Playlist Reviews

What Are These Playlists All About? The Roots’ musical mastermind Questlove created a three-volume soundtrack for the former First Lady’s new memoir Becoming, which has quickly become the year’s best-selling book. According to Obama herself, “I’m so thankful to Questlove for curating these playlists and infusing them with his signature style. Life’s a little better when we live it to Questlove’s beat.” He recommends you listen to Volumes 1 and 2 in order, starting with Sam Cooke’s 1964 hit “(Ain’t That) Good News,” from Obama’s birth year, before hitting shuffle on Volume 3.What You Get: As to be expected, this is quite a gold mine of classics. Volume 1, which covers the years of 1964-1979, contains over 300 tracks of some fabulous jazz, soul, and funk from Al Green, Sly & The Family Stone, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Miles Davis, along with a few nice curveballs from Kraftwerk and Sun Ra. Volume 2 goes even bigger, with some 444 tracks covering the years 1980-1997, and taking us from peak Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Prince, Tina Turner, Phil Collins, and Whitney Houston to the ‘90s’ guiltiest pleasures (C&C Music Factory and MC Hammer) and most defining moments from Janet, Mariah, and TLC. Volume 3 captures the years 1997-2018 in over 350 songs that seamlessly bounce between Missy Elliott and Ms. Lauryn Hill, Mystikal and Take 6, Alicia Keys and Beyonce, and Alabama Shakes and Flying Lotus.Greatest Discoveries: In Volume 1, catch the jazzy, funky epic “Windy C” from 100% Pure Poison, while in Volume 2, check for the verbose Brooklyn banger “Broken Language” from Smoothe da Hustler and Trigger tha Gambler. In Volume 3, go straight to the cool grooves from Questlove pal and stellar jazz drummer and hip-hop producer in his own right, Karriem Riggins.Could Questlove curate the soundtrack of our lives, too? I mean, he’d probably do better than we would ourselves.

What’s This Playlist All About? Marcus, Ben, Winston, and Ted of British alt-folk band Mumford & Sons handpick their favorite travel tunes as they prepare for the release of their fourth album, Delta, and their big world tour to follow.What You Get: Semi-regularly updated since 2016, the mix goes deep with fellow collaborators like Maggie Rogers and Gill Landry and up-and-coming singer-songwriters like Elijah Wolf, before navigating some charmingly weird psych-pop from Soft Hair, a little sweet folk from Bowerbirds, irresistible garage-punk from Twin Peaks, slippery hip-hop grooves from Ghostface Killah, and plenty of legendary cuts from The Beatles, Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash, Fleetwood Mac, and U2.Greatest Discovery: The smoky atmospherics of “The Blame Game” by Australian duo HVOB and Mumford member Winston Marshall. It throbs to the rhythm of the road, making it ripe for a reflective journey along lonely highways.Based on This Playlist, Would You Want to Be on the Road with These Guys? While several of the band’s selections do make for quality road music (Tom Petty! Springsteen! Oasis!), it all seems a bit too serious—lighten up, guys! That said, some select cuts like T. Rex’s “Jeepster” and LCD Soundsystem’s “Dance Yrself Clean” may have us jumping right on their bandwagon.

I don’t know very much about Britpop. I like Pulp somewhat, especially when this woman I am friends with (read: attracted to) comes over to my apartment and plays it for me. I don’t like Blur. I like Oasis all right, but I really don’t know their music well. I like Radiohead—is that Britpop? I love The Smiths. Are they Britpop? Determined to find answers and to investigate my own general distaste for the style, I decided to dig into Pitchfork’s recent 50 Best Britpop Albums list.The first thing I see on the page is a Sgt. Pepper-style mural, ostensibly with all of the important Britpop figures on it. I recognize Thom Yorke and the guys from Oasis. I see the guys from Trainspotting. Did they do Britpop? There’s a smiling milk carton, some dancers, and around 30 other people I don’t recognize. But by reading through the feature, I start to develop a better understanding of what Britpop is.It began in London in the ‘90s, which answers my question about The Smiths (but then... is Morrissey Britpop?), and I find that Britpop is characterized by “anthemic melodies, social observations of British culture and daily life, and their country’s musical heritage,” according to the article. I learn what Britpop isn’t: The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Coldplay, Kasabian. As I listen to some of the tracks on the playlist, I note that most of them are upbeat, many have light, airy atmospheres, and the guitar tones are largely bright and shiny with little distortion or overdrive. I actually recognize a number of these songs from the radio. I am having sort of a coherent moment.I see a supplementary interview with Danny Boyle and remember that Trainspotting 2 came out a few weeks ago. I put two and two together: This list is meant to coincide with Trainspotting 2. I am a big fan of some songs on the soundtrack of the original, namely those by Iggy Pop, Brian Eno, New Order, and Lou Reed… So, the tracks that aren’t Britpop. As I read through the Boyle interview, searching for information that might lead me to understand why Britpop is important to think about in 2017 or why I should really care about it as a musical style (other than it’s in the pantheon of rock styles), I strike out. And there isn’t much rhetoric in the copy of this playlist to convince me of the genre’s greatness. The interview ends with Boyle responding to a question of whether he prefers Oasis or Blur: He says that he comes from Manchester, so the answer should be obvious. It isn’t to me, so I have to do some research.Despite my skepticism, I actually enjoyed the article and the playlist. I learned what Britpop is for Pitchfork and why Danny Boyle popularized it in Trainspotting, and I acquired a comprehensive playlist of the best Britpop songs. I still don’t like Britpop, and I’m not convinced that it’s important for me to think about today, but at least I now know what it entails. And hey, that’s progress.

What’s This Playlist All About? Dark rock genius and all-around badass Nick Cave shares his “hiding songs” in response to a fan’s question regarding his 10 most favorite pieces of music. In response, Cave describes what a hiding song is: these are songs that feel like “they were designed with you especially in mind.” He continues, “My ‘hiding songs’ serve as a form of refuge for me … They are songs that I can pull over myself, like a child might pull the bed covers over their head, when the blaze of the world becomes too intense. I can literally hide inside them.”What You Get: Cave also states that a hiding song is one “that no one could ever begin to understand … in the way you do.” Still, his 10 sacred choices seem perfectly justifiable, and certainly hold the same intangible, deeply profound chill Cave pulls off plenty himself. He kicks off the mix with Leonard Cohen’s haunting “Avalanche,” a track that Cave covered back in 1984, before powering through a smoldering list of singer/songwriter legends in their moodiest moments, including Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, and Brian Eno.Sweetest Surprise: It’s no secret that Cave has long been a fan of Karen Dalton. Still, the addition of Dalton’s sparse rendering of “Katie Cruel,” a sullen traditional ballad about an 18th-century harlot, is stunning to hear sandwiched between Cohen and Young.What’s His #11 choice? Cave also responds to the last part of the fan’s question, which demands that “number 11 must be a Gun Club song.” His response: the dusky, 1982 cut “Mother of Earth.” It’s not on the playlist itself, so you’ll have to search for that one all on your own.

Released in conjunction with a trio of new digital singles—including “No Frauds,” her half-hearted response to Remy Ma’s ferocious “shETHER” diss—Nicki Minaj’s “Queens Got Da Crown” playlist is an admirable survey of her borough’s vaunted rap lineage. Nicki’s selections lean towards rap’s clubby mainstream, so instead of Nas’ “The World Is Yours,” we get “Hate Me Now.” Some historical figures like MC Shan aren’t included at all, but pioneering group Salt-N-Pepa gets three tracks. (Perhaps the least known artist here is Stack Bundles, who was murdered in 2007.) Overall, the playlist is inelegantly sequenced, with each artist’s picks bunched together. But give Nicki credit for revealing Queens’ deep hip-hop roots to her younger teen followers, especially the ones who may be more familiar with her “Super Bass” megahits instead of her “I Get Crazy” mixtape origins. The only act who doesn’t hail from Queens here is JAY Z; his “Can I Get A…” presumably merits inclusion because, uh, he owns TIDAL.(Note: Nicki’s playlist includes a remix of Mya and JAY Z’s “Best of Me” that’s featured on the Backstage soundtrack, which is a TIDAL exclusive. We substituted it with the original “Best of Me” from Mya’s 2000 album Fear of Flying.)

What’s This Playlist About: Post-everything It boy Nico Jaar releases a playlist of fluttering lo-fi, Indian-inflected jazz, sound collages and SFX recordings. Occasionally, a recognizable name will pop up——Leonard Cohen, Actress, Dirty Beaches——but most of this is exalted esoterica, perfect for a morning coffee with mysterious deities. It would also feel at home in the more psych-oriented valleys of Jaars own meandering DJ sets. Overall, the playlist answers the question: If music is background noise, why not make background noise music?Biggest Surprise: How Jaar weaves Eastern music into the mix. The rhythms have always been present in his own tracks, but the sounds here are foregrounded and unfiltered.Greatest Discovery: "Ein Wort" by 70s multimedia electronic collective Monton, who skirt the boundaries of Krautrock, dub, and ambient.Hmmm, I’m Not So Sure About: The numerous sound effect tracks that make up a majority of the playlists last portion.

What’s This Playlist All About? The 44th President of the United States may no longer serve in the Oval Office, but he can still make a hell of a statement by making a simple playlist. These are the songs he grooved to most in 2018.What You Get: A rather democratic representation of critic faves, big new stars, and indie darlings. Obama buddies The Carters top the list with their Louvre-occupying earth-shaking “Apesh*t,” while hip-hop’s greatest success story Cardi B makes an appearance with the irresistible zinger “I Like It.” There’s also some love for Prince with the posthumous release of cover “Mary Don’t You Weep,” as well as Janelle Monae’s own Prince-esque hit “Make Me Feel.” In between is some poignant indie-folk from Lord Huron and a little angsty rock from Courtney Barnett and her pal Kurt Vile.Greatest Discovery: Tonina, Javier Limon, and Tali Rubinstein’s soothing, sultry rendering of Latin love song “Historia de un Amor.”Next Job: Playlist Curator? Given the refreshing diversity and interesting picks of this mix, we’d totally be into a regular playlist series from Mr. Obama. We’re sure he has plenty of time for such an important job now, right?

What’s This Playlist All About? The soundtrack to Jonah Hill’s directorial debut Mid90s has been released as a playlist. According to Hill, “The film was written and shot to these specific tracks, many of which were so important to my own life growing up.” It’s finally happened: soundtracks are finished; playlists have officially taken control.What You Get: True-blue decade classics from the East Coast (Wu-Tang’s “Tearz”) to the West Coast (Souls of Mischief’s “93 ‘til Infinity”) to the Pacific Northwest (Nirvana’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?”), plus Seal’s own slice of soundtrack gold, “Kiss from a Rose.” But there are plenty of non-’90s tracks, too, including quick shots of sweat-stained punk from Bad Brains and Misfits, groovy dance-punk from ESG, and heady Hungarian rock from Omega. You also get a taste of the moody Mid90s score written by ‘90s icon himself Trent Reznor with trusty collaborator Atticus Ross.Best Surprise: Ginuwine’s “Pony” is always a welcome addition to any playlist.Is This the Beginning of the End of the Soundtrack? We hope not. The beauty of a playlist is that it can change and expand at any given time—which this one already has since its official “release.” But this also takes away from the potential of a soundtrack to serve as a definitive document to a specific time and moment in film and pop culture (could you imagine Pretty in Pink or Purple Rain as ever-changing playlists?!), which is kind of ironic for a movie called Mid90s.

What’s This Playlist All About? The CIA believes these nine songs can be so damaging to the psyche that they have the power to break down any prisoner. This music was played repeatedly at maximum volume at detention centers around the world, including Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan. This mix has been floating around the web for several years now, but it’s sifted back up into our consciousness after Harper’s magazine published an excerpt from the new book The Penguin Book of Hell, which “takes us through three thousand years of eternal damnation,” and was subsequently retweeted by a proud Marilyn Manson.What You Get: A blend of sexually fueled pop from old Disney cohorts Britney and Xtina, mainstream Satanic rock from Marilyn Manson and Drowning Pool, death metal groans from Deicide, and a loveable children’s gem from Barney and Friends. One of Nine Inch Nails’ most rattling soul dissectors, “Somewhat Damaged,” also got plenty of play (Trent Reznor has already voiced his disgust at its disgraceful use). Oh, and don’t forget those terrifying kittens from The Meow Mix commercial.Biggest Surprise: We understand how Queen’s “We Are the Champions” could really be cruel in such a hellish situation, but how could they ruin Freddie for us? How?!Think You Could Take It? The biggest hazard of writing about music is getting to hear some truly awful stuff, so these selections seem rather tame and unimaginative to us. Then again, that Meow Mix could really be our downfall.

What’s This Playlist All About? Just as the title states, the Swedish trio treats us to three new singles from their eighth studio album, Darker Days, one written by each member, followed by their own personal picks (5 each).What You Get: A taste of each member’s sweet pop proclivities. First up is Peter Moren’s swinging pop groove “One for the Team,” followed by his personal picks, including the fragile indie rock of Tiny Ruins and the melancholic charm of Palehound. Then comes John Eriksson’s “Gut Feeling,” supported by his varied favorites, like Les Big Byrd’s swirling pop and Nick Cave’s ominous meditations. Finally, Bjorn Yttling shares his bouncy earworm “Every Other Night,” plus his own choice cuts, including the jazzy jams of The Fabulous Three and Black Sabbath’s spaciest head trip.Greatest Discovery: The dreamy confection “Love is a Vicious Drug,” a Bjorn pick, from fellow Swedes BC Unidos, featuring producer Patrik Berger (who has worked with Robyn and Charli XCX) and singer/songwriter Markus Krunegard.Which Member Has the Best Taste? Isn’t that like asking which child is our favorite? (Ok, maybe Bjorn?!)