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My Life In 35 Songs, Track 1: “One Headlight” by The Wallflowers

My Life in 35 Songs
Craig Manning

If your life was a movie, what songs would make the soundtrack?

Earlier this year, I found myself trying to answer that question, all because I was looking for a project to get me excited about music writing again. A decade ago, I couldn’t wait to write up reviews of every new album I liked. Now, the thought of going through that process feels exhausting, and maybe meaningless. Does anyone care about album reviews in 2025? And if not, where does that leave those of us who love trying to articulate what it is about a certain piece of music that makes us think, or makes us weep, or gets our hearts racing a little faster?

I came up with the life soundtrack idea almost on a lark. It would be a fun challenge, I told myself, especially if there were limits and rules by which I had to abide. The first rule I gave myself was to theme this project around my forthcoming 35th birthday. In honor of that milestone, I decided, I’d have the space of just 35 songs to tell my life story.

I didn’t know how maddening this game would prove to be – or, ultimately, how emotionally fulfilling. I’m an old veteran when it comes to making lists, but this version of the music list was so much harder than anything else I’d ever attempted. Picking your all-time favorite albums is easy. Picking your favorite songs is harder, but still somewhat intuitive. Trying to boil down your entire life’s journey into what is essentially a two-CD compilation is an exercise guaranteed to result in constant hand-wringing, excessive second-guessing, and endless revising. There are currently 47,145 songs in my iTunes library. How was I supposed to be satisfied picking such a tiny percentage of that?

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The Greatest Two-Hit Wonders

Jason Tate

Chris Dalla Riva did a deep dive on the greatest two-hit wonders of all time:

But if one hit is a miracle, then two hits is a near impossibility. Two-hit artists sit in a weird space, though. Pop stars a remembered because they are very famous. One-hit wonders are remembered for the opposite. Their un-memorableness makes them great answers to bar trivia questions. Two-hit wonders are stuck in the middle. Some might be able to parlay those two hits into careers, but others are lost in a musical no man’s land, too many hits for trivia, not enough to be legends. Still, there’s got to be a greatest two-hit wonder.

Napster Finds New Owners in $200M Acquisition

Jason Tate

The Hollywood Reporter:

Napster, the brand that ushered in an era of rampant music piracy before later being reborn as a subscription music streaming platform, has been sold for $207 million. 

Tech company Infinite Reality announced Tuesday morning that it bought Napster in the nine-figure deal, hoping to further transform Napster from merely a streaming service into a more social-first music platform where fans can more directly engage with music and artists. 

Good luck.

Lossless Audio and Ultra‑Low Latency Audio Come to AirPods Max

Jason Tate

Apple:

Next month, a new software update will bring lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio to AirPods Max, delivering the ultimate listening experience and even greater performance for music production. With the included USB-C cable, users can enjoy the highest-quality audio across music, movies, and games, while music creators can experience significant enhancements to songwriting, beat making, production, and mixing.

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AFI to Release New Album This Year

AFI
Jason Tate

I missed this last month, but it looks like Adam Carson confirmed AFI have completed their new album:

“It’s a matter of trying to figure out where it slots into the year. As far as recording, it’s done and I’m excited.”

When I ask him how this album stands apart from the rest, Carson’s face lights up with boyish enthusiasm. Like it’s the first time he’s ever promoted a record. “It’s the first time we’ve made a focused record. We leaned into post-punk influences, and it feels cohesive. From start to finish, it’s got a natural flow—a specific time, a specific place.”

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