10 to Spin | These United States

Last month, we released our early “Best Of” lists for you to enjoy. Of course, lists like these are always changing. Case in point: We hadn’t heard What Lasts, the fantastic new album from These United States. It’s a dark album, written in the shadow of lead singer Jesse Elliot’s near drowning. But it also has a lot of hope, just like the songs featured in our latest 10 to Spin.

The songs below were picked by These United States’ pedal/lap steel guitarist J. Tom Hnatow. It’s an inspiring bunch, one that Hnatow describes nicely below.

If you’re wanting to check out the band live, you can catch These United States at Lollapalooza on Friday bright and early at 11:15 AM! The band’s also hitting The Old Rock House in Saint Louis, opening for Trampled By Turtles, on October 3rd.

red moon, blue moon: a twilight mix
“A friend of ours from the band Revival once told me that he always forced himself to be doing something, anything, at twilight — the longest, loneliest, heaviest time of day for him to get through, when all your thoughts and memories seep hazily in at the edges, darkness creeps inevitably on. This is a mix for driving west, the sun setting red through the clouds, watching the world fade away until there’s nothing left but the glowing instrument panel and the lonely headlights of fellow travelers.”

Side A
1 deerhunter – twilight at carbon lake

2 spoon – out go the lights

3 los lobos – kiko & the lavender moon

4 george harrison – beware of darkness

5 the walkmen – red moon

Side B
6 paul simon – the obvious child

7 alton ellis – tonight [listen]

8 kurt vile – overnite religion

9 the jayhawks – haywire

10 elvis presley – blue moon