Hachiku- I’ll Probably Be Asleep
The playlist below is made up of musical selections from bands and musicians who would have played in Los Angeles in November of 2020 if not for the COVID-19 pandemic, and others who had or were part of concerts online.
Sylvan Esso- Rooftop Dancing
The playlist below is made up of musical selections from bands and musicians who would have played in Los Angeles in September of 2020 if not for the COVID-19 pandemic, and others who had or were part of concerts online.
The song above is by Sylvan Esso and is from their 2020 album Free Love.
EMEL- Everywhere We Looked Was Burning
The playlist below is made up of musical selections from bands and musicians who would have played in Los Angeles in August of 2020 if not for the COVID-19 pandemic, and others who had or were part of concerts online.
The song above is from Tunisian artist Emel Mathlouthi’s 2019 album Everywhere We Looked Was Burning.
Dominic Fike- Cancel Me
The playlist below is made up of musical selections from bands and musicians who would have played in Los Angeles in July of 2020 if not for the COVID-19 pandemic, and others who had or were part of concerts online.
The Dominic Fike song above is included in the playlist and is from his 2020 album What Could Possibly Go Wrong.
The playlist above is made up of musical selections from bands and musicians who would have played in Los Angeles in May 2020 if not for the COVID-19 pandemic, or others who had or were part of concerts online.
One song that is included is DJ Shadow’s Rocket Fuel featuring De La Soul which is from his 2019 album Our Pathetic Age.
Musical selections from bands who would have played in Los Angeles in April 2020 if not for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most of these bands did not get to play in Los Angeles due to the closure of venues because of COVID-19, however they are all still worth a listen.
Every week I listen to the majority of bands and artists playing in Los Angeles to decide which shows to recommend for the Los Angeles Weekend Planner. I then create a playlist (or playlists) for that month of the music I liked.
The above are February’s selections.
Every week I listen to the majority of bands and artists playing in Los Angeles to decide which shows to recommend for the Los Angeles Weekend Planner. I then create a playlist for that month of the music I liked.
The above are January’s selections.
Playlists can be like a time capsule, capturing the energy of a specific time period. Anxiety, money, greed, politics, criminal justice, television, and social media were common themes. Of course songs of heartbreak, nostalgia, hope, and navigating your way through tough times are always present- and they are here too. This year there were songs that stood out musically, and others that were just fun.
We also lost a lot of great artists in 2019. Two of them with songs that came out this year, Nipsey Hussle and David Berman, are included in this playlist.
One note- There were several famous artists with great songs this year who were not included on this playlist to make room for artists whose work is less well known, but not less great.