| Song | Artist | Year | Pick | Genre(s) | Willis Notes | Gregg Notes |
| Spiritual High (State of Independence), Pt. 2 (feat. Chrissie Hynde) | Moodswings | 1992 | Willis | Downtempo, Electronic, Ambient House | I prefer this cover over the original or Donna Summer’s. I was so struck by this song in the end credits of a movie, but couldn’t remember anything about the actual movie. The credits meandering past while “The state of independence shall be…” alliterates to the rhythm. I could just listen to that over and over again. It takes the song to another level, if only for that moment. | Oh my sweet Chrissie Hynde. That woman’s voice cuts right through my vital organs. She sounds insanely perfect here. This is my first ever listen – I’m almost sick over the fact that it has taken me 30+ years to hear this song. Needed to start it over to appreciate the beginning. It came in hot, and I was unprepared for what was about to happen. Very cinematic, so it makes sense over movie credits. The mid tempo electro groove of that era is unmistakeable and ALWAYS sounds good/never sounds dated. |
| swim | Night tapes | 2026 | Gregg | Dreampop /Trip Hop / Breakbeat | This song really makes your head turn. Started like the Sundays goes trip-hop, and then morphed into Cigarettes After Sex, and finished with Shirley Manson from Garbage. All three vibes, it was like a mini-show within a show! | This band continues to charm me with its unique collages of sound. Firstly – they feature the perfect breakbeat/trip hop style drums that almost feel sampled from 90’s hip hop tracks. There is something so rustic and muted about their beats, and i’m infatuated with that aspect of every song. Add in a very distinct, demanding, mystical voice that can shapeshift several times within a single song. This song is like 3 in 1. At 4.5 mins it slows down and morphs into another “body” for a gritty, PJ Harvey meets Hooverphonic ending. This is brilliant work. |
| Travellin’ | The Jeremy Spencer Band | 1979 | Willis | Rock | My 22 yr old niece, Violet, had this on her party playlist. When her dad Eric and I heard this, we weren’t familiar with it, yet were drawn to the sound that felt classic, yet possibly contemporary retro. Eric compared it to Fleetwood Mac, and it made sense after we Shazam’d it. The slide guitar works so well here, and I really like the backing female vocals (Jeanne Hendricks). We were impressed with her knowledge of this band. | This is so crazy. I’d NEVER heard this song or artist, but I knew he was in Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac (which was a straight blues band until PG left in 71). Then the first verse hits and I’m digging the soft rock, so cal vibes.. And then the chorus hits and I’m like “WHAT??”. The chorus and pretty much all the female parts are sampled/covered in Tourist’s song “Valentine”, which we play on HFD all the time. I had NO CLUE they stole that part from the chorus of this song. WILD lol. It’s a perfect hook, and this is a beautiful, breezy song. |
| Where I Find My Heaven | Gigolo Aunts | 1994 | Gregg | Power Pop /Jangle PopPostGrunge | This is great – Another name I recall from college radio in the 90’s, but couldn’t name any song. I hear the Posies and yes Teenage Fanclub, maybe even more popular band sounds like REM or Gin Blossoms. And now understand the Big Star lineage. Though the way they softly harmonize is unique and pleasing. I had an odd and funny moment when I first listened to this song on the playlist this week. | This is truly one of the most unheralded, best kept secrets of the 90’s. At that time, it was easy to be obscure – but there were also more bands having “regional” success. Bands who were massively popular in a certain area (in this case, Boston scene), with a cult-like following. Gigolo Aunts had the fortune of having this song featured on the Dumb & Dumber Sdtrk, so it elevated them slightly for a minute. MTV played the video. But they were indie & ‘authentic’, and I was obsessed. It mirrors Teenage Fanclub’s harmony vocal style, and was sprouted on the tree as Dwight Twilley, Replacements, Big Star, The Posies, etc. This is pure power pop. |
| Next Life | Mint Julep | 2026 | Willis | Dream Pop, Indie Electronic | I check in on this husband/wife duo from Portland every now and then, and found this recent release. Keith is a graduate from Berklee College of Music has released over 20 albums since 2004 under the monikers Helios, Goldmund, and Mint Julep. Nothing too groundbreaking, but a clean, cohesive production combining elements of DABE and few indie guitar licks. His degree in percussion seems to exude in their music. | Once again, I was hooked by the :05 sec mark. So happy you found this, cus I wanna add it immediately. I should check in on them more often, clearly. This is HFD to the bone. Frankly, this is what Cigarettes After Sex should be doing, to evolve their sound beyond the predictable. It’s super subtle and shimmery, but the guitars give it a bold brush of paint. |
| Paint The Silence | South | 2001 | Gregg | Indie /Post Britpop | I wouldn’t have guessed there were only 3 people in this band with the subtle addition of synths. But it all comes together very cohesively with very polished production. Kinda like a lower-key version of the Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony. I like their groovy bass and drum rhythms. They must have had good energy live. | This band’s first album came out when I was just finding my legs in radio, so I was absorbing an obscene amount of live music in NYC on the record labels’ lists. I got to see South 3x in a short period, so i was ultra familiar with their record. I felt like they were going to be as big as Coldplay or The Killers, but an overall better band. There was just something so palatable about them, while they also explored a more experimental approach to these catchy ass songs. They sampled strings, they programmed beats and played live drums over them, they layered vocals, looped guitars.. All as a 3 piece. It was inspiring for the musician in me. You’ll hear the organized chaos in this, their most “known” song. Epic and well written. Also featured on the tv show The O.C., which exposed them to more people, but the project never took off the way I expected. |
| Fire Eternal (feat. Kazu Makino) | Lord Huron | 2025 | Willis | Indie Folk, Indie Rock | Alicia liked a song by this band – and I remembered the name from a song on my future shows list. This song is neither of those choices – because I kept digging to find an even better collab with Kazu from Blonde Redhead. This song has the fewest plays on this album, perhaps because it’s not their usual sound their fans expect, but it’s great for this show! Their folk flavor is cleverly hidden behind a snappy syncopated rhythm and multiple atmospheric effects on the vocals and instruments. Kazu adds so much vibe here. | I’m not a Lord Huron guy, but there are a few songs I really enjoy. I would classify this as one of those. It’s very hypnotic in its spaghetti western-meets-bedroom pop way. Kazu absolutely makes this even better. She’s so distinct in her style and tone, which offsets his more husky tenor. He sounds very similar in this song to Jim James (of My Morning Jacket). It’s almost confusing to my ears! But I really like this a lot. Its a bizarro version of Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra, and I’m all for it. |
| Better Things | The Kinks | 1981 | Gregg | Power Pop /Pre Britpop | In my teens, I bought The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society because it was featured on the “Desert Island Disc” list of the Tower Records monthly magazine, and I wanted to be cool. After genuinely listening in earnest, I just couldn’t get into it and I couldn’t understand why. I was a teen into alternative instrumentation and angsty vocals. I just wasn’t ready for the subtle introspective pop of that album. This reminds me of that a little, but with more jangle and energy. It makes me want to go through more of their catalog as it’s so different from their edgier hits (You really got me, Lola, All Day and All of the Night) to see their progression. Maybe then I will finally be cool. | I wanted to share this ray of sunshine so badly, and this spot presented itself beautifully. I can’t get over how fiercely positive this song feels. When people say “don’t you like any happy music?”, this is what I think of. Bittersweet joy, but relentlessly optimistic. Ray Davies wrote this to his ex wife after their separation. There’s something so reassuring and empathetic about it, which makes it great to listen while driving, windows down, shout-singing along to the chorus with a cry in your voice and a smile on your face. “I know tomorrow you’ll find better things!” |
| Sober Tones (feat. Indigenous People, Naba Napalm & MC Mell’o’) | Marc Cary | 2020 | Willis | Funk Jazz + Alt Hip-Hop | Jazz is so vast, it can be intimidating to approach without some guardrails or small threads to pull on. I appreciate crossover work like this to foster accessibility, without just leaning on pop as only the crossover genre. A lot of hands in this song, which makes the uninitiated listener wonder which person is contributing what. I like the combo of jazz and hip hop (with drum kit) that might sound good live – however I couldn’t find any videos of them performing this. | This is heavenly magic. Holy crap. First listen, I’m literally standing up and throwing my body around like a laid back exorcism lol. The band is worth my time on its own, riding a groove that I’d be fine with going on for 30 more minutes. The lyrics are intelligent and clever. It’s like the best parts of De La Soul and Gang Starr having a baby with BadBadNotGood and Herbie Hancock. Incredible. |
| Akousmatikous | Salami Rose Joe Louis (Ft. Soccer96) | 2023 | Gregg | Exprmntl /Electro Jazz Psych /Art Pop | A banana slug alum – This song really made me sit up and take notice. Surprise changes in rhythm and energy, multiple times, but it stays rooted in jazz-inspired riffs and her melodic overtones. It would feel very hipster cool to see her perform live (Nov at the Independent) | This might be the most interesting artist in the world right now, and she’s virtually unknown somehow. Salami Rose Joe Louis is from the Bay area, but remains a total mystery beyond knowing her real name (lindsay olsen). She features a manic, almost bi polar approach to Jazz & Electronic music. When they say “art pop”, this would be an example. Some might think it’s weird for weird’s sake – but this is incredibly musical and smart and always melodious. This starts off soft and straight, but never feels secure. Eventually it barely resembles the beginning parts of the song. However, even when you think it might spin out of control, she will ground you with her voice and sweet melodies. All the while the tilt a whirl bends and twists below your feet. I don’t even know how one would describe this. I guess.. “Art”. |
Follow these links to listen to these songs (without us talking) on the following platforms: