Desert Island XI - QUARANTINE ISLAND - Group 2 Listening Thread

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
namkcur's list:

You definitely captured a specific atmosphere with the first section of the list, but I ended up enjoying the second section a lot more. That first part just had a lot of instrumental music, which is not always my favorite. I still admire it though, and it definitely took balls to put a 14 minute song on the list. The Thom Yorke track reminded me that I need to finally see the SUSPIRIA remake from a couple years ago. Never got around to that.

As for the second section, I think we must be right around the same age because yeah a lot of these songs/artists are straight from my childhood and teenage years. Cool idea. This was a lot of fun to listen to, and had me reminiscing about school days.

I am a bit turned off by some of these songs due to being overplayed (She's So High, Soak Up the Sun, Island in the Sun, Crush, Steal My Sunshine). I mean, those are all grocery store songs. They're all in constant rotation on Light Rock radio stations in America. Also, I never thought I'd see the likes of Lit and Smash Mouth on a DI playlist. So props for giving us something different.

And on the other hand, some of these tracks are straight up untouchable rock classics and I always love hearing them. The Nirvana -> R.E.M. -> Pumpkins section was particularly fun. "The Bends" -> "In My Tree" is a great pairing. The latter being one of the best of all PJ deep cuts.

Probably my favorite unexpected moment of nostalgia from the list was the Madonna song! Holy shit, I love that song and I completely forgot about it. I even remember the Austin Powers-themed music video. Thank you for that memory.

And echoing the previous posts, "Torn" is an all-timer but I had no fucking clue the Natalie Imbruglia version was a cover! That's wild. You learn something new every day.

Good shit.
 
Gump, the feeling of your playlist is lockstep with your intended concept. Part 2:

* The Patti Smith track was a riot - evocative of the urban sleaze it seems to be describing - and following it with Iggy Pop, who always sounds like he just woke up in the gutter, was a nice touch.

* The Television track led me to some good background reading on the band because I was wondering what the connection to NYC was.

* I have always felt Lana Del Rey is too prone to meandering, but that kind of drifting atmosphere makes sense in this context.

* Geese of Beverly Road will always strike a chord no matter how many times I hear it.

* I appreciate the efficiency of this list - while I am always down for early Elton John and some of the other artists you mentioned in the prelude, there is a clear sense of editing here that contributes to the impression of the list as a whole.

Thanks a lot, man. I am glad people are not finding the concept overbearing, that was one my concerns at the outset. Keeping it short was a byproduct of the concept, in a way, as I thought it would be too demanding to ask people to follow 2+ hours of music about NYC. As LM pointed out, sometimes getting too attached to the concept can be detrimental, but overall I'm generally happy with how it turned out.

I love that Patti Smith track. I came across it not too long ago, as it's a B-side to the Hey Joe single and not particularly well known. I think it captures the general vibe of the music scene at that point. The background piano lines really add to her lyrics.

I feel the same about The Geese of Beverly Road. The outro's otherworldliness always gets me. I recall hearing that song live many years ago in Prospect Park, not too far from Beverly Road itself, and it was one of those little magical moments live music can give you.

I have many thoughts on gump's list.

First of all, I liked it very much and it's my personal guess for the list that will win the whole thing. If you seriously want to win DI in 2020, you have to keep your list under 2 hours; this one had efficiency, classic song choices and a clear concept to help it resonate with a plurality of listeners.

With that being said, the list being shorter meant more of it stood out on first pass, so I have more specific commentary.

First of all, I loved the Clifford Brown/Max Roach track. Highly evocative and striking opening the list. It worked extremely well with the Wu-Tang and Tribe tracks to evoke the sound of New York.

And then there's the Beastie Boys track. As the Clifford Brown/Max Roach track went along, my mind buzzed with different jazzy Beastie Boys songs that would make for a great transition (many of them on Ill Communication), but this one...I've just never been a fan of it. Not the track, not the album. Maybe my least favorite by them. It's very clearly the right pick thematically, but it didn't work as well in this section as I wish it had.

Living For the City is a masterpiece, but I didn't like how it was used in this part of the list in terms of mood. I'm over here chilling with Phife Dawg and the Abstract, and then...well...I'm back to being depressed as hell, all in one track. I really think this one needed a buffer, some way of blending in with the rest of the list.

Loved the Bobby Womack track and didn't know it going in.

Most of the rock section towards the end of the first half was well-sequenced and generally comprised of classics. I forgot about that great New York Dolls track. I was impressed by how well Talking Heads transitioned out of Bobby Womack.

I did NOT like the Le Tigre track and didn't think it benefited the flow amongst these 60s and 70s rock songs. That one is a skip for me.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs needed to be on this list, but I didn't particularly care for the song choice. Along with the Beastie Boys, maybe an instance of your theme showing up too literally in the song choices at the expense of potentially stronger picks that could have worked to evoke the theme in other ways.

The second half was in general a lot more consistent in terms of quality and mood and I loved most of it.

The opening run of Patti Smith/Iggy Pop/Tom Waits was fantastic and I didn't know the first two tracks. That Patti Smith song is a keeper.

While I enjoyed all of the individual tracks from Joni Mitchell, Television and Eleanor Friedberger (it's one of her best solo tracks), I didn't get what this section was going for. My gut tells me that this section needed fleshing out or that the songs need to be shifted around to different parts of the list.

I can't listen to New York anymore because I have terrible memories associated with it, but it's a great song. Lana was great too. Hell, I love all the songs at the end of this list and it all flowed great. The last half dozen songs made for a fantastic run.

It's a great list, and with a few additions and a couple subtractions, it would be one of my favorite DI lists ever. Just a few sections needed a little fleshing out and a couple of tracks were not near the artist's best work because the theme came first in that instance.

Wow, LM, thank you so much.

First of all, I'm really sorry about the story behind St. Vincent's New York. I had no idea. I'm glad you are in a better place today and hope the song did not trigger any bad emotions.

I really appreciated your comments. You are so perceptive of the smallest things, it's astonishing. Your comments on the Joni-Television-Eleanor segment resonate. This was the hardest section of the playlist to put together, and I tried different things but could not make it work as well as I wanted, even if the songs are all good. These are songs/artists I really wanted to display, but perhaps there were better ways of integrating them. I did want to showcase Eleanor Friedberger, as I think some people here might enjoy her sound, and Roosevelt Island has been my favorite solo song of hers since her debut album.

In any case, I'm really glad you liked it overall (even though I completely disagree on your overall prediction). Truly appreciate this.
 
Last edited:
“Surgeon” has her best guitar imo

Huey Newton for me. Damn when that guitar riff starts.

Marrow is another good one.

Oh, and since tourist was keen on checking Talking Heads as well as St. Vincent, I'll point out that Annie Clark and David Byrne recorded a great one-off album together, Love this Giant.
 
LN7

I love Elvis Presley and America as an opener. Its moody, dreamlike nature immediately conveys a sense of atmosphere, so I’m excited to find out where this is heading.

Not sure I’m sold on the transition to The Killers song, sonically at least, a band that I’m not super familiar with but doesn’t strike me as an evocative one (at least next to U2 circa TUF).

I am glad I heard the first half of your playlist during a run as it had generally faster-paced songs with good beats. Overall, this part is not a sound I would normally gravitate to (with some exceptions), but the flow is quite good. I liked the track by The Knife in particular. Twin Shadow is a band I never managed to get into, even though I’ve seen them live at one point.

Starting with the Phoenix instrumental (great pick), the playlist gets into genres I enjoy much more, and I appreciated the diversity compared to the first half. The sequencing worked generally well for me.

I didn’t know Gordi, but that’s a lovely song that kicks off a nice sequence with Chvrches, Zola Jesus (whom I really love), an underrated track from The Suburbs, and the Eno - Hyde track, which I didn’t know. I enjoy the more atmospheric sound in this part of the playlist (which kind of matches EPAA more than the first half).

I had completely forgotten about Modest Mouse’s Stranger to Ourselves, even if I own that album. This is a good song, I like the production in it a lot. Not sure if fits with the flow here as it took me out a bit of the nice flow over the last 5-6 songs.

Despite spending a good few years of my life in French-speaking Switzerland, one thing that has never grown on me is French pop. (I do enjoy some French rock and chansons though). There’s something about the language and French expressions that don’t really match the sound. That said, lyrically it makes sense after I read the narrative of your playlist.

Merriweather Post Pavillion is such a central 2009 record for me, and yet I don’t listen to it enough. This is certainly one of the best songs in the album this side of My Girls.

I think the closing sequence was the strongest part of the playlist. I really liked everything about the last half-dozen songs. I will need to check out The Horrors more.

Overall, this was very nice to listen to, and I was engaged throughout, even during genres that are not necessarily my favorite. I think reading your story before going into it actually helped understand some of your music choices and the things that were meaningful to you.

Good job!
 
Tourist, that transition between Carly Rae and Childish Gambino is maybe the best I've heard so far.
 
Alright, time for Ruckman's list.

The intro is absolutely not at all what I would expect to hear from Coldplay, although I suppose I get it as an album closer.

It's definitely atypical of them, but I quite like it. That whole album is the best thing they've done in over a decade.

The transition into Marooned was really effective - I rate Division Bell quite highly among Pink Floyd's output but admit this track has gone a bit overlooked for me lately.

Yeah, I was particularly proud of that transition.

In turn, Marooned led really well into this Frusciante jam; I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. I've had a few people in the past urge me to listen to his solo material (hello out there djerdap!) but had never got to it.

Really glad you dug that one! If getting someone into Frusciante's solo stuff is the only thing my list accomplishes, I'd consider that a success. He's a genius, one of my favorite musicians. Like, I'd go as far as to say he's the reason RHCP became a huge mainstream band.

In fact, the whole sequencing is remarkably good - from the opener to Thom Yorke it is just astounding. I basically didn't notice track changes and would find myself thinking "oh I must be at least two minutes into another artist". This has a really haunting, unsettled atmosphere. It's excellent; you've crafted something that fits the times.

Thanks man. That's exactly what I was going for.

Nick Cave as a closer is the ideal full stop.

I couldn't get into Ghosteen as quickly as some others, but Hollywood hit me right away. It's absolutely devastating and I felt like it was perfect for this.

I honestly know almost nothing about Ryan Adams except that there was a woman on here obsessed with him and that he then got cancelled, but this track was rather good - in terms of individual songs, if removed from the larger context you've created here, I just might (har har) even say it's the best.

I really love that song. I haven't even listened to that much of him outside that album, but that song is great.

Annoyingly, the Fastball and Edna Swap songs are not on Australian Spotify - heads up Cobbler. Fortunately for my own nostalgia, The Way is, a track that still slaps today, but only four other songs from All the Pain Money Can Buy are available here. (In a prior thread I raised this problem, funnily enough because I'd been listening to The Way, never expecting someone would use a deeper cut from the album.)

I'm pleasantly surprised to see another Fastball fan here. Like I said, of all those pop-rock bands that were all over the place in the late 90s, they were one of the better ones. "The Way" is a killer single.

Anyway, here they are on YouTube.

Just to clarify, that Torn video you posted is NOT the one that was one my list. Like I said in my writeup, Edna Swap recorded the song twice. That's the first recording, but I'd used the second recording on my list(partially because I preferred it, partially because the first recording isn't available on Spotify here either). THIS is the correct one:



Interesting journey through nineties nostalgia. Once or twice a year I find myself lining up a whole bunch of tunes that were all over Australian rock radio in the mid/late nineties. Some of these are familiar, some aren't. This might be the first time I've heard a Barenaked Ladies song not called One Week.

BNL aren't as terrible as some people think. "Old Apartment" was on the album before Stunt(which is the album One Week is on), and once One Week hit, some older BNL singles started getting played on the radio a lot, including this one.

I had a "holy shit" moment with the Del Amitri song - I didn't recognise the title on your list at all, but the moment the first notes began, yeah, I can still sing along to this (except that I thought the chorus was "the right time, the wrong me"). The mix during the verses is a pain in the arse through headphones, with the vocals just in the right channel.

I love that song. I heard it in a barbershop once when I was getting my hair cut, like 15+ years ago, and I remembered it from the 90s but I had no idea what it was called or who it was by. Took me a while to figure it out, but once I did, I've never forgotten it.

I also had no idea who was responsible for She's So High; I wondered if this would be the song I expected, or another with the same title. Couldn't say who I thought actually did it, it's just one of those Generic Nineties Rock Band songs in my memory.

Yeah, it's Tal Bachman, son of Randy Bachman of Bachman Turner Overdrive. He was a one-hit wonder. He still plays live today to rooms full of people who probably paid solely to hear that song.

I'm sorry, though, I couldn't take the Tom Petty song seriously after his rhyme with "played from the heart" was "roadie named Bart", I literally started laughing. I was enjoying its pleasant chords but oh man that lyric is "stop helping god like a little old lady" territory.

I agree it's a corny lyric, but those things don't usually bother me. The chorus is epically feel-good, that's what matters imo.

Gotta be honest, I'm not sure why I've never listened to much Foo Fighters because I dug Learning to Fly back when it came out and it still holds up today. Although my idea of a highway drive is a bit heavier - namely Kyuss. If you don't find yourself speeding during almost any song from Welcome to Sky Valley, you have no pulse. (I say as someone who's too blind to drive, but has egged on drivers to go faster during said album.)

It's one of their greatest tracks imo. Been trying to learn to play it on guitar.

Interesting that you thought some of us might not be psyched for the Lit song - I've never heard of the band or the song before. It's fine? Am I meant to object to this band?

They were just one of those bands that would've gotten mentioned in the same breath as Blink 182 or Third Eye Blind or whatever back in the day, and that general milieu of bands is often maligned in these parts.

HOLY SHIT THIS IS THE ORIGINAL OF THE NATALIE IMBRUGLIA SONG?! I was surprised years ago when I found out Natalie's banger was a cover but I'd never looked up the original. I had in my head that it would be some niche sixties folk tune or something. This goes hard.

Really glad you liked it! I almost prefer it to Natalie's version because I feel like the pain behind the lyrics comes through more - which makes sense because Anne is singing her own words.

The run after Torn through to Blind Melon really runs the gamut of nineties nostalgia for me. What's the Frequency Kenneth is, without a doubt, one of my favourite REM songs. I was surprised when you suggested in your write-up that About a Girl is *not* a ubiquitous Nirvana tune - it's one of the first songs I think of when I think Nirvana, as someone who has only ever been a casual listener at best; it's good.

Well, I mean, it's less ubiquitous than Smells Like Teen Spirit or Come As You Are or Heart-Shaped Box or something like that where you might go 'I've heard this too many times, I can't hear it again'. It was on their first album but, even though it was a single, I don't think it came to the attention of a lot of casual fans until they played it on the Unplugged album.

At the other end, The Flaming Lips can go fuck themselves.

I'm thousands of miles away, but I can almost feel Cobbler's wrath at that statement.

The RHCP track didn't do all that much for me; I probably would've preferred one of their bigger hits.

Not surprised. It's usually hard to get people excited about RHCP in here. Oh well.

I've always thought I need to listen to more Smashing Pumpkins and this song, totally unknown to me, suggests that instinct is correct. It seems like they're the formative nineties reference point for so many of my friends who are into/make shoegaze music. Can't count how many give some variation of "yeah I was 13 and loved Smashing Pumpkins, then I discovered MBV/Ride/Alcest/whoever".

I'm genuinely surprised that it was unknown to you. It's a very well-known single. Not on the level of generational touchstones like "Today" or "1979" or "Bullet With Butterfly Wings", but still pretty well-known. It's great though, and I'm happy to have introduced you to it.

If you're looking to get into SP, a lot of people would probably say Siamese Dream - the album Cherub Rock is from - is their best. For me, it's good, but I'd take Mellon Collie and Adore over it. Be warned though, they'd move away from that shoegaze-y sound of Siamese Dream and toward a darker, more stripped-down sound.

I have somehow avoided NMH up to this point in my life, unless I've expunged something from my memory during past DIs. This isn't as bad as I thought it would be, though it doesn't really commend itself to me.

I only recently got into them. They are polarizing because of the guy's voice. I really love that song though.

I also expected to hate the Sheryl Crow song but it's quite pleasant and fits well with the list and your desired vibe for this section. (Also I keep forgetting that Sheryl Crow and Shania Twain are different people.)

Sheryl is one of the more underappreciated female artists of the last 30 years, imo. She's the real thing. Her best work came before this though, in the 90s.

Ha, wow, I remember this Jennifer Paige song. Wouldn't have given it a thought since I last heard it on the radio over twenty years ago, and not sure I'm thrilled to be reminded of it. Speaking of Natalie Imbruglia above, I think of this song in conjunction with her other hit, Pash.

Yeah, I wasn't expecting anyone to be too excited about that track. I just threw it on there because it fit the vibe well and it was something that people may not be familiar with or may have forgotten about.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed my sequence of "oh wow, this!" I enjoyed your tour of the nineties. I'd have made a few different choices, as I'm sure we all would have, but - like part one - this all sat together really well, and, as intended, it was a blast. Thanks for a good time, I needed it this evening.

So happy you enjoyed it! :)
 
namkcur's list:

You definitely captured a specific atmosphere with the first section of the list, but I ended up enjoying the second section a lot more. That first part just had a lot of instrumental music, which is not always my favorite. I still admire it though, and it definitely took balls to put a 14 minute song on the list. The Thom Yorke track reminded me that I need to finally see the SUSPIRIA remake from a couple years ago. Never got around to that.

Yeah, I was intentionally trying to do that in the first section. Sorry it wasn't your thing.

As for the second section, I think we must be right around the same age because yeah a lot of these songs/artists are straight from my childhood and teenage years. Cool idea. This was a lot of fun to listen to, and had me reminiscing about school days.

I am a bit turned off by some of these songs due to being overplayed (She's So High, Soak Up the Sun, Island in the Sun, Crush, Steal My Sunshine). I mean, those are all grocery store songs. They're all in constant rotation on Light Rock radio stations in America.

TBH, while Crush was all over the place when it was new, I can honestly say I've never once heard it on the radio or in a grocery store in the 20+ years since. And, like i said in my writeup, I had literally forgotten that Steal My Sunshine existed until I started putting this together.

Also, I never thought I'd see the likes of Lit and Smash Mouth on a DI playlist. So props for giving us something different.

I don't know if that means you liked them or not, but I'll take it :wink:

And on the other hand, some of these tracks are straight up untouchable rock classics and I always love hearing them. The Nirvana -> R.E.M. -> Pumpkins section was particularly fun. "The Bends" -> "In My Tree" is a great pairing. The latter being one of the best of all PJ deep cuts.

Probably my favorite unexpected moment of nostalgia from the list was the Madonna song! Holy shit, I love that song and I completely forgot about it. I even remember the Austin Powers-themed music video. Thank you for that memory.

Glad you found something to enjoy. Yeah, that's one of my favorite Madonna tracks, and I associate it directly with seeing the music video on TV a lot in the summer of 99 when the movie was out.

And echoing the previous posts, "Torn" is an all-timer but I had no fucking clue the Natalie Imbruglia version was a cover! That's wild. You learn something new every day.

Good shit.

I'm glad people are enjoying this version. I have so much reverence for songwriters, and I think if a song is great, it's important to know who wrote it.

Glad you enjoyed the list :)
 
Tourist:

- Your playlist has definitely been the most upbeat and vibrant one so far. It reminds me of going to music festivals. In fact, I’m sure I’ve seen a good number of these artists at a fest in one of the afternoon slots. It was a relaxing vibe that got me in a good groove, but I will say that there were a few segments were the songs ran together for me and it faded into the background a bit.
- Strange Names was a great way to start your list – it had a fun New Wave sound that I was digging. Family of the Year and Sports were good follow-ups too.
- Craft Spells had some nice synth work going for it, plus those echoing 80s drums that sound great.
- I think “Shut Up and Dance” is one of the best mainstream pop songs of recent years – but I found “Aquaman” to be dull. The next few tracks didn’t do much for me either. But The Wombats brought things back on track for me. It had a good rhythm and I thought the shouty vocals in the chorus worked well. That style often doesn’t connect for me.
- Author was one of my favorite songs on your list and a group I’ll explore more from going forward. That song had some grittiness to it that I enjoyed. Same with Post Animal’s off-kilter guitar riffs halfway through.
- I don’t like Tame Impala and this song didn’t change that.
- Carly Rae Jepsen wasn’t bad at all, though I think the distorted vocals in the chorus are tricks I’ve heard one too many times now. That following Childish Gambino song is wonderfully chill too.
- I couldn’t stand Swimming with Bears. Everything about his vocal performance turned me off.
- The Colourist is another artist I want to listen to more. Some strong guitar work here.
- Small Black and Wild Nothing were a lovely duo of songs to sway to.
- “Juno Song” was my favorite tune for this playlist. I loved the interplay between the vocals and the synth lines.
- As I’ve said elsewhere, Twin Shadow is always fun to listen to. He’s got such a great 80s energy that brings a fantastic level of directness, raw passion and propulsion.
- I don’t usually like Alvvays but I “Archie, Marry Me” was excellent. Maybe I need to give them another chance.
- Nice choice with Moody Bear to close things out. It had a feeling like the end of a night out partying and you’re drained but satisfied as you slowly make your way home.
- Your playlist set a strong summer mood, which worked out well with our first really nice week of the year here in New York. While the songs themselves were a mixed-bag for me, there’s no denying how warm and inviting this playlist is.
 
I am woefully behind on actually talking about these lists. I swear, I'll catch up. But I finished your list Tourist and I really enjoyed it.

They don't need you...

giphy.gif


Yesterday she pictured up the dog's leash for about 5 seconds and then saw a leaf and walked away.

Today she kept using the leash to reel the dog in to grab her fur...baby steps.
 
Tourist: I'm about half-way through your list, and I think I'm getting a pretty clear impression of what your kind of jam is :lol:. This has been a great list for the work I'm doing while listening: breezy and well-paced. Sounds like a Sirius XM channel, which I mean as a compliment because I love Sirius radio. Second half a little later.


Yeah, this is the stuff I’ve been into for a couple years. I’ve always been into varied pop, but some of this modern stuff has really clicked with me, and I don’t see a lot of it mentioned in many places.

Tourist, that transition between Carly Rae and Childish Gambino is maybe the best I've heard so far.


Thanks! I love both of those songs (obviously). Haha!
 
Tourist:



-Your playlist has definitely been the most upbeat and vibrant one so far. It reminds me of going to music festivals. In fact, I’m sure I’ve seen a good number of these artists at a fest in one of the afternoon slots. It was a relaxing vibe that got me in a good groove, but I will say that there were a few segments were the songs ran together for me and it faded into the background a bit.

-Strange Names was a great way to start your list – it had a fun New Wave sound that I was digging. Family of the Year and Sports were good follow-ups too.

-Craft Spells had some nice synth work going for it, plus those echoing 80s drums that sound great.

-I think “Shut Up and Dance” is one of the best mainstream pop songs of recent years – but I found “Aquaman” to be dull. The next few tracks didn’t do much for me either. But The Wombats brought things back on track for me. It had a good rhythm and I thought the shouty vocals in the chorus worked well. That style often doesn’t connect for me.

-Author was one of my favorite songs on your list and a group I’ll explore more from going forward. That song had some grittiness to it that I enjoyed. Same with Post Animal’s off-kilter guitar riffs halfway through.

-I don’t like Tame Impala and this song didn’t change that.

-Carly Rae Jepsen wasn’t bad at all, though I think the distorted vocals in the chorus are tricks I’ve heard one too many times now. That following Childish Gambino song is wonderfully chill too.

-I couldn’t stand Swimming with Bears. Everything about his vocal performance turned me off.

-The Colourist is another artist I want to listen to more. Some strong guitar work here.

-Small Black and Wild Nothing were a lovely duo of songs to sway to.

-“Juno Song” was my favorite tune for this playlist. I loved the interplay between the vocals and the synth lines.

-As I’ve said elsewhere, Twin Shadow is always fun to listen to. He’s got such a great 80s energy that brings a fantastic level of directness, raw passion and propulsion.

-I don’t usually like Alvvays but I “Archie, Marry Me” was excellent. Maybe I need to give them another chance.

-Nice choice with Moody Bear to close things out. It had a feeling like the end of a night out partying and you’re drained but satisfied as you slowly make your way home.

-Your playlist set a strong summer mood, which worked out well with our first really nice week of the year here in New York. While the songs themselves were a mixed-bag for me, there’s no denying how warm and inviting this playlist is.



Hey, firstly before I forget: thanks for the write up! I love the write ups that everyone’s been doing. Reminds me of the old days.

Next are just some comments on yours. I’ll spoiler them so you/others can skip past if you don’t care. Haha!

You mentioned After The Moment by Craft Spells - for some reason that song always reminds me of some modern band doing Joy Division, so I get your description. Also, I knew Aquaman would be divisive - I feel like Walk The Moon is a band that would get shit on here, and I chose that one because of the super 80s vibe. The whole first half of the album Headspace by The Wombats is from has that big energy so if you liked headspace you’ll like that record.

Next: Is It Far Or Is It Close by Author is maybe my favorite album of 2015-2019. Do check out the title track and Want. If you feel like it. Haha! And if you remember once DI is over. As for The Colourist, the first time I actually heard that song was a remix by St. Lucia. When I finally listened to the original version it was a treat. Had that song stuck in my head for weeks at various points. And then Canoe by Small Black - if I ever write an album where I primarily put away my guitars, that’s a sound I’d be in the ballpark of. Juno Song was one of the many Deep Sea Diver songs I was trying to pick from - their whole Secrets album is amazing. Check out Notice Me or Wide Awake off that record.

And of course my plug to support my friend Caleb/Moody Bear if you feel so inclined!

Glad you enjoyed yourself and found some stuff you dig! Thanks again for the comments!
 
Tourist's list.

I was not big on the first half or so. It was full of that sort of synthy poppy stuff that absolutely everyone does, and while it's completely fine and nice enough to listen to, it just doesn't hook me in to listen further. I must say Ricochet however was a pretty strong start. The guitar that comes in around nine or so seconds in After the Moment is taken straight from I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You by Black Kids (which might have actually fit pretty well in this list!), just a bit slower.

I had some pretty visceral negative reactions to the lyrics of a few songs around a third of the way through. Griswolds in particular was quite off-putting, I felt it got a bit misogynistic which then had me heightened when I got to Wombats, another bad of this synthy ilk that just do nothing for me. (PS, I'm listening through the list as I write this, and I'm next to my partner Em, who reckons she's heard a ton of these songs on Triple J, our youth-oriented radio station. She also says if you're gonna listen to a song called Beware the Dog, you should listen to Beware of the Dog by Stella Donnelly instead. I agree.)

When I Get Home I was just like "must be one of the newer Tame Impala songs". Stunned to see it was a completely different artist. Does the rest of their music sound exactly like Tame Impala?? The lilting vocals, sweeping synths, booming guitar and drum fills. Anyway, easily paired with actual Tame Impala :lol: I'm not a huge fan of this song. But it was great flow (and I know I'm coming across a little harsh but it's just my tastes. And I have to say, the flow and sequencing was impeccable from start to finish. Great job).

I feel like the list started picking up around this point. Not necessarily a big change in sound, but to my ears there was a little more edge to most of the tracks in the second half, and it was a little less poppy overall. Started to really enjoy it. Fool was a great little number, Thunder Clatter was fantastic, Only Heather was a great vibe (Lotus Plaza would have been a great fit at this point), I thought Soy Boy was fucking great, what a lyric, will definitely check out more of this stuff.

Five Seconds is a fucking banger, great to see Confess has really stuck around in people's minds. Alvvay's Archie Marry Me was absolutely terrific and I thought the Moody Bear track was a fantastic closer.

So overall, probably not likely to be high on my ballot, but impeccable flow and there were some really great new finds for me in the back half, so I'm stoked about that. Great job!
 
Cool. Glad you found something you liked.

Curious though! Who are the other artists that sound just like the first half? Haha, I want to check them out. [emoji28]
 
Will have a few thoughts on a couple of lists (LN7's and GAF's) tomorrow, maybe later tonight if I am lucky!
 
Alright. Onto namkcuR’s list.

The first section of this list was very slow for me. It was not something I’ll probably revisit. I’m not as much a fan of the newest Coldplay album as some others, and instrumental Pink Floyd isn’t my favorite. The John Frusciante song had some interesting moments but to me it went on too long. The part that followed all kinda blended together for me until Ryan Adams. I absolutely adored that album but now I feel weird listening to it. I mean, people still watch Roman Polanski movies and listen to Led Zeppelin, so maybe I shouldn’t. Terminal 7 had its moments, but overall is a miss for my style. And then Hollywood just felt like it kept going and going without ever going anywhere. The flow in this section was impeccable though, as it mostly just melted together.

I liked the second section a whole lot more. Lots of things I knew, and lots of artists I knew (but didn’t know the songs). Never had heard the song by Fastball and thought it was okay. The Bends is one of my favorite early Radiohead songs. In My Tree is a solid if unspectacular Pearl Jam pick. Into the Great Wide Open isn’t a favorite Petty song for me, but again solid. I despite the Barenaked Ladies - did in the 90s and still do. So I guess I’m at least consistent in that. Roll To Me is a song I’ve heard a lot but never knew who it was by. And then She’s So High, which I loved back in the day. Good stuff. Learn To Fly will always make me think of the music video, which does kinda ruin it a little for me, but I don’t dislike the song otherwise. A song by Lit that isn’t My Own Worst Enemy or Miserable! Never heard anything else by them and it was alright. Not sure I cared about the original version of Torn too much.

About A Girl is a classic Nirvana song, and Cherub Rock is a classic Pumpkins track. And between them is REM, who I’ve never really liked and this doesn’t change that. I had never heard She Don’t Use Jelly before but I’ve come to the conclusion that I like precisely three albums by The Flaming Lips: The Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi, and At War With The Mystics. Aside from those, I haven’t heard anything I’ve really loved aside from their cover of (Just Like) Starting Over. Never been a RHCP fan and this changes nothing. Sticking The Breeders and Pixies back to back was clever and I like both of these songs. It has been a long time since I heard Cannonball. No Rain was a favorite of the lead singer of a band I used to be in so I have heard it way too much, but I still like it. Never have liked Neutral Milk Hotel even though I’ve heard I should a dozen or more times. Soak Up The Sun I also hadn’t heard in ages. A lot of this playlist makes me miss watching TRL after school.

Island In The Sun is fun and I’ve always thought it was one of the best on Green, but it probably wouldn’t make a personal Weezer Greatest Hits comp. Sour Girl is the only STP song I like! Hadn’t heard Crush and don’t really care for it. Beautiful Stranger reminds me a lot of a specific time when Austin Powers and TRL were both massive. Makes me think of playing Sega Genesis at my parents’ house. And the vibe keeps going with Smashmouth. Steal My Sunshine is one of my favorites from the late 90s. I feel like New Radicals always belongs next to this song. Haha! Didn’t care for the Primal Scream and the Sunscreen one was interesting.

Final thoughts:

This playlist was super nostalgic for me. Lots of stuff I liked when I was younger and haven’t listened to in a long time. Probably at least 10 years for most of it. It reminded me of seeing old friends for the first time in like 20 years and after a couple hours together realizing you have absolutely nothing in common with each other anymore. But you’re still friends and get along. But you probably won’t be blowing up each other’s phones. The flow was fabulous.

This sounds a lot more negative than I intended. I’m not as negative about it as I seem. Haha! Thanks for the entry!
 
Listening to LN7's list and it made me wonder again why Chvrches ever lets the guy sing. :lol:
 
Finishing up the first section of Nam's list.

Thoughts are pretty straightforward on this one so far: the flow is excellent, but the song choices are hit or miss for me. A lot of great artists represented by songs I'm iffy about.

I enjoy Marooned in the context of The Division Bell, but here I was getting antsy for the list to start. Did not like the Frusciante track (though I rarely like his solo work) but it made a lot of sense where it was. Same thing with Royksopp, it served its purpose here but it's not my favorite by them. I liked that track from Valtari more than I remembered.

In general, I feel like this section could use some expansion in the form of genre variety. The Ryan Adams song was a necessary change of pace, and I liked it a lot, but it's kind of on an island right now. Maybe some slowcore or darker singer/songwriter tracks could ground it in this list. Right now, I think the transition between Open Again and Terminal 7 (which I really enjoyed, I need to check out more of Tomasz Stanko's music; Krzysztof Komeda is my only real acquaintance with Polish jazz) would have been better without it.

Hollywood brings it all together. When lyrics are employed in this section, they're effective and prescient. You had a really clear idea of what you wanted to do with these songs. Just looking over the tracklisting of the entire list, I suspect that I'm going to wish that this section was expanded slightly at the expense of the other, but we'll see.
 
Last edited:
I have a lot less to say about part 2 of Nam's list haha

It reminded me of driving around in summertime 2010 blasting Jack FM on the backroads of Indiana. Knew a lot of the tracks like the back of my hand and while I didn't love all of them, they did stir up plenty of nostalgia. On this particular listen to these songs, I especially got a lot out of Learn to Fly, About a Girl, Cherub Rock, Sour Girl and Beautiful Stranger. Seriously, how good is Beautiful Stranger? I feel like that one gets overlooked in the context of her discography. That version of Torn was also a nice discovery, kind of had a Hole vibe about it.

I think you did a good job of evoking the moods you had intended in these two sections and the flow throughout was solid. I do feel like the back half through the balance off slightly, but no major complaints otherwise. Good list.
 
Onto the gaffer.

Starting a playlist with The Cure is a big win always. They’re one of my favorites, and although Catch isn’t in my top songs by The Cure, it’s still better than many of my favorites by other bands. Fall On Me is actually a good REM song, which says something from an active non-fan. Good hook and guitar work. I did a double take halfway through September Gurls when I saw that it wasn’t who I expected it to be (Tom Petty). I’m not familiar with Big Star aside from maybe some previous DI entries. I think I need to fix that. Earn Enough For Us kinda had little bits that reminded me of Revolver so that’s good, but I didn’t care too much for the chorus melody. And Listen To Her Heart is a definite classic. One of my favorites by Petty. That guitar solo may be simple but it gets me every time. The transition into Sister Jack was one of those perfect moments. And Sister Jack is a great Spoon song. I’m not familiar with a ton of Spoon’s discography so whenever I hear one of these songs that I’ve only heard a couple times before I always say to myself I need to listen to more of their pre Gaga stuff.

Never heard New Pornographers to my knowledge. That guitar tone was super aggressive at the beginning. Reminded me of 60s pop with the melody/harmonies and chord progression, but obviously with more edge. I’ve never heard Hanging On The Telephone. Never heard any Blondie but the hits but I really dig it. Something about the melody when the chorus hits throws me into a particular bit of nostalgia - probably from some similar song or something. Starfish and Coffee is alright. I think I usually have to be in the right mood to appreciate Prince. He is definitely a master at crafting songs - maybe I just enjoy his stuff in the context of albums more? I dunno. Never heard anything by Squeeze before but Up The Junction is solid. First impression is it would have gone well next to XTC. Blur’s a band I’ve tried to get into before. Multiple times. Just can’t for whatever reason. Don’t care for Parklife. Love Black Treacle though. I love most Arctic Monkeys. Not a fan of Elvis Costello. This didn’t change that.

Oh my gosh Alex Chilton is a great song. I first heard it on desert island years ago. I think it was on Travis’ list at some point. I adore this. Great melodies and energy and that main riff is so killer! And then the solo and the breakdown chorus. It’s like a perfect song.

And that feels like the perfect place to take a break. Will listen to the rest in the afternoon.
 
And onto the second half of gaf.

I’m not super familiar with The Clash. Stay Free definitely doesn’t sound like how they always are in my mind. Probably because it doesn’t sound like the big hits. I liked it. Enola/Alone sounds like something I would have loved in high school but not sure about it now. Time for my sacrilege post about not liking Brian Eno, but Needles In The Camel’s Eye was okay. David Bowie has never been a favorite of mine, and I could probably only name a dozen of his songs off the top of my head. I’d never heard Ziggy Stardust before. The song itself was good but something about the LCR balance in the mix was weird and prevented me from enjoying it more. But that’s a production issue more than anything. The Seeker’s good. Not much else to say about it. You’re Gonna Miss Me was a bit hard to listen to due to the production.

Ever Fallen In Love was better than I thought it would be - never heard Buzzcocks and always just assumed they were less melodic than this song is for some reason. Fell In Love With A Girl was the first White Stripes song I ever heard and it’s still maybe my favorite. Brings me right back to high school. And then on to a part I didn’t gel with: Did not care for Punk Rock Girl or Take The Skinheads Bowling at all. And I’ve never cared for The Ramones at all. This doesn’t change that at all. And finishing off a section I didn’t care too much for was Tumbling Dice. I don’t really dislike the song, but I don’t really like it either.

Never heard this cover but it’s good. I don’t like harmonica very much. Maybe that’s why I don’t really care for Stevie Wonder? Other than the harmonica I liked it a lot. Clever to go from Beatles cover to Beatles song. Always wished this song was on Let It Be. The flow into Ring Ring was perfect. I haven’t talked much about the flow but it’s been treated throughout. And then ending with one of the only Springsteen songs I really love is a great ending.

Overall thoughts:

This is a great list, one of my favorites so far. There were some incredible highs with Catch, Listen To Her Heart->Hanging On The Telephone, Black Trackled, ALEX CHILTON, Fell In Love With A Girl, We Can Work It Out->Born To Run.

The only stuff I didn’t care about was the overly punk stuff and some production issues that made things harder to listen to, and a couple artists I’ve never liked.

Overall great. Thanks for making it!
 
Thanks a lot, man. Makes me happy that it was one of your favorites so far. "Stay Free" might be my favorite Clash song and it was one of the songs I centered the playlist around. It's a lesser known Clash song that everybody should hear. The lyrics are so beautiful to me.
 
LN7. The list feels like college undergrad: plenty of crescendos; plenty of tone shifts; plenty of reflections. I imagine from the brief write-up that is something you were going for. There's a good mix of acts that are probably familiar to the listeners here and ones that don't turn up often on the forum - probably 8 or 10 groups I had never heard anything from before.

I think the list picks up steam and locks together for the stretch beginning with J. Views. The Horrors are a great and underappreciated band, and now that I think of it I should have found a way to fit their track Still Life on my own list. The National track to end it works really well. Not only is it about as perfect an encapsulation of early professional life as you can get - "there's a million little battles that I'm never gonna win anyway" - but that little upswing in mood right at the end provides a brief ray of light to balance what is otherwise an extremely somber song.
 
namkcuR:

- First, I really liked how your playlist was divided by these two very different halves. It does feel like we’re all living in the first part of your playlist, with this hazy uncertainty over everything. While Part 2 is nostalgic, I hope we can move to something close to its vibe in the near future!

Spring 2020

- “When I Need A Friend” was an immensely creative way to start this playlist. It’s one of the few songs in their catalog where you wouldn’t even know it was by Coldplay if you didn’t see the artist name. Fully agree that Everyday Life is one of the band’s strongest efforts.
- I liked the Pink Floyd instrumental – I don’t know the band’s work outside its classic period but I’ll have to give this album a listen.
- John Frusciante is a supremely talented artist, but I always have trouble getting into his work. I like how those warped arpeggios anchor the track even as the drums fly out in every direction.
- “Coup De Grace” is immensely cinematic in way that I love, where it denotes something infinite and unknowable. Sigur Ros was a great follow-up too.
- I enjoyed the Suspiria soundtrack, though I preferred the less ambient songs, like this one.
- I didn’t like Ryan Adams before the sexual misconduct allegations broke and this song didn’t change my opinion. In any case, I felt that having a straight-forward guitar tune didn’t fit the flow of the surrounding, more atmospheric tracks.
- “Hollywood” is brilliant and devastating and beautiful. It’s one of those songs where you need to stop everything you’re doing and just listen to it. Perfect choice to end this side of the playlist.

Summer 2020

- I don’t think you could’ve picked a song more different from “Hollywood” to start Part 2! It’s a great opener on its own terms, but also to set us on a different journey.
- Radiohead and Pearl Jam are unsurprisingly good picks.
- Nice job picking a Barenaked Ladies song that pulls close musically to Petty, making these two tracks flow smoothly.
- Never heard the Del Amitri song but I enjoyed it. I’ll check out more of their work.
- “She’s so High” is a good tune but it suffered from so much overplay that it’s still hard for me to appreciate. But it definitely works for your nostalgia vibes, as does “Learn to Fly.”
- I keep forgetting that Natalie Imbruglia’s performance of “Torn” is a cover. I think I might prefer this grungier original.
- The run from Nirvana to Smashing Pumpkins was fantastic, all excellent songs that are in my frequent rotation.
- The only Flaming Lips song I like is “Do You Realize?” This song didn’t appeal to me at all.
- The Red Hot Chili Peppers song was alright – a cool deep cut rather than the obvious picks.
- The Breeders to Blind Melon was again, just a fantastic, well-flowing throwback that I loved.
- For me, Neutral Milk Hotel is only alright. I never feel a strong desire to listen to their albums. But In the Aeroplane Over the Sea worked well here. Sheryl Crow and Weezer were strong picks to come up next.
- Having never heard Jennifer Paige before, I still felt like I could tag the year it was released just from that pop-rock acoustic sound that was everywhere in the late 90s.
- I completely forgot “Beautiful Stranger” existed. When it came on, I felt like I was thrown 20 years back in time in the best way. Madonna’s Ray of Light era is one of my favorites.
- I honestly thought I would hate the Smash Mouth song, but it wasn’t bad at all!
- “Loaded” and “Everybody’s Free” were both terrific picks to close things out. First time hearing the latter and I thought the spoken word advice worked wonderfully as a closer.

- Being a 90s kid, I considerably enjoyed this trip through time, with many of these songs floating in my memory. Though I was too young to be able to experience the 90s as a concert-going fan, the seeds of my later fandom felt planted here. It definitely was cool comparing this era to the music in Part 1. I think this has been one of my favorite concepts so far in this DI.
 
I am really loving this group so far.

So LN7’s list was great, though I was unimpressed by the start, I have always felt that Elvis Presley and America was a bit throwaway, so for me it doesn’t work as an opener but I appreciate the left fieldness of its selection as an opener. I think it might have been LM who said the run in to This River is Wild doesn’t really work. I remain a big fan of The Killers and pretty much everything thereafter I thoroughly enjoyed even though I was very familiar with most of it.

If I were to highlight a particular section it would be the Bleachers right down to Modest Mouse as a great run of music. I need to check out that Eno.Hyde collaboration (had no idea this existed but Underworld plus Eno sounds interesting to explore further). Also a high five for also including Zola Jesus who I also put on my own playlist.

The only section I was not particularly into was the Simple Minds, Partenaire. Sometimes I enjoy that 80’s electro pop sound but it didn’t grab me. That said the overall flow of the playlist was pretty much spot on, especially the run towards the end from Summertime Clothes to I Am Easy to Find, it was very smooth and was a superb way to close out.

GAF’s had a lot of classics and was probably the most pure fun playlist so far, Starfish and Coffee, Ziggy Stardust, Ever Fallen in Love, Hanging on the Telephone (the ring at the start always make me check to find what phone is ringing, even when I heard it mid run!). I love the Manics so appreciated the inclusion. Everything sounded like a radio station I would be very happy to tune into or a rock bar I would be happy to down some pints in, all that is missing is the obligatory Black Betty (though the place it reminds me of has unfortunately been shut down for a number of years but you used to find me at it nearly every weekend). It was a lovely trip through lots of nostalgia and was overall great craic. The only negative was I felt like it lacked a cohesiveness or flow that some of the other lists have displayed so far but it fits its title very well ‘A Bunch of Good Songs’.

Just namkcuR and tourists to go.
 
namkcuR’s choice of Beautiful Stranger reminded me of how great Madonna was in the late 1990s. I remember listening to Ray of Light a LOT in those days.
 
Tourist:

This was a mixed bag for me. If I were really into bands like Two Door Cinema Club and Walk the Moon, I wouldn't have minded the lack of variety here so much, but this wasn't my thing for much of the early stretch. Lots of 2010-2013 nostalgia and warm vibes though.

Out of the first 14 songs, I only really enjoyed the St Lucia track, because that debut of theirs was always a great example of the indie/alternative rock trends at the time and Elevate is one of the highlights. It's not that I necessarily disliked all of the other 13 songs in this section, but a lot of it blended together for me.

I will say that the Griswolds song was a skip for me. Didn't like anything about it. And the lyrics on the Family of the Year song were bad in a distracting way. I'm cool with bad lyrics in fun poppy songs, but I can't get down with stirring up love potions by the ocean.

And what happened to Mute Math?! I do not want this sound from them.

Starting with the Author track, things started to click. The production on all of these songs is creamier, warmer, and I appreciated the variety from here on out. I've been getting back into chillwave lately and touches of that were appreciated.

Liked the songs by: Carly, Gambino (two chords over and over but he makes it so so work), The Colourist (I remember not caring for them, but this was really catchy), Wild Nothing, The Undercover Dream Lovers, Deep Sea Diver, Twin Shadow, Marble Arch, Alvvays.

All in all, not so much my thing compared to other lists, but I appreciated that you brought a deep dive into your chosen sound; I hadn't even heard of many of these artists. There's so much more variety and finesse in the second half of this list and I wish the first stretch had some of that. Even varying the pace would have made a big difference.
 
Last edited:
I find your tastes eclectic, tourist, I think I have an idea, and then you're like "nup, don't like X at all", haha.

For people who didn't know about Eno/Hyde, I HIGHLY recommend listening. They put out two albums together in the space of like two months in 2014, Someday World and High Life. Both are terrific.
 
Back
Top Bottom