I just want to take a moment to write a brief bit about the major music event that occurred over the weekend. I’m talking, of course, about the death of Amy Winehouse. It’s really such a sad story, made that much worse by the fact that nobody is surprised by it. She was a habitual drug user and abuser, among other things, and despite a few trips to rehab, she never could quite fully commit to staying clean. The extra dose of sadness is that people like Keith Richards continue to live on despite a lifetime of drug abuse. Everybody’s body is different I suppose. Amy Winehouse was a very talented individual whose contributions to music may have been brief but nonetheless impactful. People keep talking about “The 27 Club” when discussing her death. If you’re not already aware, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison are just a few of many musicians that died at the age of 27, most of them in their prime. Winehouse now joins that club, even if she wasn’t quite on the same level as those legendary figures. Over the weekend I took some time out to listen to “Back to Black” a few times. I haven’t listened to that record all the way through in a couple years. It still sounds great, and is largely responsible for opening the door for similar musicians like Adele and Duffy. So she did make a fair amount of difference in her lifetime. I wish her family and friends the highest of condolences, and hope she has now found peace herself.

I suppose talking about Amy Winehouse and then immediately moving on to Pick Your Poison could seem like poor taste. If that’s the way you see it, apologies. In this case, the “poison” cannot harm anything but your ears via bad music or high volume. Today’s songs meeting with my seal of approval come from Botany, D/Wolves, Mates of State, P.G. Six, Southerly and VHS or Beta. In the Soundcloud section be sure to stream tracks from Balam Acab and an old school Dan Deacon cut.

Botany – Waterparker

The Crossfaders – Body Stalk (DISCOFORGIA Remix)

D/Wolves – Tell Me Why

The George-Edwards Group – Nevada

Kites With Lights – Cosmonauts

Kyle Rapps – Universe Traveler (ft. Talib Kweli)

The Ladybirds – Shimmy Shimmy Dang

Lana Del Rey – Video Games (Mover Shaker Remix)

Life Size Maps – Mechanical Man

Mates of State – Maracas

Metronomy – The Bay (Clock Opera Remix)

Navet – For the Show

Nig-Heist – Walking Down the Street

P.G. Six – January

Punks Jump Up – Chimes (Younger Than Me Remix)

Southerly – Suffer

Tim Cohen – Daylight Moon

VHS or Beta – Breaking Bones

SOUNDCLOUD

The Amends – Bored and Mean

Andy Steele – Here Comes The Sunshine

Balam Acab – Apart

Dan Deacon – My Own Face Is F Word

Lotus – Blacklight Sunflare

Montalban Quintet – Lonnie’s Lament