Friends, it’s been a challenging year not just nationally (obviously) but personally; and I fear I’ve spent too much of it apologizing for late posts. I aim for monthly playlists but in 2025 they have turned bimonthly. I will try to take a deep breath and remember that it doesn’t really matter, that there is in any case more than enough to listen to online were I never to make another mix. But hey if nothing else I must try to justify the $15 a month that Mixcloud extracts from my nonexistent budget. Let’s see if I can at least get another two playlists in the hopper before year’s end. First and foremost here’s what awaits your ears right now:
1. “Live Life” – The Kinks (Misfits, 1978)
2. “Virtual Insanity” – Jamiroquai (Travelling Without Moving, 1996)
3. “Not Strong Enough” – Boygenius (The Record, 2023)
4. “Shallow” – Halomobilo (single, 2005)
5. “I Want to Know What Love Is” – Ane Brun (Leave Me Breathless, 2017)
6. “Rockaway” – Christine Lavin (Future Fossils, 1985)
7. “One More Chance” – Margie Joseph (single, 1969)
8. “Happy As Can Be” – Cut Off Your Hands (Happy As Can Be EP, 2008)
9. “To Find a Friend” – Tom Petty (Wildflowers, 1994)
10. “All These Things” – Empire (Expensive Sound, 1981)
11. “Take It Off The Top” – Dixie Dregs (What If, 1978)
12. “New Punching Bag” – Tristen (Zenith EP, 2025)
13. “City Sidewalks” – Hard Water (Hard Water, 1968)
14. “Half Ladies” – Christine and the Queens (Chaleur Humaine, 2014)
15. “Ozark” – Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays (As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls, 1981)
16. “Untouchable” – Glenn Tilbrook (Transatlantic Ping Pong, 2004)
17. “One Goodbye in Ten” – Shara Nelson (single, 1993)
18. “Come Down in Time” – Elton John (Tumbleweed Connection, 1970)
19. “Stay Soft” – Mitski (Laurel Hell, 2022)
20. “Detectorists” – Johnny Flynn (single, 2014)
Random notes:
* Did the British band Jamiroquai know something the rest of us didn’t back in 1996? Most of us were reveling in our newfound online universes at that point, with little idea of the Pandora’s Box we’d unwittingly opened. Founded in 1992 by vocalist Jay Kay, the veteran outfit is still active, with a tour about to begin and a ninth studio album purportedly on the way. For those few who may not have seen it, the trippy video for “Virtual Insanity” is widely regarded as a classic.
* Split for a number of 21st-century years from his Squeeze bandmate and songwriting partner Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook released a handful of generally agreeable but largely overlooked albums on his own during the century’s first decade and a half. Perhaps the best of them was 2004’s Transatlantic Ping Pong; “Untouchable” is in any case a song that compares favorably with Squeeze’s better offerings. But truth be told, even on his weaker material Tilbrook wins points for his indelible voice. And for those who’ve lost track, I’ll point out that Squeeze re-formed in the mid-’10s and has so far released two newer albums, in 2015 and 2017. They claim not to be done yet.
* I seem to have a soft spot for performances that reimagine songs I previously considered somewhat beneath my consideration. There were all those Journey songs entirely upended by Clem Snide, for one; another that comes to mind is Fountains of Wayne’s sublime version of “…Baby One More Time.” In that general vein, I now present the Norwegian singer/songwriter Ane Brun with her version of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is.” Brun’s voice is something of an acquired taste, but conjoined with the right material it can compel. The Foreigner song comes from her 2017 album Leave Me Breathless, an all-covers effort, including songs by Bob Dylan, Sade, and Radiohead, among others.
* Tom Petty left our midst eight years ago, early October. At his best his songs and performances sound simple and effortless, which is a good part of his magic.
* I just featured Christine and the Queens in a song review in my last post, which put me in the mind to dig back into Chaleur Humaine, their debut album. I know there’s a lot to unpack with them, given their complex personal and performing history, but I mostly just use my ears and as such find the music, while somewhat out of my usual wheelhouse, wonderfully crafted and mysteriously alluring. I recommend the whole album, and will put in one more pitch for the magnificent “Tilted” video.
* Halomobilo was a band from Chelmsford, England who were active from 2002 to 2009. “Shallow,” from 2005, was an early Fingertips favorite–so much so that it landed a spot on the one promotional CD I curated and offered as a limited release in 2006. This song has a dark, appealing swing and is actually rather touching if you listen closely. Note that this “Shallow” has no relation to the song sung by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in 2018’s A Star is Born.
* If you don’t know of the TV series Detectorists and consider yourself a fan of subtle, quirky British comedy I would urge you to check it out. This Johnny Flynn composition served as the sharp yet melancholy theme song.
Fingertips 