The Postal Service

An epic break-up song for the day after Valentine’s Day. From the great long distance, indie-pop collaboration record GIVE UP — I love this call & response story as their doomed relationship teeters on the edge of heartbreak. He still clings to an idealistic future, but she’s already gone. She has the charts & graphs and lecture prepared. You’ve had your chance, so say goodbye. 💔

Big Star

Alex Chilton wrote so many great songs, but here’s his sweetest on this Valentine’s Day. Our first dance at our reception so many years ago — I’ll take the time, to show you’re mine What a beautiful wedding vow, knowing the demons may come. ♥️🌕

Eleanor Friedberger

A dense pop song that’s rich with melody and contradiction — a Sunday morning deep dive into past regrets, future hopes. How do we break our negative patterns? He’s ignoring me like it’s 2001 I love the little story details — chased along Park in Brooklyn and the crash on Banker. I have to believe these Californian tourists saved her life.

James

A spectacular, unusual love song. This guy is a mess of contradictions, but his humility and devotion are endearing. He’s right where he wants to be and I’m guessing he's loved in return. Tim Booth’s soaring vocals and pop sensibilities have been reaching me since Morrissey asked them to open for The Smiths in ‘84.

Big Thief

A song about her tumultuous childhood — somehow Adrianne Lenker channels family terror and heartbreak and still finds beauty. Even the falling railroad spike that nearly killed her when she was five. Big Thief might be the most prolific band right now, and Adrianne might be the best Frontperson. Hard to take your eyes off her when she sings her poetry. Their sprawling new album is out today with 20 songs. 👀

Life Without Buildings

One of these tracks that’s always in rotation — it just makes me feel good. The Sue Tompkins vocals are legendary and this melodic guitar work feels divine. Another great Scottish band, and there are so many. Life Without Buildings recorded one studio album while in art school together and then broke up.

The New Pornographers

This landed with a bang on my 1st generation iPod via Napster in 2001. I still have no idea what it’s about, but it introduced A.C. Newman and Neko Case to the world This song, this song, this song has shaken me With nothing held back SHE’s the occupant, and she’s fighting for fairness and love and goodness and light. Where’ve all sensations gone?

Old Saw

That meditative strumming and droning. That pedal steel. That chapel bell — which begins striking at six and a half minutes. A sprawling soundscape that haunts and stirs. Creative soil. And thirteen minutes is enough time to get lost in it.

HAIM

Craving momentum — this track and video (PTA!) was the catalyst to get me writing. Our three sisters moving through LA doing EVERYTHING to help Danielle find her way back is a big lift this morning. Can’t love this more. What a band.

Black Swan Lane

It stops me at the beginning. Neuropsychologists say we can only focus on one thing at a time, and I’m pulled into that first guitar and vocal I see you... It almost feels like it’s ending already — but then this stunner evolves over four minutes into something mysterious and soaring. Another breathtaking track I’d love to feature in a film someday. Zero, ones and ones and zeroes / Do you ever wander? ❤️

World Party

Palpable joy here, with one foot in the 60’s and one in the 80’s — this track walks a tightrope into rare timeless territory. A love song celebrating people who are lost or on the fringe, with an unforgettable singalong chorus I was lost / I was blind / I was you / All I gave was me To think Karl Wallinger was a Waterboy alongside Mike Scott is kind of mind blowing. On his World Party debut, Wallinger played every instrument and made up pseudonyms for the album credits. Sadly, a brain aneurysm in 2001 has limited his output after a brilliant five album run. Vinyl reissues are underway.

Bachelor, Jay Som & Palehound

Tears this morning hearing this wonder of a song again — the end of an apocalyptic love story. They hold on to each other as the end draws near. Something we’re all feeling more these days and not just because we’re getting older. The melody and guitar is so beautiful, while the low-fi feel puts us right in their house with them. As the droning keyboard starts competing with the vocals, it feels like a kind of death knell siren announcing their time is up.

Elliott Smith

Equally sweet and terrifying — anyone who knows addiction or has flirted with it will understand this brand of self-loathing. And if you know Elliott Smith, you know his best songs are these beautiful labyrinths with dead-ends, ironies and secret chambers.

Badly Drawn Boy

I can imagine Maude singing this one to Harold — a rousing, Beatles-esque, worry-free track — sweet strumming guitar, melody, piano, drums and a lovely understated vocal from Damon Gough. The lyrics are directed at you, and he does it without pretense. Even the applause at the end is for you.

Jenny Hval

A spellbinding track for Tuesday — which is typically the day I find myself getting serious about the hours I’ve been given this week and the ones I’ve squandered. For almost four minutes, this song makes me feel like I have no creative limits. There is nothing holding me back. Jenny is one of those rare, true artists — the kind we adore for decades and some days envy. The ones who are all in and committed to living the Art Life like David Lynch. I love watching Jenny perform and THE PRACTICE OF LOVE was exciting to play on repeat at the end of 2019. Listening to it now, I’m reminded of all that beautiful creative momentum I felt going into 2020.

The Notwist

From their fantastic VERTIGO DAYS (2021) — this track jumped out and grabbed me first and has been hopping from playlist to playlist. Now that you know the stars ain’t fixed / The roads ain’t straight / Now that the sky can fall on us The melancholy electronica evolves into something unusual and beautiful in the second half. Hard to believe this is same German hardcore band from ‘89.

Vampire Weekend

Feels like a Sunday morning post-sermon benediction — this track that closes one of the best albums of the last decade. When this record came out in 2013, Flannery was only 6 and so this tiny song will forever remind me of her. ❤️ You take your time, young lion

Salem

The best mix tapes cover the highs and lows of living — and this witch-house track brings things way back down with the artist SALEM. The vocal is a disarming, off-kilter electronic moan. Over and over we hear Do you think you’re better off alone? The answer sure feels like no, because the yearnings in these dark soundscapes feel beautiful and connected to humanity. This stunning track is currently on my new playlist for a new screenplay I’m writing called ABOVE THE TREES.

Loney Dear

It’s hard not to give yourself over to this once it begins; a relentless, melodic confession that builds to a kind of triumph of devotion and self-doubt. Never gonna let you down / But I’ll always I’ll always let you down Emil Svanängen is responsible for every sound on this record and his falsetto just kills me.