Our June playlist brings a few old favorites back, and adds a bunch of new artists as well. Smog (AKA Bill Callahan), Molly Tuttle, Rufus Wainwright, and Andrew Bird have all been heard before (and The Roches have songwriting credits), but everyone else is new this month. Take a listen to us talking about these songs, and let us know what you think.
Show notes from our June 2023 Spotify Podcast:
We started with Al’s ten submissions and Phoebe’s ten submissions, but our finished, 11-song playlist is put in an order that we think makes sense musically. Which is not same same order that we pick the songs during the picking ceremony heard during our podcast.
Song notes (Quotes are from song lyrics):
- “All these things appear to us, we learn them as we teach ourselves to reach as a billion loves”
As if Daniel Romano wasn’t talented enough as a musician, poet and visual artist, he also designed and tooled leather guitar straps for Kathleen Edwards, Bahamas, and Travis Good. - “We go on arguing, no one can say a thing, set down your key and trumpet, go have a dream and hump it”
Have you ever heard that cocktail party question “If you could invite anyone from history to a dinner party, who would you pick?”? The Roches might be on our list. - “Remember what the dormouse said: Feed your head”
Molly Tuttle’s version of The National’s “Fake Empire” was in our July 2021 playlist. We’re happy to have her back with another wonderful cover. - “Whether or not there is any type of God, I’m not supposed to say, and today I don’t really care”
Smog, AKA Bill Callahan, is no stranger to our playlist. “I Feel Like The Mother Of The World” is his fifth appearance here, but his first appearance as a newscaster. - “And I’ll give my days to the Neanderthals, with the classic rock and the wrecking ball, I’ll go swimming in the wet concrete and I’ll cast my pearls at the unpaved streets”
This song brings such joy. DeVotchKa’s “Queen of the Surface Streets” embodies a lot of why we love music. And yeah, it also brings a sousaphone. - “Now how I remember you, how I would push my fingers through, your mouth to make those muscles move, that made your voice so smooth and sweet”
Neutral Milk Hotel is a little like DeVotchKa, really. People making music for all the right reasons. If “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” doesn’t make you happy, we’re not sure we want to be your friend. - “As the days fly past, will we lose our grasp? Or fuse it in the sun?”
Andrew Bird has been in our playlist five times, while this is Rufus Wainwright’s second appearance. A lot of people have covered this Neil Young classic, but we’re not sure we’ve ever heard a more thoughtful version. - “I don’t suppose you’ll be unhappy, you’ll find ways to spend your time, but if you ever think about me, and if I ever cross your mind, just pretend I never happened”
When you’re Willie’s daughter, it’s probably expected that you have some good stories to tell. But Paula Nelson also holds a black belt in Taekwondo. Don’t fuck with the Nelsons. - “Did you ever want to run around with bandits, to see many places and hide in ditches, it’s not always easy”
Denton, Texas’ Midlake has been around since 1999, Here’s their lovely song “Bandits” from 2006. - “I won’t let it change me, not if I can, I’d rather believe in love, and give it away as much as I can to those that I’m fondest of”
We really love Bria’s cover of the Waylon Jennings classic “Dreaming My Dreams With You” (written by Allen Reynolds). - “Now I realize that time is not the only compromise, but a bird in the hand could be an all night stand”
We wanted to end this playlist acknowledging that there are so many beautiful things every single day that get overlooked. This song feels like that. There could be no more thoughtful end to this month’s playlist than Ferron’s “Ain’t Life A Brook”. If you want to read about a real artist who feels real things, A candid interview with Ferron, an unsung Canadian treasure.
Both our Spotify playlist and our podcast are updated and released around the first of each month. We’re recorded monthly in the warm and cozy hug of the OML Studios in lovely downtown Manchester, Richmond, Virginia.
Thanks to Woodford Reserve bourbon for help in recording this month. Theme music is from “Red Eye” by E’s Jammy Jams, accordion music by Andrew Huang.
Featured image: The Chicken of Feats, used in our ceremony to signify the decantation of bourbon. Named for the Little Feat song “Dixie Chicken”.
If you have questions or suggestions, feel free to let us know!
See you next month!
