My Top 5 Songs of the Week (2024 Week 19):
https://youtu.be/rnUnuCqqEUg
1. Johnny Hunter – "Frustration". You'd be forgiven for writing this Australian quintet off as a Sisters of Mercy clone on hearing this track, but the dramatic postpunk intensity and cinematic goth-rock excitement quickly won me over and they might do you as well. #music

My best of 2024 (so far) playlist is updated regularly and can be found here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJeO4dNUaIn2mN9hFpBK1szGAA07d8pq&si=ZVqklnxTIwkgAQKq
#music

https://youtu.be/YwdVlUUa7xU
5. The Decemberists – Much of the mythohistorical weirdness of the band's early output has fallen away, leaving just their unique sense of arrangement and Meloy's distinctive phrasing to adorn this lovely song. #music

https://youtu.be/b_ahoz_pwtI
4. Bat for Lashes – "Home". Slowburner whose tenderness is given a dimension of heartache and longing by distortion on the bass and vocals. #music

https://youtu.be/PdQpQFvdIp8
3. Amadou & Mariam – "Mogolu". Mali's first couple of music is back with a new tune that's got their familiar swing. #music

https://youtu.be/_EzFiRyiij8
2. DIIV – "Frog in Boiling Water". More woozy, whammy-bar dreaminess from the album of the same name by Brooklyn's DIIV. Strong followup to week 13 top 5 pick "Everyone Out". #music

My Top 5 Songs of the Week (2024 Week 17):
https://youtu.be/nWW4tFuzxGE
1. St. Vincent – "Big Time Nothing". Annie Clark brilliantly channels the sound and swagger of Fashion-era Bowie and (duh) Big Time-era Peter Gabriel. #music

My best of 2024 (so far) playlist is updated regularly and can be found here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJeO4dNUaIn2mN9hFpBK1szGAA07d8pq&si=ZVqklnxTIwkgAQKq
#music

https://youtu.be/SCtkn9W9GJ8
4. Melvins – "Working the Ditch". Familiar yet welcome sound of doomy sludgy riffs, howling feedback and dark shouty vocals. "It was a dark time for us/The whole goddamn godless world". #music

https://youtu.be/irGCDBkIH1Y
3. Bon Enfant – Trompe-l'oeil". Postpunky bass and guitar that goes from punky stabs to jangly licks, plus singing en francais (band is from Montreal). #music

https://youtu.be/KHocVRUlvkk
2. Fontaines D.C. – "Starburster". Irish indie rockers come back strong with solid lead drumming, James Bond guitar, gasping in the choruses, and numerous other little flourishes that all just work. #music

My Top 4 Songs of the Week (2024 Week 16):
https://youtu.be/peA5zf3dBVA
1. Yannis and the Yaw featuring Tony Allen – "Walk Through Fire". Foals singer meets Afrobeat legend in one of drummer Allen's last projects before his 2020 passing, and everyone rises to the occasion. Electrifying. #music

My best of 2024 (so far) playlist is updated regularly and can be found here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJeO4dNUaIn2mN9hFpBK1szGAA07d8pq&si=ZVqklnxTIwkgAQKq
#music

https://youtu.be/c1fc214w31Q
5. Gimmy – "Bathrooms". Aussie new wave art-punk with faux-European accented vocals taking on taboos like "would you touch my baguette?" #music

https://youtu.be/ElkfRLDSUeA
4. MRCY – "R.L.M." A shot of '70s-style soul updated with a trip-hop beat and some subtle digital effects. "Sunshine spills out the stereo". #music

https://youtu.be/IRLGFWjI1zE
3. Mark Knopfler – "Two Pairs of Hands". If you're around my age, you can't hear that gravelly voice and iconic guitar tone and not think "Dire Straits", even though that band hasn't existed for about 30 years. A perfectly crafted song that—dare I say it?—kinda choogles. #music

https://youtu.be/yRr3nHi4Xfc
2. Paul Cauthen – "Hot Damn". A greasy groove that had me checking the credits for Black Keys involvement (couldn't find any). Ridiculous lyrics, sung with just the right amount of tongue in cheek. I especially like that he couldn't decide whether he's a Cadillac guy or a Trans Am guy, so he just drives both. #music

My Top 5 Songs of the Week (2024 Week 15):
https://youtu.be/MrT3Wx4YnRA
1. Wunderhorse – "Midas". A two minute twenty second, four-chord blast of Brit indie rock that reminded me of Elvis Costello's "On The Beat" with lyrics I think he got by taking a time machine to 1965 and stealing directly from Bob Dylan's typewriter. #music

My best of 2024 (so far) playlist is updated regularly and can be found here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJeO4dNUaIn2mN9hFpBK1szGAA07d8pq&si=ZVqklnxTIwkgAQKq
#music

https://youtu.be/-MwuoSdILM8
5. Project Gemini – "After The Dawn". A funky bassline grounds this London project's groove while the guitars, keyboard, and West Asian vocal melodies send it careening off into psychedelic spacetime. #music