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 Reset. Got a Spotify account? You’ll find a link to this month’s playlist at the end of the post.
Weezer – “Africa”
This is about as sincere as it gets. No snark here. Just a note for note remake. But the best part is how it came to happen. A Weezer fan began a social media campaign for the band to cover Toto’s massive 1980’s hit. And eventually, after months of asking, the band delivered this. Which was another hit for the band called “Rosanna.” That was pretty funny. After a few more days and much activity in the twitter sphere, the band gave their fan what she wanted. We have her to thank for this.
Gorillaz – “Humility”
Damon Albarn and Company preview their brand new project with a warm Summer jam fueled by the legendary guitarist George Benson. This is all sorts of terrific.
Mike Shinoda – “Running From My Shadow” featuring grandson
Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda continues to focus on his own music in the wake of Chester Bennington’s death. He has been collaborating with other musicians on recent releases and this new track is from his brand new album “Post Traumatic.”
Rex Orange County – “Loving is Easy”
I’m not sure how a 20 year old kid from the UK manages to channel mid-70’s soul-pop, but I’m not complaining. Like many of the songs in this month’s playlist, this has a decidedly Spring and Summer feel to it. Also, it is shamelessly sweet and sincere. That’s refreshing.
Cheap Trick – “The Summer Looks Good On You”
Fuck. Yeah. Cheap Trick is firing on all cylinders on their latest. Robin Zander’s superhuman vocals are as unworldly as ever and guitarist Rick Nelson does what he does best.
Sudan Archives – “Nont For Sale”
Hypnotic and fabulous.
Death Cab For Cutie – “Gold Rush”
Death Cab For Cutie are back with a new single buoyed by a Yoko Ono sample. While Ben Gibbard is singing about what has happened to his neighborhood in Seattle over the past twenty years, the same might seem relevant to many of us who have experienced similar changes in our own communities. Gibbard’s familiar vocals float atop a mesmerizing foundation of beats, piano notes, guitar runs and backing vocals that make for a vaguely melancholic atmosphere. This has been on repeat at my place for a few days now. You can hear Ben Gibbard discuss this track and their upcoming album over here.
Ghost – “Dance Macabre”
And with this first taste of their forthcoming project we learn that Tobias Forge and his team from Sweden morphed into every German rock band of the 80’s. Weirdly, I guess I’m ok with this.
Christine & The Queens – “Girlfriend”
This is what happens when a French electro-pop band (led by Héloíse Létissier) tips their hat to American funk. They’ve brought in one of their heroes, American musician and producer Dâm-Funk to do his thing. And an excellent thing it is. Summer clubbin’, had me a blast.
R+R+NOW – “Resting Warrior”
And with this we have an entry for BBQ soundtrack for Summer evenings. R +R = NOW is something of a jazz supergroup consisting of Grammy winning pianist/producer Robert Glasper, saxophonist Terrace Martin, and trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah along with Derrick Hodge on bass, Taylor McFerrin on synth and beatbox, and Justin Tyson on drums. And you hear from all of them on this wandering exploration of themes.
Passenger – “Hell Or High Water”
Michael David Rosenberg is Passenger. And over the course of a few albums he has created a sound which is fairly recognizable. His vocals stand out from the gentle folk pop that he has mastered and that has brought him so many fans.
Aloe Blacc – “Brooklyn In The Summer”
Aloe gets his slow-groove on and I can’t find one thing about this I don’t love.
King Princess – “1950”
King Princess is Mikaela Strauss, a 19 year old musician from Brooklyn. 1950 is ear worm material, with Strauss’ intimate vocals built upon a languid beat adorned with simple instrumentation and electronic flourishes. Again, this feels like something perfect for those hot and humid Summer afternoons.
THE CLASSIC: Bruce Springsteen – “Girls In Their Summer Clothes”
I always thought this sounded like a Magnetic Fields song. I think it has something to do with Bruce’s vocals. A perfect song for this time of year.
For previous editions of The Playlist, see the growing archive here.
See the Spotify playlist here.