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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One of the biggest pulls of any given song or record is where you were in life when you first heard it. The older I get, the more universal that truth seems. Sometimes that “where” is literal. Ask me what I had for lunch yesterday, and I’d probably struggle to remember. Ask me about the first time I heard The Jesus and Mary Chain, though, and I can take you right back to the exact place (A-hall at my junior high). Last week, R.E.M.’s Out of Time was in the spotlight, but I first heard Green in that same spot. Both bands made it onto the “seen them live” list not long after, and I feel lucky to say “I was there.” I’d like to add Phoenix to that list before it’s too late, too.
Those memories don’t always involve discovery, either. Sometimes they’re about the circumstances you somehow stumbled into. I once drove from Portland to Los Angeles, and as we were backing out of the driveway, my partner in crime announced that we were going to listen to They Might Be Giants the entire way. I assumed it was hyperbole (It wasn’t). It could have been worse! If nothing else, it makes for a fun story.
Those moments don’t stop happening just because you’re no longer a teenager. Courtney Barnett is a perfect example. She’s got a record coming at the end of the month, and if Mantis is any indication, it’s going to make a deep run on the usual year-end lists. My onramp came on the way to work one morning, listening to Hrishikesh Hirway’s Song Exploder, where she deconstructed Depreston. That one held the favorite slot for a long time… until “Mantis” showed up a few days ago. Hirway, for his part, has a new single of his own out as well, which somehow brings everything around full circle.
Romeo Void first landed on many of our radars thanks to MTV. I was too young to make it to one of their shows back in the day, but by most accounts, they were events not to be missed. There’s a bit of secondhand redemption coming via a live album on Record Store Day. No spoilers, but I got to hear an advance copy, and it’s killer. I feel lucky to be able to say that, too.
That’s the thing about songs. They’re rarely ”just” songs/albums/shows. They’re markers along the way: a hallway in junior high, a car heading out on the highway, a podcast episode on another forgettable pre-dawn commute, music video decades ago. Getting older sucks, but the upside is that list of moments keeps growing. And if you’re lucky, every once in a while, you get to say: I remember when…
This week, Side A is tracks 1–15 (ending with “Mantis”), with Side B being 16–27.
On to the music…
KA—
Other sources: Apple | Qobuz | YouTube 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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