Fluxblog 474: the summer of '69
Plus new songs by Chappell Roan, Metronomy, and Elkka
This week’s playlist is THIS WAS SUMMER 1969, taking you back to when you got your first real six-string at the five-and-dime and played it ‘til your fingers bled. As with all my “This Was Summer” playlists, this is a collection of the songs on the air, in stores, and in the streets between the middle of May and the middle of September 1969. It’s a lot of hot fun in the summertime featuring classics by Otis Redding, The Rolling Stones, Isaac Hayes, The Meters, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, James Brown, Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, The Stooges, The Grateful Dead, Sly and the Family Stone, Crosby Stills and Nash, Neil Young, Marvin Gaye, The Isley Brothers, Nina Simone, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Elvis Presley, Can, The Who, Miles Davis, Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell, Johnny Cash, The Doors, Os Mutantes, Dolly Parton, Frank Sinatra, Smokey Robinson, and many more.
[Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube]
Standing Face To Face With “I Told You So”
Chappell Roan “Good Luck, Babe!”
Chappell Roan’s primary songwriting partner is Dan Nigro, who’s best known for his work as Olivia Rodrigo’s primary songwriting partner. Roan and Rodrigo have different enough vibes that it wasn’t obvious to me that they had this in common, but knowing they share a collaborator makes their musical similarities come into sharp focus. The main thing I’ve noticed about Rodrigo is that it’s as though all her songs were written with the specific goal of becoming karaoke classics, and covering a range of what makes a great karaoke for different types of singers. Nigro’s work with Roan is on a similar wavelength, but I think the goal is more about creating songs that will crush in live performance. The best tracks on The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess contain a lot of audience participation moments, and they’re typically the most fun parts of the song even if it can verge on sounding like a horny version of Kidz Bop. But in either case, Nigro is crafting very dynamic and theatrical pop rock music that pulls you in and makes you want to become a part of it whether you’re screaming along at a show, singing it at a karaoke bar, or belting it out in the shower.
“Good Luck, Babe!” is more of a shower song. If “Red Wine Supernova,” “Femininomenon,” and “Hot to Go” are transparently oriented towards the stage, this one feels more like it’s aimed at the radio. It’s easy to enjoy at face value – the melodies are strong and the groove is pleasant and Roan’s voice soars without getting distractingly bombastic or shrill. Roan can get silly in her songs but she never undermines or undersells a big feeling, and her vocal range is impressive enough that over the course of “Good Luck, Babe!” she’s pulling from the classic bag of power ballad tricks as well as more understated Kate Bush moves in her higher register. The emotional core of the song is potent and volatile, with lyrics that describe a fraught romantic sidepiece situation with enough specificity to be intriguing but relatable enough that it could totally wreck you if you happened to hear it in passing at a Walgreens in a fragile state. The verses tick-tick-tick, but once she’s crying out “I just want to love someone who calls me baby,” the feelings bomb goes ka-boom.
Buy it from Amazon.
Some People Walk Away From Love
Elkka “Right Here”
Here’s one for anyone who loves the energy and urgency of Basement Jaxx in pop diva banger mode and/or is searching for a dance track with the kind of big hearted vulnerability of Robyn at her best. “Right Here” is thrilling and ultra dramatic, the kind of song that feels like it should be soundtracking a crucial cathartic moment. I won’t be at all surprised if this ends up in some tv season finale down the line.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
Metronomy x Pan Amsterdam “Nice Town” (Alain Ogue Remix)
The original mix of “Nice Town” is an enjoyable 80s electro pastiche, and accurate enough that you could probably drop it into a movie and most people would assume it’s something unearthed from an old DJ’s crates. The Alain Ogue remix is also retro 80s but in a way that’s a lot more exciting to my ears – very busy and dynamic, the kind of maximalist mix that’s constantly tossing cool sounds at you. The best bit is the ascending sax sample that enters around 75 seconds in, a perfect little snippet of sound that momentarily relieves tension and adds a dash of sophistication to the track.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
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• I enjoyed this Fresh Air interview with Michael McDonald, an artist I’ve become very fixated on in recent years.
• The new episode of Pop Pantheon about Pink is so good, Louie and Molly really crack the code on how and why she's endured and thrived for so long.
• David Peisner wrote a truly humiliating profile of Kid Rock for Rolling Stone.
• Elias Leight wrote about what it takes to headline at Madison Square Garden in 2024 for Billboard.
• Here’s Aimee Levitt at Niemanlab on Britney Spears and the generational shift in celebrity coverage.
• Taylor Grimes at Swim Into the Sound tested Jack White’s guacamole recipe to find out if it’s any good.