PLAYLIST SHORTLIST: Week of May 22nd ...

PLAYLIST SHORTLIST: Listen in on week of May 22nd

Another Monday *, another good reason to get into the quality music that has found its way onto the Playlist Shortlist from this past weekend; the result of the roll through tuning in on quality tracks and long players that dropped on Friday.  In this case May 19th.
As the new queue of music uploads from Singapore through to the States, here are some tunes that made my week that I cue up for all to enjoy:

GRIZZLY BEAR - 'Mourning Sound' 

This track actually dropped onto the 'www's midweek last week, the next installment of new material following their first song 'Three Rings' for their upcoming LP 'Painted Ruins,' which looks to find its way to us in a way too long trio of months ahead: August 18th.  I've always been a big fan of 'moody accessible', which this tune exudes in waves of low-fi strumming guitars, harmonies and keys. Their last two long players -- 2012's 'Shields' and 2009's 'Veckatimest' -- pulled out of it some of the most intriguing collaborations (Brian Eno, Michael McDonald - !) and remixes (the genius Nicholas Jaar, Fred Falke).  As a result, expectations are high that the tunes already produced are just the first battalion of quality sounds to come out of this quartet for the coming year.

LONDON GRAMMAR - 'Oh Woman Oh Man (MK Remix)'

This remix package from London Grammar actually made its way to me over the last day -- including a longish, but decent electro remix from Canadian Montreal man, Tiga -- but deserved the spins its received from me in this short amount of time that its been with me.  The original song itself I could give or take, mainly because London Grammar has given itself the carte blanche to formula its melancholy down to almost insignficant levels of rememberance (apols), but the remix has a raging quality that I enjoy.  Basically the remix does what I look for for in any remix: make me treat the song differently by making it sound different.  MK has a house anchor that he always holds on to, but with this one lets the song wail above dark beats that work well for its final result.

PHOENIX - 'Ti Amo'

Another return to the mainstage is from the French rock-pop outfit PHOENIX.  Like aforementioned Grizzly Bear, Phoenix have released one prior track from this upcoming album -- 'Ti Amo' (also the name of the title track featured here), coming June 9th -- that shuffled with alt-pop confection that rivals this track, 'J-Boy' (which itself has a stellar tongue-in-cheek Italio-variety show video that carries out the theme of 'Ti Amo').
This tune, talking about prosecco by the jukebox, giving Italian-inspired, international-tinged adoration to the Buzzcocks, it is an instant earworm that will keep you putting this on repeat to say 'Ti Amo' to anyone in earshot.

Selena Gomez - 'Bad Liar'

Speaking of pop, Selena Gomez can be commended on her internal magnet to give her the right circle to get her the desired persona or sound of the moment.  Having Justin Tranter and David Byrne on songwriting credits says something about her focus on getting music that keeps her escalating the levels of 'credibility,' while still charting the pop stratosphere.  Cue 'Bad Liar' that has the perfect balance of subtle, slick production, while having the right lyrics to make it noticeable.  Trying for it?  Absolutely, but also accomplishing it, that is a win to be acknowledged.

Sure enough reasons 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...

* - Thoughts are with those in the bombing at the Manchester Arena overseas.  Another tragic, unnecessary assault on our livelihood.