Top 20 Songs of September 2015
Every month I comb through all the new releases and personally select the top 20 best songs released that month. Then I lovingly craft them into a play list for your--yes YOU--listening pleasure. It's like a mixtape of the month club, but via the interwebz. Follow my Best New Music of 2015 playlist on Spotify, for all the updates and rad new tunes.
Not sure what's in the air. Maybe it's the changing of the seasons? Something is different, and this month's playlist has a distinct vibe. I hesitate to be reductionist, but let's say it's emotional. It's got the feelz. All of them. The beginning half has a lot of pensive electo things going on. About half way through there's a generous dollop of emo folk punk before descending into blues influences. Perhaps you might think this is too much feelz? Well, it's autumn people. The days are growing shorter and our ancestors would have been worried about surviving the winter. It's not all pumpkin lattes and artistically layer clothing. Make some time for autumn equinox contemplation.
'Jealousy' - Robert Delong : The song that finally made me change my mind about Robert Delong. Okay, KCRW, I get it now - you can stop playing him hourly.
'Swings & Waterslides' - Viola Beach : If the Arctic Monkeys and Two Door Cinema Club made sweet love, it would sound like this. Such a sucker for that accent.
'Harpe' - Kenton Slash Demon : Two Danes signed to Future Classics create new deep house opuses with the summer jangles you expect from FC artists.
'Gone' - Ofelia K : Delicate dream pop with lullaby vocals and lovely harp-sounding samples. It would be interesting to see what she would do with a full-length.
'Instinct' - Ritual : Deep bluesy male vocals over softly echoing soundscapes makes for quiet, intimate moments. Very James Blake, but that's okay.
'No Harm Is Done' - Christine and the Queens, feat. Tungi Ige : Visceral polyrhythms bend at beautiful angles thanks to Héloïse Letissier a multi-media artist.
'Sleep In' - Telekinesis : Single on the 4th full-length from Seattle indie rocker Michael Benjamin Lerner, playful use of noise and found sound.
'Sleeping Alone' - The Cactus Channel, feat. Chet Faker : Surprisingly no-brainer collab. Chet Faker does spoken word to soulful, sorrowful instrumental Aussie band.
'Ordinary Feeling' - Here We Go Magic : A new, more acoustic sound for this band allows them to explore new spaces, beginning tentatively and then finding somewhere bright.
'Highway Patrol Stun Gun' - Youth Lagoon : Trevor Powers' 3rd full-length strikes the perfect balance between his last two albums. Kid's all grown up and still has it.
'All in a Daze Work' - Kurt Vile : Kurt Vile just keeps getting better and better. He's pretty much perfected the strange, half-crazed bard thing and we love him for it.
'Never Come Back Again' - Austin Plaine : Sometimes you just need some sweet, soothing banjo folk. If it comes with vocal harmonies, all the better. Thanks, Austin.
'Roaming Empire' - Maritime : The Promise Ring lives on through Davey von Bohlen's Maritime. Proving that emo punkers don't die, they just grow up.
'Feel Better' - Hodera : This is MY NEW FAVORITE BAND. GO listen to ALL their music NOW. Seriously, my home stomping grounds of the mid-Atlantic have been churning out the best music lately. Hodera is a fantastic new chapter in that region's signature sound of emo folk punk with epic singalong bridges. Meant for long walks alone in the woods and crowd-surfing in sweaty basements.
'I Don't Like Who I Was Then' - The Wonder Years : Speaking of mid-Atlantic punk, these veterans are still killing it after a decade of living out of a van and being generally scruffy. Kudos! Soupy's come a long way from playing the VW Hall in Lansdale, PA.
'Raise Hell' - Dorothy : Holy shit. This is some down home and dirty country rock from a lady with a killer voice. RIYL Black Mountain, The Black Keys, and single barrel bourbon.
'Tired of Talking' - LÉON : Not to be confused with the Italian DJ. This lady is from Sweden and knows how to sing the blues. Set to remix worthy, chilled out beats.
'Blue Honey' - Jimi Charles Moody : Scorching revival organs, big honky-tonk piano, and heartrending lyrics are all that's known about this mysterious breakout artists.
'Fell In the Sun' - Big Grams : This is an epic new partnership between Big Boi (Outkast) and Phantogram. The self-titled full-length is a contender for best rap album of the year.
'Bar Breaker' - Prof : Not to be taken remotely seriously, or listened to by the faint of heart. This is some intentionally ratched white boy rap from the Midwest with slick flow and hilarious lyrics.
Not sure what's in the air. Maybe it's the changing of the seasons? Something is different, and this month's playlist has a distinct vibe. I hesitate to be reductionist, but let's say it's emotional. It's got the feelz. All of them. The beginning half has a lot of pensive electo things going on. About half way through there's a generous dollop of emo folk punk before descending into blues influences. Perhaps you might think this is too much feelz? Well, it's autumn people. The days are growing shorter and our ancestors would have been worried about surviving the winter. It's not all pumpkin lattes and artistically layer clothing. Make some time for autumn equinox contemplation.
'Jealousy' - Robert Delong : The song that finally made me change my mind about Robert Delong. Okay, KCRW, I get it now - you can stop playing him hourly.
'Swings & Waterslides' - Viola Beach : If the Arctic Monkeys and Two Door Cinema Club made sweet love, it would sound like this. Such a sucker for that accent.
'Harpe' - Kenton Slash Demon : Two Danes signed to Future Classics create new deep house opuses with the summer jangles you expect from FC artists.
'Gone' - Ofelia K : Delicate dream pop with lullaby vocals and lovely harp-sounding samples. It would be interesting to see what she would do with a full-length.
'Instinct' - Ritual : Deep bluesy male vocals over softly echoing soundscapes makes for quiet, intimate moments. Very James Blake, but that's okay.
'No Harm Is Done' - Christine and the Queens, feat. Tungi Ige : Visceral polyrhythms bend at beautiful angles thanks to Héloïse Letissier a multi-media artist.
'Sleep In' - Telekinesis : Single on the 4th full-length from Seattle indie rocker Michael Benjamin Lerner, playful use of noise and found sound.
'Sleeping Alone' - The Cactus Channel, feat. Chet Faker : Surprisingly no-brainer collab. Chet Faker does spoken word to soulful, sorrowful instrumental Aussie band.
'Ordinary Feeling' - Here We Go Magic : A new, more acoustic sound for this band allows them to explore new spaces, beginning tentatively and then finding somewhere bright.
'Highway Patrol Stun Gun' - Youth Lagoon : Trevor Powers' 3rd full-length strikes the perfect balance between his last two albums. Kid's all grown up and still has it.
'All in a Daze Work' - Kurt Vile : Kurt Vile just keeps getting better and better. He's pretty much perfected the strange, half-crazed bard thing and we love him for it.
'Never Come Back Again' - Austin Plaine : Sometimes you just need some sweet, soothing banjo folk. If it comes with vocal harmonies, all the better. Thanks, Austin.
'Roaming Empire' - Maritime : The Promise Ring lives on through Davey von Bohlen's Maritime. Proving that emo punkers don't die, they just grow up.
'Feel Better' - Hodera : This is MY NEW FAVORITE BAND. GO listen to ALL their music NOW. Seriously, my home stomping grounds of the mid-Atlantic have been churning out the best music lately. Hodera is a fantastic new chapter in that region's signature sound of emo folk punk with epic singalong bridges. Meant for long walks alone in the woods and crowd-surfing in sweaty basements.
'I Don't Like Who I Was Then' - The Wonder Years : Speaking of mid-Atlantic punk, these veterans are still killing it after a decade of living out of a van and being generally scruffy. Kudos! Soupy's come a long way from playing the VW Hall in Lansdale, PA.
'Raise Hell' - Dorothy : Holy shit. This is some down home and dirty country rock from a lady with a killer voice. RIYL Black Mountain, The Black Keys, and single barrel bourbon.
'Tired of Talking' - LÉON : Not to be confused with the Italian DJ. This lady is from Sweden and knows how to sing the blues. Set to remix worthy, chilled out beats.
'Blue Honey' - Jimi Charles Moody : Scorching revival organs, big honky-tonk piano, and heartrending lyrics are all that's known about this mysterious breakout artists.
'Fell In the Sun' - Big Grams : This is an epic new partnership between Big Boi (Outkast) and Phantogram. The self-titled full-length is a contender for best rap album of the year.
'Bar Breaker' - Prof : Not to be taken remotely seriously, or listened to by the faint of heart. This is some intentionally ratched white boy rap from the Midwest with slick flow and hilarious lyrics.
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