Well Lennys, we’ve reached the last Music Monday of the year! We have a good mix of new and old artists, as well as the first-ever pick by our new assistant Dianca. Thanks for jamming out with us for the last six-ish months! It’s been fun.
**​What our Editor-at-Large Doreen St.Félix is listening to:**
Allow me to introduce you to (1). According to *Teen Vogue* , Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine heard her sing five years ago and declared, “I’ve been waiting for a reason to start a record label and I think you’re that reason.” Crane became the first artist to sign to his label, 222, and has been teetering on the precipice of stardom since. Her voice carries the sort of California soul that has propelled artists like Alessia Cara and Kehlani to fame; like them, Crane’s sweet edge reflects the maturing sound of teenage pop. She writes a lot of her own music, but I get a special pleasure out of seeing her find her art through tried-and-true classics. Guaranteed you will too. Here’s her and a doo-wop team absolutely slaying a stripped-down version of Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing). ​”
**What our assistant Dianca London is listening to:**
I grew up on Sci Fi. From *Star Trek* to *Dr. Who* circa William Hartnell, I’ve always been fascinated by time travel. Yeah,  I know it’s impossible, but listening to Blouse’s debut LP comes pretty close to the feeling of being temporally transported. Blame it on the band’s seamless pairing of synth with a steady back beat and an ultra cool degree of vulnerability reminiscent of tweepop. Charlie Hilton’s diction casts a spell that seems to stop the clock and makes me forget that I have student loan debt and lost my cell phone charger at a bar. There is something malleable about Blouse’s melodies, something so gripping, that even after keeping their self-titled LP in heavy rotation for years, cuts like “Time Traveler” (bear with me) remain timeless.​
**What our Associate Editor Laia Garcia is listening to:**
Last night I went down a bit of a Strokes rabbit hole, watching live videos from when they first hit it big and did all the requisite late night appearances. Their debut album *Is This It?* will forever be one of my favorites, not only because it’s a solid record from beginning to end, but because it was the de facto soundtrack for my freshman year in college. My favorite song off it has always been “Alone Together,” it reminds me of carefree days, loving the wrong boys without regretting a single moment, and just being… happy. Fifteen years later and their music still holds up, still makes me feel all the feels it did back when, and my god, I truly hope that never changes.
**What our Editor in Chief Jessica Grose is listening to:**
I’m heading to California next week for a little respite and some family time, and so have been listening to lots of chill Cali themed music. “California Stars,” by Wilco and Billy Bragg. It’s from their album *Mermaid Avenue Vol. 1* , where they took Woodie Guthrie lyrics and put them to music. It’s definitely a relaxing vacation ode: “I’d like to dream/ My troubles all away/On a bed of California stars.” Done and done.
1) (http://www.rozzicrane.com/)
