Highlights from Check This Out's Earwormz Playlist

Over 18 hours long and with 250-plus songs, Earwormz is my endless quest to provide a vibe for any occasion - it "will either make you the coolest or most hated kid at the party."

I didn’t have phone service during my vacation last week. While this worked out as a much-needed break from the news, social media, and the world in general, there was one thing I still needed - music streaming access.

As you can imagine, someone that runs a music newsletter is probably a good candidate to have something on in the background most of the time, and going a week without it is out of the question. But instead of downloading the new records I haven’t listened to yet, I knew I needed only one thing - the Earwormz playlist.

Long before I started Check This Out!, I wanted to make a neverending playlist that didn’t follow any rules except for two: the song has to be catchy (to me at least) and enduring enough that Earwormz can be thrown on shuffle in any situation and there isn’t an urge to skip a track. No specific genres, decades, countries, or moods. All bangers.

While I’m constantly adding to the list and it’s my go-to for any event, it’s been a long time since I’ve focused on solely on listening to this set of songs, and I’m happy to say that over the course of the week I almost listened to the whole damn thing, which left me wanting to highlight some of the most fun stuff on here.

I’m sure you’ve heard some of these before but a lot of it is niche that somehow fits into the bigger picture of Earwormz. Whether you’re familiar with this set or a new listener, throw it on the next time you’re in the car, cooking dinner, or needing something for cocktail hour, and let me know what you’re digging.

Television - “Marquee Moon”

While everyone was getting down to the disco remix of the Star Wars theme, Television put out a record far ahead of its time. Ever since, most indie and rock bands have been chasing their sound, and it’s Record Store 101. A song so cathartic you’ll never notice it’s almost 11 minutes long.

Tranq - “Weekend”

Tranq isn’t reinventing the lo-fi hip-hop wheel here, but the wah’d out guitar and strings live up to the song’s title.

Hot Chip - “Melody of Love”

Hot Chip dominated the indie dance scene of the mid-00s and remind me of sweaty nights at Lipgloss back when I was young enough to go to that kinda stuff. Their last record, A Bath Full of Ecstasy was something much more mature though, and “Melody of Love” becomes more relevant as we experience our current complicated period.

Haruomi Hosono - “Cosmic Surfin’”

Haruomi Hosono may not be a household name in the States, but he’s nothing short of prolific and about as influential as one can be for Japanese Pop. Like “Marquee Moon,” “Cosmic Surfin’” and the Paradise album are ahead of their time, with this synthpop masterpiece dropping in 1978.

Ian Carr & Nucleus - “Whapatiti”

Scotland is not a locale I associate with jazz music, but this entire record (Roots) is just wild.

Parsnip “Rip It Off”

It’s no secret that Australia’s psychedelic scene is purring along with Tame Impala, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and Pond leading the way, but I love this garage rock turn from Parsnip. A guitar lick that stays in your head hours after hearing it.

Lou Donaldson - “Who’s Making Love”

“Who’s Making Love” is an old Stax song originally performed by Johnnie Taylor, but this 1969 cover by jazzman Lou Donaldson is next level. While Taylor approaches the track with R&B precision, Donaldson’s alto sax and Ed Williams’s trumpet make quite the horn section, but it’s Charles Earland’s Hammond organ chops that make this such a funky little jammer. Hiphopheads might recognize the song sampled hook on A Tribe Called Quest’s effort on the Boomerang Soundtrack.

Drugdealer - “Honey”

Drugdealer is the throwback project from Michael Collins who performs with a rotating cast of Los Angeles characters, and this particular cut from Raw Honey hits all of the right AOR spots with Weyes Blood lending her signature haunting vocals. Weyes Blood’s (Natalie Mering) 2019 record Titanic Rising was my favorite of that year and I’m hoping there’s a new one on the way.

Sylvester - “I Need Somebody to Love Tonight”

Sylvester, a legendary drag performer, may have gotten his start with The Cockettes, but there is nothing campy about this song from 1979’s Stars. Instead, it’s a funky disco number that snakes between Sylvester’s incredibly human vocals and the robotic reggae tick provided by Patrick Cowley, an early synth pioneer.

Operator Music Band - “Mondo”

“Mondo” from Brooklyn art rockers Operator Music Band plays out like the best parts of a LCD Soundsystem song with a refreshing performance by singer Dara Hirsch instead of James Murphy’s sometimes grating persona (and I say that as an LCD Soundsystem fan.

Cookin Soul - “Potatosalad”

Cookin Soul are a Spanish DJ duo and this one is a woozy instrumental remix of Tyler, The Creator and A$AP Rocky’s song of the same name. Cooking Soul also has a new record out today with Lord Apex called Off the Strength that I’m looking forward to digging into.

Joe Jackson - “Steppin’ Out”

An ode to a night out on the town from 1982, Joe Jackson’s “Steppin’ Out” may be memorable because of the piano and glockenspiel hook, but the maddening bassline is why I’m here.

You can listen to all of these songs and so many more on the Earwormz playlist, available here on Spotify and Apple Music!

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