November Playlist: Hang Like a Star

Eek - it's almost December! Before I give my ears entirely over to Christmas music, here are 10 of the tracks they've enjoyed this month...

1. Eugene - Sufjan Stevens

(from Carrie & Lowell)

Carrie & Lowell may not be as emotive as I'd hoped, but its constituent tracks - including this pretty ode to holidays in Oregon - are never less than lovely.

2. King Kunta - Kendrick Lamar

(from To Pimp a Butterfly)

That bit where the beat cuts out, and then jumps right back in after a moment of spoken word? GOLD.

3. Something Vague - Bright Eyes

(from Fevers & Mirrors)

I revisited Fevers & Mirrors earlier this month. It's difficult to pick a favourite song from such a strong set, but this soaring number is definitely a front runner.

4. Always All Alone - Me and My Dog

(from Three Songs About Me and My Dog)

This is one of the tracks I discovered when I clicked randomly around Bandcamp for an hour last week. It's also probably the best, with a wonderful raggedy sound and a chorus that you could shovel snow with.

5. $20 - Low

(from C'mon)

C'mon is my favourite of the four Low albums I own, and $20 is the song that taught me how powerful a minimalist approach to songwriting and instrumentation can be.

6. Water - The Migrant

(from Flood)

Flood is essential listening for fans of Midlake, although this song (one of the album's more unhinged moments) probably isn't the best example of the two bands' similarities. Still, it kinda rocks, so it's here anyway.

7. To Ohio - The Low Anthem

(from Oh My God, Charlie Darwin)

A weepy ode to a deceased lover. Rather harrowing, but tremendously beautiful.

8. Put Your Back N 2 It - Perfume Genius

(from Put Your Back N 2 It)

This album (and C'mon, and Oh My God, Charlie Darwin) is exactly the sort of thing I love to pull off the rack at this time of year. Sumptuous, languid music that makes a cold, dark night feel like a warm bath.

9. In a Big City - Titus Andronicus

(from Local Business)

This was one of the tracks on the all-inclusive setlist that Titus Andronicus offered up in Bristol a few weeks ago. It's packed with classic TA lines, like "I've been building bombs between beers and blowjobs" and the one about being "a drop in a deluge of hipsters"

10. In the Best Case Scenario We'd Die at the Same Time - My Name is Ian

(from In the Best Case Scenario We'd Die at the Same Time)
The title track from My Name is Ian's latest album (reviewed here). Fun Fact: I actually contributed some backing vocals to this track, as well as the whistling heard in the intro.

Last month's playlist is here.