1. Grateful Dead

There have been three songs on repeat the past few weeks above all other tracks. The first two I make sure to listen to one after the other, as the transition between songs is blissfully done (shoutout Nate Markin for the recommendation). Help on the Way / Slipknot! merging into Franklin’s Tower (both 2013 remastered) combine to make one of my current favorite tracks. The bass guitar, lead guitar, and vocals in Help on the Way work together very well and I would highly recommend it to any non-Deadhead. Franklin’s tower is a much more popular song, with a bouncy rhythm and a very catchy chorus. While I’ve listened to Help on the Way / Slipknot! a lot more, Franklin’s Tower is as phenomenal with arguably much more influential lyrics (my personal favorite being “If you get confused, listen to the music play”).

However, the primary reason for Grateful Dead being number one on my list lies in my favorite song on Spotify right now: Brown-Eyed Women – Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77. Compared to the much more widespread version of the song from the Grateful Dead Europe tour (Brown Eyed Women – Live in Denmark, 1972; 2001 Remaster), this track sounds a lot more lively and upbeat. It is easily my favorite version of the song. This version also features an incredible Jerry Garcia guitar solo, so all around this track is a must-listen for anyone who has Brown Eyed Women in their everyday playlist rotation. Finally, some Grateful Dead songs that I’ve been bopping this month but not overplaying include: Ripple, Eyes of the World, Uncle John’s Band, Saint of Circumstance, Cassidy, and Touch of Grey. 

2. Future

Drastically different from the Grateful Dead, I like to start and end every day with some Future. I’ve recently started drifting towards Future features as I’ve become overly familiar with practically every one of his albums. My most listened to Future feature this month is Federal Fed from Moneybagg Yo’s album Time Served. The cosmic synth in the background of the song will ascend any listener to a higher plane. Additionally, the lyrics are mind blowing (which should be expected from any song by Moneybagg Yo). Another feature is, of course, Nobody Special.

This track by Hotboii has been my anthem over the past few months, with a stellar message and a very wise lesson. I proudly know all the words to this song and am happy to state that most of my friends do too. The third notable Future feature track is Stack House by Zona Man. The song is more of a Zona Man feature because Future 1. carries the entire song and 2. raps for the entirety of the song. My favorite lyric from the song is “I was getting money before with just a stack house,” which remarkably sounds like “I was getting money before with Jason Stackhouse” when you actually listen to the song, playing homage to everyone’s favorite golf coach.

Interstate 10 by Mustard ft. Future as well as U.O.E.N.O by Rocko ft. Rick Ross and Future are great features that everyone should check out. A few more Future songs on repeat include Too Much Sauce ft. Lil Uzi, Too Comfortable (a classic), My Collection (also a classic), Solo (most definitely a classic), CUDDLE MY WRIST, and most notably (my current favorites) Accepting My Flaws and Up the River.