Brant's February 2022 Playlist

There's nothing abominable about a snow day!

Ask and ye shall receive!  Last month I was complaining about the lack of winter weather, and this month we got three (3) snows!  It was so much fun to have it actually FEEL like winter.  And once I was done frolicking outside, I could warm up by the fireplace and work on February's playlist!  This month skews towards R&B with a couple of nice remixes, but there's still a healthy dose of rock!  Enjoy.  To listen on Spotify (although after Neil Young and Joni Mitchell pulled out, I may be exploring other platforms), click HERE.  

1.  Lights (Band of Horses) - Grammy-nominated band kicks us off with some upbeat rock.

2.  Monday (the Regrettes) - We had them on our May 2018 playlist with their awesome cover of "Teenager in Love", and now they're back with an original song!  

3.  Mama Tried (Eli "Paperboy" Reed) - One of my fave Merle Haggard songs gets the Memphis soul treatment!  

4.  Home (IYAMAH) - The final season of "Insecure" wrapped up this past December.  I loved the music from the show as much as the show itself, so here's one new tune I discovered from the soundtrack!  

5.  Don't Forget Your Neighborhood (Cola Boyy and the Avalanches) - Some disco-flavored Indie pop from West Coast artist/activist Matthew Urango.

6.  Take You Higher (Leisure) - Another repeat artist from playlists gone by!  This New Zealand band was on our Feb 2019 playlist, and this groovy soul track is their latest offering.  

7.  Nobody Sees Me Like You Do (Japanese Breakfast) - Michelle Zauner is having her moment, and I am here for it!  I love this cover of an obscure Yoko Ono track from 1981.  

8.  Moonglow (Samara Joy) - Eric turned me on to this young up-and-coming jazz chanteuse, and I can't get enough of her!  This can be our Valentine's Day pick.  

9.  Rush (Raveena) - Dreamy R&B from Indian American artist. 

10.  Lost and Looking /Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy Cosmodelica Remix/ (Lady Blackbird) - Unexpected remix of Lady Blackbird reminds me of many late nights at the clubs back in the day!  

11.  Fine and Peachy (Eliza Shaddad) - Eliza was on our Dec 2020 playlist, and this is her latest!  Confessional soft rock that would fit perfectly in a Lilith Fair revival.  

12.  Dogs Run On (Maya De Vitry) - Beautifully simple acoustic folk harmonies that are perfect listening as you watch the snow fall and sip your cocoa.  

13.  Stay /Little Dragon Remix/ (Valerie June) - It's always a treat when two artists you love decide to collaborate!  Little Dragon gives the opening track on June's latest album an avant-garde reworking. 

14.  Good Old Days /Classixx Remix/ (JR JR and Classixx) - Peppy Indie pop from Michigan duo.

15.  Meant for Livin' (Mondo Cozmo) - Another welcome return, this time from LA folk-rocker Joshua Keith Ostrander.

16.  Get Lost in the Music (Ambar Lucid) - 1960s vibes that would make Lulu and Petula Clark proud! 

17.  (The Best Part of) Breaking Up (the Ronettes) - Speaking of the 1960s, we lost a legend this past month.  RIP Ronnie Spector, lead singer of the Ronettes.  I had to include one of their songs on this month's list.  

18.  Hard Drive (Cassandra Jenkins) - Half spoken, half sung cerebral lyrics that reminded me of Laurie Anderson.

19.  Night Call (Years & Years) - Olly Alexander is also having a moment, so I figured we could wrap up this month's list with his latest pop confection!  

So that's February's list!  Hope everyone has a great month and I'll see you in March!  

Brant's January 2022 Playlist

When you were really excited about the winter weather,
but it's been 70 degrees all weekend...

Our first playlist of 2022!  I actually debated whether to continue doing these, but at the end of the day - I really enjoy finding new music.  It's also fun to be able to look back at the lists from previous years.  Anyway, here's a fresh batch of songs.  Some of the themes were a tad dark, despite the upbeat presentation!  That wasn't intentional on my part, but feels appropriate given the last two years.  Let's hope 2022 is better to us than her predecessors!  To listen on Spotify, click HERE.

1.  Last Day on Earth (beabadoobee) - Filipino-British singer/songwriter addresses the angst that sometimes comes in a New Year with an appropriately titled, but deceptively cheerful, ditty!

2.  Under the Rolling Moon (Ducks Ltd) - Toronto band serves up some jangly alt-rock.

3.  Train in Vain (Rostam) - A dreamy cover of the Clash classic.  

4.  Drugs (Anderson East) - Blue-eyed soul singer who last appeared on our March 2018 playlist is back with this dark but peppy disco tune!  

5.  All I Feel Is Rain (Khalid feat JID) - I love me some Khalid, and was very psyched to see he had released a new mix tape last month.  

6.  Walk On By (the Baylor Project) - Grammy-nominated Jean Baynor and husband also make a welcome comeback! It's not the Dionne Warwick song but still a great R&B performance.  

7.  Nothing's Ever Gonna Be Good Enough (Miles Kane feat. Corinne Bailey Rae) - This is one of those vivacious pop songs that only seem to come out of the UK.  Sounds like something Paul Weller would've done during his Style Council years.  

8.  Fire in Your House (Walk the Moon feat. Johnny Clegg and Jesse Clegg) - Frequent Brantworld listees continue to serve up great music.

9.  Don't You Worry About Me (Bad Boy Chiller Club) - This is a balls-to-the-wall party anthem.  I fully expect to hear it in some Netflix college/high school series in 2022.  

10.  How Not to Drown (Chvrches & Robert Smith) - Usually when a band has a guest vocalist, they sound like themselves with guest vocals.  This could TOTALLY be a Cure song with Chvrches as a guest performer!

11.  Purely Educational (Elder Island) - Let's keep the 80s vibes going with this minimalist Europop offering.  They've clearly spent some time listening to Yaz and Alison Moyet.  

12.  Heavy (Peach PRC) - Australian artist serves up a nice pop ballad.

13.  Silk Chiffon (MUNA with Phoebe Bridgers) - Dreamy soft-rock about ladies lovin' ladies!

14.  If You Got a Problem (Joy Oladokun) - Another proud queer artist who deserves much recognition.

15.  True Love (Hovvdy) - Austin, Texas duo, pronounced "howdy", adds some Western flair and harmonies to the usual rock vibe.  

16.  Bad Luck (BoyWithUke) - Mysterious TikTok artist has never shown his face but has racked up millions of views.  Can't wait to hear more from him!  

17.  Chapstick (COIN) - Sexy, nasty funk rock from Nashville band.  Probably not Covid-safe but fun anyway! 

18.  No Bad Days (Bastille) - I really expected Bastille to be a one-hit wonder for some reason.  Happily I was proven wrong! 

19.  Baby Grand (Anna B. Savage) - Listening to this is a completely immersive experience, so I put it at the end of the playlist.  I saw her name on several Best of 2021 Lists and have been fascinated ever since.  Her vibrato is off-putting (to me) at first, but the raw emotion is captivating.  She reminds me of Antony and the Johnsons/Anohni.  Enjoy!

So that's our first list of the New Year.  Hope everyone survived the holidays and has a great 2022!