SMILE WHEN YOU SAY THAT!

ETERNAL CONJECTURE - all previous playlists can be accessed here. SPOTIFY versions here.

If you build it, they might come.

The first two or three tracks are always the mood setters. The last track is the message. And everything else in between is damn tasty!

Eternal Conjecture 221129: Mimi Parker of the indie band Low passed away recently. I am an admirer of the band and am truly saddened to hear this. As a small tribute, I've included a relevant song of theirs to this new collection. Meanwhile, Steven Page and Beth Orton get cerebrally- spacey. Here's to queens and goddesses!

Eternal Conjecture 221117: I never had the opportunity to see David Bowie perform live in concert. The next best thing I figure is the "Celebrating David Bowie" show featuring Todd and the wonderful Adrian Belew, among others, which I took in last week at the Orpheum Theater in Wichita. Great show which might have made even Ziggy Stardust smile. So this playlist is dedicated to David and features a cool cover and concludes with a heartbreaking song from his last recording. New Hammock album coming in early 2023.... included here is the pre-release single.

Eternal Conjecture 221106: Taking advantage of new 2022 digital remastering to snag a favorite Joni track as the opener. John Oates is back without Daryl but with the 'stache. And with the mid-elections happening this week we need to remember that there's power to be had in the darkness...

Eternal Conjecture 221028: Everybody needs a little Pumpkin Man in their life, especially this time of year. Check out the Rock E. Rollins track, aka Salvatore Baglio, at the end for a tasty chunk. Dan Wilson sure has created a lot of quality music over the years, going all the way back to his Semisonic days (see Closing Time). He's favoring a more stripped-down approach on these recent tracks and they all sound great! Happy Halloween!

Eternal Conjecture 221014: I would not normally choose to include more than one new song from any one artist on a playlist, but I couldn't help but build this latest set around not one, not two, but three songs from the new Cleaners from Venus release. Nobody else seems capable of catching the sweet seasonal passages better than good ol' Martin Newell. And so, as the winds shift and the leaves flutter, please sit back and enjoy 24 new songs and a personal fave of mine recorded by an NYC icon which happens to follow a cool tune with a title of that icon.

Eternal Conjecture 221003: 24 new tracks and an old demo from Lou Reed which was recently released. Of course. feeling a pinch of sentimentality toward Lou Reed is to feel an emotion that the man himself would have probably suggested you just blow out yer own ass, but damn, I miss that sonuvabitch (place sad emoji here). Anyway, best to raise a mental toast and carry on I 'spose.

Eternal Conjecture 220924: Click - Plug - Chill... Great new stuff from artists you've never heard of before mixed in with great new stuff from some artists that you have. Consider the Rachika Nayar instrumental track as a tasty palette cleanser before beginning the second half of the playlist. Engage!

Eternal Conjecture 220914: 25 new tracks thoughtfully sequenced to maximize your listening pleasure. Featuring the Afgan Whigs, the Mountain Goats & Brian Eno.

Eternal Conjecture 220903: If you build it, they might come... drop by... plug in.... chill out! In case you were unaware, Louis Cole is tight.

Eternal Conjecture 220822: 25 new tunes featuring a live track from Tom Waits commemorating the 20th anniversary of “Alice” and “Blood Money" both released in 2002. Limited edition vinyl of both titles is available here. My home state of Oklahoma might be a bastion of radical narrowmindedness, intolerance, and just plain stupidity, but at least we blessed you with the musical soul of John Moreland. A hearty welcome to new artist Lumenette , a member of the Hammock family tree. And... on yeah, a new single from Todd Rundgren & Adrian Belew starts things off with something we could all use these days... a dose of hope & encouragement.

Eternal Conjecture 220811: Good luck finding a better playlist than this one which, if I may say, is intellectually stimulating while heartstrings get gently plucked. Louis Cole releases a stunner from his upcoming album... be sure to read the lyrics when you listen to it. For me his low-in-the-mix vocals is yet another instrument being expertly played... and check out the video here. Was listening to some random music the other day and a Tim Finn / Phil Manzanera tune from 2021 popped up. It somehow didn't make a playlist last year, but I've righted that wrong here. And I always welcome new music from Martin Newell and his Cleaners from Venus.

Eternal Conjecture 220802: 25 new tracks expertly sequenced to maximize your listening experience.

Eternal Conjecture 220724: Drop by… Plug in… Chill out! 25 new tracks starting off with a Todd Rundgren cover by the ever-prolific Fernando Perdomo. It's great to hear Julian Lennon back in fine form.

Eternal Conjecture 220711: A quick turnaround on this one... so much great new music out there! Decided to stick the Claudine Longet classic on here after the Melody's Echo Chamber number which then segues into the Day Wave track. Segue. That's a French word, right?

Eternal Conjecture 220704: Lou Reed kicks it all off with an ode to America. A new Steve Forbert tune offers a nod to Tom Petty and I followed it up with a personal TP favorite. So 23 new tracks showcased here along with the two oldies... enjoy.

Eternal Conjecture 220622: 24 brand new songs plus a 46-year-old dandy from the birthday boy. Still waiting on new music from Imperfecto, Sonic Dave & the Amazing Brothers. Lord when I pray, please be there…happy birthday Todd Rundgren!

Eternal Conjecture 220610: Over the last few months I think that I've included almost every song off of the Nilufer Yanya album "Painless" in an #EC playlist including this one. Gotta be one of the best releases of 2022 for sure. Great cover of a recent Robbie Robertson composition by the Waterboys and I felt compelled to follow it up with a personal RR fave. Beth Orton returns with the moody title track to her upcoming release. And just so you know... Knower is the husband/wife duo comprised of Louis Cole & Genevieve Artadi. And there's always room to include a new Hammock track! #EC220610

Eternal Conjecture 220530: Joel Sarakula got that Daryl Hall / Todd Rundgren vibe going there. She and Him with the first single from their upcoming Brain Wilson tribute recording, the kinda obscure "Darlin'." Lest we stray too far away, there's new Craig Finn songs to bring us back to reality. And I'm just now understanding how great Louis Cole is. "Everytime" is simply a devastatingly beautiful song.

Eternal Conjecture 220515: 25 mostly new tunes with a couple of older tracks from Joel Sarakula and Louis Cole. Givin' a little Okie red dirt shout-out to Beau Jennings and Samantha Crain. Louise Goffin concludes it with a cover of a tune that many thought was her mom singing when they first heard it. Dedicated with great disdain to Wendy Byrd. #Ozark.

Eternal Conjecture 220502: Drop by... plug in... chill out! 24 new tracks plus a seasonal classic from Jonathan Richman.

Eternal Conjecture 220422: 25 tracks all new all fresh. Ric Robertson kinda reminds me of Robert Palmer during his mid 70s Lowell George-infused era. I'm sure he's the only crooner out there singing about Fibonacci Sequences and rainbows in the gutter… somehow a new Del Amitri album was released last year that flew under my radar. Gotta include the tasty single, better late than never! #EC220422

Eternal Conjecture 220410: Drop by... plug in... chill out! All new stuff except for the old Blue Nile track resurrected here for ecclesiastical purposes (celebrating the Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox). And a nod of the head to the passing of Gary Brooker with a recent Santana cover of "A Whiter Shade of Pale.” That’s Steve Winwood on the vocal, of course. Nice to see Steve Forbert resurfacing. He was supposed to be the next next Dylan but turns out it’s great to be the old Stevie Forbert!

Can I get a HALLELUJAH! #EC220410

Eternal Conjecture 220328: Drop by... plug in... chill out! 25 new tracks expertly sequenced to enhance your listening experience. #EC220328

Eternal Conjecture 220317: Drop by... plug in... chill out! 25 new tracks expertly sequenced to enhance your listening experience.

Eternal Conjecture 220305: Drop by... plug in... chill out! 24 new numbers plus a golden nugget expertly sequenced to maximize your listening experience. You could do worse... much worse. The entire Frank Turner album (FTHC) is highly recommended. Not sure why the old 1976 Hillage track popped into my mind but it did. Produced by Todd Rundgren back in the day, this George Harrison number still resonates today and forever. Presented here with a twangin' punch! #EC220305

Eternal Conjecture 220222: a lot of twos there… 25 fresh tracks delivered promptly and with no blockade bullshit - we're here to please! Driving from Key West to Fort Lauderdale soon? Here's your cruisin' playlist. Frank Turner has dropped 2 strong tracks from his new album onto the last two EC playlists. Need to check out the whole thing. Another new Todd cover from Astral Drive. What a blessing Phil Thornalley's recent projects have been! #EC220222

Eternal Conjecture 220212: Wake me up, please wake me up, to bad news in the morning, but oh, hey, forget about it, ‘twas just a dream anyway... until it all comes crashin' down! Or something like that. Things turn a little more serious toward the end. But there's always that pot o' gold at the end of the rainbow, right? #EC220212

Eternal Conjecture 220202: This offering includes new music from Tears for Fears, John Mellencamp and Daryl Hall. What is this, the 1990s? Hey, it all blends and flows together, the then and the now, the yin and the yang, the old codgers and the young breed. Listening to "Lie to Me" from Mellencamp makes me wonder if the reason so many baby boomers are good with lies these days and no longer value the truth is because they're facing their own mortality. They don't necessarily like the writing that is staring them down from the wall. So they want to ignore it, block it out, make it untrue. But nope - it doesn’t work that way. Science and knowledge go hand and hand with spirit and faith. Embrace reality, or temporarily alter it to help get by.... but in the end, folks, the truth is all we got. #EC220202

Eternal Conjecture 220122: A few weeks ago, I caught that CNN special with Carole King and James Taylor. It made me remember one of her lesser-known hits, a song that was always a personal favorite. Turns out that it’ s actually a “winter” song so I decided to get things rolling with it. The poet Elvis Costello has written and recorded a new song about deceit masquerading as a Halloween song. And if there’s one thing stranger than a Christmas in February, it’s a Halloween in January - thanks Lou Reed. Better enjoyed if Zorked!

Good night. #EC220122

January 8th, 2022: Eternal Conjecture 220108 - the first playlist of the new year and it's got more of a mellow vibe to it, especially after the first 3 tunes. I've noticed more songs alluding to the emergence of artificial intelligence like Hey Siri. AI may not be human but I prefer it over real ignorance which there's way too much already out there if you catch my drift. Enjoy! #EC220108

December 28th, 2021: Eternal Conjecture 211228 - the last playlist of 2021. This one is all new stuff except for the final track performed live at the Moogy Klingman benefit from ten years ago. “Dust in the Wind” is a fitting final sentiment for 2021. Pay attention to tracks 8 thru 11 as they kinda provide additional commentary to the state of our current collective mindset. But then the sun rises and there’s daylight!

December 18th, 2021: Eternal Conjecture 211218: Believe - It's the season of I Believe so here ya go... I've always wanted to pair BW's "You Still Believe in Me" with TR's "Believe in Me" and I finally got the chance. Six selections from the new "Winter Tales" collection offers a nice contrast and texture to the playlist climaxing with the Brian & Roger Eno selection. And I never can resist a new catchy Martin Newell (Cleaners from Venus) Christmas song. Happy Holidays…. may you find joy and peace now and forever!

December 5th, 2021: Eternal Conjecture 211205 - All new tracks here including a fresh version of an old Brian Wilson classic. I kinda get the feeling that Brian wanted to reclaim his collection of classic tunes for posterity and present them in a simple manner emphasizing the distinct melodies. If so, mission completed.

November 22nd, 2021: Eternal Conjecture 211122 - 21 brand new tracks plus 4 wild cards and with a Thanksgiving vibe thrown in toward the end. Over the hills and thru the dales (upon the autobahn) to grandmother's house we go.... in (dis)honor of the @rockhall recognition of @kraftwerk as well as a nice follow-up to Jazz on the Autobahn by the @felicebrothers.

November 11th, 2021: Eternal Conjecture 211111 - Fresh playlist book-ended by Kasim Sulton’s brand new spirited version of “What’s So Funny About Peace Love & Understanding” and a more poignant rendering by the song’s original writer, the great Nick Lowe. Sorry Lou Ann, no Elvis Costello this time.

“As I walk this wicked world searching for light in the darkness of insanity, I ask myself is all hope gone, is there only pain, hatred and misery… and each time I feel like this inside there’s one thing I want to know… what’s so funny about peace, love and understanding? As I walk on through troubled times my spirit gets so downhearted sometimes, where are the strong and who are the trusted and where is the sweet harmony?”

Yeah… what IS so funny about peace, love and understanding?

October 31st, 2021: Eternal Conjecture 211031 - a new spacy edition just in time for Halloween. The playlist begins with Space Vacation and ends with a track from Spacey Jane. Strange indeed and in fact a mere coincidence. The Clientele drop by with a tune from 2017…. love those guys. Also includes new tracks from four of our elder statesmen: Todd, Elvis, Lindsey & Croz…. time to get spaced out!

October 17th, 2021: Eternal Conjecture 211017 - No old stuff here, unless you consider the 2020 Kevin Krauter inclusion old... otherwise, 100% fresh, including two recent covers of mid-90s classics: Novocaine for the Soul / Hand in My Pocket. Hey, it’s a beautiful autumn, ya gotta include a fine Martin Newell / Cleaners From Venus tune… and damn, Oberhofer appears yet again!

October 05th, 2021: Eternal Conjecture 211005 - 23 fresh tracks plus a couple of oldies… so Roger Powell of Utopia wrote a song about reincarnation/rebirth back in 1977 called Windows which includes the line “the web of life connects each of us to the other so it’s no use pretending that you alone run the show.” Seems to me that MSFT should have been paying a nice royalty to Mr. Powell for a helluva long time… a new season of Modern Love was recently made available on a streaming service. Eight vignettes regarding the ups and down of ice-fishing in Minnesota. Anyway, the last episode uses Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” in a very effective manner. It’s a nice coda to this EC playlist and a reminder: never take love for granted. Oh yeah, Hammock released a track from their new album and I squeezed it in here… enjoy!

September 21st 2021: Eternal Conjecture 210921: 25 songs of mostly the best in new music plus a couple of timely wild cards thoughtfully sequenced to enhance your listening experience. Enjoy... you could do worse... much worse!

Notes: McMurtry is still in fine form… Fernando Perdomo released an entire album of Todd Rundgren instrumental covers: presented here is the only “studio” version of The 7 Rays that I am aware of… the Psychedelic Furs make a typically gloomy but still catchy appearance: I was dead and I’ll be dead again… the splendid “If I Could Make September Stay” by Michael Franks is this edition’s only wild card.

September 8th, 2021: Eternal Conjecture 210908: 25 songs of mostly the best in new music plus a couple of timely wild cards thoughtfully sequenced to enhance your listening experience. Enjoy... you could do worse... much worse!

August 30, 2021: This came to my attention over the week-end - James McMurtry “Horses and the Hounds.” I’m not much of a horseman and I don’t hunt but still… I do enjoy a ribald tale now and then. And more than once I’ve driven down a highway right behind a horse trailer with a horse who harbors no shame in relieving itself en route.

August 17, 2021: Eternal Conjecture 210817

25 songs of mostly the best in new music plus a couple of timely wild cards thoughtfully sequenced to enhance your listening experience. We have now added a short coda to the end of our playlists. Enjoy!.. you could do worse!

Notes: Yeah, writer/director Mike White might have gone too far with some of those Armond scenes, but there was still a lot to like about The White Lotus mini-series on HBO (the beautiful scenery, Quinn’s existential experience, the constant tug from both sides of the “privilege” equation). And another one of them was the soundtrack used effectively throughout... here we start off with the riveting opening theme. Gotta love that Steely Dan vibe on the Mild High Club track. And what a moment of deep genius Mike and Julie by John Grant is.

Tuesday, July 6, 2021: I did not realize that the Greatest Living Englishman Martin Newell was recording under his old band name The Cleaners from Venus. New music just released which I am in the process of checking out.

Tuesday, August 2, 2021: Big surprise... New Astral Drive music has arrived! I recall that episode of Live from Daryl's House where Michelle Rundgren mentions that Todd and Daryl kind of have a friendly competition which pushes each other on.... I think Todd might want to start thinking about Phil Thornally and Astral Drive. I mean, hell, I never thought that anybody could possibly out-Todd-Rundgren Todd Rundgren but here ya go. I think I hear some Kasim Sulton background vocals on a couple of tracks, especially Stargazing, or is that Todd, or both? Also included is a cover of Open My Eyes... second cover version this year along with Fernando Perdomo's incendiary instrumental track. But Wish U Well definitely strikes me as a strong nod of the hat to Prince with a little Jimi Hendrix vibe.

Speaking of Kasim, he' got new music coming out in September which includes a cover of the Nick Lowe / Elvis Costello classic, What's So Funny About Peace Love & Understanding.