Music that I discovered or rediscovered in 2020
A companion piece to Revisionist Nostalgia
I don’t endorse microdosing during the day, but if you were to do so, this would be the right playlist for you.
This playlist features international sounds, the blues, a couple of remixes, and some other face-melting stuff. More liner notes below.
Stream Keep Calm and Mask On
Keep Calm and Mask On Playlist
- She’s Got To Be Somewhere – David Crosby
- Fresh Out – Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Buddy Guy
- You’re Gonna Look Good in Blues – Tony Joe White
- The Glass – Michael Nau
- Cannock Chase – Labi Siffre
- Dealer – John Martyn
- Polk – Placebo
- Melting Pot – Orgone
- Oolong – LoPhi
- Things Are Gonna Get Easier – Low Motion Disco
- Mr. White – Khruangbin
- White Winter Hymnal – Fleet Foxes
- Devil’s Gonna Get You – Various Artists
- Please Do – Amir Bresler
- On My Mind – Circles Around The Sun
- Going To The Country – Pokey LaFarge
- Summer Keeps On Passing Me By – Jazzanova, Ben Westbeech
- I Can Feel the Fire – Ronnie Wood
- WAKE Me Up – Elvis Costello And The Roots
- Crazy – Daniela Andrade
- The Wild Kindness – Silver Jews
- Blyth Street Nocturne – Surprise Chef
- Forever & Beyond – Romano
- Crossroad of Love – Sababa 5, Yurika
- Yolcu – Altin Gün
- Mix Istanbul – Kutiman
- Elimi Tut (feat. Ecem Telli) – Serhat Durmus, BÖ, Ecem Telli
- Subhana – Ahmed Ben Ali
- Cafunga – Lecuona Cuban Boys
- Lupita – Nico Gomez And His Afro Percussion Inc.
- Saint Claude Dash – Gitkin
- lovers’ carvings – Bibio
- Bold Soul Sister – The Black On White Affair
- Sundown – Gordon Lightfoot
- Before Kiddos Bath – Dumbo Gets Mad
- ピッコロ社 – Joe Hisaishi
- Dove – Cymande
- Elevator – JAFFA
- Go Back – Tony Allen, Damon Albarn
- Summer Sun – Markus Enochson Remix – Koop
- Stumble – Richard Dorfmeister Cinematic Way Version – Kraak & Smaak, Parcels, Richard Dorfmeiste
Liner Notes
The first track on this mix is by David Crosby, but it sounds like Steely Dan.
Have you heard Christone “Kingfish” Ingram? We caught him at XPN’s NON-COMM in 2019 and have been fans ever since.
One of my favorite wedding couples turned me on to Labi Siffre. You might recognize his song “I got the…” which was sampled by Eminem for “My Name Is.” Try a deep dive into his catalog. You’ll be happy you did.
My clients turn me on to some of the best music. Three weddings this past year featured music from Studio Ghibli – an Anime studio that’s well regarded in the geek-o-sphere. The sounds are whimsical, delightful and give me a feeling of anamonia. My Studio Ghibli playlist is still under development, but you can listen to it here.
I think a lot about David Berman – a talented musician who became active one last time before taking his own life in his early 50s. He’s been in heavy rotation for me this year, and I could have included about half a dozen songs of his on this playlist. The philadelphia-based record label, Dear Life Records recently put together a compilation of David Berman covers called Late Homework, with the proceeds going to Shatterproof a national nonprofit dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in the United States.
The feature image was graciously provided by Jason Bergman. His keen eye helped me keep 2020 in focus. Follow him on Instagram.
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