Sunday Music: May 2019 Playlist

Here it is – my May 2019 Playlist of new, new to me, and a throwback song that I’ve been listening to lately. Here is the Apple Music link. If someone wants to make a Spotify link and send it to me, I’ll share it here as well.

1. “Nobody” by Hozier. Take us to the other church Hozier – “I’ve had no love like your love from nobody.”

2. “Sanity” by Nick Murphy. Kind of like Hozier, it could be pop on the surface, but there is more going on here.

3. “Get What I Want” by Bad Bad Hats. Can I get what I want – this time. There’s a statement and a question at the heart of the indecision captured by this song.

4. “All My Friends” by Blushh. If this song was just whining, I don’t think I’d like it as much as I do. Maybe it’s the self-awareness of it all coupled with the poppy-grunge?

5. “Get Bummed Out” by Remember Sports. I’ve said it before, come for the throwback Pixies meets pop punk vibe, but stay for the lyrics. “I’m in love with how you make me feel like I’m not so alone / but I can go if you feel like giving up / just make a mess of me, I’ll always clean it up.”

6. “Sequels, Remakes, & Adaptations” by Spanish Love Songs. I don’t know what this genre calls itself now. It’s reheated, but the kids making it are still overly passionate – which I love – and this song got stuck in my head.

7. “Kids” by PUP. Even if the verses feel pretentious or too Jello Biafra manic for you, that chorus, “I guess it doesn’t matter anyway / I don’t care about nothing but you,” is a killer.

8. “Big” by FONTAINES D.C. Inspired but not totally derivative. This is not Tom Hanks’ Big. Plus, the rolling of that r is badass.

9. “Crystal River” by Tourist Activities. This band has developed a really intriguing level of interplay. I love how it all fits together. It feels very wide open, but then you listen deeper and it’s surprising how busy it is. I need to check more of their stuff out.

10. “New Ways to Fail” by Sarah Shook & The Disarmers. I don’t want to see her labeled as the female outlaw country version of modern Sturgill Simpson. I do want to see her continue to evolve and grow because nobody is writing country like this right now.

11. “I Will Rise” by Benjamin Todd. Anyone who has ever crawled out of some hole (so, everyone) has a little, shell shocked, ash-covered person inside of them that will relate to this.

12. “Cuz I Love You” by Lizzo. Is she going to blow up already? She’s bending more genres than Janel Monae, and she’s not someone you wouldn’t want your daughters listening to.

13. “Money” by Leikeli47. Vibe and confidence everywhere. How’d I miss this when it was new?

14. “CrasH” by ScHoolboy Q. Post-success rap struggles are real. “Daughter needs new shoes / If I lose she lose / and I ain’t gettin’ used to losses.”

15. “Picture Box” by Yugen Blackrok. We haven’t seen much modern rap that goes this comic book on lyricism and this boom bap on beats in a while. No resurgence predicted, but I love what she’s doing here. If nothing else, it made me revisit…

16. “Things You Can Do” by Deltron 3030. What other rapper was going to imagine themselves in the future for you? I almost forgot how fun this whole album was. Still fresh.

17. “Winner’s Circle” by Anderson .Paak. The skill set is back on full display here. No guest spots, no frills, this is what he does best.