That period of time between the end of the summer and the start of the colder months truly is something comfy. We’re not in Siberia just yet, there’s still leaves, discolored as they get, and I know my listening habits tend to shift a little bit. Here’s a snapshot of our playlists for your perusal as always!
ciel: Set It Off – “Introduction to Outselling a Salesman” (from Calm Before the Storm, 2009)
I’m not the biggest fan of Set It Off nor their more orchestral “theatre emo” stuff, but you know what I do love? Dumb catchy pop punk. And when I found out that their first two records were super-synthy pop punk inspired by the likes of my favourite band Fall Out Boy I went to immediately check ’em out and I loved what I heard. Their singer tends to annoy me, but his performance here are pretty tasteful and fun to listen to. Feels like a sparklier All Time Low and I’m all here for it.
Savannah: The Oh Hellos – “Passerine” (from Eurus, 2018)
Since I started rewrites of my third Pinède book, I’ve been on a kick listening to The Oh Hellos. I was tied between picking a handful of their songs, but “Passerine” sticks in my head with a catchy chorus. Their warm, folky sound feels distinctly 2010s, including their post-2010s albums, and that gets me a bit fuzzy. Christian imagery and themes lend a weighty air without it being noticeably Christian music, which I had my fill of when I was 10. You could call them a bit one-note, with not a lot of experimentation throughout their oeuvre, but when I want a specific mood—one that I now associate with my lad Clay—I can slip right into it listening through Dear Wormwood or Notos.
mariteaux: Beck – “Rental Car” (from Guero, 2005)
I never thought much about this weird grindy tune from Guero until I did the recent First Draft on the album leaking and got it stuck in my head pretty constantly lately. One interesting thing to note if you’re a Beck fan is that, while it’s dolled up in Guero grunge, along with “Earthquake Weather”, it’s actually a leftover from the freaky fuck funk of Midnite Vultures. It makes a lot of sense; listen for the hodgepodge of “Pressure Zone”‘s buzzing guitars, “Sexx Laws”‘ banjos reprised in the the plucky harpsicord leads, and the falsetto harmonies from, well, basically everywhere on the record. All on its own though, its refrain–“Taking me far/Far as a rental car can go”–is one of those zen Beckisms that perfectly mixes the culturally disposable with the strangely ominous.
dotcomboom: Coldplay – “We Never Change” (from Parachutes, 2000)
I’ve been in bit of a mood for older Coldplay lately. I have to admit that “Clocks” was one of my first ever favorite songs, and the album that was on, A Rush of Blood to the Head (their second), has likewise grown on me since I found a CD of it at the thrift a few years back. I first listened through their full album debut, Parachutes, I dunno, sometime in the last two years? Then I’ve been listening to it again more recently since getting new headphones. Between that album and Parachutes, I keep hearing a song I like from either and then going “okay, this is the one I’ll pick” (ex: “God Put a Smile upon Your Face” off of A Rush of Blood to the Head is such a cool tune, honestly). “We Never Change” off of Parachutes is a nice moody bit though as things get cooler, one that kinda has hit the most for me lately. Wanna live life and have friends around.
