cmd+vent calendar | Day 7: Hope

We are a full week into the cmd+vent calendar, and the response has been nothing short of amazing. Thanks to all the fine comments and replies to this newsletter (which: did you know you could reply directly to this email and I will receive it in my inbox?). I’ve been passing along your high praises to the respective writers, and I assure you they’ve all been nothing but filled with gratitude for your kindness.

Today’s letter is brought to your by a beacon of light in my life named Hope. She lives in the land of sunshine and orange groves (and hurricanes and swamps), enjoys hockey, running, and pop music (this sounds like I’m writing out a dating profile. Jeez). Hope is shameless about the content she decides to devour, and I admire that greatly about her. She doesn’t half-ass her passion for anything–she dives headfirst, gives her undivided attention, and let me tell you, that energy is so great to have in a friendship.

For those looking to blow off some steam this week, Hope has kindly thrown together a playlist of jams to kick some literal and figurative ass to.

________________________________________

2017 was a year to be furious. It was a year to yell at the top of your lungs and dance your shoes down to nothing and donate all of your money and send passionate messages to your government representatives and get into screaming matches with anyone who didn’t see empathy as a priority. It was a year of rage, rage, rage, and a lot of long sleeps, and longer runs where you did nothing but listen to the same songs on a loop and try to send your head somewhere your feet couldn’t really take you.

If there’s anything my end of the year Spotify playlist tells me, it’s that I went on a lot of those runs--or, at least, spent a lot of mind-numbing, soul-cleansing time in the gym. There are so many days my body can feel like the haunted house I am trapped in. Training it to do just what I want is sometimes the only thing that keeps me breaking the windows and tearing the walls down, and packing myself off to whatever is left when we leave. And sometimes the most important motivation for getting up and lacing on my trainers and kicking my own ass is the perfect song. This list (of seven, not five--sorry!) is a peek into what 2017 had on offer to add to my list of favorite “if my country’s gonna burn so are my glutes and I’m gonna keep pushing until I’m jacked as hell and nothing can touch me” jams.

________________________________________

“Attention” - Charlie Puth | Not to be, like, really crude, but Charlie Puth seems like such a fun fuck. Like, wow, what a sensitive little bitch who lives for drama! Tell me what I’m up to in my freakum dress, Charles! Tell me you’re onto me, then sleep with me anyway and let me lick your eyebrow scar, you fuckin’ loser! I love it. I love this song. In the words of Agnes, “I love a walkable bassline!” And I do, too. And a walkable one is also one I can do push-ups to and silently agree with. Never get over me! Regret it forever! I’m the ONE, baby!

“I’m the One” - DJ Khaled | For the record: yes, I think I’m hilarious. This song, like the previous, also makes me think of Agnes: her revolving in the club at a resort or whatever, drink in one hand and the other waving freely to the beat. And this song, like Agnes, hypes me the hell up and makes me feel like I could do anything, you know? I’m your dream girl, I’ve got it all. It also makes me feel like I’m sipping a cocktail with an umbrella in it and have spent the perfect amount of time lounging in a hammock and my tan is fantastic, so that probably has a lot to do with it.

“Green Light” - Lorde | I could put the entire Melodrama album on this list. I could make this list Melodrama and nothing else, and it would still be absolutely accurate. Melodrama is, of course, my personal choice for album of the year, because I’m the most extra bitch alive, but also because it has this desperate energy that immediately makes me think: hungry. I love this song because, for me, it succeeds in calling up that yearning ache in your stomach when you want something so goddamn bad, and you’re just starting to see you might be able to get it, and you’re so overwhelmed by at it all you’re ready to dance yourself down the street with your headphones in, singing, and you’re not even drunk! You’re just in your own music video and life is impossible! There is absolutely nothing you need in your ears more when you’re hitting that 8 speed interval than Lorde singing I’M WAITING FOR IT, THAT GREEN LIGHT, I WANT IT.

“I Know a Place” - MUNA | I don’t think I really need to say anything about this, right? We’ve all listened to this? We’re all in love with MUNA? This song is a big mood. This song is healing. This song makes you feel like you could run for miles. This song makes me want to put on rollerskates. This song feels like a montage. This song kind of makes you feel like the music video for "Youth," by Troye Sivan, only we’re all a bit older and our idea of partying is us wearing fuzzy socks that speak to our personal style choices and scream-laughing at the game on television and playing trivia and drinking red wine instead of, like, doing ecstacy and making out in a ball pit, or whatever. Does that make sense? Not that we can’t do drugs and make out in a ball pit, if you wanna. We can fuckin’ do anything, because this song makes us feel we can.

“Bad 4 Us” - Superfruit | Superfruit is one of those groups I probably would’ve never listened to without them popping up on my Discover Weekly. They’re also one of those groups that turns out to be a delightful surprise. “Bad 4 Us” actually rolled around on my release radar a few months ago alongside a fabulous Kimbra track (INSERT ANNUAL KIMBRA IS SLEPT ON MESSAGE), and at first I wasn’t sure, but rather than skipping along to the next one I instantly hit replay. And I’ve been sliding through my house on my sock feet and dancing myself onto the porch ever since. Being bouncy, a little jazzy, with little goofy background asides, a cowbell?, and a line that sings put on some old school Britney, ‘cause baby you drive me crazy, this song makes me want to drink champagne and kiss people and makes me feel like I could probably, yeah, do another stupid rep, I guess. Good 4 Me. Ugh.

“Cave Me In” - Gallant | Gallant makes me feel all kinds of romantic and dreamy all of the time, but almost no song so much as “Cave Me In.” This is some slow-motion Airpod-commercial nonsense. And how deeply relatable is that feeling of wanting so badly not to have to say aloud what you want or what you need or what you mean, and wanting instead for someone to just know, to just reach into you and take it out? And this song is so smooth that the ache of it feels real good.

“Body Like A Back Road” - Sam Hunt | If this song doesn’t put you in an instant good mood, then I don’t really know what to tell you. It’s hilarious and cute and sexy and fun, and it’s insanely sing-a-long-able, and it makes me want to drink beer and push someone off a dock and join a drum circle. It’s maybe a little too relaxed for most people in the gym, but sometimes I just want to think about someone laying me out in the back of their dumb car and licking salt off of my newly carved abs, okay? I think I deserve that, especially when I’m very sweaty and my arms hurt.

You can work out your fury listening to all of Hope’s choice tunes in a single playlist right here

See the world through Hope’s eyes –which includes a bit of hockey commentary– via Twitter: @brdofthesmmr

Keep your ears open – day 8 of the cmd+vent calendar drops tomorrow!

September 1, 2017

Wahoo! We’ve made it to another month this year. Today marks my second favorite month of the year, Pre-tober, as it is the month before October, and I spend all of it making numerous trips to World Market collecting Halloween party supplies, checking out creepy audiobooks from the library to listen to at my desk, and willing the weather to cool down enough for me to shake out my heavy knits from storage. Pumpkin spice flavor/scented EVERYTHING rolls up in Pre-tober, too, and that just makes waking up every morning a teeny bit more rewarding, doesn’t it? Whilst i know the only reason leaves are falling from trees is because the trees are so thirsty for water, they can’t sustain them, I still like to pretend they’re trying to tell us autumn is around the corner and not happening as late as November here in Los Angeles.

In the the letter this week, it brings me great pleasure to introduce five truly fantastic songs. Each artist noted below is wildly unique, and I’m so excited for you to hear them (if you haven’t already)!

Please reach out to me via the handy dandy contact page on the cmd+f website, or on Twitter with your thoughts about any of the tracks I’ve selected this week. I love chatting about music. Let me in on your new favorite band; they’re looking for new fans, too.

As always, you know the drill: if you like what you hear, spread the cheer. Tell your friends about the songs you liked in this letter, but most importantly, let the artists know. There’s a good chance they’ll see your comments. Let them know how good their tunes are, and they’ll crank out even more magic.

P.S. If you would like to have this letter sent to your email every Friday, please head over to this link right here to subscribe to never miss a weekly roundup!

________________________________________

“Chocolate” - Shy FX feat. Breakage, Ghetts, and Roses Gabor | BRUUUUUUUUH. This beat is insane. It’s dirty, thick, and smooth as hell all at once. What a fusion of textures wrapped up in this sweet little diddy - from Roses Gabor’s silky verses and a chock full of witty bars by the one and only Grime god Ghetts, “Chocolate” is quite the treat. Listen here

“You’ve Got The Heat” -  Luster | Throwback to the summer of ‘81: I wasn’t born yet, but the spirit of Luster’s sun-drenched tune “You’ve For The Heat” was definitely a-brewing. With an insatiable hook comparable to Tommy Tutone’s evergreen hit “867-5309 (Jenny),” “You’ve Got The Heat” could easily be slipped onto a bootleg copy of the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack and we’d be none the wiser. It’s a vivacious, upbeat summery tune I’ve been sitting on for the past few weeks. Still fresh as ever with each spin. Listen here

“SGL” - Now, Now | My first memory of Now, Now was in a dingy little venue located under an overpass in Seattle. They were still called Now, Now Every Children, and were opening for Hellogoodbye. Today, they’ve dropped the Every Children, and picked up a few more hooks & pop cues along the way. As their first release in three years, the duo have primed their return to music with a potential sleeper hit. Expect to hear “SGL” (short for “shotgun lover”) on some future shopping trips at the mall and scattered across various playlists over the coming months. Can’t deny we’re all sleeping on a low key bop. Listen here and watch the music video here

“Sophomore” -  Honey Lung | My heart is always craving more gut churning reverb, and thank goodness I’ve stumbled across Honey Lung recently. The London group’s only track I can see listed on Spotify here in the States is a dreamy, head banging, soul ripper that’s soaked in 90s rock nostalgia. While some shoegaze can turn a little sleepy, Honey Lung’s guitar work gets tighter and more impressive as the song crests upward, gains speed, and keeps your ears guessing even as the instrumentals peter out toward the end. Listen here

“Love in Bad Company” -  Gotts Street Park feat. Dielle | Last but certainly not least, “Love in Bad Company” is going to put you into a puddle of feelings. Produced by the UK collective Gotts Street Park, the group landed vocals by Leeds-based vocalist Dielle after hearing her perform at an open-mic night. Her soulful, velvety tones folded over the smooth jazz instrumentals is divine. You can hear the heartache bursting at the seams, and frankly, this is one of the most beautiful tunes I’ve heard to come out of 2017. If you're looking for a mood-de-booster to enhance your own Pre-tober moods, look no further. Listen here

BONUS

• Before everything else, stop what you are doing and watch the music video for Jessie Ware’s new single “Selfish Love.” I want to live in this twisted, seductive, Italian art house MASTERPIECE. Watch here

• Young chap Ten Tonnes has shared a new single, “Cracks Between.” Spiked with one last dose of energy as we fizzle away from eternal summertime sunshine. Listen here

• Calling all dance music fans: the new Hercules & Love Affair album is here!!! Whilst this time they’ve deviated more away from a classic disco vibe, the spirit of being bathed in glitter lives on. Listen here

• Like 7 years ago, LCD Soundsystem made a big to-do about disbanding and never ever making music together or performing live ever again. I remember watching a livestream of their final show in New York, and sobbed into a Big Gulp filled with rum and Coke during the closing notes of “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down.” Last summer, LCD Soundsystem rebanded (hell yes, in this economy!), I saw them perform at FYF Fest, and today they have a new album - american dream. As they say, your whole life trajectory can and likely will be completely different in 6 months time… and here we are. Listen here

• Skott’s newest single “Remain” has got me deep in my Pre-tober mood. Listen here

• Charlie Puth, the mastermind behind “Attention,” one of the most undeniable pop gems to drop this year, had reformulated this into a multi-format hit with a new remix featuring rapper Kyle. TBH, does Kyle add much more life to this song? If it’ll help it rise up the charts…. Listen here

• You are what you stream: send me your personalized Spotify.me playlists after heading over to the site and checking out some cool data on your music streaming habits. According to my statistics, “Xtal” by Aphex Twin is my most streamed song in my library, 59% of the songs I listen to are energetic, and I stream like I’m god damn Ina Garten (aka a cooking enthusiast). At the end of the fun little stats round up, they generate a playlist customized with artists you may and may not be familiar with. Here is mine: Listen here

________________________________________

New month, new playlist! If you’re interested in hearing what else I’ve been rinsing this month (aside from the tracks listed above), peep my personal September 2017 playlist. There I will be dumping in new (and occasionally throw back) tracks as the month carries on. You can dive into the cmd+f archive to hear what I’ve been listening to in previous months this year.

A(lmost a)ll of the tracks I’ve shared this week and past cmd+f newsletters are archived into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here. You’re welcome.

See you next week!