Top 20+ Songs of 2024

  Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "It's Over, If We Run Out of Love" – David Holmes, Raven Violet
2. "Talk is Cheap" – Dr. Dog

3. "Coming of Age" – Van Houten

4. "Make it Happen" – Wonder 45

5. "Alone" – Maps

6. "Let Your Heart Fill Up" – Jerome Blazé

7. "Angels" – Mondo Cozmo

8. "Bright Spot II" – Blue Canopy, A Beacon School

9. "One of a Kind" – The Heavy Heavy

10. "Consciousness Felt" – Tycho

11. "Strange World" – La Luz

12. "Apparition" – Quivers

13. "Nearly Daffodils" – English Teacher

14. "All a Mystery" – Phantogram

15. "Come Find Me" – Caribou

16. "Maybe We're Alright" – Guster

17. "The Hardest Part" – Washed Out

18. "Cherry Pie" – Fazerdaze

19. "Say You Love Me" – Wilco

20. "Together Forever" – STRFKR

21. "Alone" – The Cure

Fall 2024 New Music Playlist

 Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "One of a Kind" – The Heavy Heavy

2. "All A Mystery" – Phantogram

3. "Say You Love Me" – Wilco

4. "Super Breath" – Karen O., Danger Mouse

5. "Dreamweavers" – trentmøller, DiSA

6. "The Moth" – Deary

7. "Let Your Heart Fill Up" – Jerome Blazé

8. "RITURAL (place)" – Jon Hopkins, Vylana

9. "Afterglow" – Ohr

10. "Crystals (feat. Benjamin Gibbard)" – Sea Lemon

11. "Come Find Me" – Caribou

12. "Glimpse" – Future Islands

13. "Sprinter Brain" – Wild Pink

14. "Crystal Breath" – Kim Deal

15. "Cherry Pie" – Fazerdaze

16. "Consciousness Felt" – Tycho

17. "Screamland" – Father John Misty

18. "Alone" – The Cure

Winter 2021 New Music Playlist

 Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "Interstellar Love (feat. Leon Bridges)" – The Avalanches, Leon Bridges

2. "The Valley of the Pagans (feat. Beck)" – Gorillaz, Beck

3. "Sleep Today" – Maps

4. "A Different Kind of Life" – National of Language

5. "Hurt" – Arlo Parks

6. "Fire for You" – Cannons

7. "Into the Woods" – Tycho

8. "His Rope" – Burial, Four Tet, Thom Yorke

9. "If We Make It Through December" – Phoebe Bridgers

10. "Orion from the Street" – Field Music

11. Dawn Chorus" – Jon Hopkins

12. "Let It Be" – Matt Berninger

13. "One Another" – Hammock

14. "Parallel 7" – Four Tet

15. "Glacial Lake" – Teen Daze

Winter 2020 New Music Playlist

Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "Come Get Me" – Nada Surf

2. "Against the Day" – Wolf Parade

3. "Don't Waste My Time" – SAULT

4. "You and I" – Caribou

5. "Lost Day" – Other Lives

6. "In the Afternoon" – MGMT

7. "Ice Cream Party" – Modest Mouse

8. "The Main Thing" – Real Estate

9. "Posthumous Forgiveness" – Tame Impala

10. "Stress" – Tycho

11. "Non-Linear Time vs. Misshapen Space" – Say Hi

12. "Deleters" – Holy Fuck, Angus Andrew

13. "Losing Control" – Poolside

14. "Be So Blue" – Deserta

15. "Baby" – Four Tet

16. "Scene Suspended" – Jon Hopkins

Summer 2019 New Music Playlist

Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "Saw Lightning" – Beck
2. "No Bullets Spent" – Spoon
3. "Fade In Nylon" – A Beacon School
4. "Lava"– Still Woozy
5. "Heartbreak" – Unloved
6. "You're Not Always On My Mind" – Quivers
7. "Raspberry Jam" Allah-las
8. "Do Si Do" – Jenny Lewis
9. "Calm Down" – Pete Yorn
10. "Easy" – Tycho
11. "Rylan" – The National
12. "Elixir" – Tourist
13.  "Entendre" – Eluvium
14. "Sleeper" – Trentmøller
15. "Love Yourself" – Sufjan Stevens
16. "I Am OK" – Lea Porcelain
17. "Pattern 16" – Jamison Isaak

Top Ten Releases of 2016 With Video Highlights

2016 ranked as another great year to be a music fan – some of my very fave bands came out with new releases (and I'm still eagerly awaiting ones from Beck and the Gorillaz!) Indie rock veterans Radiohead and Wilco continued their dominance with stellar albums worthy of multiple listening sessions. Band of Horses, Okkervil River and Pete Yorn brought a laid back twang to my year's soundtrack while Santigold and Tycho provided tracks ready for a dance party when needed. Then there's the intimacy of Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam to round out my list, along with the crowd pleasing anthems of Travis.

Give a listen on Spotify to all my Top Ten Albums of 2016 as well as Other Fave Albums of 2016, and check out my picks below with live video highlights.


1. Radiohead, A Moon Shaped Pool
Legendary English band Radiohead released its ninth studio album since 1985, A Moon Shaped Pool. The single "Burn the Witch" dropped with great fanfare as a stop-motion animated video, but it was captured live at Chicago's Lollapalooza festival over the summer. (I actually watched the online feed as it happened and highly recommend revisiting the entire set on YouTube.) It's clear that this band is still at the top of its game and we fans are lucky indeed.

2. Okkervil River, Away
When I heard "The Industry" on local radio WFUV, I was thrilled since I knew immediately it was Will Sheff's creation. Beyond his warm vocals, there was a song structure that belied the intensity of the emotional connection of lyrics and melody. This tune served as the single for Okkervil River's eighth studio album since 1998, Away, which heralds a new creative phase for the frontman with different backing members and life without his beloved grandfather. (When I caught his band at Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2013, he performed next to a framed photo of him in tribute.)

3. Band of Horses, Why Are You OK
Southern indie rockers Band of Horses released its fifth studio album since 2004, Why Are You OK, with a confident collection of songs by this tight knit quintet. Produced by Jason Lytle of Grandaddy and written by singer Ben Bridell, the songs touch on navigating life as a father to three daughters while creating music with a groupthink of incredibly talented guys who happen to really like each other, as evidenced in this video capturing the performance of the single "Casual Party."

4. Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam, I Had a Dream That You Were Mine
The collaboration between The Walkmen's frontman and soulful singer Hamilton Leithauser and Vampire Weekend's multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, I Had a Dream That You Were Mine, was one of the best surprises of the year. This solid debut offered songs of both transcendence and foot stomping exuberance – I was able to catch a performance of the band at the Rough Trade space in Brooklyn, the perfect size to get up close and personal with the material. This bewitching tune "In a Black Out" was even tapped for a major Apple iPhone commercial, exponentially expanding the band's reach.

5. Wye Oak, Tween
Baltimore's Wye Oak created its fifth album since 2002 from remnants of songs from the past two albums, yet Tween exists just fine on its own with lush production and layered nuances that has you wondering how exactly the music is pulled off by only two band members. Jenn Wasner (vocals, guitars and bass) and Andy Stack (drums, keyboards and backup vocals) combine their talents to create original compositions that expand such sonic constraints, as witnessed in this fan footage of "If You Should See" at a recent concert.

6. Santigold, 99 Cents
Philly native Santigold (née Santi White) is the total indie pop star package, a singer and producer who also creates her costumes, dance moves and positive vibes together with social commentary in her music since 2008. Poking fun at the selfie culture, "I Can't Get Enough of Myself" from the latest album 99 Cents, is an infectious romp of fun as exhibited during this performance on the daytime television show Ellen.

7. Tycho, Epoch
Tycho is the ambient music project of San Francisco's Scott Hansen, who uses vintage-style synths and a live backing band as caught on camera at a recent KCRW session playing "Horizon." The song served as the single for the fourth album since 2002, Epoch, full of electronic experimentation without losing the musical vision of the creator.

8. Pete Yorn, Arranging Time
Pete Yorn returned to his solo career after a stint as The Olms with J.D. King, releasing a sixth album since 2000 called Arranging Time. The single "Summer Was a Day" showcased Yorn's breathy vocals and lean production, finding the perfect balance in live performance as well as the studio.

9. Wilco, Schmilco
With a wink and a nod towards Harry Nilsson's album Nilsson Schmilsson, Chicago's alternative rock band Wilco rolled out its tenth album since 1994, Schmilco.  The sweet single, "If I Ever Was a Child," is never cloying or mendacious under this band's credo and Jeff Tweedy's subtle vocal approach.

10. Travis, Everything at Once
Scottish indie rockers Travis released its eighth studio album since 1990, Everything at Once, another collection penned mostly by the frontman, singer/songwriter Fran Healy. The band's cheery optimism is on full display in this official video of "Magnificent Time" with Healy's golden vocals cheerleading the group. But I love the fan footage below it even more, showing Healy teaching the crowd in his thick brogue how to dance along, documenting the exuberance of the band and the sheer joy of being at of their shows (which I witnessed firsthand during their last tour in NYC). Gotta give it up to the audience member hanging on to that empty drink cup!

Late Summer 2016 New Music Playlist

I certainly did not think I’d be posting another playlist so soon. But the surprise album by new band Nice as Fuck and a new collaboration between Hamilton Leithauser and Rostam Batmanglij plus singles galore (Woods, Wilco, Jagwar Ma, Allah-las, The Head and the Heart, Father John Misty, and more) filled my inbox and online radio listening sources, so here we go again!  There are also releases from veterans The Avett Brothers and Fruit Bats to keep the summer soundtrack chill, along with some solid electronica from Mark Pritchard to zone out on a hot day. Listen on Spotify or as a YouTube playlist.

1. “In These Fine Times” – Classixx (featuring De Lux)

Production and DJ duo Michael David and Tyler Blake enlisted fellow L.A. musician Sean Guerin of De Lux to double the vocals for this breezy tune. It is off the band’s second album of electronica since 2008, Faraway Reach.

2. “O B 1” – Jagwar Ma

Australian trio Jagwar Ma are getting ready to release a follow up album since its debut in 2013, Every Now & Then. This stellar psychedelic dance rock single includes drums by Warpaint’s Stella Mozgawa.

3. “Could Be You” – Allah-Las

L.A. based surf rock revivalists Allah-Las are back with “Could Be You,” a teaser single for its third album, Calico Review.  The tune is full of signature harmonies and fuzzed out guitar, along with new additional instruments to expand the sound: viola, harpsichord and theremin.

4. “Door” – Nice as Fuck

Jenny Lewis’s latest band with Erika Forster (Savoir Adore) and Tennessee Thomas (The Like) dropped a surprise album of smirk-inducing catchy tunes such as “door.” The self-titled LP comes complete with a theme song for the new group.

5. “All We Ever Knew” – The Head and the Heart

Seattle’s indie folk band The Head and the Heart will soon release its third album since 2009, Signs of Light. “All We Ever Knew” is brimming with the optimistic attitude this six-piece is known for.

6. “They Want More” – Ages and Ages

Portland based sextet Ages and Ages just recorded a third album since 2009 at Ice Cream Party Studio, owned by Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock (he also wielded a guitar on another track). The single “They Want More” confronts commercialism with a infectious melody and trademark sing along chorus.

7. “Know Your Minute” – Woods

“Know Your Minute” is a limited edition, tour-only 7” and digital download single by this Brooklyn folk rock band formed in 2005. Led by laid-back vocals of guitarist Jeremy Earl, Woods continues on its own path of quirky Americana.

8. “If I Ever Was a Child” – Wilco

Chicago’s resident indie juggernaut Wilco has another album ready less than a year since Star Wars. The tenth LP since 1994 is called Schmilco (with a nod to Harry Nilsson’s Nilsson Schmilsson) and this single shows the softer side of the band, led by Jeff Tweedy’s melancholy vocals.

9. “Ain’t No Man” – The Avett Brothers

The Avett Brothers reunited with mega producer Rick Rubin for the North Carolina band’s ninth album since 2000, True Sadness.  This foot stomping song finds brothers Scott and Seth energetically attacking the music with an infectious beat.

10. “Throw Down Your Guns” ­– Wild Belle

Natalie Bergman’s commanding vocals on “Throw Down Your Guns” leads the charge with her bandmate/brother Elliot for this song off the band’s second full album since 2011, Dreamland.

11. “Real Love Baby” – Father John Misty

L.A.-based singer/songwriter, guitarist and drummer Joshua Michael Tillman released this lush stand alone single after two albums as Father John Misty since 2012. This melodic ode to married life is in a irresistible classic pop tune style.

12. “A 1000 Times” – Hamilton Leithauser and Rostam

“A 1000 Times” is a single by the new collaborative project between Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij and The Walkmen’s Hamilton Leithauser, highlighted by Leithauser’s earthy vocals. Batmanglij provided an assist to Leithauser’s debut solo album and the pair clearly took to the collaborative writing process well.

13. “The Industry” – Okkervil River

Brooklyn-based Will Sheff of Okkervil River has been working on another album with a different band configuration with songs about moving on and finding new beginnings. “The Industry” is the single for the eighth collection since 1998, Away, conveyed by Sheff’s original yearning vocals.

14. “Run Run Blood” – Phantogram

“Run Run Blood” is the single for the synthpop duo Phantogram’s third album since 2007, simply called Three. Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel of Saratoga Springs find a confident vibe for this epic dance tune.

15. “Birthday Drunk”­ – Fruit Bats

Chicago’s folk rock band Fruit Bats released its sixth album since 1997, Absolute Loser.  The sweet acoustic tune “Birthday Drunk” showcases the wry vocals of singer/songwriter Eric D. Johnson.

16. “Division” – Tycho

San Francisco-based ambient musician Scott Hanson, performing under the stage name Tycho, released this fluid single with the intention of another full album in the future, the fifth since 2002.  His music encompasses both lo-fi analog equipment and a futuristic electronica style, completely mesmerizing at the same time.

17. “Khufu”  – Mark Prichard

English electronic musician Mark Prichard is now working out of Australia, testing the musical boundaries with new collaborations and various genres. “Khnufu” is from his fourteenth album since 1992, Under the Sun.

Birthday Playlist of Random Songs Heard January 15, 2014

Birthdays bring all sorts of emotions and as always, music was there for a soundtrack as I marked another year on this planet.  I started writing down this list of songs that resonated with me, particular tracks that seemed picked for the occasion.  Thanks as always to KEXP, KCRW and WFUV's "The Alternate Side" for providing the awesome background music in the car, at my desk and even at the gym throughout the day.  The final song here is off a CD I purchased for myself, the Reverend Al Green's Everything's OK, after hearing the romantic tune "Perfect To Me" on NPR's World Cafe a while back.  The mighty soul master accompanied me in the car going out to dinner and this song made the perfect capper to any occasion -- a dance in the kitchen.

Link to listen here and remember you can always listen to past playlists here!

1. "Gymnopédies" – Erik Satie
2. "I Would For You" – Jane's Addiction
3. "Beetlebum" – Blur
4. "What would I want? Sky" – Animal Collective
5. "God Moving Over the Face of the Water – Moby
6. "Awake" – Tycho
7. "Give a Little Love" – Noah and the Whale
8. "How It Ends" – DeVotchka
9. "40 Mark Strasse" – The Shins
10. "Comfortably Numb" – Pink Floyd
11. "Louisa Louisa" – Mew
12. "Perfect to Me" – Al Green

Early Spring 2012 New Music Playlist

Why not jump into the spring season a bit early after the "winter that wasn’t" with a bunch of new tunes ready for the next playlist?  The time change forward is never easy, but releases from Chairlift, Porcelain Raft and Dr. Dog can help ease the transition.  Also much appreciated the free downloads from Pretty Lights and Converse’s latest collaboration, bringing together the Gorillaz, Andre 3000 and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem to round out the mix.  Link to listen here, enjoy! 

1.”Amanaemonesia” – Chairlift

2. “Sidewalk Safari” – Chairlift

Now a duo comprised of Caroline Polachek (vocals/synths) and Patrick Wimberly (bass/keyboard/drums), Brooklyn based Chairlift made a point of recording during the day to capture a bright energy with their indie synth pop and it shows.  These two sprightly songs are off the band’s sophomore release, Something. 

3. “Back of Your Neck” – Howler

This young quintet from Minneapolis updates the early rock ‘n roll sound on their debut release, America Give Up.  In a classic story, the group formed out of boredom to skewer all conventions -- piling up fans at their energetic live performances.

4. “Drifting In and Out” – Porcelain Raft

5. “Unless You Speak from Your Heart” – Porcelain Raft

Composer Mauro Remiddi, an Italian ex-pat now living in New York City, creates a fuzzy electronic pop vibe as Porcelain Raft.  These two tunes, off the release Strange Weekend, capture the varying moods of this band.

6. “DoYaThing” – Gorillaz featuring Andre 3000 and James Murphy

Converse’s latest foray into the music business put Damon Albarn of the Gorillaz in a studio with Andre 3000 and James Murphy.  This funky dance track was released as a free download on the Converse website, along with a sprawling, twelve-minute version.

7. “Champagne Coast” – Blood Orange

This spacious single is off the 2011 debut album, Coastal Grooves, by British singer/songwriter Devonté Hynes. He has penned songs for others such as Florence and Machine, but with this collection Hynes has full control of the final product with his own band.

8. “Lonesome” – Dr. Dog

9. “These Days” – Dr. Dog

Philly-based band Dr. Dog has a renewed commitment to their live jam sound as evidenced in these two songs off their latest release, Be the Void.  The raucous party continues for over a decade now, led by guitarist/singer Scott McMicken’s raw vocals.

10. “Origins” – Tennis

Tennis is a husband and wife indie pop duo featuring Alaina Moore (vocals/keyboards) and Patrick Riley (guitar). This song is off their sophomore release, Young and Old, which brings a welcome mix of expanded instrumentation to their music.

11. “Simple Song” – The Shins

Singer/songwriter James Mercer creates a new line up for the new release, Ports of Morrow, yet this single shows a return to the Portland band’s classic indie rock sound. The building melody finds space for a playful interlude, complete with choral harmonies behind Mercer’s crooning.

12. “Coastal Brake” – Tycho

Tycho is Scott Hansen’s ambient music project full of blissed out tracks of electronica, this one off the latest release Dive. Based in San Francisco, Hansen is also known as ISO50 for his photographic and design works.

13.  “Genesis” – Grimes

Montreal musician Claire Boucher creates indie dream pop, with her vocals floating over synths.  This is the single off her latest release, Visions.

14. “Dour Percentage” – Of Montreal

This song is from Georgian Kevin Barnes’ eleventh releases of musical visions, Paralytic Stalks.  His soulful singing compliments the band’s psychedelic groove in this meandering composition.

15. “Raw Umber/Twilight” – Walls

The U.K. electronic duo of Sam Willis and Alessio Natalizia layer the beats with guitars, synths and harmonies to create a musical glitch haven.  This song is off their second release, Coracle.

16. “We Must Go On” – Pretty Lights

Colorado native Derek Vincent Smith is the mastermind behind the electronic music of known as Pretty Lights. This soundscape was released with a self-produced video on the band's website, its hip hop vibe punctuated with an uplifting yet reflective vocal hook.