I asked everyone that contributed to our “best of 2017” list to pick a key track from the album they wrote about and then I compiled all of those tracks into a playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. Enjoy.
The Best of 2017 Playlist
In the Spotlight Playlist (2017)
This week we unveiled our “In the Spotlight” feature where we highlighted 50 bands we thought you needed to hear. In the feature we’ve got blurbs and “recommended if you like” hints to try and convince you to listen to the bands, but sometimes just having all the recommended tracks in a playlist to churn through is the way to go.
Our “In the Spotlight Playlist” is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
The Ultimate Andrew McMahon Setlist
We’ve been giving Andrew McMahon a lot of love this week, all in honor of his brand new album, Zombies on Broadway. On Monday, we published an interview with him and yesterday, we reviewed the new record. Today, we’re attempting the impossible: distilling McMahon’s impressive 15-year career into one ultimate concert setlist.
For this playlist, I mostly adhered to the rules established last year in Craig Ismaili’s Ultimate Jimmy Eat World Setlist: 20 songs for the main set, two songs for the encore, and a mix of tunes that includes both hits and career-best songs. I did, however, dispense with Craig’s 80-minute rule, simply because that would mean burning one-eighth of the set on “Konstantine.”
You Know That I’m A Sucker For Anything Acoustic Playlist
When the weather gets cold, there’s nothing I love more than curling up on the couch with a new book, hot chocolate, and some acoustic tracks as my soundtrack. So for this week’s playlist I decided to share the warmth and coziness by putting together a few of my favorite acoustic songs.
You can check out the full track list below, which includes everything from Sorority Noise to State Champs to Sugarcult and beyond, or stream it now on Spotify and Apple Music.
Read More “You Know That I’m A Sucker For Anything Acoustic Playlist”
It’s Gonna Be a Long Four Years Playlist
The first week in the reign of Trump has me in a bit of a mood. The guy’s a total clown and checking my Twitter feed is basically just an exercise in “what has this jackass done now?” — it’s gonna be a long four years. So, while I’ve been spending some time getting ready for the months ahead (organize, organize, organize), I’ve also been diving back into a bunch of punk albums to channel the swings of rage and anxiety. I tossed together a playlist of some of my favorites and put them up on Spotify and Apple Music to share with others.
If you’ve never been into some of the more political punk music, now’s a great time to check out what you’ve been missing. Also, feel free to hit me up with with any recommendations of other bands I should be listening to, I’m not expecting this hole to be filled anytime soon. And, lastly, please be kind to each other out there and look out for those in your community.
Craig Manning’s Top 30 Tracks of 2016
Last week, Jason highlighted some of his favorite songs of 2016 in the wake of Chorus.fm’s Top 30 Albums of the Year list. This week, I’m taking the reigns to share my own favorite songs from last year.
Jason’s Favorites From 2016 Playlist
This week we revealed the Chorus.fm staff and contributor top albums of 2016 feature. Along with that a bunch of us put together our own individual lists and I decided to take some of my favorite songs from my list and put them into a playlist. You can find that on Spotify and Apple Music.
I figured this would be a good way to quickly check out any of the artists you may not have heard yet before diving into the full albums. Also I want any excuse to share “Drive It Like You Stole It” with more people. If anyone else has playlists they made of songs from their favorite albums this year, I’d love to check them out — feel free to send over a link.
In Too Deep – A Fall Tour Preview Playlist
The end of Warped is always followed by an onslaught of fall tour announcements. This year felt even more nuts than usual and with so many bands hitting the road, it can be difficult to know where to begin diving in. So for this week’s playlist I decided to do the heavy lifting for you and preview eight of my must-see tours for this fall.
You can check out the full tracklist below, and stream the playlist now on Spotify.
A Decade Under The Influence
For this week’s playlist I decided to celebrate some of the albums quietly turning 10 this year. The albums without anniversary tours, reissues, or major recognition. 2006 was a great year for music — it saw new releases from established acts like Yellowcard, Senses Fail, Brand New, Sugarcult, and debuts from bands like +44 (I’m still holding out for another album) and Cobra Starship (I will always love While the City Sleeps, We Rule The Streets).
You can check out the full tracklist below, and stream the playlist now on Spotify and Apple Music.
The Ultimate Yellowcard Setlist
Last week Yellowcard made the announcement that their forthcoming self-titled album would also be their last. After nearly 20 years, the pop punk outfit has decided to call it quits. So it only seemed fitting that we use this week’s playlist to honor the band and take a look back at their long and noteworthy career.
As always, the rules are 22 songs and a two song encore. Check out the full track listing below and stream the playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.
The Ultimate Brand New Setlist
In case you haven’t heard, it’s been an interesting week for Brand New. The band just kicked off their Canadian headlining tour as the start of a packed schedule of summer concerts. And in typical Brand New fashion, the start of that tour was overshadowed by their cryptic messaging of t-shirts and stage banter and upside down flower crosses. I’m glad I was given two years notice that Brand New were hanging it up, because it’s going to take me at least that long to prepare my tear ducts for that final tour. Because they’ve been on our minds this week, I decided I should probably devote one of our ultimate setlist playlists to the band.
The Ultimate Bayside Setlist
For this week’s playlist I’m honored to be continuing the recent trend of “Ultimate Setlists” with one of my favorite bands: Bayside. Last year Bayside celebrated their 15th anniversary and this year they’re bringing us a brand new album titled Vacancy — due out August 19th. To commemorate the release the band is heading out with The Menzingers and Sorority Noise on what promises to be one of the best tours of the summer. So what better time to really dive into Bayside’s expansive catalog?
The Ultimate Motion City Soundtrack Setlist
Last week I brought you the first installment in the “Ultimate Setlist” playlist. This week, I’m doing it again. This time it’s for one of my all-time favorite acts, Motion City Soundtrack. I’m not ready to pour one out, but the band recently embarked on their farewell tour, and I figured now would be as good a time as any to try and curate a career-spanning setlist. No pressure, right? Same rules as last time: 22 songs including a two song encore. The full track listing is below and you can find the playlists on Apple Music and Spotify.
The Ultimate Jimmy Eat World Setlist
For this week’s playlist I’m putting together what I call “The Ultimate Setlist.” This is a concept that my friend Mike came up with back when people still made mix CDs. The idea is to give someone a starting place in a band’s discography, basically a jumping off point to the artist’s best songs and biggest hits. The rules are fairly simple: arrange the playlist in such a way that emulates the perfect setlist for the band, and make sure that the playlist comes in under 80 minutes (that was the length for CD-Rs — remember those, from another life?). This week, I’m jumping in with Jimmy Eat World and you can find my picks on Apple Music and Spotify.
Underappreciated Blink-182 Songs
For this week’s playlist I decided to just go all in with the Blink-182 theme that’s been pretty unavoidable this week. Instead of putting together just a playlist of my favorites, or the “best of,” I went for what I consider to be underappreciated Blink-182 songs. Songs that I don’t think get enough attention in their catalog. The only rules I made for myself was that I had to keep it under 45 minutes. You can find my picks on Apple Music and Spotify and I’d love to hear what you’d put on your “underappreciated” list.