Music is the best.
I’ve been making playlists since high school as a way to connect with time-and-place + mark the evolution of my interests. I used to have to burn every CD and print out the album art for friends— now we all share playlists all the time. What a world!
Below is an archive of my favorite tracks for you to enjoy with me.
🌞 Summer 🌞
The summer mix is a time honored tradition— the holy grail of playlists. It is rumored one cannot enjoy a BBQ or beach trip without one, the day is grey an unmemorable. To begin, the summer mix rules:
This is not a best-of-the-year-so-far mix. This is summer time mix!
DAY: Pump up tracks that make you wanna dance and celebrate and act a fool. Bangers only. (Tunes to play on the drive to the beach.)
NIGHT: Low-fi, emotional shit with a slow back beat. Vibe life. (Tunes to play on the chill drive home from the beach.)
It is mostly new music. Like, 90% new.
20 tracks total. Thats a mix rule where I come from.
There is always grass/green-ery on the cover. (Original photos/art only!)
Play on shuffle.
Okay, now that we’re on the same page, let’s listen:
My lil summer mix tradition is 15 years old. 2021 is here! Listen and enjoy.
For the album art this year I jumped on the animated art trend with a mix of papercraft, spray paint, after effects, 4k video, and long-exposure astrophotography. It's in the same spot, 12 hours apart where I am living this summer. 🤙
No Rome, Charli XCX & The 1975 — Spinning
Porter Robinson — Musician
The Avalanches & Cola Boyy — Don't Forget Your Neighborhood
Rett Madison — Pin-Up Daddy (Brian Robert Jones Remix)
Laura Mvula — Church Girl
DIVINE — Jungle Mantra (ft. Vince Staples & Pusha T)
Rostam — From the Back of a Cab
Everyone You Know & Joy Anonymous — Just for the Times
MNDR — Save Yourself (with Big Data)
Phantoms — Do It Again
Jengi — Waiting
Havana Swim Club — Yeah
Manchester Orchestra — Bed Head
Verzache — Think About It
81355 — Capstone
The Bones of J.R. Jones — Stay Wild
Lil Nas X — MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)
Sam Gellaitry — Assumptions
Tobe Nwigwe — Fye Fye (ft. Fat Nwigwe)
Noga Erez — End of the Road
Facesoul — Through the Dark
serpentwithfeet — Hyacinth
JOMORO — Delicate Butterfly (ft. Lucius)
Billie Eilish & ROSALÍA — Lo Vas A Olvidar
DWY — You & Me
Andre Bernier — Salzedo
CARM — Song of Trouble (ft. Sufjan Stevens)
Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert & Jon Randall — In His Arms
Ben Abraham — Like A Circle
Mereba — Rider
Mustafa — Ali
Séamus — Floors of Tokyo
Teen Daze — Glacial Lake
José González — El Invento
Fred again.. — Kyle (I Found You)
Leon Bridges — Motorbike
Rostam — Starlight
Saint Sister — Manchester Air
Niklas Paschburg, Dobrawa Czocher & Hannes Kretzer — Opera (Dobrawa Czocher & Hannes Kretzer Collaborative Rework)
Buzzy Lee — All The While
Julia Wolf — In My Way
This Is the Kit — Keep Going (Desert Island Version)
Joy Oladokun & Penny and Sparrow — heaven from here
Big Red Machine — Renegade (ft. Taylor Swift)
Cautious Clay — Box of Bones
rum.gold — Greed
Wye Oak — Its Way With Me
Andre Bernier — Somebody
BERWYN — MONEY COMES AND MONEY GOES
Laura Mvula — What Matters (ft. Simon Neil)
Brittany Howard — Presence (Little Dragon Remix)
José González — Visions
Ben Howard — Follies Fixture
serpentwithfeet — Same Size Shoe
Jacques Greene — Promise
Rostam — Bio18
remy — i know why you stay out
Mereba — Go(I)d
Boys Noize & Kelsey Lu — Ride Or Die (ft. Chilly Gonzales)
RAC — Clair De Lune
Too many good tunes, had to make a sequel.
This year has been different. For all of us. With every single thing in our lives. I find myself listening to music I know well and love as a form of protection against the ugliness. Which makes it a little more difficult to put together a mix of new tracks. But, the tradition prevails.
The mixes feel more chill than normal. Less hype tracks. I think we all need more chill in our lives. As always, play on shuffle. Enjoy!
The Naked and Famous — Sunseeker
Khruangbin — Time (You and I)
Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder & Kamasi Washington — Freeze Tag (ft. Phoelix)
Run The Jewels — ooh la la (ft. Greg Nice & DJ Premier)
Mondo Cozmo — Upside Down
Bombay Bicycle Club — I Can Hardly Speak
Charli XCX — c2.0
Oscar #Worldpeace — Mmm (ft. Ragz Originale & BenjiFlow)
Remi Wolf — Photo ID
Cautious Clay, Remi Wolf & sophie meiers — Cheesin'
Amber Mark — 1894
Tame Impala — One More Year
Big Freedia — Louder (ft. Icona Pop)
Ncognita — Clap Clap
Raleigh Ritchie — Aristocrats
E^ST — TALK DEEP
Caribou — New Jade
LA Priest — Beginning
Lianne La Havas — Can't Fight
HAIM — All That Ever Mattered
Milky Chance — Eden’s House (ft. Ladysmith Black Mambazo)
Phoebe Bridgers — Garden Song
Gordi — Volcanic
POLIÇA — Forget Me Now
Eddington Again — Eta
Leon Bridges — Sweeter (ft. Terrace Martin)
Dijon — hunni
James Blake — You're Too Precious
Bon Iver — PDLIF
Bombay Bicycle Club — Stripes
Nathaniel Rateliff — And It's Still Alright
Lewis Del Mar — Border (CH. III)
Joji — Run
Gia Margaret — lesson
Louis Prince — Afternoon
Nick Murphy — A1) Just Like You
Nils Frahm — No Step on Wing
Niklas Paschburg — If
Jon Hopkins — Scene Suspended
Teen Daze — Sunrise over LA
All Tvvins — Build a Bridge
Saint Raymond & RAC — Young Blood (RAC Remix)
White Denim — NY Money
Sundara Karma — A Song for My Future Self
The Chemical Brothers — We've Got to Try
Lizzo — Juice
Bayonne — Uncertainly Deranged
Denzel Curry — RICKY
Katy Perry — Never Really Over
Handsome — No Cowards
Anderson .Paak — Chosen One (ft. Sonyae)
JR JR — NYC
Africa Express — Johannesburg (feat. Sibot, Radio 123, Morena Leraba & Gruff Rhys)
Steve Benjamins — No More
Amber Mark — Mixer
Kevin Abstract — Joyride
Stormzy — Vossi Bop
LSD — Angel in Your Eyes
Dawn Golden & Houses — Fast Talk
Vampire Weekend — Harmony Hall
Penny and Sparrow — Eloise
andrews' — Lost in the Fire
HNNY — Dolores Park
Apparat — Caronte
Manu Grace — I Can Tell
John Mayer — I Guess I Just Feel Like
James Blake — I'll Come Too
Handsome — Late Night Ball Game (ft. Joyride)
Dermot Kennedy — Lost
Bon Iver — Hey, Ma
Martha Hill — Blindfold
The National — Oblivions
Peter Cat Recording Co. — Where the Money Flows
Ben Zaidi & Budo — When I Was Alone
Conner Youngblood — Pink Lemonade
Drinker — Follow
Nick Murphy — Message You at Midnight
Karen O & Danger Mouse — Reveries
Talos — Let Go
Júníus Meyvant — Ain't Gonna Let You Drown
Big Freedia — Karaoke (feat. Lizzo)
Anderson .Paak — Bubblin
Death Cab for Cutie — Gold Rush
Panic! At the Disco — High Hopes
The Internet — La Di Da
Allan Kingdom — Don't Wait
Albin Lee Meldau — I Need Your Love
Chaka Khan — Like Sugar
Natalie Prass — Short Court Style
Maps & Atlases — Fall Apart
Cautious Clay — French Riviera
Maggie Rogers — Fallingwater
Bones & Beeker — Each Time I Die (ft. P.O.S)
Amber Mark — All the Work
Kimbra — Top of the World
Unknown Mortal Orchestra — Everyone Acts Crazy Nowadays
Against All Logic — I Never Dream
Gabriel Garzón-Montano — Golden Wings
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib — Shame (Alex Goose Remix)
Idris Muhammad — Could Heaven Ever Be Like This
Childish Gambino — Feels Like Summer
IDER — Body Love
Big Red Machine — Forest Green
Aquakultre — Sword
Vancouver Sleep Clinic — In the End
Dark Rooms — I Get Overwhelmed
Ásgeir — I Know You Know (Niklas Paschburg Rework)
Novo Amor — State Lines
Niklas Paschburg — Spark
David Keenan — Lawrence of Arcadia
Phil Cook — Tupelo Child
The Careful Ones — Just What I Needed
Son Lux — Dream State (Brighter Night)
James Blake — Don't Miss It
Florence + The Machine — Sky Full of Song
Alice Boman — Waiting (PAL Remix)
Perlo — Day by Day
Instupendo — Fleur (ft. Teen Daze)
BØJET — I Need U
POLIÇA & s t a r g a z e — Music for the Long Emergency
Demo Taped — Not Enough
Toro y Moi — You and I
Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly & James McAlister — Saturn
Joe Goddard — Home
Arcade Fire — Everything Now
RAC — This Song (ft. Rostam)
Wild Cub — Somewhere
HAIM — Want You Back
Paramore — Hard Times
Nick Murphy — Weak Education
Brother Ali — Own Light (What Hearts Are For)
Perfume Genius — Slip Away
Laura Mvula — Let Me Fall
Sylvan Esso — Signal
Portugal. The Man — Easy Tiger
Shad — It Ain't Over
Lupe Fiasco — Jump (ft. Gizzle)
Kidswaste — Wild (ft. Khai)
Little Dragon — Sweet
Spoon — First Caress
Sylvan Esso — Slack Jaw
Leif Vollebekk — Rest
London Grammar — Big Picture
Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly & James McAlister — Mercury
alt-J — 3WW
Willy Mason — Restless Fugitive
Hayden Calnin — Waves
Elliot Moss — 99
Shakey Graves — Nobody's Fool
Kevin Morby — Beautiful Strangers
Tall Tall Trees — Freedays
Laura Mvula — She
The Building — Have to Forgive
Vancouver Sleep Clinic — Someone to Stay
Bayonne — Fallss
Bjéar — Firefall
Charlie Cunningham — An Opening
Kidswaste — Time
Old Sea Brigade — We Belong
SOHN — Signal
July 27th. The perfect time for a summer mix to drop. This year has been weird. I just… haven’t heard the pieces I wanted to build a sturdy summer mix. Which is tragic? Not overstating this. Tragic. Making a summer mix has been something I start every year on January 1st for the past decade. This year I had to make a rule change to get the mix done in time/at all. RIP new music rule. I just couldn’t get it done. Now that I am on Spotify I am finding so much more music and usually it’s not from this year. So summer mixes, or at least this year’s mix, is from any year. Sturdy tracks.
I have multiple songs on both mixes I think 20 year old me would hate. And that is great. I spend more time than ever listening to country. Ethiopian jazz. Brass band funk. Vaporwave. Ya boy is musically growing. AND YA BOY LOVES IT.
Lets get to the music. Hit shuffle and play until the summer’s heat runs out.
White Denim — Had 2 Know (Personal)
Pell — Queso
Madaila — Give Me All Your Love
Boys Noize — Rock the Bells
Justin Timberlake — Can’t Stop the Feeling!
Francis and the Lights — Friends (ft. Bon Iver)
Desiigner — Panda
The California Honeydrops — Brokedown
Krrum — Evil Twin
Vulfpeck — Back Pocket
Fat Tony — BKNY (ft. Old Money)
M&O — It Was the Song (ft. Donnie Trumpet)
Sturgill Simpson — Keep It Between The Lines
Chance The Rapper — All Night (ft. Knox Fortune)
Sinkane — How We Be
Raleigh Ritchie — Cowards
Big Wild — Venice Venture
Kanye West — No More Parties In LA (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
Fela Kuti — Water No Get Enemy
猫 シ Corp. — Ｉ Ｗｉｌｌ Ｐｕｔ Ｍｙ Ａｒｍｓ Ａｒｏｕｎｄ Ｙｏｕ
James Blake — I Need A Forest Fire (ft. Bon Iver)
WebsterX — doomsday (ft. Siren)
Jack Garratt — I Know All What I Do
Bayonne — Lates
Chance The Rapper — Summer Friends (ft. Jeremih & Francis And The Lights)
Mulatu Astatke — Tezeta (Nostalgia)
Kendrick Lamar — untitled 02 | 06.23.2014.
Novo Amor — From Gold
Nathaniel Rateliff — Still Trying
Ritual — Cinnamon
Mondo Cozmo — Hold on to Me
Richard Swift — Lady Luck
Rodriguez — Cause
Sam Dew — Victor
Blake Mills — If I’m Unworthy
Nils Frahm — You (Bug Lover Rework)
Nick Hakim — Papas Fritas
Ajimal — Apathy / Apatheia
G — Outer Space (ft. Genevieve)
Macintosh Plus — リサフランク420 / 現代のコンピュー
Every year I put out a summer mix of my favorites tunes. They have arrived.
For the covers I chose two of my favorite photos I have taken recently: a roof in Brooklyn Heights and a pixel stick night shot in Greenpoint.
Jamie xx — I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) (ft. Young Thug)
Young Fathers — Shame
Lola Marsh — You’re Mine
Christine and the Queens — Tilted
Major Lazer & DJ Snake — Lean On (ft. MØ)
Julio Bashmore — Holding On (ft. Sam Dew)
Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment — Sunday Candy
Armani White — Secret Handshake
Ben Khan — 1000
Hot Chip — Huarache Lights
Aero Flynn — Dk/Pi
Great Good Fine OK — Too Much to Handle
Purity Ring — Bodyache
OverDoz. — Last Kiss
Dent May — Born Too Late
Nao — Inhale Exhale
LEISURE — Got It Bad
Heems — Sometimes
Jidenna — Classic Man (ft. Roman GianArthur)
Hudson Mohawke — Scud Books
Alabama Shakes — Sound & Color
Zero 7 — Last Light (ft. Jose Gonzalez)
Jarryd James — Do You Remember
Jack Garratt — The Love You’re Given
Yuma X — Swimming Pool
Tei Shi — See Me
José González — Leaf Off / The Cave
The Tallest Man On Earth — Fields of Our Home
Kwamie Liv — Higher
Her — Quite Like
Sufjan Stevens — Should Have Known Better
Villagers — Courage
Doe Paoro — The Wind (ft. Adam Rhodes)
Hudson Mohawke — Deepspace (ft. Miguel)
Rationale — Re.Up
Arum Rae — Warranted Queen
CHELSEA JADE — KYOTO TRAIN (JYEAH REMIX)
Wet — Deadwater
Aero Flynn — Brand New
Zero 7 — The Colour Of Spring
MNEK — Every Little Word
BOOTS — Alright
Ryn Weaver — OctaHate
Bleachers — I Wanna Get Better (RAC Mix)
Jurassic 5 — The Way We Do It
Bombay Bicycle Club — Luna
Girl Talk & Freeway — Tell Me Yeah (ft. Young Chris)
Sam Smith — Money On My Mind
Sylvan Esso — Play It Right
Com Truise — Declination (ft. Joel Ford)
Chromeo — Jealous (I Ain’t With It)
The Hood Internet — R U Nosetalgic (Pusha T & Kendrick Lamar vs ASTR)
Weather Report — Birdland
Beyoncé — Drunk In Love (ft. Jay Z)
Allie X — Catch
The War On Drugs — An Ocean In Between the Waves
Future Islands — Seasons (Waiting On You)
Steppenwolf — Magic Carpet Ride
Schoolboy Q — Man Of The Year
First Rate People — Roman Candles
Bon Iver — Heavenly Father
Julia Stone — Let’s Forget All The Things That We Say (Oliver Tank remix)
ASTR — Hold On We’re Going Home
Conner Youngblood — Midnight
Coldplay — Australia
How to Dress Well — Words I Don’t Remember
Röyksopp & Robyn — Inside The Idle Hour Club
London Grammar — Strong
S. Carey — Crown The Pines
Lianne La Havas — Twice
Chet Faker — No Advice (Airport Version)
Penny & Sparrow — Rattle
Sharon Van Etten — Afraid of Nothing
Todd Terje — Johnny and Mary (ft. Bryan Ferry)
Hozier — Like Real People Do
Beck — Don’t Let It Go
Chet Faker — Talk Is Cheap
Kyla La Grange — Cut Your Teeth
Sylvan Esso — Wolf
The War On Drugs — Lost In the Dream
20 tracks for fun times.
Wild Cub — Thunder Clatter
Icona Pop — I Love It (ft. Charli XCX)
Vampire Weekend — Diane Young
Kanye West — Black Skinhead
Chance The Rapper — Favorite Song (ft. Childish Gambino)
Haim — Send Me Down
The 1975 — Chocolate
Lincoln Blache — Bad Girl
Leikeli47 — Heard Em Say (ft. Curt@!n$)
TOKiMONSTA — Go With It (ft. MNDR)
Hunter Hunted — Keep Together
Big Boi — Shoes For Running (ft. B.o.B. & Wavves)
Jinja Safari — Toothless Grin
Jai Paul — Track 10
CHVRCHES — Recover
Janelle Monáe — Q.U.E.E.N. (ft. Erykah Badu)
Ra Ra Riot — Beta Love
Coco O. — Where the Wind Blows
MS MR — Fantasy
Daft Punk — Get Lucky (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers)
Reptar — Orifice Origami
Azealia Banks — JUMANJI
The Temper Trap — Need Your Love (RAC Mix)
Stepdad — My Leather, My Fur, My Nails
Creedence Clearwater Revival — Fortunate Son
Santigold — Disparate Youth
Matt & Kim — Let’s Go
Rostam — Don’t Let It Get To You
Calvin Harris — Feel So Close
The Shins — No Way Down
Hoodie Allen — No Faith in Brooklyn (ft. Jhameel)
St. Lucia — Closer Than This
The Neighbourhood — Sweater Weather
Alabama Shakes — Hold On
Maps & Atlases — Fever
Go West — The King of Wishful Thinking
Childish Gambino — We Ain’t Them
Germany Germany — Adventures II
(Missing)
(Missing)
I have never been into song placement on mix cds. I know it makes it 10x better, but it just takes too darn long. Plus I am not 15 years old anymore so mix CDs aren’t the coolest thing evar. The summer mix CD can (and probably should) be listened to using random AND shuffle. Although I do think “Dance On Our Graves” and “Moth’s Wings” deserve to be played last, it isn’t that big of a deal. I definitely got some help from a few people along the way. I hope you enjoy it. I will be listening to these songs over and over on California’s highways with my windows down and sunroof open.
Passion Pit — Little Secrets
Rubik — Richard Branson’s Crash Landing
Paper Route — Gutter
Phoenix — Lisztomania
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club — Ain’t No Easy Way
French Kicks — Abandon
Run Toto Run — Sleepyhead (Passion Pit Cover)
The Silent Years — On Our Way Home
Metric — Help, I’m Alive
Discovery — Osaka Loop Line
William Fitzsimmons — So This Is Goodbye
The Limousines — Very Busy People
Cage the Elephant — Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
N.A.S.A. — The People Tree (ft. Chali 2na & Z-Trip)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs — Zero
Discovery — Orange Shirt
Animal Collective — My Girls
m83 — Graveyard Girl
Lady GaGa — Poker Face
Yeasayer — Sunrise
K'naan — T.I.A
Manchester Orchestra — I’ve Got Friends
Discovery — I Want You Back
Plushgun — Just Impolite
Sage Francis — Who Farted? (part 1)
William Fitzsimmons — Goodmorning
Paper Route — Carousel
Common — Universal Mind Control
Grizzly Bear — Two Weeks
The Silent Years — Taking Drugs At the Amusement Park
Sherwood — Lake Tahoe (Redux)
Paper Route — Good Intentions
Muddy Waters — Rollin’ Stone
Incredible Bongo Band — Apache
The Fray — Heartless (Swinghouse Session)
Yeasayer — 2080
Clint Michigan — Be My Man
Rubik — Goji Berries
Passion Pit — Moth’s Wings
Paper Route — Dance On Our Graves
Sherwood — This Airplane Is A Ribbon
Jack Johnson — Upside Down
Sherwood — Middle Of The Night
Panic! At The Disco — Camisado
Hard-Fi — Hard to Beat
Flipsyde — Trumpets
Venus Hum — Yes and No
Gnarls Barkley — Storm Coming
Angels & Airwaves — The Adventure
Sherwood — The Only Song
Yeah Yeah Yeahs — Gold Lion
Men, Women, & Children — Dance In My Blood
The Sounds — Song With A Mission
Lashes — Sometimes The Sun
Men, Women, & Children — Lightning Strikes Twice In New York
Keane — Is It Any Wonder?
MAE — Where The Falls Begin
Electric President — Insomnia
Sublime — Doin' Time
(missing)
2020
This year I listened to 1,998 songs, or about 5.1 days of music. Wow. A few notes:
- Obviously weird year, but interesting new constraint became “started and finished in quarantine” like CharlieXCX/Taylor or songs about quarantine.
- So many great albums. Decided to not curate so much and just have tons of albums on my final list
- Obsessed with Jack Garret album. Got into Charlie this year and found out there is a name for her and Gecs, “Hyper Pop”
- James Blake kinda won the year? Absolute amazing singles, EP, and cover EP. Plus showed up on IG when others were there yet.
- Ben Abraham’s “live video” cover of In Your Eyes was my favorite cover of the year. Absolutely obsessed.
- Thought I would be watching more “live streaming” shows but that fizzled by the end of summer.
- Old song obsessed with: John Parr - St. Elmos Fire (Man In Motion)
The Avalanches — Music Makes Me High
Cautious Clay, Remi Wolf & sophie meiers — Cheesin' (ft. Still Woozy, Claud, Melanie Faye & HXNS)
Charli XCX — c2.0
Caribou — New Jade
Baauer — HOME (ft. Bipolar Sunshine)
Bombay Bicycle Club — Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)
clipping. — Say the Name
Hudson Mohawke & Tiga — Love Minus Zero
Jack Garratt — Time
James Blake — Before
Jim-E Stack — Sweet Summer Sweat (ft. Dijon)
Machinedrum — Kane Train (ft. Freddie Gibbs)
Megan Thee Stallion — Girls in the Hood
Mindchatter — Blame Game
Ncognita — Clap Clap
Oscar #Worldpeace — Mmm (ft. Ragz Originale & BenjiFlow)
Run The Jewels — JU$T (ft. Pharrell Williams & Zack de la Rocha)
Tame Impala — One More Year
Tierra Whack — Peppers and Onions
5 Seconds of Summer — Not in the Same Way
The Avalanches — Interstellar Love (ft. Leon Bridges)
Ben Abraham — In Your Eyes
BERWYN — TRAP PHONE
Billie Eilish — my future
Darlingside — Green + Evergreen
Eddington Again — Eta
Four Tet — 4T Recordings
Gordi — Look Like You
Ishan & Juletta — Wildheart
James Blake — Godspeed
Kid Cudi — Lovin' Me (ft. Phoebe Bridgers)
Leon Bridges — Sweeter (ft. Terrace Martin)
Little Dragon & Moses Sumney — The Other Lover
McCall — One Eye Open
Mumford & Sons — If I Say
Nathaniel Rateliff — Time Stands
Niklas Paschburg — If
Phoebe Bridgers — Garden Song
Riz Ahmed — Once Kings
Taylor Swift — peace
Throw no shade at an EP... all ten of these are as good as an album. No filler, just bops.
Best EPs
Aesop Rock — Freedom Finger (Music from the Game)
Elah Hale — Room 206 EP
James Blake — Before EP
The Japanese House — Chewing Cotton Wool EP
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges — Texas Sun EP
McCall — On Self Loathing EP
Nicola Cruz — Hybridism EP
Remi Wolf — I'm Allergic To Dogs! EP
rum.gold — aiMless EP
Teen Daze — Reality Refresh EP
I listen to a lot of instrumental music while writing/designing. These might be my most-listened to albums for that reasons. Here are the 10 stand out albums:
Best Instrumentals
DJ Python — Mas Amable
Four Tet — Sixteen Oceans
morimoto naoki — Hibi
Nick Murphy — Music for Silence
Niklas Paschburg — Svalbard
Gia Margaret — Mia Gargaretch
Low Howl — Fieldwaves
North Atlantic Drift — Pillars
Ólafur Arnalds — some kind of peace
Caribou — Suddenly
Best Albums
The Avalanches — We Will Always Love You
BERWYN — DEMOTAPE/VEGA
Bombay Bicycle Club — Everything Else Has Gone Wrong
Charli XCX — how i'm feeling now
Childish Gambino — 3.15.20
Jack Garratt — Love, Death & Dancing
Jim-E Stack — EPHEMERA
Louis Prince — Thirteen
Machinedrum — A View of U
Mindchatter — Imaginary Audience
Nathaniel Rateliff — And It’s Still Alright
Run The Jewels — RTJ4
Sylvan Esso — Free Love
Tame Impala — The Slow Rush
Dinner Party (Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder & Kamasi Washington) — Dinner Party
clipping. — Visions of Bodies Being Burned
Riz Ahmed — The Long Goodbye
Grimes — This story is dedicated to all those cyberpunks who fight against injustice and corruption every day of their lives! (DJ Mix)
Phoebe Bridgers — Punisher
Gordi — Our Two Skins
Best Album Art
Cardi B — WAP (ft. Megan Thee Stallion) - Single
Jack Garratt — Love, Death & Dancing
Jim-E Stack — EPHEMERA
Khruangbin — Mordechai
Machinedrum — A View of U
Riz Ahmed — The Long Goodbye
Run The Jewels — RTJ4
Shabaka and the Ancestors — We Are Sent Here By History
Tame Impala — The Slow Rush
Dinner Party (Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder & Kamasi Washington) — Dinner Party
Best Cover songs
Ben Abraham - In Your Eyes — I have listened to this song around 100 times and I don’t think I am nearly done. The mix of the “live” audio and the gorgeous video made me come back to this over and over again.
James Blake - Godspeed — That opening chord has osmosis’d its way into my bones. Absolutely gorgeous. Blake and piano forever.
Juletta & Ishan - Wildheart — Love how they made it their own— a seemingly impossible task but here we are.
Best Videos
Because live music slipped through our rubber glove’d fingers this year, music videos felt more important to connect with artists. So many of the videos reflect life this year in their own way. Here are my 10 favorite from this year:
Riz Ahmed - The Long Goodbye — This video shook me. I thought about it for days. I had to go for a walk right after viewing it and was scared to watch it again. I used that fear as inspiration to fight for justice. And fuck, his verse is a masterpiece.
Daði Freyr - Think About Things — This shit made me laugh more than any music video. So unique and weird and colorful and funny and catchy.
Lil Baby - The Bigger Picture — The real footage of people in the streets mixed with Lil Baby’s matter-of-fact verse pleas for equity and understanding was really impactful. My favorite protest song from this summer.
Justin Bieber - YUMMY (A FILM BY PARRIS GOEBEL) — This isn’t the official video. And I don’t know if anyone actually cares, but to my friend group this was IT. We learned the dance one weekend and rewatched it 100 times.
Cardi B - WAP (ft. Megan Thee Stallion) — There is literally nothing to say here. This song is the anthem. It’s incredible. It let everyone remember lat night dancing with strangers while in sitting on the couch in sweats.
G-Eazy - Moana (ft. Jack Harlow) — This is a perfect incapsultaion of quarantine life. FaceTime. Texts. TikTok. Candid moments. A gold standard for motion graphics making random low-res footage look great.
Run The Jewels - Ooh LA LA — Filmed just days before shelter in place, it was a window into what being together again will feel like— but also what a future freedoom will look like... burn that cash! 👉🤛
Pharrell Williams - Entrepreneur (ft. JAY-Z) — This is what using for platform for good looks like. Loved seeing all the Black faces and Black businesses get a spotlight. (And the moment for Nispey always punches me in the gut)
Joji - Run — The pitch was surely High School Prom X Snowpiercer and that is enough to go FUCK YEAH. It added a manic dimension to the track that is already gorgeous.
The Avalanches - Music Makes Me High — This lyric video was beautiful and matched the cosmic spirit of this incredible record. The illustrations are familiar and completely new... and when the reveal happens it’s takes you into hyperspace. Love it!
2019
This year I brought in 1,498 songs, or about 3.8 days of music. A few thoughts:
• Dusty Speakers is still my leading source
• Lots of great instrumentals thanks to the Flow State newsletter
• Marshmallow — super embarrassed, but love the top beat. Also the Fortnite performance felt like a paradigm shift.
• Penny & Sparrow shook me. So many great tracks. Live show with Julia was AMAZING. Seriously so charming and beautiful.
• Stormzy’s video for Vossi Bop was great.
• Emo fuccboi shit… I hate to say I love you. Cape Lions, Golden Vessel, nothing nowhere
• Old Town Road was undeniable
• RED HEARSE took over. Can’t stop loving Sam Dew.
• Bon bon live in DC and Boston. Made me cry. Bigger than myself. Both shows were new experiences. The lights and stage setup for the regular tour was the best I’ve ever ever ever seen.
• Both Chance and Brockhampton didn’t hit
Megan Thee Stallion — Hot Girl Summer (ft. Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign)
Kevin Abstract — Big Wheels
G Jones & RL Grime — In Your Head (RL Grime Edit)
Denzel Curry — RICKY
Chrome Sparks — Ultraviolet Rainbow
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib — Flat Tummy Tea
LSD — Angel in Your Eyes (ft. Sia, Diplo & Labrinth)
Stormzy — Sounds of the Skeng
Jacques Greene — For Love
Flume — Let You Know (ft. London Grammar)
DaBaby — Baby Sitter (ft. Offset)
Denzel Curry — SHAKE 88 (ft. Sam Sneak)
Gary Clark Jr. — This Land
The Chemical Brothers — We've Got to Try
100 gecs — money machine
Injury Reserve — Jailbreak the Tesla (ft. Aminé)
Katy Perry — Never Really Over
Kevin Abstract — Joyride
Lizzo — Like A Girl
Megan Thee Stallion — Hood Rat St
Africa Express — Johannesburg (ft. Sibot, Radio 123, Morena Leraba & Gruff Rhys)
Amber Mark — Mixer
Anderson .Paak — Chosen One (ft. Sonyae)
Apparat — In Gravitas
Chrome Sparks — Be on Fire
All Tvvins — Build a Bridge
Four Tet — Teenage Birdsong
GOSTO — Cigarette
HNNY — Frankfurt
Jai Paul — Do You Love Her Now
James Blake — Tell Them (ft. Moses Sumney & Metro Boomin)
Junior A — Civic
Júníus Meyvant — New Waves
LSD — Heaven Can Wait (ft. Sia, Diplo & Labrinth)
Maggie Rogers — Overnight
Pell — Skyfall (ft. Ambré & Malik Ninety Five)
Penny & Sparrow — Don't Wanna Be Without Ya
Saint Raymond — Young Blood (RAC Remix)
Steve Benjamins — No More
Stormzy — Vossi Bop
Sundara Karma — A Song for My Future Self
TiRon & Ayomari — Let It Go
Two Door Cinema Club — Satellite
Tyler, The Creator — EARFQUAKE
Vampire Weekend — Harmony Hall
VHS Collection — Dreaming
White Denim — NY Money
5 Seconds of Summer — Easier
Destiny Rogers — Tomboy
GoldLink — U Say (ft. Tyler, The Creator & Jay Prince)
Lil Nas X — Old Town Road (ft. Billy Ray Cyrus)
Tierra Whack — Wasteland
Handsome — Delete You
Chong the Nomad — Nothing Else (ft. Flint Eastwood)
Red Hearse — Red Hearse
ROSALÍA — Milionària
Ed Sheeran & Travis Scott — Antisocial
James Blake — Can't Believe the Way We Flow
Rationale — Say What's on Your Mind
Armani White — 2Maro
HAIM — Summer Girl
Bon Iver — iMi
GoldLink — Yard (ft. Haile)
Velvet Negroni — KURT KOBAIN
Ra Ra Riot — Bad to Worse
Cashmere Cat — Emotions
Djo — Roddy
Danny Brown — Dirty Laundry
Michael Kiwanuka — You Ain't the Problem
Red Hearse — Born To Bleed
Brittany Howard — Georgia
Fitz and The Tantrums — 123456
Martha Hill — Blindfold
nothing,nowhere. & Travis Barker — DESTRUCTION
Velvet Negroni — WINE GREEN
Son Little — About Her. Again.
Beck — Uneventful Days
Hobo Johnson — Mover Awayer
HAIM — Now I'm In It (Bonus Track)
Bayonne — Uncertainly Deranged
Bon Iver — Faith
Armani White — Thanksgiving
Charli XCX — Next Level Charli
Neon Indian — Toyota Man
Harry Styles — Watermelon Sugar
Kidswaste — Need You
Hobo Johnson — Typical Story
Major Lazer — Que Calor (ft. J Balvin & El Alfa)
Jon Hopkins & Kelly Lee Owens — Luminous Spaces
Låpsley — My Love Was Like the Rain
Billie Eilish — bad guy
Jai Wolf — Telepathy
Kalulu & Alberta Balsam — Push On (Alberta Balsam Remix)
Pieta Brown — Bring Me
James Blake — Don't Miss It
Nick Murphy — Message You at Midnight
RAC — Peter
Ben Zaidi & Budo — Independence Day
HNNY — Dolores Park
JR JR — Big Bear Mountain
Penny & Sparrow — Eloise
Peter Cat Recording Co. — Where the Money Flows
River Whyless — The Pool
Talos — To Each His Own
Vagabon — Home Soon
Cape Lions — 100
Bon Iver — RABi
Júníus Meyvant — Ain't Gonna Let You Drown
Brittany Howard — Stay High
Dijon — Good Luck
HAIM — Hallelujah (Bonus Track)
Bjéar — August (ft. Ella Ion)
Best EPs
Chrome Sparks — Be on Fire EP
Sufjan Stevens — Love Yourself / With My Whole Heart EP
Júníus Meyvant — Rearview Paradise EP
Son Little — Invisible EP
Låpsley — These Elements EP
Best Instrumentals
HNNY — 2014.12.31 EP
Khruangbin — Hasta El Cielo (Con Todo El Mundo In Dub)
Jacques Greene — Dawn Chorus
Röyksopp — Shores of Easy (Lost Tapes)
A Winged Victory For The Sullen — The Undivided Five
Best Albums
Apparat — LP5
Bayonne — Drastic Measures
Denzel Curry — ZUU
James Blake — Assume Form
Kevin Abstract — ARIZONA BABY
Penny & Sparrow — Finch
Red Hearse — Red Hearse
Bon Iver — i,i
Brittany Howard — Jaime
Hobo Johnson — The Fall of Hobo Johnson
Only 8 albums, 4 EPs, and didn’t cut from 40 tracks.
Against All Logic — I Never Dream
Anderson .Paak — Bubblin
Andrew W.K. — Music Is Worth Living For
Angélique Kidjo — Once in a Lifetime
Big Freedia — Karaoke (ft. Lizzo)
Big Red Machine — Gratitude
Big Red Machine — Melt
BROCKHAMPTON — NEW ORLEANS
Childish Gambino — This Is America
Chrome Sparks — Still Think
Cousin Tony's Brand New Firebird — Transient
Death Cab for Cutie — Gold Rush
Dermot Kennedy — Moments Passed (Mike Dean Remix)
Drake — Nice For What
Four Fists, P.O.S & Astronautalis — Nobody’s Biz
G Flip — About You
Hippo Campus — Bambi
James Blake — Don't Miss It
James Vincent McMorrow — Me and My Friends
Janelle Monáe — Django Jane
Jungle — Heavy, California
Júníus Meyvant — High Alert
Justin Vernon, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Vojtech Havel, Ryan Olson, Jeremy Nutzman, Ben Lanz, Jonathan Low, Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir, Alex Ridha — Santa Agnes
Maggie Rogers — Fallingwater
Maverick Sabre — Drifting
Mumford & Sons — If I Say
Noah Kahan — Come Down (RAC Mix)
nothing,nowhere. — rejecter
Panic! At the Disco — High Hopes
Robyn — Honey
ROSALÍA — MALAMENTE (Cap.1: Augurio)
Sonnymoon — Root
Vulfpeck — Lonely Town (ft. Theo Katzman)
Wye Oak — The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs
Jon Hopkins — Emerald Rush
Niklas Paschburg — Spark
Bnny Rbbt — Bombs
Bnny Rbbt — I Hate Love
Golden Vessel & Emerson Leif — Hesitate
The Story So Far — Let It Go
Best EPs
Amber Mark — Conexão EP
Andre Bernier & Daniel Loumpouridis — 9 N Park St. EP
Big Freedia — 3rd Ward Bounce EP
Small Million — Young Fools EP
Best Albums
Against All Logic — 2012 - 2017
Big Red Machine — Big Red Machine
BROCKHAMPTON — iridescence
Chrome Sparks — Chrome Sparks
Four Fists, P.O.S & Astronautalis — 6666
Jon Hopkins — Singularity
Niklas Paschburg — Oceanic
Son Lux — Brighter Wounds
Son Lux — Dream State
Aero Flynn — You Care
Arcade Fire — Creature Comfort
Bayonne — Fallss
BROCKHAMPTON — BOOGIE
Brother Ali — Own Light (What Hearts Are For)
The Building — Have to Forgive (Solo Version)
Cautious Clay — Cold War
Charlie Cunningham — Breather
clipping. — The Deep
Dermot Kennedy — All My Friends
Dirty Projectors — Up in Hudson
Elliot Moss — 99
Gordi — Long Way
HAIM — Right Now
Hayden Calnin — Waves
Her — Swim
Hippo Campus — warm glow
Joe Goddard — Home
Kendrick Lamar — HUMBLE.
Leif Vollebekk — Rest
London Grammar — Big Picture
Lupe Fiasco — Jump (ft. Gizzle)
Mura Masa — Who Is It Gonna B (ft. A.K. Paul)
Nick Murphy — Weak Education
ODESZA — Across the Room (ft. Leon Bridges)
Perfume Genius — Slip Away
Portugal. The Man — Feel It Still
RAC — Heavy (ft. Karl Kling)
Shakey Graves — Nobody's Fool
Shredders — Cult 45
Spoon — First Caress
Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly & James McAlister — Saturn
Sylvan Esso — Signal
Tall Tall Trees — Freedays
Until The Ribbon Breaks — My Love
Vulfpeck — Baby I Don’t Know Oh Oh (ft. Charles Jones)
The War on Drugs — Up All Night
Zeal & Ardor — Devil Is Fine
Sufjan Stevens — Visions of Gideon
Best EPs
AIR CREDITS — OMEGA VIRUS / ΩV
Dermot Kennedy — Doves & Ravens EP
Kamasi Washington — Harmony of Difference EP
Kidswaste — Spleen EP
Nick Murphy — Missing Link EP
Best Albums
HAIM — Something To Tell You
Kendrick Lamar — DAMN.
Mr Jukes — God First
Peter Broderick — All Together Again
Shakey Graves — Shakey Graves And the Horse He Rode In On
Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly & James McAlister — Planetarium
Sylvan Esso — What Now
Tall Tall Trees — Freedays
2016 was a such a strong album year. I noticed from my picks that my 30% folk music has tapered off in replacement for vibe-y stuff. Some thoughts:
• Chance has the best TV performance, with Finish Line/Drown on SNL.
• Tons and tons of Vulfpeck— even saw them live, two days in a row.
• I have official Kanye fatigue. All of his stupid talking and the TLOP edits— I need to have no Kanye in my life for a little bit. We’re on a break.
• Early 2016 was filled with Vaporwave for me. VIBE LIFE.
• Beyonce shook the world with Lemonade. She keeps on being unbeatable.
• Kilian introduced me to Kishi Bashi. Oh man, I listened to his albums all year. And his Tiny Desk. And saw him live with Kil. Long live Kishi.
• I also went through a pretty serious Phil Collins phase for 2 months when his singles remastered came out.
• Gambino’s new p-funk album made me text friends and family on the day of it’s release and tell them to immediately listen. What an incredible year for Glover.
• I listened to James Blake’s Forrest Fire about 47 times one night. His album is a favorite of mine this year. When I saw him live it started raining and it was a magical moment.
• RIP What.CD
• And obviously Bon Iver. Bon Iver. Bon Iver. New album is the thing I listened to most this year. I keep finding more layers in it. Getting into Justin’s head. It was great being at the premier at Eaux Claires.
• In 2017 I am hoping for a huge Daft Punk tour. They had Alive 1997 and Alive 2007. If Alive 2017 happens I will be going to as many shows as possible.
• Also I am switching to Apple Music this year from Spotify. I loved Spotify. But I wanna keep trying streaming in new ways.
Bayonne — Living Room
Bon Iver — 8 (circle)
Bon Iver — 666 ʇ
Chance The Rapper — Finish Line / Drown (ft. T-Pain, Kirk Franklin, Eryn Allen Kane & Noname)
Childish Gambino — Redbone
Chrome Sparks — All Or Nothing (ft. Angelica Bess)
D.R.A.M. — Cash Machine
Flume — Trust (ft. Isabella Manfredi)
Francis and the Lights — Friends (ft. Bon Iver and Kanye West)
Frank Ocean — Solo
Her — Queens (ft. Zefire)
Jack Garratt — Weathered
James Blake — I Need A Forest Fire (ft. Bon Iver)
James Blake — Modern Soul
James Vincent McMorrow — One Thousand Times
Justice — Randy
Justin Jay & Friends — What Do You Want (ft. Josh Taylor & Benny Bridges)
Justin Timberlake — CAN’T STOP THE FEELING!
Kishi Bashi — Honeybody
Krrum — Evil Twin
Låpsley — Operator (He Doesn’t Call Me)
Leif Vollebekk — Elegy
Lucius — Gone Insane
Madaila — Nature
Mondo Cozmo — Hold On To Me
Nick Murphy — Stop Me (Stop You)
P.O.S — #sleepdrone/superposition (ft. Allan Kingdom, Astronautalis, Eric Mayson, Kathleen Hanna, HardR, Lydia Liza, Lizzo, Nicholas L. Perez)
Run The Jewels — Legend Has It
Sampha — Timmy’s Prayer
Two Door Cinema Club — Bad Decisions
Vince Staples — Pimp Hand
The XX — On Hold
Best EPs
Com Truise — Silicon Tare
Flume — Skin Companion EP
Kendrick Lamar — untitled unmastered.
Krrum — Evil Twin EP
Vince Staples — Prima Donna
Best Albums
Bayonne — Primitives
Beyoncé — Lemonade
Bon Iver — 22, A Million
Chance The Rapper — Coloring Book
Childish Gambino — Awaken, My Love!
James Blake — The Colour In Anything
Kishi Bashi — Sonderlust
Lucius — Good Grief
Run The Jewels — Run The Jewels 3
Sturgill Simpson — A Sailor's Guide to Earth
Great year! Lots of fun stuff. Easy to pick my favorites. I noticed with my favorite albums it can be generally sorted into 1/3 electronic, 1/3 hip hop, and 1/3 indie folk americana. Which… about sums up my music taste. Some more thoughts:
- My favorite finds this year were Connor Youngblood, Logic, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Hiss Golden Messenger. Listened to those four A LOT. Also had amazing concert experiences at Rateliff and Hiss.
- I really liked Ryan Adam’s 1989 project.
- Even though it wasn’t from 2015, I continued to listen to RL Grime’s VOID all year. Still bangs.
- It was a big Josh Gonzalez year as well. I found out about Junip, he had his own record, and he is all over the Zero7 EP.
- I couldn’t get enough blues rock to satiate me. I just need more. Planning a trip to Nashville ASAP.
- Last year I wrote that 2015 was Kendrick’s to lose. That was an easy observation and man, was I right. His album was fire and just did everything right. We’re watching a legend work.
- I started to use Spotify. Not convinced, but using it as a listening method. Love the discovery playlist. You can listen to my fav 20 songs here. Taylor Swing. Justin Bieber. These names are on my playlist. Weird, but not embarrassed. The production on those tracks are amazing.
Aero Flynn — Dk/Pi
Alabama Shakes — Gemini
Christine and the Queens — Tilted
Chvrches — Clearest Blue
Conner Youngblood — The Birds of Finland
Disclosure — Magnets (ft. Lorde) (Jon Hopkins Remix)
Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment — Sunday Candy
Emmy the Great — Go Far (from Mystery Show)
Hiss Golden Messenger — Southern Grammar (Live at WXPN)
Jack Garratt — The Love You’re Given
Jack Ü — Where Are Ü Now (ft. Justin Bieber)
Jai Wolf — Indian Summer
Kendrick Lamar — Alright
Logic — Upgrade
Lola Marsh — You’re Mine
Major Lazer — Lean On (ft. MØ and DJ Snake)
Nathaniel Rateliff And The Night Sweats — S.O.B.
Sufjan Stevens — Should have known better
Taylor Swift — Bad Blood (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
Wet — Deadwater
Best EPs
Conner Youngblood — The Generation of Lift
Hiss Golden Messenger — Southern Grammar
Kendrick Lamar & J. Cole — Black Friday EP
The Japanese House — EP
Rationale — Fuel to the Fire
Zero 7 — EP3
Best Albums
Alabama Shakes — Sound & Color
Chvrches — Every Open Eye
Hudson Mohawke — Lantern
Kendrick Lamar — To Pimp a Butterfly
Logic — The Incredible True Story
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats — Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
A few notes before the list:
- Kendrick isn’t on the list but I listened to him all year long. The untitled track form Colbert was amazing and so is “i”. I think 2015 will be his year to lose.
- Since October I have listened to Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” an obscene amount of times. But it isn’t from 2014 so it’s not on the list.
- I loved “The New Basement Tapes” project. Not on the list, but I loved it.
- My favorite cover of the year was Until The Ribbon Breaks - One Way Or Another (Blondie Re-Imagination).
- Runner up for the top album of the year is Flying Lotus & EP runner up is Gambino for Kauai.
The War On Drugs — An Ocean In Between the Waves
Bombay Bicycle Club — Luna
Bon Iver — Heavenly Father
Flying Lotus — Never Catch Me (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
MNEK — Every Little Word
Chet Faker — Talk Is Cheap
Spoon — Inside Out
Hudson Mohawke — Chimes (Gammer Re-Edit)
Ryn Weaver — OctaHate
PHOX — Slow Motion (Sylvan Esso Remix)
Alt-J — Warm Foothills
Ben Khan — Youth
Daniel Wilson — Boy Who Cried Thunder
Great Good Fine Ok — By My Side
Run The Jewels — Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck) (ft. Zack De La Rocha)
SOHN — Bloodflows
Tove Lo — Habits (Stay High) (Hippie Sabotage Remix)
Wye Oak — Shriek
RL Grime & What So Not — Tell Me
Röyksopp — Monument (T.I.E Version) (ft. Robyn)
Best EPs
ASTR — Varsity EP
Daniel Wilson — Boy Who Cried Thunder - EP
Girl Talk & Freeway — Broken Ankles EP
Great Good Fine Ok — Body Diamond EP
Röyksopp & Robyn — Do It Again
Best Albums
Run The Jewels — Run The Jewels 2
Spoon — They Want My Soul
Sylvan Esso — Sylvan Esso
The War On Drugs — Lost In the Dream
Bombay Bicycle Club — So Long, See You Tomorrow
Any blogs or zines that have posted before today are suckers. How did you know another Beyoncé moment wouldn’t happen right at the deadline of 2013??? What fools. It was a great year for music. Here are the tracks, in no particular order:
Great Good Fine Ok — You’re The One For Me
Justin Timberlake — Mirrors
Childish Gambino — Sweatpants
Daft Punk — Doin’ It Right (ft. Panda Bear)
St. Lucia — The Night Comes Again
José González — Step Out
DAUGHTER — Shallows
Drake — The Motion (ft. Sampha)
Volcano Choir — Byegone
Jai Paul — Track 10
Janelle Monáe — Primetime (ft. Miguel)
Torres — Honey
Wild Cub — Thunder Clatter
The 1975 — Sex
Mapei — Don’t Wait
Vampire Weekend — Diane Young
Chance The Rapper — Favorite Song (ft. Childish Gambino)
CHVRCHES — The Mother We Share
Kanye West — Blood On The Leaves
J Roddy Walston and the Business — Midnight Cry
Lucius — Don’t Just Sit There
Big Sean — Control (ft. Kendrick Lamar & Jay Electronica)
HAIM — The Wire
Run The Jewels — Banana Clipper (ft. Big Boi)
Sam Smith — Safe With Me
Oscar Isaac — Hang Me, Oh Hang Me
Penny & Sparrow — Brothers
The Naked and Famous — Hearts Like Ours
ITS MY BEST OF 2011 LIST!!!
Oh, man– this list is going to change the world.
The list is bookended by Bon Iver, which makes sense because I bet the number of days in 2011 I listened to Bon Iver outnumbered the days I didn’t. (The final song has my favorite lyrics of the year hidden in it.) I cut a lot of great songs to hit the 20 mark. (which is stupid because I made the mark up myself, I could have made it 25, or 40) A lot of people/blogs/dummies are saying 2011 wasn’t as great as 2010 in music. And I guess, I agree. There weren’t as many stand out albums that were mind blowing; but looking back at the list I am happy.
Bon Iver — Holocene
Blue Scholars — Seijun Suzuki
SBTRKT — Trials of the Past (ft. Sampha)
Justice — Newlands
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. — When I Open My Eyes
Daughter — Candles
Gotye — Somebody That I Used To Know
Childish Gambino — Freaks and Geeks
The Black Keys — Stop Stop
m83 — Midnight City
Lil Wayne — 6 Foot 7 Foot (ft. Cory Gunz)
tUnE-yArDs — Powa
Theophilus London — Last Name London
Penguin Prison — Don’t Fuck With My Money
Hoodie Allen — The Chase Is On
Adele — Rolling In The Deep
Rue Royale — Guide to an Escape
Lawrence & Leigh — glow
College — A Real Hero (ft. Electric Youth)
Bon Iver — Beth/Rest (Solo Piano Version)
You can stop holding your breath, I finally made my best of 2010 list. Just in time for no one to give a shit. I mean by-goly, its twenty-eleven already. Lots of great songs got tossed aside in a “its not you its me” manner. But some guilty pleasures still made the cut. (Bruno Mars) The songs aren’t listed in any particular order, just a general flow. I hope you enjoy.
Jinja Safari — Hiccups (demo)
Kanye West — POWER
The Ruby Suns — Mingus And Pike
The Young Veins — Change
Big Boi — Shutterbugg (ft. Cutty)
Daft Punk — Derezzed
Jamaica — Short And Entertaining
Spoon — Who Makes Your Money
Janelle Monáe — Oh, Maker
Gayngs — Faded High
Vampire Weekend — Giving Up The Gun
Hoodie Allen — You Are Not A Robot (ft. Marina & The Diamonds)
The Black Keys — Everlasting Light
Sleigh Bells — Rill Rill
GOBBLE GOBBLE — End of Days
Mumford & Sons — Little Lion Man
Horse Feathers — Starving Robins
Kings of Leon — Pickup Truck
Phantogram — Mouthful Of Diamonds
Future Islands — Long Flight
Lawrence & Leigh — Glow
Iron & Wine — Walking Far From Home
The Tallest Man On Earth — ove is All
Maps & Atlases — Israeli Caves
Yeasayer — Ambling Alp
LCD Soundsystem — Dance Yrself Clean
Bruno Mars — Just the Way You Are
Sufjan Stevens — Futile Devices
Zoë Keating — Optimist (live)
❤️🔥 Specialty One-Offs ❤️🔥
Sometimes it’s a theme, a moment in time, a project, or a feeling.
Upbeat and playful, but not too turnt? 10/10 ONLY NO SKIPS.
James Vincent McMorrow — Me and My Friends
Shad — It Ain't Over
The Temper Trap — Sweet Disposition
UGK — Int'l Players Anthem (ft. Outkast)
La Priest — Oino
Miriam Makeba — Pata Pata (Stereo Version)
Justin Timberlake — CAN'T STOP THE FEELING!
Pell — Queso
Red Hearse — Red Hearse
Drake — Nice For What
Sway Clarke — Secret Garden (ft. TINK)
Wild Cub — Thunder Clatter
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib — Shame (Alex Goose Remix)
Fat Tony — BKNY (ft. Old Money)
Jamie xx — I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times) (ft. Young Thug & Popcaan)
Paramore — Hard Times
Rubik — Richard Branson's Crash Landing
Bill Withers — Lovely Day
Bombay Bicycle Club — Shuffle
HAIM — Want You Back
Cover art has been JIF’d. Take note, music industry.
Songs to listen to while sailing. It ends with the song that inspired the mix in the first place. It was early, and foggy, and wet, and cold, and I couldn’t have been more excited to be there. SET SAIL!
Rifle Recoil — Lonely Sailor
Cedric Lamar — My Heart is an Ocean (demo)
Aesop Rock — The Harbor Is Yours
The Beach Boys — Sloop John B (Vocals Only)
Panic At The Disco — Behind the Sea
Paul Simon — The Coast
Iron & Wine — House by the Sea
Rue Royale — Parachutes and Lifeboats
Justin Timberlake — Blue Ocean Floor
James Vincent McMorrow — If I Had A Boat
The Shins — Sea Legs
Mike Barnet — Sea of Remorse
The Naked and Famous — Rolling Waves
Volcano Choir — Byegone
I love the art and culture of Black folks, but never have to endure the constant courage it takes to live Black life. This playlist is a celebration of that courage and for anyone that wants to expand their listening and find their new favorite song.
Play it loud. xo
Fat Tony — BKNY (ft. Old Money)
Lee Fields & The Expressions — Thinking About You
Eddington Again — Libra
Saul Williams — Black History Month
Pell — Queso
Open Mike Eagle — Dark Comedy Late Show
Miguel — Coffee (ft. Wale)
MNEK — Every Little Word
Mapei — Don’t Wait (ft. Chance the Rapper)
Lizzo — Batches & Cookies (ft. Sophia Eris)
Desiigner — Tiimmy Turner
Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley — The Master Has Come Back
Childish Gambino — Not Going Back
Azealia Banks — Jumanji
Amber Mark — 1894
Moses Sumney — Doomed
N.A.S.A. — N.A.S.A. Music (ft. Method Man, E-40 & DJ Swamp)
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings — I Learned The Hard Way
Gary Clark Jr. — Bright Lights
Theophilus London — Why Even Try (ft. Sara Quin)
Brittany Howard — Stay High
Oddisee — Ready to Rock
Janelle Monáe — Mushrooms & Roses
Bloc Party — Octopus
Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band — Heartaches and Pain
Kendrick Lamar — untitled 03 | 05.28.2013.
Lianne La Havas — Tease Me
Valerie June — On My Way
Willis Earl Beal — Too Dry To Cry
Deltron 3030 — Mastermind
Sampha — Too Much
Jurassic 5 — Concrete Schoolyard
Daniel Wilson — Boy Who Cried Thunder
Sway Clarke — Secret Garden (ft. TINK)
Young Fathers — In My View
Nao — Inhale Exhale
Cedric Lamar — Who Really Knows
Rationale — Re.Up
P.O.S — sleepdrone/superposition (ft. Allan Kingdom, Astronautalis, Eric Mayson, Kathleen Hanna, HardR, Lydia Liza, Lizzo, Nicholas L. Perez)
Gallant — Weight in Gold
Raleigh Ritchie — Cowards
Sinkane — How We Be
Sam Dew — Reincarnation
WebsterX — doomsday (ft. siren)
Kaytranada — Got It Good (ft. Craig David)
T.W.D.Y. — Players Holiday
RAIZA BIZA — Strong Woman (ft. Mukuka, Villette)
The Seshen — Distant Heart
Leks Rivers — No Rest for the Wicked
serpentwithfeet — four ethers
Michael Kiwanuka — Rest
Zeal & Ardor — Devil Is Fine
Tunde Olaniran — Namesake
Baba Ali — Cog in the Wheel
Laura Mvula — She
Shad — It Ain't Over
KOOL A.D — Hickory (ft. Talib Kweli & Boots Riley)
Violents & Monica Martin — Awake and Pretty Much Sober
Krystle Warren — So We Say
Everything Is Recorded — Mountains of Gold (ft. Sampha, Ibeyi, Wiki, & Kamasi Washington)
Girlhood — Bad Decisions
clipping. — The Deep
TiRon & Ayomari — Airplane Mode
Aminé — Spice Girl
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib — Shame (Alex Goose Remix)
Sudan Archives — Come Meh Way
BAD WITH PHONES — Needles
Allan Kingdom — Don't Wait
Big Freedia — Rent
Kiah Victoria — Living & Giving
April + Vista — Fomo
E-40 — Tell Me When to Go (ft. Keak Da Sneak)
Yola — It Ain't Easier
Kevin Abstract — American Problem
Red Hearse — Born To Bleed
Vagabon — Water Me Down
Glass Animals & Denzel Curry — Tokyo Drifting
Oscar #Worldpeace — Mmm (ft. Ragz Originale & BenjiFlow)
Blackalicious — First In Flight
D'Angelo & The Vanguard — Sugah Daddy
Thundercat — Heartbreaks + Setbacks
Cautious Clay — Cold War
Dijon — Good Luck
Velvet Negroni — WINE GREEN
Elah Hale — Saab
N.E.R.D. — Provider
Nappy Roots — Country Boyz
Killer Mike — Reagan
Gnarls Barkley — Going On
Black Star — RE:DEFinition
Murs — Two Step (ft. King Fantastic)
Lupe Fiasco — Jump (ft. Gizzle)
Mick Jenkins — Drowning (ft. BADBADNOTGOOD)
Showyousuck — Make-Out King (ft. Javelin and The Hood Internet)
Armani White — Stick Up
Flying Lotus — Galaxy In Janaki
Stormzy — Standard
Conner Youngblood — Stockholm
Tierra Whack — Wasteland
Leikeli47 — Heard Em Say (ft. Curt@!n$)
A little bit Latin. A little bit AfroBeat. A little bit World. But most of all... good-time tunes.
Play on shuffle.
Hailu Mergia & Dahlak Band — Anchin Kfu Ayinkash
Dalton — Alech
The Lijadu Sisters — Come On Home
Ozomatli — Cumbia de los Muertos
Sinkane — How We Be
Sinkane — Young Trouble
Pell — Queso
Fela Kuti — Water No Get Enemy
Fela Kuti — Zombie
Major Lazer — Get Free (ft. Amber of Dirty Projectors)
Dawg Yawp — Lost at Sea
Rusted Root — Send Me On My Way
Rusted Root — Ecstasy
Jungle — Platoon
Jungle — Heavy, California
El Guincho — Bombay
D.R.A.M. — Cha Cha
Damian Marley — The Master Has Come Back
M.I.A. — Paper Planes
Incredible Bongo Band — Apache
Incredible Bongo Band — Let There Be Drums
Monster Rally — Pelicans
Monster Rally — In the Valleys
Santana — Oye Como Va
Bomba Estéreo — Soy Yo
Peter King — African Dialects
Ebo Taylor — Heaven
K. Frimpong & His Cuban Fiestas — Hwehwe Mu Na Yi Wo Mpena
Amanaz — Khala My Friend
Michael Kiwanuka — You Ain't the Problem
Idris Muhammad — Turn This Mutha Out
Cardi B, Bad Bunny, J Balvin — I Like It
Khruangbin — Time (You and I)
Nicola Cruz — Aima
Nicola Cruz — Naeku
Bad Bunny, Jowell, Randy & Ñengo Flow — Safaera
ROSALÍA — Milionària
ROSALÍA — MALAMENTE (Cap.1: Augurio)
Maluma — 11 PM
Major Lazer — Que Calor (ft. J Balvin & El Alfa)
Angélique Kidjo — Once in a Lifetime
Laura Mvula — Let Me Fall
Mariachi El Bronx — Loteria
Africa Express — Johannesburg (ft. Sibot, Radio 123, Morena Leraba & Gruff Rhys)
Zinja Hlungwani — N'wagezani My Love
Rodrigo y Gabriela — Mettavolution
Yeasayer — Ambling Alp
Yeasayer — ONE
Steppenwolf — Magic Carpet Ride
Listen along to THE TRAVELER with playlists inspired by their journey.
→ Length: 20 tracks
→ Mood: Lowfi, acoustic, chill
→ Content: Traveling, on the road, being lost, persisting through it
→ Gender: First 9 tracks female, middle 2 duets, final 9 are male
Gordi — Long Way (Acoustic)
The Staves — Train Tracks
Valerie June — On My Way
Wye Oak — The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs (Acoustic)
Krystle Warren — So We Say
Lianne La Havas — Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye (Piano By Chilly Gonzales in Paris)
Joni Mitchell — All I Want
Lucius — Go Home
Pieta Brown — Bring Me
Rue Royale — These Long Roads
River Whyless — The Pool
Shakey Graves — Nobody's Fool
Nick Drake — Road
Hiss Golden Messenger — Brother, Do You Know the Road?
Nathaniel Rateliff — Falling Faster Than You Can Run
Leon Bridges — River
Conner Youngblood — Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
Michael Kiwanuka — Home Again
José González — Slow Moves
Alexi Murdoch — All My Days
Additional mixes inspired by The Traveler:
Mellow songs for Sunday morning coffee and reading.
Play on shuffle.
Active Child — Playing House (Chad Valley remix)
Air — La Femme d'Argent
Air — Talisman
Alabama Shakes — Sound & Color
Alabama Shakes — Over My Head
The Album Leaf — Seal Beach
The Album Leaf — One Minute
Alexi Murdoch — Orange Sky
Alt-J — Warm Foothills
Alt-J — Warm Foothills
Amos Lee — Night Train
Anaïs Mitchell — Epic (Part I) (ft. Justin Vernon)
ANDREW — Your Only Disease
Andrew Bird — Yawny At The Apocalypse
Andrew Bird — Natural Disaster
Angus & Julia Stone — Mango Tree
ASTR — Hold On We're Going Home
The Beatles — Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
The Beatles — Blackbird
Beck — Missing
Beck — Heaven Hammer (Missing) (Remix by Air)
Beck — Don't Let It Go
Ben Howard — Old Pine
Ben Howard — Under The Same Sun
Berlin Bar Hounds — Le Rambles
Bob Dylan — Simple Twist Of Fate
Bombay Bicycle Club — Still
Bon Iver — Lump Sum
Bon Iver — Re: Stacks
Bon Iver — Holocene
Bon Iver — Wash.
Bon Iver — Lisbon, OH
Bon Iver — Beth/Rest (Solo Piano Version)
Bon Iver — Heavenly Father
The Careful Ones — Paper Knees
The Careful Ones — Slow Dance On Broken Glass
Cat Stevens — I've Got a Thing About Seeing My Grandson Grow Old
Cat Stevens — Wild World
Cat Stevens — Wild World
Chet Faker — Talk Is Cheap
Chet Faker — No Advice (Airport Version)
Chet Faker — Blush
Coldplay — Midnight
Conner Youngblood — Australia
D'Angelo & The Vanguard — Sugah Daddy
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. — God Only Knows
Daniel Wilson — Boy Who Cried Thunder
Daniel Wilson — If You Went Away
Daughter — Medicine
Daughter — Shallows
Daughter — Get Lucky (Daft Punk cover)
Daughter — Perth (Bon Iver) vs Ready For The Floor (Hot Chip)
The Decemberists — The Crane Wife 3
Ellie Goulding — Heartbeats (Cosmonaut Grechko edit)
Emancipator — Valhalla
Feist — Limit To Your Love
Foo Fighters — On The Mend
Francis and the Lights — ETC
GAYNGS — By Your Side (Sade Cover)
George Harrison — My Sweet Lord
Gnarls Barkley — Who's Gonna Save My Soul
Gotye — Giving me a chance
Hiss Golden Messenger — Brother, Do You Know the Road?
Horse Feathers — Last Waltz
How to Dress Well — Words I Don't Remember
Hozier — Like Real People Do
Iron & Wine — Naked As We Came
Iron & Wine — Sunset And Soon Forgotten
Iron & Wine — Naked As We Came (Live Recording from Radio Vienna)
J. Tillman — Earthly Bodies
Jack White — On and On and On
James Blake — A Case of You (Joni Mitchell Cover)
Janelle Monáe — Oh, Maker
Janelle Monáe — Say You'll Go
Janelle Monáe — BaBopByeYa
Janelle Monáe — Primetime (ft. Miguel)
Jinja Safari — Just One Thing
John Hiatt — Have a Little Faith in Me
John Mayer — Gravity
José González — Heartbeats
José González — Leaf Off / The Cave
Josh Ritter — The Curse
Julia Stone — Let's Forget All The Things That We Say (Oliver Tank remix)
Justin Timberlake — Pusher Love Girl
Justin Townes Earle — One More Night in Brooklyn
Kings of Convenience — Mrs. Cold
Kyla La Grange — Cut Your Teeth
Lauryn Hill — To Zion
Lianne La Havas — Twice (Little Dragon Cover)
Little Comets — Waiting In The Shadows In The Dead Of Night (Acoustic)
London Grammar — Strong
London Grammar — Strong (RAC remix)
Lucius — Go Home
The Lumineers — Charlie Boy
Madjo — Where Did You Sleep Last Night
The Middle East — Blood
Miguel — Coffee
Minnie Riperton — Les Fleur
Mount Moriah — Lament
Mount Moriah — Old Gowns
Muddy Waters — Rollin' Stone
Mumford & Sons — Timshel
The Naked and Famous — The Mess
The Naked and Famous — Golden Girl
The New Basement Tapes — When I Get My Hands on You
Nick Drake — At The Chime Of A City Clock
Nick Drake — One Of These Things First
odetta — baby, i'm in the mood for you
Oliver Tank — Up All Night
Oliver Tank — Last Night I Heard Everything in Slow Motion
On An On — Ghosts (YACHT Remix)
Penny & Sparrow — We've Got Something
Penny & Sparrow — Brothers
Penny & Sparrow — Rattle
PHOX — Slow Motion (Sylvan Esso Remix)
Poliça — Wandering Star (ft. Mike Noyce)
The Postal Service — Clark Gable
Prince And The Revolution — Purple Rain
Rachael Yamagata — Elephants Instrumental
Regina Spektor — Samson
Rhye — Open
Rifle Recoil — Prototype (Extended)
ROSTAM — Wood
Röyksopp & Robyn — Inside The Idle Hour Club
Rue Royale — Parachutes and Lifeboats
Rue Royale — Blame
Rue Royale — Meant to Roam
S. Carey — Crown The Pines
Sam Smith — Not In That Way
Sharon Van Etten — Afraid of Nothing
The Shins — Black Wave
Sigur Rós — Hoppipolla
Sigur Rós — Hoppipolla Afturabak
Simon & Garfunkel — The Boxer
Sister Crayon — Futile Devices
Sky Ferreira — Animal
Slow Machete — Fallen Mangoes
Slow Machete — Swollen Hands
Spoon — Goodnight Laura
Stephen Francis — All My Friends
Sunny Levine — No Other Plans
The Tallest Man On Earth — Love is All
The Tallest Man on Earth — Weather Of A Killing Kind
Todd Terje — Johnny and Mary (ft. Bryan Ferry)
Until The Ribbon Breaks — One Way Or Another (Blondie Re-Imagination)
Usher — Dive
Vampire Weekend — I Think UR A Contra
The Verve — Bittersweet Symphony
Villagers — Courage
Volcano Choir — Island, Is
Volcano Choir — Alaskans
The War On Drugs — Suffering
The War On Drugs — Lost In the Dream
The Weeknd — The Zone
The Weepies — Can't Go Back Now
Wild Cub — The Water
William Elliott Whitmore — There Is Hope For You
William Fitzsimmons — It's Not True
William Fitzsimmons — Afterall
William Fitzsimmons — We Feel Alone
William Fitzsimmons — Goodmorning
William Fitzsimmons — So This Is Goodbye
Wilsen — Oblivion (Grimes cover)
Woodkid — Brooklyn
Wye Oak — Shriek
The XX — VCR
The XX — Angels
Yann Tiersen — Summer 78 (instrumental)
The 1975 — Head.Cars.Bending
The 1975 — Me
Explosions In The Sky — Your Hand In Mine (With Strings)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Frank Shipway — Suite for Orchestra No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068: II. Air
Köln Chamber Orchestra, Evgeni Koroliov & Helmut Müller-Brühl — Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 21 in C Major, K. 467: II. Andante
Peter Schmalfuss — Suite Bergamasque No. 3, L 75: Clair de Lune
The Books — Cello Song (ft. José González)
Antony and Bryce Dessner — I Was Young When I Left Home
Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner — Big Red Machine
Lana Del Rey — Young and Beautiful (DH Orchestral Version)
Oscar Isaac — Hang Me, Oh Hang Me
Oscar Isaac & Marcus Mumford — Fare Thee Well (Dink's Song)
Oscar Isaac — Green, Green Rocky Road
Leon Bridges — River
Leon Bridges — Coming Home
Van Morrison — Astral Weeks
Kacy Hill — Foreign Fields
Zero 7 — Last Light (ft. Jose Gonzalez)
CHELSEA JADE — KYOTO TRAIN (JYEAH REMIX)
Sufjan Stevens — Should have known better
Bon Iver — 00000 Million
S. Carey — Brassy Sun
Mons Vi — Eternity
Little Dragon — Twice
Matt Woods — Impression
Howling — Howling
Lo-Fang — #88
The Naked and Famous — A Still Heart
Joey Dosik — Game Winner
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros — Home (RAC Mix)
The Building — Have To Forgive (Live)
Jean-Michel Blais & CFCF — Spirit
Fleet Foxes — White Winter Hymnal
Alice Boman & 1987 — Waiting (1987 Remix)
Conner Youngblood — Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
Alice Boman — Waiting (PAL Remix)
Wye Oak — The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs (Acoustic)
Joey Dosik — Inside Voice
Ólafur Arnalds — re:member
Ben Howard — Another Friday Night
Sylvan Esso — Funeral Singers (feat. Collections of Colonies of Bees)
Hozier — Shrike
Sofasound — By the Shore
Bayonne — I Know (Acoustic Version)
Golden Vessel & Emerson Leif — Hesitate
J. Tillman — Earthly Bodies
River Whyless — The Pool
Hiss Golden Messenger — Everybody Needs Somebody
Gordi — Heaven I Know (Acoustic)
Gordi — I'm Done (Acoustic)
Gordi — Long Way (Acoustic)
John Mayer — I Guess I Just Feel Like
Bill Withers — Grandma's Hands