Monday Morning Mixtape // First Edition of 2020

It’s hard to believe that we’re already at the tail end of January 2020, and to say this month has been a blur is an understatement. With all of the depressing news, and the shift away from integrity and ideals, it’s hard to think that we’re not living in the darkest timeline of some Dan Harmon program. So rather than just pulling the covers up, and giving in to the bleakness, let’s throw some jams on as a respite from the current news cycle and smile a bit. Let’s get after it!

“Purple Hat” – Sofi Tukker

I guarantee this one won’t make a lick of sense the first time or two you hear it, but inexplicably you will start singing this to yourself later on, and then you just crave this song. It’s not going to ask your brain for a lot of heavy lifting, and might even ask it to float for a bit. This is an inexplicable electro club jam that deserves to be blasted in your headphones. It will make for a much better day, even if it kills a brain cell or two along the way.


“It Might be Time” – Tame Impala

For the past couple of years and months, there have been two bands that have lurked in the back of my playlists, and surrounding soundtracks, but never really burst forth to the forefront until this year.  Tame Impala is the first, and they have been making interesting rock music, that has shifted into an ambient, electro pop-rock vibe. It’s a refreshing sound where there are a lot of bands competing for the same aural space, while Tame Impala is out in left field grooving on this interesting futuristic rock vibe.


“Drifters, All” – Beauts

It’s no secret that I’ve been pro-Beauts for some-time now, and in advance of their forthcoming album, the band has dropped “Drifters, All”.  This is a track that’s forged in the sound of great atmospheric rock tunes, with a pop-sensibility. There’s a distinct Wintersleep vibe at play here, with elements of White Lies and Interpol woven in. I would also caution a couple of listens, as this one is a bit of a grower, but absolutely worth your time.


“Closer to the Sky” – Glorious Sons

Personally, The Glorious Sons have been the Canadian band not named Arkells who would be a worthy successor for the Canadian music throne left vacant by the Tragically Hip. They have been consistently making music that is infectious and accessible, all the while retaining this wild unpredictability that makes for interesting live shows. They haven’t left my playlists since I discovered their debut album The Union, and I thought they were more universally known; but in hanging with great friends over the weekend, I discovered this is not the case, and introduced them to the band, and they were into it. If you are one of the uninitiated, then please press play, and jump aboard the bus.


“Social Cues” – Cage the Elephant

Now, Tame Impala is the first of two bands that recently made their way to the forefront of my playlists, and the other is Cage the Elephant. This is a band that I’ve always dealt with in single form, rather than diving headlong into any of their albums properly. But while out on the roads this weekend, I tossed on Cage the Elephant, and was shocked at how long they have lurked in the background, as I have been a fan of them for well over the past decade, from their track “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” which appeared on the opening credits for the first Borderlands video game. However, I think their ubiquitousness was put into focus, and it seemed the universe was tuning me in, as everywhere I turned this weekend, Cage the Elephant was there, from Austin City Limits to the Grammys, and all over satellite radio. I don’t know what took me so long, but I’m here now flying the Cage the Elephant flag.


Bonus Cut!

“My Stick”

This one is just a fun jam, that follows in the inexplicable catchiness of Seagulls (Stop it Now). It will get stuck in your head and you’ll soon be telling folks that your Stick is Better than Bacon. Do yourself a favour, and plaster a smile on your face by pressing play.

About the author

Trev

A proud and over-caffeinated husband, father, runner and writer. I've written for the local weekly The Coast for over a decade and have since taken to creating and writing for HAFILAX for even longer. I hope you enjoy the musings of a guy who has loved music for the better part of 4 decades, and has an album of concert tickets to show for it.

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