Staff Pick's Playlist - September 2024

Currently Listening To:
1. Oasis - The Masterplan
2. Blur - Parklife
3. Pulp - Common People
4. The London Suede - Beautiful Ones
5. The Stone Roses - Love Spreads

"Back in the mid-90's, I was living in Thailand and most of the world was in the midst of Britpop mania. Britpop was HUGE, but if you were in America in those days, you could be forgiven for not even noticing. The US was still in its Grunge phase, and Britpop (also known as Cool Britannia) was the UK's answer to it, embracing Britishness in ways never seen before in pop music. These bands were all over MTV Europe and Asia, Channel V, the radio and there were massive tours and festivals. Oasis was probably the biggest of these bands (don't tell Blur), and their recent reunion announcement has sent me on a major Britpop kick reminiscing about those days. A lot of really great music came out of this scene, and these songs are some of my favorites. Wonderwall may have been Oasis' biggest hit in America, but in my opinion The Masterplan is a masterpiece. Any other Britpop fans out there interested in starting a Britpop cover band? I'm mad 'fer it!"

Currently Listening To:
1. Blueshift - souleater
2. Dreamwake - Paradise
3. Neverkept - Vertigo
4. Paloma - Liar Liar
5. Silverstein - Texas Mickey

"This September, I spent a lot of time curating music for my upcoming wedding, but I still managed to jam out to some amazing bands in between. Blueshift dropped a brand-new single featuring their original vocalist, which I absolutely loved. Funnily enough, it was released on the same day we compiled last month's staff picks playlist, so it naturally found its way onto this one. The last song is in celebration of Anthony Raneri (Bayside) visiting town—his guest appearance on Silverstein's 'Texas Mickey' is not only my favorite Anthony Raneri track but also my top Silverstein song."

Currently Listening To:
1. Dropout Kings, Futuristic, This Modern, The Color 8 - Unholy
2. Childish Gambino - Bonfire
3. MAUMAUMAU & The Hit House - Permission
4. Remember the Monsters - Close Encounters
5. UNITYTX - RUCKUS

"I've been trying to listen to smaller bands recently and this month's playlist reflects that, for the most part. Though a Childish Gambino song snuck in, due to me working his recent concert, everything else is from artists with less than 50k followers on IG. Not that following count is serious or super important, but that just highlights that they need more followers! The genres are a mix of alternative rock, indie, metalcore and more. Enjoy and see you next month!"

Currently Listening To:
1. Turnover - Hello Euphoria
2. TV On The Radio - Keep Your Heart
3. Blink 182 - Cut Me OFf
4. Anberlin - Feel Good Drag
5. As I Lay Dying - The Cave We Fear To Enter

"No ultimate meaning beyond this month's submission from me, just my top 5 awesome tracks of what I been digging the most this past month."

Currently Listening To:
1. Mal Blum - Better Go
2. Death Bells - Heavenly Bodies
3. AlicebanD - Fire With Fire
4. Wolf Alice - Moaning Lisa Smile
5. Momma - Speeding 72

"After an emotional August, my playlist is filled with songs that dive into self-reflection, connection, and rebellion. Mal Blum’s 'Better Go' opens with raw introspection, capturing that familiar feeling of wanting to move forward but unsure how. Death Bells’ 'Heavenly Bodies' explores the fragility of existence and human connection, set to a haunting, post-punk sound. AlicebanD’s 'Fire With Fire' looks at the tensions in relationships, where fighting fire with fire can be both destructive and necessary. Wolf Alice’s 'Moaning Lisa Smile' is all about defiance and finding strength in embracing who you are, even if you don’t quite fit in. Finally, Momma’s 'Speeding 72' is a fast-paced anthem of youthful recklessness and freedom, painting a picture of driving with no destination, chasing the thrill of the moment, and living life in the fast lane without looking back."

Currently Listening To:
1. Led Zepplin - I can't quit you babe
2. Dickey Betts band - Jessica
3. Government Mule - Breakup Up Somebody's Home
4. Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Alien
5. Allman Brothers Band - Tied To The Whipping Post

"I've been listening to a bit of Rock, and bit of Blues of late, focusing on long play, mostly instrumental numbers by older artists. I used to play "I Can't Quit You Babe" with a 3 piece concern name of THE FORTY BOYS. We killed with that song! Lots of tempo and key changes...takes work! The Dickey Betts Band version of " Jessica" is one of my favorite Betts numbers...less is more on that one. If you never have heard GOVERNMENT MULE your missing some of the best parts of The Allman Brothers. Warren Haynes rips it with fast runs and sweet licks. Joe Satriani and his screaming guitar kill in this iconic Satriani song...no lyrics, just hard, fast rock and roll! Lastly..feeling "Tied To The Whipping Post " these days wondering if I'll ever play in another band in Pensacola. The Allman Brothers Band does it totally right and makes a profound claim...you ever felt like that? Support you local music scene! Subscribe today!"

Currently Listening To:
1. The National - Weird Goodbyes
2. Phoebe Bridgers - I know how it ends
3. Houndmouth - Sedona
4. TV On The Radio - Happy Idiot
5. Jane's Addiction - Jane Says

"The National stays in heavy rotation pretty much all the time for me. I couldn’t love their sound more. I haven’t seen them live and I’d love to get the chance one day. I come back to Phoebe Bridgers and/or boy genius a lot too. I saw Phoebe live a couple of years ago and have been hooked ever since. The next one is a call to let the universe decide sometimes. Houndmouth’s Sedona came up in a random shuffle and I had forgotten how much I love that song so I repeated it a few times. Thank you universe. (Or algorithm or whatever:)Yes, those two Brits are getting back together to tour but more importantly, TV on the Radio are reuniting to tour too! They're not coming anywhere near here but I can still re-listen. The last one is just a little sad. The Jane’s Addiction guys got into an on stage fight and it was kinda funny at first glance. But it seems Perry has some more serious problems that need to be addressed. Hope he gets things straightened out. I’ve photographed them a couple of times but my first exposure was way back during Nothing Shocking so I went back through the classic."

Currently Listening To:
1. HIM - Poison Girl
2. Mercury - Special
3. Of Mice & Men - My Understandings
4. Yumi Zouma - Kicking Up Daisies
5. Theo Bleak, The Twilight Sad - Don't Borrow Grief From LAter

"September began with a huge HIM kick, which led to me listening through the bulk of their album Razorblade Romance. This listen-through led to me finding “Poison Girl,” which immediately hooked me with its addicting chorus and iconic electric guitar riffs. “Special” by Mercury was essentially all I listened to when I first found it. The piece has such an autumnal feel to it, especially with its sort of droning indie sleaze sound and the singer’s ethereal, breathy voice. It feels like driving on a windy Fall morning with the window down, if that makes sense. “My Understandings” is the epitome of cinematic metal, at least to me. The beginning has such a great dystopian feel to it with the soft vocals and echoing guitar, but when the song picks up, the singers’ quintessential metal voices makes it sound like it was pulled out of a grunge-y video game ad. Yumi Zouma’s voice in “Kicking Up Daisies” is absolutely stunning; her light tone combines perfectly with the indie pop percussion and the song’s almost cinematic vibe. Finally, I was on a Twilight Sad kick in the latter part of September, and while listening through their discography, I came upon a collaboration between them and Theo Bleak, an indie artist I had just found out about last year. The song is the perfect combination of the artists’ shared gothic tones, Theo’s acoustic flair, and the Twilight Sad’s catchy, driving beat. "