Playlist Reviews

What’s This Playlist All About? Forget “Thriller” and “Monster Mash”: This here is a mix made of true nightmares. Toss aside that old scary-sounds cassette tape, and choose this playlist as your ultimate Halloween soundtrack—especially if you’d prefer to scare off those trick-or-treaters for good.

What You Get: This is the gist, in Rolling Stone’s own words: “vintage murder ballads, dissonant classical spine-tinglers, psychedelic freak-outs, shock-rock creep-outs, Southern gothic alt-rock gloom, art-noise desolation and more.” Their list is presented in chronological order, starting with the 1930 folk standard “The Murder of the Lawson Family,” a real-life story of one Charlie Lawson, who murdered his wife and six of seven children. From there, we’re taken on a haunting journey through the years, with The Louvin Brothers’ heavenly Appalachian harmonies detailing a bloody murder (“Knoxville Girl”), Hungarian composer György Ligeti drawing out every possible anxiety with a single organ (“Volumina”), Leonard Cohen stoically claiming, “It is your flesh that I wear” (“Avalanche”), and plenty of other brooding bards like Nick Cave, Scott Walker, and Tom Waits laying out tales of horror and depravity.

Greatest Discovery: There’s something oddly satisfying about Tori Amos’ whispery, theatrical interpretation of Eminem’s murder fantasy “’97 Bonnie & Clyde,” in which he imagines killing his wife Kim and tossing her dead body into a lake, with his baby daughter along for the ride. Amos lures you right into the disgusting scene itself, exposing way more about the rapper than he ever could himself.

Most Terrifying of Them All: There’s nothing that will ever beat the relentless motor buzz that ripples underneath Throbbing Gristle’s “Hamburger Lady” as Genesis P-Orridge recites words from a letter written by a medic in Vietnam who cared for a woman who had horrific burns covering the top half of her body. Seriously, just try to listen to this one with the lights off.

What’s This Playlist All About? The folks at Under the Radar Magazine highlight some of the biggest sleeper tracks in alt and indie rock. On their first go-around, they cover a wide field of songs that seemingly have nothing else in common other than being “precious stones buried in discographies” or ones that are simply “underappreciated for a variety of reasons” --leaving listeners to figure out what those reasons are for themselves.What You Get: This is mostly an exercise in digging up deep cuts from big-name bands like Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, and Coldplay. But before you get there, they throw in a few offbeat indie and electro artists worth a shout-out, like Brooklyn duo High Places and Spencer Krug’s highly underrated solo project Moonface. Things get a little wilder midway through with the woozy Clap Your Hands Say Yeah nugget “Mama, Won’t You Keep Them Castles in the Air Burning?” and PS I Love You’s propulsive noise-rocker “Get Over.” Then it all cools down a bit with the Cure-esque Pablo Honey ballad “Thinking About You” and the slow-burning tearjerker “Friends and Foe” from Irish greats The Frames.Greatest Discovery: Lead track “Digging Holes” comes from a lesser-known band from Madison, WI, called Icarus Himself. The song has several twists and turns, with organ jabs, wieldy guitar licks, and magical quavers of an electronic instrument called the Omnichord. The group sound like The Walkmen one minute, then Beirut the next, as the song concludes in a celebratory squall of brass.Most Questionable Pick: Lady Gaga’s gut-wrenching showstopper “Always Remember Us This Way” from her Oscar-nominated performance in A Star Is Born. It may be up there as one of her greatest performances, but is this Billboard Hot 100 hit really a song that’s been slept on?

What’s This Playlist All About? The team at Consequence of Sound compile a list of their must-hear moments of the decade, “the songs we leaned into during the heartbreak, political turmoil, celebration, and devastation that was the 2010s,” as music editor Erica Campbell puts it. These are the tracks that defined the times by diminishing boundaries, challenging social norms, and making us think about what really matters—or at least just allowing us to dance and forget about all of it.What You Get: A rather polished mix of massive pop hits, defiant rap anthems, fizzy electro-pop grooves, sexy electro-soul slow-burners, angsty indie-rock fist-pumpers, and juicy psych-pop earworms. We say “polished” because nothing is too surprising—and certainly not very out-there—but the playlist captures some of the big music stories of the decade: Beyoncé’s badass transformation into a radical sociopolitical voice with “Formation”; her husband JAY Z’s dynamic yet way-too-fleeting dream-team moment with Kanye on “Ni**as In Paris”; and her sister Solange’s slick reshaping of indie R&B with “Cranes in the Sky.” Moving on from that royal family, the CoS team would have been remiss to not have included Adele’s skyrocketing “Rolling in the Deep,” Daft Punk’s undeniably catchy “Get Lucky” with Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers, James Blake’s dubstep-soul-pioneering “The Wilhelm Scream,” Lana Del Rey’s millennial-noir-defining “Video Games,” and Billie Eilish’s chart-topping flip-off “bad guy.” Meanwhile, their No. 1 pick, Robyn’s effervescent dance-cry inspiration “Dancing on My Own,” wraps up all the emotions of the decade, an impressive feat given that it was released way back in 2010.Greatest Discovery: The dark, moody jazz of “Windswept” from Chromatics and Glass Candy main man Johnny Jewel (slotted at No. 84) offers a warming respite from some of the more in-your-face productions it’s surrounded by.Should’ve Been Way Higher: One of the decade’s greatest moments in music can be found on pick No. 39, starting at around the two-minute mark, when late soul legend Bobby Womack bursts through Gorillaz’s hypnotic flow with the power of Poseidon erupting from the sea. Yes, “Stylo” deserves to be just a tad higher.

What’s This Playlist All About? Stereogum’s senior news editor Chris DeVille rounds up the decade’s most memorable flashes in the pan. He doesn’t use the most scientific of formulas to determine what makes a one-hit wonder, especially since a few of the artists on the list technically landed on the charts with more than one song (such as Foster the People). Still, the playlist gives an interesting overview of some of the unexpected sounds and pop phenomena (hello, PSY) that helped define the 2010s.What You Get: A scattered compilation of synth-pop pleasures, EDM-rock anthems, and bass-y rap bangers, along with a Canadian reggae groove (MAGIC!’s “Rude”), a soul-powered indie-rock jam (Portugal. The Man’s “Feel It Still”), and the unstoppable Puerto Rican triumph “Despacito.” Plus, a reminder of the decade’s many novelty dance tracks: We learned how to “Dougie,” filmed ourselves doing the “Harlem Shake,” and witnessed world leaders getting down to “Gangnam Style.”Best Pick: Probably the most definitive one-hit wonder of the decade came from Australian outlier Gotye, whose indie breakup gem “Somebody That I Used to Know” embedded itself into the American consciousness with its punchy global-pop groove and sugary-sweet appearance by New Zealand singer/songwriter Kimbra. Gotye won three GRAMMY® Awards for the song and the album it appeared on (Making Mirrors), but he thereafter mostly retreated into obscurity, even turning down millions in royalties with YouTube, as DeVille points out. Still, we think he has way more in him, and we’re kind of hoping he makes a comeback in the 2020s.Who Deserves Better Than the One-Hit Wonder Tag? English synth-pop darling La Roux kicks off the playlist with the bouncy “Bulletproof” for good reason: It’s one of the most infectious tracks of the decade. It actually came out in 2009, but it peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2010 and encapsulates the decade’s obsession with ’80s electro glossiness. La Roux ended up with a few other international hits from that album, including “In for the Kill,” but singer Elly Jackson’s time in the American spotlight was far too short. Here’s hoping she’ll pick up the pace in the 2020s, starting with the third La Roux album, Supervision, set for release in February.

What’s This Playlist All About? Following the release of her fifth album, Miss Anthropocene, dark-pop provocateur and AI enthusiast Grimes has declared “ethereal” an official music genre. While the word typically means “extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world,” Grimes describes her playlist a little differently: “We agree that there is a long lineage of auteur artists, often producing their own music and/or directing their own music videos. Oft with a heavy visual component and fantasy, sci-fi, or literary elements…” Either way you see it, there’s certainly an indefinable, maybe even otherworldly, softness coursing through this three-hour-plus playlist.

What You Get: A decades-spanning mix high on the energy of the Divine Feminine with sensual selections from “ethereal” legends like Cocteau Twins, Kate Bush, and Enya, plus woozy electro-soul dreams from newer artists FKA twigs and Lolo Zouaï, and spacey dance delights from Purity Ring and HANA, the latter of whom often collaborates with the playlist maker herself. Grimes’ own music is strategically placed amid this eccentric bunch, such as when her hazy, funereal hymn “Before the fever” seamlessly follows Burial’s surreal, fizzy fantasy “Come Down To Us.” And what would a sci-fi-inspired collection be without Vangelis’ Blade Runner classic “Rachel’s Song”?

Greatest Discovery: Jon Hopkins’ blissed-out journey through a mind-warping, body-numbing mix of ambient glow and frizzling beats on his 2018 track “Singularity.”

Most Ethereal of Them All: It seems that nothing—not even through all of our technological advances—can quite top the stunning elegance of Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” a beauty “too perfect for this world” that we earthlings may not even deserve anymore.

What’s This Playlist All About? To celebrate Women’s History Month, Refinery29 put together a “power-up, pump-up, feel-good, and stand tall playlist for March, and beyond.” This is the type of stuff that gives you life no matter how down-and-out you feel.What You Get: A whole heaping dose of self-love from modern pop queens like Beyoncé, Demi Lovato, and Lizzo, alongside tough feminine ’tude from heroines across the eras, including Nancy Sinatra, Janet Jackson, and Dua Lipa. Elsewhere, Lily Allen puts a boyfriend in his place with the twangy tell-all “Not Fair”; Tacocat expose the perils of mansplaining with the punky takedown “Men Explain Things to Me”; Margo Price gives us the straight dope with the mariachi-lined truth bomb “Pay Gap”; and Ariana Grande says what we’re all thinking with the sultry teaser “God is a woman.”Best Pick: The freaky, fidgety, anxiety-ridden “Man-Size” from PJ Harvey, a genius at stripping down taboos and forcing us to see them for what they really are.The Most Empowering of Them All: While it should never be a competition (we ladies need to stick together, after all), nothing has surpassed or ever will surpass Gloria Gaynor’s classic comeback anthem “I Will Survive” when it comes to making us feel like anything is possible.

What’s This Playlist All About? Danish singer/songwriter Agnes Obel compiles a mix of songs she’s had on regular rotation, many of which likely inspired some of the gorgeous sounds from her 2020 album Myopia.

What You Get: A taste of Obel’s own moody, multilayered, piano-punctuated arrangements (such as the haunting, aptly titled “Island of Doom”), alongside notable tracks from icons as disparate as Nina Simone, David Bowie, Philip Glass, and Scott Walker. Several of her selections dive deep into dark, dreamy spaces, like Cocteau Twins’ angelic “Ivo,” Joanna Brouk’s glistening “The Space Between,” and Björk’s otherworldly “Black Lake.” Elsewhere, Obel, a classically trained pianist, invites us into the magical worlds of exotica pioneer Les Baxter and jazz legend Alice Coltrane.

Greatest Discovery: Lhasa De Sela’s smoky, rhythmic “My Name,” which builds tension— slowly and sensually—without ever letting go.

Biggest Surprise: Track No. 2 on the list, right after Obel’s “Broken Sleep”—a pensive, symphonic piece that seems to exist in some gravityless plane—is one of Rihanna’s many megahits, “Love On The Brain,” a saucy, swinging doo-wop ballad that hits right at the gut.

What’s This Playlist All About? Grateful Dead OG Bob Weir is reportedly quite the workout warrior. (Just check out the man’s Instagram for proof.) To help inspire the rest of us to peel ourselves off the couch and get active, too, he’s shared his “ultimate gymming playlist,” a one-hour mix made “with a little help from my daughters, Monet and Chloe!”

What You Get: We’re going to assume that the inclusion of current trendsetters like Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Halsey, and Post Malone had at least some influence from Weir’s daughters, while classic-rock powerhouses like Jimi Hendrix (with “Foxey Lady”), The Doors (“Love Me Two Times”), and Creedence Clearwater Revival (“Fortunate Son”) have long been on Weir’s workout mixes. In between, you get slices of iconic country with Johnny Cash (“Folsom Prison Blues”) and Dolly Parton, who makes the list twice, first as romantic foil to Kenny Rogers in the timeless “Islands In the Stream” and second as scorned lover in the also-timeless “Jolene.” Meanwhile, Queen’s “We Are The Champions” makes an appearance midway through—just at the time in your workout that you’ll probably need that kind of arena-size motivation.

Weirdest Pick: This ain’t your average jock-jams compilation, but Memphis Jug Band’s “Cocaine Habit Blues” seems an especially odd choice to get those endorphins pumping (naturally, of course). Then again, maybe that’s just weird for anyone who isn’t a Deadhead.

Best Workout for This Playlist: Given its mostly midtempo grooves, we’d say this is probably best played when hitting the free weights or doing some old-school body-weight moves—you can never do enough push-ups, squats, and crunches, after all.

What’s This Playlist All About? The music-history scholars over at Pitchfork sift through Dua Lipa’s 2020 album, Future Nostalgia—a cathartic master thesis on liberation achieved through disco and dance—to dig up its key influences and source material.

What You Get: A formidable brigade of dance-pop deities, with no-brainer selections from Madonna (who makes this playlist twice), Grace Jones, Pet Shop Boys, and Kylie Minogue. In between such euphoric club standards as “Hung Up” and “Always on My Mind,” you get plenty of ’80s and ’90s pop gold, like Olivia Newton-John’s calorie-burning “Physical” (an inspiration for Lipa’s own “Physical”), INXS’s steamy groove “Need You Tonight” (which Lipa samples on “Break My Heart”), and Crystal Waters’ hippie house hit “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless).”

Greatest Pick: One of the few male artists represented here, White Town (a.k.a. Jyoti Mishra), with his gender- and genre-bending theme “Your Woman,” oddly fits in with Lipa’s own irresistible pop. In fact, she interpolates its sampled horn riff on “Love Again.”

Best Song to Dance Your Heart Out To: The final track here, Daft Punk’s “One More Time,” will win this competition—always—and actually goes quite well alongside Lipa’s own disco dance-floor burner “Don’t Start Now.”

What’s This Playlist All About? Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl helps us keep our sanity in quarantine with 10 songs devoted to each stage and emotion we’re all likely experiencing during this unprecedented time of anxiety and isolation. He also offers a few quick words of advice: “Go wash your fucking hands.”

What You Get: The Cars kick this off with the buoyant New Wave groove “Let’s Go,” which then seamlessly flows into Madness’s horn-happy ode to the abode “Our House,” an apt song for easing into the second stage of nesting. From there, the Ahmad Jamal Quintet offer some smooth jazz to push your productivity, LCD Soundsystem forces you to move, The Art of Noise inspire some romance, and Patsy Cline sums up all the feelings in under three minutes with “Crazy,” before The Beatles help us see the light (and the sun) at the end of this scary, maddening, claustrophobic tunnel.

Strangest Pick: Grohl slips in a Yuletide gem for stage 8—panic—perhaps because a little childhood nostalgia may be our only source of comfort. “You might as well put on ‘Linus and Lucy,’ by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, make gingerbread cookies, and wait for the aliens,” he writes.

Best Foo Fighters Song to Wash Your Hands To: What Grohl doesn’t give us here is a song for the many times we find ourselves sudsed up at the sink. We’re going to go with Foo Fighters’ inspirational “Times Like These.” Go ahead, sing along: “It’s times like these you learn to live again/It’s times like these you give and give again/It’s times like these you learn to love again/It’s times like these time and time again.”