Good morning! Need an antidote for the algorithms? Looking for a place to share the music you love with like-minded people? You’re in the right spot.
For those of you who are new, we kick off every week by sharing what we’ve been playing, and the playlist below is some of what’s been in heavy rotation for me.
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I hope this finds you well is the ultimate cliché when it comes to openers. But no, really—how are you? How are you holding up? Life’s never easy. But 2026 has been an 12-day pressure test. It seems weird to put out playlists and write about records in a time like this, but also completely normal. One of the foundations of this nation has always been that tomorrow will be better. That aspiration found its way into every corner of life here. It’s hard to see that as an ongoing concern—and, anecdotally, a bit bewildering to realize that life goes on. I had that revelation driving home after dropping our car off at the shop. Oil changes and interval checks? Now?! Apparently so. More importantly, as bad as things are, nothing is a foregone conclusion. There is still so much we can do.
There’s zero historical context for any of the last couple of weeks, but we’ve always leaned into music when things get sketchy. Indeed, this nation’s entire history has been soundtracked; from fifes and drums during the Revolutionary War to Woody Guthrie, to RATM during the Bush Sr. era, and on to today. It also serves as both a respite and fuels resolve. It’s always seemed like anything’s possible when you’ve got something good playing.
This week, Dan Epstein touched on that using Curtis Mayfield as an example, highlighting his 1971 track “Keep On Keeping On,” writing:
Curtis went to his untimely grave believing that, for all of humanity’s myriad faults and fuckups and self-inflicted tragedies, we still have the potential to get our collective shit together. He also knew that no one was coming to save us, and that we’d have to do it ourselves and within our own communities before we could bring about any lasting and meaningful changes at the national or global level. But he damn well believed that it was still possible.
I do too, Curtis. Even after this past week.
Same here. I went with “Move On Up,” a track that to my ear feels both impossibly sunny and makes one feel like at the sky’s the limit. Besides Curtis, we’ve got some brand new blistering hot sounds from up here in Madison, a bit of shoegaze from the Second City (at least Bears fans have a little something to celebrate?), and the usual dose of sonic comfort food. There’s also a couple of Grateful Dead tracks in the mix. RIP Bob Weir.
And for anyone that feels helpless right now and wonders what they can do, there are plenty of options for every ability and every level of risk tolerance. The only non-starter is doing nothing.
KA—
P.S. A few of you have asked if I sequence these as if they’re an album or mixtape. The answer is always “yes.” In my head, I imagine them being played on your morning commute or road trip. I’m too old to use the word “vibes” as much as I have lately, but, well, if the shoe fits…
This week, side A is tracks 1-12, with Side B being 13-27.
P.P.S What song defined 2025 for you? Tell me about it here. Thank you to everyone who has responded so far. Please keep ‘em comin’!
On to the music…
Other sources: Qobuz | YouTube Music | Apple Music
Now it’s your turn.
Any new releases or shows you’re looking forward to? Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Kevin Sent 
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