12 Songs: Triptych
A peek inside the process for this week’s playlist:
1. Begin late Sunday night, in this case as an homage to Exile era Stones, simply because, when you hear the chords from “Let it Loose” ringing from a neighbor’s piano at three in the morning, you take it as a sign.
In that vein, “Candy” by the Men fits the bill. Throw in a few Bintangs tracks for good measure, they’re the next best thing; “Riding on the L&N” sounds like an outtake from the Beggars Banquet sessions.
2. Fast forward a few hours. I’m making my morning coffee, headphones on, Spotify set to shuffle, bowing to the mercy of the algorithm, when suddenly, “Dark Entries” emerges from the void. A brief but destabilizing trip down the Bauhaus rabbit hole ensues, and before I can finish my coffee, the playlist has three songs with the word “dark” somewhere in the title. We want it darker, still; add “Suzanne” by Leonard Cohen for maximum damage.
3. Things are getting moody now. Time for a redirection. I call upon McCartney II to save the day, which it does. Now I’m smiling. And - thanks to years of botox abuse - so is Paul, somewhere, permanently. —Jackson Todd
Listen to 12 Songs: Triptych on Spotify here.
Listen on Apple Music here.
[above photo: Brian Jones, Virginia Beach, 1966. Photographer unknown]
