My other website is a pizza blog.
June 2026
Date Added: 6/1/26
Song: Jenny Jenny
Artist: AnnenMayKantereit
DJ: John
Commentary: "I watched the music video for Psychos and it fit the 1970s Fleetwood Mac themes perfectly. I can really hear Dreams in that song and it’s hard to imagine it’s not an homage to that.
With that in mind, we’re not going to the 1970s but instead we are staying in Jenny-land (which, incidentally, is not the Bronx).
I’m sharing the track Jenny Jenny (we’re doubling up on Jennies) by the band AnnenMayKantereit. These guys are one of my favorite German bands and the lead singer’s vocals are quite unique and impressive. This is actually one of their more pedestrian songs when it comes to his vocals so I’ll share a couple more songs of theirs in second chances.
The general premise of this song is that Jenny “Cloud Rider” is a flight attendant and her job is simultaneously monotonous - greeting passengers and showing them their seats - and something many dream of - visiting far off lands like Panama - but only being able to see them for 10 minutes before you have to turn around and come back, and the disconnect between those and its impact on her identity."
Date Added: 6/2/26
Song: Jeannie Becomes a Mom
Artist: Caroline Rose
DJ: Jeff
Commentary: "Thanks John for the song Jenny Jenny. I think there’s a lot of really interesting elements in that song. Between his voice and the German lyrics, it really adds some texture to the playlist.
If we’re starting to double up Jennys, my first thought was 867-5309. But then in thinking about songs about jennys, I found a different one whose theme was an interesting contrast to Jenny the flight attendant who never really has a home and can never really put down roots.
My pick for today is Jeannie Becomes a Mom (I hope it’s okay it’s a Jeannie and not a Jenny) by Caroline Rose off her 2018 album LONER. In contrast to flight attendant Jenny, Jeannie is putting down highly conventional domestic roots in Kansas, and maybe it’s for the better and it’s giving her stability, but maybe she’s also going to be left behind by the Jenny flight attendants of the world…"
May 2026
Date Added: 5/1/26
Song: Beautiful
Artist: Anyma, Joji
DJ: Brian
Commentary: "Damn, in terms of ‘songs that sound like a Daft Punk song,’ I think John just climbed to the freaking summit - well done. The instrumentation behind the vocals in Don't Wait Up even sound like Get Lucky by Daft Punk. Rather than fail miserably to one-up that, I'm picking a newer electronic song with manipulated vocals that I heard on the Coachella livestream a couple weeks ago. My wife and I watch all the DJ sets, but I didn't really have a big EDM phase when I was younger. That said, this guy ‘Anyma’ has a song featuring Joji that I really enjoyed, and Joji's vocals are slightly similar to Midnight Generation so it's my pick today."
Date Added: 5/2/26
Song: Kites
Artist: Geographer
DJ: Jeff
Commentary: "Alright to close out the week, I was excited to follow up on this techno/electropop/edm vein we’ve gone down. I had a LOT of potential contenders to follow up Brian that could each send us into some interesting different directions, including post malone, brothertiger, eric prydz. I was really really tempted to shoehorn in some M83 because he’s one of my favorite artists. But if I’m being really honest, in the spirit of Hear Me Out, there was one song that truly flows from Beautiful in my brain. The singer’s unique voice and the slow vocals on top of the fast electronic music and dance beat - Kites by Geographer off the 2010 album Animal Shapes. I listened to this album so much back then, I kind of wore this song out for myself but I still love it."
Date Added: 5/3/26
Song: The Warning
Artist: Hot Chip
DJ: Claire
Commentary: "I really enjoy 'Kites', Jeff. To you it's worn out. To me it's new yet oddly nostalgic. On that note, Hot Chip is a band that I really only 'discovered' well after their popularity peaked. The title track off of 2006's 'The Warning' has a similar bittersweet, Indietronic, twee-adjacent sound as 'Kites'. Maybe most of all, I love the melancholic threats. 'Hot Chip will break your legs.'"
Date Added: 5/4/26
Song: Headlock
Artist: Imogen Heap
DJ: Dan
Commentary: "I really like the sound that comes from music boxes. That Hot Chip intro does it for me. The music boxes reminded me of the intro to "Headlock" by Imogen Heap. It's electronic so misses some of that really pure feeling I get from an actual music box, but still a great track."
Date Added: 5/5/26
Song: Moles
Artist: Paris Monster
DJ: Jeff
Commentary: "Okay Headlock brought me to the song Moles by Paris Monster. These songs are more cousins than siblings, but somehow the vibe and aesthetic of Imogen Heap brought my mind here. Like Frou Frou, Paris Monster is an electronic duo. The vocalist plays drums and keyboard while the bassist also mans a giant rack of modular synths. Moles in particular has a very Headlock vibe with the pacing, the mood, the snare/bass/synth/vocals combo, and in the second verse of Moles there are even synthy music box tones. Tricia and I found Paris Monster when we just randomly went to Rockwood Music Hall in NYC and they were just like nothing else I’ve really heard. They’re clearly very technically talented and put on a great, unique live show."
Date Added: 5/6/26
Song: Cmon Talk
Artist: Bernhoft
DJ: Ron
Commentary: "I've never heard of Paris Monster before. I like their sound but the vocalist especially stuck out to me as someone I feel like I've heard before. I looked him up and learned that he looks kinda like Matt Berry and that I've never heard of him otherwise. I remembered who he sounds like, though: Bernhoft. I remember this guy being really good with loops but I guess he only ever did it live? Such a bummer. So…the Tidal link to his song Cmon Talk [is above], but my real pick is his live version, which I think is far superior: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjEsAEsYCw4"
Date Added: 5/7/26
Song: Killing Switch
Artist: Last Lynx
DJ: Brian
Commentary: "Very unique sound, I'm hearing like layered guitars/synths, sort of classic indie rock vocals, and overall a lot going on. Can't think of anything to really match it, so I'm gonna go with Last Lynx, another Scandinavian indie, but this time from Sweden. They're sort of a one-hit wonder, but Killing Switch is the hit, so it's my pick."
Date Added: 5/8/26
Song: No One Is Lost
Artist: stars
DJ: Liz
Commentary: "OK, i enjoyed Killing Switch quite a bit. Its a fun indie song with a groove that is indie but feels KIND of disco-y in a way. That plus the male and female vocals and synths made me think of Stars 2014 album "No One Is Lost". I'm selecting the title track off the album since it contains all those elements and is kind of the stand out track on the album. It's a bit more dance-y rock in parts but I think it flows."
Date Added: 5/9/26
Song: Your Love Is My Drug
Artist: Blusher
DJ: John
Commentary: "I like No One is Lost a lot - from the French intro, to the dark but uplifting lyrics, to the beat that goes hard. It’s a fun song. It flows well.
I’m choosing Blusher’s cover of Kesha’s Your Love is My Drug for Triple Js Like a Version. I’m familiar with the Kesha original and I was all, ‘meh, whatever’ when it came out. But I love this cover version. They use their vocal harmonies for their synth stacks (call back to looping), their harmonies are super tight, and they build this sonic landscape that is quite impressive for a live version of this song. It’s electronic, dancey, hyperpop. And to top it off they finish with a mashup between the Kesha song and ABBA’s SOS."
Date Added: 5/10/26
Song: Loved You A Little
Artist: The Maine, Taking Back Sunday, Charlotte Sands
DJ: Brian
Commentary: "Shoot, I already unironically liked regular-Kesha. Now that I know slick exotic Kesha covers are an option, this has implications. My wife's playlists are almost exclusively pop girlies and while I'll admit it's softened me a bit, I'm going to follow this with a Gen Z punk-rocker girl that I've really become a fan of, Charlotte Sands.
She's got a few bangers, but her favorite of mine is a collab she did with a couple of probably-sorta-washed-up early 2000's punk bands, Loved You A Little. Easily my favorite part on it is her insane vocals (@ 2:34), so it's my pick for today."
Date Added: 5/11/26
Song: You Know How I Do
Artist: Taking Back Sunday
DJ: John
Commentary: "I loved Loved You a Little - I’ve probably played is six times today. I’ve never heard of Charlotte Sands before, but I was a big TBS fan and hearing Adam Lazarra’s voice come through brought back waves of nostalgia. I think he brought new depths to the snotty, whiny pop punk voices of the era and really stands out as a vocalist.
Therefore, I have to stay on the Taking Back Sunday train and share my favorite song of theirs, You Know How I Do, the first track off their debut album."
Date Added: 5/12/26
Song: stone cold summer
Artist: South Arcade
DJ: Dan
Commentary: "This is going to be pretty tough to hit without just picking something everyone here has heard a million times so it's a bit of a loose association.
I had a little pop-punk revival a year or two ago where I started digging into whatever new stuff was out there and came across "South Arcade". I think they went viral on social media or something because suddenly they were everywhere and this track kept popping up for me. The lead singer's voice kind of reminds me of Avril Lavigne and it's very solid pop-punk despite showing up about 20 years late. Nostalgia woooooo"
Date Added: 5/13/26
Song: Jessica’s Changed
Artist: Surfbort
DJ: Claire
Commentary: "Let's see...Surfbarclay, Surfbarry, Surfbert, Surf...bort?!? Oh come on! Surfbort!?! If we're doing 2020s female-fronted punk bands, I have to throw Surfbort in the mix. They're some amalgamation of riot grrrl, queercore, crustpunk, and 1970s shock rock. 'Jessica's Changed' is probably the most accessible off of their new record, Reality Star. If you're not into talk-sung, dispassionate vocals, I'm sorry - it's my jam."
Date Added: 5/14/26
Song: Deceptacon
Artist: Le Tigre
DJ: Liz
Commentary: "I dont know a lot of riot girl stuff (tho i feel like i should) but THIS ... this is the song I know. And it rocks"
Date Added: 5/15/26
Song: My My Orca Card
Artist: Who Is She?
DJ: Ron
Commentary: "Oh we're doing riot girl bands?? I can't help but think of Seattle's very own Who Is She? A band that won my heart by securing a spot as the house band for Kraken games at the Climate Pledge arena (where Bezos owns naming rights) and then at their first Kraken game (of which I happened to be attending) played the song I'm choosing, which has the line:
Oh, fuck, Jeffrey Bezos
He's such a fucking jerk
Shut down all the bookstores
Billionaires do not work"
Date Added: 5/16/26
Song: Just Can’t Get Enough
Artist: Sheer Mag
DJ: Jeff
Commentary: "Though not quite riot grrl music per se, the current playlist mood made me think of another punkish/70s rockish band with a rough edged punky female lead, Sheer Mag. I first listened to them in 2017 when I heard them described along the lines of “this is the band you want blasting from the speakers when you’re cruising down the highway with the top down on the run from the fuzz.” This is Just Can’t Get Enough from the 2017 album Need to Feel Your Love."
Date Added: 5/17/26
Song: Love Me or Hate Me
Artist: Kelsy Karter
DJ: Brian
Commentary: "Absolutely love Sheer Mag's sound, appreciate the share. That type of female vocals wrapped in sort a gritty-grainy rock package reminds me of Kelsy Karter. She's got a bunch of songs that I like, but Love Me Or Hate Me is a good uptempo entry point and my pick for today."
Date Added: 5/18/26
Song: Easier than Lying
Artist: Halsey
DJ: Liz
Commentary: "What I'm really loving about "Love me or Hate Me" is how it has a very driving beat with powerful female vocals and kind of straddling the line between rock and pop. This made me think of Halsey's 2021 album "If I cant have love, I want power" where it was born of pop sensibilities but with influence from Nine Inch Nails producing the ablum has a lot of edge to it. I chose "Easier than Lying" as it has a similar drive and delightfully gritty bassline similar to Love Me or Hate me."
Date Added: 5/19/26
Song: Kill Me
Artist: Indigo De Souza
DJ: Claire
Commentary: "Alright, I'm going to keep these women-fronted acts rolling. John follows me tomorrow, so I'm hoping to set him up with some bread to butter. I'm taking the dark tones from Halsey's production and pointing them in Indigo De Souza's direction. The genre's quite different, but the lyrics are undeniably dark. De Souza is my second Ashevillian on the list, and as far as I know, holds no relation to one John Philip."
Date Added: 5/20/26
Song: Turn it Around
Artist: Lucius
DJ: John
Commentary: "What’s better than a woman fronted rock act? One fronted by two women, of course. So here is Lucius, with their track Turn It Around. This isn’t as dark as the last tracks. It has a fun vintage feel, and I love the dual singing. Lucius essentially has two lead singers that sing everything together. Sometimes it’s tight harmonies, other times it’s doubling up on the melody to make it punch more. There are many great Lucius songs to choose from, but this one felt a bit more similar in spirit to where we’re at on the playlist."
Date Added: 5/21/26
Song: Kiss Me, Son of God
Artist: They Might Be Giants
DJ: Ron
Commentary: "A band fronted by TWO women??! What's next? A band led by a CHILD!?! Maybe even a DOG! It's a slippery slope; don't YOU PEOPLE get it?! UGH. You know who hasn't had the spotlight in forever? MEN. When will MEN get their comeuppance???? So here is a band fronted by TWO MEN.
More seriously, I really liked Turn It Around. They have such an interesting sound; sort of stomp and holler, sort of pop. Using both voices for every lyric really stuck out at me. Even among bands that have two lead singers, it's not often that it happens... which leads me to my pick: They Might Be Giants - Kiss Me, Son of God. Both of them singing every lyric really brings it together. I'm also a sucker for satirical lyrics and toppling the ruling class."
Date Added: 5/22/26
Song: Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color for Your Eyes
Artist: Kristin Andreassen
DJ: Dan
Commentary: "OK, this is an absolute stretch, but the simplicity of the song and the coordinated vocals remind me a little bit of ‘Crayola doesn’t make a color for your eyes’ by Kristin Andreassen
Plus it’s just a good song. The only weird bit is the number of colors this lady goes through trying to match her partner’s eyes. If it says Brown on the drivers license, you really shouldn’t be trying periwinkle."
Date Added: 5/23/26
Song: yellow is the color of her eyes
Artist: Soccer Mommy
DJ: Jeff
Commentary: “Oh wait, they do make the color. It’s yellow. Yellow is the color of her eyes.
I love Soccer Mommy for so many reasons, not least of which is that I first heard about her when John and Claire were visiting! This song is a little less playful though, since it’s about her mom dealing with a chronic illness that I’m assuming includes jaundice. But while we’re on this color theme, this song comes from her 2020 album Color Theory, which she divides into three color sections. According to a pitchfork interview, ‘The album is divided into three sections, each associated with a color and a corresponding dour mood: blue, representing depression and isolation; yellow, for anxiety and illness, but also brightness; and gray, a void of death and loss.’ In conclusion, I especially like the simile, ‘in her eyes, like clementines…’”
Date Added: 5/24/26
Song: Irish Eyes
Artist: Rose Betts
DJ: Liz
Commentary: "Well, you know who knows a thing or two about eyes? Thats right! Rose Betts' Mom!
I came across Rose Betts a few months ago when one of her live sets popped up in my youtube feed and it made me fall in love with music all over again. I was blown away by her voice and the unique instrumentation she uses. It's just so full of emotion and longing and all the things. And I love that I get to share this artist with y'all thru a very bizzare eye color connection"
Date Added: 5/25/26
Song: Elvis Presley Blues
Artist: Gillian Welch
DJ: Jeff
Commentary: "Okay let’s see, Irish eyes, English hair…how about Welsh? And by that I actually mean Welch, as in Gillian Welch. When I think of folk singing women with big vocal sounds on top of stripped down instrumentation, she immediately comes to mind. I was debating a few different songs by her but Elvis Presley Blues is the first one of hers that ever got my attention. It has since been covered by a bunch of artists, including Joan Baez, Jimmy Buffet, and Tom Jones, among others, but hers is the original."
Date Added: 5/26/26
Song: A TV Show Called Earth (Acoustic)
Artist: Philip Labes
DJ: Dan
Commentary: "The guitar and pacing reminded me of the accoustic version of "A tv show called earth" by Philip Labes. I've said before I'm a sucker for songs that tell a story and I really like the way this one is told. The slightly somber tone feels silly because the song is about the show "Earth" being a downer that didn't live up to the hype (looking at you "Lost", "Game of Thrones" and please please please not "Severance"). It's easy to miss the real message buried under the silly concept, but the existential critique of human self-destruction and squandered potential really hits."
Date Added: 5/27/26
Song: Awakening
Artist: Unleash The Archers
DJ: Ron
Commentary: "I felt like I could go one of two directions here: match the sound or match the theme. My gut said theme this time, so I'm picking some of my favorite story tellers Unleash the Archers - Awakening
For quite some time, I considered Unleash the Archers my favorite band. They fit my taste in metal very well. One of my favorite things about their recent discography is that they tell a story. Not every song on each album contributes to the story but they have an established universe and plot that spans multiple albums. Some of their music videos also lean into this story and it's pretty rad, if you're willing to listen to their 3 most recent albums back-to-back (story not finished yet!). Awakening is the first song of the storyline and for a 7 minute song and it honestly doesn't really set much up story-wise but it's a really great song that kicks off a great epic."
Date Added: 5/28/26
Song: The Killing Kind
Artist: Marianas Trench
DJ: Brian
Commentary: "Echoing Dan's sentiment here, was pleasantly surprised at the accessibility of the vocals in Awakening. I'm super green with metal as a genre, but these guys are a really reasonable entry point for someone looking to explore. I was hitting Spotify's "related artists" button and honestly, man, I don't even recognize anyone the algo recommends that's Unleash The Archers-adjacent. I've heard some popular/classic metal, but to stick with Claire's guidance I decided to go with "stuff that's my taste that's tangentially relevant here." A sort of poppy rock/synth-rock/whatever-genre-they-feel-like band that I adore, Marianas Trench, has flirted with metal on some of their past albums. For whatever reason, their song from several years back "The Killing Kind" popped into my head when I was listening to Awakening. I wouldn't call it a theme or genre match, but a similar energy - strong vocals, power chords, electric guitar solos, and a hell of a good time if you're into this type of sound, so it's my pick for today."
Date Added: 5/29/26
Song: I Write Sins Not Tragedies
Artist: Panic! At The Disco
DJ: Claire
Commentary: "I chime in with a
Haven't you people ever heard of
Some pizzicato strings?"
Date Added: 5/30/26
Song: Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
Artist: The Killers
DJ: John
Commentary: "Okay for today, I’m going to rewind to our music project from last year which many of you participated in - ranking and reviewing the top 1000 albums. One song stood out to me from that project as one I had mostly forgotten about, and didn’t even particularly like at the time, but really enjoyed upon hearing it again is today’s pick - Jenny Was a Friend of Mine by The Killers.
The connection to yesterday’s song is Mormons from Las Vegas who were making popular music in the mid-aughts. Of course I could have gone in a pop punk direction, but that was almost too overwhelming, so I’m keeping us more on the dance side of rock with this one. As an aside, I love the bass line in this song."
Date Added: 5/31/26
Song: Psychos
Artist: Jenny Lewis
DJ: Brian
Commentary: "This is a little bit cheeky because I submitted a Rilo Kiley song a few rounds back, but it's like, how do you free-associate Jenny Was A Friend of Mine with anything other than Jenny Lewis? It helps that I enjoy her post-Rilo solo work.
Psychos is off of one of Jenny's solo records from a couple years ago. It's about dating in your 40's and maybe you could make a parallel that we're all getting older and so are the artists from our younger years, but it just ain't that deep for me. I like the way it sounds, and I like her voice, so Psychos is my pick today."
April 2026
Date Added: 4/1/26
Song: That Thing You Do!
Artist: The Wonders
DJ: Dan
Commentary: "If we’re going nostalgia, the boomers are the absolute greatest at packaging and selling it. “Alright” reminded me of the completely fictional band “The Wonders” from the movie “That thing you do” with their hit song of the same name. The movie didn’t do great commercially but got a ton of awards, presumably from the people for whom it was total nostalgia-bait. The song charted despite just being a movie track. I assume it’s basically the Kpop “Golden” of the 90s. Cool side fact, the song was actually written by one of my favorite artists, Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne."
Date Added: 4/2/26
Song: Sugarhigh
Artist: Coyote Shivers
DJ: Jeff
Commentary: "Thanks Dan, I remember watching this when it came out. And now I’m having weird meta-nostalgia to revisit a movie made for nostalgia. From here my brain went to Sugarhigh by Coyote Shivers. Although he’s not a fictional musician, his most well known song, Sugarhigh, is performed in the fictional universe and finale of Empire Records, another movie featuring Liv Tyler and bottled generational nostalgia."
Date Added: 4/3/26
Song: Aside
Artist: The Weakerthans
DJ: Liz
Commentary: "OK this one is nostolgic for me cause we were listening to it a lot (and playing it together) around the time claire and I started dating. Plus its got similar 4 chord structure, tempo, and backbeat snare. Letsgoooo"
Date Added: 4/4/26
Song: Wildflowers
Artist: Tom Petty
DJ: Ron
Commentary: "Oh man, we're on another nostalgia wave! Aside is such a great song and I feel like it really encourages oneself to grow but I don't feel much nostalgia with the Weakerthans (Claire introduced me to them just last year!). Someone who really, really hits the nostalgia for me, though, is Tom Petty. When I was a kid, my dad would only listen to two bands: Metallica and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Not to get too deep in the wounds but my dad was not a good dad and I don't think I ever got a word of encouragement from him. Tom, though? It's in second person but he wrote Wildflowers to encourage himself, which I couldn't help but adopt."
Date Added: 4/5/26
Song: In This Boat
Artist: She Makes War,
Chris T-T
DJ: Liz
Commentary: "Ok, im jumping off of the lyrics on this one with Tom Petty opening with "you belong in a boat out at sea. Sail away, kill off the hours" and man, i always love a good boat song. The imagery just always hits me so much. So I'm going to present "She Makes War" with "In this Boat". This is one of those super indie artists who just is killing it with such a vibe and always feels like she has such a strong artistic voice (metaphorically). Obviously a much more electric guitar sound than the Tom Petty song but it still feels right to me. The last 1/3 rd of this song is just [chef’s kiss] ‘you are the anchor, I am the wave’"
Date Added: 4/6/26
Song: With Arms Outstetched
Artist: Rilo Kiley
DJ: Brian
Commentary: "Dang, what a voice on that girl - fun listen, her range is incredible. So it's definitely not an exact match, but her vocals (albeit more-soprano and with greater range) remind me of Jenny Lewis from Rilo Kiley. Temptation is to pick A Better Son/Daughter because I love it, but I feel like that's overplayed so my choice for today is With Arms Outstretched. It doesn't build the way She Makes War's song does, but it's enough for a Monday."
Date Added: 4/7/26
Song: The Distance
Artist: Fever Dolls
DJ: Dan
Commentary: "It could be the female vocalist and lyrics about short time, or it could be the weird name matchup. Rilo Kiley reminds me of Renn Mulloy who is from what I think are maybe the most underrated band I've heard in the last 10 years, The Fever Dolls. For whatever reason they only released 10 or so songs, almost entirely as singles - but I like every single one. They're a weird indie band with awesome lyrics, lots of fun hooks, and a really solid vibe. Also they were from Berlington, VT before Noah Kahan put Vermont on the radar. Anyway, pick any song you like, they're all good, but I'm going with ‘The Distance’"
Date Added: 4/8/26
Song: Stop Talking
Artist: Motion City Soundtrack
DJ: John
Commentary: "I really like The Distance - I’m excited to dig into The Fever Dolls. The first thing they reminded me of is a band I listened to a lot in the mid 2000s - Motion City Soundtrack. I guess I’d classify them both as pop punk adjacent indie rock music. And the melodic synth throughout is what sealed it for me. Rather than share a classic Motion City Soundtrack song, I’m choosing to share a newer song of theirs from 2024. While their classic albums from the 2000s are great, they still occasionally put out some fun tracks on their new albums as well, so I wanted to showcase one of those here."
Date Added: 4/9/26
Song: Mary
Artist: Survive Said The Prophet
DJ: Ron
Commentary: "Oh geez, there are so many songs in my musical wheelhouse about unrequited/fleeting love but MCS's is pretty fast and energetic, which really narrows it down. I pretty quickly thought of something in the same era (2020's) but in a little bit of a different genre: Mary by Survive Said the Prophet. Side note: I tend to have a pretty wide geographical taste in music but it still catches me off guard when a band sings in 3 very different languages, which this song (just barely) does."
Date Added: 4/10/26
Song: Como Te Vas
Artist: Trails and Ways
DJ: Jeff
Commentary: "Thanks Ron, I’d never heard Survive Said the Prophet before and really like their dense sound and galloping pace. They give Senses Fail or Coheed and Cambria vibes. But I’m actually going to go for a tonal shift instead. With the trilingual aspect of Mary, you got me thinking about a band I haven’t thought of in a while - the self-described “bossa nova dream pop” band Trails and Ways from Berkeley. We actually saw them play in Oakland a while back! Their aptly named 2013 EP “Trilingual” has songs in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. And while I couldn’t find an actual trilingual song off the album, I leave you with Como Te Vas to dream pop you to sleep tonight."
Date Added: 4/11/26
Song: Danny Nedelko
Artist: IDLES
DJ: Claire
Commentary: "I appreciate the multicultural element the last couple songs have added to Hear Me Out. I don’t speak no langages, but I’ll celebrate multiculturalism by contributing Brexit-era punk rockers, IDLES, to the playlist. In ‘Danny Nedelko’, they list a few prominent immigrants that have contributed to the UK’s multicultural greatness - Freddie Mercury, Malala, and Mo Farah. They also pay homage to unnamed immigrants - a Nigerian mother of three and a Polish butcher. As for Danny Nedelko himself, he is frontman of Heavy Lungs, a Ukrainian immigrant, and friend of IDLES. The song is off of 2018’s ‘Joy as an Act of Resistance.’ In my opinion, it is perhaps the best-named album of the era."
Date Added: 4/12/26
Song: Prayer Of The Refugee
Artist: Rise Against
DJ: Brian
Commentary: "If I close my eyes while listening to that IDLES track, I feel like I'm sweating and jumping up and down in the hundred degree heat at an early-2000s Warped Tour stage in the Mile High parking lot during a politically charged election year. For me, the memory that evokes is watching Rise Against on one of the main stages in exactly that context, so Prayer of The Refugee by them is my pick for today."
Date Added: 4/13/26
Song: God Knows
Artist: Beatsteaks
DJ: Jeff
Commentary: "Rise Against takes me back to the Punk-O-Rama mixes by epitaph records which was one of the big ways how, in the era before streaming, I found new punk bands. One of my favorite songs off any Punk-O-Rama ever was God Knows by the German punk band The Beatsteaks. I love the repetitive guitar riff and the energy of the song. Great for sweaty jumping. Enjoy!"
Date Added: 4/14/26
Song: After Destruction
Artist: Descartes A Kant
DJ: Liz
Commentary: "Oh shit ok this is a tough one for me as i really dont listen to punk unless its with claire and it feels pretty disingenuous for me to pick something that ive heard her listen to. I did a lot of looking thru my previous plays and I thought this had a bit of a connection i could make: I give you Descarte A Kant: After Destruction. I'm mostly latching on to the energy and distorted guitars here as the thru line. I love this whole album too because I really feel like it's speaking to how we try and exist in the world today. Also, DAK, much like Beatsteaks, is not US based band. So thats another connection... right?"
Date Added: 4/15/26
Song: Dropkick the Punks
Artist: The Faint
DJ: John
Commentary: "What stuck out to me from DAK was the distorted baseline and electro-synth sounds. For me, that triggers one band above others: Omaha’s own The Faint. This track is off their 2004 album Wet From Birth and perhaps best captures a more minimal version of their post punk, new wave sound (some of their other tracks are way more synth heavy). I know this track won’t be for everyone. The Faint, and especially this song, are an acquired taste."
Date Added: 4/16/26
Song: Sleepy Head
Artist: the pillows
DJ: Ron
Commentary: "Did someone say distorted bassline?? I really like Dropkick the Punks and putting the bassline upfront and center immediately made me think of another song from the same era: Sleepy Head by the pillows. This song is less grunge-y but still has a lot of the same energy, which I really enjoy. The lyrics, though, are not even close to related lol"
Date Added: 4/17/26
Song: Killjoy
Artist: Rob Sonic feat. Aesop Rock
DJ: Dan
Commentary: "Upon more listening, it's maybe not as similar as I thought but hell if it isn't in the spirit of the thing because the first few notes of Sleepy Head set my brain on fire like a spark on gasoline."
Date Added: 4/18/26
Song: Bats
Artist: The Uncluded
DJ: Claire
Commentary: "Is Aesop Rock a West Coast or East Coast rapper? He spent the bulk of his career in New York, but more recently was based out of San Francisco, and now Portland. I don't mind claiming him as the Pacific Northwest's own. So, on that note, let's do a PNW supergroup. The Uncluded is a duo featuring, yes, Portland's Aesop Rock, and Olympia/Seattle's Anti-Folk hero, Kimya Dawson, formerly of Moldy Peaches. Bats!"
Date Added: 4/19/26
Song: Unknown Legends
Artist: Shovels & Rope, Shakey Graves
DJ: John
Commentary: "BATS! I think that song is about watching the bats flying out from the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, and using that as a metaphor of death and healing. I’m going to leave the PNW and follow Austin, Texas and collaboration as a theme, and share a song from Charleston-based Shovels and Rope featuring Austin-based Shakey Graves, covering Canadian Neil Young’s song Unknown Legend."
Date Added: 4/20/26
Song: Be Mine
Artist: Alabama Shakes
DJ: Jeff
Commentary: "Alright, I’m sticking with Americana/roots rock/southern rock. But at the risk of giving you all CTE, I’m keeping things shaky by following Shakey Graves with Alabama Shakes. Shaking it up, you might say. And incidentally, we’re going to see them in Raleigh this weekend! Anyway, Be Mine off the 2012 album Boys & Girls is my favorite song by them. And lest you think I’m not living up to “Noisy” in my word cloud, one of my favorite parts is the build at the end when she abruptly switches up to the highest register."
Date Added: 4/21/26
Song: Elderberry Wine
Artist: Wednesday
DJ: Claire
Commentary: "Y'all motherfuckers want some slide guitar? This is one that showed up on my 2025 Wrapped. You know that Bo Burnham song satirizing Stadium Country and how it's just rural-coded language without any deeper meaning? Wednesday does that, but with contemporary living. Lyrics like:
'Angel hum of an electric car reverses toward me', and 'Roll one up, say it's mostly CBD'
Anybody here from 2026? Here's Asheville, North Carolina's own with 'Elderberry Wine'."
Date Added: 4/22/26
Song: Spitfire
Artist: Sierra Hull
DJ: Liz
Commentary: "OK so here is a lovely Sierra Hull song called Spitfire which is an ode to her grandmother and a very lovely tribute. Hull, if you dont know, is a young virtuosic mandolin player (tho in this song shes on guitar) and has played with all the greats of bluegrass. There really is a lot of amazing music right now in contemporary bluegrass and Hull represents the epitome of it IMO, but there is SO much in this genre to dig into and I highly recommend you do so! Obvious connections to the previous song are: slide guitar, female vocals, accoustig guitar strumming , and nice harmonies."
Date Added: 4/23/26
Song: On Ice
Artist: Chris Thile
DJ: Dan
Commentary: "ok, if we're doing mandolins, I'd be totally irresponsible not to throw Chris Thile in the mix. His mandolin skills are unreal. I think the first "major" band he was in was Nickel Creek, then he went solo, then he was in Punch Brothers. I've seen him in concert several times, most recently with Punch Brothers and it's in my top 3 concerts of all time. The concentration of talent and creativity in that group is mind blowing. Anyway, Deceiver was the first solo album of his I really got into and it's one of those albums where I'll throw it in and listen to the whole thing and every song is great. "On Ice" is one of my favorites, featuring some wild mandolin action so we'll go with that."
Date Added: 4/24/26
Song: The Lighthouse’s Tale
Artist: Nickel Creek
DJ: Ron
Commentary: "I don't think I can pick anything except The Lighthouse's Tale by Nickel Creek. Chris Thile has such a distinct sound on the mandolin that any songs I could think of always had him playing, so I gave in and picked the most impactful one for me. Dan introduced me to Nickel Creek back in college and I remember shrugging them off because their music was so religion-coded. Eventually, I (sort of) grew up and could really see and appreciate their talent for musicality and storytelling. This song still pops up randomly on my playlist and can still evoke a lot of emotion in me."
Date Added: 4/25/26
Song: 23
Artist: Noah Kahan
DJ: Brian
Commentary: "Love the Chris Thile throwbacks, thanks a lot for the rabbit hole rehash, guys. Timing-wise, having these picks bubble up right on the heels of the new Noah Kahan album drop -- a famous mandolin...iast, as well -- well, it just makes me go for the low-hanging fruit.
I'm only a listen-and-a-half into the new Noah record and while my final opinions still aren't fully-formed, I'm really enjoying the song "23" so that's my pick for today."
Date Added: 4/26/26
Song: Adios
Artist: Rammstein
DJ: Ron
Commentary: "I've never heard of Noah Kahan before but I dig his sound (his voice is a lot like Post Malone's). Lyrically, though, 23 is a really sad song. Watching someone you care about go through addiction is tough and I can think of a few other songs with varying perspectives. Adios by Rammstein is going to be my pick for the day because it thematically and emotionally matches but I like the contrast in energy.
I did joke with Claire yesterday that I was going to go for the biggest genre switch between picks; I swear this is a real pick and not "haha look at me""
Date Added: 4/27/26
Song: Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth
Artist: The Dandy Warhols
DJ: Claire
Commentary: "Ron, I hate to leave your abrupt genre change out there on an island of its own, but pretty much any metal trend will dead-end when it hits me. Sorry, I just don't know that much metal. I had to translate Rammstein's lyrics into English to be sure, and just as Ron promised, this is a song about intravenous drug use. Hooray! So that's the theme I ran with, and I'm picking a song that I hope most of you remember, but have forgotten that you remember.
The Dandy Warhols are probably most famous for their 2000 hit, "Bohemian Like You", but 3 years earlier they released a single, "Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth". It's the superior song in my mind. It did the rounds on MTV, and perhaps embodies 1990s ironic detachment better than any song I know. They take a serious theme like heroin addiction, and boil it down to a fashion statement. After all, this was the era of heroin-chic supermodels. "I never thought you'd be a junkie, because heroin is so passé".
More than anything, I remember the music video. I really need you all to revisit this with fresh eyes. The bright colors, the choreography, the DANCING SYRINGES! And right there in the middle of it, are The Dandys looking cooler than fuck with that same ironic detachment I mentioned earlier.
One final note, in an effort to seed Liz's pick tomorrow: stoic synthpop girl"
Date Added: 4/28/26
Song: Ballad of an Onion Sprout
Artist: The Burning Of Rome
DJ: Liz
Commentary: "Well how could i miss an opportunity to post my epitome of the stoic synth girl in the local San Diego band "The Burning of Rome" with "Ballad of an Onion Sprout" The first time I saw them it was such an incredible show. The energy was OFF THE CHARTS. The guitarist spent half the time in the audience rocking out. At one point the singer is standing up on top of his keyboard/piano screaming into the microphone which he falls off of, fully off the stage, landing on his back and never misses a beat. He took a microphone with him that our Stoic Synth Girl was using and she just calmly reaches over, grabbing the guitarists microphone to continue singing like this was just the most normal day ever. Great show. Great band. I always thought maybe they'd make it big."
Date Added: 4/29/26
Song: Aerodynamic
Artist: Daft Punk
DJ: Dan
Commentary: "ok so unlike Ronald, I actually loved Ballad of an Onion Sprout. It's crazy sounding without being discordant. Experimental without being noise. I don't know, I'm just into it alright? Back off!!!! Anyway it's weird enough that my brain focused in on the tolling bells and it made me think of Aerodynamic by Daft Punk. This album just absolutely defined senior year high school track meets. I listened to it a ton, then all summer, and it was the soundtrack to my journey to a new life far far away in exotic Colorado. I remember listening to it on headphones as I walked through DIA. I actually think it would be a killer album even without the nostalgia, but the nostalgia definitely doesn't hurt."
Date Added: 4/30/26
Song: Don’t Wait Up
Artist: Midnight Generation
DJ: John
Commentary: "I really appreciated Dan’s backstory for his song, and I wish I had a good story to go with this one as well, but that story is just, “this band reminded me of Daft Punk” when I found them last year. They’re called Midnight Generation and they’re from Mexico. It’s a delightful mix of electro pop, disco, and funk. It’s a bit of a slow start, but by 1:10 or so, you should be groovin’ so stick it out."