Playlist: May 2026
Jun. 7th, 2026 03:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pheloniusfriartl;dr A list of "one a day" (-ish) songs I posted on social media in May 2026, each with a short description included below. There is also a YouTube playlist link to listen to them all easily. I am doing this to share exceptional music and/or music videos in hopes you will find something "new to you" that you'll like.
Since I pulled all my stuff down from YouTube in response to the threats they were making to users of ad-blocking technology, and had recently left all the servers I was in on Discord due to their deeply concerning and dangerous business practices that had come to light, I had no place left to share my musical finds and interests. To that end, in March 2026, I started posting one music video a day on the social media platforms I'm still on (Bluesky, Spoutible, Hey.Cafe).
For convenience, I have started creating a monthly playlist on YouTube (just a playlist, no new content from me) and plan to make it public early in the following month. I will post the itemized list of songs here as well because YouTube is not a stable hosting platform (in the sense that videos are often removed so the lists break over time). Here is May 2026's playlist (if you would ever like to go on a musical journey):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNV8IWqM1cK-6vXtSExA7bfl-d3x7EACe
There's no particular rhyme or reason (much less musical era or genre) that I'm following, it's what I felt like posting that particular day. I seem to be favouring new music (because I find it hard to find good new music), but I definitely post older stuff as well. Here is the list of songs, in order of posting, including any comments I made (again, since social media platforms are not very good repositories of information, and old posts are effectively gone because "ain't nobody got time to scroll back without very good reason"):
05/01 Simon Phillips - Andromeda
Dropped six hours ago as I am posting (early today, heh). I *loved* this!!! Super groovy and entertaining jazz music performed live in studio (it's a delight to see the musicians vibing with each other). The talent is off the scale! From their upcoming album "Protocol 6".
05/02 Carpenter Brut - TURBO KILLER (Directed by Seth Ickerman)
On Friday, a flow artist on Twitch (hoops/fans) requested music. This was one of the songs I suggested (the album version) and she did an amazing performance to it. The music and video is wastefully stylish and needlessly epic (French, but looks Italian, imo).
05/03 Mortemia feat. Leah - Wicked Game (Chris Isaac Cover)
Today's music is by the solo Norwegian gothic metal band Mortemia (Morten Veland) who's been doing a series of collaborations with female metal vocalists on cover songs. Nothing can beat the original, but this is a serviceable and respectful orchestral metal (?) version of it.
05/04 Mink DeVille - Italian Shoes (1985)
I had hoped to work on some mechanical designs tonight, but I am missing critical information that I will have to get tomorrow when I'm back in the lab. Sigh. Instead, here's a cursed music post for today, from 1985 (video synced to album track, the song keeps going after the video is done, fyi). "Soft like buttah, fit like a glove...". A bop, but my goodness...
05/05 Rujen - Psychic Sister / Spider Silk
Some modern psychedelia for today's music choice... In two acts. A chill and easy listen; with a fun, trippy, and entertaining video. "Rujen is a five-piece space rock outfit from Atlanta, USA"... this seems to be their only video.
05/06 MadMadMad - Overload
Why does Wednesday have a "D"? A very silly (but funky) song and video... I'm such a slut for vocoder though (always have been). They claim on their site: "in an effort to reduce digital pollution, the website fits on a 1.44MB floppy disk." I love this! Our digital world is so insanely bloated, and every byte transferred costs energy and contributes to the heat death of the universe (for real, it increases the entropy in the universe).
05/07 Chet Faker - Gold
Ah, a frost warning tonight in The City That Fun Forgot... time to share some hot music from Australia to keep warm. A sultry song, amazing dancers, and an enigmatic video that leaves many questions about what exactly happened. Are they valkyries coming to decide?
05/08 Jazzanova - Mwela, Mwela (Here I Am)
Today's music is one of my favourite tracks... in glorious 360p (it's an old video, I wish there was a higher resolution version). Vocalist Valerie Etienne with the Berlin based DJ/producer collective Jazzonova off their 2002 debut album.
05/09 Submotion Orchestra - Passed Me By
"Submotion Orchestra are a seven piece band formed in 2009 in Leeds influenced by dubstep, soul, ambient electronica, jazz, and dub." Not sure this 100% works (maybe 80%, let me know), but it's an intriguing composition and performance and I enjoyed it.
05/10 Mean Mary - Iron Horse
Mean Mary got her nickname when she was 6 and performed a song "Mean Mary from Alabam" on a local TV station. It stuck. From all accounts, she's not mean. A beast on the banjo and an amazing singer/songwriter.
05/11 Vladimir Cauchemar - Aulos
Fell asleep early, up a bit before sleeping again. Monday's music was described by someone I know as what their ADHD-addled brain does when they are trying to focus on a task. Cauchemar is "a French DJ, composer, and record producer." Note: "cauchemar" is French for nightmare.
05/12 (1/2) David Bowie - I'm Afraid of Americans
Today is a twofer. Part 1 of 2: this speaks of the USA that we see on the global stage, and the terror that we might be targeted next as their collective society irrationally lashes out in fear and insecurity at living in a complex world.
05/12 (2/2) Karolina Kozak - I Tak Bez Konca
Part 2 of 2 speaks of the USA that we see when we deal with its folks individually. There's so much love and community to be found. People are just people everywhere doing their best. Polish musician, video shot in Savannah, Georgia. Verklempt every time. 🥺
05/13 Fever The Ghost - Source
Here's Wednesday's music post finally (I am so far behind on everything in my life right now). A truly delightful and strange animated video by Felix Colgrave for this delightful and strange song off Fever the Ghost's 2014 debut EP. I love the little dancing "bean people". 😍
05/14 Zepparella - When The Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin Version Cover)
For Thursday's music I present the all female Zepparella absolutely crushing Led Zeppelin's cover of the classic 1929 country blues song by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie. Confession: I have a rare celebrity crush on the drummer, heh. She's a beast with those sticks!
05/15 Eartheater - Paradise Rains
I was going to post Parov Stelar's latest, but it seems he uses AI in his music and videos these days. So, no. In it's place I present the latest from Eartheater (Alexandra Drewchin), currently based in NYC. Absolutely cinematic, filmed in Latvia, dark and moody, unsettling.
05/16 Shearwater - Daydream Unbeliever
Today's music and video is ... sublime. Filmed in Antarctica on scientific expedition PS152 by the band's leader Jonathan Meiburg, a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter out of Austin, Texas. No AI was used in the making of the video. Gorgeous in every dimension. ❤️
05/17 Ibeyi - Aset
Today, I bring you joy and dance and community. Off the French duo Ibeyi's (Yoruba for "twins") upcoming album "Offerings". English, French, Spanish, and Yoruba lyrics in a fusion of jazz, beats, samples, and traditional instruments. A wonderful find! "Lisa, the lead singer, plays the piano; and Naomi plays the traditional Peruvian/Cuban percussion instruments cajón and Batá drum."
05/18 Crumb - Locket
Just did a 9 hour livestream to finish the 3 mechanical designs I needed to finish for my laser experiments. CAD files and drawings are all done. Time to sleep a couple of hours. Meanwhile, here is Monday's music video. Creative, inclusive, cozy, trippy, and cat in a backpack.
05/19 Earthside - A Dying Star
Out of Connecticut in the USA, not sure what to say about this except it's super satisfying for me to listen to... makes my brain go brrr. Prog, metal, ambient, noise, fusion, stuff, thing.
05/20 Elderbrook with Bob Moses - Inner Light
Well, I couldn't do any better than this myself... So for Wednesday's music post, this is it. An absolutely delightful song and amazing video (thanks so much to dagnamit on Bluesky for sharing it)! Elderbrook is a musician and DJ out of the UK, and Bob Moses is a west coast Canadian electronic music duo.
05/21 Sleep Party People - I'm Not Human At All
Today's music is ... very strange. On the surface, this sounds depressing af, but for some reason listening to this gives me hope and brings me happiness and comfort. This band is just Brian Batz out of Denmark, with friends, but they play together so well. Performed live.
05/22 MÖNG - Ohilen
A treat for your ears for the weekend! MÖNG is a French duo, Lily Noroozi and Isao Bredel Samson, bringing together a mix of electronic and traditional music from around the world.
05/23 The Supermen Lovers feat. Mani Hoffman - Starlight
Here's an oldie (25 years ago!) but a goodie that will get you dancing to the music (if you're inclined to do such things). Quirky and weird and fun, the video is its own short story. Staying in France, this is the project of electronic musician and producer Guillaume Atlan.
05/24 (1/2) Philiminizzy Reacts - Reaction to Freeze The Fall's Cover of Aurora's "The Seed"
Something different part 1 of 2. I shared this amazing cover 04/09. Apparently I'm not alone in thinking it's exceptional. I don't watch reaction videos much anymore (they're usually vapid and formulaic), but this guy from Ghana really gets how this is the yang to Aurora's yin.
05/24 (2/2) Deadgrl Superstar - Reaction to Freeze The Fall's Cover of Aurora's "The Seed"
Something different part 2 of 2. I shared this amazing cover 04/09. Apparently I'm not alone in thinking it's exceptional. I don't watch reaction videos much anymore... but while I found this streamer annoying in some ways, her actual reaction during proves how hard it can hit.
05/25 Dr. No - Light
I used to do an FM radio show where I would buy stuff from "dollar bins" at record stores (mostly by bands I didn't know, $3 or less), listen at home, then put a show together around the music I had found. This album from Poland was one of them, and it's still a favourite!
05/26 Jamie xx - Gosh
Today's music and video makes me feel catastrophically lonely and isolated, but it is also profoundly beautiful and powerful. No AI or CGI was used. If you had been there in person, this is what you would have seen before you too. Breathtaking.
05/27 GUNSHIP feat. Kat Von D - Black Blood Red Kiss
Part 1 of 2 for this music post. Part 2 is Friday (a cover) and this is the original so I wanted it to sit for a bit before then. Gunship is an odd band but when they shine, they're shockingly brilliant imo. I have rarely heard a song that holds tension this well. I didn't know who Von D was before hearing this (and quickly found out she is a polarizing figure). It works for this song though...
05/28 Modeselektor feat. Miss Platnum - Berlin
One of the most creative and amusing music videos I've seen, and an absolute bop of a song. The video director wrote to Modeselektor asking them to play at their wedding (not expecting an answer). The band right then needed a video made for their new song. A pact was struck!
05/29 GUNSHIP - Black Blood Red Kiss (Choir Noir Remix)
Part 2 of 2 for 05/27 music post. Part 1 was Wednesday (the OG) and this is a cover commissioned by Gunship. Performed during a Covid lockdown with everyone at their homes. I can't describe how beautiful I find this, but seeing such diverse folks coming together gives me so much hope and joy.
05/30 Austra - Fallen Cloud
Just got back from the lab. One more day to finish gathering and making plots with all the data for my presentation in Quebec City... Tuesday. Saw her in concert last year, a unique talent!
05/31 Pentangle - Open the Door
Here's music for the last day of May. Just a lovely song, no video today (well, yesterday). A band I've never seen live (I have seen Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention in Toronto though).
Since I pulled all my stuff down from YouTube in response to the threats they were making to users of ad-blocking technology, and had recently left all the servers I was in on Discord due to their deeply concerning and dangerous business practices that had come to light, I had no place left to share my musical finds and interests. To that end, in March 2026, I started posting one music video a day on the social media platforms I'm still on (Bluesky, Spoutible, Hey.Cafe).
For convenience, I have started creating a monthly playlist on YouTube (just a playlist, no new content from me) and plan to make it public early in the following month. I will post the itemized list of songs here as well because YouTube is not a stable hosting platform (in the sense that videos are often removed so the lists break over time). Here is May 2026's playlist (if you would ever like to go on a musical journey):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNV8IWqM1cK-6vXtSExA7bfl-d3x7EACe
There's no particular rhyme or reason (much less musical era or genre) that I'm following, it's what I felt like posting that particular day. I seem to be favouring new music (because I find it hard to find good new music), but I definitely post older stuff as well. Here is the list of songs, in order of posting, including any comments I made (again, since social media platforms are not very good repositories of information, and old posts are effectively gone because "ain't nobody got time to scroll back without very good reason"):
05/01 Simon Phillips - Andromeda
Dropped six hours ago as I am posting (early today, heh). I *loved* this!!! Super groovy and entertaining jazz music performed live in studio (it's a delight to see the musicians vibing with each other). The talent is off the scale! From their upcoming album "Protocol 6".
05/02 Carpenter Brut - TURBO KILLER (Directed by Seth Ickerman)
On Friday, a flow artist on Twitch (hoops/fans) requested music. This was one of the songs I suggested (the album version) and she did an amazing performance to it. The music and video is wastefully stylish and needlessly epic (French, but looks Italian, imo).
05/03 Mortemia feat. Leah - Wicked Game (Chris Isaac Cover)
Today's music is by the solo Norwegian gothic metal band Mortemia (Morten Veland) who's been doing a series of collaborations with female metal vocalists on cover songs. Nothing can beat the original, but this is a serviceable and respectful orchestral metal (?) version of it.
05/04 Mink DeVille - Italian Shoes (1985)
I had hoped to work on some mechanical designs tonight, but I am missing critical information that I will have to get tomorrow when I'm back in the lab. Sigh. Instead, here's a cursed music post for today, from 1985 (video synced to album track, the song keeps going after the video is done, fyi). "Soft like buttah, fit like a glove...". A bop, but my goodness...
05/05 Rujen - Psychic Sister / Spider Silk
Some modern psychedelia for today's music choice... In two acts. A chill and easy listen; with a fun, trippy, and entertaining video. "Rujen is a five-piece space rock outfit from Atlanta, USA"... this seems to be their only video.
05/06 MadMadMad - Overload
Why does Wednesday have a "D"? A very silly (but funky) song and video... I'm such a slut for vocoder though (always have been). They claim on their site: "in an effort to reduce digital pollution, the website fits on a 1.44MB floppy disk." I love this! Our digital world is so insanely bloated, and every byte transferred costs energy and contributes to the heat death of the universe (for real, it increases the entropy in the universe).
05/07 Chet Faker - Gold
Ah, a frost warning tonight in The City That Fun Forgot... time to share some hot music from Australia to keep warm. A sultry song, amazing dancers, and an enigmatic video that leaves many questions about what exactly happened. Are they valkyries coming to decide?
05/08 Jazzanova - Mwela, Mwela (Here I Am)
Today's music is one of my favourite tracks... in glorious 360p (it's an old video, I wish there was a higher resolution version). Vocalist Valerie Etienne with the Berlin based DJ/producer collective Jazzonova off their 2002 debut album.
05/09 Submotion Orchestra - Passed Me By
"Submotion Orchestra are a seven piece band formed in 2009 in Leeds influenced by dubstep, soul, ambient electronica, jazz, and dub." Not sure this 100% works (maybe 80%, let me know), but it's an intriguing composition and performance and I enjoyed it.
05/10 Mean Mary - Iron Horse
Mean Mary got her nickname when she was 6 and performed a song "Mean Mary from Alabam" on a local TV station. It stuck. From all accounts, she's not mean. A beast on the banjo and an amazing singer/songwriter.
05/11 Vladimir Cauchemar - Aulos
Fell asleep early, up a bit before sleeping again. Monday's music was described by someone I know as what their ADHD-addled brain does when they are trying to focus on a task. Cauchemar is "a French DJ, composer, and record producer." Note: "cauchemar" is French for nightmare.
05/12 (1/2) David Bowie - I'm Afraid of Americans
Today is a twofer. Part 1 of 2: this speaks of the USA that we see on the global stage, and the terror that we might be targeted next as their collective society irrationally lashes out in fear and insecurity at living in a complex world.
05/12 (2/2) Karolina Kozak - I Tak Bez Konca
Part 2 of 2 speaks of the USA that we see when we deal with its folks individually. There's so much love and community to be found. People are just people everywhere doing their best. Polish musician, video shot in Savannah, Georgia. Verklempt every time. 🥺
05/13 Fever The Ghost - Source
Here's Wednesday's music post finally (I am so far behind on everything in my life right now). A truly delightful and strange animated video by Felix Colgrave for this delightful and strange song off Fever the Ghost's 2014 debut EP. I love the little dancing "bean people". 😍
05/14 Zepparella - When The Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin Version Cover)
For Thursday's music I present the all female Zepparella absolutely crushing Led Zeppelin's cover of the classic 1929 country blues song by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie. Confession: I have a rare celebrity crush on the drummer, heh. She's a beast with those sticks!
05/15 Eartheater - Paradise Rains
I was going to post Parov Stelar's latest, but it seems he uses AI in his music and videos these days. So, no. In it's place I present the latest from Eartheater (Alexandra Drewchin), currently based in NYC. Absolutely cinematic, filmed in Latvia, dark and moody, unsettling.
05/16 Shearwater - Daydream Unbeliever
Today's music and video is ... sublime. Filmed in Antarctica on scientific expedition PS152 by the band's leader Jonathan Meiburg, a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter out of Austin, Texas. No AI was used in the making of the video. Gorgeous in every dimension. ❤️
05/17 Ibeyi - Aset
Today, I bring you joy and dance and community. Off the French duo Ibeyi's (Yoruba for "twins") upcoming album "Offerings". English, French, Spanish, and Yoruba lyrics in a fusion of jazz, beats, samples, and traditional instruments. A wonderful find! "Lisa, the lead singer, plays the piano; and Naomi plays the traditional Peruvian/Cuban percussion instruments cajón and Batá drum."
05/18 Crumb - Locket
Just did a 9 hour livestream to finish the 3 mechanical designs I needed to finish for my laser experiments. CAD files and drawings are all done. Time to sleep a couple of hours. Meanwhile, here is Monday's music video. Creative, inclusive, cozy, trippy, and cat in a backpack.
05/19 Earthside - A Dying Star
Out of Connecticut in the USA, not sure what to say about this except it's super satisfying for me to listen to... makes my brain go brrr. Prog, metal, ambient, noise, fusion, stuff, thing.
05/20 Elderbrook with Bob Moses - Inner Light
Well, I couldn't do any better than this myself... So for Wednesday's music post, this is it. An absolutely delightful song and amazing video (thanks so much to dagnamit on Bluesky for sharing it)! Elderbrook is a musician and DJ out of the UK, and Bob Moses is a west coast Canadian electronic music duo.
05/21 Sleep Party People - I'm Not Human At All
Today's music is ... very strange. On the surface, this sounds depressing af, but for some reason listening to this gives me hope and brings me happiness and comfort. This band is just Brian Batz out of Denmark, with friends, but they play together so well. Performed live.
05/22 MÖNG - Ohilen
A treat for your ears for the weekend! MÖNG is a French duo, Lily Noroozi and Isao Bredel Samson, bringing together a mix of electronic and traditional music from around the world.
05/23 The Supermen Lovers feat. Mani Hoffman - Starlight
Here's an oldie (25 years ago!) but a goodie that will get you dancing to the music (if you're inclined to do such things). Quirky and weird and fun, the video is its own short story. Staying in France, this is the project of electronic musician and producer Guillaume Atlan.
05/24 (1/2) Philiminizzy Reacts - Reaction to Freeze The Fall's Cover of Aurora's "The Seed"
Something different part 1 of 2. I shared this amazing cover 04/09. Apparently I'm not alone in thinking it's exceptional. I don't watch reaction videos much anymore (they're usually vapid and formulaic), but this guy from Ghana really gets how this is the yang to Aurora's yin.
05/24 (2/2) Deadgrl Superstar - Reaction to Freeze The Fall's Cover of Aurora's "The Seed"
Something different part 2 of 2. I shared this amazing cover 04/09. Apparently I'm not alone in thinking it's exceptional. I don't watch reaction videos much anymore... but while I found this streamer annoying in some ways, her actual reaction during proves how hard it can hit.
05/25 Dr. No - Light
I used to do an FM radio show where I would buy stuff from "dollar bins" at record stores (mostly by bands I didn't know, $3 or less), listen at home, then put a show together around the music I had found. This album from Poland was one of them, and it's still a favourite!
05/26 Jamie xx - Gosh
Today's music and video makes me feel catastrophically lonely and isolated, but it is also profoundly beautiful and powerful. No AI or CGI was used. If you had been there in person, this is what you would have seen before you too. Breathtaking.
05/27 GUNSHIP feat. Kat Von D - Black Blood Red Kiss
Part 1 of 2 for this music post. Part 2 is Friday (a cover) and this is the original so I wanted it to sit for a bit before then. Gunship is an odd band but when they shine, they're shockingly brilliant imo. I have rarely heard a song that holds tension this well. I didn't know who Von D was before hearing this (and quickly found out she is a polarizing figure). It works for this song though...
05/28 Modeselektor feat. Miss Platnum - Berlin
One of the most creative and amusing music videos I've seen, and an absolute bop of a song. The video director wrote to Modeselektor asking them to play at their wedding (not expecting an answer). The band right then needed a video made for their new song. A pact was struck!
05/29 GUNSHIP - Black Blood Red Kiss (Choir Noir Remix)
Part 2 of 2 for 05/27 music post. Part 1 was Wednesday (the OG) and this is a cover commissioned by Gunship. Performed during a Covid lockdown with everyone at their homes. I can't describe how beautiful I find this, but seeing such diverse folks coming together gives me so much hope and joy.
05/30 Austra - Fallen Cloud
Just got back from the lab. One more day to finish gathering and making plots with all the data for my presentation in Quebec City... Tuesday. Saw her in concert last year, a unique talent!
05/31 Pentangle - Open the Door
Here's music for the last day of May. Just a lovely song, no video today (well, yesterday). A band I've never seen live (I have seen Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention in Toronto though).
