Category: Weekly New Wonders Playlist !

It rained a ton here in NY this week and honestly it was kind of awesome. It meant I could “rock” my official rain playlist for several days and get completely immersed in a full on, all consuming moody rain experience. I am a complete rain nerd. The songs in my rain playlist are not necessarily about rain nor do they generally feature the word “rain” in their titles. Mostly they just feel like rain and have had some weird association with rain in my life. I don’t know if that makes sense but best way I can describe it is when I first heard Paul McCartney’s semi-soulful/slightly weird ballad “Arrow Through Me”, the last song on side one of 1979’s”Back To The Egg”as a young one, there was a thunderstorm happening outside. And so from that moment on it officially established itself as a “rain song”. And so as a result of this recent weather, some of the songs within the latest weekly New Wonders Playlist have the potential to end up on the old rain playlist which I swear to all the bands involved is a compliment of the highest order and not a remotely unhappy association. Rain on.

Listen on Soundcloud here:

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As a young person I loved Phil Collins. Loved him. And so I did what “every” nerdy teen loser girl does ( um, yeah): I drew pictures of him. Yes, they were my secret love songs to Phil and I showed them to no one. It was just between he and I. I especially loved bearded Phil during his Genesis years and the drawing you see here was my attempt to depict him in the most suave and romantic way possible using both pencil AND pen ( she’s crafty). Please don’t be scared, it’s only a drawing.

Now it’s time to honor THE most wonderful pop songs from over the past week which is to say here is the latest WEEKLY NEW WONDERS PLAYLIST, organized with love for you.

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Here is beautiful Michael Hutchence from back in the day stocking up. Reason he’s here is because there is a new documentary currently showing at the Tribeca Film Festival called “Mystify” about his life which is pretty special and I wanted to recommend you go check it out when you get the chance.

And so here for you is a small stack of music, a week late due to some technical difficulties here at Picking Up Rocks headquarters (that’d be my house and the culprits would be a large phone company that begins with the letter V). It’s an oddly subtle pop style playlist, both cooly insidious and mighty fine. Please dig in and find your new favorite song. They’ll never tear us apart.

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I always loved Janet Jackson’s key. As a result, I too once endeavored to use a single key as a fashion accessory. I didn’t do the ear but instead hung it from a chain I wore around my neck in an attempt to be as effortlessly cool as Janet. Needless to say, I didn’t look remotely as cool as her. The fact is when Janet was in her all black, square-shouldered, turtlenecked, booted, hatted, militaristic,disciplinary phase in the late 80’s no one looked as cool. In the same way I prefer “Papa Don’t Preach” Madonna and “brunette” Madonna, “dictator/boss” Janet will always be the BEST Janet to me. Anyway, the latest Weekly New Wonders is here ! I was just thinking about Janet because one of the fine new songs therein reminded me of those exquisite Janet ballads from the “boss” era and their accompanying moody nighttime videos. Still so good. But hey, here are some amazing NEW songs, and I do mean amazing, just for you. You can listen on Soundcloud or Spotify below…

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This is a weird and cool painting by David Bowie. I love him dearly but for some reason, until last year, I really wasn’t really familiar with his actual physical artwork. I knew he painted but until I saw the actual physical evidence in person at the masterful Bowie exhibition at NY last year, I had little awareness of how much he actually produced. Seeing the overwhelming volume of drawings, paintings, and storyboards on display was one of the coolest, and oddly most endearing things about the whole event and only served to increase the overwhelming love I have for this guy ( for the record, the polaroids and his personal coke spoon were runners up in the coolest Bowie things I saw there). What I’m getting at is that the latest Weekly New Wonders Playlist is a couple of days late. And all of the above is a roundabout way to say it’s never too late to meet any song ( or piece of art). And so, let me introduce you to a bunch of sweet, new pop songs that are just dying to meet you, right on time.

You can listen on Soundcloud or Spotify below !

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It’s that time. Here are the latest in wonderful new tunes compiled with love and alive within the latest Weekly New Wonders Playlist. Your new favorite song is waiting for you. You can listen on Soundcloud or Spotify below. Rock on…

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That’s young Bryan Ferry, age 28 circa 1973 cutting a fine figure in his leather shirt, brocade jacket, and blue eyes. And here are some equally beautiful things, the latest in wonderful new music by exotic people, all assembled within the Weekly New Wonders Playlist. It’s 2 weeks worth so it’s a little bit fatter than usual. You can listen on Soundcloud or Spotify and feel free to stare into the Ferryman’s eyes for inspiration.

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The video from which the screenshot above is taken, Billy Squier’s “Rock Me Tonite” circa 1984, is said to have singlehandedly killed his career ( especially according to Billy). Up until the point this video was released, he was something of a cool AOR rock god loved by girls and boys alike. The song itself was the biggest hit of his career and frankly, it still rules to this day. The “problem” revolved around Billy’s dance moves on display within the video which were seen as embarrassingly fey or inept or both depending on how cruel you were and the fact that he literally pranced, not danced, in a most brazen, uninhibited fashion. Full on hardcore, in your face prancing. It’s ridiculous, maybe even cringeworthy but it’s also totally lovable, I mean, I love it and it only enhanced Billy’s spirit in my eyes. Which is to say you can trust me to be brutally honest about everything here with no fear and tell you that this weeks latest Weekly New Wonders are all beautiful, wonderful and otherworldly pop songs. You can listen on Soundcloud or Spotify below. Rock me tonite.

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As a kid I thought this was 1 serving as it said Hungry-Man, as in 1 singular human. In retrospect I see eating 1 whole pound of food is probably meant to be a shared a experience with another human no matter how hungry you are. But I definitely ate a few of these things solo. The latest Weekly New Wonders Playlist is equally full: hefty and fat with pop anthems and crying music: please enjoy !

As usual you can listen on Soundcloud or Spotify but please note playlists are slightly different ( 1-2 songs) as not every track is available in both places. Check ’em both out if you are a nerdy completist like me.

Listen on Soundcloud here:

Listen on Spotify here:

https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/esperanza19/playlist/7aNhnt0SvZy1pWEfotYvCQ

Love this album cover. Couldn’t find a decent pic of it online but hopefully you get the idea. It’s way better in person I swear. It perfectly conveys the wistful and weary country soul of the legendary title track the LP is named after, which hopefully you’ve heard ( both from 1973). It’s about getting strength, as well as the will to keep going, from a song, which is a sentiment we strongly appreciate and relate to around these parts. And with that, here are the latest soul freeing and magnificent offerings from the past week.

You can listen on Soundcloud or Spotify but fyi, the Spotify list is a couple of songs longer as there are tracks that are not yet on Soundcloud. Check ’em both out if you don’t want to miss anything.

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