Brant's October 2024 Playlist

"So you guys would rather listen to my playlist than eat my brains?!?
I'm flattered, relieved and insulted at the same time!"

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!  Halloween season is upon us!  In celebration, I've got a few spooky (and spooky-adjacent) tunes thrown into this month's mix.  Also included are some 60's-inspired folk and psych-rock, returning fave artists, and one or two wacky selections just for fun.  Enjoy!  To listen on Spotify, click HERE. 

1.  Burial Ground (the Decemberists) - What better way to start us off than a song about cemeteries?!?

2.  Look at That Woman (Role Model) - We had him on my March 2023 playlist, and now Mr. Tucker Harrington Pillsbury is back with some Laurel Canyon/West Coast-style pop rock!   

3.  World on a String (Lady Gaga) - A pop star has to reach a certain level of success before they are allowed to get weird.  Fortunately Gaga is there.  This is off her latest album, inspired by her character Harley Quinn in the new Joker movie.  I doubt I'll see the movie, but I did love this deliciously subversive take on an old Cotton Club classic!  

4.  Before I Let Go (Maze feat. Frankie Beverly) - We lost Frankie Beverly last month.  It was impossible not to feel the joy whenever he sang.  RIP

5.  Jupiter (Almost Monday) - Funky alt-rock from frequent Brantworld listees!  

6.  45 Degrees (Laurel) - British Indie-pop singer/songwriter should have a bright future ahead of her if she continues to serve up catchy tunes such as this!  

7.  Literal Bae (Greg Shilling) - Contemporary yacht rock vibes that would make Hall & Oates smile! 

8.  Devil's Gotten Into My Baby (the Devotions) - This is off the Basement Beehive compilation.  I couldn't find much about the group, but I liked the song and it had "devil" in the title so it worked for Halloween too!  #winning 

9.  Sticks + Stones (Gallant) - Trippy acoustic R&B from Maryland singer/songwriter. 

10.  You Stepped Out of a Dream (Samara Joy) - Rich, velvety jazz offering from young Grammy winner.

11.  Sheesh (Little Monarch) - Danceable jazz/R&B from Venice, California collective.  

12.  Dirty Little Secret (Artemas) - New Wave/alt-rock from English-Cypriot singer/songwriter. 

13.  Something On My Mind (Purple Disco Machine feat. Nothing But Thieves & Duke Dumont) - I never would've expected these three to get together, but should've known the results would be great!  

14.  ¿Para Qué? (Ela Taubert) - I really haven't explored Latin music, but with it being Hispanic Heritage Month I decided to check some things out!  I really enjoyed this tune by up-and-coming Colombian singer Ela Taubert!  Shakira better watch her back! 

15.  Backsliders (Sarah Shook & the Disarmers) - NC artist is back with more tasty alt-country!  They're on tour currently so I may try to catch them.  

16.  Along for the Ride (COIN) - It's been about 2 years since COIN made one of my playlists, so I was very excited to see new music from this Tennessee band! 

17.  Brain Freeze (Everyone Says Hi) - British supergroup contains members from the Kaiser Chiefs, the Kooks, Howling Bells and the Dead 60s!  The full album comes out in January, but I'm digging this first psych-rock single.  

18.  Nine to Five (Josef Scott) - Groovy, chill electronica from Indie artist.  (spoiler alert:  It's not the Dolly Parton song!)

19.  Baddy on the Floor (Jamie XX feat Honey Dijon) - Enigmatic beatmaster teams up with DJ, trans activist and Beyoncé collaborator for this energetic dancefloor filler! 

20.  Midnight Madness (Cerrone/Don Ray) - I'm still on a Cerrone kick from last month, so I immediately knew this Halloween disco masterpiece ("Spooky nights!  Freaky lights!") had to close out our October playlist!  

So that's October's playlist!  Hope everyone has a spook-tacular Halloween month and I'll see you in November!  

Brant's August 2022 Playlist

You never know what that new Webb Telescope is going to find out there! 

It's a Saturday, and summer is in full swing.  After meeting a friend at his pool yesterday and deciding it was too hot to be outside - I decided to spend this afternoon finishing up August's playlist.  Usually I steer towards Indie artists and those performers people may not know, but there have been so many A-list artists putting out great music that I went ahead and added them in.  So, for every up-and-comer we have a Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Lizzo, etc.  Anyway, here's this month's list, published early so you can enjoy it as part of YOUR weekend (be it indoors or outdoors).  To listen on Spotify, click HERE.

1.  Killing Me (Coin) - We had "Chapstick" on January's playlist, and now they're back with another peppy alt-rocker.  I'll be paying attention to this Nashville band moving forward! 

2.  The Girls (Albertine Sarges) - This tune reminds me of the quirky female-led songs from artists like Lene Lovich and the B-52s back in the 80s.  

3.  Wake Up (Young the Giant) - The latest anthemic offering from California rockers!  

4.  Music for a Sushi Restaurant (Harry Styles) - Harry's new album seems to vacillate between peppy horns-forward ditties and yacht rock.  I'm mostly favoring the former.  

5.  Everybody's Gay (Lizzo) - Viva La Lizzo!!!

6.  Hi-Fidelity (Lava La Rue feat. Biig Piig) - Easygoing funk collab between non-binary poet/artist/musician and Irish artist Biig Piig. 

7.  You're No Good (Weyes Blood) - Okay, it's starting to look like I'll have this entire "Minions" soundtrack on a playlist somewhere, but there are so many good songs!  Here's Weyes Blood covering Linda Rondstadt! 

8.  No Mistakes (Sarah Shook & the Disarmers) - I loved this song the first time I heard it.  What a pleasant surprise to see she's a North Carolina native!  She's serving "country punk and twang" and I am HERE for it! 

9.  (Remember Me) I'm the One Who Loves You (Watkins Family Hour feat. Fiona Apple) - Fiona follows her muse wherever it leads, and I like that.  For this number, she joins Sara and Sean Watkins (formerly of Nickel Creek) to do their rendition of a Johnny Cash standard.  

10.  Waiting by the Window (mokina, carbeau) - From American country to Brazilian bossa nova!  I always enjoy a lil' bossa nova in the summertime.  

11.  Different Colors x Pride (Walk The Moon feat. Jake Wesley Rogers) - My friend Lynn turned me on to Jake Wesley Rogers.  What a treat to hear him do this song with frequent Brantworld listees Walk The Moon for last month's Pride! 

12.  Never Really Loved Me (Kygo feat. Dean Lewis) - I don't know who Dean Lewis is, but I love this man's voice!  Kygo always manages to find quality vocalists for his stuff. 

13.  Life's Too Short (Adesha feat. Vincent Kwok) - Eric turned me on to this lady, and I'm digging the 80s old-school vibes she delivers.

14.  Sneakers (ITZY) - This K-pop group is giving me Spice Girl nostalgia.  Unapologetically exuberant and youthful.  

15.  sheluvme (Tai Verdes) - Cool R&B performance from handsome Californian.  I wish it were longer!  Can we go back to songs that are more than 3 minutes long, pleeeeeeease???

16.  Cuff It (Beyoncé) - I'd be remiss if I didn't have something from Bey's new album!  I fully expect to be hearing selections from "Renaissance" on dance floors for the rest of the year (and beyond)!  

17.  Like I Never Left (Kid Bloom) - Trippy psych-rock from young West Coast artist.

18.  Back On My Love (Pure Shores) - Another song to get you back on the dance floor! 

19.  Let's Get It On /Flight Facilities Remix/ (Marvin Gaye) - Remixing Marvin Gaye is a bold undertaking, but I think these guys nailed it!  Flight Facilities build on the original without completely bastardizing something that really didn't need changing.  

So that's August!  Stay cool, and I'll (hopefully) see you next month!

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!