Brant's August 2019 Playlist

It would be a cat-astrophe to start a new month without some purr-fectly curated music!

Welp, this summer brought us a lot of scary stuff:  Season 3 of Stranger Things, Katy Perry dressed as a cheeseburger, and the CATS movie trailer!   All of these things involved terrifying transformations (Townspeople morphing into a giant spider!  CGI cats!!!) .  Thank goodness there was music to remind me that change doesn't always have to be scary.  A good remix can totally make a song better, so this month I focused on some fun remixes.  There's also some returning favorite artists and a few choice cover songs.  Hope you enjoy.   To listen on Spotify, click HERE.

1.  You Mean the World to Me /Vertue x Franklin Radio Mix/ (Freya Ridings) - Our first remix brings to mind fellow British artists London Grammar!  The original was a ballad with piano accompaniment, but the remix gives Ridings' pristine vocals a peppy jolt of adrenaline!

2.  Take Me Back (Morgan Saint) - Quirky New Yorker serves up some ethereal vibes from her appropriately named debut album "Alien"!

3.  The Get Up /Miguel Campbell Edit/ (Kayex) - Remix #2.  My goddaughter turned me on to this!  Funky soul that sounds like an updated Dazz Band!

4.  Wished Out (Carl Broemel) - This has a psychedelic 1960s rock sound that I was totally digging!

5.  Idle Crown (Queen Zee) - I had these guys on last month's playlist and simply had to add another song by this irreverent punk band!

6.  Pop Life (Dump) - This is from 2001, but I only heard it for the first time last month while I was browsing Prince cover songs.  It totally captures the wistfulness of the lyrics.  Not on Spotify, but you can listen to it HERE.

7.  Wanna Come Down (Ibibio Sound Machine) - Another repeat artist from previous playlists.  This afro-funk band knows how to get the party started!!!

8.  Sure Don't Miss You (BUNT. feat the Dip) - Remix #3.  German duo takes the Dip's 2017 retro-rock tune and gives it the lounge treatment.  I fully expect this to be used by Wall Street to advertise either shoes or an Apple product at some point!

9.  Blame It On Your Love /Kat Krazy Remix/ (Charli XCX) - Remix #4.  This song has gone through numerous transformations.  It first appeared on Charli's 2017 EP "Pop 2".  She later added a new version with Lizzo to her 2019 album "Charli".  This is the Kat Krazy Remix.   The downside:  this remix edited out Lizzo (Why?????).  The upside:  it's WAY more fun than the reggaeton album version.

10.  Mirror (IDER) - London female duo harmonizes over mid-tempo beats.

11.  Seventeen (Sharon Van Etten) - This tune by rock veteran Van Etten reminds me of a female Bruce Springsteen!  Must be a New Jersey thing!

12.  Turn to Hate (Orville Peck) - Finally the gay cowboy that Brokeback Mountain promised us!  I'm totally loving the mashup of classic country and queer theatricality.  Hope I get to see him live on stage someday.

13.  Have You Ever Seen the Rain (Paula Nelson with Willie Nelson) - For some reason, Big Little Lies used a re-recorded version of this father-daughter duet during their Season 2 Finale, but I'm partial to the 2010 original!

14.  Late Night Feelings (Mark Ronson feat Lykke Li) - Glittery disco with Lykke Li's tasty vocals.

15.  Remind Me (Lipstick Gypsy) - Justin Timberlake-approved band gives us a delicate slow jam that definitely has some JT vibes.

16.  I Been (Ari Lennox) - Is Ari Lennox this generation's Millie Jackson?  Classic soul that is NOT safe to play at work!  I do wish we had the option to leave out the monologue at the end.  In these days of streaming, why can't we have the chatter as a separate track???

17.  Feels Right (Carly Rae Jepsen with Electric Guest) - I adore Carly and so I couldn't resist tossing in one last irresistible song from her latest album to close out this month's list! 

So that's August!  Hope everyone's summer ends on a good note and I'll see you in September!