Brant's July 2020 Playlist

Summer is in full swing, but you'd never know it to look outside!  Instead of joyful cha-cha lines of skaters, everyone is social distancing.  Concerts and baseball - also cancelled.  Thanks, Coronavirus.  On the bright side - there's still lots of music coming out.  I found myself gravitating towards personal faves this time around - artists who have appeared on multiple playlists, fun covers of favorite songs.  Maybe it's the audible version of "comfort food".  Anyway, hope you enjoy!  To listen on Spotify, click HERE.

1.  Come On (Mondo Cozmo) - Philadelphia indie rocker gets us started with this Beatles-esque anthem.

2.  The Steps (HAIM) - The HAIM sisters keep the classic rock vibes going with their latest ditty.

3.  Country Boy Lovin' (Dillon Carmichael) - Spotify suggested this and I immediately gravitated towards its Randy Travis/Alan Jackson old-school country sound.

4.  Dancing On My Own (Grouplove) - Alt rockers cover Robyn's 2010 hit.

5.  One More Song /Lazywax Remix/ (Classixx feat. Roosevelt) - I will follow Roosevelt anywhere.  His voice is like musical Xanax in all the best ways.

6.  Maniac (Conan Gray) - Some bubblegum pop also calms the nerves!

7.  Girlfriend (Charlie Puth) - Another personal fave returns with this R&B jam.

8.  The Man That Got Away (Billy Porter) - "Pose" has become one of my favorite shows, and this was from season two.  Billy Porter covers Judy and proves that he truly is a gift we mortals do not deserve!

9.  Witness 4 the Prosecution /Version 1/ (Prince) - The Prince estate continues to raid the vaults, and it's hard to be mad about that with so many great songs coming out!  This is from the Super Deluxe edition of "Sign o' the Times", to be fully released this September.

10.  Lie Out Loud (Bloxx) - English band serves up some energetic rock.

11.  Read My Lips (Jessie Ware) - It was hard to pick just one song from Jessie's latest album, but I finally settled on this one - 80s-flavored soul that is part Evelyn "Champagne" King, part, Jody Watley, and 100% divine.  Thanks, Eric, for reminding the album was out!

12.  Kings and Queens (Ava Max) - I kinda thought Ava might be a one-hit wonder after "Sweet but Psycho", but I stand corrected!

13.  Perfect Way to Die (Alicia Keys) - Alicia giving me all the feels with this tribute to the victims of police brutality.

14.  Letting Me Down (Margo Price) - Soft country-rock from Nashville artist.

15.  Take Me Home, Country Roads (Whitney feat. Waxahatchee) - I will also follow Waxahatchee anywhere!  Here, she joins Chicago Indie band for a heartfelt John Denver classic.

16.  Wonderwall (Teemid) - This came on the other night and it took me a while to fully appreciate what I was hearing.  French artist takes the Oasis anthem and completely reinvents it!

17.  Automatic Lover (Wolfram feat. Peaches) - Another unexpected cover - this time, dance/punk diva Peaches covers an obscure disco space jam!

18.  I Love America (Patrick Juvet) - With Independence Day coming up, I had to include something pro-USA.  This tune by (ironically!) French singer Patrick Juvet fit the bill!  Not on Spotify, but you can listen to it here.

So that's July's list!  Hope everybody has a safe and happy holiday, and I'll see you next month!  Wear your face masks!!!

Brant's June 2020 Playlist

Space Force tryouts were more rigorous than I expected!

Coronavirus, murder hornets, massive unemployment, police brutality against people of color.  2020 continues to dole out one bad thing after another.  Stay-at-home restrictions are being relaxed, but it still doesn't feel safe to go outside. Some of the songs on this month's playlist were recorded at home by the artists (Charli XCX, intentionally focusing on her art while in isolation; Fiona Apple, who started her latest album prior to the pandemic but completed it during).  Those of us without artistic expertise find ourselves thinking, "Maybe I should join Space Force just to get off this rotten planet!"  Until then, we've got some new music.  To listen on Spotify, click HERE.

1.  Rain on Me (Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande) - Pure escapist joy, from two gay icons.  I expect to be hearing this, and any subsequent remixes, all summer.  And I'm fine with that!

2.  But It Ain't You (Smoothie) - Groovy, space-age funk/disco from LA artist.

3.  detonate (Charli XCX) - Written while isolating with her boyfriend during the pandemic, it's clear cabin fever was setting in!

4.  Get It Right (Hajk) - This contemplative track from a Norwegian Indie band seemed like the perfect song to follow the restlessness of Charli XCX.

5.  We Broke (Cole DeGenova) - On his website, DeGenova describes his music as "somewhere between a soul pop concert, South Side jazz club, slam poetry reading, and punk rock dive bar".  Sounds about right.  I just dig the energy!

6.  Someone Like You (Snoh Aalegra) - A Swedish soul singer of Persian descent, now living on the West Coast of the US.  I love the worldliness of that.  And I love this song.

7.  Lilacs (Waxahatchee) - We had one selection from Waxahatchee's new album on April's playlist, but I had to add another!  Her music is like a soothing glass of sweet tea on an uncomfortably hot summer day, and in these trying times I can't get enough of it.

8.  In Light of Us (Honey Harper) - This sounds like it came from a jukebox at a small, Southern roadside bar from back in the 1970s.  Call it 'time-traveling escapism'.

9.  Alter Ego (KALEO) - Icelandic rock band, also featured on my April 2016 playlist, is back and once again I'm blown away by lead singer JJ Julius Son's fantabulous vocals!

10.  the end (Misterwives) - NYC Indie band serves up some New Wave-flavored percussive pop.

11.  Ladies (Fiona Apple) - Phew!  I don't know if I could listen to Apple's new album all-the-way through in one sitting, but it is an impressive work of art.  Intense, insightful, and unhinged - I guess it's everything we would expect from Fiona Apple.  I do love this particular selection - which easily could've been a Nina Simone song.

12.  Ventura Highway (Paco Versailles) - An EDM version of a classic America song?  File this under "Things That Should Not Work But Do"!

13.  Villain (Chenny Britt) - Boston artist delivers a soulful hip-hip track.

14.  The Key to Life on Earth (Declan McKenna) - Young British singer eschews conformity, much to the chagrin and bewilderment of his contemporaries.  It has a Jobriath/Thomas Dolby feel to it which I find appealing.

15.  This Love Isn't Crazy (Carly Rae Jepsen) - Oh Carly - how I adore you!  I'm noticing as I write up this month's list that there is a trend towards escapism.  You're joyful music never fails to take me to somewhere happy, and I thank you for that.

16.  Train to Mexico (Toby Sebastian) - More escapism, this time with a hint of Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off', if it had been done as a rockabilly song.

17.  Man on Fire (Sam Cohen) - 60s style rock/psychedelia from former Apollo Sunshine founding member.

18.  Make the Most (Lonr., H.E.R.) - Two Grammy winners join forces to make beautiful R&B music together!

19.  in the afternoon (josef salvant) - Easy going pop from Australian artist.

20.  Surrender /Eric Kupper Remix/ (Diana Ross) - Eric Kupper remixed an entire album's worth of Diana Ross songs!  I'd never heard the original of "Surrender", which may be why it's the track that made the biggest impression on me.  Hopefully these updates on classics will introduce the Divine Diana to a new generation of listeners!

So that's June's playlist.  One can only hope that 2020 turns itself around for the second half of the year, but if I'm still here - I'll continue to try to share my latest music finds!  Until then...