The Well-Played List: New meets Valentine’s Day lusty, from Caribou to Twerps to D’Angelo & more

The Well Played List is an ongoing listening series that features the most listened-to, jammed-out songs, albums and artists of the week as submitted by the CL Music Team along with a rotating crew of tastemakers — local music promoters, record store and venue owners, music fans and scenesters, DJs, musicians, and a radio personality or two; check the past several week’s worth here.

This week, in addition to our most jammed spins and in honor of the forthcoming Lust List Issue (and Valentine's Day this Saturday), we're also divulging some of our favorite lust-inducing, lust-inspired or just generally sexy songs and albums ala last year. Some offered a few selections, others full-on playlists. Take a look below; audio and video included, along with any applicable show information. And on that note, what are you jamming this week? What's your favorite lusty songs or favorite music for setting the mood? Tell us in the comments…

LEILANI

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis The Third (2015) This trio of multi-instrumentalist siblings (two sisters and their lone brother) are based in London, and their vintage rockabilly sounds call on all manner of influences — R&B/swing, jump blues, some Hawaiian music, pop, even dancehall. They all play drums and their mix of lush and rather eclectic instrumentation (including uke, banjo, horns, xylophone, harmonica, accordion, lapsteel and double bass) only serves to make it even more listenable and intriguing. Both sisters have rich sultry vocals while Lewis' brassy tenor proves a nice robust balance. Overall, warm, sunny, vibrant and fun. Consider me charmed.

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The following are my favorite songs that set a lusty grooving tone and may or may not be about lust or love, but make you feel all loose and sensual either way. It's a sort of musical turn-on potion. Not sure how it happened, but a chunk of these tracks have female vocalists…

Kat Dahlia, "Crazy," 
Lana Del Rey, "West Coast"
Wye Oak, "Glory," 
Brazilian Girls, "Homme," "Don't Stop," "Lazy Lover" (all off their 2005 self-titled LP). Doesn't matter if you know what she's saying when she croons in French; it's so damn sexy.
Hundred Waters, "Innocent"
OK Go, "I Want You So Bad I Can't Breathe" 
Phantogram, "Fall in Love"
Pillowfight, "In the Afternoon"
SBTRKT feat. Little Dragon, "Wildfire"
Thai & the Get Down Stay Down, "Every Body"
Koop, "Koop Island Blues"
Handsome Boy Modeling School feat. Cat Power, "I've Been Thinking"
Shuggie Otis, "Sweet Thing"
Bahamas, "Never Again"
Got a Girl, "Did We Live Too Fast?"

https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:leilanipolk:playlist:7LRJP7NrTt79RunKotBuOg
JOE D'ACUNTO | THX MGMT Presents

Been listening to the following the past couple of weeks:

Albums:

Triathalon, Lo-Tide (2014)
Willis Earl Beal, Nobody Knows (2013)
Moonmen From Mars, Fear & Terror (out 2/17/2015 on Post Records)
The Orwells, Disgraceland (2014)

Singles:

Mary J. Blige, "Right Now"
Mark Ronson, "Uptown Funk" feat. Bruno Mars
Bobby Womack, "Please Forgive My Heart"
The Juan Maclean, "Running Back To You"

MELANIE CADE | Mojo Books & Records
William Basinski, Melancholia (2014) Carefully crafted ambient gorgeousness. Aptly named. Disintegration Loops + Melancholia = misty eyes.

Belle & Sebastian, Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance (2015) On repeat in the car for about a week. Thought it forgettable at first, but it's sweetly infectious.

Damaged Bug, Hubba Bubba (2014) John Dwyer's (Thee Oh Sees) electronic solo project. My mistake for ignoring this last year.

Lusty: Do shows count? If so: The Antibalas / Zap Mama show was damn sexy. 

GABE ECHAZABAL
Various Artists, Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating The Music of ‘Inside Llewyn Davis' (2014) Magnificent two-CD live set culled from the star-studded concert that took place in September 2013 at New York City’s famed Town Hall. In conjunction with Joel and Ethan Coen’s fantastic film about a Greenwich Village folk singer who just can’t catch a break, Inside Llewyn Davis, this concert recording features the film’s lead actor, Oscar Isaac, reviving some of the tunes he so masterfully delivered in the film. While it’s hard to pick out the highlights in this jam-packed set, Jack White’s soulful numbers surely rank high on the list and Rhiannon Giddens, powerhouse lead vocalist from folk trio Carolina Chocolate Drops, almost makes this purchase worth the price of admission alone. Whether listening on headphones or on an elaborate home stereo, her soaring voice is sure to fill your ears with joy and make your jaw drop upon first listen. Oh yeah…there’s also some pretty dynamic performances by Elvis Costello, Conor Oberst, Marcus Mumford and Gillian Welch, too. Pretty amazing stuff, indeed. Video from the performance of "S’iomadh Rid (The Dhith Om / Ciamar A Ni Mi)" featuring Giddens below .

1. Blondie, “Call Me”
2. INXS, “Taste It”
3. Prince, “International Lover”
4. Vicious Pink, “Fetish”
5. My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, “Sex on Wheels”
6. Berlin, “Sex (I’m a…)”
7. The Knack, “Good Girls Don’t”
8. Gleaming Spires, “Are You Ready For the Sex Girls?”
9. Lene Lovich, “It’s You, Only You”
10. Romeo Void, “Never Say Never”
11. Duran Duran, “Hungry Like the Wolf”
12. Buzzcocks, “Just Lust”
13. Depeche Mode, “I Want You Now”
14. Roxy Music-“Love is the Drug”
15. Adam and the Ants, “Physical (You’re So)”
16. Sparks, “All You Ever Think About is Sex”
17. Pretenders, “Bad Boys Get Spanked”
18. Squeeze, “Tempted”
19. Undertones, “Teenage Kicks”
20. The Smiths, “Handsome Devil”

ADAM KUHN | Music fan and scenester with discerning taste | Front End Designer, Big Sea Design & Development

Twerps, Range Anxiety (2015) Light and breezy hook-heavy Australian indie jangle pop RIYL virtually anything from Flying Nun. Favorite thing I've heard this year.

Klaus Johann Grobe, Im Sinne der Zeit (2014) Funky keyboard 'n' bass driven krauty post punk from Switzerland built for dancing in your underthings.

Thou & The Body, You, Whom I Have Always Hated (2015) Punishing blackened doom purveyors band together for an album that will make your soul hurt.

Lust music: "Love Comes in Spurts," Richard Hell

TIMOTHY BOYSON | Music Explorer

Braille, Everyone's Crazy EP (out 2/10/15) Braille’s full-length debut, Mute Swan, comes Spring 2015. Think Toro Y Moi meshed with Caribou.

Beacon, L1 EP (2014) Beacon's most recent EP was released back in early December and has been listened to almost daily since then. I was already a huge fan, but this latest release shows their growth and development. MUST LISTEN.

Odesza, "All We Need " feat. Shy Girls (Bearcubs Remix) A great remix that's fun and chill. Easy to like.

The Antlers, Hospice and Familiars Both albums have a haunting sound that you can sympathize with. Hospice (2009) is the essence of melancholy. Familiars is one of the best albums in 2014. The addition of the brass section was exactly what they needed.

Bonobo, Flashlight EP (2015) This only has 3 songs, but it's filled with some great production. Perfect for the evening.

Kendrick Lamar, Section.80 (2011) Kendrick's debut is also his best. The production is almost perfect. It's often overlooked, but if you like Kendrick, give this a spin. I can always go back to this album and it never gets old. I'm looking forward to his new album, which is slated to drop this year. Standout tracks: "A.D.H.D", "Poe Mans Dreams," "The Spiteful Chant"

Some favorite lusty songs:
Active Child, "Playing House"
A perfect song for Valentine's Day. Just hit repeat.
Junior Boys, "First Time"
Enough said! Jeremy Greenspan is smooth over this electro-pop track.
Interpol, "No I in Threesome"
Paul attempts something sexy.
The Weeknd, "What You Need"
It was hard to pick just one from his House of Balloons album. The whole album is full of lust.
Shlohomo, "Bo Peep (Do U Right)" feat. Jeremih
Underrated producer/performer turns this song into a bedroom anthem.
Beacon, "No Body"
Beacon takes the classic sample of "No Body" from one of the kings of lust, Keith Sweat. The song is perfectly blended together to form an electronic R&B song that Mr. Sweat would be very proud of.
Jodeci, "Freek'N You"
A CLASSIC song from one of the best R&B groups. Nobody did lust better than K-Ci and JoJo.
Prince, "Do Me, Baby"
Prince was lust for many. I picked this song out of 15 others I could've easily selected from his catalogue.
Janet Jackson, "Any time, Any Place"
One of the sexiest songs of the '90s. They don't make them like this anymore.
R. Kelly,"Half On A Baby"
Madonna, "Justify My Love"
Have you seen the video? Still one of her best songs.
Sigur Ros, "Untitled 3"
For a song with no name, it has more emotion and climax than most. A beautiful song from one of my favorite albums of all time.

You might have some of the songs listed above, and maybe forgot about them. Dig them up and get that playlist ready for the weekend. If you don't have them, you have some work to do. You'll be happy you did.

CHRIS NADEAU | non-musician Permanent Makeup

I mail-ordered two albums from Seattle's End of Time Records and been jamming them nonstop since they came in…(and I was listening to both bands on Spotify before that too!)

Wimps, Repeat (2013) Simple, arrestingly catchy punk that I can't stop singing along to! Making frustration and neurosis into a conversation with yourself with very cool hooks.

Stickers, Swollen (2014) Sprawling post-punk with conscious bass treble separation, snarling vocals and a singer who blasts on a horn every once and a while, too! A highlight is the sing-along chorus that repeats "Sacajawea" over and over again.
 
JULIA STEWART | MoonGoddess Entertainment LLC
From classic throwbacks, to modern day guilty pleasures, here's a handful of my lust-worthy go-tos just in time for V-Day. Whether the scene is sweet and romantic, or soulful and sexy, these albums will all undoubtedly set the mood. 

1. Marvin Gaye, I Want You (1976) The ultimate slow jam collection. This album stands the test of time. People have been getting down and dirty to it for nearly 40 years, and will continue to do so for many more to come.

2. Al Green, Let's Stay Together (1972) Another classic that stands the test of time. The same reasoning that applies to Marvin Gaye applies here.

3. Tedeschi Trucks Band, Revelator (2011) What's more romantic then a husband/wife, singer/songwriter duo? It's a recipe as old as music itself. Blistering guitar and beautiful harmonies, paired with the mutual admiration these two hold for each other could make even the most wary of love feel warm and fuzzy.

4. D'Angelo, Black Messiah (2014) I'm certain I'm not the only one who's had this one on steady rotation since it dropped a couple months back. D'Angelo's first new release in well over a decade is once again dripping with soul and songs to set the mood.

5. Justin Timberlake, The 20/20 Experience (2013) Yeah I went there. Judge not lest ye be judged. Whether you're on the J.T. train or not, this album is chock full of sexy tracks, seamless production, and really just over-all lustiness.

This article appears in Feb 5-11, 2015.