tunes for my pop
I was making a playlist of songs for my dad, and I realized as I was doing a contextual write-up of all of them, that it felt like a great opportunity to share with y’all some of my favorite musics are of the moment. Enjoy!
- Easy On Me — Adele
A classic Adele song. Broke single-day streaming records on Spotify and pretty much is peppering the fire for her highly anticipated new album 30 in mid-November
2. Don’t Hold Back — DRAMA
A friend sent me this one, great energy, great melody.
3. South Dakota — JORDY
It’s not really about South Dakota, but it’s pretty cute how he’s integrated it into the title.
3. Two of Us on the Run — Lucius
A folksy duo — they’re featured on one of my favorite songs of the “I Don’t Live Here Anymore” (featured further down on this list)
4. Rosewood — Bonobo
Bonobo is one of my favorite electronic artists of the moment, and this record infuses emotion, melody, and atmosphere into an excellent 4min package.
5. Covivi — Moonchild Sanelly
I heard this song for the first time on Apple Music, and it immediately captured my attention. Great production on the beats and a catchy melodic hook.
6. C’est Ma Vie — SPARKLING
A band from London, but met while studying abroad in Spain. They have a really textured and polished sound. Still relatively unknown, but they’re gonna have a big moment soon.
7. Walking ON Broken Glass — Hardwicke Circus
They use so many fun instruments! I get some E Street Band vibes too :)
8. Queen of Silver Linings — Amy Allen
She has been a fairly prolific songwriter turned recording artist over the last year! This song is her “breakout,” and I think it captures her voice really well and has excellent lyrical content
9. Glitch — Annie Blackman
Oh oof. This one hits hard. Great great lyrics on the chorus and a catchy melody to boot. This one has been on repeat for me since I found it
10. U&ME — alt-J
A band that’s finding a resurgence! They were prevalent amongst my friends in Denver and put on a great live show. This song has a very relaxed energy it.
11. True Love — Hovvdy
I reviewed this record for Qobuz, and this track stood out. Has carefree, good-natured energy.
13. Erase — Ben Böhmer
A hypnotic dance track from Deep House ace, Ben Böhmer. I have tickets to his live show in April, it should be a great time :)
14. I Don’t Live Here Anymore — The War on Drugs
Ohhhh wowoowow. This is one of my favorite songs and recordings of the year. Sturdy lyrical content about wrestling with life’s changing tides and the ambition to stay connected with those that mean the most. I wrote a review of this whole record if you’re interested.
15. Dogma — Circut des Yeux
She has one of the most unique voices I’ve ever encountered. I first met her when I was working her show back at Larimer Lounge, and her voice is this incredible baritone, rich vibrato and textured. She pulled together a 24-piece orchestra for this album, and it sounds epic. I also reviewed it for Qobuz if you’re interested.
16. ZaZa and Some Runtz (Smoke Break) — Terry Presume
This song is pretty dang fun. Super in-your-face synth/bass riff and a fat backbeat to give the piece some hearty swagger.
17. Promises — Cleo Sol
A singer from the UK whose voice is like butter. Great production to surround the stellar songwriter too. A great laid-back jam.
18. The Daisy — Ross from Friends
Holy smokes. Another one of my favorite tracks of the year. This ambient, techno, and house music style is the nexus of all of my favorite parts of dance music. The catchy melody runs throughout and does just an incredible job of building a world with ups and downs and is rich with emotive expression. Ross from Friends is from London.
19. How Will I Know — Whitney Houston
It is not a new song by any means, but I found it in September when researching an A&R person named Clive Davis (who helped match songs for her to record). It’s a timeless jam.
20. Living Proof — The War on Drugs
Another great tune off this album. Arugably more of a b-side but has a great melody and feeling throughout.
21. Ride or Die — Boys Noize
Another fun melding of worlds. When I was interning for Neon Gold, I worked with a publicist named Inge Colsen. When I was looking for records to review for Qobuz, I found Boys Noize (a techno producer from Berlin), and realized that Inge does his publicity! I got an advance copy of the record from Inge, and got to reconnect with her in a professional space ;) Review for Qobuz here
22. Everything I Said Yesterday — Covenhoven
A Colorado-based folk artist. He was a graduate of CU Denver’s Music Biz program, and I’ve met him several times. He’s a great guy with an expansive musical vision. Some of my friends from school play his live band, which includes a string quartet and a banjo.
23. Better Than I Know Myself — Del Water Gap
This is like candy. This music is sweet, fun, and easy. The artist is a graduate of the Clive Davis program at NYU Tisch and released his debut a few weeks ago. I saw him when I visited Baltimore, and he’s an exceptional artist in the making. His performance abilities are off the wall.
24. Alone Together — Del Water Gap
Another great tune from his record. I reviewed this for Qobuz if you’re interested in reading it.
25. Hope — Alex G
Alex G is one of those elusive songwriters/creators. I can never tell his intentions or how he cultivates such deceptively deep songs in simple folk-pop packages. House of Sugar is an excellent record, and this is my favorite cut from it.
26. Joanie — Clairo
Clairo is an artist that was “discovered” by the industry when they were still making/releasing songs in their bedroom. They were quickly catapulted to stardom. They’ve made two outstanding records previous to July 2021’s Sling. Claire’s voice is very subtle but bears a lot of authority and meaning with all her songs. (although this track I’ve provided is instrumental! I’d check other pieces from this record to get an idea)
27. Michicant — Bon Iver
Bon Iver is a Wisconsin-based multi-instrumentalist and musical mastermind. His projects carry an ambition and an expansive pallet of influences and paint vivid portraits with few but potent words. This record is getting its 10th Anniversary release this year, and Michicant is my favorite cut from it.
28. Smile — Wolf Alice
Wolf Alice is a rock group from London. This whole album is a breakthrough for them. Their lead singer crafted a beautiful narrative around losing yourself to the jaws of fame and the hype of internet culture. The rest of the band created a sonic universe to house that touching story. Smile is an upbeat cut that I play often.
29. Love and Hate in a Different TIme — Gabriels
I dunno; this song is a bonafide classic. I try not to say that to avoid hyperbole, but my jaw hit the ground after the first time I heard this track. The stylings, the musical aesthetic, and the gospel-powerhouse vocals enrich the entire tune; it’s a great one..to say the least.
30. She Loves Me — DJ Seinfeld
DJ Seinfeld is another producer like Ross from Friends that’ve been tagged at the center of the dance music movement called Lofi House. A bit of an ironic term to describe the genre/scene, but what carries through is emotive lyrical prowess, driving grooves, and a thumping bassline. I see him for his first-ever live show in Dec, and I couldn’t be more excited to see an electronic artist.
31. RÜFÜS DU SOL — Next to Me
RÜFÜS has been making some of my favorite dance music since I first heard them in 2016. Their new record, Surrender, does not disappoint. Capturing acoustic instrumentation, tightly woven melodic and atmospheric production, and a tender, sincere subject…this group hasn’t missed for me. I saw them last at Gov Ball 2021 in September, and their live show also takes their searingly intimate sound to blistering euphoric highs.
32. Holly Humberstone — Please Don’t Leave Just Yet
As one of music’s buzziest new acts, Holly is setting the table for an incredible 2022. This EP (to be released in Nov 2021) will capture this artist’s rise and the maturity she’s cultivated in her artistic stylings. This song uses ambient, ethereal textures and a gut-wrenching chorus to deliver one sad, but beautiful song.
