Artist-Curated Playlists

Vancouver-based Necking manage to make the tightly wound jitteriness of classic post-punk sound positively fresh on their debut album, <I>Cut Your Teeth</I>. The fearless female foursome have a dark sense of humor but an even sharper sense for melodies that wriggle and bite—just see the fabulously fiery single “Big Mouth,” which carries the angst of indie-rock greats like Sleater-Kinney and Pixies. To live fully by their name, they’ve put together a playlist for your next necking session, although it comes with a mighty big disclaimer … Say Necking about the playlist: “Here’s a list of songs to make out to. Not, like, romantically. This mix only works for revenge makeouts.”

Previously known as Sister Crayon, California duo Rituals of Mine make the type of shadowy and sultry music that’s best consumed in the darkest of hours. Indeed, their newest EP, SLEEPER HOLD, carries the weight of tragedy and trauma, as it comes more than three years after lead singer Terra Lopez lost her father to suicide and her best friend to a fatal accident. Still, the songs are not exactly grim or gloomy but rather sharp and bold, exuding the sexy confidence of trip-hop at its finest (think: Tricky, with whom Lopez has collaborated) and electro-R&B at its dreamiest. While the EP is a form of therapy in its own right, Lopez also has a selection of songs she continually goes back to when life becomes unbearable—and she’s shared them with us here.Says Terra of the playlist: “These are the songs that I’ve clung to over the years (new and old) when I’ve been at my lowest. Before I started taking antidepressants, these tracks were what kept me going, focused, and motivated to get through the day.”Photo credit: Jeffrey LaTour

On her debut album, With Me, which moves from cheeky pop tracks to heartwarming ballads to empowering anthems, Tatum Lynn sounds well beyond her 19 years. Still, the Arizona-based singer/songwriter glosses it all with a youthful vibrancy that’s infectious. Through it all, she channels a little of Ariana Grande’s sass (see single “Later Baby, XO” with its “thank u, next” vibe) and Taylor Swift’s evocative storytelling—and we think she’d dig that latter comparison, given that Ms. Swift shows up on Lynn’s Car Jams playlist more than once.Says Tatum: “This playlist is definitely all music I would jam out to in my car! It reminds me of road trips I have taken with my girlfriends and how we just belt out each song like we were putting on our very own concert. I see people doing this with songs from my album, <<With Me>>, and am hoping one day I’ll pass by a car of girls blasting and putting on their own road-trip concert of ‘Later Baby, XO’!!”Photo Credit: Nick Spanos

Grey Mcmurray creates a haunting baroque mix that bounds up and down a whole spectrum of emotions without ever letting up. On his hypnotizing debut solo album, <I>Stay Up</I>, he fuses classical and ambient music with the poignancy of a singer/songwriter unleashing his most vulnerable secrets. It’s music that’s beautiful and terrifying at once, and cinematic in the way it constantly builds tension. To give us some perspective on his wide and fascinating range of sounds and influences, Mcmurray put together this Oslo playlist just for us. Says Grey of the playlist: “All of this music feels inevitable. Like eggs or pancakes or coffee finding their way to the start of the day. Different slots, but all of them tumbling unconsciously toward their resting place in eternity. I don’t mean to imply any label for any position. Just that, taken together, words like <I>high</I> or <I>low</I> or <I>pop</I> or <I>serious</I> or <I>old</I> or <I>new</I> evaporate, as if they were never really there. (I don’t think they were ever really there.) Also, when down these help me.”

In the mid-2010s, high school friends Stefan Blair and Liam Parsons began tinkering with a 4-track tape machine, crafting hazy, lazy lo-fi melodies under the name Good Morning. The Melbourne duo have since come into their own, releasing three full-length albums in a span of under 18 months. Their most recent release, <I>Basketball Breakups</I>, was recorded in just four days while the band were on tour in Japan in 2018. That rapid recording process gives the songs a sort of looseness that evokes the detached coolness of The Velvet Underground and the melodic whimsy of The Kinks. As the duo prepare for their North American tour in support of the album, Liam shares with us the songs he relies on to help calm his nerves.Says Liam of the playlist: “Music that I have been playing for the week commencing September 30 as I’ve been moving out of my house and packing up my stuff to go on tour. Some of it makes me dance alone in my kitchen (Pet Shop Boys) and some makes me cry a little (Weyes Blood), but it’s all part of the same process.”

Former Dead Astronauts singer and producer Hayley Stewart continues to explore whole new worlds as Mecha Maiko. Her latest album, Let’s!, slips frequently between dark, brooding synthwave and bright, danceable disco-infused pop on tracks like “Alive” and “End of Your Life.” This melding of opposites embodies everything about Mecha Maiko, down to the name itself, which was inspired by Stewart’s fascination with Japanese culture: Mechas are giant robots controlled by humans, while a maiko refers to a geisha in training. A similar theme runs through this handcrafted playlist she put together for us—a synth-laden soundtrack that blends mechanical rhythms with sensual melodies to get you dancing like it’s the end of the world.Says Stewart of the playlist: “Dance tracks for people who want to tell the apocalypse to fuck off. These unapologetically catchy Italo/dance/electro songs will help us ganbatte [translation from Japanese: ‘do your best’] while we change the world.”

DJ and producer Adrian Sherwood has long been at the forefront of the British dub scene as the founder of the influential On-U Sound label. One of his most treasured relationships over the years has been with Jamaican icon Lee “Scratch” Perry. Here, Sherwood explains their first momentous meeting:“Our mutual friend, the radio DJ Steve Barker, first introduced me to Lee in the mid-1980s. He said, ‘Look, you guys have got to get together.’ Steve was in Lancashire, but we agreed to meet at Southern Studios. Lee turned up with Rudy, who is married to Max Romeo’s sister. Rudy was driving him around, and he turned up with some multitracks and said, ‘Put these on.’ So I put them on, and they were him doing cover versions of Bob Marley songs. I think he had a real beef with Bob Marley at that point. I said, ‘Hang on a minute, check some of these rhythms.’“Style had recorded some rhythms in Jamaica that I’d been overdubbing and processing in London. I also had some other rhythms that I’d recorded with Style and the crew in London. So I played them to Lee. Lee loved them and said, ‘Get the mike,’ and that was the start of the Time Boom X De Devil Dead album, which we spent a year making. We’ve gone on to work together a lot since, and I’m particularly proud of Rainford, which I think is the most intimate album that Lee has ever made and one of my best productions.”Sherwood worked with Perry on Rainford and another album released in 2019, Heavy Rain. To celebrate both releases and the duo’s long-standing partnership, the English producer put together a playlist spanning the 35 years they’ve worked together, in which they’ve defined—and continually redefined—the sound and feel of dub music.

Photo Credit: Kishi Yamamoto

Swans have occupied a significant nook in experimental music since the early 1980s, when singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira formed the first iteration of the band in New York City. Since, Swans have been a continual artistic study in evolution and adaptation, as they’ve dived into the wild depths of no wave, post-punk, and noise rock and taken us on nearly maniacal explorations of sound where terror meets transcendence (see the 34-minute epic “Bring The Sun/Toussaint L’Ouverture”). In 2019, Gira returned with a new lineup for his band’s 15th studio album, Leaving Meaning, and that fall he announced a 2020 tour. To celebrate, the influential leader shared with us a playlist of mind-bending sounds, from artists like Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, and Swans themselves.Says Gira of the playlist and his 2020 plans: “Here is some music I chose... I hope you enjoy it. The newly refurbished Swans will be touring beginning early next year. In Europe, the stalwart Norman Westberg will be our support. In the USA, the fabulous Anna von Hausswolff will support. In the meantime, my best wishes to you."

Brooklyn-based band BODEGA create a breezy yet brazen mix of art rock and post-punk that covers topics ranging from modern consumer malaise to the sad, salty fate of “Jack in Titanic.” At their sharpest and most sardonic, they offer some of the more biting social commentary this side of the Atlantic: “Everyone is equally a master and a slave,” they ruminate on the punchy “How Did This Happen?!” Not surprisingly, the quintet soak up wide influences, many with a distinct ability to translate the beauty and sorrow of life into their own poignant languages. They compile quite a few in this set.Says BODEGA’s Ben Hozie about the playlist: “I think the function of art is to remind us of what we value most in the world and in ourselves. There’s a great Radiohead B-side called ‘A Reminder’ with this lyric: ‘If I get old, remind me of this/The night we kissed and I really meant it/Whatever happens, if we’re still speaking/Pick up the phone, play me this song.’ All of the songs I chose for this playlist are personal reminders. Some of these are hard-hitting, whereas some are silly fun, but each one crystallizes some aspect of what I love in art and life.”

Jimmy Flemion of The Frogs shares his 20 most epically captivating live song performances by his fellow musician artists.Says Flemion, "As you bear witness to ones vulnerability & essence...a mere glimpse into anothers soul, wonderment exchanged knowing you are somehow connected. Gospel received! Here are my top 20 ranked in order."1. Bruce Springsteen "Backstreets""1976, I felt a need to get out of my seat & as close to the stage in the aisle as I physically could as he delivered this song. It was unforgettable, a sermon that moved me to tears & had the hairs on my skin standing up. The spirit move through him & he felt the need to share it. His performance inspired me to practice, sing & scream at the top of my lungs in our garage in my teens & my first songs revealed a tinge of his style."2. Gary Numan "This Wreckage""1980, the lights go down, auditorium is dark, in anticipation the opening synthesizer notes are played & the drums & band kick in & the lights behind Gary shine simultaneously, shivers run down my spine."3. Lene Lovich "Bird Song""1988, the otherworldly screeches fly from inside her mouth & are echoed & released into the crowd in full wedding dress regalia."4. Klaus Nomi "Cold Song""1980, Milwaukee . Klaus 12 minute performance stopped traffic, turned heads & dropped jaws. The Frogs opened this show & I sang in a lounging lawn chair, a takeoff of Carpenters song, Close to You, turning it into Klaus to You."5. XTC "Complicated Game""1979, Andy Partrridge, unhinged, inside the song, expelling demons, ghosts & letting it all out on display."6. Cheap Trick "Stop This Game""1980, the intro music droned, Robin Zander made his way to the mike & laid into the most beautiful piercing vocal imaginable."7. Patti Smith "Easter""1978, a master class in delivery & recitation, Patti saw to it that you felt what she felt & placed you in person at the resurrection."8. David Bowie "Heroes""1997, sound check for his 50th birthday party. One of the most effortless vocal performances I’ve ever heard. Don’t know if he was holding back because it was rehearsal but it was amazing & flawless."9. The Kinks "Everybody’s a Star (Starmaker)""1976, Ray Davies showmanship unparalleled, prancing playing the part of a star to perfection."10. Prince "God""1997, Prince’ piano & voice in touch with creation at his most expressive continued taking the music & the crowd higher & higher."11. Jethro Tull "Wind Up""1974, Ian Anderson multi directional strums set the tone as he winds the song & the audience up into a frenzy."12. Elvis Costello & The Attractions "Lipstick Vogue""1979, one of the tightest combos ever in all of rock. This version was full speed ahead blistering."13. The Police "Invisible Sun""1981, the hypnotic mood generated combined light & darkness to the point of transcendence."14. The Pretenders "Message of Love""1981. Chrissie & the band were at their finest with their raw guitar attack & solo back beat shining & encased in beauty."15. Donovan "Lalena""1988, a special song for me since I used to sing The Frogs 1980 punk cover version. Donovan explained the back story of the song, Lalena being a prostitute & then proceeded to dazzle with breath conscious breathtaking vocals."16. Lou Reed "Street Hassle""1978, Lou was getting ready to exude his two word punch phrase “Bad luck”, he sings the last line before this, You know what it’s called... the venue is absolutely silent , a guy in the crowd yells out at the top of his lungs, Bad luck, beating him to the punch. Lou got furious, raving mad, pissed off, started playing his guitar louder & louder, it became the last song of the night & he walked off after only 7 songs."17. Todd Rundgren "Real Man""1978, From the moment the show started, you couldn’t take your eyes off him, as he commanded & demanded attention, simply gripping & riveting."18. Alice Cooper "Only Women Bleed""1977, Alice stages a gritty, emotional, engaging prominence of vulnerability."19. ELP "Knife-Edge""1977, Keith Emerson’s showcase, 360 degree spinning Hammond organ, wildly stabbing with knives extending note sustain."20. Roger McGuinn "Chestnut Mare""1988 Roger or rather Jim if you will, captivated with his Wild West storytelling & guitar picking prowess."The Frogs have recently announced an upcoming release of the originally intended first Frogs album, titled 1st. And will be going on tour to promote the album while celebrating 40 years of Frogs music.The Frogs singer, guitarist Jimmy Flemion is joined by Evan Dando of The Lemonheads on drums as well as guitars & vocals.