Have you ever thought about how you can reach a level of “sleep debt” that you can never pay back? If your body needs eight hours of sleep, and you consistently only get five or six, and don’t take naps to try and make that up, you could accumulate thousands of hours of debt owed to your REM cycle. This thought upsets me. I’m already in debt from student loans, and now you’re telling me I have to pay myself back too?

I’m starting a sleep debt relief program. Every time I feel tired and want to complain about it I think back on times I’ve lost sleep for a party, to help a friend, to watch one more episode of a good TV show with my partner, or (once), to hear the Jonas Brother’s reunion album right when it came out.1 I would not trade any of these precious memories for their equivalent hours of sleep. Whether I was waking up at an ungodly hour of the morning to make an early flight, or staying up for 24 hours straight DJing on the radio (and subsequently making myself ill because I forgot to drink water or eat during): those experiences made me who I am today.

Forgive the national sleep debt!

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Cornelius’ 1998 album Fantasma is easily one of my top 10 albums of all time, ever since first hearing it back in high school. It perfectly merges together samples and live instruments, and possesses this never-ending kinetic creative energy that lodges itself in your brain and propels the whole thing forward. I feel like every month I have a new favorite song off the project, and this is this months. If you’ve never given the record a listen all the way through I cannot recommend it highly enough. No two songs are the same and you’re sure to find at least one you like. Those layered vocals at the end of this track??? C’mon!

I know I already wrote about a Sugar Pit song in a recent one of these, but what can I say? I like them! To quote the influential modern day social theorist Tom DeLonge: “Work sucks.” Sugar Pit writes songs that are goofy and upbeat about living in the modern capitalist age and it works for me!

In this house we love FKA twigs. She’s an artist with a unique vision and a pretty consistent output of bangers. This was one of the lead singles off her most recent album and I’ve been enjoying it a lot! I’ve occasionally described twigs’ music as “horror pop” because of her apparent love for blending pop pageantry with unnerving visuals and abrasive production. Not without reason, either. Her music has a clear message that utilizes unnerving imagery and sonic choices to get a strong reaction from the listener. True artistry, right up my alley.

I don’t know anything about this band other than that they are British(?) and one time they covered a Robert Wyatt song I like. Based on the band name, I assume this song is about calamari. Whatever it’s about, I like the vocal delivery on here, feels very reminiscent of some old school 80’s goth/new wave groups.

I’m pretty sure Angel Olsen was literally sent from above to grace us with her voice. This song sounds like it was recorded at the end of a tunnel by a ghost. This is a cover of a pretty fun electro pop song by Poppy Jean Crawford, but Olsen takes what was a fun longing upbeat song and turns it into a haunting ode to longing that sounds more like a Connie Converse song.

If there’s one thing I can’t resist it’s weird percussion. If your song has a rhythm section that sounds like it was banged out ten feet from the mic on various household objects I’m going to be on board. When I hear this song, I’m floating in a bioluminescent tidepool late at night with someone I love. It’s beautiful and organic and sugary sweet in a way that makes the hairs on the back of my neck rise up.

This is bite-sized experimental rock song sounds like if Daft Punk was a shibuya-kei children’s band and I love it. Try not to nod your head along to that bassline, I dare you. What clinches the songs irresistible energy for me is the call and response with the vocals and the synth in the second verse. Pure fun!

I found out about Juliana Hatfield by being a huge fan of peers the Breeders and Throwing Muses. Hatfield comes from that same movement of 90’s female-led grunge-pop rock bands and I’ve been really enjoying discovering her catalogue recently. Not a lot of songs can pull off a chorus that’s just one line, but the message of this one is impactful enough that the chorus absolutely hits. “A heart that hurts is a heart that works” baby!!!

I want Velocity Girl to soundtrack my life. Their songs are such perfect, jangly slices of everyday feelings and events that take the commonplace and make it feel grandiose and poetic. This song in particular really strikes close to home, with the relatability of trying to do and be better but still feeling like you need to say sorry again and again.

Oddball pop. What if the B-52s watched anime and played video games? This is the question I ask myself when listening to this song. The answer is a funky groovy weird time and I love it. Take me from this planet, Jesus!

Anna Meredith is a genius of composition. She takes harnesses electronic instruments into symphonies that comfort and score feelings you cannot put into words. She works in the palette of dreams and synaptic impulses.

I put this song in the same category as Weezer’s album Pinkerton in that the composition is catchy, the lyrics are so open and personal but the song also paints an extremely uncomfortable portrait of a very lonely and repressed person who I think has some stuff to work through. If you can stomach that, the song hits.

Just a fun rock song that reminds me of some early 2000’s acts like 1990s and Bombay Bicycle Club in a weird way. It’s not doing anything particularly inventive or mind-blowing but it’s still an enjoyable, punchy listen.

Imaginal Disk was my favorite album of 2024 and I’m still listening to it to this day so I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend people check it out. Just an insane, expansive, Y2K disco-twinged record that I cannot resist moving to. And oh my god the hooks… the HOOKS on this thing. Infinite fun record. Please do me a favor and put it on sometime.

i guess this guy’s dad is famous or something idk.

I used to be a Weezer hater. When I was in high school, I thought I was too cool for their bubblegum riffs and oo-wee-oohs. Even though I loved a bunch of power pop acts that were undeniably influenced by Weezer’s hits. Once I hit college I was able to free my mind and realize that the Blue Album is actually a perfect record and one of the most influential records of all time to indie rock. But I still denied they had anything worthwhile in the rest of their catalogue. Then I found a YouTuber who almost exclusively makes video essays about Weezer’s history, and now can safely say that they have their strong moments. Plus this one has a video with the Muppets! And even stoic Rivers Cuomo can’t resist smiling when face to face with Kermit the Frog and Ms. Piggy.

The record this is on, Two Star & The Dream Police, made it onto a bunch of those year-end AOTY lists from various publications, but there was something aesthetically that kept me away until now. The laid back, dreamy twee indie guitarist stuff was setting of my Mac DeMarco sensors and I got my fill of that stuff back in high school.2 But I have to admit: the records good. The guitar playing is extremely solid and the production is interesting and lush. I like it!

This was recorded for the TRANSA compilation album, which has so many A-list names it’s honestly unbelievable. You have people like Jeff Tweedy, Andre 3000, L’Rain, Fleet Foxes, Clairo and so many others coming together to celebrate and benefit trans and non-binary artists. I could honestly put so many songs from this record on this mix (and who’s to say I won’t pick out a few more in future iterations?) but this one really hit me hard. I love Belle and Sebastian and especially this song, and it manages to take a classic track and put a new meaning and feeling behind it, which is always impressive when pulled off. This cover is beautiful and meaningful and I will keep it with me forever.

Okay! Another one down. Thanks for listening and reading and all that jazz. Biggest full-album recommendations for this one are Fantasma by Cornelius, Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay, and the TRANSA compilation album. As always, let me know in the comments what you like/didn’t like or if there’s other stuff I should check out!!! Love u <3

-rat