PLAYLIST SHORTLIST: Week of May 22nd ...

PLAYLIST SHORTLIST: Listen in on week of May 8th

In a recent shift for the music industry, "new music" now drops on Fridays.  This is a good thing for everyone though, because you can really "discover" quality tracks and long players over the weekend.  That is something I've habitually done now, from this new queue of music falling into the system from Singapore and then slowly, hour by hour, finding its way to the States.  Here are some tracks and tunes that made the Playlist Shortlist for the week of May 8th from that last round over the past weekend:

HAIM - 'Want You Back 

The trio sisterhood of HAIM are back in full force with this infectious pop confection.  After making a scene with filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson a week back with the live, acoustic rollout of their other new tune 'Right Now' when they hit with their announce of new material, this track ensures the ensuing LP will hit with a massive bang of on repeat enjoyment.  The album does not have a definitive date as of yet, but will come later this year and will be a welcome inclusion to the music arena with their last album dating back to 2013 and their last single w/ Calvin Harris -- 'Pray To God (Remix)' -- 2015.

YOU AND ME AT SIX - 'Take On The World (AlunaGeorge Remix)'

No hate: I've always thought of You and Me At Six as kind of an across the pond Creed or Nickelback but this deft remix from AlunaGeorge makes the series finale tapped track for Vampire Diaires (if you were like me, it ended when Elena ended, sorry ... again, no hate ;- ) makes it completely accessible and transcendant.  When you listen to it against the wall of sound out there right now, it help break through to best results taken off their LP mined for all its worth: Night People. Credit to Greek blogger Hitmaster for the track to lift.

PEG PARNEVIK - 'Don't Tell Ma'

In a perfect world, this is what I wish Lady Gaga would have rolled into when she dropped Joanna but instead we have a welcome surprise from Sweden (but is anything pop perfection a surprise when it surfaces from this country?  Props to ABBA, Max Martin and our girl Robyn) as the latest single drop from Peg Parnevik.  Don't be fooled by that name, she packs a major jolt to the system with her ear to quality crfatsmanship to a 3-minute piece of perfection.  This is one of those songs you put on heavy rotation and sing loudly to no one because no one will know it until you make it:  Her prior songs were flat but this takes her to another level in the best way possible.

FLUME - 'Hyperreal (Feat. Kučka)'

Australia, thank you down under for making someone like FLUME possible for our ears.  I was and never will be a fan of the "EDM" arena and there had to be a break from the "breakdown" that is so prevalent in this genre.  Giving us a curious midtempo track w/ enough teeth to have its vocalist -- Australian producer and artist in her own right  Kučka -- to call out the scent of the previously mentioned AlunaGeorge w/ Disclosure - '2013's 'White Noise' - by chanting the words at the, making it altogether real and fresh.

Jarreau Vandal - 'Someone That You Love (Feat. Olivia Nelson)'

Blame Canada for the genius of soul-inspired DJs like Kaytranada -- the result is my number one album of 2016, 99.9% ... love! -- and the Netherlands for raising folk right like Jarreau Vandal who understands vintage, 90s and 00s urban music to deliver tracks like 'Nobody Else' (a true classic that will stand the test of time without fail) and this new track that dropped in March 'Someone That You Love' with vocals from what Rhianna should sound like if she wasn't on the Mary Jane 24/7, Olivia Nelson.  Manchester-bred remixer unit Zed Bias dropped a radio-friendly version of the tune this past week which helped me move it up to the front of the queue for heavy rotation.

Additional tracks this week include the Tove Lo / La Roux hybrid artist BILLIE with 'Love Kills Slowly', equally compelling Tove, Tove Stryke, with 'Say My Name' (yes, please), ODESZA offering with WYNNE and Mansionair, 'Line of Sight', mainstay to my playlists GOLDFRAPP with the scrumptuous dark number 'Systemagic' (seriously, why did she not coin the word 'Accelebrate' that I kepy on thinking I heard on this refrain, dammit?), LE YOUTH giving it his house-owning all with 'Walk Away', and bonus love to the troupe FOUR TET for their recent remixes of the past year with THE XX and SHURA.  Sure enough a reason to keep checking in weekly for what is being listened to and sharing with me what hits on New Music Friday for all of us to love...