcome back Matt Sharp and pals! Fifteen years was a long time to wait for a second album and a follow up to this 90’s fave. But, beggars can’t be choosers. And where Matt (ex-Weezer) sticks to his synth-rock formula, he has brought in the ladies from Lucius to provide the vital backing vocals that help define the band’s sound. Lost in Alphaville is new this month.

 

The Kate Bush Story – “Running Up That Hill”

This new BBC documentary debuted on the eve of Kate Bush’s first concerts in an unthinkably long time (35 years). From where I now sit, it seems obvious the impact she has had on popular music. But it is so easy to forget how completely different she was at the time. All of the archival footage of Kate is fascinating since she’s kept such a low profile. I had always known that David Gilmour had helped her get her deal. But to hear him talk about it, and to put her work in context with that of Pink Floyd was kind of a jolt. This is so good. More here.

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