Ever since my first job at MTV working as a music programmer, I can't stop trying to match people with music they might like. So, I wrote a book called Record Collecting for Girls and started interviewing musicians. The Music Concierge is a column where I share music I'm listening to that you might enjoy, with a little context. Get everything I've recommended this year on Spotify, follow me on Twitter or Facebook, and leave a comment below telling me what you're listening to this week.
Carla Geneve "Yesterday's Clothes"
Australia knows how to make good guitar music. Carla Geneve is the latest export from Perth who you will want on your playlist. Her single, "Yesterday's Clothes," has the sort of laid back indie rock vibe of Courtney Barnett but with less urgency, and more of a sense of wonder. If you dig the track, her new self-titled EP is out in June and it's all worth a listen.
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Jamila Woods feat. Nico Segal "BALDWIN"
Jamila Woods dropped one of the must-hear records of 2019 today. Get a sample of her Afro-centric work with this song, inspired by James Baldwin. But honestly you are going to want to do a deep dive on her. The sonic textures she messes with are almost as good as her heady lyrics.
CXLOE "Low Blow"
I promise, I am not on Australia's tourism board, but they are also great at pop music. This offering from CXLOE is a perfect example. She's got that syncopated delivery that's prime pop fodder, but it's the words that really got me. That "hit be below the belt / now I'm the psycho" of the chorus — wow who hasn't had someone pull that move on them? It's too real and too good of a song.
Lindsay Lou "Keep On Going"
There's a specific cluster of things that make songs by '60s artists like The Band so enjoyable (and help them transcend generations). It's one part guitar, and one part lackadaisical beat, and one part a feeling of being pushed forward by the music. It puts you in a good mood, even when the subject matter is dark, and makes you want to listen again and again. That's the note Lindsay Lou manages to strike with her newest song. If you don't believe me now, you will after the 36th listen.