Set 1

“The Twenty-Second Century” by Say Hi [to Your Mom]

Say Hi were my big obsession this past fall; this song ranks among my favorites, and it’s one I turned to for a little bit of hope after this past election.

“(Fork and Kinife)” by Brand New

Brand New have been my obsession for the past few months, since roughly December, on-and-off. I have really mixed feelings with them coming back that I’ve written about, and I don’t really want to get into that all on the show, but I do want to feature the music because, well, it’s stuff I’m into.

“The Hindu Times” by Oasis

Not really sure why I wanted to put this on here, but it just sort of felt like it slid in there well.

“Black + White” by Sikhona

This is from a CDr discovered during the search for what we now know as “How Long (Will It Take)” by Paula Toledo; there was a track called “How Long” that was found in a Discogs search, and while it clearly wasn’t what was being searched for, this forgotten, one-off release was really impressive to me.

“Military Strongmen” by Jebediah

Jebediah are another band I started listening to in fall 2024; I didn’t get nearly as deep into them as Say Hi, but they’re a group I keep meaning to do a deeper dive on. Most of their songs (from this era at least) are really catchy, and this is just the one I felt like playing.

Set 2

“Go Outside” by Cults

Very typical early-2010s indie pop. I think this was a free single on iTunes. Just randomly noticed it in my library and thought to play it.

“Race for the Prize” by the Flaming Lips

Is this song about curing cancer or some disease? Or what is it? I don’t know, but it’s a choice cut for me from the band’s critically acclaimed Soft Bulletin.

“Stop Acting Like You Know More About the Internet Cafe Than Me.” by Peachcake

I found Peachcake when searching for music similar to early Hellogoodbye; another one I should do a deeper dive on.

“Without the Help of Sparks” by Endor

I think I found them searching for melancholy Scottish indie rock. They’re not really that, but they’re enjoyable.

Set 3

“Animal” by Miike Snow

Miike Snow are a group I always meant to pay more attention to, but they play some of my stuff at my job, and when I started there I decided to look more into their work. Turns out I have their song “Paddling Out” purchased on iTunes because, well, it was a free single, but I’d totally forgotten. This isn’t that song, but it’s the one I wanted to play today.

“Headlong Into the Abyss” by [We Are] Augustines

Yet another iTunes free single I forgot about. I found Augustines looking for stuff similar to Frightened Rabbit, and their first album at least is definitely up my alley.

“Naïve” by the Kooks

The Kooks are hit-or-miss for me—a lot of their stuff is pretty mediocre—but this song is always a pleasant little sing-along.

“Closet” by Pete Yorn

Album cut from the widely-sold musicforthemorningafter. Pete Yorn is another one of those artists whose work scratches a particular itch and is hard to pin down into one descriptor; this is one of my more listened-to tracks from him.

“Strictly Game” by the Harlem Shakes

A song about optimism and keeping your head up was, in hindsight, and interesting choice to end with, because it led me on a bit of rambling about the state of the world. But, hey, I’ll stay game…