01. Need You Again - NEAL FRANCIS
With these sounds, the track scratches the itch to have something representing AIR’s awesome & continued tour around Moon Safari. Those guys put a remix LP of the classic electronic pop album this year, too. Go check out Talisman - Vegan Version on the B-Sides.

02. Yougotmefeeling - PARCELS
Title track (though I’ve added spaces). Along with Glass Animals and few others, this group gives me hope for the future of sound. That they’ve got a super tight live show and are an obvious favorite of my toddler is just icing on the cake.

03. Calor Ahora - PACHYMAN
Mr. Matt Keller gets the shoutout for tuning my mind to these vibes. I recall the post-sweat session hang where he said, “you’ll dig this.” He wasn’t wrong.

04. Moody - ROYEL OTIS
Brainworm alert: “I’ve got good intentions, she don’t see them at all…”

05. Idiot Box - SHARON VAN ETTEN
Modern classic. Sharon has a voice and sonic mastery that is out of time with today’s pop music pablum, but somehow still suited for today’s listeners who seek sometime meaningful. Not folk, but folk vibe.

06. Bag of Bones - LORD HURON
Why don’t I know more about this group. I absolutely adore this song.

07. Holy Mountain - OBONGJAYAR
These ears hear strong echos of early Burna Boy (African Giant). This is good. Nigeria isn’t playing around. Something’s in the water.

08. 5 Dollar Pony Rides - MAC MILLER
Mac is missed.

09. Bird School - AESOP ROCK
Vivid storytelling is Aes’ thing. This one comes from an LP that is drenched in delicious rhyme. I’d be lying if I said this was the most-listened track from the man, the myth, the legend. That distinction goes to a children’s tune that my toddler goes nuts for - ROADWORK RAPPIN’.

10. London - SKEPTA + FRED AGAIN…
By now it is predictable, for those following closely, that I fall for the cockney accent every time. That Fred Again.. didn’t make it onto last year’s offering was a shame. I’m making good with this inclusion.

11. Lotus - LITTLE SIMZ (w/ MICHAEL KIWANUKA + YUSSEF DAYES) 
This track is triple-stacked. Yes. Yes. Yes.

12. E.B.I.T.D.A. - CLIPSE (w/ PHARRELL WILLIAMS)
Honestly, never thought that Clipse would reunite, let alone create new music. The album isn’t a cash grab. It slaps. King Push and Malice at it again.

13. My Mind is a Mountain - DEFTONES
That one of the quintessential groups from my formative listening and show-going highschool years has, 20 years later, made it onto the annual mix is … surprising. I guess that in some regards time stands still. Deftones still bring it! The band is one that was most certainly included on one of the few early editions of this effort that has been lost to time.

14. Only Dreamin’ - LIGHTSURFER
Blake. You can find him across many of the playlists of this ongoing series. Love the scream.

15. The Yips - PETEY USA
This is the opening track to an album about mid-life dude time. I’ve got the yips too. Imposter syndrome. All of it. The live show was cathartic. Think Father John Misty x Emo from the early aughts. Lots of dudes.

16. Passport - MOONDOGGY
A more straightforward Cold War Kids kind of thing going on. Came out in ‘23. My mistake. Who cares?

17. Paradise - DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS
Blew me away at Webster Hall. Durand is a great frontman, but the kit man, Aaron Frazer, really steals the show with his falsetto leads.

18. Another Stone - MEN I TRUST
With these sounds, the track scratches the itch to have something representing AIR’s awesome & continued tour around Moon Safari. Those guys put a remix LP of the classic electronic pop album this year, too. Go check out Talisman - Vegan Version on the B-Sides link.

19. State of Hawaii - SKEGSS
Flying economy is Punk, right?

20. U and Me at Home - WET LEG
This group’s sophomore record, moisturizer, feels like an encore of the self-titled debut. A victory lap. The live show has found its groove. Ending this year’s offering with a bit of a b-side, but again, check out the B-Sides list for a few more Wet Leg jams.