Winter 2019/20 Playlist: Annotated

Here’s a winter playlist to brighten those cloudy days. This one was difficult to organize—the genres of the songs run the gamut from classical to rap. But I’m pleased with how it turned out!

1) “La Fille Aux Cheveux de Lin,” Claude Debussy - Yeah, that’s right. I started a playlist in the year of our lord 2019 with Debussy. A bold move. Or rather, a really quiet move.

2) “Faultless,” Grace Lightman - I put one of Grace Lightman’s singles on my most recent Spring playlist, so I was excited when her full album finally dropped. It’s sort of dreamy glam music for outer space.

3) “Tentpole Shangrila,” Djo - If you told me that the actor who plays Steve Harrington in Stranger Things were to put out an album that I would enjoy, I would not have believed you (even though Steve is one of my favorite characters). And yet, here we are. Overall the album is good-not-great, but I really do like this psychedelic number.

4) “Call Me,” Cherry Glazerr feat. Portugal the Man - Not a cover of the Blondie song. My friend Gena sent me this one a few months ago—the percussion is infectious.

5) “Prophet,” King Princess - I discovered King Princess while listening to an episode of the VS podcast from the Poetry Foundation; one of the guests—I can’t remember which—said their little sibling had been listening to a lot of King Princess. I guess it’s what the youths are into nowadays. I may not be a youth, but a love a good pop artist.

6) “Divided Sky Lane,” The Mountain Goats - Hey! The Mountain Goats wrote an Elliott Smith song! Seriously—it’s uncanny.

7) “Sunlight,” Hozier - I’d been meaning to listen to more Hozier, so I finally gave it a try—and overall I was disappointed. I suppose “Take Me to Church” set a pretty high bar. Anyway, I did like this one.

8) “Hummingbird,” Bedouine - Genuinely cannot remember how I heard of Bedouine, but if you like stuff that sounds like 60s folk music, she’s your girl.

9) “In a Bind,” Vagabon - Also cannot remember how I heard of Vagabon? This is turning out to be a rather uninformed annotation. At any rate, this one is also very folky—but with a slightly more modern vibe.

10) “Carrion,” Fiona Apple - Because I’m always in the mood for a 1990s classic.

11) “Wild is the Wind,” David Bowie - Because I’m always in the mood for a 1970s classic? Station to Station is my desert island Bowie album. Controversial choice, I know.

12) “Sufi Woman,” Jidenna - Easily the catchiest song off Jidenna’s recent album 85 to Africa. I find it utterly delightful—even if the frequent use of the word “bosom” is somewhat distracting. Did Shakespeare write this song or something?

13) “Ibtihaj,” Rapsody feat. D’Angelo & GZA - Easily the catchiest song off Rapsody’s recent album Eve. I was reading the lyrics on Genius, and the backstory of the song and title is super interesting.

14) “How to Disappear,” Lana del Rey - Sad Girl Fall/Winter continues. This song sounds like it’s from the 1950s. I like the jingle bells in the background.

15) “New Love Cassette,” Angel Olsen - Angel Olsen’s new album is also kind of dreamy glam music for outer space? A little less sparkly, though. Yes, music can be sparkly. This is a valid opinion that I have. Don’t judge me.

16) “when the party’s over,” Billie Eilish - The harmonies in this song are painfully beautiful. I love that little goth gen-z wunderkind. The kids are alright.

17) “Dead Man’s Hand,” Nire Nah - Recently I began volunteering at 826CHI, a nonprofit that provides free creative writing classes to CPS students. I’m mostly working in the store—and as it turns out, the store manager, Nire, is a wonderful musician! Joni Mitchell meets Kate Bush meets Joanna Newsom?

18) “VIII,” Sufjan Stevens & Timo Andres - Since I opened the playlist with piano, I figured I ought to close it the same way. Sufjan Stevens is nothing if not a composer, and his recent album The Decalogue is all piano numbers.