LJT, Ax, and Joey...thanks for your thoughts on my list. I am especially happy that LJT referred to my list as "great craic." I'm going to steal this and start calling things that now.
Wow! That’s the most positive words I’ve heard yet I think! I didn’t expect many honestly because most of these artists aren’t the usual of B&C.
I feel like a broken record but yes, check that Author album out for sure. The debut is good as well but that second record is fire. Also Caleb just let me know he’s got a few Moody Bear songs on the docket that he’s going to release as singles so I’m personally looking forward to that. Once I finish my record I’m planning on doing a remix or two of his songs, which should be fun. The stems are just sitting on my hard drive collecting proverbial dust.
If you liked Headspace by The Wombats, the first half of Glitterbug is some of the catchiest stuff out there and I love it. And glad someone liked Beware The Dog! Haha! And then to suddenly get super heavy, Archie Marry Me has a different meaning to me than most. It’s kind of a gut punch every time I hear it because we had a stillborn at 24 weeks whose name was Archer (but we were going to call him Archie). So it hits me like a ton of bricks every time.
Also funny you should mention The 1975 - I’m starting my inevitable DIXII list and there’s something by them in my first draft. [emoji28]
Ah i'm sorry to hear about the association behind Archie Marry Me, puts a different spin on the end of the list, I appreciate the personal stories that people are putting into these playlists. I'll keep an eye out for those Moody Bear releases, hard times for plenty of new emerging artists out there.
Part 1: I thought the first part was superb, I'm familiar with the artists but I thought it was sequenced really well and there was a very cohesive mood and feeling to it. I only really know the one Frusciante album which I think off the top of my head is Shadows Collide with People which I really liked. Cinch was great! I didn't know Stanko but again i flet like everything here in the first section fitted well and really worked as part of your mood piece. Hollywood is just an amazing piece of music.
I think taken on its own terms this was probably my favourite run of music out of the competition so far.
Part 2: This felt like a more cohesive version of GAF's list. I kept in mind the narrative you set out for it and it does work in that context. The effort you have put into its construction is praiseworthy, it is a bit damning with faint praise but I just couldn't get into it as much? I probably put that down to over-familiarity more than anything. Again I thought the sequencing was excellent, there were individual tracks that lost my attention and maybe the run from Sheryl Crow down to Smashmouth. But it was an overall fun experience. A few of the songs I recognised but didn't know the artists such as Tal Bachman.
I guess a list of two halves, I feel like I would have loved more songs added to your first half and a few edited out of the second, but in general I think I would rank the list highly just for its construction and brilliant first part. Hmm going to have to make some hard choices in this group!
GAF, this list almost felt like cheating. It's ALL DA HITZ and I love it. These songs are good!
This section was probably my favorite, though:
26. The Rolling Stones - "Tumbling Dice" - Exile On Main Street (2010 Re-Mastered) - (3:46)
27. Stevie Wonder - "We Can Work It Out" - Signed, Sealed And Delivered - (3:20)
28. The Beatles - "The Ballad Of John And Yoko - Remastered 2015" - 1 (Remastered) - (2:59)
29. ABBA - "Ring Ring - English Version" - Ring Ring - Deluxe Edition - (3:05)
30. Bruce Springsteen - "Born to Run" - Born To Run - (4:30)
It was just wonderfully cheeky to bridge the Stones and Beatles with a Wonder cover, and that's my favorite Beatles song he's covering, too.
This playlist is going to join the annals of DI history for me, along with...your DI list from DI V, and Mr. V's list from DI V as well. I have those two lists on CD and listen to them frequently. This one will join the ranks.
Alrighty, a bit late but I'm finally onto LN7's list. I played this while working, so I couldn't quite follow along with your sections as closely as I might've liked. I really appreciated how your lengthier write-up brought home the narrative, though, especially for those passages where I wasn't so much into the music on its own terms. Your use of instrumental tracks to informally delineate the list worked quite well. I felt the moods shifted between each section in ways that suggested the progressions you intended; it was coherent rather than abrupt.
I didn't think EPAA would work as an opener, but the first verse actually makes sense to welcome the listener to the story. I should've been less sceptical about your placement of it here. I found the transition into The Killers too jarring, though; ultimately, more jarring than any other part of the list. Tracks 2-5 sounded pretty much like all the music I tried to avoid in my early twenties.
I dug the next segment. Great track by The Knife. Not sure why I never got around to We Were Promised Jetpacks in the past. I've always had an irrational grudge against Night Terrors of 1927 because one of my favourite live bands in Melbourne was this truly unique theremin-led group called The Night Terrors, but googling them sucks because you keep getting results for "of 1927". I kinda meant to listen to them to find out what they do but never did. Anyway, I enjoyed this, especially for the Tegan and Sara cameo.
I've listened to Wintersleep before and didn't rate them, this did not change my opinion. Sounds like it's written to be a big live tune, though.
I had forgotten all about Gordi! I saw her five years ago opening for Little May and enjoyed her set - she had a very relaxed stage manner that night, I remember her joking about the sort of silly headlines that appeared in the newspaper of her small hometown. But I never kept track of her career. This song is a highlight of your list.
I had to resort to YouTube, ironically, for the Like a Version. I'm flummoxed by this inclusion. People outside Australia are aware of Like a Version covers? And they listen to them? I'm so sick of Like a Version, especially when they end up in the Triple J Hottest 100. If you (generic you, not LN7) think that some live cover is one of the ten best songs of the year, you need help. Anyway, this cover was alright but most original Chvrches songs are much better.
Zola Jesus rules. I saw her do an incredible gig with a string section for Melbourne Music Week 2016 at the Melbourne Recital Centre, the venue with probably the best acoustics I've ever heard. She did "Dangerous Days" in the middle of the set alongside "Go (Blank Sea)" and that pairing was the high point of the night, unforgettable stuff.
I really enjoyed the whole passage from Phoenix to Eno/Hyde (the latter was just superb). The only change I would make is to get rid of the Like a Version. For me, this was easily the best part of the list, a highlight of the whole tournament.
The run to the end didn't enthuse me quite as much. Remember when Animal Collective were huge in indie circles? It feels like they've fallen off the radar. I thought "Summertime Clothes" was one of their few songs that I enjoyed, but I'm afraid to say it's not, I was thinking of "My Girls". On a more positive note, "Gaynalk Bhaya" was really enjoyable. And actually speaking of artists who've fallen off my radar, The Horrors are a great example, not sure why I let them slip from my attention. I'd never heard this particular song and holy shit it's good. It would've been a quality closer, I wasn't looking at the tracklist and thought it might be the final piece. As it was, I'm not a National fan but "I Am Easy to Find" did the final honours well too.
Also, my bad misheard lyric of the list: I had to check the lyrics for Modest Mouse to confirm that "this is what I really call a party now" was not "this is what I really call a potty mouth".
Listened to GAF's list. It was indeed a bunch of good songs. The playlist approach is clear and simple, and it sounds great together. I enjoyed it. It worked both as something to listen to while doing some chores around the house, as well as something to listen to while having a couple of drinks on the back patio.
Not a huge Animal Collective fan, but I like select songs. Summertime Clothes is one, as is My Girls. I enjoy For Reverend Green, as well. Probably a few others I'm blanking on off the top of my head. But yeah, the praise they got back in the day was not particularly warranted. They were good at what they did, but what they did mostly sucked, if that makes sense.
Not a huge Animal Collective fan, but I like select songs. Summertime Clothes is one, as is My Girls. I enjoy For Reverend Green, as well. Probably a few others I'm blanking on off the top of my head. But yeah, the praise they got back in the day was not particularly warranted. They were good at what they did, but what they did mostly sucked, if that makes sense.
Merriweather Post Pavilion is an amazing album that I still listen to all the time, but I wouldn't listen to anything else by them these days. It's strange how much I prefer that album to the rest of their discography, but it's really special to me.
So my hot takes during reviews are generating good chat and I’m glad, but honestly I didn’t expect that Animal Collective song to be talked about at all hahahaha
I actually kinda like Strawberry Jam now, and select songs from Feels, but Merriweather Post Pavilion and Panda Bear's Person Pitch are way ahead of the rest IMO.
Ugh Panda Bear. I'm sure we've talked about this before, but IMO he is the most overrated artist of the last few decades. How much praise does one guy deserve for sounding vaguely like Brian Wilson.
So, my playlist is actually broken up by instrumental tracks every 6-10 songs. Each instrumental is a sort of "break" from the past. I'll marker the instrumentals and write a summary of each section.
Okay, full story mode.
Section 1.
1. U2 - "Elvis Presley and America" - The Unforgettable Fire (6:23)
2. The Killers - "This River is Wild" - Sam's Town (4:38)
3. The Airborne Toxic Event - "Innocence" - The Airborne Toxic Event (6:50)
4. Dan Black ft. Kid Cudi - "Symphonies" - The:Hours Recordings - The Debut Years (3:49)
5. Twenty One Pilots - "Holding on to You" - Vessel (4:24)
The year is 2010 and I'm a freshman in college. I've left my home and am starting totally new. I've left behind a lot. In high school I was always pretty much the social floater. People liked me but I was not really close to anyone, so the friends that I relied on were not really the type I wanted to keep around. Moving to Orlando, I had nothing but time to explore various different aspects of me that I never really did before. Music, fitness, my emotions, my sexuality, the sort. That was definitely the year I became obsessed with U2. Also the year I "learned to run." I was never the most fit of people, and I'm still not. But running was something that helped clear my mind. When I learned to run, it was a turning point in my life to get out of some pretty dark places. Every morning for about three weeks straight, with the same shortlist of songs to try and squeeze out 10 minutes of running. Streets, EPAA, Bittersweet Symphony, and Bad. Freshman year was still rough, but it had me realign which type of people I valued. I was lucky enough to be able to "hand pick" new friends leading into sophomore year. Some of my best friends egged me into smoking weed, and I treated it like it was my virginity. I was obsessed with music, and wanted my song to be playing the first time I smoked weed. EPAA. There's some flow into the next song, but it's not really there. Why? I remember taking one hit and saying... no... no it's okay. Change the song.Put Kid Cudi on, this is just weird haha. Anyways, another "hand picked" friend of mine was a kid from high school that absolutely just took the most shit. He was not well liked at all. He was bullied. Richard was also a Killers fan though, and by coincidence, he and I managed to end up going to the Killers first two shows after Battle Born was released. So, EPAA was a giant build up of a static me, supercharging solo until my journey truly begins. This was designed to emulate my experiences a little bit... before I start my playlist for real with The Killers, I want to get my song out there, like Sonic doing his little spin before rolling away.
So by the end of sophomore year I'm pretty much like, fully explored out on the static me. I've got my gay online world and I've come out to people, but I'd still never been on a date. I didn't know any other gay people. I'm 20 at that point. All that good stuff happens when I meet a fella named Kyle, hence the song Innocence. But the first love is not love at all, just mutual beloved experience. I channel a Symphonies next to suggest, hey, all the love in the world for that first experience, but I'm an explorer and need to have experiences with other people. The feeling was mutual. For a while, I was invincible. I could date whoever I wanted, whenever I wanted. It was easy. A naive mind that doesn't know hurt is happy. Though my mind is fragile. I struggle with anxiety and at times depression. Eventually the hurt came, one after another. One particular fellow, a Disney gay (local Orlando lingo for someone who works at the parks and isn't originally from the area), stood me up in a very miserable way. Holding On to You was a mentally unstable episode of mine encompassing that experience, culminating in a bit of road rage where I very well could've died. I liked the hard part at the end of the song, transitioning into some silence and a more pensive instrumental track.
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6. Augustines - "The Instrumental" - Rise Ye Sunken Ships (3:51)
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Section 2.
7. The Knife - "Heartbeats" - Deep Cuts (3:52)
8. Twin Shadow - "Beg for the Night" - Confess (3:42)
9. We Were Promised Jetpacks - "Quiet Little Voices" - These Four Walls (4:21)
10. The Walkmen - "The Rat" - Bows + Arrows (4:22)
11. Night Terrors of 1927 ft. Tegan & Sara - "When You Were Mine" - Anything to Anyone (3:55)
12. Bleachers - "Wild Heart" - Strange Desire (3:20)
13. Majical Cloudz - "Downtown" - Are You Alone? (4:09)
14. Wintersleep - "Weighty Ghost" - Welcome to the Night Sky (3:39)
I'm now entering my final year of college. I've got the perfect friends, the perfect house for college, I'm able to make amazing experiences happen. Everything's going great, but I'm still pretty alone. I'm perhaps a bit stupid in love - the classical INTJ, who is paradoxical in idealist demands but realist expectations. And, as you all know, I'm quite a bit of effort to deal with. So then along comes Jason, that sociopathic piece of shit. If you're ever wondering why my attitude changed, I'll credit this experience. For this, I'll save you the long story, but if you know the saying "being kept at arm's length," now imagine if that happens, but the arm holding you back also has an unbreakable grip on your collar, refusing to let you go.
Heartbeats was something he introduced to me. It's maybe a little twisted to include it as part of my narrative, but I do love the song to death, and it coincidentally is (roughly) about amazing first experiences followed by unrequited love and rejection. A couple of songs through the journey with some mental screaming and struggles, etc., ..., when you were mine, etc., you get the gist. Next twisted part, but Downtown was also introduced to me by him as another one of his favorites (and chronologically, too). The song is basically about falling under someone's spell. Obsession. I was obsessed. I've later come to understand this experience as emotional abuse. I was routinely broken down and brought back up again. Queue Weighty Ghost. I was gunning for some funeral vibes here, with a reflective tone. Waking up one day, looking in the mirror, and seeing that that dream I'd built up was actually a nightmare. I wasn't the same. I needed to dream it all up again. So fuck it, time to go on an adventure.
Section 3.
16. Santigold - "Who I Thought You Were" - 99 Cents (3:49)
17. Gordi - "Can We Work it Out" - Can We Work it Out (4:21)
18. CHVRCHES - "Do I Wanna Know?" - triple j Like A Version (4:18)
19. Zola Jesus - "Dangerous Days" - Taiga (4:30)
20. Arcade Fire - "Half Light II (No Celebration)" - The Suburbs (4:27)
I've graduated college and I'm off to travel France and the UK and Ireland to get some different perspective. My first time out of the country alone. Je ne parle pas francais. Over a month, I spent the time learning to be social solo, with different people in different places. All in the meanwhile, I got an opportunity to reflect on my life after five years of grueling-paced undergrad (I did two degrees). For a while I really thought about going back after that fellow. It took two years to really recapture my own mind. This section is a series of songs reflecting upon the massive ride that was my final year of college, and seeing off Orlando, where my coming of age began. June of 2016. It's my birthday, and I've doubled that up as a moving-out party, because I've made the decision - I'm moving to England to live the adventure I so desperately need to continue. Fortunately, I had all of my friends there with me that night, as this was the night of the Pulse Nightclub shooting. That really set the mood for my goodbye to Orlando, and while the lyrical content of Half Light II was maybe not representative, the tone really does indeed set "no celebration." I never forgot sitting there in that car, a glutton for punishment with this song going, looking at that house for the last time. It felt straight up Fresh Prince. "When I got here, I was a relative. For the past six years, we've been family."
I'm now starting to think I avoided writing the whole story because it's all sad!
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21. Eno · Hyde - "Return" - High Life (9:00)
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Section 4.
22. Modest Mouse - "Lampshades on Fire" - Strangers to Ourselves (3:08)
23. Simple Minds - "Reel to Real" - Reel to Real Cacophony (2:50)
24. Partenaire Particulier - "Partenaire Particulier" - Le son des années 80 (4:06)
25. Nour Al Zain & Ghazwan Elfhad - "Gaynalk Bhaya" - Gaynalk Bhaya (4:07)
26. Animal Collective - "Summertime Clothes" - Summertime Clothes (4:34)
27. J. Views & Wild Cub - "Into the Light" - (4:31)
28. Future Islands - "Ran" - The Far Field (3:26)
29. Ought - "Desire" - Room Inside the World (5:19)
30. The Horrors - "Something to Remember Me By" - V (6:40)
31. The National - "I Am Easy to Find" - I Am Easy to Find (4:31)
Admittedly, this section is abrupt. I ran out of bandwidth, but this is supposed to capture two years, which in their own right were filled with more experiences than I could justify this late in the playlist. This is England, Italy, France, Texas, and DC all together. Modest Mouse is supposed to provide a little more of an aggressive tone here, as by now I'm just out of emotions and more a cold and calculated machine on a mission to soak up the world. The series of songs from Modest Mouse through Animal Collective is intentionally designed to be increasingly more confusing, loud, obnoxious, and dissonant. I'm doing 120 hours a week on my master's project, sitting in a shisha cafe because it's the only thing open late enough to continue working. Nour Al Zain is playing, and pardon my French, but this is way fucking beyond that at this point. One year, 20 countries, 4 continents, 30 flights, 54 trains, and a master's degree all in one go. So yeah, I threw a bunch of confusing and loud sounds in languages I don't speak - pulling that together with Animal Collective seemed to be a good way out of it. The latter half of this section is more of a mature reflection of living life on the road, consistently leaving things behind every step of the way. Each one of these songs thematically presents this in some way or another. I wrap things up with I Am Easy to Find. No sense in me explaining that song directly, so to quote Matt Berninger:
"What makes you you? It’s about how often we lose an idea of ourselves, or we can’t catch up to who we’re becoming. And you can be found—that’s why we’re not alone. When you get totally fucked up and you’re in that dark space, you can send a little text to somebody. You can connect."
Maybe you got more than you bargained for, but that's the short version of this!
I AM SO SORRY I took so long getting back to you on this. I've left the tab open all this time and I just keep getting pulled away to do other things.
I'm so glad you shared all of this! I loved the list to begin with, but wow, I can really see where you're coming from. You made a way better version of my DI IV list, honestly. Not the exact same struggles, but trying to tell your life story through song during college, and love and loss and figuring out who you are.
And I'm so glad to have the added information about the ending! It's not that I didn't like it when I listened to the list, but I didn't understand it. Now I do! And it's much better for it . Thank you for writing all of this, I really enjoyed reading it and I think it is good to know some of this stuff about you, since we interact so much!
Hope you're doing well. Give yourself a break every now and again, hard as that may be.
I had a busy week and never managed to post my thoughts on namkcuR's playlist, which I listed to a while ago.
Even though part 2 had more songs that I liked, part 1 was my favorite by a good deal, as it was super consistent and moody. I wish it was a bit longer, to be honest. The Coldplay opening instrumental threw me off a bit, but I have to admit it worked well in this context. The Ryan Adams song, which I enjoy as I do the album (despite now avoiding his music after all the revelations that surfaced), felt a bit out of place, though I understand you needed a bit of a mood swing there. I have not listened to Valtari (or Sigur Ros, really) in ages, but I loved how the track fit right there.
Part 2 was definitely a nostalgia trip for me. I assume we are about the same age (I'm from 1981). The second fragment (Nirvana through Pixies) was certainly my favorite, and the most consistent. I'm not entirely sure the third one works as well, and Neutral Milk Hotel -> Sheryl Crow -> Weezer was a bit jarring. But undeniably there are a bunch of good songs here that really take me back to my teens/early 20s, and I'm glad for that.
Overall, I think the list would have been more balanced with a slightly shorter Part 2 and longer Part 1. But this was a fun listen regardless.
Bumping this to post my thoughts on the three lists here I hadn't commented on yet, even though I'd listened to them weeks ago. I'm kind of having to hurry through things in order to finish everything and get rankings in on time, so I apologize for the brief nature of these notes.
Starting with gump:
Really enjoyed this. Did a great job conjuring up that NY feeling. Lots of stuff I knew, and a few discoveries as well.
The opening Clifford Brown track is a great jazz number, and sets the tone for the list quite well. Glad to know of it now.
The Patti Smith track was one I hadn't heard before, I liked that one.
I hadn't heard of Eleanor Friedberger, but that track is killer, and was perfectly placed in the list as well.
"New York City Serenade" is a side of Bruce I hadn't really heard/seen before, and I liked it quite a bit.
As for what I already knew - Beasties, Stevie, Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, Ramones, Television - all great selections.
Specifically, can we talk about how fucking good Television's Marquee Moon is? Every time I hear a track from it, I end up bobbing my head along with the guitars. Tremendous album, and "Venus" is one of its best tracks. Also, it went the Eleanor Friedberger track really, really well. That was a genius pairing.
This was well-done, LN7. With a few exceptions, it really had a strong 00s vibe to it all the way through.
I'll comment on a few tracks...
Opening with EPAA takes some balls. It's obviously one of U2's most polarizing tracks, but I am in the camp that loves it. It's gorgeous, captivating, hypnotizing, etc.
I did a double take when Dan Black's "Symphonies" started. I hadn't recognized it at all from the artist or the title, but as soon as it started, I had a 'holy shit' moment. This song was on the soundtrack of an NBA 2K video game - I can't remember if it was 2K10 or 2K11, one of those two - and I just immediately had flashbacks of hearing this song play over and over and over while I was playing. Good memories. I'll always associate the song with that. I dig it.
No idea who the Augustines are, but I really enjoyed this aptly-titled "The Instrumental". The tone of the instruments - organ?, horns?, guitar? - was really warm and smooth and inviting. Washes over you like warm water. Like this a lot.
Had never heard of Twin Shadow, but this song "Beg For The Night" - the second half of it especially - gave me big early Depeche Mode vibes.
"Half Life II" has always been my favorite track on The Suburbs, so I was delighted to see it included.
"Summertime Clothes" is of course familiar to anyone who was paying attention in 2009, but I hadn't heard it in a long time, so thanks for reminding me of it. Great feel-good vibe.
This "Partenaire Particulier" song might end up being my favorite new discovery of this competition. I'd never heard of that, know nothing about them, and don't speak a word of French, but it doesn't matter. Such a strong chorus melody and breezy, inviting, new-wave-ish instrumentation combine to create an earworm that is staying with me.
Brian Eno is a genius and is almost always a joy to listen to, so this was no exception. This was a perfect blend of guitar and his typical atmospherics.
You did a good job of creating a consistent atmosphere, and you made some really great song selections. Good job!
You mentioned that you "actually tried to make some things flow" - that's an understatement. I think this is one of the most cohesive lists in the competition. There's a consistent synth-like sound that flows through all of these tracks. It's a list you can dance to.
Strange Names and Family Of The Year was a good one-two punch to set the tone.
I liked the Craft Spells track - I got a real New Order vibe there.
The Wombats' "Headspace" is a song I'd heard in various places before, but I wouldn't have been able to name either the song or the artist. Glad to know them now.
I haven't gotten around to Tame Impala's new album yet, but I really need to. "Lost In Yesterday" is really good.
I don't know if it was on purpose, but the Post Animal song you had right before Tame Impala sounds a lot like like Lonerism-era Tame Impala(which for me is always a great thing), so having the two of them together worked really well. One of favorite discoveries from this list.
Probably my favorite discovery from this list is BORNS' "Fool". I don't anything about this guy, but I loved this song. My thought when listening was something along the lines of "War On Drugs with more of a pop sensibility". Will check the album out.
Never heard of The Colourist, but "Little Games" is a fun, catchy track.
Also never heard of Deep Sea Diver, but I like her voice a lot. A very intriguing track. Really authentic/stripped-down sounding. Will listen to more of her stuff.
This is the second Twin Shadow song I've heard in the competition. And the second one I've liked. I guess I'll have to listen to that album.
I really liked the Alvvays track too, yet another artist I'll have to explore further. Just a really solid pop-rock track.
Other tracks that caught my attention were Walk The Moon, Swimming With Bears, and Undercover Dream Lovers.
It's a really solid list. A lot of artists I was unfamiliar with, and I don't really listen to synth-driven stuff that much, so it was an interesting change of pace for me. But very good cohesion and flow, and a solid handful of exciting discoveries for me. Well done!
P.S. As an aside, I just wanted to let you know that, you're responsible for one of my very favorite DI discoveries ever. A full decade ago, your list for DI7 had a song called "Afraid Of Nineveh" by Gosling on it. I'd never heard anyone before(or since) say a word about them here(or anywhere else). But I really loved that song, and I still listen to it semi-regularly. Beautiful melody, great lyric.
You mentioned that you "actually tried to make some things flow" - that's an understatement. I think this is one of the most cohesive lists in the competition. There's a consistent synth-like sound that flows through all of these tracks. It's a list you can dance to.
Strange Names and Family Of The Year was a good one-two punch to set the tone.
I liked the Craft Spells track - I got a real New Order vibe there.
The Wombats' "Headspace" is a song I'd heard in various places before, but I wouldn't have been able to name either the song or the artist. Glad to know them now.
I haven't gotten around to Tame Impala's new album yet, but I really need to. "Lost In Yesterday" is really good.
I don't know if it was on purpose, but the Post Animal song you had right before Tame Impala sounds a lot like like Lonerism-era Tame Impala(which for me is always a great thing), so having the two of them together worked really well. One of favorite discoveries from this list.
Probably my favorite discovery from this list is BORNS' "Fool". I don't anything about this guy, but I loved this song. My thought when listening was something along the lines of "War On Drugs with more of a pop sensibility". Will check the album out.
Never heard of The Colourist, but "Little Games" is a fun, catchy track.
Also never heard of Deep Sea Diver, but I like her voice a lot. A very intriguing track. Really authentic/stripped-down sounding. Will listen to more of her stuff.
This is the second Twin Shadow song I've heard in the competition. And the second one I've liked. I guess I'll have to listen to that album.
I really liked the Alvvays track too, yet another artist I'll have to explore further. Just a really solid pop-rock track.
Other tracks that caught my attention were Walk The Moon, Swimming With Bears, and Undercover Dream Lovers.
It's a really solid list. A lot of artists I was unfamiliar with, and I don't really listen to synth-driven stuff that much, so it was an interesting change of pace for me. But very good cohesion and flow, and a solid handful of exciting discoveries for me. Well done!
P.S. As an aside, I just wanted to let you know that, you're responsible for one of my very favorite DI discoveries ever. A full decade ago, your list for DI7 had a song called "Afraid Of Nineveh" by Gosling on it. I'd never heard anyone before(or since) say a word about them here(or anywhere else). But I really loved that song, and I still listen to it semi-regularly. Beautiful melody, great lyric.
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it despite synth-driven stuff being outside of your normal realm. It’s not surprising to me that no one else has mentioned Gosling. They started out as a band from my state - originally from Eastern WA and then later Seattle and they were called Loudermilk and put out a fairly heavy record that’s still probably in my top 10 of all time. Then due to record label bullshit they decided to change their name and sound and became Gosling. And then after putting out their debut album, there was more record label bullshit and they decided to call it a day. Fun facts: the lead guitarist/keyboard player went on to be in The Ranconteurs’ live band and is currently in The Shins; the drummer went on to be the drummer in Duff McKagan’s Loaded, Adam Lambert’s live band, and currently drums for AWOLNATION. Neither were featured on the song you mentioned. That was 100% Davey.
Also, the Post Animal to Tame Impala was intentional in a manner of progression since I agree that When I Get Home sounds like the first couple Tame Impala albums.
I had a busy week and never managed to post my thoughts on namkcuR's playlist, which I listed to a while ago.
Even though part 2 had more songs that I liked, part 1 was my favorite by a good deal, as it was super consistent and moody. I wish it was a bit longer, to be honest. The Coldplay opening instrumental threw me off a bit, but I have to admit it worked well in this context. The Ryan Adams song, which I enjoy as I do the album (despite now avoiding his music after all the revelations that surfaced), felt a bit out of place, though I understand you needed a bit of a mood swing there. I have not listened to Valtari (or Sigur Ros, really) in ages, but I loved how the track fit right there.
Part 2 was definitely a nostalgia trip for me. I assume we are about the same age (I'm from 1981). The second fragment (Nirvana through Pixies) was certainly my favorite, and the most consistent. I'm not entirely sure the third one works as well, and Neutral Milk Hotel -> Sheryl Crow -> Weezer was a bit jarring. But undeniably there are a bunch of good songs here that really take me back to my teens/early 20s, and I'm glad for that.
Overall, I think the list would have been more balanced with a slightly shorter Part 2 and longer Part 1. But this was a fun listen regardless.
Glad you enjoyed it. It's strange how some people have preferred Part I and others Part II...all a matter of taste I guess.
I have to say I'm surprised you think that NMH/Crow/Weezer stretch was jarring, because I thought that was one of the best flows in Part II. They all have the sunny day feeling.