Golden Hour

Hi Friends, 

I hope you are able to find some moments of joy this summer as much as that is possible in our world right now. I have been finding my joy spending time with family and friends, in nature, in art and of course, in music.  

Instead of a summer banger playlist, this one is on the chill side. I picture myself listening to this on my imaginary deck watching the sun dip below the horizon, not the sweaty rush to the subway. Let’s call this playlist Golden Hour and let the fantasy live on. 

A couple of my longtime favorites released excellent albums this year.  British band Pulp returned in June with More and British-French avant-pop band Stereolab released Instant Holograms on Metal Film in May. Both albums from these hugely influential artists are well worth your time. I think Laetitia Sadier’s vocals got me in a Fench mood because I couldn’t stop thinking about Sylvie Vartan so I had to include “Baby c’est vous.”

In addition to being a conservatory-trained classical French horn player, SASAMI is also a fearless indie pop artist. Her third album Blood On the Silver Screen is her most emotionally expansive yet and the track “In Love With A Memory” that features indie singer-songwriter Clairo is a highlight. 

Shockingly, I realized that I have never included New Order on a playlist before? I debated which track to use and somehow landed on the 8-minute version of “The Perfect Kiss.” So it goes… 

Jamaican reggae duo Althea & Donna’s 1977 single “Uptown Top Ranking” just sounds like summer. They recorded the song when they were just teenagers and it was released as a joke but thanks to legendary DJ John Peel, it became a number one hit in the UK. 

“Sweet Danger” by Nigerian-born, London-based Afrobeat artist Obongjayar released his sophomore album Paradise Now in May.  

Regulars to my playlists, The Reds, Pinks and Purples are back again!  Glenn Donaldson’s project continues to deliver shimmering, melodic pop. No One Absolves Us in the End is from the just-released new album "The Past Is a Garden I Never Fed.”

I have also been wanting to include Tanya Donnelly on a playlist for ages. I went back and forth between her work with Throwing Muses and Belly but in the end, Throwing Muses “Not Too Soon” won out. It is just so good. 

I am really enjoying British indie-folk artist Billie Marten’s lovely new album Dog-Eared. The new-to-me singer-songwriter has been making music since she was a tween and now in her mid-20’s she has just released her fifth album. 

Finally, a little more moodiness to close things out: Charli XCX declared that it was a “These New Puritans Summer,” and honestly, that is the only endorsement that I need. “Industrial Love Song” featuring Caroline Polachek’s otherworldly vocals is stunning. A beautifully somber end to Golden Hour. 

Pulp - Spike Island 

Sylvie Vartan - Baby c’est vous 

Stereolab - Aerial Troubles 

SASAMI - In Love With A Memory (featuring Clairo) 

New Order - The Perfect Kiss

Althea And Donna - Uptown Top Ranking 

Obongjayar - Sweet Danger 

The Reds, Pinks and Purples - No One Absolves Us the End

Throwing Muses - Not Too Soon 

Billie Marten - Goodnight Moon  

These New Puritans - Industrial Love Song (featuring Caroline Polachek) 

xo,

Julie

CDMX

Last month, I visited Mexico City for the first time and it exceeded my expectations. The art, culture, food and drinks were all incredible. I had been hoping for a little playlist inspiration, especially since the current state of the world has dampened my creative impulses. Thankfully, CDMX delivered. Nearly every restaurant and bar we visited had an amazing soundtrack and, thanks to Shazam, I was able to grab a few tracks to help build this playlist.

One of the highlights of the trip was dinner at Choza, which served up our last and favorite meal of the entire visit. Music was integral to the dining experience with a live DJ spinning vinyl alongside some truly outstanding Thai-fusion food. The soundtrack was as global as the menu. This playlist kicks off with a track I heard there: Sroeng Santi’s “Kuen Kuen Lueng Lueng”, a cover version of a song that you will definitely recognize. 

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big Wet Leg fan, so naturally their new single “Catch These Fists” landed on a playlist the moment I could add it. Their upcoming album, Moisturizer will be released on July 11th and I was lucky enough to catch them at a small club show in late March where they previewed some of their new tracks. I am happy to report that the new songs sound pretty fantastic.

Next up is Silvana Estrada’s “Tenías Que Ser Tú,” a beautiful track from the Mexico-based singer-songwriter. She performed at the Pitchfork Music Festival CDMX Festival earlier this month.  

I am completely hooked on Perfume Genius’ outstanding new  album, Glory. One standout is “No Front Teeth,” which features Aldous Harding.

Back in the early aughts, I was lucky to be part of the publicity team working on Broken Social Scene’s landmark album You Forgot It In People. That record holds a special place in my heart. Later this month, I have tickets for a screening of Stephen Chung’s new documentary, It’s All Gonna Break, about that time in the band’s history. On June 6th, an album of covers, Anthems: A Celebration of Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It In People, will be released. One of the advance tracks they have released is Toro y Moi’s version of “Stars and Sons.”

Another standout release from this year is Sharp Pins’ Radio DDR. The solo project of Lifeguard’s Kai Slater, “I Can’t Stop” is the perfect blast of power pop energy.

Back to Choza in CDMX for a moment. Another record the DJ played was Moussa Doumbia’s James Brown–inspired Afro-funk track “Keleya,” which was released in 1997 and is definitely a vibe. (If you like what you hear, check out Choza’s Soundcloud)

There has been so much amazing new music this year so I really packed this playlist. One more highlight is Panda Bear’s epic single “Praise,” from his album Sinister Grift which was released in February.

I wish I could remember which CDMX restaurant or bar I discovered Grupo Venezuela’s “Agua Loco.” I think it may have been over an epic meal at Expendio de Maíz? I need to take better notes. 

Closing out the playlist is MJ Lenderman’s cover/collaboration of the brilliant This Is Lorelei track, “Dancing in the Club,” released in late March.

I hope you enjoy this mix of new and old, indie and global songs as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

xo,

Julie

Sroeng Santi - Kuen Kuen Lueng Lueng

Wet Leg - Catch These Fists

Silvana Estrada & Daniel, Me Estás Matando - Tenías Que Ser Tú

Perfume Genius featuring Aldous Harding - No Front Teeth 

Toro y Moi - Starts And Sons 

Sharp Pins - I Can’t Stop

Moussa Doumbia - Keleya 

Panda Bear - Praise

Grupo Venezuela - Agua Loca

This is Lorelei & MJ Lenderman - Dancing in the Club (MJ Lenderman Version)

Start The Riot!

The relentless barrage of awfulness coming from the current administration is intolerable. I am trying to cope by making my 5 Calls to my reps, not giving money to companies that are supporting the coup and a lot of self-care. 

After the completely disrespectful way a true hero like Volodymyr Zelenskyy was treated at the White House on Friday, I came home from work and blasted songs of resistance while I made dinner and you know what? It helped me feel a bit better.

This weekend I put together a playlist of some of these songs and maybe this will help you in dealing with the constant chaos. 

The The’s album Mind Bomb was so important to me in college as I was becoming politically engaged. As great as “The Beat(en) Generation” is, I recommend the entire album which features the Smiths’ Johnny Marr on guitar and a guest vocal appearance by Sinéad O’Connor. 

Frankie Goes To Hollywood blew my teenage mind with their songs about sexuality and gay rights and those iconic “Frankie Say Relax!” t-shirts. Their cold war anthem “Two Tribes" is still relevant today. 

Who remembers the German anti-fascist band Atari Teenage Riot? Their highly political music is a mix of punk and electronic music which they dubbed Digital Hardcore. I handled publicity for the band in the U.S. for their first two albums. Their song “Start The Riot” inspired the name of this playlist and their single “Atari Teenage Riot” is featured here. 

L7’s “Pretend We’re Dead” was originally written about a breakup, this song became a political rallying cry and a staple of my college years.

The prolific British collective Sault released their acclaimed album ‘Untitled (Black Is)" in 2020 marking the moment of extreme police brutality and racism.  

The Isley Brothers' “Fight The Power, Pts. 1 & 2” served as inspiration for Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power" and stood as a bold anthem of resistance with an electrifying groove.

The legendary Nina Simone has written many of my favorite protest songs. I included “Revolution” on an earlier playlist. This version of “Mississippi Goddam” was written in response to the murder of Medgar Evers and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. The song was recorded live at Carnegie Hall in 1964. 

The Clash have so many great political songs that it was difficult to choose one. Combat Rock came out when I was in high school and definitely made an impact on me so I decided to go with “Know Your Rights” from that album. 

I had to include a song from the punk and feminist legend Patti Smith. “People Have The Power” was co-written with Smith’s husband Fred “Sonic” Smith of the MC5. 

Philly rock band Sheer Mag’s song “(Say Goodbye To) Sophie Scholl” honors the student who was executed for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets as a part of the non-violent resistance movement known as  “White Rose” at the University of Munich during World War II. 

The Pernice Brothers' “Dumb It Down” came out twenty years ago and you know, some things never change. A number of people prefer to have their head in the sand. 

Lily Allen’s 2009 anti-homophobic and anti-racist song was originally written with George W. Bush in mind but it could really be about so many people. Take your pick and enjoy singing “Fuck You” to whomever you choose. It feels pretty good. 

The The - The Beat(en) Generation 

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Two Tribes 

Atari Teenage Riot - Atari Teenage Riot 

L7 - Pretend We’re Dead 

Sault - Wildfires 

The Isley Brothers - Fight The Power, Pts. 1 & 2

Nine Simone - Mississippi Goddam (Live At Carnegie Hall) 

The Clash - Know Your Rights 

Patti Smith - People Have The Power 

Sheer Mag - (Say Goodbye To) Sophie Scholl 

Pernice Brothers - Dumb It Down 

Lily Allen - Fuck You 

xo, 

Julie