So, occasionally, I think it might be fun to share the music I’m listening to the most right now, with commentary, of course, because I can’t help myself.
I have a bespoke playlist I call Aardvark for my songs in heavy rotation. Here’s what’s on Aardvark right now, ordered by number of plays, so the ones at the top are the ones that have been on the list the longest.
“Scab Song” by Dora Jar
(Apple, Spotify)
I’m a sucker for music that builds up to a sonic wall sort of effect, and this song is both weird and also builds in that way. The final round of chorus is gloriously loud and intricate and has all the instruments.
“Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monáe
(Apple, Spotify)
Yeah, I mean. I went to see them in concert this summer (2023) and she was gloriously fun and they did play this and I cannot get enough of the line, “That’s just the way you make me feel, so good, so good, so fuckin’ real.” Because, yeah, feeling seen, felt, embraced, that makes a person feel real. Also, super sexy, this song.
“Wish You Were Gay” by Claud
(Apple, Spotify)
Saw them in concert this summer, too, in a small, intimate venue, and they were fun and adorable and really talented. I came across this song knowing nothing about them, and it is peak gay pining. Peak. Pining. You’ve been warned. (Also, not at all related to Billie Eilish’s song of the same name. I do love me Billie Eilish, but this is better because it’s about girls. Well, no, because Claud uses they/them so maybe it’s not about girls but it is about pining for a girl and so.)
“Madeline” by Kiki Rockwell
(Apple, Spotify)
You may find a trend among songs I like in that they are often about female power, claiming it, celebrating it, loving it. This is one of those songs, and also has a lovely, arresting, and slightly off kilter melody. It’s quiet, so you probably need to listen to it without distracting sounds.
“simmer down” by Fousheé
(Apple, Spotify)
I’m just here for the raw feminine power of this song. It is loud and unapologetic. “You haven’t seen crazy till you pissed of a Jamaican,” and “Women are from Venus, men belong to Mars, Non-binary blow this bitch to parts.” Yep. I’m there for this.
“Raw Raw” by K.Flay
(Apple, Spotify)
I’ve had a lot of K.Flay on this list in the past, so not much of a surprise to see this here. It has a nice groove, and yeah, it’s about feelings and stuff.
“Time Machine” by Daisy the Great
(Apple, Spotify)
Daisy isn’t for everyone, and this song is a good example of that, as it starts one way, moves into a different way, and ends like a third kind of song. But when they are good, they are great, and they lace the vocals, the drums, the melody, and the message all very nicely here.
“Monsters Ink” by SkyDxddy
(Apple, Spotify)
This song exploded onto my list and I cannot remember where it came from but it is raw and charged and strong and aggressive and all about the people I love hanging out with now that I’m queer.
“Green Honda” by BENEE
(Apple, Spotify)
As is the case with a lot of music I like, this one got its hook into me with one particular lyric delivery, right near the end, where they sing the “Green Honda” line in a different melody and it just bites, after the whole song one way. (Can you tell I have no understanding of music and no vocabulary with which to talk about it? Yes, good, we’re on the same page.)
“Loveher” by Romy
(Apple, Spotify)
OMG this song. Get yourself somewhere quiet, turn it way up, and sink into her voice. This song is a dance tune, in the end, so let your body sway and swim, and when it’s done, come back for air.
“We Can Be Anything” by Baby Queen
(Apple, Spotify)
Maybe my favorite song at the moment? It’s upbeat but also a little punk. Baby Queen weaves so much into the melodies and lyrics of their songs, and this is a perfect example. I can’t get enough of this song right now.
“Don’t Talk About It (sad version)” by SkyDxddy
(Apple, Spotify)
Not unusual to find an artist represented more than once on my Aardvark list, but this is both very different from the other song, and also sort of the same. I’m seeing SkyDxddy in concert later this year for the “Traumacore” tour, and yeah, these songs will trigger… well, most people I know? But she screams them with so much feeling and anger and desire that I cannot get enough. This one in particular has lines like, “Being broken isn’t hot to you, depression’s a turn off, So turn it off, pretend again that everything’s okay,” and “I’ve gotten so used to pretending to be who you need and not who I am, When will I learn my lesson? These are the confessions of an empath in need of a friend.” Devastating.
“Graveyard Shift” by Stela Cole
(Apple, Spotify)
The newest addition to Aardvark, I put it on here for the music, and I’m just getting into the lyrics, which aren’t very extensive, but are about her getting out from under a toxic relationship, and I’m always here for that.
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