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.
Jessie Ware "Spotlight"
No need to take me back to 2012 when I was dancing down the avenues of Manhattan, blasting Ware's debut album nonstop. Her new song is exactly the disco dance I need in my life in 2020. It's danceable and just a little bit dark, exactly like my heart. "A dream is just a dream," indeed — this song is going to be playing in my dreams for the rest of the year. So is the fringe dress Ware dons in this video.
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Marem Ladson "No Sentir Nada"
Want to get the tingles? Press play on this track. What is it about melancholy Spanish songs that just break your heart into a million pieces? Whatever their secret is, Ladson taps into it and plays it like a sound inspired by a fleet of hip hop beats. Fun fact? The setting for this video is Oasys MiniHollywood, the setting for numerous European-shot Spaghetti westerns that was built in the '60s.
Elah Hale "One Star Rating"
Love isn't easy. Hale captures that moment when you realize that you are never ever getting back together with that relationship that was...actually pretty good. Can you be friends? Do the things you said to each other mean anything? Are they really out of your life forever? Heartbreak is a drug and this song taps into the ways it can tank your rating.
Grizzly Coast "Forever"
Yes, this week's column will be full of songs about breakups and realisations we have when relationships are over, thanks for asking. Toronto's Alannah Kavanagh slid into my inbox with a song about the kind of longing for closure, rekindling, and recapturing that feeling you had in a relationship that is as raw as they come, but paired with a dreamy, shoegaze inspired guitar to take the edge off. This song is the id of anyone who isn't quite over a breakup — hey, you'll get there soon.
Milan Ring "Switch Off"
To finish it off this week, let Ring take you on an introspective journey. Add this bop of self-affirmations to your playlist to ease the tension and don't be afraid to switch off when you need to. It's allowed!