Downbeat.fm Vol. 1 Track 9 - September 2020

Mike Rastiello

Mike Rastiello

— 3 min read
Downbeat.fm Vol. 1 Track 9 - September 2020

We're now six months into this pandemic and quarantine in the US, and we still aren't heading in the right direction. I feel like this newsletter intro is the same every month, but it's just...everywhere and almost all I can think about.

Six months seems to be a "natural wall" that some are feeling. I'm definitely feeling it now, but not as hard as I did three months into this.

And recently with the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I've lost a lot of hope that I've been clinging onto for our future. Not just with the pandemic, but our country's future and turning back the clock on the little progress that we've made.

For my own sanity and mental health I've been trying to distance myself from the news and escaping into TV (watch Ted Lasso), movies, video games, and the reason we're here - music.

I hope you are all doing well. Please stay safe, stay home, and where a mask when you go out.

September's Playlist


This month's playlist features Tacocat, Peach Pit, Dogleg, Big Thief, Oso Oso, Daughter, and much more.

Listen to this month's playlist on:

Apple Music
Spotify


I Feel Exhausted by Everyone Everywhere - (Apple Music / Spotify)
This song came out in 2012 but I'm officially nominating it for Theme Song of 2020.

I Love Seattle by Tacocat - (Apple Music / Spotify)
A fun power/pop punk song that delivers maximum fun in under 3 minutes.

Cape Henlopen by Bad Moves - (Apple Music / Spotify)
I must have been on a power pop with women vocalist kick this month (like almost always). This song is almost as fun as I Love Seattle, but needs an extra minute to get the job done. We won't hold that against them, though.

Feelin' Low (Fuckboy Blues) by Peach Pit - (Apple Music / Spotify)
This song jumped out at me for the lo-fi sound and hooked me instantly. It's really good.

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The new Deftones album Ohms came out last week, and friends, it is very good. I strongly urge you to listen to it on either Apple Music or Spotify.

This guy stole the Internet's collective heart this month with this brief Tik Tok of him riding his longboard, drinking his juice, and lip-syncing to Fleetwood Mac.

Last month I talked about the Nandi Bushell and Dave Grohl back and forth videos. Well, it continued into this month when Dave Grohl recruited his daughters to write a theme song for Nandi. You can watch her reaction video here. Nandi also tweeted that her response is coming. I love everything about this. It's so fun and pure, and just a little something that we can use right now.

I put together a YouTube playlist of my favorite Tiny Desk Concerts from NPR Music. Tiny Desk Concerts is a series put on by NPR Music where artists come in and play songs around a literal tiny desk in the NPR offices surrounded by the show's staff. They are great and intimate performances, and a joy to watch. You'll recognize some of the artists in this playlist from previous Downbeat.fm playlists.

I didn't play Tony Hawk Pro Skater back in the 90s and 00s, but it was recently remastered and re-released on modern gaming platforms. A lot of people are having fun with revisiting the game and the soundtrack. Both the characters in the game and the soundtrack have expanded to be more inclusive and representative of current culture. It's great to see, and also revisit the legacy of the game and its soundtrack.

Rolling Stone released yet another version of their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. These lists are always so subjective and cause arguments among music fans. I usually just end up scanning the list for albums that I enjoy, and just read those and try not to get involved in the rest. Someone who is very into data took all three versions of the list and charted the position change of the albums on the list.

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