Playlist Reviews

What’s This Playlist All About? Independent London label Local Action—who specializes in far-out genre blends, heavy grime, esoteric electronic, and heady pop and R&B (be on the lookout for their release of DAWN’s stunning new album New Breed out January 25)—helps us “ease into 2019” with a fresh mix of “ambient, modern classical, piano, OSTs and everything in between.”What You Get: Over a half-day of enchanting instrumentals and quietly devastating masterpieces that look back through the decades (even centuries). Get a taste of Erik Satie’s melancholic piece de resistance “Gymnopedie No. 1,” whimsical soundtrack sounds from Christopher Larkin, cosmic avant-rock from David Sylvian, heartbreaking orchestral splendor by Silver Mt. Zion, multidimensional ambient transcendence from Yves Tumor, and some sensual piano bliss from Enya for good measure.Greatest Discovery: Hmm, this is hard, but it’s best to get familiar with Japanese ambient pioneer Hiroshi Yoshimura’s patient, percolating keyboards and drones on tracks like “Water Copy” and “Soto Wa Ame - Rain out of Window.”Is a 15-hour “beatless” playlist really necessary? If you have to ask, you just don’t get it.

With anticipation for her upcoming sophomore effort, Melodrama, at a fever pitch, Lorde has retreated back to her favorite place of solace—as an acute observer of everyone else. Even the title of her new Spotify playlist, Homemade Dynamite, feels a bit like a cheeky inside joke pulled from some faded memory. While the 20-year old artist is best known for layering her timeless, soulful voice over a nu-goth aesthetic, Lordes other essential quality is that shes unwaveringly sympathetic towards her listeners. While most of the songs on Homemade Dynamite could soundtrack a night at the club, Lorde takes the entire evening into consideration with the same meticulous attention to detail heard on her 2013 debut album, Pure Heroine. Similar to the compassionate but authoritative friend everyone should have, Lorde has already anticipated that you’ll need something to perk you up (Amine and Kehlani), something to help soothe your feelings at 3 a.m. (Bon Iver and Weyes Blood), and something to tell you that you are a million bucks the morning after (Santigold). Under Lorde’s curation, Future’s “Mask Off” and your dad’s favorite Paul Simon song, “Graceland,” feel cut from the same cloth; they are two tales of escapism designed to reach all corners of her audience. These selections are indicative not only of Lordes desire to address the extraordinary moments of relatively mundane affairs, but also affirm the experiences of her listeners in the process. Depending on which side of middle age you’re on, ordinary experiences are either aspirational or nostalgic. Lorde’s universal appeal derives from the fact that she consistently accounts for both.

What’s This Playlist All About? The English singer-songwriter preps us for her upcoming fourth album, No Words Left, out March 22, with a mix of soul-warming stunners.What You Get: Gentle, gorgeous, and gauzy gems from singer-songwriters both classic and contemporary. Introspective acoustic perfection from Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Nick Drake, and John Martyn cozy up alongside the bittersweet melodies of Feist, Phoebe Bridgers, and Marlon Williams. She also adds in some timeless Pink Floyd and a some recent Radiohead to round out the airy, atmospheric experience.Greatest Discoveries: The sleepy, surf-y, guitar-fueled soul of Khruangbin’s lovely “Como Te Quiero,” which seamlessly bleeds into the funky free flow of “Broken Theme” from jazz/electro wizard Kamaal Williams.How Well Does This Reflect Lucy Rose’s Own Aesthetic? Quite beautifully. You could easily slip in one of Rose’s own ethereal acoustic reflections, like recent single “Conversation,” right between Laura Marling and Nick Drake for a little extra soothing of the soul.

What’s This Playlist All About? As she prepares for the release of her much-anticipated major-label debut album, Heard it in a Past Life, the singer/songwriter who already has Pharrell Williams’ blessing puts together a mix of songs that she’s “got on repeat.”What You Get: Rogers shows off her country and folk roots by bookending the playlist with iconic voices Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris. In between is a treasure trove of charmingly offbeat gems—no matter how popular they’ve become—from the moody electro-pop of La Force and Clairo to the bombastic rap of Cardi B, the groovy indie pop of Your Smith, the introspective folk of S. Carey, and a little anthemic magic from tour buddies Mumford & Sons.Greatest Discoveries: There’s an awesome trio of songs near the top that flow so well together: the groovy feel-good soul of Natalie Prass melts right into Lizzo’s infectious funky “Boys” before Kamasi Washington slides in with his life-affirming exploratory jazz.How Does this Playlist Reflect Rogers’ Own Style? This serves as a wonderful companion to Rogers’ own music, which itself dips into a little of everything—a little gentle twang, a little electro panache, a little DIY edge—all while sounding completely fresh.

Whats This Playlist All About? The global party-starters keep the world spinning and twerking with an ever-expanding mix of new and classic dancehall and reggae bangers.What Do You Get? Nine-plus hours of sweaty, adrenaline-soaked EDM, reggae, dancehall, and soca for both sunny, tropical getaways and dark, dank clubs. Expect plenty of Major Lazers own bumping pop collaborations (including everything from the Give Me Future doc soundtrack), alongside plenty of Jamaican talents (Cutty Ranks, Gyptian, Beenie Man, etc.) and some Canadian ones, too, for good measure (PARTYNEXTDOOR, Drake).Greatest Discovery: Tobago-born calypsonian Calypso Roses feel-good groove "I Am African," here remixed by Major Lazers Jillionaire.Guiltiest Pleasure: Don Andres silly, sizzling cut "Tom Cruise," a weird ode to the actor and dancing in Ray-Bans.Will This Keep the Party Going … Forever? We think thats the point, but only if you and your friends really, really dig dancehall.

Whats This Playlist All About? The Dutch DJ extraordinaire reveals all: These are "tracks that I love to listen to at home or play out at a party." Its safe to say this spunky upstart totally brings the party with him everywhere he goes——even in the comforts of his own home.What Do You Get? An ever-changing weekly collection of buzzy, bass-y feel-good anthems, dizzying dancefloor-fillers, and——if the feel is just right——some frayed, frenetic house and bass experiments. Like any DJ worth his/her salt, Garrix is both calculated and playful with his selections, slipping in some esoteric sounds between poppy earworms.Biggest and Best Surprise: James Blakes sticky, splintered cosmic-electro-soul single "If the Car Beside You Moves Ahead."Can You Pull This Off As Your Mix At Your Next Party?: Nope, sorry. This is expert DJ stuff. No way your friends will believe you have such hip, eclectic tastes.

Whats This Playlist All About? The DJ, producer, and all-around electro polymath celebrates the release of his first album in six years, Bunny, with a collection he describes as simply "songs to breathe with."What You Get: A big peek into Bunny with singles like the haunting, heady sprawl of "Bunnys Dream" and his two buzzing collabs with Tegan and Sara, "Horses" and "Bad Ones." Dear also weaves in majestic licks from Built to Spill, funky grooves from krautrock kings CAN, beguiling noise from experimentalist Tobbaco, and warm country blues from Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt.Greatest Discovery: Singer-songwriter Amen Dunes sounds like a rawer, looser Fleet Foxes with the spacey, atmospheric "Splits Are Parted."How Does This Playlist Work as a Companion to Bunny? While the inclusion of artists like Brian Eno, Beacon, and CAN make sense with Dears own electronic work, the rest serves as a sort of stripped-down, singer-songwriter parallel to his own moody, mercurial melodies.

For much of the digital-music era, Metallica have been one of rock’s most high-profile holdouts. Even after their infamous 2000 lawsuit against Napster, the band waited until 2006 to make their music available on iTunes, and waited until late 2012 to get on board with Spotify. And there’s perhaps no greater sign that Metallica have not just surrendered to the changing times but are actually embracing them than the fact all four members of the band recently uploaded playlists to Metallica’s official Spotify page. The playlists, posted during a few days of downtime on the massive two-year tour in support of 2016’s Hardwired...To Self-Destruct, range from an hour to over 100 minutes, and shed some light on the listening habits of the biggest metal band in the world.JAMES HETFIELD’S PLAYLIST (FEATURED AT TOP)In the ‘80s, Metallica started to hint that their influences reached beyond metal, with The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited betraying their fondness for punk. But James Hetfield’s Spotify playlist goes deeper into mellower sounds that Metallica would never touch, from jazz guitarist Bill Frisell to Portland-via-Auckland indie-rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Still, Hetfield’s playlist is heavier on metal than those of his bandmates, with representation from the veteran thrash bands that influenced early Metallica like Venom and Dark Angel, as well as contemporary doom metal bands Pallbearer and Ghost B.C. Some songs appear to have caught Hetfield’s ear through films, like “Who Can You Trust” (Ivy Levan’s Bond theme-like track that opened Melissa McCarthy’s action comedy Spy), and the Gary Jules rework of Tears For Fears’ “Mad World” that was made famous by Donnie Darko. And Men At Work frontman Colin Hay’s emotional 2011 track “Dear Father” may have struck a deeply personal chord with Hetfield, who had a complex relationship with his own late father.KIRK HAMMETT’S PLAYLIST

Lead guitarist Kirk Hammett has long been known as the most musically open-minded member of Metallica, the guy who actually knew the bands they were playing with at Lollapalooza in 1996, and who praised Radiohead’s Kid A while many hard rockers sneered at the album’s lack of guitars. And Hammett’s Spotify playlist casts a suitably wide net, including Captain Beefheart, The Isley Brothers, and, of course, “Everything In Its Right Place.” Hammett’s guitar-god influences are in full effect with Jimi Hendrix and Thin Lizzy deep cuts. But he still has, by far, the band’s most stylistically unpredictable playlist, including two different, back-to-back versions of Damian Marley’s “Welcome To Jamrock” (the original and a live version with Jack Johnson) and Carole King’s title song for the 1975 animated musical Really Rosie.LARS ULRICH’S PLAYLIST

Lars Ulrich’s playlist opens with a little music from one of his bandmates, Robert Trujillo, who played on the Suicidal Tendencies track “Tap Into The Power” during his six-year stint with the L.A. thrash-funk band. Outside of a couple of groovy tracks from Bob Marley and Stereo MC’s, Lars Ulrich’s playlist is loud and guitar-driven, ranging from proto-metal influences (Diamond Head and Deep Purple) to ‘90s alternative rock (Nirvana, Oasis, and Rage Against The Machine). Ulrich also singles out the title track from The Osmonds’ 1972 album Crazy Horses, lending some credence to rock critic Chuck Eddy’s decision to include it in his list of the 500 best heavy metal albums of all time.ROBERT TRUJILLO’S PLAYLIST

While the other members of the band have dedicated their lives to Metallica and little else for nearly their entire careers, Robert Trujillo had a varied résumé before joining the band in 2003, and his playlist features some of the people he’s played with over the years. Like Ulrich, Trujillo picked a track from his tenure with Suicidal Tendencies, although he chose a classic Alice In Chains song in lieu of his work on Jerry Cantrell’s solo albums. The most intriguing tip of the hat to a collaborator on Trujillo’s playlist is to Ozzy Osbourne. In 2002, Osbourne controversially reissued two of his classic ‘80s albums with the original rhythm section tracks re-recorded by members of his then-current backing band, which included Trujillo. In 2011, those albums were reissued again with the original instrumentation restored, and Trujillo opens his playlist with “S.A.T.O.” from Diary Of A Madman, in its classic form with Bob Daisley on bass.This feature is part of our Thrash 101 online course that was produced in partnership with the good rocking folks at GimmeRadio, a free 24/7 metal radio station hosted by heavy-music experts like Megadeths Dave Mustaine and Lamb of Gods Randy Blythe. Check them out here and sign up for the Thrash 101 course here.

This is the 14th and final chapter of our Thrash 101 program. This feature was produced in partnership with GimmeRadio, your free 24/7 metal radio station hosted by heavy-music experts like Megadeths Dave Mustaine and Lamb of Gods Randy Blythe.For much of the digital-music era, Metallica have been one of rock’s most high-profile holdouts. Even after their infamous 2000 lawsuit against Napster, the band waited until 2006 to make their music available on iTunes, and waited until late 2012 to get on board with Spotify. And there’s perhaps no greater sign that Metallica have not just surrendered to the changing times but are actually embracing them than the fact all four members of the band recently uploaded playlists to Metallica’s official Spotify page. The playlists, posted during a few days of downtime on the massive two-year tour in support of 2016’s Hardwired...To Self-Destruct, range from an hour to over 100 minutes, and shed some light on the listening habits of the biggest metal band in the world.JAMES HETFIELD’S PLAYLIST (FEATURED AT TOP)In the ‘80s, Metallica started to hint that their influences reached beyond metal, with The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited betraying their fondness for punk. But James Hetfield’s Spotify playlist goes deeper into mellower sounds that Metallica would never touch, from jazz guitarist Bill Frisell to Portland-via-Auckland indie-rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Still, Hetfield’s playlist is heavier on metal than those of his bandmates, with representation from the veteran thrash bands that influenced early Metallica like Venom and Dark Angel, as well as contemporary doom metal bands Pallbearer and Ghost B.C. Some songs appear to have caught Hetfield’s ear through films, like “Who Can You Trust” (Ivy Levan’s Bond theme-like track that opened Melissa McCarthy’s action comedy Spy), and the Gary Jules rework of Tears For Fears’ “Mad World” that was made famous by Donnie Darko. And Men At Work frontman Colin Hay’s emotional 2011 track “Dear Father” may have struck a deeply personal chord with Hetfield, who had a complex relationship with his own late father.KIRK HAMMETT’S PLAYLIST

Lead guitarist Kirk Hammett has long been known as the most musically open-minded member of Metallica, the guy who actually knew the bands they were playing with at Lollapalooza in 1996, and who praised Radiohead’s Kid A while many hard rockers sneered at the album’s lack of guitars. And Hammett’s Spotify playlist casts a suitably wide net, including Captain Beefheart, The Isley Brothers, and, of course, “Everything In Its Right Place.” Hammett’s guitar-god influences are in full effect with Jimi Hendrix and Thin Lizzy deep cuts. But he still has, by far, the band’s most stylistically unpredictable playlist, including two different, back-to-back versions of Damian Marley’s “Welcome To Jamrock” (the original and a live version with Jack Johnson) and Carole King’s title song for the 1975 animated musical Really Rosie.LARS ULRICH’S PLAYLIST

Lars Ulrich’s playlist opens with a little music from one of his bandmates, Robert Trujillo, who played on the Suicidal Tendencies track “Tap Into The Power” during his six-year stint with the L.A. thrash-funk band. Outside of a couple of groovy tracks from Bob Marley and Stereo MC’s, Lars Ulrich’s playlist is loud and guitar-driven, ranging from proto-metal influences (Diamond Head and Deep Purple) to ‘90s alternative rock (Nirvana, Oasis, and Rage Against The Machine). Ulrich also singles out the title track from The Osmonds’ 1972 album Crazy Horses, lending some credence to rock critic Chuck Eddy’s decision to include it in his list of the 500 best heavy metal albums of all time.ROBERT TRUJILLO’S PLAYLIST

While the other members of the band have dedicated their lives to Metallica and little else for nearly their entire careers, Robert Trujillo had a varied résumé before joining the band in 2003, and his playlist features some of the people he’s played with over the years. Like Ulrich, Trujillo picked a track from his tenure with Suicidal Tendencies, although he chose a classic Alice In Chains song in lieu of his work on Jerry Cantrell’s solo albums. The most intriguing tip of the hat to a collaborator on Trujillo’s playlist is to Ozzy Osbourne. In 2002, Osbourne controversially reissued two of his classic ‘80s albums with the original rhythm section tracks re-recorded by members of his then-current backing band, which included Trujillo. In 2011, those albums were reissued again with the original instrumentation restored, and Trujillo opens his playlist with “S.A.T.O.” from Diary Of A Madman, in its classic form with Bob Daisley on bass.

Whats This Playlist All About?: The psych-pop duo gives us no context beyond the title, so we can only presume this mix of old, obscure tracks is somehow linked to their recent single "When You Die," a barbed and bitter psychedelic journey into permanent darkness.What You Get: An organ- and synth-infused distillation of MGMTs own dark, sardonic fascination with death. Youll float through ancient worlds with buzzing, blipping sounds from minimalist mastermind Terry Riley, Arabic pop star Ahmed Fakroun, and Nigerian electric-organ virtuoso Mamman Sani, then make pit stops through retro-futuristic realms dominated by doomy 80s synth bands.Greatest Discovery: This playlist is full of fascinating finds, but lets go with XEX, an 80s band from New Jersey doing icy, androgynous synth-pop long before the likes of Ladytron could even hold a synth. According to their Bandcamp page, the group could not afford to release their 1981 album xex:change, and thus it sat in obscurity for over three decades.Is This an Appropriate Soundtrack for Your Funeral? Absolutely. Its dark, sometimes nightmarish, and may have your more metaphysically minded loved ones feel like theyre escaping their bodies right alongside you.