JAMS : VOL : 13
whatcha gonna do - missy elliott feat. timbaland / lesttt we forget missy will NOT be used for just singing hooks. I would say this is a throwback but Missy (the baddest B) Elliott has always been so far ahead of her time, that did this come out last week?
midnight in a perfect world - dj shadow / let's travel to a time when breakbeats, adidas superstars with fat laces and my obsession in pursuing a career in graffiti was all super normal.
corner story - del the funky homosapien / speaking of breakbeats. Oof.
cosmonauts - fiona apple / i think we can all collectively agree that fiona albums should only ever be released during a global crisis. one of the most important poets of our generation, a supernova of a gut-punch, your proverbial shoulder to cry on, the whiskey to your sour, cause hell hath no fury like a fiona scorned. fun!
gole yakh - kourosh yaghmaei / this song is to my mother what I imagine Ms. Lauryn Hill's ex-factor is for most of us. name that kanye sample.
straight to hell - the clash / next stop on the sample train, this one. unbeknownst to many, I too went through a punk/post-punk phase. This is an example of said questionable phase.
cold blooded - swizz beats feat. pusha t / "swizz." "like the cheese!" "no swizz like the wiz" "i'm sorry sir, i think you're breaking up" is the conversation i imagine happens quite often.
green garden - laura mvula / if you don't clap along to this one, I'm afraid you have a serious condition of you have no rhythm.
back, baby - jessica pratt / what better time than now to stare out a window during your inevitable existential crisis? this is the soundtrack to that moment.
i feel ya - cheat codes / danny quest / this track is the predecessor to the one before, it's the song you were jamming out to the night before you woke up and decided you should stare out a window all day.
the box - roddy ricch / this track is me trying to hold on to any semblance of being "with it."
JU$T - run the jewels feat. pharrell & zack de la rocha / sigh. appropriate.
esther phillips - home is where the hatred is / see above. also see the original.
JAMS : VOL : 12
education - freddie gibbs / madlib feat. yasiin bey (aka the mighty mos def) / black thought / every year I complain that hip hop is just not the same. and every year i stand corrected. this album is that album. hip hop album of the year?
piscine privée - makala / is it french? is it portuguese? there's literally no way of knowing. it'll just get you swaying.
georgia - started out / when i first heard this track i was like yea sure another electro-pop track with vocals by a forest nymph. then that bass line hit at about 0:40 and i was like yesssss forest nymph!
this time around - jessica pratt / ...speaking of. here's another one for you to enjoy 3-4 times a year in LA when it's drizzling.
fuck yo feelings - robert glasper feat. yebba / if i've said it once, you're gonna hear it one more time, robert glasper is a criminally underrated musician in the jazz/funk world. this 2 min heater is practically perfect. roll the windows down, feel the wind and smell of fire burning in the air and SING.
bad bitch - dreezy / then continue to sing along with this bad bitch.
house work - jax jones feat mike dunn / mnek / industry tip: so you think you can dance is an incredible resource for amazing music. (season 16 genessy and slavik, for those of you keeping track)
spaceship - kanye west / the only reason this is in here is to remind us of better days. the new album, like the last one, is lazy. Don't @ me.
bachelorette - bjork / i know. bjork needs to be committed. she's cuckoo for coco puffs. but i must confess, i am in fact, a closet bjork fan and there are certain notes the lady can HIT. also in case any of you have watched the new joker film, i think this is the track they should've had in the closing scene. plus. no bjork would mean no kristen wiig as bjork https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBR0G_ogx54
i'm gonna get you - bizarre inc. / some of you may know, early 90s club tracks, are my all time vibe. everybody dance now.
you (remix) - nicole bus feat. rick ross / nicole bus sings with her whole existence and this track is no exception. normally i'm not a fan of sampling these types of classics but she gets a pass.
you ain't the problem - michael kiwanuka / cue every muscle you have in your shoulders cause they're about to roll.
peace piece - bill evans / no intro needed. just a brilliant piece of music. peace to you all.
JAMS : VOL : 11
jungle - heavy, california / i waited 4 goddamn years for this album and I might have this track on repeat for another 4 years.
jungle - beat 54 (all good now) / seriously. 4 years. also this is one of those tracks that I think I have perfect pitch but my car windows can't go up high enough.
ama lou - tried up / this lady sings with all of her body, like she sings with her hair. jump to about 2:35 to jump into some head bobbing goodness.
the acid - tumbling lights / susan mother-f'ing jacobs is a beast. who is susan you ask? I hope you're asking google and not me but since I'm here she was the music supervisor for 'sharp objects' (among other hits) and left me with one of the most visceral and haunting soundtracks ever..."don't tell mama"
my brightest diamond - be brave / this track hits you with the force of a hundred thousand scorned white women at the picket lines of (take your pick). seriously, I damn near fell over when i first heard this. so different. so unique. so going to be on repeat while i'm angrily driving down the 405.
thundercat + badbadnotgood + flying lotus - king of the hill / the boys of badbadnotgood = gold. Add thundercat and flying lotus to that equation and you've got something that I can't quite figure out cause I was never really good at math.
evelyn "champagne" king - the show is over / name that sample, kids. seriously, they don't make em like they used to.
melii - icey / if they ever make a biopic about cardi b i imagine this is the song they'll pick for when she throws her shoe at nicki minaj.
shyne feat. barrington levy - bonnie & shyne / let's take like 5 min and imagine the legendary career shyne could have had. also let's all take 5 minutes and try to guess what barrington levy is saying in that one part.
adele - he won't go / the range on this track is incredible. song-writing at it's absolute finest. seriously guys just roll your windows up when I drive past you.
andrew bird - bloodless / picture this. you're driving down gower on a perfect 80 degree day (perfect is relative) with a light breeze. your swooning to this jazzy brilliance and accidentally hit an unsuspecting 20-something year old on their way to an audition for hairspray...but i digress...
mura masa feat. octavian - move me / it's basically still summer in LA yes?
leikeli47 - droppin' / she's not wrong, i been asking when her new shit droppin' for like a minute now. that new new banger. car windows allll the way down for this track.
JAMS : VOL : 10
jessie ware - selfish love / j. ware is like a river nymph who sprouts her head out of the water every now and again and graces us with the most beautiful of river nymph voices. also she's hilarious.
carly simon - he likes to roll / this song is the epitome of a bushy haired white lady rolling around in a bed of wild flowers in the 70s. carly simon is one of the greatest songwriters of all time and don't you forget it.
outkast - SpottieOttieDopaliscious / the SuperCaliFragilistic of our time. THOSE HORNS.
willow + sza - 9 / willow must be channeling one of her thousand past scientology lives to sound as old as she does on this.
nicki minaj - chun-li / i've said it a million times. nicki, sweetheart, you have the ability to drop ridiculous 16 bars, you don't need the antics. it was between this and bodak yellow, but alas here we are.
azealia banks - anna wintour / anything that sounds like it's coming out of the loudspeakers during a couture runway show in the early 90s is my complete aesthetic. WERK.
leon bridges - bad bad news B / the breakbeat at 2:30 is everything I ever wanted and more.
adrian younge - chicago wind / we want the old kanye, cause the old kanye would have sampled every part of this. those vocals at :50 are everything.
moby - falling rain and light / i know i know, moby is just about the most eye-rolly of musicians but once every 15 years he'll peak his bald little head out of a cabbage farm and deliver an amazing track.
jim james - i wasn't made for these times / samesies jim, samesies.
daryl hall & john oates - rich girl / daryll hall and john oates originally started as manufacturers for cereal foods in the late 60s but their 3rd partner bran flakes took a hold of the company and broke away to become wildly successful. this song is about her.
elbow - trust the sun / once the vocals actually kick in at around a minute you may think, phil? is that you? but no it's some other UK band about to blow your socks off.
A2 feat. 6lack - southern comfort / speaking of the UK. meet this london cat, who met with a US cat and gave us this hit.
cardi b - bodak yellow / whatever.
JAMS : VOL : 9
hannah williams & the affirmations - late nights & heartbreak / you know how i'm always talking about how the original sample is always better? here's another one. this album is tops, top to bottom.
jelani - not you / cue the smoke machines. and backup dancers with snakes. basically cue britney spears circa 2001.
jeanie j – her / it's whiny. but it works? i don't know, i'm having a hard week guys.
cigarettes after sex – apocalypse / this is something you'd hear coming from the soundtrack of an angsty teen movie in the early 2000s where there's a montage with rain.
prince - 17 days / it's Prince (pronounced "prahnce" a la maya rudolph), what else do you want from me?
branko feat. princess nokia - take off / i really need parris goebel or mark kanemura to choreograph for this. please direct all "who's parris and mark" questions to google. we'd be here for hours.
chaz bundick meets the mattson 2 - don't blame yourself / convoluted band names incorporated presents to you this fire track.
the alan parsons project - eye in the sky / this is something you'd hear coming from the soundtrack of a martial arts movie in the late 80s where there's a montage with rain.
pusha t. feat. future – pain / what else would you follow eye in the sky with?
kelsey lu – time / very rarely can i say i've heard something truly original and fresh. kelsey is that and so much more. saw her live and she's pure artistry. also yes that's her playing the strings.
run the jewels - panther like a panther (miracle mix) / i complain a lot about how good hip hop just doesn't exist anymore. like a LOT. these guys prove me wrong every. damn. time. also can we all just appreciate that we live in a world where trina still has a job?
JAMS : VOL : 8
danitsa - remember me / admittedly this track took a couple of listens but with a line like "what's with the flip flops, where are your shoes?" i mean, where do i sign? give it a few. it'll sink in. and you'll realize this B is lightyears ahead of the game.
l'impératrice – sequences / this is where i pretend like i'm cultured. also it's fun. nescafé?
coldplay – aliens / coldplay stops making good music when gwenyth paltrow, of GOOP fame, comes into the picture. coldplay starts making good music when they have a "mutual uncoupling." coincidence? i think not.
killing joke - love like blood / if you're anything like me you had an early 80s new wave, post punk, john hughes phase. and if you're anything like me you'll appreciate that guitar riff.
6black – PRBLMS / this entire album sounds like one song. but man what a song. so F-L-Y.
kwaye - little ones / refer back to the whole early 80s thing but like mixed with 80s r&b.
kan wakan - forever found / old track. been obsessed for some time. mannnn her voice
st. vincent - new york / st. vincent's always been more of a miss than hit for me but alas, here we are.
sylvan esso - die young / if a synth beat is played and a hipster isn't around to hear it, does it still sound annoying? not sure. none of that adds up. whatever sylvan esso puts the er in hipster.
the juan maclean - running back to you / nothing like a good 2 mins to warm up to a track. fast forward for lyrics.
agnes obel - words are dead / agnes obel makes some of the most depressingly beautiful music i've ever heard. now if you'll excuse me i have a head to put in the oven...
shakira - me enamoré / we've all heard this. whatever I needed a pick up me up after that last one
miami horror - cellophane (so cruel) / this is something kcrw will shove down your throat in the mornings. it's fun!
rick ross feat ty dolla $ign - i think she like me/ rick ross (rauce) is really starting to grow on me. all the sauce.
**honorable mention** jay z - caught their eyes...but like name me one person who has a tidal subscription
JAMS : VOL : 7
little dragon - strobe light / WERK WERK WERK WERK WERK.
gavin turek – surrender / tokimonsta produced, gavin perfected. not her usual sound but I'll take it.
kendrick lamar – DNA / i know, i know. we've all listened to this album a hundred times through and it's litter than lit. but just wanted to go ahead and remind you of the absolute fire that is minute 2:00-2:50. volumes up.
sza - sweet November / only for the grown and sexy.
chico mann feat captain planet - y ahora que / someone get me a goddamn margarita extra salt and a goddamn pool i'm so goddamn exhausted omg.
mr. fingers - mystery of love / in case you forgot that nothing that comes out of kanye is original, here's a reminder of the best part of fade. sample this sample that's like 10 mins long. and i'm not mad at any of it.
miguel - waves - tame impala remix / i got nothing. just tame impala sprinkling their magical glitter on things.
clubfeet – canyons / WURK WURK WURK WURK WURK.
kutiman & karolina - i think i am / some of the funkiest shit i've heard straight outta israel. the guitar at around 1:20 though?? i'm schvitzing!
dom kennedy feat niko G4 - u got it like that / a little paperboy "ditty", a little too short, a little luniz. a lotta vibes.
incubus – loneliest / yes incubus is still making music. yes i still listen to them. no they're not as good as they used to be. yes brandon boyd is still FOINE as hell.
tigran hamasyan - fides tua / thought i'd class this up a bit with this last track. armenian jazz pianist with an absolutely beautiful track. back to my existential crisis i go.....
JAMS : VOL : 6
men i trust – lauren / 5 Vibez 3 Feelz
bomba estéreo - algo está cambiando / 4 Vibez 5 Feel
minnie ripperton - baby, this love i have / 4 Vibez 2 Feelz
roosevelt - wait up / 4 Vibez 3 Feelz
astronauts, etc. - shake it loose / all the vibez. all the feels. just shut it down
teyana taylor feat. pusha t & yo gotti – maybe / 4 Vibez 3 Feelz (and plenty of panty drops)
the cool kids - gold and a pager / 5 Vibez 1 Feelz
zhané - sending my love / 4 Vibez 4 Feelz
holy forest - africa calling / 5 Vibez 4 Feelz (those horns tho?!)
max frost - nice and slow / 4 Vibez 4 Feelz
fly golden eagle - tangible intangible / 3 Vibez 4 Feelz
lion babe feat moe moks – rockets / 5 Vibez4 Feelz
JAMS : VOL : 5
denitia and sene - breathe.scream.dream / for those really long ass drives to work and home. or in other words every goddamn day of my life. it's like the chillest.
jim james - true nature / some of you may have heard about my absolute obsession with this album. it's because it's incredible top to bottom. every part of it. this is just one of my faves from the album but seriously every single track is a winner.
andrew bird - roma fade / another obsession, the ghost of andrew bird has not left my car for a couple of weeks now. "truth lies low" is also perfection. go! follow your inner white man.
timber timbre - hot dreams (absolutely free dub mix) / you know how i said that first song is like the chillest? i lied, it's this one.
luke temple - hard working hand / if you're still awake at this point, hopefully luke will lighten things up a bit. sounds totally retro, but is so totally modern. also i've never heard an artist make such a giant leap from one album to the next, this one is definitely the better one. also that album cover! [swoon]
solange - cranes in the sky / sure, she's all the rage now, but where was everyone when i was saying she's the more talented knowles? and if you don't think so i'm sure we can settle it in a cramped elevator somewhere.
shakira - chantaje feat. Maluma / ok first of all where was maluma all my life? second if this doesn't make you wanna get out of your seat and shake those hips that don't lie then you're dead inside. also obviously racist.
elohim – hallucinating / i can't tell yet if I like this track or if i'm incredibly annoyed by it. the jury is still out.
childish gambino - me and your mama / duh.
mura masa - love$ick feat a$ap rocky / i$n't it $o the be$t when you $witch out your $'s with dollar $ign$? it'$ really the main reason why I threw thi$ song in the mix.
abel korzeniowski - wayward sisters / if tom ford does one thing right it's working with this composer right here. one of the most beautiful tracks i've heard set to one of the more awkward scenes to begin a film.
cat power - wild is the wind / continuing our tour of the sad and lonely, here is another somber track for you. she really is a modern day sade, only not as groovy.
galimatias - make you feel feat. alina baraz / another one for that long drive...ugh. seriously guys, everyday.
michael nau - love survive / it's cute. it's bouncy. just go with it.
madonna - deeper and deeper / yes i'm well aware we've all heard this one but just wanted to remind everyone WHO THE GODDAMN QUEEN IS.
JAMS : VOL : 4
lapsley - operator (he doesn't call me) / is this new? is this old? there's literally no way to tell. we just know it's a hell of a jam.
m.i.a. feat zayn – freedun / you either love her or hate her (zayn i think it's safe to say we all hate) but it's a nice continuation of her last album which was great. also she says things like "dinosaurs died and i'm still strong"
spoon - inside out (fabrizio moretti remix) / it's so...bouncy. just makes me want to shimmy shimmy which is never a good look while i'm stuck in traffic.
james vincent mcmorrow - get low / what's that you say? you want another song by a high pitched sensitive singer songwriting hipster? have i got a track for you. this one.
radiohead - knives out / i mean it's radiohead. it's one of their best tracks. there's really not much else to say.
badbadnotgood - time moves slowly / i've given y'all some badbadnotgood heat before but this one...oof. the collabo with the future islands lead is almost haunting. JAZZ IS NOT DEAD DAMNIT.
dj snake feat justin bieber - let me love you / it's just that...like...i mean it's like...you know what whatever. i don't even care anymore.
kyla - do you mind / cause samples are the shiz. also can we all just collectively agree that drake's time is up? thanks in advance.
schoolboy Q feat kanye west - THat part / I like that one part...brought to you by 93.7 the realesssttttttt *pew pew pewwwww*
my morning jacket - only memories remain / this is just a great track. so hard to find new music that has this much simplicity. enjoy the slow mo music video playing in your head.
klymaxx - meeting in the ladies room / honestly...if you can't get down with this, we can't be friends.
JAMS : VOL : 3
flume - the greatest view / found this song through this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiRPGncy8xk (marie poppins, so you think you can dance season 11, holla if ya hear me)...anyway flume is great. so yea just get into it.
tei shi – basically /bassssically on ruh-peat. ugh. sorry. for your 2 minute dance party.
king krule - border line / this is the guy that your hipster friend will tell you they love but like they don't really love but this is actually a great song. very interesting voice, you can hear the streets of wherever it is that he comes from but that chorus *swoon*
chairlift - crying in public / this is one of those songs that when you're singing along out loud you think you sound like a beautiful sea creature but you actually sound like a harp seal.
bea1991 - filthy believer / the 80's baby in me is over the moon for this. very sade new wave electro-pop, buzzword buzzword buzzword.
liam bailey - stun me / it's sweet. it's sappy. it's sugar covered in syrup. and i'm crying.
whinnie williams - too strong / yassssss to this. so much 'tude coming from this little lady. great car sing-a-long track.
alexander desplat - a prayer for madame D / this is me shaking things up a bit. my favorite film composer, he's magical and so's this song. whatever to wes anderson though...your wildcard.
sinkane – moonstruck / i had some trouble picking between this track and "new name"...anyway check that one out too. very talented young man.
adrian younge – sirens / sound familiar? you expect Jay to show up on this track? think again. original tracks are the business.
dusty springfield - just one smile / "dusty in memphis" is one of my favorite albums of all time. i can listen to it over and over and her honesty just seeps through the tracks and straight to my soul. also that hairdo!
JAMS : VOL : 2
natalia lafourcade - para qué sufrir / she sounds so vintage but is so present. this is for your breezy afternoon where you stare out a window and wonder where it all went wrong
rodríguez - i think of you / and then continue into the evening wondering where it all went wrong
mos def - the panties / Oof...panty dropper.
billie black - black & white / a very jessie ware type voice, great for some working tunes
ry x – haste / in continuing with the mellow theme, this is your wild card pick
dolly parton – Jolene / because nothing beats that opening guitar riff...just a remind of one of the greatest tracks of all time
dua lipa - hotter than hell / this pop jam would probably come on at a shitty miami day club when you're trying to decide whether to throw up before or after you order a plate of fries. it's fun. don't over-think it.
dj rashad - she a go / after you throw up...
angel haze - werkin' girls / newwwwwww shiiiiiiiiiiittttttt *pew pew pew*...she's no mc lyte, still it's nice to hear some female mc's whose name doesn't end in "esha"
heartless bastards - only for you / a little change of pace. a 'bama shakes type of feel for ya.
future islands - seasons (waiting on you) [badbadnotgood mix] / you've probably heard the original version but just in case you needed a reminder of how fire this reinterpretation is.
JAMS : VOL : 1
kanye west – fade / only good track off that self-absorbed shit-storm
deewun - mek it bunx up / classic dancehall goodness
charles bradley - nobody but you / top candidate for album of the year. favorite track
alunageorge - i'm in control / it's fun. for your mid-day dance break
peter and kerry - one thing / such a great cover of this track. definitely unexpected
melody's echo chamber - quand vas tu rentrer / beautiful electro-pop french act. doesn't get much more hipster than that
la priest – oino / electro goodness shoulder rolls.
amy winehouse - wake up alone (original recording) / top 5 greatest winehouse tracks. she seeps into your soul with this one.
badbadnotgood – velvet / 3 young white 20 year olds playing the shit out of their instruments. jazz is back!
deftones - prayers/triangles / okay disclaimer. listen to this one in a good mood. wild card pick.
savages – adore / this definitely may not be your cup of tea but give it a go. 4 ladies, 3 english-women, lead singer is french, all bad as can be. definite candidate for album of the year.