The February Express

February is my least favorite month for many reasons. Even more so this year as COVID finally got me and stuck around for thirteen days. February’s only redeeming quality is duration. In honor of this fact, I decided to keep this playlist short and sweet.

We have lost so many of my (and likely your) favorite artists already this year. I had to pay tribute to a couple on this playlist, Trugoy the Dove (De La Soul) and Burt Bacharach (Dionne Warwick). It is bittersweet that just as De La Soul’s music became available digitally, we lost Trugoy. De La Soul’s “Rock Co. Kane Flow” (featuring MF Doom) leads things off. DJ Shadow’s “Building Steam With A Grain of Salt” off his amazing Endtroducing might be the perfect segue. Solange’s “Losing You” is a longtime favorite and was written and produced in collaboration with Blood Orange (a.k.a. Dev Hynes). Next is the ‘90s dance pop cover of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” by the English band, Saint Etienne. The day Burt Bacharach passed away, I watched the Dionne Warwick documentary Don’t Make Me Over which I highly recommend. It showcases the incredible partnership she had with Bacharach and Hal David. I have always loved “Walk On By.” I had to include at least one new track on the playlist and lucky for us, Feist gave us three new songs from her upcoming album, Multitudes, last week. “Hiding Out In The Open” is my fave. Nostalgia was in overdrive on these last four tracks: The Notwist’s “One With The Freaks’ off their brilliant album Neon Golden, The Breeders’ “Divine Hammer,” Nick Lowe’s “Cruel to Be Kind” and inspired by their recent California festival date announcement, Love and Rockets’ “Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man).

I hope you like The February Express. I assure you that at the very least it is better than the month itself.

De La Soul - Rock Co. Kane Flow (feat. MF Doom)

DJ Shadow - Building Steam With a Grain of Salt

Solange - Losing You

Saint Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Dionne Warwick - Walk On By

Feist - Hiding Out In The Open

The Notwist - One With the Freaks

The Breeders - Divine Hammer

Nick Lowe - Cruel to Be Kind

Love and Rockets - Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man)

Not-So-Dry January

I cannot remember a year where January has been so stacked with so many stellar new tracks and releases. I guess this is a case of pandemic backlog? I thought some of you might appreciate a roundup of my favorite new tracks from December and January especially if you have been too busy to keep up. So let’s start the year off with some excellent new music!

Belle & Sebastian are back and their newest single, the ultra catchy “I Don’t Know What You See In Me," and it is giving me so much joy. Their new album, Late Developers, is out now. Lætitia Tamko who records under the name Vagabon dropped her new single “Carpenter” a few weeks back and I haven’t stopped listening. I would say that one of my most anticipated albums of 2023 is the upcoming release from Everything But The Girl and the first single “Nothing Left To Lose” does not disappoint. I cannot wait to hear more. One of the best 2023 releases so far has to be Margo Price’s latest, Strays. I chose “Radio” for this playlist. If you feature Sharon Van Etten on a track, it is pretty much a no-brainer for me. Yo La Tengo is releasing This Stupid World next month. I am a sucker for a Georgia Hubley-sung track so I included their new one “Aselestine” on my playlist. boygenius are a band made up of thee of my very favorites: Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridges and Lucy Dacus. They released three tracks from their much anticipated album last week and the internet nearly exploded. In honor of David Bowie's birthday on January 8th, Spoon released a cover of “I Can’t Give Everything Away” off his final album, Blackstar and it is a fitting tribute. Quasi, the duo of Sam Coombes and Janet Weiss, will release their tenth album, Breaking the Balls of History, next month. “Nowheresville” is the third single from their new one. Gina Birch, from the legendary band The Raincoats, pays homage to her instrument with her new single “I Play My Bass Loud” and I am obsessed. SZA released her acclaimed album SOS in December which includes the latest single “Kill Bill.” Tarantino fans should check out the video. Avey Tare is the long-running solo project of David Portner from Animal Collective. He is releasing his new album 7s next month. Lana Del Rey put out the cinematic title track “Did you know there is a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” from her forthcoming album at the end of last year. “…Ocean Blvd” will be released in March. The final song on this playlist is a new version of the title track from Hurray for the Riff Raff’s 2022 album, LIFE ON EARTH. Released in December, this new version of the song features the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and it is a stunner.

Belle & Sebastian - I Don’t Know What You See In Me

Vagabon - Carpenter

Everything But The Girl - Nothing Left To Lose

Margo Price - Radio [Feat. Sharon Van Etten]

Yo La Tengo - Aselestine

boygenius - Emily I’m Sorry

Spoon - I Can’t Give Everything Away

Quasi - Nowheresville

Gina Birch - I Play My Bass Loud

SZA - Kill Bill

Avey Tare - The Musical

Lana Del Rey - Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

Hurray For The Riff Raff - LIFE ON EARTH with Preservation Hall Jazz Band

What new tracks are you loving and what releases are you looking forward to the most? I must say, musically speaking, 2023 is off to a great start.

Julie's Top 10 Albums From 2022

Eleven months ago, I launched Your Girlfriend Made You A Mixtape with a playlist of my Top Ten Albums from 2021. Thank you for listening, reading, subscribing and helping spread the word. It has been a complete joy for me to share my playlists with you. I look forward to more great music in the year ahead. On that note, it is time for my Top Ten Albums of 2022. Several of these artists made appearances on earlier playlists so I opted to use new tracks on this playlist.

My favorite album of the year was Beyoncé’s masterpiece, Renaissance. It is impossible to count the number of times I have listened to this record and every time something new catches my ear. Renaissance an homage to the dance floor, specifically black queer dance culture and it is glorious. Don’t get me started on the transitions. The epic one-two punch of “Pure/Honey” into “Summer Renaissance” might be the best album closer of all-time.

It is hard to believe that I ended last year seeing one of Wet Leg’s first American shows at a tiny club in Brooklyn and a year later they have played Madison Square Garden, been covered by Harry Styles and are nominated for multiple Grammy Awards. They are so much fun and I absolutely adore them.

Alvvays new one, Blue Rev, is their best album yet and is stacked with solid track after track. Speaking of great tracks, “Runner” from Alex G is definitely one of my favorite songs of the year. When I saw him perform live, “Mission” blew me away as well. Angel Olsen also blew me away live. She is truly a force and Big Time is stunning. It took me a minute to come around to Plains, the new project from Jess Williamson and Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield, but I am all in. The Beths are consistently great and New Zealand indie pop rules. Actually, I saw Sasami open up for The Beths this summer and she is truly a star. Weyes Blood’s And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow was just released a few weeks ago and it quickly made an impression. Natalie Mering’s voice is extraordinary. Rounding out my top ten is British post-punk band, Yard Act. It’s good fun.

There you have it. I hope you enjoy these. Hit me back with your 2022 favorites and Happy Holidays!

Julie's Top 10 Albums of 2022

Beyoncé - Renaissance

Wet Leg - Wet Leg

Alvvays - Blue Rev

Alex G - God Save The Animals

Angel Olsen - Big Time

Plains - I Walked With You A Ways

The Beths - Expert In A Dying Field

Sasami - Squeeze

Weyes Blood - And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow

Yard Act - The Overload