Category: Weekly New Wonders Playlist !

When you visit a branch of the Public Library in NYC, there’s a security guard that checks your bag as you leave to make sure nothing’s been stolen. During a visit last year I opened my bag… & inadvertently exposed my soul. I hate listening to music on my phone because of some neurotic issues I have regarding “control” & “privacy” ( you’re not the boss of me man). And so I also carry around a fully loaded, overly-curated ipod. Upon seeing the ipod in my bag the guard smiled & laughed, “oh, old school !”. It was then some involuntarily defense mechanism kicked in & I found myself explaining to him why I had it. But truth is, I totally love that little machine to it’s antiquated, President Obama era core ( note: I mean my current one as a few ipods passed away over the years) & as long as I’m roaming the planet & can find replacements as each blessed machine “expires”, I’m gonna keep using these tiny, beautiful metallic nerd stereos & will continue to bow in reverence to their obsolete & old school hearts.

And so just wanted to honor my longstanding musical partner who tirelessly assists me in compiling the WEEKLY NEW WONDERS PLAYLIST each week, the latest edition of which you can hear below ! It features the finest, most life-affirming, heart-squeezing & foxiest songs we’ve heard over the past week & I hope it brings you light tonight.

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Between 1963 and 1966 Andy Warhol filmed hundreds of what he called “Screen Tests” starring the coterie of muses, acquaintances & hangers-on that were part of his artistic universe. About 10 years ago, 13 of the tests were compiled into a short film called “13 Most Beautiful…” with musical accompaniment provided by Dean Wareham & Britta Phillips ( formerly of Luna). The screen test above is from 1965 & features Paul America doing nothing but chewing a piece of gum whilst oozing ridiculous amounts of charisma. It’s stupidly hypnotic & dumbly beautiful & is here for the sole purpose of providing some glamorously dirty distraction from all the mayhem (for at least a few minutes).

Welcome to the latest WEEKLY NEW WONDERS PLAYLIST featuring the finest new songs we’ve heard over recent days. They too are hypnotically beautiful & all are #1 in our heart. You can listen to ’em below on Soundcloud or Spotify.

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Gonna get pretentious for a second. In 1958, the famed abstract painter Mark Rothko gave an address at Pratt Institute where he outlined “the recipe of a work of art, it’s ingredients, how to make it, the formula”. He then laid out the ingredients:   

1.There must be a clear preoccupation with death, intimations of mortality. Tragic art, romantic art, etc., deals with the knowledge of death.

2.Sensuality. Our basis of being concrete about the world. It is a lustful relationship to things that exist.

3.Tension. Either conflict or curbed desire.

4.Irony. This is a modern ingredient; the self-effacement & examination by which a man for an instant can go on to something else.

5.Wit and play … for the human element..

6.The ephemeral & chance … for the human element.

7.Hope. 10% to make the tragic concept more endurable.

“I measure these ingredients very carefully when I paint a picture. It is always the form that follows these elements and the picture results from the proportions of these elements.”

I had no awareness of this quote until about 10 years ago, even though I went to freakin’ art school. And to be frank, I’m not a Rothko fan… but once these old words landed in my head, they never left & I occasionally find myself applying them to movies, books & songs. They aren’t a catch all for every work of art & yeah, you can cherry-pick their sentiments like you do when you read a horoscope. And they can sound calculated, contradictory & blind to the involuntary impulses inherent in creation…but there is some absolute, beautiful truth in there. 

And hey, it’s time for the latest WEEKLY NEW WONDERS PLAYLIST featuring the finest songs that crossed our path this week. All are full of chance, sensuality, mortality, tension, wit & hope & they are all unspeakably wonderful. 

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Man, what a week. But somehow we made it through. Time to freakin’ start the healing. YES YES YES. And using that song by those guys up there to help soundtrack the celebratory fireworks tonight ? Add a YES for that too 🙂 Here’s the latest WEEKLY NEW WONDERS PLAYLIST featuring the best new music we’ve heard over this tumultuous week. Please dig these brilliant pop songs, may they infiltrate your heart & ignite some true love. Rock on for real…

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And so this is the last playlist before you know what. Not gonna offer anything because you know what the deal is. I voted early in NYC & was blown away by the energy level & eagerness of everyone at the polling venue. Outside I got handed a free sandwich the size of a fireplace log of “the best Jamaican barbecue ever” ( I don’t eat meat so I shared it). I was wearing my NY Mets face mask & was greeted/acknowledged by other fans on both the outside & inside of the polling place. The guy outside was wearing a Mets cap but also felt the need to open his jacket to show me his Mets jersey. Then right after I voted as I was walking out, another fan/acolyte appeared in a Mets cap & shouted “Let’s Go Mets” at me. And yeah, all that makes me feel real love for my home state & city & favorite “ghost town”. Here’s to new beginnings & better days y’all.

The latest WEEKLY NEW WONDERS PLAYLIST featuring the best new songs we’ve heard over recent days is here. They are all plush & absolutely gorgeous & #1 in our heart. You can check them all out below.

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Until today I had no idea what this Charlie McCoy album from 1969 sounded like, all I knew was I couldn’t get enough of that cover art. I can now confirm it sounds exactly the way it looks & Charlie’s countrified harmonica is the musical equivalent of an 18 wheeler picking up a hitchhiker in 1969, meaning it’s so joyful that there has to be something sinister afoot. That is one straight up handsome cowboy/cowgirl of an album cover.

And with that it’s time for the latest WEEKLY NEW WONDERS PLAYLIST featuring the finest new songs we’ve heard over recent days. It’s unusually small this week but that means there’s absolutely no excuse for not listening to the whole thing ! Every song in it is extra beautiful & all are # 1 in a better, alternate universe as we speak. Listen below on Soundcloud or Spotify.

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When I was a kid I fantasized about being an album cover artist. At some point I’d become obsessed with a book my Mom had, Alan Aldridge’s “The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics” ( read about that insanity here) which set me on a road of trying to “draw music”. One of the first albums I owned was Billy Preston’s The Kids and Me ( read about my suburban soul girl roots here) which featured a very cool painting on the cover that I would stare at endlessly. I’m still fixated on album art to this day & it often determines what I listen to on Bandcamp (a bad painting or line drawing is always more alluring & just plain better than a childhood photo). Anyway, even though I didn’t become an album cover artist, I still try to draw music with my trusty ballpoint pen. I did the drawing above to go with this weeks playlist & while it is by no means a literal explanation of the songs within it, it was created while they were pumping into the headphones. It’s okay if you ignore the drawing, just please listen to these brilliant songs that caught our ear this week. They are all the # 1 song in heaven. Listen below on Soundcloud or Spotify .

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That’s an old pic titled “Dusk, New Jersey” from 1978 by legendary photographer Joel Meyerowitz. It’s exceptionally calming, making it an ideal image to stare at these days. Breathe in, breathe out. And with that, welcome to the latest WEEKLY NEW WONDERS PLAYLIST featuring the best new music we’ve heard over recent days. It was a (mostly) mellow, dreamy & introspective sounding week in terms of volume (which also included a couple of cool covers) & in keeping with the pic, sounds perfect for right now. They are all # 1’s in our heart. Listen on Soundcloud or Spotify below.

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Hey, it’s time for the latest WEEKLY NEW WONDERS PLAYLIST featuring the finest songs that have crossed our path over recent days. This week’s list is small which is no reflection on how big these tracks are in our heart. While we are usually able to offer up double digit playlists sometimes it’s nice to have something a bit smaller to digest…and that’s just how it worked out this week. Think of it as a chance to spend more quality time with this special handful. You can listen on Soundcloud or Spotify below. Rock on…

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Welcome to the latest WEEKLY NEW WONDERS PLAYLIST featuring the absolute finest songs we’ve heard over recent days. I drew some cover art to go with this week’s playlist with my ballpoint ( had to take a pic as my printer is on the blink but you get the idea). There were a lot of transcendently beautiful songs this week so who better than a bird full of love to take you there. All are #1 in our heart & hopefully provide the perfect soundtrack for gazing at whatever it is you most want to gaze at. You can listen on Soundcloud or Spotify below. 

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