Winter 2024/25 Playlist: Annotated

The theme of my Winter 2024/25 Playlist may be…discordant? I suppose not all the songs are discordant, but I do feel like my playlists are becoming somewhat more deranged as the world continues to fall apart. You’re welcome?

1) “I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)” by The Moody Blues - I completely forgot this song existed, and then I dreamed about it one night recently. Figured it was a sign. And I do think the lyrics are apropos for our current time period. None of us know what to do—singer in a rock and roll band or otherwise.

2) “Satellite” by The Night Flight Orchestra - Ever since I went to Sweden back in February 2023, Spotify has been shoving this one onto basically every playlist it makes for me. And honestly? Our robot overlords are right—it’s a banger. There are so many modern bands who try to emulate classic rock bands, but I rarely hear modern bands try to emulate this particular period of classic rock—late 70s/early 80s stuff like Foreigner and Europe.

3) “Running” by Fat Dog - Increasingly I find myself attracted to songs that are kind of manic. This one was also a Spotify suggestion. The robot has good taste.

4) “불꽃으로/ Bulkkoch Eulo” by past self - Another Spotify suggestion. This is an obscure Korean American darkwave band from Las Vegas. I’m glad the kids are still making darkwave these days.

5) “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” by Sleigh Bells - I bet you thought I was going to say “I love a good cover,” and I do! But technically, this is a traditional American folk song dating back to the 1870s. There are about a million versions, Nirvana’s being only one of them. Sleigh Bells’ version is particularly menacing, which I like.

6) “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron, featuring Phoebe Bridgers - In February of last year, my friend Margot asked me if I wanted to see Kacey Musgraves in concert. I didn’t want to—until I learned that Lord Huron was opening. The concert was in November, and they were as good as I hoped. To celebrate, here’s their duet with Phoebe Bridgers.

7) “Cardinal” by Kacey Musgraves - I’ve never been a huge Kacey Musgraves fan, but she put on a great show. I’ve always been unimpressed by her simplistic lyrics, but Margot gave me a new perspective: she likes the way Musgraves cuts through the bullshit and just says what she means. Anyway, I really do enjoy this song. I wish she had more songs in minor keys!

8) “Dying Star” by Ashnikko, featuring Ethel Cain - I got into Ashnikko after putting a cover of one of her songs, “Daisy,” on an earlier playlist this year. And yes, I do know there’s a new Ethel Cain album. I haven’t had time to listen yet, but I’ll get there!

9) “have you had enough?” by Poppy - Welcome to the loud portion of the playlist. While I still prefer Poppy’s 2020 album, her latest album Negative Spaces is very good—and I’m going to see her in March! Very excited. I like the drums in this song. They remind me of Trent Reznor and Karen O’s cover of “Immigrant Song” for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

10) “What’s the Holy (Nobel) Today?” by Voice of Baceprot - Voice of Baceprot is an all-female metal band from Indonesia that I learned about from…Instagram, I think? Anyway, they rock. Quite literally.

11) “Heavy Lord” by GAUPA - Thrilled that GAUPA has a new single. I still think they sound like Björk fronting a metal band.

12) “Oceans of Time” by Green Lung - I promise I’m going to stop putting Green Lung songs on my playlists for a while after this. But who doesn’t want to listen to a song about Dracula?! Nosferatu just came out!! ‘Tis the season!!

13) “Love’s Refrain” by Moses Sumney - Moses Sumney’s music makes me feel like I’m floating—but not in the air? More like I’m in a float tank. Or suspended in space or something. I don’t know why my brain works this way.

14) “The King” by Anjimile - Anjimile’s music is WEIRD and I’m obsessed. And it’s so winter appropriate. This just sounds like winter, doesn’t it? When the snow is falling wildly at nighttime and you get kind of confused?

15) “Tunnel Lights” by Chelsea Wolf - Remember how I said this playlist was discordant? Yeah. This song has the perfect title—it does sound like tunnel lights, somehow.

16) “Afterlife” by Sharon Van Etten - I really enjoy this glittery song. Hear me out: it almost sounds like an Arcade Fire cover, but it’s not. I can just imagine Arcade Fire doing a version of it.

17) “Wildfires” by SAULT - I first heard SAULT during a Peloton class, and now I can’t stop listening. This is actually a song about police violence and not about the current situation in Los Angeles, but…yeah. The hope of the lyrics is helpful either way.

18) “b i g f e e l i n g s” by WILLOW - No one is doing it like WILLOW! Deeply underrated artist, imo. She might be a nepo baby, but I don’t care. The jazz chords here. Incredible.

19) “Night or Day” by Franz Ferdinand - It’s hard to shake the bands you fall in love with when you’re 16. And why should you? This song is great. I love the almost honky-tonk piano part.

20) “Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose” by Father John Misty - Unsurprisingly, I love FJM’s latest album Mahashmashana, and I’m taking myself to see him in February because I deserve joy. The string parts in this song are groovy.

21) “Portrait of a Dead Girl” by The Last Dinner Party - I promise I’m going to stop using songs from this album, too, but it’s so good! The world needs a glam revival, and The Last Dinner Party is providing it.

22) “That You Are” by Hozier, featuring Bedouine - Every winter playlist needs a lovely, quiet acoustic number. Hozier and Bedouine coming in clutch.

23) “Guilty Pleasure” by Chappell Roan - I try not to use songs that close albums to close my playlists (same with album openers opening the playlists), but I couldn’t help it here—it makes for a perfect ending. Plus, I wanted to end with something that was a little less miserable, given the tone of the rest of the playlist. Society may be collapsing, but I’ll continue dancing, thank you very much.