the playlist: MAY 2020

1. Leon Bridges (featuring John Mayer) - "Inside Friend"

2. Jason Mraz - "Look For The Good"

3. Michael Franti & Spearhead - "I'm On Your Side"

4. Katie Pruitt - "Expectations"

5. Ari Hest - "Against The Sky"

6. John Moreland - "When My Fever Breaks"

7. Bon Iver - "PDLIF"

8. Blanco White - "Desert Days"

9. The Killers - "Caution"

10. Major Lazer (featuring Marcus Mumford) - "Lay Your Head On Me"

THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2019

1. Guster - Look Alive
2. The Chemical Brothers - No Geography
3. Vampire Weekend - Father Of The Bride
4. Bon Iver - i,i
5. Brittany Howard - Jaime
6. Caamp - By & By
7. Maggie Rogers - Heard It In A Past Life
8. O.A.R. - The Mighty
9. Beck - Hyperspace
10. Trey Anastasio - Ghosts Of The Forest
11. The Hip Abduction - To The Ends Of The Earth
12. Gary Clark Jr. - This Land
13. The Lumineers - III
14. The Black Keys - Let's Rock
15. Allen Stone - Building Balance
16. Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors - Dragons
17. The Head And The Heart - Living Mirage
18. Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
19. Noah Kahan - Busyhead
20. Coldplay - Everyday Life
21. Chadwick Stokes & The Pintos - Chadwick Stokes & The Pintos
22. Dermot Kennedy - Without Fear
23. Hozier - Wasteland, Baby!
24. Joseph - Good Luck, Kid
25. Alice Merton - Mint
26. The Cat Empire - Stolen Diamonds
27. The Avett Brothers - Closer Than Together
28. Citizen Cope - Heroin & Helicopters
29. The Raconteurs - Help Us Strangers
30. Iya Terra - Coming To Light

the playlist: JUL 2019

1. Brittany Howard - "History Repeats"

2. Dave Matthews Band (featuring Brandi Carlile) - "Come Tomorrow"

3. Noah Kahan - "Mess"

4. Bon Iver - "Hey, Ma"

5. Whitney - "Giving Up"

6. Wilder Woods - "Supply & Demand"

7. Lana Del Rey - "Doin' Time"

8. Cisco Adler (featuring G. Love) - "Sunday Vibe"

9. Matt Costa - "Make That Change"

10. City And Colour - "Astronaut"

the playlist: JUN 2019

1. Bruce Hornsby (featuring Justin Vernon) - "Cast-Off"

2. Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors - "Family"

3. Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real - "Turn Off The News (Build A Garden)"

4. The Allman Betts Band - "All Night"

5. Caamp - "Penny, Heads Up"

6. The Mattson 2 - "Naima's Dream"

7. Lettuce - "Everybody Wants To Rule The World"

8. Pepper (featuring Stick Figure) - "Warning"

9. Phantom Planet - "Balisong"

10. Of Monsters And Men - "Alligator"

THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2016

1. Phish - Big Boat
2. Bon Iver - 22, A Million
3. Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals - Call It What It Is
4. Matt Corby - Telluric
5. Dawes - We're All Gonna Die
6. Jim James - Eternally Even
7. Brett Dennen - Por Favor
8. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
9. St. Paul & The Broken Bones - Sea Of Noise
10. Classixx - Faraway Reach
11. Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Getaway
12. The Avett Brothers - True Sadness
13. The Head And The Heart - Signs Of Light
14. The Lumineers - Cleopatra
15. Tegan & Sara - Love You To Death
16. STS9 - The Universe Inside
17. Margaret Glaspy - Emotions And Math
18. Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate
19. Joseph - I'm Alone, No You're Not
20. Johnnyswim - Georgica Pond
21. Amos Lee - Spirit
22. Band Of Horses - Why Are You OK
23. White Denim - Stiff
24. Pete Yorn - ArrangingTime
25. Mason Jennings - Wild Dark Metal
26. Lissie - My Wild West
27. The Cat Empire - Rising With The Sun
28. Nahko & Medicine For The People - HOKA
29. Greg Laswell - Everyone Thinks I Dodged A Bullet
30. the NEW DEAL - Mercury Switch

#reviewoftheweek / "Wish I Was Here" soundtrack

Zach Braff hasn't directed a ton of movies, but the ones that he has directed have contained killer soundtracks. Case in point: "Garden State," which helped to launch the career of Cary Brothers and bring The Shins into the spotlight in a huge way. The same is to be said for Braff's latest "Wish I Was Here," which is both a drastically different movie and it's soundtrack is a different sounding compilation. This movie and music is very different from Braff's first, imparting a very introspective and somber quality. The soundtrack features two great new tunes by Bon Iver and The Shins as well as a terrific collaboration between Coldplay and indie songstress Cat Power. In addition to the new tunes, Braff digs deep into the archives for classics from Paul Simon, Gary Jules, and Badly Drawn Boy, and even includes Bon Iver's hit "Holocene" as well. Newcomers, Hozier and The Head And The Heart also contribute to the album, with The Head And The Heart's song closing out the album and summing up the compilation in the best way. The only (albeit minor) miss of the compliation is the lack of the inclusion of "Tangled Up In Blue" by Bob Dylan, which appears in the film, but not on the album. Zach Braff knows how to curate music and this album is proof that not only is he a great actor, writer, and director, but has a great ear for music and how it contributes to a film, driving it forward and developing emotion and connection to the visuals on screen.

THE 30 BEST ALBUMS OF 2011

1. Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong
2. Brett Dennen - Loverboy
3. The Head And The Heat - The Head And The Heart
4. O.A.R. - King
5. G. Love - Fixin' To Die
6. Dispatch - Dispatch EP
7. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
8. Matt Nathanson - Modern Love
9. Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors - Chasing Someday
10. Death Cab For Cutie - Codes And Keys
11. My Morning Jacket - Circuital
12. Sam Roberts Band - Collider
13. Trevor Hall - Everything Everytime Everywhere
14. Bahamas - Pink Strat
15. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
16. The Black Keys - El Camino
17. Mat Kearney - Young Love
18. Release The Sunbird - Come Back To Us
19. Bob Schneider - A Perfect Day
20. Needtobreathe - The Reckoning
21. William Fitzsimmons - Gold In The Shadow
22. Amos Lee - Mission Bell
23. Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire
24. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
25. Chadwick Stokes - Simmerkane II
26. Barefoot Truth - Carry Us On
27. Mike Doughty - Yes And Also Yes
28. Zee Avi - Ghostbird
29. Jessica Lea Mayfield - Tell Me
30. James Vincent McMorrow - Early In The Morning

If you'd like to view and/or purchase albums on this and previous top 30 lists click here.

New Release Tuesday

New music out today worth checking out:

• Bon Iver - Bon Iver
• Gomez - Whatever's On Your Mind
• Ingram Hill - Blue Room Afternoon
• Matt Nathanson - Modern Love
• OK Go - 180/360
• Natalie Walker - Spark