Three Doors

Sharevari – Aidan Noell

Ivan writes:

This is how it starts. Great idea you picking something from my personal stash and starting our first collaboration. I think it’s a very clever and empathic way to connect over music with someone for the first time. Like they said in a famous movie: “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship” 😀

Formidable Cool – Wolf Alice

Andrew writes:

There’s a beautiful chugging feel to Sharevari – combined with an almost 80’s electro pop feel – along with gang vocals – I mean – who wouldn’t love that track!  I did go down a load of rabbit holes looking for the electronic drum sound that I thought I wanted and yet – after a serendipitous cueing up of my favorite Wolf Alice track – it just seemed to make sense.  So yeah – also one of my favorite live performances – I think Ellie Rowsell is possibly the coolest musician alive!

Bad Habits – The Last Shadow Puppets

A second pick from my beloved collection of Prezi’s weekly PL greatest hits.More on that separately, but let’s just say that it’s one of the main reasons driving my research for a curator community like MusicTo. About the track, I loved how the song transitions from Formidable Cool, I guess you might like it too 😅 

Ah bah d’accord – Juniore

‘Cos when you really get down to it – transitions are just cooooool – ;-p – and yes Bad Habits out of Formidable Cool is dope.  The hand off to Ah bah d’accord isn’t as smooth but there’s definitely a connection with the groove.

We Are Enough – Melt Yourself Down

I shortlisted a few ideas, like I usually do, with the more prominent ones going in Wet Leg-esque directions. Melt Yourself Down is instead trying to move a bit sideways: keep the tempo and basslines continuous, while also still opening to even more options to blend and experiment with. Hope you enjoy it!

The Best Thing – Slunt

Heh! I have a catchall list from every year and I suspect most of the tracks you place on this list are going on there 😎 the energy and vibe on We Are Enough is just insane – and of course brilliant – the track that immediately came to mind was Go! (Club Mix) from Tones on Tail – and it works well – but – part of me just wanted more energy so – yeah – heh – you’re up 😎 

Crystal Ball – Verdena

Woah man! One can barely touch your last song for how hot it is 🔥 Loved also the “Smash & Grab” riff (Juliette & The Licks) and how they bring it all over to even charge you more all along! Do you also have a more personal connection to Slunt? I saw their listener count and I started wondering if you actually know the band directly.

I also checked Go! and, as much as I love the sound of Bauhaus, I didn’t know this side project from the guitarist. Thanks for the hidden pointer! I’ll surely explore more.

I was thinking whether to cool things down a bit, but with such an “assist” (how we call it in Europe’s football terms) I cannot do anything but sending back a door breaker song. This is from one the few Italian hard rock bands that I love the most.

What I love about Verdena, aside from sweet memories of me post-teenager listening massively to them, is that they now released a new album after years: they just played back together to kick asses regardless of market trends, personal family developments and whatever things might have toned them down. Hope you enjoy them.

İnce İnce – Hey Douglas Remix – Selda Bağcan

I’m feeling you – it’s almost too hot and fast but i think we’re beginning to come down on the other side and maybe time to shift in a a different direction – Verdena are great – unsurprisingly I hadn’t heard of them but now I’m all over them – those grungy guitars – and a ballsy move having the opener on the new album Chaise Longue ;-p – but the guitar tones on the new album remind me a lot of George Harrison tones and indeed wings – so to see Paul e Linda as the second track is kinda cool too – the track’s very Paul too.

I don’t know Slunt but I do know Jon Ewing who’s one of our earliest curators and community members – we went to school together and he still goes to a live gig pretty much every week – quite where he gets the energy i don’t know – he lives in that indie rock space and has hipped me to so much good music – we all knew about Wet Leg long before they broke ;-p – you’d probably enjoy making a list with him.

So I was thinking of following Verdena with a Mexican band but I’m gonna hold it in my back pocket for now – ‘cos the transition into Ínce Ínce makes me grin – and now we’ve got even more directions to take this!

You’re up!

Always – Amon Tobin

Ince Ince… ahhh! This was such a banger! It’s the song I’d wish I always brought with me at a party! I really really really liked it. Thanks tons for sharing it!
You really made me walk on burning coal with that song, as I was/still am so indecisive about the direction to take with the next track.

For example, a while ago I started exploring Habibi Funk Records’s playlists and there are such bangers in there (I suggest to have a peek if you haven’t yet). I could have chosen a track called Win Terram (Majid Soula) out of those explorations…
Or, I went all the way down to Thailand to get something from The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band, but didn’t pick that one either….
Or I could have fit the now acclaimed Altin Gun (love them), but probably offering less variation to the PL with remaining anatolian.

As you see, I was bit tormented with my choice 😱 😅

In the end I picked something out from one of my favourites, which goes in a totally different direction from what I just talked about above.

I picked Always from Amon Tobin for a few other reasons.
– I love Amon Tobin (said that already)
– It has a better production quality than the goldies from Habibi (produced in the 70s/80s, but not remastered/remixed like Ince Ince)
– It has a dope bass and rhythm which in my opinion still fits the whole sound of the PL so far
– it is not a track full of Tobin’s loops/glitch sounds

Enola Gay – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

I haven’t spent that much time in the EDM world – I have my favorites and while I’m aware of Amon Tobin I haven’t listened to much of his work – this track is super interesting – the percussion on the track is so fat – just different and way more interesting than what many people are doing in the space.

Damn that Amon Tobin was a tough track to follow – so much in its own space and so complex and yet – I was saved by the synths – 😎 they share the same lick and – when I loaded it up – the transition totally worked (well – to my ears anyway ;-p) – see what you think – it’s certainly a departure but it could be considered a hip departure. And of course – we share the same name although he goes by Andy and I never do. You’re up!

Dance Dance Have a Good Time – Erik Sumo

I Really liked how this super classic fitted in! Both after Always and in the general sound of the PL.
I was tempted to put the Erik Sumo song earlier, but wasn’t sure yet how much of a departure that would have been. After listening to the synth of Enola Gay I had less doubts. I also liked that, again, we opened more and more doors… This PL starts feeling like one of those games when you have 3 doors in front of you and you need to pick one, then something new comes and you face 3 more doors 😃

Harm Rochel – Turbostaat

Super interesting track from Erik Sumo – the much slower opening coming nicely out of Enola Gay – all twangy guitars and my ears were immediately jumping to various tracks and then of course everything changes gears ;-p love it! All high tempo almost 60’s vibe with that organ lick that I couldn’t get out of my head – I was leaning back into the 60’s catalog but having pulled a classic previously i didn’t want to leave this century (or this millenium either!) – after many listens the thing that was coming through strongly was classic German rock / punk – and no – I can’t really explain that ;-p

It’s the opening of Harm Rochel that has me cracking up – the energies match pretty well and this track is not too dissimilar to Dance Dance in that it’s all about living life – well – at least not living life like him but like his mother ;-p

The Way You Used To Do – Queens of the Stone Age

The classic German rock/punk direction actually sounded so blended to my ears too! Tempo is great and never ceases to fill the energy tank. I also had some reserves about going too much back in time with sounds from Erik Sumo, but it’s anyways a modern interpretation…btw fully performed by an Hungarian dude 😃

I had a few German songs shortlisted and ready to be shipped, but won’t put them in for now. This time I chose to go with a more famous band. New album is out, but I am still stuck in many of their past works.
I liked the tempo continuity The Way You Used To Do brings… Let’s say it’s maybe one of the less stoner songs of all, yet I love the vibe it brings.

Land and Water – Frankenstein Bolts

Heh! Im loving the groove of the QOTSA track – Josh Homme is just the dude – was thinking of being “clever” and brining an EODM track – but while I was looking to match tempo and energy (did have some Black Keys and obscure psychobilly from The Reverend Horton Heat) – i had totally forgotten about the ending. The track cuts at 4:15 with a could 19 seconds left to go and starts up again around 4:24 with that interesting synth sound – that kinda sets up Domesticated Animals on the album – but – it’s such a break in the flow that I think it’s an opportunity to shift the vibe – ;-p

I’m going with an obscure Irish band with a dreamy guitar heavy track that for some reason just works really well out of the ending of the The Way You Used To Do – we’re kinda shifting groove and ionto a longer track – let’s see where this goes ;-ppppp. You’re up!

God Willing – Mansur Brown

Ah! I didn’t remember the ending! Sorry for the flow breaker…but as you said let’s take it as an opportunity 😉 . I really liked the spatial feel of those guitars in Land and Water! And It opens up to a lot of options too…

In my brain the fading ending matches something I started listening to a lot lately. I am sorry in advance if I don’t meet the same simplicity with my next song: the guitar intro in God Willing gives the continuity to your previous track, but at the same time the rest of the song really brings a lot on the plate. My brain is fetishistically getting different pleasure bits from all the different details of Mansur Brown’s song 😃 . I hope some of those details can inspire you as well! You are up

Lava Lamp – Thundercat

It’s the transition again that’s guiding me.  Although Lava Lamp is a hair slower – the underlying musical construct is pretty similar – swapping the guitar lead for a vocal one and the two tracks stitch together rather nicely.  And Thundercat – well, Thundecat’s always a win!

Margery, My First Car – Vulfpeck

I listened to your last track from that genius of Thundercat. I really grew to love that guy and everything he does. I love how much of a great musician he is, how much he studies and perfections himself vs. how trivial he may appear by not taking himself too seriously. Really one of the few modern artists that is taking a special place inside my personal hall of fame.

I followed with another modern time band that I consider at the same genius level. I am sure you appreciate Vulfpeck too. Let me know how this second part of the PL sounds to you! I am loving it so far.

Do You Wanna Do Nothing with Me? – Lawrence

Yes – Thundercat is just the dude – soo many great collabs with people and such a buttery smooth vocal ;-p. Vulfpeck are such an interesting band – they’re on my “must definitely see live” list – apparently they are amazing – but just all round musicianship – Animal Spirits, Dean Town – LAX (and if you live here you know just how awesome it is when someone picks you up from the car hell that is LA’s airport ;-p)

I’d been hipped to LAwrence by Maria – I think she used to hang out with the drummer – but they’re this really cool live band too – the brother sister act of Clyde who is a musical savant and Gracie who is an incredible vocalist – their videos are super dope too – if you get a chance to watch their live “acoustic” version of Don’t Lose Sight – is just nuts.

I like how the groove of Do you Wanna Do Nothing with Me/ comes out of Margery – subtle Stevie Wonder vibe – but the groove seems to match the vibe Vulfpeck was putting down! ;-p. You’re up

The One – Curtis Harding

Wow! Thanks for the “present” and the great song in the video you sent over! This was soo filling, especially that I watched it in the morning, it was awesome to start the day! I said present because Soul is probably the genre I listen less often to, yet I am so fascinated by it. I just need the right recommendations about what to listen to…and you just sent it 🙂 They are really incredible and she is a force of nature! I need to show it to my 12 yrs old niece as she is a promising singer and loves swing/jazz artists.

My next song is linking to the Soul core of yours, maybe giving me a more Gospel feel. Just love how the bass and the crescendo brings you higher and in a clear space. Didn’t expect us to turn into this direction at the beginning of the playlist 😃 😃

More Than a Love Song – Black Pumas

Love the Curtis Harding track – such a classic groove and vibe and yet was released in ’21 – I love how timeless music is 🙂 Finally managed to get my ears in the right space to listen and follow up. I’d been hipped to the Black Pumas on a list I did with – hell – I can’t remember – but they were great – another timeless vibe and I think that’s why they made the connection. This is their latest release and sounds pretty good to my ears ;-p.

Stand Up – Quantic

It had indeed a timeless vibe. Such a great long song closure too. Loved it! I didn’t know them before, but heard of them. Surely now I will dig deeper.
It reminded me of some groove I listened to recently. It’s from Quantic, and in this recent work it went for a trip in funky town…his way. Fat bass and all included. It sounded to me like a good closure song from my side. I hope you enjoy it too.

Time (You and I) – Khruangbin

Loving the funk and groove on the Quantic track – works super well out of the Black Pumas – upping the energy – right from the opening bars I knew there was a connection but I couldn’t place it for the life of me. It’s such an interesting track too – with the various breakdowns and string sections – not at all what you’d expect – and for a while I was thinking of matching the overall groove – that bass line and had a Jungle track in there but – I knew it wasn’t right ;-p

Woke up this morning and realized that it needed to be Khruangbin’s Time (You and I) to finish the list – which – feels pretty apt for me too! 😛

Playlist image MidJourney Prompt