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.
The Black Keys – “Shine A Little Light”
Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney are back after 5 years doing solo work, production work and other collaborations, and their new collection “Let’s Rock” is full of the stuff we love.
Labrinth – “All For Us”
Labrinth is one of the most exciting voices in pop music right now. Via his collaborations with Sia and Diplo, and through his solo work, he has consistently produced innovative, imaginative musical and vocals arrangements. He has all of the vocal strengths of John Legend but he’s willing to be…different.
Ed Sheeran – “Blow” Featuring Bruno Mars and Chris Stapleton
“Yo Ed.”
“Yeah?”
“Bet you can’t make a sexy ass song that’s gonna have all the people thinkin’ ‘AWWW SHIT IM GONNA F*CK TONIGHT!”
Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors – “End Of The World”
Drew Holcomb and his band manage to make the end of the world sound sort of like a party. I guess that would be a glass half-filled take on the whole thing.
Belle & Sebastian – “Sister Buddha”
New Belle & Sebastian? Why yes please. They’ve done a soundtrack to the movie version of a Scottish graphic novel? Sweet. That it sounds like classic B&S? Perfect.
Michael Franti & Spearhead – “You’re Number One”
Sometimes all you want out of the Summer is a kind-of-goofy, little bit cheesy song that puts you in a great mood. As one of the nicest humans I have ever met, Michael Franti is a master of the art: this song is 100% positivity and I’m pretty certain we could all use a bit of that right now.
Billie Eilish – “bury a friend”
Having recently spent four days in a car with my 13 year old god-daughter, I have become a fan of Miss Eilish. While she and her brother Finneas O’Connell are certainly doing things their own way, they make use of many musical touch points from the 80’s and 90’s which anchors much of the fun. And despite some of the creepiness inherent in Eilish’s approach, this is still pretty fun.
TORCHE – “Admission”
I have no idea what sub genre of Rock N Roll this is, and I’m ok with that. Because these guys whip up a dense, cacophony of guitars, vocals, and distortion for those who enjoy this sort of thing. I include myself among that list.
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – “Black Star Dancing” (The Reflex Version)
Noel Gallagher, remixed. This is pretty much grade A Mancunian. A bit of nod to the classic Brit Pop and old school New Wave which ruled the charts in the 80’s and 90’s. Doesn’t appear to be available for a one-off purchase (does anyone buy music anymore? Or is it all monthly membership driven now?) but it seems to be on all the streaming platforms.
Society Of The Silver Cross – “The Mighty Factory Of Death”
Americana Gothic. I don’t mean that as a quip. It is in fact a compliment. I am really taken with this Seattle bands approach to gothic music. This organic template suggests elements of old American blues, Appalachian folk music, dark wave rock and if I’m being honest, Kurt Cobain. Again, compliment. Repeated listenings provide additional rewards and appreciation of what they have created.
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib – “Giannis” feat. Anderson .Paak
Just. Push. Play.
Spoon – “No Bullets Spent”
I’m pretty much a Spoon fanboy. I will not apologize for this. Britt Daniel’s band arrived with a wholly intact sound (as heard on the fantastic Soft Effects release from ’97) and has just improved since then. “No Bullets Spent” is another great song in a rich discography. This is the lone new track included on an upcoming best-of collection available this week.
Prophets Of Rage – “Made With Hate” (HEADS UP: explicit lyrics)
Prophets of Rage have one of the most incendiary resumes in music. They are basically Rage Against The Machine minus Zach de la Rocha but with Chuck D and DJ Lord of Public Enemy and B Real from Cypress Hill. Yeah, they are all older, but they still are angry and they still rock. No subtleties here.
Leif Vollebekk – “Hot Tears”
This Canadian singer-songwriter has been finding a wider audience with each release. It’s easy to hear why. “Hot Tears” is the first single from an upcoming full length. This is honest and direct, intimate and warm. Vollebekk’s vocals drift through the arrangement, which gives the impression that you are right there in the moment.
Manchester Orchestra – “My Backwards Walk”
This one still hurts. Scottish band Frightened Rabbits were in the process of celebrating the 10th anniversary of their break out album The Midnight Organ Fight when lead singer Scott Hutchison took his life. His legacy includes some truly powerful songs, many of which are included on the finally realized TINY CHANGES: A CELEBRATION OF THE MIDNIGHT ORGAN FIGHT. This album, which replicated the original with versions recorded by friends of the band, is so very bittersweet. Manchester Orchestra deliver a brilliant version of “My Backwards Walk” and in doing so provide an idea of what you can expect from this project.
Rick Ross – “BIG TYME” featuring Swizzled Beatz
Big time indeed.
BONES UK – “Choke”
Two women from the UK who bring the noise with big beats and a whole lot of attitude. This is a good thing.
THE CLASSIC: Soul II Soul – “Get A Life”
For a couple of years there, it seemed like Soul II Soul defined the sound of London. Jazzie B and Caron Wheeler led a sound system collective of singers and fashion designers who transformed London’s music scene. I would be quite happy if this sound made a comeback.
For previous editions of The Playlist, see the growing archive here.
See the Spotify playlist here.