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.

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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.

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“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!

June 23, 2017

The summer solstice has already eclipsed here in the northern hemisphere. I officially have to check if the tires of my care haven’t melted into the asphalt before I start my car, have taken to liberally applying sun cream on my face every 2 hours, and still haven’t increased my water intake. If this heat continues to press on like this, you’ll be receiving music recommendations from a golden raisin starting next week.

Please reach out to me via the handy dandy contact page on the cmd+f website, or on the cmd+f Twitter at @cmdf_me 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.

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“Times We Had” - SG Lewis feat. Toulouse | Let me start off by apologizing for holding out on you. I was initially going to drop this tune in last week’s letter, but it was very late and I wanted to have enough clarity and peace of mind to completely GUSH about “Times We Had.” UK producer SG Lewis has once again blown my mind. The mysterious Toulouse (who’s dropped a handful of tunes over the past year) offers up some soulful vocals over the kicks and snares. I swear me talking about it do it justice, so I’ll stop talking and let you go have a listen. Listen here

“As If It’s Your Last” -  BLACKPINK | If you’re a K-pop music fan, without a doubt you’ve already seen/heard this BOP. At the time I’m writing up this newsletter, the video has been up for 20 hours and has already amassed over 11 MILLION views on Youtube. Gah damn!! I saw a lot of friends screaming about this on Twitter when I came home from work last night, and so I turned it on and got my damn life. This is the gummiest, bubbliest, sweetest chorus. The melody will burrow its way into to your ear, and you’ll be sashaying your way through the day. Listen/watch here

“Desolately Devoted” -  Denai Moore | From the first note I heard come out of Denai Moore, I was moved. My entire core was soothed, I just clocked with her music instantly. Her new album We Used to Bloom is a seamless, glorious 37 minute journey. The first time I ran through it, I felt like i was covered in aloe after a day in the sun. I was sold on “Desolately Devoted” as soon as the choir came in toward the end. Listen here

“Will You Dive” -  Hot Dreams | This tune is a ghost of an early 90s Madchester daydream. Stuffed with delicious reverb, the tune starts out begging for a bit of shoegazing, all until it goes all balls out in the last minute and a half. It balls itself up before all crashing down on a loud, vicious jam session. Rock out, my friends. Listen here

“Reborn” -  Rae Morris | For those who do check out/listen to my monthly playlists, you’ll likely have heard this little joint already. It’s been placed in my June 17 playlist for the past two weeks. What made me put it in the letter this week happened this week after listening to Switched on Pop, a music podcast that breaks down and dissects pop music theory. Their latest episode broke down a few contemporary examples of songs riding on the “rule of 3s” in which the song can be split between three different distinctive layers in order to gain our maximum level of attention. While a seemingly simple formula, the listener can focus more on the content of the song. Using less also leaves open for more, while I be extra flourishes here or there. Well, what would you know: “Reborn” fits right on in with that rule of 3s.  Listen here 

BONUS

• If you’d like to listen to the full episode by the Switched on Pop podcast I mentioned above, the link is here. I can’t recommend their podcast enough; Nate and Charlie break down pop music in a way that’s interesting, and exciting. They’ve actually helped explain the appeal of so many hits on the charts I could not wrap my head around!

• VINCE STAPLES’ BIG FISH THEORY IS THE MOST WELL PRODUCED AOTY. THE HD BASS?? I SWEAR YOU HAVE LITERALLY NEVER HEARD ANYTHING LIKE THIS. KEY TUNE: “Yeah Right” Listen here

• Rita Ora’s video for “Your Song” is out, and I want names for this corporate affair she’s “working” at that allowed her to stroll in wearing a fishnet Comme des Garcons piratesque two piece suit and ballet flats because I wanna drop them my CV Watch here

• The xx have dropped a deluxe edition of their new album I See You. The star bonus track is “Seasons Run” - very much the seasonal affective disorder cousin of Lana’s “Summertime Sadness.” Go give that baby a few spins Listen here

• Go give ASAHD a pat on the back for all his hard work: DJ Khaled’s Grateful LP is out today (fav tune is “I Love You So Much” with Chance the Rapper) Listen here

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If you’re interested in hearing what else I’ve been rinsing this month (aside from the tracks listed above), peep my personal June 2017 playlist. 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!