Staff Playlist – Songs to listen to right now

“Art Smock”
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Haters will label this lo-fi reinvention as too twee by half, but if The Pains’ retreat from arena-sized shoegaze to something more modest is filled with spine-tingling strummers like this one off Days of Abandon, this Brooklyn band is poised for a gorgeous second act.

“Andre” – Princeton
“Severed Crossed Fingers” – St. Vincent

“Taking Chances”
SHARON VAN ETTEN
Sharon Van Etten’s careful delivery of each verse paired with an electronic beat that is unusual for the singer-songwriter results in an intriguingly intimate song you won’t be able to stop listening to.

“Love Is To Die” – Warpaint
“XO” (Beyonce cover) -HAIM

“Crown the Pines”
S. CAREY
The multi-instrumentalist and Bon Iver sideman returns with a lush track that meanders then gallops through a wintry wilderness of piano, strings, percussion and soft lyrics–kind of like a Bon Iver song, but with more abstract angles and a skittish arrangement.

“Magic Trick” – M. Ward
“Words I Don’t Remember” – How To Dress Well

“Passing Out Pieces”
MAC DEMARCO
This Canadian musician occupies a space where it’s hard to tell whether he’s joking. On the first single from this month’s Salad Days, DeMarco taps into his personal life on a canvas of 1970s cheese. Kidding or not, the song is undeniably catchy.

“They Follow Me” – The Notwist
“Fame and Fortune” – Graham Coxon

“Brain Candy Blues” – Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
“Damn Right I am Somebody” – Fred Wesley & The J.B.’s

“Heartbeats” – Royal Teeth
“Overdose” – Little Daylight