Killed Darlings

The process of curation produces winners and losers. That is one uncomfortable truth. The other is that sometimes those who don't really deserve it end up on the losing side. And sometimes, I hope rarely, losers come out on the winning side. But, of course, this is a subjective perception.

Over the past few months, I have chosen 85 songs for the Weekly5 playlist. Sometimes this task was easy, sometimes hard. And it's always painful to leave out a great track. Maybe because the competition was just too intense, perhaps because it would have harmed the selection balance.

"Kill your darlings" - that's the motto in writing. The beauty of curating is that the chips that fall while grinding an issue stay in my workshop. And at the same time, it's unfair because no one gets to see them. Or rather, to hear them.

I would like to change this today. That's why today's special edition features five pieces that stayed in my mind but didn't officially make it into the selection.

Silver Firs – Now We Start To See The Beauty

The Swiss duo Silver Firs finally released a new song a few weeks ago after a long period of silence. The title Now We Start To See The Beauty is almost poetic in light of today's output.

This single begins rhythmically, ritually, and almost psychedelically. This intro drags on for a long time. It sounds as if the door is opening into an exotic world, a universe where one can lose oneself.

But suddenly, this weird thing leads into a lovely indie-pop anthem. Harmonious, shimmering. An excellent build-up before the obscure rhythm takes over again.

Solomun – Tuk Tuk (feat. ÄTNA)

What happens when deep house meets ethereal electro-pop? This question was answered by the renowned producer Solomun, together with the Dresden duo ÄTNA. Tuk Tuk brings dance fever sweat to the forehead without seeming arbitrary.

Inéz Schaefer, ÄTNA's voice, adds urgency to the already urgent song with her performance. Somewhere between club feeling and hip-hop vibe, Tuk Tuk can never be classified appropriately.

This collaboration is strange but successful—a monument to the fact that anthems of escalation don't have to be simple. Tuk Tuk dares to do something.

Steiner & Madlaina – Wenn ich ein Junge wäre (Ich will nicht lächeln)

This is the sound of protest; this is the sound of anger. Wenn ich ein Junge wäre by the Zurich duo Steiner & Madlaina is the musical result of a demonstration. Published one year after the big women's strike in Switzerland, this song holds up the clenched fist of feminism.

Steiner & Madlaina are otherwise renowned for their indie-folk songs that are deeply rooted in everyday youth. Wenn ich ein Junge wäre breaks with this delicate sound and achieves exactly the right effect: it shakes things up.

It's a fast-paced song, the fastest and most aggressive on their second album Wünsch mir Glück. But one that stays in the memory. And with it, the message.

Kaktus Einarsson – 45rpm

As the singer of the band Fufanu, Icelander Kaktus Einarsson was responsible for a modern iteration of post-punk that sometimes takes some getting used to. In terms of genre, his solo works are hardly comparable. And yet, the uniqueness continues to resonate.

45rpm is a beautifully composed piece, a kaleidoscope of sound that reveals a new shape, a fresh color, a previously hidden facet with each listening session. Bizarre beauty and menacing shadows shake hands here.

With 45rpm, Kaktus Einarsson has succeeded in creating one of those songs that can hardly be done justice with words. It always remains a mystery - and that is precisely the beauty of it.

Adriano Koch – I Love You Sadness

Adriano Koch is a young talent at the keys. The 21-year-old pianist creates wondrous worlds. I Love You Sadness is just one of these proofs of how stylistically confident Koch navigates in the field of tension between classical music and modern ambient.

"This song is about resilience and how we should be grateful to once have been hurt. This song was created while transforming sadness into euphoria," Koch says about this piece released in February.

I Love You Sadness sounds melancholic, thoughtful, then upbeat and empowered. It's a wild ride between depression and empowerment.

Do I regret that these songs didn't officially make it into the Weekly5 selection? Definitely, and the regret increases every time the random generator serves me these songs again.

But at the same time, it feels good to present them to you now in a special spotlight. So I hope you found inspiration for your playlist again today.

All the best,