Project Playlist: The Big Apple

Future Perfect Radio has over 25 channels, thousands of artists and even more songs. It's a lot to take in and maybe it's tough to find your feet. That's where Project Playlist comes in. At (ir)regular intervals, we'll break out one of our channels and post the first 10 tracks that come up. This way, you get a more in-depth look at what's playing on our channels!

(Previous Project Playlists: Chamber Pop)

Featured channel:

1. The Fiery Furnaces - "Charmaine Champagne" from I'm Going Away

One of my favorite tracks from The Fiery Furnaces' new album, released on Thrill Jockey on July 21. We liked the new album so much here at Future Perfect Radio, we featured The Fiery Furnaces as a Future Perfect Pick here (even though they did abandon Chicago for New York).

2. Jeffrey Lewis and the Junkyard - "Roll Bus Roll" from 'Em Are I

There's something so wonderfully charming about Jeffrey Lewis' half-spoken vocals. In "Roll Bus Roll," they're complemented by an unceasing beat that imitates the feeling of a bus rolling on. Together, this simple song about spending way too much time traveling on Greyhounds ends up pulling at my heartstrings.

3. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart" from Everything with You

This was it. This was the song. After hearing this self-titled track off the Everything with You EP, I was hooked on The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. After hearing the chorus ("We will never die") repeated over Jesus and Mary Chain guitars, pulled straight from the '80s, I was a complete fan. I heard it for the first time driving to pick up pizza back in January...yeah, it's one of those songs.

4. A.C. Newman - "Miracle Drug" from The Slow Wonder

Before there was Get Guilty there was 2004's The Slow Wonder. It was Canadian-born singer/songwriter A.C. Newman's debut LP (at least, debut under the A.C. Newman moniker) and, in our humble opinion, still outshines Get Guilty.

5. Gabriel Kahane - "North Adams" from Gabriel Kahane

Singer/songwriter and pianist Gabriel Kahane creates chamber pop tunes, heavily populated by a quick-moving piano and often featuring strings. "North Adams" is sort of what I imagine New York to feel like, walking down a busy street on a partly-cloudy summer day--an off-kilter melody, batches of happy and sad that all somehow works itself out in the end.

6. The Depreciation Guild - "Digital Solace" from In Her Gentle Jaws

What do you know? One of our Future Perfect Picks for the week! The Depreciation Guild features members of the buzz band of the year, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and thus not surprisingly sounds as if it's been (almost) transported directly out of the '80s. There are more Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine comparisons to be made here, but The Depreciation Guild is a little more conscious of the decade they happen to be living in. "Digital Solace" is a good representation of this--there's plenty of blips, bleeps and other 8-bit goodies to remind us all that we are, in fact, almost 10 years into this new millennium.

7. Grizzly Bear - "Two Weeks" from Veckatimest

Speaking of buzz bands, here's one that could give The Pains of Being Pure at Heart a run for their money. Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest was one of the most anticipated albums of the year and certainly did not disappoint. "Two Weeks" is one of (if not the) best tracks on the record. There's a bit of Vampire Weekend here, but with a smoothly somber chorus.

8. Excepter - "Give Me the Cave" from Ka

"Give Me the Cave" comes from Excepter's debut LP Ka from way back in 2003. It's not for everyone and definitely has a happy home in our Flux channel. The group is made up of experimental DJs from New York, who came together to explore just how far they could push the envelope.

9. St. Vincent - "Just the Same but Brand New" from Actor

Singer/songwriter Annie Clark (better known as St. Vincent) really hit a home run with her new 2009 album Actor. She first caught our attention with 2007's Marry Me, but Actor floored us. "Just the Same but Brand New" was a big reason why, developing from a soft and somber opening to a strong, drum-led anthem.

10. Vivian Girls - "When I'm Gone" from Everything Goes Wrong

Didn't think we could do a New York playlist without the Vivian Girls did you? "When I'm Gone" is from their (very very) anticipated new album Everything Goes Wrong scheduled for release on September 8. Like the new album, "When I'm Gone" is a tad longer than their earlier work, but features all of the same fuzzy garage rock we know and love.