Hear Hear: No spoilers, just jams
Great songs from Hustlers, Bojack, Sex Education, and elsewhere
Finally got around to seeing Hustlers, and it’s more than just a good movie — it’s also a great time capsule for 2007 pop music, with every needle drop viscerally taking me back to awkward moments on the high school dance floor. The smile-inducing songs come quickly, like someone’s rapidly scrolling around an iPod nano click wheel — Sean Kingston! Flo-Rida! Britney! Old-school Rhianna! — until the shimmering synths of Usher’s “Love In This Club” stop time entirely, going beyond basic nostalgia and hitting a bit harder than you might expect. That one really holds up.
But you know those songs already. Let’s get to the part where I play you some new stuff.
Follow the official Hear Hear playlist to stream all these songs in one place.
If you don’t know DJDS by name, you probably still know their work — they’re the duo behind some of The Life of Pablo’s most memorable beats. They’ve been making great music since then, with an alt-pop album in 2018 featuring Khalid and Amber Mark, and this single in 2019 with Dijon, a rising star in the next wave of R&B. (They also remixed Local Natives’ “When Am I Gonna Lose You,” and it’s worth a listen if you like the original.)
“Comme Ça,” South of France + more discoveries from Bojack Horseman
Bojack just wrapped up, and while the show isn’t exactly known for its soundtrack, it has a quietly strong musical legacy. A few episodes have introduced me to some memorable songs and artists:
“Comme Ça,” from the S6 premiere, is a bouncy clap-along indie rock track that you can blast alongside Hippo Campus and early Vampire Weekend.
“Break My Fall,” from Doc Robinson, is a folky campfire song that could’ve easily soundtracked a Scrubs closing montage. (But soundtracks a Bojack S5 montage instead.)
“Sea of Dreams” is a slow-building anthem from Oberhofer that backends Bojack’s best episode, “Fish Out of Water” — which is entirely silent for 26 minutes before this song plays over the credits. Worth watching, even if you’ve never seen the show.
Bojack’s theme song is also a woozy instrumental that I never skipped, from the Black Keys’ Patrick Carney. And the post-credits song is an insanely catchy track from Grouplove. I’ll miss hearing it!
“Love You So Bad,” Ezra Furman + more from Sex Education
I’ve only watched Netflix’s Sex Education in the background, but my ears perk up when I hear Ezra Furman’s signature voice all over the soundtrack. Furman’s sound is a frenetic revival of old-school glam-rock, along with acoustic tunes that match the show’s quieter moments. Her songs were scattered through S1, but for S2 she created an entire soundtrack using old tracks and new ones. (And a great cover of LCD Soundsystem’s “I Can Change” — I dropped the original in the playlist so you can hear both versions back-to-back. I also included my favorite Furman song, “Lousy Connection,” which the show still hasn’t used.)
Frances Quinlan’s voice isn’t for everyone, but if it’s for you, it just might become one of your favorites. She’s been wielding it as the lead singer of Hop Along, a remarkable band from Philly that meshes power-pop choruses with wailing guitars and punk-rock vocals. On her debut solo album, Quinlan is opting for synths and softer tunes. “Your Reply” is a gem, with a twee-pop piano beat pulled straight from the playbook of Belle and Sebastian.
Four Playlists to Follow
Heads up: When I embed playlists, it looks like I’m just sharing just one song, but when you click it, you’ll get the whole thing.
A playlist to get you through winter, from writer Maya Kosoff. While most winter playlists are made to match the weather, this one is more of an antidote — filled with joyous, upbeat classics (think Springsteen, Talking Heads, HAIM, Diana Ross, Fleetwood Mac) that can give you life on a freezing day when you’re stuck indoors.
Rostam’s favorite songs of 2019. Formerly of Vampire Weekend, now a super-producer and solo artist, Rostam has a signature sound and a knack for working with talented vocalists. (Like HAIM, Clairo and Maggie Rogers.) Naturally, his annual year-end playlists are always full of emerging artists to discover. This one has quite a few favorites of mine, including Dijon, Lomelda, Rex Orange County, Steve Lacy, Dominic Fike, Lala Lala, Shura, and way more.
Time-travel to 50 years ago with Matthew Perpetua’s 1970 Mix. Perpetua, who writes the fantastic Fluxblog newsletter, is a meticulous curator who has made playlists for each year of the ‘70s, aiming to “provide a panoramic view” of what each year sounded like across genres. This one is from 1970, but you can follow the rest here.
Then, time-travel to 2005 with Hanif Abdurraqib, one of today’s best music writers. Hanif started a “playlist project” compiling his favorite songs from every year between 1967 and 2014. He’s releasing them in random order — so far he’s done 1979 and this 2005 list, which will bring you back to Amerie, The Click Five, Jack’s Mannequin, old Kanye and more.
Hear Hear’s logo is designed by the ever-reliable Sean Slavin.