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!

December 8, 2017

Mercury in Retrograde of 2017. Not to be an extremely stereotypical millennial Angeleno by getting deep with astrology references, but with the retrograde coinciding and ending just before the end of the year, and the year-end kinda feeling sparking a sense of reflection… now is the best time to that thinking about all the things that got us through this dumpster fire we’ve survived called 2017:

Personally, I started listening to audiobooks and podcasts at double speed at my very boring day job for 8 hours (which kept me sane before I was honored with a career offer), acquired a taste for binge-watching TV (thanks to my wonderful friend who kindly gave me their streaming account passwords), and spent my Thursday nights typically not sleeping to put up a music newsletter about new and under the radar artists I want to share with the world. I’ve amassed over 230 songs that each have a detailed caption as to why it’s worth your time.

As if cmd+f isn’t a large enough project in and of itself, I’ve been working on giving you readers even MORE music goodness before the end of the year.

Rather than compiling yet another playlist containing my top 50 pop tracks of 2017 (I really couldn't help myself, please forgive me), I’ve reached out to a handful of select readers to write about their musical journey throughout 2017. Keep an eye out over the next couple weeks for more music recommendations, personal essays, and other delightful discoveries in music from 2017, all written by readers like you!

The cmd+f advent calendar will commence starting next week.

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. As you already know, 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!

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“Untitled in D” - Spector | Spector, your favorite feel-good-tune-making band you’ve likely never heard before if you live outside Europe, returned with a witty, infectious single. Mocking a densely superficial culture that’s ironically consuming at astonishing rates only to have nothing to show for it, it’s a sad and deliciously humorous homage to the hopelessness millennials are trying to shake amidst a global employment and financial crisis. If the song is honestly not this deep, accept my apologies, but know this chorus fucking slaps. Listen here

“Fake Satan” -  Demob Happy | What are your demons? Demob Happy are here to tell you the simple pleasures of love and sex in life may have a bad PR rap, but that’s all [2017’s word of the year] FAKE. You’ll feel extra inspired by this scuzzy, juicy glam-rock  bassline and sharp drums chugging along throughout. You heard it here, folks: indulge in these flesh bags before we all rot under the sun. Listen here

“GRRRLS” - AViVA | I’ve been sitting on this track for weeks, trying my darnedest to express which elements of this song sparked a hint of nostalgia. Did you ever wonder what Avril Lavigne would have sounded like if she did an original song for a Tim Burton film? Now I must explain myself, and I mean this with the utmost respect for AViVA and Avril’s tunes–”GRRRLS” sounds precisely like it's been plucked off a Tim Burton soundtrack as interpreted by Avril Lavigne, down to the biting, insatiable chorus piling over an eerie, wavering piano hook. The chorus dives into an unsettling choir of “la la la’s” and shadowed with warped voices.. Listen here

“Human Age” -  FEHM | I can never resist a bit of dark wave. For those looking for a heavy synth and the relentless crushing weight of existential dread, may I recommend post-punk goodness from FEHM? Listen here

“Into Me” - Strange Names | Now a complete 180 from the previous track, I present the bubbly mid-Western turned Moved to the Big Apple to Make It Big trio Strange Names. The band claims the track is about people not acting out and reflecting their true feelings, but rather putting on a facade. All that fudgery turns into a very twisted mind game. Then you get LOVESICK. Blegh! “Into Me” pans out like a film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice directed by John Hughes (could you IMAGINE if this were a real thing?!). “I heard you are so ordinarily, extra into me,” the chorus chimes, “and your camouflage is just a mirage.” I am all the way extra into this song. Listen here

BONUS

• It’s that time of year again where Spotify users can check out stats on their listening habits throughout the year! This year my most listened tune was “Xtal” by Aphex Twin simply because I no joke listened to it on repeat for 5 hours at a time when working at my last job to help me focus. Spotify generates a handy playlist of your Top 100 most listened tracks of the year, along with a 30-track music discovery playlist. Check it all out here

• Although it’s been out for a minute, it’s just come to my attention MUNA have covered Paul McCartney’s “Pipes of Peace” for a holiday compilation Listen here

• [CUE CHARLI XCX IS COMING OUT WITH A NEW MIXTAPE NEXT WEEK AIRHORN] Yeah! You heard right! Charli XCX is pulling out all the stops on her new mixtape [making it theeee biggest pop event to end 2017, let’s be real] that’s dropping NEXT Friday, featuring future hitbangers with Brooke Candy, cupcakKe, MØ, Kim Petras, Mykki Blanco, CARLY RAE JEPSEN, and many more. Listen to the first track off the project “Out of My Head” featuring Tove Lo and ALMA Listen here

• There’s a new Quality Control compilation out featuring new tracks with Migos, Gucci Mane, Lil Yachty, Cardi B, and a billion other emcees. Available exclusively on Apple Music here

• 2018’s next big breakout pop act Billie Eilish shared her Soundtrack of her Life with Teen Vogue, and it’s pretty dope Watch here

• Sufjan Stevens wrote, recorded, and pitched a song for the new Tonya Harding biopic (it was rejected), and just a fair warning: it’s gonna break your heart. “Of course it is, it’s Sufjan,” you say. Somehow Brother Suf has outdone himself. Listen here

• Enjoy an ongoing playlist of covers I’ve been compiling over the past 3 years consisting of nothing but covers of Wham!’s classic “Last Christmas” 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 December 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!

September 15, 2017

The coming week is going to be exciting for me. After many moons, the day has nearly arrived in which I will be seeing a concert lineup of my fever dreams: MUNA and Harry Styles live at the Greek Theater. Somebody pinch me, please! I’ve been working very hard at day-job stuff so I’ve been neglecting actual live concert coverage for the past month, so I’m very much looking forward to this one, so much so I’ve requested the day after the show off from my day job. It’s serious.

We’ve already got fourth quarter heating up - artists are coming forward with album release announcements and new singles. Considering 2017 has been the wildest year of Madlibs and nostalgia comeback tours, who do you think is going to come out of left field with a new album? After seeing that Cher and Future GAP ad, oh what I’d give for another Cher single.

Anyhow, I’ve harvested five sweet tracks for you to enjoy throughout your week.

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. As you already know, 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!

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 “Where’s the Bass Amp?” - Superfood | When you say “a-boom chicka boom,” and you chk chk boom to boom biddy bumbombrrapp skeetybeep pap pap - well, you get the gist. This little earworm is the opening track from Superfood’s new album Bambino. I’ve tested this extensively throughout the past week with the general public (re: my co workers) by playing it aloud (at my desk during work hours), and 100% of my subjects responded with a hip sway, a hop-skip-jump jump, or even a verbal response of delight. With findings like that, “Where’s the Bass Amp?” allows for guaranteed satisfaction. Listen here

“Victoria Falls” -  Flyte | Phew! I’ve been gabbing on and on to a handful of friends this week about Flyte. I stumbled across their sonically light-hearted Beatles-esque tune “Cathy Come Home” (which is lyrically about a loved one begging Cathy to get out of an abusive relationship), and in turn dove head first into Flyte’s debut album The Loved Ones. While definitely soaked in 60s/70s rock vibes, their sound varies across a massive span of influences. With a guitar solo slick enough to make Blue Oyster Cult proud, “Victoria Falls” shines bright with a breadth of lush harmonies woven throughout the tune. Truly my most warming find I’ve stumbled upon this week. Listen here

“Soft power” -  Ayla | Holy moly… Ayla is onto something. I was unsure about “Soft power” when it first started playing, but as the song builds on itself, it beefs up with a handful of plot twists - from the instrumental chorus, the politically charged lyrics. It took me ages to dig up info on Ayla herself, and I finally found a single blog post about her on a Swedish entertainment blog. Through the power of Google Translate, it turns out Ayla is yet another Swedish genius. If you enjoy unconventional pop (re: Grimes, Charli XCX, Lykke Li, etc.), “Soft power” is right up your alley. Listen here

“Lifted Away” -  Joseph | Once again, shout out to my pal Agnes for throwing this gem down in front of me yesterday. Before I dip into the song itself, I feel very obligated to know my friend Brittany is likely reading this with her fist pumping in the air with delight knowing she’s heard of a music artist from this list before reading the letter. Joseph are her GIRLS, her Oregonian kin. While Joseph already have a strong following, I’ve plucked “Lifted Away” to share as it sounds completely different to their usual “White Winter Hymnal” / Power ‘Muricana sound. “Lifted Away” has a fate fit for a major motion picture trailer/soundtrack, potential for bubbling under the radar on local rock radio, and hell, even a nice life on all of the playlists you’re throwing together to slog your way through the next few months. Listen here

“Flags” -  Shoffy feat. Yuna | A year ago, I watched this guy perform on the pool deck of the rooftop bar at the Mondrian on Sunset in West Hollywood. It was a private event for press and label execs, and he really impressed me. I lost touch with his manager to set up an interview in the future about his forthcoming projects (so if you’re reading this right now...hit me up), and now he’s got a full on album. That night I learnt Shoffy (named Alex) is (or now likely WAS) a suit-and-tie professional by day working in finance who comes home to write sexy R&B jams at night. He’s had some explosive success on streaming services over the years, racking up literal MILLIONS (one has over 40 million!!) of streams on his tunes (seriously, his songs have cropped up in every major pop curated playlist I’ve stumbled upon since 2015). Now his new single and opening track from his debut self-titled LP ”Flags” features Malaysian pop goddess Yuna. Despite all the online success with his songs, Shoffy’s career is only starting to simmer. “Flags” is the ultimate soft bop. Listen here

BONUS

• MUNA, one of my absolute favorite bands and Album of the Year contenders, are about to kick off their tour opening for Harry Styles next week and have finally released a studio recording of their tune “In My Way” Listen here

• Your favorite Norwegian more-punk-than-pop band Sløtface have dropped their debut album Try Not to Freak Out. While half the album’s already been released via singles/previous EPs, it’s a delight to imagine it as an entire LP filled with songs for an imaginary teen movie soundtrack. Listen here

• Queen of Behind the Scenes Footage Cut Music Videos Carly Rae Jepsen has shared a really cute video cut with behind the scenes footage leading up to actual choreographed music video footage for her splash summer single “Cut to the Feeling.” It’s directed by Gia Coppola, because why not??? Watch here

• LORDE FEAT. KHALID, SZA (er, and Post Malone) - HOMEMADE DYNAMITE REMIX Listen here

• BURIAL - “RODENT” Listen here

• It was the late Amy Winehouse’s birthday yesterday. Dua Lipa and Gallant paid a touching tribute with an absolutely incredible cover of Amy’s “Tears Dry On Their Own” Watch here

• Niall Horan has announced his debut album Flicker will be released (a week before my birthday!) on October 20, and has gifted us with a world of pain with his new single “Too Much To Ask.” With the lyric “my shadow’s dancing without you for the first time,” I got three words for young Niall: WHO HURT YOU???? Listen here

• Following up about Nadine Coyle’s new single “Go to Work,” and it’s available on streaming services in the States now. I’m not saying this little gay club BOP has helped me get through 15 hours of overtime in the past week, but then again, you’ll never really know 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 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!

February 3, 2017

This is an archived post originally sent out via the cmd+f weekly newsletter

Happy February! I got overzealous this week and have plucked 6 tracks and a full album recommendation. I hope you enjoy!

Hit me up on Twitter at @hellogoodbritt with your thoughts about any of the recommendations below, and please do send me any finds of your own. If you like any of the songs mentioned in this letter, tell your friends about it, but most importantly let the artists know, too! They work really hard on helping evolve the culture.

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“Ultra Love” - Brödet | You know that point in your dreams when deep in your gut you know it’s about to turn south? That sinister itch you try to stave off so desperately? And you can’t even wake yourself up in the midst of it happening? That’s what “Ultra Friend” sounds like. In contrast, it also sounds a lot like the first time I went into a sensory deprivation tank for an hour –soothing, serene, yet an edge of uneasiness having to confront some serious ass feelings.  Listen here

“Thumbs” -  Sabrina Carpenter | I love me a Disney Channel star leading her way into a music career. I’ve said this several times, but I have an inkling that Sabrina’s going to have a Selena-esque career trajectory. Sabrina’s debut LP EVOLution is stacked with some bangers. “Thumbs” is gaining traction on the US radio at the moment – and rightfully so. The chorus is catchy, and it’s the kind of campy conscious pop we need in these trying political times. The bridge says it all “Don't believe everything that you hear/ Let it go through your left and right ear / Don't just march to the beat of that drum / Don't be one of them people just twiddling them thumbs.” What a nice way to remind us to get off our asses and make our way through the world! Listen here

“Daddy” -  Rotana | This one came to me via press email, and PHEW! “Daddy” is how we thought Gaga’s JOANNE would sound like: a powerhouse intersection of dark pop production overlaid with solid country pop-like vocals. This is the only song under Rotana’s profile at the moment, but according to her release she made her debut performance at Sundance last month. I’m intrigued to see what else she’s going to deliver.  “Daddy” is a solid introduction.  Listen here

“Love is the Beast” - ROMANS, Avelino | I’m praying 2017 is the year for both of these artists. ROMANS is an incredibly talented UK songwriter who’s penned some tracks for Alicia Keys, Disclosure, and Mary J Blige (look at his own Spotify playlist to get a grasp; CHOONS ON CHOONS) - alas he’s signed to Roc Nation. We must not let him pitter off our radars. Meanwhile Avelino is rising the ranks and paving a path for UK hip hop (not Grime!!) with some of the smoothest bars in the game. Would not surprise me if Drake’s snatched him up for whatever new project Drake’s working on now.   Listen here

“Little Black Book” -  PUZZLE | Okay, the chorus is totally channeling some maaaajor Debbie Deb vibessssssss. Whew! I need more acts to pluck that Freestyle essence and punch them into their production – “Little Black Book” has just enough to have you groove and jam with ease. Listen here

“In The Air” -  Ten Fé | For those who crave a bit of UK indie rock, Ten Fé absolutely nail modernizing the Madchester scene. The harmonies during the chorus of “In The Air” are simply divine. They dropped their debut LP Hit the Light today, so give that a rinse if you dig this track.  Listen here

FULL ALBUM REC: About U - MUNA | I’ve been waiting for this album all damn year, and it’s finally here, living up to every ounce of expectation I set for it. I heard all the new songs for the first time Wednesday night when I saw them kick off their first headline tour at the Teragram Ballroom in LA, swiped up an early copy of the album to blast on the way home, and it’s honestly already ranked up on my AOTY list - and it’s only February. DEFINITELY LISTEN HERE

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To keep up with everything I’ve been listening to this month, please feel free to follow up my monthly Spotify playlist for February 2017 here.

I’ll also be adding all of the tracks I post in the cmd+f newsletters to a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here and listen at your leisure.

See you next week!